I won!

It's kind of hard to see, but my name is really on this award. I entered the Lillian Dean contest at the Cuesta Writer's Conference this weekend and received first place in the nonfiction/memoir category.
The contest required us to create the first page of a novel. The idea is to get the readers to turn the page and keep reading. I've attended this conference for many years, entered this contest before, but never received any recognition like this. Winning this award gives me a feeling of great accomplishment. My Mother was the inspiration for this piece and as I read it to the captive conference audience, I was feeling my mother standing next to me saying, "I'm so proud of you, honey."
Thanks, Mom, I miss you.