Getting adopted was the best thing that ever happened to Tiffiny. “I went through a lot of stuff with my mom and dad when I was a little kid. Abuse and stuff. I was happy to get out of it,” she said. “I’m adopted. I love it. I do. I went through so many homes.”
Her parents, brother and sister weren’t the first home for the 29-year-old. After bouncing through a succession of foster homes and getting separated early from her siblings, Tiffiny finally found a safe place to land.
She talks jovially about her brother and sister, nieces and nephews. The receptionist for The Arc Eastern Connecticut’s Norwich office works 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays.
“I love my job,” she says. “Out of all the jobs I’ve ever had, this is the best. It’s comfortable.”
Tiffiny’s hobby is jewelry-making, and she sells her artful creations in the lobby at The Arc to make a little extra cash. She does well at festivals and holidays.
Tiffiny’s family does mini trips, and she especially enjoyed one to Boston with her sister and her nephew.
“We went to the science museum. I’d never been to Boston. I liked everything.”Her ultimate mini trip would be a visit with her brother who is stationed in New Jersey with the U.S. Airforce.
“I wish I could travel the world,” Tiffiny says. And then she laughs. Her favorite thing, actually, is to house-sit for her parents. Tiffiny loves being home alone. “I watch the dogs. I watch what I want to watch. I sit on my Mom’s recliner, which I’m not supposed to do.”
Tiffiny has seen the movie “Home Alone” many times, but she’s no Kevin McCallister. She points out that she’s almost 30. Hardly a kid. “I wouldn’t leave the house,” she says. “I get everything I need, and I’m good!”
Well, then, how does she feel about turning 30 next year? Tiffiny laughs out loud. “I’m not so excited.”
Kathleen Stauffer is chief executive officer of The Arc Eastern Connecticut. For information on The Arc, go to www.TheArcECT.org.
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