Jared had a few successes this week and so we offered to take him out to dinner to celebrate.  Jared requested my taco salad instead which I happily made for him. (He is such a quiet and reserved kid and I'm doing my best to meet him right where he is at - which sometimes is a challenge for extroverted me.)   Here is what we were celebrating: 

1. Jared finished driver's ed, all his ranges, and passed his driver's test on the first try.  He has about 10 more driving hours to log and then he will be ready to get his license.   That means we'll probably be in the market for a new "starter" car for him this summer.

2. Jared finished the semester with good grades. I never have to remind or nag him about school and he finished with a certificate of "competency" in CAD architecture. If you want to know the measurements of a standard door or hallway, Jared's your man.

3. Jared sold his first song.  I think I've mentioned that Jared writes and posts music online.  He has had some attention lately, and this week someone bought one of his beat tracks for a couple hundred dollars. Yeah, you read that right.   We had to do quick research on contracts and money transfers and all that. Jared had now made more money making music than anyone else in the family. :)

Other News not Jared Centric

Ruth started her new marketing internship at the business college and she really likes it.  She gets to design for their website and also for the informational TV's that are all around campus.  The only downside is the hour-long commute to and from.

I designed and built a new spray paint box.  This one hooks up to our garage vac.  Hopefully, it will reduce the amount of spray paint dust that covers everything out there.   I also started some new hours at my job, working two full days rather than 4 afternoons, which I like much better. Though I do find that I'm really tired after teaching 6 classes.