Sweet Endings to a 2nd Amazing Year at BGSU!

I just taught my last class for the year - wow! Once again BGSU gave me the greatest students ever! I wish them the very, very best and hope they keep in touch. Before class, one sweet student brought me this awesome plate of cookies she made and the sweetest thank you note. I am so blessed!

About two weeks ago we went to church at BG. I wanted Shayla to see where I went to church when I was a BG student and where I used to babysit while their parents went to church. I didn't read the church bulletin until the next day at home. Much to my surrpirse and delight I learned the priest was from Tiffin, one of mys students was leading a bible study and one of my former (favorite) instructors was involved in the church. I sent emails to the three and was so glad to hear back from them! My former instructor is still teaching at BGSU (just published her 14th textbook) and wanted to take me to lunch. She joked, "I can't remember the names of the students I have this semester, but your name sounds so familiar and I think I can picture your face." It was fabulous to spend a couple of hours with her this week! She had forgotten about things we had done in class, but I had too! It was great sharing and except for her hair color, she was exactly the same - soooo cool! I used to love hearing about her teaching, writing, children, husband, experiences, etc., etc. God is good! I wonder if one day one of my former students will contact me as a professor and wonder if we can meet to say hello.

Beat of Their Own Drum - Advertiser Tribune

Photo by Jill Gosche, Advertiser-Tribune (www.Advertiser-tribune.com)

Shayla thought it was pretty funny her "behind" made the newspaper! (Purple shirt, pink headband) She's having an AMAZING school year! We are incredibly pleased with her school district. The teachers are fantastic! As I recently told the superintendent, she's never learned as much as she has this year. Having three gifted / honors classes has really pushed her and kept her motivated and learning. Currently, she's love, love, loving her phys ed class who obviously has a great teacher. I can't believe all she's learning and doing in there - and in all of her classes. We are blessed!

FROM THE GREAT ADVERTISER-TRIBUNE NEWSPAPER: Tiffin Middle School students participate in a cool-down exercise after a drumming activity in their physical education class Wednesday morning. Jeanie Ritter, an instructor at Tiffin Community YMCA, led the drumming activity, which involves students hitting drumsticks on exercise balls for a cardiovascular workout.

He is Risen!

(PIC: Christi, 1999, almost 2) Happy Easter, sweet Christi! We are sure you had the most glorious Easter possible celebrating in Heaven! I bet the chocolate bunnies are the yummiest ever. Enjoy, sweetpea! Until I see your beautiful face and hold you in my arms again, Always your mommy



Easter blessings to you and yours! The Thomas team had a fabulous Easter weekend spent with family. We are so fortunate! PIC: Easter morning, 2011



PIC: Shayla's first Easter. Joking with daddy before church.

PIC: Shayla's first Easter, dressed as a little bunny. Today as we walked out of church, I told Shayla how beautiful she was and that I liked her outfit. I told her it was very different than the outfit she wore on her very first Easter. She got a chuckle out of these pictures tonight. She said, "Uncle Gil still looks the same." (But boy has she changed.)



Snuggle with my sweetie, til mom caught us on film - hee hee!






Grandma with her grand kids! It was amazing that we could all be together; "living/working" in three different states right now we were all together in our home all weekend! Ahhhhhh!

Dr. Thomas's New Office - DONE!

The first week of classes Shayne so kindly spent the weekend moving me into my new office. It has been great having a window and a much larger space! I love working there (perhaps as much as in my home office, actually) and I'm very comfortable! Just this week I finally finished. I know it looks cluttered, but it doesn't seem that way when I'm in it. Shayne and I call it "the corner suite" and it is - SWEET!

A couple of students thought I needed little white lights in my orange netting yet so I just added that. I love having my desk around the corner to give me a little bit of privacy (to make me more productive and less social - LOL!). The past couple of days the office has even "made the tour". Prospective students and their parents have stopped in to say to say, "You have a lot of falcon spirit!" or perhaps they've heard I have chocolates in my candy dish!
Regardless, we have one week left of classes and the office is done, yip, yip, yippee! It will be hard to say goodbye to this semester's students, but I'm ready to get going on my summer projects! They will kick off in a HUGE way in early May, absolutely can't wait! Thank you, dear Lord!

TU Christi Thomas Memorial Egg Hunt

Wow! Tiffin University did a fabulous job of organizing this year's "Christi Thomas Memorial Egg Hunt". We were very pleased with the great turn out, amazing weather and so many sweet and kind people for sharing their thanks and appreciation. I'm sure Christi thought it was wonderful! We are so blessed that so many remember her. THANK YOU!Our favorite journalist, Jill Gosche, was on hand to cover the event for the newspaper. She has many great pictures on the CU from the paper. http://cu.advertiser-tribune.com/galleries/index.php?id=301146

Here's her article and photo from the paper:

http://www.advertiser-tribune.com/page/content.detail/id/536453/Remembering-Christi.html?nav=5005

Thursday's Egg Hunt is at 3:30

We are hoping for great weather, but if it's raining, it will be moved inside to the gym. It begins at 3:30. We are happy to make a $1,000 donation to Tiffin University for sponsoring this year's "Christi Thomas Memorial Egg Hunt"! Christi always loved going there, searching for plastic eggs! What fun!

5th Annual Christi Thomas Egg Hunt at Tiffin University

Please grab the little ones and come to Tiffin Univeristy on Thursday, April 21st for the 5th annual Christi Thomas Memorial Egg Hunt! We'd love to see you there!

It appears I was too distracted by not being able to find the picture of Pat holding Christi that I totally forgot to add in the current (here and now) shots to accompany the text I wrote about below. Here ya go! Have a blessed end of the week, Angela

Happy Bday Grandma Nee Nee!

Enjoying the Equine Affaire with Traci, the Wonderful!

Shayla shared her presentation on being a "Free Lance Writer" at the middle school's "Imagination Celebration". After much research she opted to do her undergraduate degree at BGSU and her Masters at Columbia. In this shot, she is sharing her work with the school district's superintendent. It was a fabulous family / school event!

I thought I could put my finger right on it, but no luck! Shoot! After Shayne and I, the very next person to ever hold Christi was Pat Dean - Shayne's neighbor growing up. She was at the hospital that day for appointments, learned Christi was just born and came up with the cutest little white bonnet for her. I can picture her sitting in the chair in the corner holding our new little bundle of joy. I know I snapped their picture from my bed. Last night at the funeral home, her daughter told us they talked with Pat about getting to be with Christi in Heaven. Pat was ready to go Home. She wanted to be with her husband, Ed. What a sweet, sweet lady; she will be deeply missed. While I could not find that picture, I found two others to share: One of Christi's Baptism (June 1997, five weeks old) and the other of Aunt Marty holding her.


We got to overnight with Aunt Marty and Uncle Jeff Saturday night. We had a fantastic weekend: enjoying Shayla's school event Friday night, attending the Equine Affaire in Columbus on Saturday and Sunday along with the amazing Hariett (aka "Traci"), and visiting with Shayne's mom and uncle Sunday night - SWEET! Here's wishing you and yours a great week! Rest in peace, Pat! (And make sure Christi's not playing too many pranks and upsetting the Big Guy!)

Rest in Peace, Sweet Delaney

March 13, 1996 – April 6, 2011
Ewing's Sarcoma Victim
FOREVER LOVED, FOREVER MISSED!


Oh, I knew this one was coming and I'd been dreading it; I knew it would be tough and it is! Yesterday morning Delaney earned her angel wings. She was diagnosed shortly before Christi (not with neuroblastoma) and she was the first "Cancer Friend" Christi made. (And her beautiful mom introduced us to "Survival in the Children's Cancer World") For years we thought she'd be ok, (She was in remission for 7 YEARS!) but then this terrible curse came back.
The wicked cancer beast is evil! Delaney, you deserve to be pain free and happy! You are so precious! Fly, Princess, Fly! We will NEVER forget you and your amazing mom (You could not have had a better) and you will ALWAYS be in our hearts!

(Delaney Diggs: 1996-2011)

Pictures of the girls playing together: September and October, 2002 - Columbus Children's Hospital) May they be together again doing "Girl Stuff" in Heaven and having fun, FUN, FUN! They deserve that and so much more! I really can't believe she did make it. Cancer stinks!

Shayla definitely enjoyed her long spring break this week! (And I loved having her around!) She became a falcon and went to BGSU with me two days and spent time with her friends. As you can see from the picture, we also squeezed in a little shopping. Yes, Goodwill $5.00, but she's calling it "The GW Botique" - Girls just wanna have fun and play dress up and the price was right at $5.00!

I judged the Miss Willard Scholarship Pageant last weekend which is a local that feeds into Miss Ohio and ultimately Miss America. That was a lot of fun. When I was called and asked to volunteer I said, "Absolutely! My entire Masters degree was paid for by my Miss Ohio scholarship winnings and I want to give back!" All of the 16 contestants were impressive college gals doing great things and wanting to do more. Shayla LOVED watching the pageant and we had a lot of fun as I shared what happened during the private 10 minute interview they had with our panel of six judges that morning. Of course her favorite thing was a funny one....one of the young women wrote on her application that she works part time at Victoria Secrets. In an effort to be FUNNY and to lighten the atmosphere, I learned forward, scrunched up my face and said, "I've always wondered.....what IS Victoria's secret?" Well, I think she was too nervous, because she went on to explain what the store consists of as the male judge next to me was cringing. And of course that led to my next question about the store's exploitation of women. We all chuckled after she left that she didn't get it and we were sure she was telling the other contestants, "There's a clueless judge in there. She doesn't even know what Victoria's Secrets is!" HA HA HA!


Shayne came home from Vegas on Sunday and left Tuesday for Houston for an oil conference. (His plane just landed - praise God!) Each day he sent me pictures of his amazing desserts from this very fancy conference. Today I had the College of Education Biannual Faculty Meeting at the golf course in BG. Senator Randy Gardner spoke on SB 5 which the governor signed last night. Of course, Randy let us know he voted no.
Anyway, I took a picture of the dessert that BGSU provided for my lunch today and sent it to Shayne. (No dessert, I was just thankful they provided soup and sandwiches. I stopped and bought a candy bar on the way back to my office this afternoon.) Shayne responded to my picture, "You are a funny girl!" Good news for the college of ed, we will have 22 new full time faculty starting in the fall, seven in the School of Teaching and Learning. Enrollment projections show we will be up 9.15% with students from last year and last year we were up. Continuing with QUALITY at a major state university was the Dean's message. Go, Falcons!

We will say goodbye to the horse on Sunday. Shayla is ok! Here's wishing you and yours a fabulous weekend, enjoy!