Happiness is...

... when hard work pays off! Today, Mika's school had its awards assembly for the fall semester of Joggers' Club. The rules state that every four laps counts as 1 mile, but honestly, I think that's pretty optimistic. In order to win a medal, first graders had to run 48 laps (= 12 miles) by the end - this was Mika's goal. She ran pretty consistently, running 4 laps every time, except once (when there was a "wardrobe malfunction" with her shoes (accompanied by some screaming and crying)... and we'll never buy velcro shoes again!).

Last year, they also presented a special award to the top two runners in each grade.

This year, for whatever reason (budget cuts?), they only gave one award (see trophy above) to the top runner in each grade. Lo and behold, Mika won! Her certificate said she ran 18.75 miles, or 75 laps. Mika looked so happy - and even her classmates looked proud of her! Way to go, girl!

The rain came back this morning, but Marika and I enjoyed a couple of days of bike riding and playing at the park. Remember when swinging high was enough to make you feel euphoric? Ah, those were the days... =)