MLK Weekend

Winter of 2001 (Christi 3 1/2, Shayla 2 years) Playing at an awesome "play area" at a shopping mall in Columbus.

This long holiday weekend, allowed me to get caught up (and actually ahead) on a lot of lesson planning and grading. (Praise the Lord!) My junior high students' quarter ended on Friday and my 19 Heidelberg students started back to classes on Monday so we're all in the swing of things again.

This year’s long holiday weekend was spent in a far different manner from last year's when our family was separated. Christi had finished her hu14.18 antibody trial at CHOP on Thursday, but was in no way ready to be discharged back to Ronald. They would have preferred to keep her another day; however, my sister and her family were flying to Florida to be with mom and Joe, and Christi had to be seen by Dr. Maris on Tuesday since Monday was a holiday. I found very inexpensive flights, something like $50 a ticket, to fly to Florida so despite the fact Christi wasn't doing the best we took off and joined the crew down south. I am so glad we did! When Christi felt well, she was able to do a lot with her cousins and grandparents. When she didn't feel well (headache, nausea, tiredness) she slept. I'll never forget our delayed flight arriving in Florida with a miserable Christi looking pathetic in a wheelchair. I could only cry for Christi's grandparents as they rushed to greet us. My heart ached for them and how horrible it must have been for them to see their grandchild in pain and in a wheelchair. Regardless, MLK Weekend of 2006 provided great memories in Florida and also back in Ohio where Shayne took Shayla skiing for the very first time.
Crazy Cousins
Enjoying the sunset before going to dinner.
Tennis Time, Go Christi!Swimming with Cousin Shelby




Shayla continues to eagerly await our first snow (or ice) fall of the year. She’s yet to be able to try out the little snowboard Santa brought her for Christmas. This warm weather has been very unusual!

This weekend we were also able to catch up with old friends. It's so nice to watch Shayla playing with other kids. She loves playmates and it’s heartbreaking at home sometimes knowing how much she misses playing with Christi.

On Saturday we went to a boat show in Cleveland. Shayla was delightful exploring all of the big, exciting boats and so patiently waiting while her daddy talked “work”. She also caught a fish in the fish pond and watched a squirrel that water-skied. I had a great conversation with an author who writes books about Put-in-Bay. Someone tried to convince the author to write a banker into his next book and to model the character after Shayne. Hmmmm. Wonder who that was?!

We also finished reading "Anne of Green Gables" to Shayla and enjoyed watching the video we borrowed from the library this weekend. Additionally, we watched "RV" and laughed and laughed at the silly movie. Currently, Shayla is listening to "Little House". We were surprised that she did not remember when Shayne and I read nearly the entire series to the girls in the winter of 2003 while living in the Ronald McDonald House of NYC. Those memories are quite vivid for Shayne and I.

A sweet Christi Supporter sent us "All God's Creatures Go To Heaven" by N.A. Noel and Shayla and I read and discussed the book. I somehow got through it all without tears, but it wasn't easy. The book is absolutely incredible. It has the most beautiful heavenly artwork and the concept of angel children being assigned the responsibility of caring for pets went over big with Shayla. I know "this" isn't easy for Shayla at all, but I do wonder if being naive helps. I often find I'm questioning a lot in recent weeks.

Shayla finished up her Girl Scout cookie sales. Thanks to generous buyers (and to Shayla being quite the little salesman even going to daddy's colleagues) she almost sold an incredible 150 boxes!!

Our prayers, thoughts and hearts remain with some of our dearest cancer friends as they're in terribly painful situations without a glimmer of hope. Watching your child suffer and knowing the end is near, with nothing you can do about it, causes horrendous stress and pain.

THANK YOU!! We'd like to thank the many sweet people who provided suggestions we had not thought of for Christi's plaque at the cemetary! We plan to make some calls this week to get the ball rolling and hopefully someone will be able to put together what we have in mind.

FUNERAL FUNNY:

Christi always loved the roar of the motorcycles starting up at the many Christi Thomas Poker Runs which we able to raise a lot of $$$$ for many different causes over the four years. When she was stuck in the hospital in early June and unable to attend the Christi Thomas Poker Run which raised $2,000 for the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House, Shayne called us from his cell phone by the side of the highway as the motorcycles roar (and many "beeped" too) and I gave my cell phone to Christi so she could hear that glorious sound she loved so much. She smiled and giggled and giggled. We were so touched that approximately seventy "Friends of Christi" on motorcycles turned out for her funeral procession. They so lovingly provided a final escort for their "little friend". Seeing big burly motorcycle guys with tears doesn't mix in a sterotypical mind, but I witnessed some that day. We'll never forget their huge hearts and their kindness!



During the funeral procession, we stopped to change Christi’s casket from the horse drawn hearse to a motor hearse and to pick up the incredibly sweet “Friends of Christi” who gave her a final escort to her place of rest. While the change was taking place with the pallbearers we asked our (elderly gentleman) driver to put down our window. He didn’t understand us and he came back and opened the door and said, “You want out?” Oh, we dreaded that day and didn’t want any one looking at us so we quickly said, “NO, just put down the window please, so we can hear the roar of their motorcycle engines firing up. Christi always loved that sound and we want to hear it too.”

June 2005: Christi sends the motorcycle riders off while holding a huge "THANK YOU! Love, Christi" sign. The 2005 Christi Thomas Poker Run raised $2,000 for the Northwest Ohio Make a Wish Foundation. (The amazing group that sent Christi - and all of us, on her Make-a-Wish trip to Japan!)

Christi & Shayla led the 2004 Christi Thomas Poker Run by riding in a side cart!! That year "Just for Kids" was the beneficiary.

Having lived in NYC and not worked for many months of treatment, this first Christi Thomas Poker Run (held in the summmer of 2003) was a fundraiser for our family. Christi was surprised that her name was printed on the tee-shirts. So sweet!