new year, new layout

...and the link to images from our latest mmp session - if you're family and you want a print, just let me know the number and size and I'll send it your way :)

http://picasaweb.google.com/LJCraw/Nov2009Mmp?authkey=Gv1sRgCNaaktmk9Yj2LQ&feat=directlink

Merry Christmas

Christmas came to Kingswood

Finally got the tree decorated - just in the nick of time!! My eyes are always bigger than my ceiling when it comes to picking a tree; I know we should get a 7-ft tree and have room for a nice star or bird or bow or something but I always want the tree to touch the ceiling, I just can't help it!! Maybe our next house will have 12-ft ceilings and then I can get a 9-ft tree and still have room for a festive top, but we won't be moving for a bit so I either have to drastically reduce my height expectations or get used to trimming the tippity top of the tree to fit it in the house. I think the end result is nice though. Hope you enjoy the pictures, the coffee tables were delivered on Saturday so the room is finally complete!

The Strife is O'er

I made it through another semester. It was definitely touch and go there at the end but I did it! All my finals have been completed and turned in (I loathe the take-home final), and I finished up my assisstanship hours today so I don't have to go back to campus until the spring semester!!!!

Grades won't be posted until next week and I'm not too positive on some of them, but I just keep telling myself, it's okay if I don't make straight As in graduate school, no one is going to ask me what grade I made in Alternative and Augmentative Communication before they will give me a job (I hope!).

Last night Dr. Marshall, who taught my Aphasia and Related Disorders class, had us over to his house for an end-of-the-semester gathering. His wife made enchiladas and we all had a good time relaxing for a few hours before everyone headed home.

So here we are, the class of 2011 (minus Tara, Cari, Brittney, and Lauren)

Let Christmas Shine!!

Tonight was the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring The Rockettes and it did not disappoint! Andrew and Audrey drove in from Louisville to see the show with us and we had such a great time!! Our seats were on the floor of Rupp Arena, 3rd row, maybe 5 seats in from right side. It was so great to sit so close -- two years ago when we were in New York our seats were first balcony so they were great for seeing the whole production, but it was nice to be close enough to see the expressions on the girls' faces and the details of their costumes. Also, since I knew what to expect I could keep my emotions in check and not cry from excitement/joy like last time :)

I didn't take any pictures during the performance because I'm a rule follower that way but they had one of those 'get your picture taken with a Rockette' green screens set up and I promise to post that image as soon as it's available.

AND AUDREY BOUGHT ME ONE OF THE HATS THAT THEY WEAR FOR THE MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS!!!! I don't get to have it until Christmas but am SO excited!!! I bet it's even bigger than Big Dolly's hat. He hasn't come out of storage yet this year but we're hoping to decorate some this weekend.

That's all for now - big weekend ahead - three take home finals to write, one final for which to study, so I might not blog again until after the 16th. But then I have three weeks off and I CAN'T WAIT!

Well, we've had a really busy, really fun weekend and I haven't done a THING related to school! I'm sure I'll pay for this later, but I needed the break. (I know Thanksgiving was just a week ago, but these last few weeks at school are marathons.)

Friday night we went to Cincinnati for the United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cincinnati's SnowBall. One of Pete's business contacts was being honored for his work in establishing rights for kiddos with developmental disabilities to be mainstreamed in public schools. (he and his wife won a supreme court case in the early 80s - giving parents the right to mainstream or not - but to have the choice) There was a silent auction, dinner, awards program, then Mary Wilson of the Supremes came out to sing and wit hit the dance floor. Here's a pic of us afterwards:

We stayed the night at our favorite bed and breakfast - Wallace House - across the river in Covington.
We had to have breakfast early so that we could make it to the Jingle Bell 5k. Pete came in 7th place and second in his age group with a time of 17:59! We came home in the afternoon to watch Kentucky beat UNC at basketball - 68-66 QUITE the nailbiter. Then we changed the channel just in time to see University of Cincinnati beat Pittsburg, and then we watched FLORIDA GET BEATEN!! yay!! We decided we had watched too much t.v. after that and decided to go do some shopping. We went to Joseph-Beth and squared away our Christmas gifts for the nephews.

This morning was the singing of Durante's Magnificat at church. I can't sing in the choir this semester because I have a Wednesday night class, but we still like to support our choir friends. This afternoon the Lexington Philharmonic was having a Holiday Homes Tour so we went to that and then decided to get our Christmas Tree.

It's always an adventure to get it in the Pilot - but we don't have a roof rack!The tree is up and in our living room - who knows when it will get decorated!

p.s. don't you LOVE the new picture in the header?!? Melanie gave us our images from our Nov session on Friday - it's a sneak peek! You'll see another one on our holiday card. (which we ALSO chose this weekend)

end of NaBloPoMo

Well, today is the last day of November, so I don't have to blog every day now. I only missed one post and since I doubled up yesterday, I still did 30 posts in 30 days - definitely a record for Camp Crawford. The semester is coming to a close - two crazy weeks of class left and then finals. Today was my last day of sessions at the clinic - I'm going to miss my two kiddos and hope the clients I'm assigned next semester are as fun.

I should still post a fair amount in December -- we've got a lot to look forward to:

• this Friday is the Snowball in Cincinnati
  

• 11 days till the Rockettes!!

• on the 18th Pete gets his wisdom teeth out (finally!) - AND it's my last day of the semester!
• 19th is Audrey's Secret Santa party (Rachael - I'm supposed to extend an invite to you and Sylvain, call/email me for details)
• then, of course, the entire holiday season.

SOOOOO -- Stay tuned!!! Loyal readers, so glad you've stuck with me this month; New readers, welcome!!

holiday wrap-up (warning: many pictures!!)

Sorry the recent blogs have been short on pictures -- we had a computer with us in Pennsylvania, but I didn't pack my camera's docking station.

Thanksgiving morning we got up and drove to Honey Brook for the Turkey Bowl 5K - Pete ran 18:15 - which is not half bad since he's still recovering from his marathon! (I couldn't run an 18:15 5K if my life depended on it -- I finished the 5K in 37:01 and was pretty happy about it) We used our car to get to the race but Honey Brook is made up of several Amish communities - we saw a little boy at the end of his drive in the typical straw hat and gray suit - about 4 years old - precious! My mom loved the Amish community - their art, etc, it always makes me think of her.

Family began arriving at Aunt Susie and Uncle Joe's house around 4pm, we ate around 5:30pm. Different family members brought different things: Rich and Kim brought sweet potato casserole and cheese and crackers, Pamela and her gang brought pumpkin pies, Corky was in charge of the wine (surprise) - he special ordered this beauty several weeks ago:

He and Jack had to put it on the FLOOR to get it open!! It had a giant cork! (I didn't have any, but they say it was tasty) There were 38 (!) of us for dinner which Aunt Susie said was a low year - last year there were 55!! We had a really nice dinner - all the usual things: turkey, stuffing, pie, etc. Here is proof that we were there (prolly the only pic of us all weekend):
After dinner there was (of course) Rummikub.
Day after Thanksgiving was the shoe-shopping expedition I wrote about a few days ago, but we also visited the Tom Sturgis Pretzel Co. (america's first pretzel factory?) to get some snacks to take home.
THEN we went on a Christmas Tree Hunt!!! We were after two trees - one for Aunt Susie and Uncle Joe and one for the Shields.
It was a success! Jack cut down the tree for his family and Corky cut the tree for A. Susie and U. Joe.

Chris and Johnny carrying their tree.

Pete and Uncle Joe carrying the other tree.

On the way back we stopped by the Pagoda -- can you believe I've been going to Reading since I was a toddler and I had never seen it?!?!
So we saw it and quickly got back in the car because it was COLD. So....that was it! We had a great time, saw some family, flew home yesterday. Can't wait till our next visit!

only missed it by a few days!!

but alas, I did not blog yesterday, so I am not a NaBloPoMo success. However, I'll do two today to make up for it!

Yesterday was a travel day for us. We woke up in Reading, drove to Philadelphia, flew to Louisville, and then drove to Lexington. But before we came home, we went to Pete's 10th high school reunion! We actually had all afternoon in the 'ville as our flight landed just after noon but that was a good thing because I needed to shop for an outfit to wear to the reunion and a cocktail dress to wear to the Snow Ball this Friday in Cincinnati. So we got lunch at Whole Foods then headed over to Mall St. Matthews to get some new frocks. Lucky for us Pete's sister lives in Louisville so we headed over to her house after that to relax. We actually got to her house about two hours before she did but that was fine by me -- I needed a nap! (and, of course, Pete needed a run)

Here we are, all dressed up:

It was nice to meet some of Pete's high school friends -- I already know most of them since we're only in Lexington, but it was good to see some new faces. Most of us ended up in the hotel bar to watch the end of the Kentucky/Tenessee game (sniff). After that we went back to the ballroom, said goodbye to a few people, and headed home.

the way back time machine

Aunt Susie asked Pete when we got here if he would help her find some new shoes to wear when she exercises. And Corky wanted to get a new pair as well because he wants to start running to improve his cycling in the spring. So we headed out this afternoon to the Runners Shop where Uncle Richard got all his shoes when he ran in high school and college (he's fifty now so it's been a few years).

It was the craziest/weirdest/funniest place!!! Mind you Pete is in the shoe industry and I used to be, but even Uncle Corky and Aunt Susie and Christine thought it was QUITE the find. It seems they still have the original inventory from when Richard shopped there years ago.

May I present, Exhibit No.1..........

Pete purchased four, I repeat FOUR of these!! One in a coordinating pink that I modeled for a picture later in the day but it's saved on Pete's phone so I can't access it. They're all official New Balance Apparel circa 1992. Stay tuned for New Balance Representative's next quarterly meeting when Pete and his buddies will be wearing these to the formal dinner.

And to hear the owner of the store haggling with Pete over the price ---- it was great!

Obviously we had to go somewhere else to find them some (current) shoes.

Am blogging from my Blackberry in bed - suffice to say that our day was filled with family and food and festivities! Will try to write more tomorrow, maybe even post a picture or two!

we're here!

We made it to Pennsylvania safely, arrived @ A.Susie + U.Joe's around 7pm (a bit later than expected, more on that later). Of course the Tom Sturgis (?) Pretzels were out and the Yuengling was chilled. We dined on italian sandwiches and Utz potato chips - yum!! A.Susie even has fall-colored non-pareils!
So...our departure was delayed 2 1/2 hours from 1pm to 3:30pm - no biggie except that now had us arriving in Philadelphia right at rush hour. We pick up our rental car (a Kia Forte - blech!), check out with the gate attendant and head on our way. Traffic is bumper to bumper and slow moving. We exit from one interstate to another and suddenly there are PA State Trooper lights in the rear view mirror. My first thought was great there's a wreck ahead, that's going to make us sit in traffic even LONGER. Well apparently officer friendly had a light on his dash that he used to signal Pete (the driver) to pull over - at which point Pete realizes the headlights aren't on!!! So we wait for the officer, explain that we're driving a rental car, that we just landed in Philly and that we didn't know the lights weren't on (the lights on the dash WERE on and there was so much traffic that we honestly couldn't tell) - I drive with my lights on in the daytime, people! So he says okay, takes Pete's license and our rental agreement and goes back to his car. Have I mentioned that it's raining?!?! and rush hour!?!? We assumed he was just checking Pete's license to make sure there weren't any warrants and he'd send us on our merry way with a "Happy Thanksgiving!" Did that happen?!?! Of course not - he gave us a citation for driving without our headlights on after dark. oh well - live and learn - don't rent a KIA (sorry, em)
We're here now and dinner was great with just the four of us - tomorrow there will be 38 for dinner!!

YAY!! Break time!!

I'm done with classes!!!

...at least for the rest of the week. I have been SO looking forward to this break from school.

Tomorrow afternoon we fly to Philadelphia and then we're renting a car to drive to Reading to have Thanksgiving dinner with all my aunts and uncles and cousins on my mom's side. I've never been to Aunt Susie's for Thanksgiving before, but I'm sure it will be a good time.

Pete has found a race for Turkey Day in nearby Honey Brook, PA --it's called the Turkey Bowl 5K, I still haven't decided if I'm going to wake up early enough to run it (let's be honest, I still haven't decided if I'm even going to PACK my running shoes).

Things that must come on the plane: iTouch with Christmas tunes, Aveda Hand Relief, a few Peppermint Tootsie Roll pops.

I'm trying to think of something to blog about but can't because I'm distracted by my husband singing "all we want is to sleep in on Friday and maybe have pumpkin pie for breakfast" to the tune of Circle of Life from The Lion King.

....life at the Crawford's...never typical, that's for certain!

Tasty Treat

I've been working on my presentation for tomorrow for part of the afternoon and all evening. I took a short break to make dinner (bourbon salmon and salad) and Pete thought we should have a nice treat afterward!!



Yum! - a Tall, Nonfat (mine was no whip), Peppermint Mocha!! Now I'll definitely be able to power through and finish this thing!

Oops! Forgot to blog tonight - must mean the boy is back in town :)

Sweet Sweet Baby

Today was a BABY day!!! After work I went over to St. Joseph's to meet sweet Maddox Andrew who was born yesterday to my friend Stephanie -- he is precious!! I walked into the room, dropped my purse, took of my shoes, and crawled up in the bed with Stephanie!! I sat there and held Maddox for about 45 min!! He was darling! I could have stayed all afternoon. Big sister Amelia was asleep on the loveseat in the room so I didn't get to congratulate her on her new role in life, but I'm sure we'll see each other again soon. Thanks so much Stephanie (and Drew!) for sharing your new little man with me!!



THEN Rachael called!!! Today she and Sylvain had their 20-wk ultrasound -- head on over to her blog for the news!!


sigh.....what a good day....

Holiday Outfit

So.... I love this skirt.

I also love the sweater that goes with it: gray with a white ribbon at the collar. I want this to be my holiday outfit! How cute would it be with silver ballet flats?!?!?!

Problem: IT'S FROM THE GIRL'S DEPARTMENT!!!

So go ahead Annabelle, Amelia, and Audrey, have your moms get this cute outfit from Target, wear it to the reading group at the library and cupcake day at preschool -- I'll be the nearly 30-year-old pouting in the corner.

Furniture!!!

Our last sofa was delivered today, so all we are missing now from our original furniture order is the coffee table for the living room...we still need to order curtains, find an area rug and a piano, and hang some prints on the walls -- but this is serious progress!!!

I'll show the basement pictures first (because we've had the armchair, loveseat, and coffee tables for almost a month now)

this picture wall is on the left when you come down the stairs

Here are the living room pictures:

love, love, LOVE the pillows!

Sorry all the pictures are so dark (this is what happens when you take your pictures at night). And if you're Pete, seeing this furniture for the first time....yes I did move the bookshelf.

I've been busy printing these images

...for my therapy session tomorrow. My client is a 'tween' so I'm trying to use things that will be of interest to her, but I don't know anything about this stuff!

tonight's [i'm missing pete] activity:

it's just me and the mat... and the three mammals. the large and black mammal doesn't like DDR so she sought refuge in her crate while the music was on.

TODAY'S THE DAY!!

Chances are he's already finished by the time you're reading this....but today (starting at 7:30am CST) Pete runs the San Antonio Marathon and hopefully earns a qualifying time for the Boston Marathon!!! Pete has been training really hard and very consistently, so I'm hoping he does it -- but it couldn't hurt for you to be sending good thoughts his way!!

UPDATE: Pete is halfway done (13.1 miles) with a time of 01:28:37!!

2nd UPDATE: Pete finished with a time of 3:28:13 (overall, a really good time, but not fast enough to qualify for Boston and quite a bit slower than his goal). Boo. I spoke with him afterward and he said it was a crash and burn situation, and that he was totally exhausted. Our good friend Ed finished with a time of 7:08:20 and had pretty bad leg cramps. Pete said they were going to get cleaned up and then eat guacamole until their eyes turned green!

Google Analytics

Don't you just love it?!?!?

Some days I feel like a complete loser, but then I can check analytics and find out that people from 39 states and multiple countries have visited my little blog!! I don't have many followers, but I'm happy for the 536 of you that have dropped by so far this month!

(Pete was really pleased to find a little while ago on his blog that he had quite the loyal following from England.)

on another note....got my nails painted today... chose Lincoln Park After Dark. I'm loving the dark, short nails look. Hopefully next time they will have gotten this color:

Holiday Glow

(sorry 'bout the lack of high-minded blogs -- I've written and deleted two different holiday-themed blogs, but didn't feel quite right about them)

Hopefully you're not wanting a

high-minded blog tonight. I'm working on a good one for tomorrow but tonight will be pretty shallow.

I started using wrinkle cream this week.

I've had the good sense to use under-eye cream for the last 10 years, and a daily sunscreen for the last 15, but haven't officially used wrinkle cream until now. I don't know if it's graduate school or this decade of my life coming to a close but I am definitely starting to have a Tom Carter forehead (sorry dad, but you've got some serious lines). So last weekend I went to the mall and got some of this:

let's hope it works!!

maybe my life just isn't interesting enough to be recorded every day. unless you want to know about alternative and augmentative communication for those with traumatic brain injury and aphasia secondary to a cerebral vascular accident, I didn't have have much happen today.

maybe tomorrow will be more exciting.

No Emma Pillsbury on Glee tonight! ....but a good episode nonetheless...

Pete leaves tomorrow for his whirlwind trip around the nation:

Thursday through Sunday he'll be in San Antonio. Sunday morning he will run the Rock N Roll Marathon. (as will our friend Ed from church choir in his first marathon -- go Ed!!) Monday morning Pete flies to Naples, Florida for his annual New Balance sales meeting. He will return to Lexington next Friday evening.

WE'VE NEVER BEEN APART FOR SO LONG BEFORE!!!!

I'm a little nervous about being at home alone but I have a lot of schoolwork to keep myself busy and maybe will break out the Dance Dance Revolution and/or Wii Fit over the weekend. (also might get myself a massage and mani/pedi) The light at the end-of-the-semester tunnel is almost visible, just a few more papers and presentations until Thanksgiving Break!

melanie sent me the best link after reading my Glee post.....so if you're not already looking forward to its return tomorrow, see if this new blog will get you excited: www.wwepw.blogspot.com

bloggy blog blog blog

confession time:

-last night we made a pan of rice krispies treats and I ate 7/8 of them (Pete's calculation, surely not statistically accurate) - even now he says more like 3/4

-I just completed an assignment for CD 701 while watching an episode of Say Yes to the Dress

-stitches the vet told us would dissolve did not, so Pete cut them out with a nail clipper while Fi was sleeping

- I have no idea how I'm going to keep this blog going for another 3 weeks!

He's a Pinball Wizard

Last night we went to Newport (pretty much Cincinnati for you non-locals) to celebrate Sylvain's 30th Birthday!! Rachael pulled out all the stops and hosted an awesome evening!! We all gathered at Game Works for a pinball tournament and food and cake and prizes. As is fitting, Sylvain won the tournament - though I only got a picture of him playing air hockey - which he also won.

the birthday boy!

First round of the tournament, Pete was up against Joyce (Rachael's mom)

she definitely had the hometown advantage with the WHOLE family there to cheer her on,

but luckily Pete pulled it out in the end!!!

and Joyce was, of course, a gracious loser. :)

Then it was time for the delicious cake!! Rachael made beautiful cake pinballs!!

and last, but not least, were the FABU prizes!!!

(not pictured: bubbles, bouncy putty, grow creatures)

Happy 30th Birthday Sylvain!!! Thanks for including us in your celebration!