Good News Abounds

WE'VE GOT A WINNER!:  Somehow, I haven't managed to get around to sharing some really good news here on the blog. CJ recently found out he was one of the winners of the 2021 BECU Foundation scholarships.

Each year, BECU Foundation awards at least 25 renewable two-year scholarships worth $2,500 each (a potential total of $5,000). 

What are the selection criteria? According to the BECU Foundation website, "[A]n independent selection committee consisting of community members representing a diverse business and education background will evaluate the applications and select the winners." The committee considers commitment to community service and  leadership potential. There is also a reference required. CJ used the volunteer coordinator at Birthday Dreams as his reference. 

CJ worked hard on that scholarship application. I remember saying to him back in February, when the application was due, "I think you're going to win this one." My prediction proved true!

So congratulations to CJ and a big thanks to the BECU Foundation!

ADVENTURING: More good news, this time from Mars, where NASA's 4-pound helicopter is setting records with each flight.

On its third and most recent flight (Sunday, April 25), at an altitude of 16 feet, the craft flew 164 feet downrange, reaching a top speed of 6.6 feet per second. 

Here's video of that journey:

During its journey, Ingenuity even snapped a cool shot of Mars rover Perseverance. 

                                                         Photo: NASA JPL

PROFESSING: Monday afternoon, Annabelle had an interview with a Bellevue College Japanese professor to see if she can skip Japanese 1 since she learned along with CJ already. She got the go ahead, which is great. Sure, Japanese 1 would have likely been an easy A for her, but why not aim higher? Bellevue College actually has Japanese 1-4, so she could learn a lot over the course of the upcoming school year!

ANOTHER ONE DONE: On Monday and Tuesday, we spent several hours crafting a cake for a 7-year-old spending his birthday in a homeless shelter. 

CJ chose this cake because he figured no one else would. The child apparently loves a show called "Henry Danger." It's some sort of superhero show on the Nickelodeon network. 

CJ cooked up a vanilla cake (per the child's request). I have to say, it was his best cake ever. It baked so beautifully and was just the right texture. (We're wondering of our 'new' oven had something to do with how great it came out. It's the first cake we've baked in the Frigidaire Flair.)

We put vanilla buttercream between the three layers, and a few sprinkles for fun.

Annabelle fashioned a mask out of modeling chocolate she made.

We made some marshmallow fondant to craft the logo's swirls and the birthday boy's name and age.

In the photo below, the child's name is (rather crudely) obscured to protect anonymity.

The top tier of the cake isn't cake at all, it's a big Rice Krispies treat covered in fondant. The mask is propped up by a really tall red candle. Six more red candles were on the top of the first tier, bringing the total to 7, the birthday boy's age.

We hope he likes his cake!