She's Off

We were blessed with a great week! Shayla was under the weather at the beginning, but by this morning she was perfectly fine! So perfect in fact, we left home early this morning and I put her on a plane and sent her to spend the week with Grandma Nonee and Paw Paw in Florida. Then I caught my flight to North Carolina where I’m attending a wonderful teacher’s conference this weekend. It seems very odd, all three of us spending the weekend in three separate states, but that’s just the way it worked out.

Last winter, we missed my mom and Joe terribly and then Shayne decided, “Shayla is an A student, just because we have to work doesn’t mean she should be penalized and not get to spend a week with them. That would be great for Shayla and her grandparents.” We also talked about how "you never know when or who" and we'd hate to have one of the three no longer with us. The week would give them special memories to forever treasure. Therefore, last summer I booked her flights. She’s been looking forward to this special week for quite some time.

Yesterday after school, four of my sweet 8th grade students stopped by my classroom to chat. (OK, and maybe to get some free food, as they know I have a “snack drawer”, hee hee!) I told them I was flying to a conference so they would have a sub in the morning and that Shayla was going to be flying on a different plane to spend the week with her grandparents. They asked her, “Aren’t you going to be scared flying by yourself?” (Well, wait till I talk to them about putting ideas in her head! She was just fine until they brought it up. Wink!) She informed them that she traveled before as an “unaccompanied minor” something that made me feel sick as I remembered that one time – flying her home from Philly so that she could go back to school, knowing she’d most likely never see her sister alive again and knowing she needed to be into a routine, not waiting for her sister to die. That was horrific! That was ugly! The Priest came to the hospital that Monday night to perform Christi’s last rites and Tuesday morning Mr. Grant drove us from the Ronald House to the airport where I put Shay on that plane alone, sat down in a chair and bawled. Finally, I got myself together enough to go out to Mr. Grant where he drove me back to CHOP, even though I insisted he didn’t nee d to wait for me I could take the train or hail a taxi. He gave me that private time alone that I needed and just waited outside for me. He is truly an Angel on earth! We are so blessed to have the Grant family as our dear friends. (Shayla emails every few days with their beautiful daughters, her “Philly friends” as she calls them.)

After talking with my students after school yesterday, I was a bit concerned that she may be worried about flying alone, but today, Shayla was fine and didn’t mind flying by herself. (My mom actually thought she preferred it.) We are in the midst of reading “The Tale of Despereaux” so I read about ¼ of the book waiting for her to board.

I decided I’d better join my many middle school students in reading Stephenie Meyer’s series so I was reading “Twilight” on my flight. I see why so many of my kiddos like it! I am enjoying it too! I packed some special “surprises” in Shay’s bookbag so that she’d find them on the flight. Much to my surprise, today unpacking my suitcase in the hotel I found a sweet, sweet note Shayla must have tucked in my suitcase last night. It says:

I love you. I’ll be fine. Have fun at your conference. I will say hi to Nonee for you. Bye. Love, Shayla P.S. I love you!




She had a fantastic day with her grandparents. They took her to see a place where about 300 manatees come to get in the warm waters. Fascinating! I wish I could be with them!

I wish Christi could be with them too! I guess I should just be grateful she made it down there once before she died. Here she is in January 2006. Was it really three YEARS ago? Funny how it seems like yesterday and that she was right here and I could reach out and touch her and hug her.

HUMOR: THAT INNONCENT LOOKING SUITCASE! Earlier this week, my mom told me not to pack things that she would have like sun lotion and towels and that she'd be happy to do laundry so I didn't need to pack many clothes. Little did she ever suspect what we put in Shayla's suitcse! I just wish I could have seen her face when she unpacked it tonight! (We packed her scooter and her rollerblades! I figured if I was paying the airline $30.00 to check a suitcase, I'd make it worth everyone's while. Hee hee!) Ride on, Shayla! You can't do that in Ohio right now! (This morning I actually got the van stuck in the driveway. I apologize for most likely waking all of the neighbors up! Thankfully, Shayne came out and got us unstuck so we could make it to the airport. Whew!)