Congratulations, Elsie

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Here's proof that even at 11 months old, you knew how to take command of a room. Sheppie may have had 12 human years on you, but he knew who to listen to if he wanted to get ahead in the world.

Hours before this picture was taken, you were in a hospital emergency room with a very bloody mouth. Your mom cried a lot more than you did. Less than 12 hours later we'd be back in that same hospital emergency room, this time so your father could be treated for injuries from an auto accident. It was a very long day.

Today's going to be a very long day, too. You finally finish with all that school and we can't be there to help you celebrate. And even if you don't land a teaching job because the state is still broke and public school enrollment is way down, we're very proud of you. Somewhere out there is a classroom full of fourth-graders just waiting for fate to intervene.

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