Weekend Update

(Just as Traci - aka Hariett - always made Christi feel better, Traci did that for Shayla today by meeting us at the Equine Affaire at the fairgrounds in Columbus.)
After crying herself to sleep Thursday night, Shayla seemed a bit better by Friday morning, but she was still incredibly quiet. In the afternoon, I called over to sweet Caroline (one of her 4th grade teachers) to check on Miss Shay Shay. Her teacher said, “Well……she came up to me right away this morning and told me about your new job and that she’d have to ride the bus to a new school. She was crying pretty hard. I told her that BGSU is where I went to college and where both of my kids went to college, that it is a great place and that it’s wonderful her mom will be a professor there.” Caroline said as the day went on Shayla was very quiet, but seemed better. My heart is still very heavy for Shayla but I really believe it will end up being a much better thing for her. Even though she loves mom being a teacher now, I know when she reaches jr. high and high school that will no longer be the case. She's also made a couple of comments about how I could bring her pets to campus with me to visit her while she's a student there. She said she'd like to "live in one of those little houses". Well, Shayne and I never had the money to be in the Greek system, but for some reason I can just see Shayla being the President of her sorority. She's got the personality - and a daddy willing to fund it all.

Oh my goodness my little “cherubs” are pretty funny! I wanted to tell my 8th grade class about my new job because I feel really close to them so I started first period by saying, “I have some really exciting personal news and I want you, my favorite 8th grade class, to be the first to know. (They’re my only 8th grade class, hee hee!) Emily asked, “Can I tell everyone the news?” Now Emily’s mom just happens to be one of my good friends so I thought maybe she got word somehow Thursday night so I said, “Certainly.” Much to my surprise, Emily stood up, walked to the door, turned around and said, “Mrs. Thomas's good news is this..........Mrs. Thomas is expecting a baby.” My class looked very happy as I doubled over with laughter and said, “What?! Good one, Emily! You are too funny!!” When we were all done laughing, I shared my grand news and told them that since I had many of them in kindergarten, seventh and now again in eighth grade they would have to follow me to college at BG so I could be their teacher again there too, or at least give them an office where they could crash and complain (just like they do now, hee hee!). Ya know, that would be really, really awesome! And I understand word spread pretty quickly to two of my former kindergarten and 8th grade students who are now Seniors and heading to BGSU in the fall! What a riot! YES, I'M FOLLOWING YOU AND I WILL TELL YOUR PARENTS EVERYTHING! hee hee heeeeeee! Seriously, it would make me very happy to have them drop by my office and to let me treat them to lunch at the Bowl & Greenery or somewhere nice.


I told another former student Friday morning who is a Senior and who came to my room to pick up a letter of recommendation I had written for him. He said, “Mrs. Thomas! That’s great! You always joked as long as it was taking you to get your degree we’d go off to college together. We will, just to different ones.” He gave me a big hug and I cried with happiness. I put an email announcement out to our staff so everyone would know an d wouldn’t feel “left out of the gossip loop”. I received so many sweet emails back, it was really overwhelming.

Much to my shock and surprise, I received about 15 emails from my soon-to-be colleagues welcoming me to BG so I guess they "spread the word" there too. Amazing! I still can’t believe the incredible news myself! As the weekend went on, Shay seemed to come around a bit. She's pretty intrigued with "Freddy & Freida Falcon" - BGSU's mascots. One of the "welcoming emails" was from my only professor who is still there. (And I just had one of his classes as a graduate student, teaching and picking up a class.) I replied to his email and told him I was one of his former students, was quite pregnant in 1997 and he was always offering me a chair when we were standing up and working on things. He responded back, "I remember now! My wife was pregnant at the same time. Our son is going to be 12 so your child must be ready for a birthday too. How is he/she?" Well, I decided to go ahead and tell him she died, but she'll always be in my heart and I'll have many pictures of her in my office to share. (Poor guy, probably so sorry he asked!)


Shayla had a ball at the Easter Egg Hunt in Attica on Saturday morning, after her big slumber / birthday party. CHRISTI's EGG HUT AT TIFFIN UNIVERSITY WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. WE HOPE YOU CAN ATTEND!

Because Shayla loved seeing Heidelberg University perform the musical, "Into the Woods", she wanted to go to BGSU to watch their performance of it this weekend. It was a lot of fun. Then I was able to show her the Student Union and the College of Education. I bought a BG sweatshirt to celebrate my amazing new dream job and I joked with her, "Don't worry, I'm not about to buy you one because I know where it would end up." She laughed. (I read in her email account sent to her condo friend, "I am sad I will have to leave all my friends, goals and memories.") Even though I feel bad for her, I really believe it will be MUCH better for her. And I have not been this happy since before Christi was diagnosed in 2002. I'm still floating! Shay's doing better.

BGSU's newest professor or student? hee hee! I thought the backpack, Starbucks, tennis shoes and BG sweatshirt may make me look like a young student on campus - hee hee!!! Seriously, no thank you! I lived that life and I MUCH PREFER the working one! PICTURE: In front of the College of Education at BGSU.
We bought Shayla a used rope at the Equine Affaire. She wanted me to take a picture of her trying to rope her cat. What a hoot!

We really enjoyed being at the Equine Affaire in Columbus Saturday night and all day Sunday.
I had such a lovely afternoon with my high school friends last week. We always say high school friends are the best. They know everything about you and still love you!
PIC: With Aunt Marty & Uncle Jeff (HAPPY ANNIVERSARY) this weekend in Columbus.