A Birthday Present From Travis By Liz Weston Miller

I have so many memories of him both warm and funny. Its been hard for me to sit down to write a story, but today is a special day. The Oldendorf arrived back in San Diego today and I have thought about Travis an enormous amount today. The following is one story that came to me today. It was my birthday and Travis was approximately a sophomore in high school. I was a single mother at the time and money was tight in our household. I was working for an attorney part-time in downtown Lincoln. Next store to the attorney's office was a clothing store which sold nice clothes. At some point I decided to take a club out for $10.00 per week and I purchased clothes for Travis, Troy and myself from that club. Seeing that I worked right next to the store I checked the store out quite frequently and it became my favorite shopping place. Well, September rolled around and Travis being the kind, thoughtful person that he was decided to go birthday shopping for me with his high school girlfriend, Jenn. I remember him stopping into the office to see me and then he went next door to Osgood's. I couldn't stand the suspense of him buying something for me so I went out of the office and peeked into the storefront window. That's when I saw him looking at racks of clothes and speaking with a sales clerk. Just remembering what he looked like shopping for me brings tears to my eyes. I remember laughing with him and Jenn through the window and him trying to be very serious about his purchase. His body language showed that he didn't want me to see what he was up to. Of course, I couldn't resist teasing him a little more before leaving. For all of you who know me and Travis, you understand that we teased each other constantly. It was a hobby for us. But anyway, back to the story. How many teenage guys would go into a clothing store and purchase something for their mom? Well, he bought me a beautiful silk blouse and a pair of dress pants for work. I still have them to this day and will cherish them for the rest of my life. I don't wear the outfit anymore, but whenever I see them, I think of that day at Osgoods and how much love he put into that purchase. I was indeed truly blessed to have a son like him and will miss him for the rest of my life.