Congratulations, Cecilia!

We've always known we have a winner in young Cecilia, but today's news from New Hampshire confirms what the rest of us have long known: She's the cats pajamas, the best, the big door prize.

All year, Cecilia has worked hundreds of hours learning how to do stage managing for her school's theater group. It became her passion, her obsession. And yesterday, her group won the New Hampshire state contest in theater production, and she and her cast and crew get to go to the New England winner's circle in Vermont where just a handful of plays are showcased.

Last Sunday, she was down in the dumps, but today she is flying high! She'll even get to miss school to participate, and as soon as the big event is over, she and her joined-at-the-hip, best friend Kate will still fly high -- all the way to BWI where Aunt Beth will meet them and kick off their vacation in Virginia, West Virginia and D.C.

In lesser news, she reported today that there are a few places where grass is actually visible under the snow, but in just a week, they will be in a fairyland of flowering trees, daffodils and grass as green as Ireland. We've got a warm and sunny welcome waiting for our winner, but we'd do the same, even if she had lost. She's the sun in our family solar system.

We're all proud and happy for you. The sky's the limit for this girl, and that's not just your granny talkin' trash.