...like a Walk in the Park!

Ahhhh, the last day of the long winter break. And boy, it sure has been a long one! When I think about all that has happened over the past ten days, I'm amazed that I'm still standing! Without going into too much detail, let's just say I'm glad to be able to continue my story in 2009. Deep breath...

NorthStar Church this morning at 11 was quite emotional for me. Sometimes I am absolutely overwhelmed by the love of my Savior. Holy, holy, holy...is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. With all creation, I sing praise to the King of Kings, You are my everything, and I will adore You! ....even more in 2009!

Crazy Knoxville weather brought temperatures in the mid-60s today, so Chelcie, Addie, Sam, Taylor, Marley and I went for a walk at Lakeshore Park. I'll let the pictures tell the story.

2009 is starting out pretty tough, but greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world.

Reach Them Reaches Out and Papaw Plays Games

Theresa and I drove to Cleveland, TN to meet with Marquita in order to share the "dream" of Reach Them to Teach Them. The first question I asked Marquita was, "Do you see a need for the teachers and coaches in Hamilton Co. to be encouraged and reminded of the power of their influence? Are there teachers in the classroom who have lost sight of the privilege we've been given to impact the lives of young people?" I knew her answer before she said a word. Literally, tears pooled in her eyes.

How have we gotten so far off track?

We spent about an hour and half dreaming and sharing vision together. We see a world where... every child has the opportunity to reach his/her maximum potential! If only!

Marquita plans to attend our strategic planning meeting on January 19th. In the meantime, I'm praying that she will have many opportunities to cast vision and share the dream with the yet to be formed "Hamilton County Dream Team '09!"

With three years of success under our belt, it's time to reach out to other cities in the southeast U.S.

Subject Change!

Tom and the little kids went to Atlanta for a Hanukah party at Tina's house. I opted to say home with Chelcie and Drew. As it turned out, I made a good decision. Chelcie, Drew and I went up to Grandmom's and Papaw's house and we all played board games together. For the first time in my life, my dad played too!

We shared some lasagnae and some laughs. As we enjoyed time together, it occurred to me that someday, I'd look back and think of this evening as "the good ol' days!"

I have been blessed with wonderful children. May I never, ever take them granted.

...and then the COPS came!

Well, 2009 has gotten started off with a bang! I'm ready to retreat to classroom to escape all the excitement. I'm just gonna put it out there and tell the story just the way it happened, no foolin'!

Marley, the Poop Machine, woke me up dark and early at 5:30 because she had to...do her thang! The warmth of my covers and the pounding of the rain on the skylight made me ever so resistant to provide her with the relief she craved. But, like me, she's a persistent little pooch, so I, very gently mind you, led her to the door and nudged her outside. I'm assuming she took care of her situation because when I woke up twenty minutes later, there she sat, looking as cute and demure as ever, pleading with her big brown eyes to allow her admittance to the castle. I cracked open the door and stepped aside, as the little varmit nipped savagely at my ankles with her razor sharp teeth.

That's how the day started, but it gets better...

My goal for the morning was to finish filling out Chelcie's college paperwork, so she would be all set to complete her final registration for Spring semester. Very stressful for me! I have this theory that if I get the most dreaded task finished first, there's no where to go but up! So I was determined to get this completed asap.

As is typically the case around here, my children, affectionately referred to as Bonnie and Clyde, Thing 1 and Thing 2, Hilter and Mussolini...(pick one), started a bicker-fest that had me ready to string them up by their toes! This one was at least a 9.8 based on my most conservative assessment.

Allow me to set the stage...rainy day. New puppy. Late nights. Early mornings. No school. BOREDOM. Sure, I threatened and I warned, I promised and I bribed, but there was no end in sight. The high pitched screams, the "I'm telllllllllin' Mom!" "She started it!" "He hit me first!" You name it, they said/did it. Side note: Ya' think kids have a built in sense of when a person REALLY needs to concentrate and focus?

Enough detail. I think you're with me. Finally, I realized I had to take a break to remedy the situation before blood was drawn. I pushed my papers to the side, gently closed my laptop, and as calmly as a civilized human being could muster, I cooed these words to my offspring..."Both of you, to your room NOW!!" (enthusiastic coo) In hindsight, perhaps I was to blame for the antics of the morning, but I desperately needed some relief. I set them both up with books to read and a ten minute time-out and headed back to table with the hopes of finishing my detested task in ...well,...ten minutes, of course!

The first 2.5 minutes were relatively calm, but then I heard the murmurings of a pending explosion. I determined to work harder and faster as I raced against the imaginary clock ticking down the seconds 'til disaster struck! With only 3 minutes remaining in my ten minute respite, I was again jolted out of my focused "zone," by a very loud, very persistent knock on my front door.

The front door? No one comes to the front door at my house. We're back door people. I hadn't heard a car. I peered out the window but could only see the shadow of someone at my door. Creepy and strange. I used the safety rules I had taught at school and did not open the door but instead asked, "Who's there?"

"Knox County Sheriff's Department, Ma'am." Refrains of "bad boys, bad boys, whacha gonna do? Whacha gonna do when they come for you?" played in the back of my mind. I breathed a quick prayer that whatever it was that brought the po-leese to my door, would be something God would give me the strength to handle. Then I opened the door.

"Ma'am, we received a 911 hangup call from this residence." HUGE rush of relief washed over me before I called my little darlings from their bedrooms. If only I'd had a camera to capture the look on Addie's face when she rounded the corner only to find a very large, intimidating officer of the law in full uniform! Looking back on it, I have to laugh, but at the time it was important for her to learn what happens when 911 is called. Soon after Addie, came Sam. I calmly asked them (I'm serious, I WAS calm. I promise) if they had called 911. Sam wasted not a moment informing me that "Addie did it!"

As Addie broke down and cried tears of remorse and regret into my belly, I explained to her that 911 is only for real emergencies. To which Sam explained in all the sincerity a six year old could muster, "Addie said it was against the law for boys to hit girls and since I hit her, she was calling to report me."

The officer was very understanding and kind. He said that whenever there's a hangup call, the dispatcher calls the number back. When they did that for my number, there was no answer. (The reason being that that $%#@*& dog had finally settled into her kennel for a long winter's nap and I didn't want to phone to rouse her from her slumber, so I turned off the ringer)! I apologized to the officer and he was, fortunately, satisfied that all was well at the Crawford abode, then he headed on his way.

As soon as the door was shut, Chelcie emerged from her cave to hear a first-hand account of the drama she had so blissfully slept through. We grabbed her camera from the table, just in time to snap a blurry picture of the patrol car heading up the hill in front of our house. (I'll post the picture later). As for the rest of my day? Let's just say it truly WAS all up from that point on!

2009-The Year in Pictures

1-20-09 Barack Obama's Inauguration

1-19-09 1st SNOW DAY of 2009

One Year. One Day at a Time. One Picture at a Time. No text. No pressure. No problem. We'll see.

Seven Things You Don't Really Need to Know About Me

This is a first for me. My new "Twitter" friend, Kelly tagged me, so here we go! Seven things? Ummm....Oh, the pressure to be interesting!

1. I am a follower of Christ. As a public school teacher, I realize that some may consider this a conflict of interest, but I consider this my calling in life. I believe that God has gifted me to serve Him in the public schools. My prayer is that someday I will hear my Savior say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

2. I have four incredibly different children. My oldest is a freshman in college, majoring in, would you believe it?, education! Number 2, is a senior in high school and is an incredible cross country runner. Registered for his first marathon in March. Number 3 is my most challenging, but most fascinating child. She is the poster girl for the strong-willed child, and yet is an eager, enthusiastic learner. My prediction is that she will greatly surpass any expectation I have for her. The baby, Number 4, is the light of all our lives. Mr. Six Year Old just lost the first of his two front teeth. His favorite thing to say to me is, "You're never too old to hug your mama!"

3. Sometimes I sing to myself while driving. Loudly. I love music and am often brought to tears when a certain song speaks to my heart.

4. Three years ago, I founded an organization called Reach Them to Teach Them, in the hopes that every child has the opportunity to reach his/her maximum potential. In the almost twenty years I've spent in the classroom, I have seen a definite shift in focus FROM teaching STUDENTS, TOWARD teaching to the TEST. My experience has taught me that without a foundation of mutual trust, respect, and personal investment, our efforts to teach SKILLS are in vain.

5. Confession time. I am an ice-aholic. That's right. I'm addicted to Sonic ice. I buy an 8 lb. bag of pellet ice twice a week! I like it best with unsweetened Milo's tea, but I'll take it straight if tea is unavailable. Yes, I know it's bad for my teeth, but I figure it's better than drinking, smoking, or bringing strange men home!

6. I live in a log house. With four kids and a new puppy, we need something indestructible. I think we've found it.

7. I have a long list of favorite books. Here are just a few: Crazy Love by Francis Chan, Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer, The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter, The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews, and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo.

So there you go! I can't wait to read what my other friends write about themselves.

Crawford Christmas 2008

My first few days off were spent frantically shopping for Christmas gifts. I decided to create Wordles for my two sisters and parents. They seemed to like them. Big thanks to Jack and Sue Wickstrom for allowing me to create them from their business computer. I also met with Rodney Russell for the purpose of sharing PowerTeaching, but our time together ended up being more of a brainstorming session on what needs to be done to improve education in Knox County. He has a plan to bring teachers to the table to discuss what they need to be effective in their classrooms.

Mom and I made a trip down to the Mast General Store, and I was able to squeeze in a quick breakfast with Angela before she headed to Spartanburg for Christmas.

Christmas Eve was spent in anxious anticipation of heading up to Grandmom's house for dinner. This was a year of trying new things and our Christmas Eve dinner consisted of Lasagnae. The kids were not happy! They wanted the traditional mashed potatoes, turkey, dressing, green beans, etc. Another new attempt was having the kids draw numbers for Dirty Santa game. Again, they were not happy, but as it turned out, they enjoyed the game and all ended up with something they liked. Well, Lauren wasn't happy with her double-dutch jump rope, but she didn't stress about it too much. Drew ended up with our $15 movie card and Ty Beanie Baby, Chelcie got a $25 gift card, Sam got a can of red and green gumballs and a $25 mall gift card, Addie got a super cute "Praise Board." Everyone got along and we shared some laughs and funny pictures.

Taffy, the elf, spent his last day curled up around the M&M cookies Sam had left out for Santa. The kids went to bed fairly easily while Chelcie and I went to Becca's to pick up "something." I was afraid that the kids would be disappointed with their gifts, but they were thrilled! More about that in a sec...We woke up very early Christmas morning and headed to Volunteer Ministries to prepare breakfast for about 80 homeless people. Drew and Charlie did a great job cooking the eggs, Sam and I handled the biscuits, Chelcie and Addie cracked and stirred the eggs, while David and Dee Pickle worked on the sausage. Once the prayer was said, Drew and I scooted out the door before we would be missed. Courtney and Chuck were there working hard too, but Natalie got sick just as they were walking out the door, so Lori stayed home with her.

Drew and I got a little headstart and were able to make sure that indeed Santa did come to our house while we were gone. All was set and ready for frenzy of opening gifts. When Tom, Chelcie, Addie and Sam arrived, everyone had smiles on their faces and a few surprises they hadn't anticipated. As the dust settled and the wrapping paper burned in the fireplace, we all heaved a sigh of satisfaction. Then I noticed...THE NOTE!

Under the plate of cookie crumbs, there lay a note on white paper. Taffy had left a memo for our family that was divided into individual parts for the kids to read. Here's the note:

Memorandum

Date: December 25, 2008

To: The Crawford Kids

From: Taffy the Elf

Re: Santa’s message for you
(Chelcie read this outloud)

Chelcie: Chelcie, Addison, Samuel, and Drew
Santa has left something special for you
This special something requires lots of care
This special something is something you’ll share

Drew: But Santa was clear when he left it with me
That this wasn’t something for under the tree.
He gave me instructions and clues for you too.
And that’s why I wrote out this memo to you.

Addie: The first clue to figure out what Santa left
Is found in the pantry on the first shelf
You’ll find a big box wrapped in paper that’s red
You just might guess it by using your head.

Sam: Don’t open the gift yet, let’s round up them all
Our next clue is found under the bench in the hall.

Chelcie: We now have two gift clues. We’re close, we’re ‘bout there.
Our third clue is found right under the chair!

Drew: A duck or a pheasant? Now what could this mean?
Do you have a guess yet, or must it be seen?

Addie: I’ll open this gift and then I’ll give the first guess
I just hope that I don’t make a big mess.

Sam: Last night Santa flew through a terrible fog,
And I think that he left us a new Crawford ________________!

Look in the bathtub in the bathroom for a BIG Surprise!

Love,
Taffy

After the excitement at home, we napped for an hour or two, then headed to the Baines for a little Christmas brunch. I hope to document that momentous family occassion next time!

R.I.P. Buffet Crawford December, 1995-December, 2008

A lot has happened in a week. Of course, Christmas came and went with all of the excitement that surrounds this most special day of the year, but the most memorable event of the week occurred this morning. I'll try to recount the day's events as accurately as my limited memory will allow.

I woke up early. I think it must have been around 5, as Tom got up to work in Jasper, Georgia today with Drew. Marley stirred a little in the bathroom, but for the most part, remained calm and went back to sleep. Sometime around 6, Buffet came over to my side of the bed and nudged me. I knew she needed to go out, so I got up and figured I should take Marley out too. As soon I stepped foot in the hall, Buffet began to throw up. She retched all the down the hall. I barely got the kitchen door open before she started getting sick again. I knew she couldn't help it, but I was not looking forward to getting it cleaned up. I left both dogs outside and got an old towel to soak up the mess. Then I grabbed the mop and some floor cleaner and got it clean. Sweet Buffet, she tried her best to keep it on the wood floor.

Once the mess was clean, I put Marley back in her kennel, and let Buffet in to sleep by the kitchen door. I remember being struck by how incredibly thin she had gotten in just two weeks. I tried to grab a few more minutes of sleep before starting the day. At some point, Buffet went into Addie's room and climbed up on her bed with Addie and Morgan still in it! Buffet was drolling quite a bit. The kids got up early about 8 (Addie, Sam, and Morgan) and were watching TV. They came back to bathroom to let me know that Buffet just had diarrea on the floor. YUCK! I grabbed another old towel and prepared to tackle the next mess of the day. I noticed this mess was black and very sticky. It was hard to get out of the carpet. Poor Buffet! I had made plans to meet Jane Manning for breakfast at Cracker Barrell at 10. After my shower, I checked on Buffet and she just lifted her head and blinked at me. I could tell she was in very bad shape. I woke Chelcie to tell her that Buffet was not doing well, so she'd know to call me if things got bad again while I was out with Jane.

When I checked on Buffet again, I just didn't have the heart to leave her. Her legs were splayed in an obviously uncomfortable position on the mat by the door. I went into Addie's room to get an old blanket for her to lie on when I noticed that she seemed to be struggling to breathe. I talked to her and tried to let her know that I was there with her. Then I broke. I knew I could not stand to see her suffer any longer. I called my dad to ask if he'd go with me to have her put down. While I was on the phone with him, I watched Buffet look up at me, then take her last breath. It surprised me to know that she was gone so quickly and seemingly, easily. I tried to close her eyes and petted her head to be sure she was gone.

Mom got there first. She helped me pull Buffet onto the back porch and clean the mess from where she died. Dad came to help too. We decided it would be best to use a plastic Rubbermaid tub as her coffin. As Mom and I lifted her into the tub, I couldn't believe that she was already heavy, cold, and stiff. Memories of a healthy Buffet flooded my mind. Jumping in leaf piles with kids, stealing Katie Cutcliffe's shoe in the yard, playing with her at Lakeshore, walking around Cades Cove and having to "improvise" a leash by using Mom's Brighton belt whenever the rangers came by. I remembered teaching her to jump over Chelcie and Drew by making them get down on their hands and knees. The "Bang!" trick was awesome, and was her specialty- holding a piece of cheese on her nose until I told her it was okay to eat it. There was one time when the kids were roasting marshmallows outside and decided it would be funny to stick a melted marshmallow on her nose. You can be sure I put a stop to that trick! But it WAS funny watching her try to toss it in the air, only to have it remain stuck right on the end of her nose! We never had to worry about Buffet. There was one day when I had her loaded up in the back of the old Dodge truck headed to the mountains when she decided to jump out onto the highway! She enjoyed just being with us, no matter what we were doing. Even as she got old, she'd still get so excited to think that she could go for a walk with us. Buffet and I logged many miles walking to Weigles and back. I always knew that she would protect us. Tom knew it too, Tom left me at home with a door-to-door salesman one time and although I was furious with him and terrified that the salesman could have hurt me, Tom said he knew Buffet would protect me.

Buffet tolerated more than a lot of dogs. She weathered the storms of two new babies coming into the house. She became best buddies with Tom's brother, Chris, when he lived with us for a while. Buffet waited patiently for us to return from numerous family vacations. She even let Sam ride her a few times. Truth be told, Buffet was the first dog that I ever considered "my dog." I trained her. She and I had a special bond, but Buffet made everyone in the family feel like she loved them the most. I'm going to miss the sound of the blinds being rattled whenever she wanted to go out. I'm also going to miss her persistent "nudging" on the edge of the bed whenever she was ready to get up and we weren't. Already once today, I thought I heard her shifting her position under the kitchen table. When I looked around and she wasn't there, my stomach hurt and tears came to my eyes.

Back the story, Mom and I knew that we could not bury Buffet ourselves, so I called Ed to see if he could help us by digging a hole for us. We picked a good spot and started digging. Ed showed up about ten minutes later and things picked up speed considerably from that point on. Dad looked at the ground a lot, while Mom and Ed got the job done. I tried, but basically got in the way, I think. We were all covered in mud by the time we finished. When I went inside to check on the kids, Sam was crying and said, "I have known her my entire life!" They were all crying for a little while.

I'll have to post the Christmas blog another day. I'm not feeling as "festive" as I should for that one. Bye, Buffet. You were a great dog!