Savannah, Georgia!

My favorite part of the trip was touring the "Mercer House" the house where the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil" takes place. The teacher in me required reading of the other ladies on our trip and most of them were very good students and followed through. Touring the house, where things were SPECFICIALLY SAID, was quite interesting (and very funny actually). (Don't mention the book or the movie or you may be asked to leave!) "A movie was filmed here based on an "incident" which happened in this home. Behind you you will see....." (Oh, I'm still chuckling over that one!)

Aunt Marty and Cousin Lora!

Niece Ashley and mom in front of "Lady & Sons" Paula Deen's restaurant. (I had never even heard of her prior to our trip. Now I'm half way through her book "Paula Deen - a memoir - It Ain't All About the Cookin'" and it is FANTASTIC!)

Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist

Mom and Lora chat on Tybee Island.

We rented a huge and GORGEOUS restored home. It was spotless, and had four bedrooms with four full baths. When mom was making room assignment suggestions, I ended up with the Master Suite - wow! It was amazing!

Marty & Lora on our carriage ride. Maybe that was my favorite part of the three night trip.

Tina and Ashley in front of one of the gorgeous Savannah homes.

CRAZY TOURISTS! Six relatives in Savannah! We flew in from four different cities and were so happy to spend three wonderful days relaxing, laughing, eating, touring and shopping together. What a glorious time we had!

Our distracted pirate "friend" from "The Pirate House" - the oldest house in Georgia and where Robert Louis Stevenson wrote parts of "Treasure Island" - very cool!

The lighthouse at Tybee Island, gorgeous weather the whole trip too!

Mom and the Waving Lady

Forsyth Park! Definitely worth the walk!

Eating at Paula Deen's Restaurant. Can you say "Put some South in your Mouth"? May I one day shed the pounds I gained there!

After our tour of Juliette Gordon Low's birthplace home. She was the Founder of the Girl Scouts.

Walking on Tybee Beach, about 20 minutes outside of Savannah.

Enjoying the day in Savannah.

Lora in City Market. My poor cousin; she had the longest distance to travel and had long flight delays both ways, ergh! My heart was breaking for her with each text I received updating us with her news. FINALLY, I got to hop in the rental car and make that airport pick up! Later, Marty rode with me to pick up my sister and when she described what I was driving to Tina so she'd know to come out to the curb, Marty told her I was driving a hearse and wearing a pirates hat. What a hoot! My sister knew there could be nothing more removed from the truth, but it was a hilarious thought as I was transporting her to America's "most haunted city".

Savannah was one of the most charming, lovely, historic, gentle and quaint places I have ever traveled to visit. Obviously, I missed Shayne and Shayla, but I was thankful Shayne suggested making this trip to me and I kept thinking that I'd love to bring them with me on another trip.

Today has been a great day playing "catch up" as I'm officially on "Thanksgiving Break" - I never started Thanksgiving break on a Tuesday before, but.........I like it! YES!!!! Thank you, dear Lord, for blessing me with my new job! I LOVE IT! (And Shay started basketball practice today so I'm anxious for her to arrive home so I can hear what she thought of her first practice!)

Weekly Update - November 18th

We've had a lovely week; sometimes I just can't believe how blessed we are! I'm more in love with my sweet husband than ever before. He recently said how nice it was that my life has slowed down and we're now able to spend a lot of time together, really enjoying each other's company. (We had "date night" last Thursday night as we went with friends to a fundraiser at a Comedy Club and got a hotel room in Perrysburg while Shay stayed with my mom and Joe. It was a riot; we laughed so hard and are still retelling jokes to each other, still laughing hard!)

Shayla LOVED her Saturday spent with her great aunt Marty and uncle Jeff. I just wish everyone had an "aunt Marty" in their life because what an amazing world this would be!

Shayla had a few friends from dance over on the weekend and they had a blast. Shayne and I loved all of the noise and laughter filling our home; sometimes it is just too quiet. I can vividly remember how loud TWO children living in our home were and then when Christi died, it was suddenly quiet as Shayla just played by herself.

I've also been blessed over the week to have some more long over due lunches and breakfasts with friends. Spending quality time with friends; something not done in a terribly long time, but that I promised myself I would do once my new job started and I've been doing just that. Shayla recently said, "Again?" when I told her what my plans for the day were. I told her, "Aren't I lucky to have so many friends who want to go to lunch with me?" (Of course getting Christi's cemetery plaque is also on my list too....hmmmm...I had a dream about that lack of that the other night. I really must do that.) I've also been catching up on my reading and I recently watched "Gone with the Wind" and "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" preparing for a little "birthday trip" down South Shayne suggested. I'm taking off soon with some of my "favorite people" as Shayne termed them.

Over the week I attended my final game as an Ohio State Student. I can say it was the best game I watched the Buckeyes play in three years of being a season ticket holder, yet it was also sad knowing I will be back, but not sitting in the crazy student section ever again. (Although it might be nice to actually SIT and watch a game sometime instead of standing like we do in the student section.)

Shortly before the game I received a text from a former student, who is a band member. It said, "Where are you?" And although I was too far away to get to where we usually meet, it made me cry to realize how fortunate I have been to have a career that has allowed me to touch student lives.

Soon after I started my new job at BG, I received an email from a student telling me she has followed Christi's story since her 8th grade teacher told her about Christi in 2002. She welcomed me to BGSU. I told her that I'd love to meet her and treat her to lunch, just as soon as my dissertation defense was over. Finally, this week I got to do just that. I was so shocked by her choice of major.....she wants to be a Child Life Specialist. Oh, she WILL BE AWESOME! I blinked away tears (actually, many times throughout our lunch and visit back at my office together) as I knew how important Child Life Specialists are to little cancer patients, who really need "fun things" to do.

OK, I just HAD to do it! This is my version of "Rushing the Field" after Ohio State won the Big Ten Championship (and a bid to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena) in overtime on Saturday! While students were throwing themselves over the concrete and running to the center of the field, Shayne jokingly said, "Angela, you've got to do that! It's your last game! When are you ever going to get on that turf?" I laughed and said, "I know I WANTED to graduate in June walking down in this stadium, but my dissertation committee thought otherwise, now I'm graduating in a gymnasium - yuck. Really, I just need to get to the ladies room." Finally, we decided the fastest way back to catch our bus to our van was actually to walk through the stadium - with all of the "hoopla" - so we did. What an experience! Let's just say I was probably the calmest student in that mess!

Early this week I mailed out a few graduation invitations with tears in my eyes. I sometimes cannot believe I'm done and that I really did it. I can't wait to celebrate with a handful close family and friends in Columbus in a matter of weeks. I vividly remember submitting my application while living in the Ronald McDonald House of Philadelphia in the fall of 2003. The journey was longer, harder and much more expensive than I ever thought at that time and sometimes on my late long drives home from classes I'd question myself, "Will this ever pay off?" I can honestly say the answer to that for me has been a HUGE - YES!!! I didn't know I could be this happy again, thank you Lord!

I hope you and yours have a fabulous week! May God grant you all peace, good health and happiness!

Morning Sunshine!

Ahhhhhh, it was so nice to have today off for "Veterns Day!" God bless our veterans and I don't remember ever getting that day off before so.......I LOVE MY NEW JOB! And speaking of veterans reminds me of a military supporter - Robin Meade! Therefore, I have an awesome new book to recommend today! It was sooooooooooo good I read the entire book in two sittings. It's called "Morning Sunshine" by Robin Meade - Anchor HLN Morning Express with Robin Meade. In my younger (and much thinner) days, I had the pleasure of being friends with Robin. Over the years life has gone on and I've lost contact with her, but I wish I could tell her how much I LOVED her book and how I had no idea she struggled as she did. I hope you read it and enjoy it as much as I did. I'm so honored to have ever known this amazing young woman! I ought to actually drop a note to her parents and ask them to let her know how inspiring (and humorous) her book was to me, and how I want to talk to those high school girls who weren't very nice to her - they had to just be plain jealous of her and her many blessings.....perhaps I'll do just that! Goooooo, Robin! Thanks for writing a wonderful book! I'm so proud of you!

I had the pleasure of meeting and becoming friends with beautiful Robin during my late college years. We roomed together when we completed for Miss Ohio. (Of course she later went on to win, but I had a great time spending the week with so many amazing and downright fun and intelligent young women.) During this time she used to joke she was going to become a broadcaster and have her own TV interview show and she'd have me on as a guest! What a hoot! I was a young teacher trying to win scholarship money for my Master's Degree - which I'm proud to state was FULLY FUNDED by my winnings in the Miss Ohio Scholarship Program, where entry fees are never charged and volunteers run the incredible organization.
Robin doesn't mention this in her book but when she writes about her husband's joking comment regarding some frozen yogurt she was eating I had to remember driving home from Cleveland with her one time, just the two of us in my little car, and I went through the drive-thru at McDonalds for our dinner. She asked, "Do you ever just get yogurt for dinner? I'm going to do that." I said, "No, it never even crossed my mind." Then she ordered TWO cones, managed to balance them and ate them both - this little (less than 100 pound) gal. What a hoot! When she talks in the book about her previous poor eating habits I had to laugh because I remembered that. What a cutie! I love how in the book she talks about her home and her parents because it put me right back to standing in her home and spending a bit of time with her parents. They are so loving and supportive - amazing people; it was great to learn so much more about them while reading her book.

With our awesome host mom I still keep in touch with before the style show. While staying with her during my three years of competing, I knew our host family had lost a son in an accident, but it wasn't until Christi's battle with cancer that it really hit me and I wished I'd asked her more about her son. Check out Robin in her "hot pink" outfit - she was the sweetest (and prettiest) competitor by far. I remember wanting to walk and she wanted to jog sooooooooo, she jogged backwards while I walked (that's talent!).

(Photo: Miss Ohio Scholarship Program Week in Mansfield, Ohio) I remember competing together for the Miss Portsmouth pageant (I still can't believe she didn't win - she should have!) Regardless, it was a "local" pageant which, like all other local Miss Ohio pageants, qualified the winner to compete in the Miss Ohio Scholarship Program in June. We drove together for practices (I always drove because she said when she was little she wouldn't take naps so her mom would drive her around until she fell asleep and now when she's in a car she falls asleep. In the book she talks about her husband not liking her driving and I had to smile and laugh about that! Anyway, we roomed together in a hotel for that pageant and I decided that night my bangs were too long so she cut them for me. We joked that we must really be trusting friends because otherwise one would never let another competitor cut their hair the night before a pageant. Funny! That was also the night she decided she was going to straighten her curly hair to compete the next day. I remember her parents reaction when they saw her at the pageant the next night, they weren't happy. She really looked so different and now I cannot imagine her with that big beautiful curly hair. As she says in her book, "Back when my hair was bigger than my butt." Oh, I've laughed at that one over and over - so true, so true! Those were the good old days, hee hee!

As Robin shares in her book, she was suffering from voice problems. This did not stop her from being the beautiful singer at our wedding. She was amazing and I remember being so disappointed that she did not win Miss Ohio that year because she really should have. She kept saying, "It's ok, my voice just isn't healthy." I couldn't believe she was so at peace, but she was. Thankfully, she later got her voice back won Miss Ohio and did FABULOUS competing at Miss America too! She really should have won!
May God bless you, sweet Robin Meade! Thanks for an awesome book! You are a gem - a rare and precious find - now keep your clothes on and keep your job so I can keep watching you while I do my sit ups! You're inspiring!

I don't know why I don't have a picture of Robin and Tim at their wedding; I definitely remember it - without a doubt it was the BIGGEST wedding we'd ever been to and everything was absolutely perfect! I remember being on the campus of Ashland University with Robin, after she met Tim. They were getting ready to go to a costume party and I thought, "Oh, wow! A guy who will dress up in a costume to go to a party, he's a keeper!" When they got married I thought they were the most gorgeous couple I'd ever seen, totally movie star like.

Robin gave me a HUGE compliment one time when she arrived at my home and said, "Your neighbors must think I'm you - you know, big brown hair driving a little white car, they all waved at me."

When I had a teachers' meeting in Chicago in 2000, I went to visit Robin and Tim in their incredible home. I remember walking in and thinking I was in a hotel lobby only to soon realize it was their living room! In the book she talked about her home decorating and I got to see some of her amazing work while I was there. (She also showed me how to do a "crooked part" on my hair as I thought, "How does she learn this stuff? I'm changing diapers and she's doing all of this great stuff!) Reading about her struggle during this time period in the book was shocking as I had NO IDEA she was suffering so during our visit together. What a lady!
Of course, Robin - wearing jeans and HIGH, HIGH heels helped me get back to my hotel when our visit was over by holding my hand, walking my down the street, putting me in a cab and telling the driver where I need to go. Of course I was a bit scared in the city and also so amazed at her "city sense". I didn't know this little lady from "the middle of the cornfields" had such a confident demeanor when she need to have one. (Christi used to tell the nurses that was where she was from, "the middle of a cornfield". She never knew it was an expression of Robin's but that was where I first heard it and I still use it today to describe where I'm from.) I remember Robin one time telling me it was like, "Children of the Corn". I've never watched the movie because she said it was scary. I think that was the same trip we took together when she told me to put down the windows so she could listen to the crickets. When I read that she loved that sound in her book I nearly cried because it all came back to me.
So shortly after this time I lost touch with Robin. She was busy becoming famous and I was busy being a mom of a 3 and a 1 year old - both crazy things. I emailed with her a couple of times after Christi was diagnosed, but lost contact with her after that. I wish her all the best! I'm so proud of her and so glad I have great memories of spending time with her. I hope you read her book!

Fun in Indy!

Praise God! I presented at my first national conference - the National Middle School Assocation - and it went very well. Despite being told to prepare for 70 and that there were only 112 chairs available, there ended up being 130 in attendance at my session and they stood, they sat on the floor, and they didn't seem to mind. I had a blast presenting "Effective Strategies and Methodologies for Those of Us in the Middle". My boss was in attendance and collected the evaluations; she told me I did great. The conference was amazing! I had a ball - 7,500 attendees and about 30 of us from the Middle Childhood Program at BGSU. I loved getting to spend time with my students and other professors off campus. The sessions and speakers were fantastic! It was a tremendous weekend! I remember applying to present last December thinking, "Even if my proposal is selected, my school district will probably never let me go." To be encouraged to go, to have finanicial and moral support from my new employer - WOW! Thank you, dear Lord! I am so blessed!

Imagine my shock and surprise flipping through the conference book trying to decide which sessions to attend the next day and seeing the name of one of my OSU Professors as a presenter! I had Dr. Zutell (who had retired, but who came back to teach for a short while) for three reading classes (and one of those classes is the reason I'm not graduating with a 4.0, but a 3.98. It's ok, I'm over it now (cough) can ya tell?!). Seriously, it was great to see him! He greeted me with, "Long time, no see!" and a big hug. I told him I was living the dream; I had a P-H-D and a J-O-B! He told me he saddened when he learned Christi died (He got to meet her in July of 2006) and he was glad to find out I landed on my feet now. What is really odd about all of this is he called himself, "Grandpa Zutell" when this photo was taken.....his advisee was my advisor - like three generations of reading professors! Amazing!

Much to my surprise and delight, Shayla had two days off of school due to parent/teacher conferences - the same exact days I needed to go to Indianapolis for my conference. Whew! I picked Shayla up an hour early from school on Wednesday, picked up mom and Joe, and off we went to the city until Saturday afternoon.

Shayla had an absolute ball with her grandparents enjoying the Children's Museum, the zoo, Miss Liberty, the mall, manicures, swimming, etc., etc. She had such a special time with two very special people in her life. Thank God for grandparents!





Shayla cuddling with her grandpa back at the hotel.

Thankfully, I had Friday night free so I took the little one and had "date night" with her. We really enjoyed our special time together at the art museum.

My sweet, sweet friend and one of her little ones came to our hotel Thursday night. It was great to catch up with her.

This is the only photo I saw any "orbs" in. Of course it made me think of Christi and the many times she enjoyed the dinosaur exhibits at different museums. One night I took Shayla over to the mall to get our dinner. We were surprised to spot an "Alex's Lemonade" billboard featuring Alex's picture. Shayla said, "I think that's Christi's little way of letting us know she's on this trip with us too." I assured her I thought so too!

Christi, NYC, age 5 (January 2003)


I think this is my favorite photo out of the many mom took! So cute!

Odds and Ends: A Little Update

She's been soooooooo close before, but this is the first time Shayla ever received "All As" on her report card! We are so happy for her and she's assured us, "Don't worry. It'll never happen again. Things are getting really hard in 5th grade." What a hoot! It seemed like every quarter of 3rd and 4th grade she got a B in something. I always say, "Grades don't matter," and I believe that strongly, but it's so nice to see her so happy. (Quite frankly, what made me happy was hearing her teacher at parent/teacher conferences tell us how polite she is.) PIC: Grade Card Celebration with Grandma Nee Nee at the Mexican restaurant in town.)


Miss Shayla had a get together with school friend Friday night and she went to two parties with girls from school on Saturday; therefore, to drive the socialite to all of her parties, Shayne stayed home from the Ohio State game. I was so glad Paw Paw wanted to go with me. I didn't realize he'd never been to an OSU game before and we had a wonderful day together. Go, Bucks!


After we did a little TPing at the Bowermans, Shayla wanted to carve a jack-o-lantern so she picked a pumpkin from my outside decorations and had a little fun. (P.S. The sweet Bowermans sent is a thank you - yes, a thank you for TPing them. We love them! And.....we're sleeping with one eye opened! Shayla remembered a time from years ago when the Bowermans caught her in their yard because she was wearing her light up shoes, but she had forgotten the time they were TPing us and Shayne drove their van down the road to hide it - only to discover their baby was buckled up in her car seat sleeping. Good times, great friends, great memories!)

I hope you and yours are having a great week!

Trick or Treat 2009 and Memories of 2005

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my OLDER (Oh, I always love to say that) sister! (And my only sister and sibling) I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY!


Christi and friends on her last Halloween. October 2005, age 8
Good memories; I just wish I weren't so sad. As you can tell by the hour it's been hard to sleep. I miss her so much! Shayla's been after me to get her cemetery plaque ordered. I know she's right - I must! My advice to someone who has to do that is to do it right away.
We had too much fun last night "trick or treating" throughout grandma Donna's neighborhood while Berry and Bill stayed back and passed out the candy. I could not believe how precious so many of the costumes were that we saw. There are really creative folks out there! Shayla's second choice was Cleopatra last year and when she said this year she wanted to be that this year, I hustled to Wal-Mart to buy her costume. I wish I were talented and could just whip up some great outfit, but I can't. Shayla loved what I brought home from Wal-Mart, whew! The weather was fantastic! All day long it was in the 60s, sweet!
As Cleopatra this year, Shayla with 5th grade friends ready to hit the streets "trick or treating". She received so much candy. Driving home she said, "Mom, I'll pick out a few things and you can take the rest to BG to give to your students. They're too old to go trick or treating and they're too broke to buy candy so give them mine." Shayla has the biggest heart. I'm so proud of her! Thank you God for blessing me with her! She crawled into bed with me last night and asked if she could sleep with me. Shayla left before 5am for a long day of meetings in Michigan. When Shayne got in around 11, I went downstairs to see how his long day was, even though we'd texted many times during the day. While we chatted, I forgot to say anything to him about Shay Shay sleeping in our bed. It was pretty funny when we went upstairs together and he went to crawl in and there she was. He laughed and said, "I guess I'll go sleep in her room." (I could not do that as she now sleeps in Christi's old room - it's still a difficult place for me to be in our house.)
Art by Christi - I thought this was fitting for Shayla's theme this year.


Shayla enjoyed her special time at Aunt Marty and Uncle Jeff's last weekend. She loves when we all stay over night there because they have "the best guest bed ever". Christi and I slept in that room, and on their fold out couch many times while driving to and from hospitals and airports. Shayla's right. They always make us comfortable - so special!

While we were at the Ohio State game last Saturday, Shayla was with her great aunt and uncle at the "Quarter Horse Congress" in Columbus. Then it was back to their home to take their horses out for a ride; She had too much fun!

On Sunday afternoon we all toured President Harding's Home and Tomb in Marion, Ohio. It was very interesting! Here is she on his front porch giving a "front porch campaign" just like President Harding did.
Shay at Mrs. and President Harding's Memorial Tomb
We also did a "Cemetery Tour" and learned about prominent Marion citizens "back in the day". Actors were dressed up to portray the deceased and we walked in groups around the cemetery to each spot to listen to their stories. Then we went to see Marty and Jeff's "bench" in the cemetery - all ready "in place" with their names engraved on it. I didn't let them know how very hard it was emotionally for me to see that. They're such an amazing and special couple to us I cannot imagine that, but.....Aunt Marty brought some humor to the occasion. She asked for one of us to pretend to be her and to "wake from the dead" to tell about her life.....so I was happy to oblige so I posed myself, sitting on top of her bench and started spinning my story! (Of course I tried to "jazz up" her life story a bit! She's sooooooo fun! I love her so much!)
Christi and aunt Marty (Summer 2006)

Bobbing for Apples in our Kitchen: Trying to bring some joy to a very scary and frightful fall, a month following Christi's diagnosis with cancer (September 11, 2002).

Fall Days, October 2002

Tonight will be Trick or Treat. Shayla (Cleopatra) will go with Grandma Donna and her crew again. I was really looking forward to it. Now this morning I can't believe how sad I am missing Christi. Certainly, a 12 year old wouldn't want to dress up and go trick or treating, yet I just can't let it go. In my classes, once a week, I pass around a little candy break for my students. Since the month of October, I've placed the candies inside Christi's trick or treat "pumpkin basket", the big pumpkin with her name on it. It makes me feel like Christi is there, spreading her joy and sharing candy with my students. I'm sure she'd love to do that. My students have been awesome. One stayed after class last night to thank me for sharing little bits with her about Christi and telling me she learns so much in my class, not just about how to teach reading, but about life too. It was sweet.



HAPPY TRICK or TREAT NIGHT, dear Christi. (Shayla thinks you'd want to dress up like a cat - again. I'm not so sure. I think you probably would have outgrown that, maybe......) (PIC: October 2004 at one of Christi's former teacher's homes. Christi (7) - cat, Shayla - (5) Balto.