$1,000 to Tiffany and......He's 40

Christi and Tiffany on the campus of Heidelberg (September 2005). Tiffany's mom sent me an email Tiffany had sent to her. Tif wrote: I am getting more and more nervous. We were just talking about it and I was sobbing...I just feel so bad accepting this award. I would pay them $1,000 to spend just an hour with their little sweetie.
Shayla & Tiffany at Heidelberg's Student Award Celebration yesterday.

I only teared up as Shayla and I held hands and walked to the gymnasium for the scholarship announcement. She said matter of factly, "It would have been nice to give Christi the money to go to college, but since we can't it's nice to give it to other kids, especially Tiffany, she's my babysitter." I said, "You are wise beyond your years little one. I cannot believe you processed all that." She stopped walking and kissed me with that beautiful little face.

The awards celebration was lovely and I did not shed a single tear.....until afterward. We had invited Tiffany and her fiance to go out to dinner following the event. While we were waiting for them to finish talking with their parents, Tiffany came over to me and said, "We want to ask Shayla to be a junior bridesmaid in our wedding, but we want to make sure that's ok with you first." Well, that did it. I choked back something like, "Of course! She will love that." I knew Tiffany, with her love of children would have lots of little ones in her wedding next summer, but I never thought Shayla would be one of them - wow!! When we arrived home last night after dinner at the Pioneer Mill, I said to Shayla, "I simply could not believe they asked you to be in their wedding!! What did you think?" She squeezed her lips together, clasped her hands in front of her, shrugged up her shoulders and froze. I laughed and she hugged me and confessed, "Oh, Mommy!! I am so happy! That will be so much fun!!"

Shayne turned the big 4-0 today! He set the alarm and headed out with a group of guys on a 45 mile bike ride early this morning. He has entered some athletic competitions in the next couple of months and he's been training very diligently; I'm so proud of him! This morning Shayla and I will be making a (disgusting) "Kitty Litter Cake". One of my 7th graders gave her the idea last fall and she loved it. He doesn't even like cake, but we're making him this one - just to see the look on his face! We'll eat it in Columbus this afternoon where we will meet up with Marty and Jeff at a horse show and then cheer on Ashley at two Lacrosse games this afternoon. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone and Shayla is thrilled about spending the whole afternoon with her cousins! Here is the link to the kitty litter cake recipe. (We are not putting it in a new kitty litter box though; I drew the line there!) http://www.fabulousfoods.com/recipes/dessert/cakes/kittylittercake.html