First Snow Shoe Adventure

Today, Terry surprised me by saying that we would be taking our first trip up to Mt Rainier with the plans of doing some snow shoeing.  Since last summer, we have talked about going snow shoeing.  I had looked online and noticed that Mt Rainier gives ranger led trips twice a day in the winter and even have snow shoes available for use (they ask for a $1-$4 donation only.  Check it out at http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/winter-recreation.htm#CP_JUMP_142395 for more information).  We had talked about it for a long time and finally, today was the day we decided to try it out.

We left our house around ten o'clock and made it to the ranger station in Paradise in time to sign-up for the 12:30 trip.  Terry noticed a sign advertising the ranger led walk and it described it as "moderately strenuous".  At reading that, I began to freak out.  I suddenly became weary of the walk and wasn't sure that we should be attempting it.  However, I decided to give it a try and figured that a 2 hour walk that was only 1.5 miles should be very doable.

I am sure glad that we went.  We had such a blast!  Since it was ranger led, we stopped every so often and she talked about the area.  There was one hill that we had to go down and since I had my snow pants on, I went down on my butt like a sled.  The walk took us to the Nisqually Glacier overlook and it was very neat to look down at the glacier.  Then, we headed back to the visitor center.  We had a really good walk and both really enjoyed it.  We can't wait until we are able to get out and try it again!

Christmas Wishes for 2009

Dear Family and Friends,


Wow, I can’t believe another year is ending. It seems like as I get older time goes by faster. This year has had its ups and downs, but we are still doing well.

The year started off good. Jake, Terry’s youngest son, came up for his 21st birthday, which was January 1st, and we had a good time celebrating with him. He was able to get a taste of the Pacific Northwest weather as we took him on a snow run with our 4-wheel drive club. All year, Terry and I have continued to be active in our 4-wheel drive club. We go on day or overnight events with them at least monthly and have volunteered our time for trail maintenance and repairs. I am going on my second year as club treasurer and as we are around the group more, we are gaining friendships and becoming more involved with the club and community.

Terry and I are also still active in our church, Renovo. It is a good group of people that really focus on how we can help those around us who are in need. We love the core values of the church and have made some good friends there.

During the summer, my mom, dad, Terry and I all decided to start training for the Seattle Rock ‘n Roll ½ marathon in June 2010. So far, Terry and I really enjoy the training and can feel our bodies getting stronger. We completed our first 5k in October and both did tremendously better than we expected.

We also bought a motorcycle during the summer. We had both started to miss riding and came across an amazing deal that we couldn’t pass up. We got a Honda VTX1300, which is big enough for us to both ride, but still small enough that I can handle it alone (even though I haven’t done that yet). We have taken some trips together and with friends and really enjoy it. I hope that next summer we can plan more trips on the bike as I have always dreamed of camping on a motorcycle.

I guess the biggest news of the year came in June when I was let go from my job. Since then, I have decided to continue my education and am pursuing a career as a social worker. I have to start at the beginning and first get a bachelor’s degree in a social science before I can apply for a Masters of Social Work, which is my goal for the time being. So far, classes are going great and I really feel at home in this field.

Terry is still working for the postal service in Kent, WA. We still have the camper and take trips in it quite often during the summer. This year, we were able to take a quick camp trip with my brother’s family and we had an amazing time building memories with our niece and nephew. We also had some friends from France spend a couple days at our house. We can’t wait until we are able to plan a trip to visit them. Jake and Brittany also came up for a week and liked it so much they plan on moving.

Josh, Terry’s oldest son, is still living in Georgia. He is happily dating Jessica and they are looking for an apartment together. He is working as a security guard at a mall and seems to be really happy. Jake has moved up to Washington. For the time being, he is living with us and got a job working for a beverage distribution company. He is hoping to save some money so Brittany can join him up here in March.

Overall, this has once again been a busy year. The weather is getting colder up here as we prepare for Christmas. I still try to keep up on my blog so check it out when you can (http://crawfordcurse.blogspot.com). I hope everyone that is reading this is doing well and we wish you all happy holidays and a very Merry Christmas!

Love, Terry and Amy Crawford

Annual Bellevue Birthday

Yesterday afternoon, I met my mom, grandma and cousin Sheri in Bellevue for our annual shopping trip.  We meet up around my birthday every year to celebrate my birthday and enjoy the festivities of Christmas.  This year we were hoping to do Seattle, but with the frigid temperatures we have been experiencing, we decided Bellevue Square would be a better option as it is mostly enclosed.  I had a great time even though I didn't get much of my shopping done.  It was cool because we were there at 7:00 when they have a parade of drummers on the sidewalk and "snow".  It definitely made you feel like Christmas was in the air.

O, Christmas Tree

On Saturday, Terry went with the Timber Tamers, our 4-wheel drive club, to get a Christmas tree. I wasn't able to go as I had school, so he was responsible for picking out a tree for our house. He took the Jeep and came home with a great tree. We were worried it was a little too tall, but once we brought it into the house, it fit perfectly. It took a couple days to get the lights on (as we had to buy more) and decorated, but now it really feels like Christmas is getting nearer.

We also put lights up outside our house for the first time ever!  It was quite exciting for me.  Below is a picture of Terry and Jake putting up the lights in 19 degree weather.  I will post a picutre of the outside of the house soon, I just have to bear the cold and take one one of these nights.

Denny Creek

On the way home from Ferndale for Thanksgiving, I met Terry near Denny Creek where we decided to go on a 4-wheel drive trip with some guys from PNW Jeep.   The trip was suppose to be a snow run so we started by going up Tinkham Rd on the south side of I-90.  However, there wasn't much snow there as the main road had been plowed to allow people to get Christmas trees.  So, we headed back down the hill and cut accross to run Denny Creek.  There wasn't much snow and what was there was very slick.  We made it to the top of the trail and searched for more roads to hit to no avail.  We stopped for a short lunch break when we reached a dead end for one road.  After that, Terry and I aired up the tires and decided to head home.  We were only out for a few hours, but had a good trip.  We can't wait until it snows a little more as the snow this weekend wasn't that great.

Thanksgiving 2009

For Thanksgiving, we headed up to my parents' house in Ferndale.  Since I had Wednesday through Friday off, I headed up Tuesday after school while Terry and Jake came up on Wednesday afternoon.  My mom and I ran some errands on Wednesday and hung out at home most of the day.  On Thursday, Terry and I got up early and took a 4 mile jog together.  It was nice running together as he pushed me to keep going when I know if I was by myself I would have walked.  Once we got back to the house, we had breakfast with the family.  As the day progressed we watched football and played some games of Farkle.

For the dinner, we had the traditional turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy.  We also had fresh brussel sprouts from the garden and I made green bean casserole.  The turkey was very moist and was probably the best turkey ever.  After eating way too much food, we celebrated grandma's 79th birthday.  After dessert, Terry and Jake headed home as they had to work on Friday.

On Friday, my mom, grandma and I joined in the crowd of Black Friday shoppers.  There were some crazy deals out there and I was able to pick up a couple gifts for people.  On Friday night, we went out for dinner at Chihuahua's with Jimmy and Sheri before heading over to their house to watch Dylan's Up With People performance. 

On Saturday, mom and I went out again to run a couple more errands around town.  It was fun being out as the weather is changing so it is definitely starting to feel more like the Christmast season.  I left on Sunday morning to head home.  It was a nice time to celebrate Thanksgiving with the family and I am excited that the holiday season is finally here!