Last weekend, Covenant College hosted their Campus Preview Weekend. I don’t normally pay attention to these things, but this year a family friend was sending their youngest son to visit Covenant.

When I picked up Derek I asked him if he remembered me and his answer (as I thought it would be) was no. I haven’t seen Derek since he was around 5 or 6, when his family visited us in Germany.

We took Derek to Sticky Fingers and talked college, high school, football, and other stuff. At some point during the evening, Derek asked, “So how do our families know each other?” I then recounted how his mom and dad lived in Lexington, Virginia when my family did. They babysat me and my sisters a few times and took us to a few VMI events. Then they moved to St. Louis and we headed off to Arizona.

My memory is fuzzy, but I think Derek’s family moved to Tuscon at some point while we were in Arizona. We joked that they followed us out west. Then when we were in Germany, their family moved to Italy with the Navy. We spent a Christmas break with them in Italy, one of my favorite family vacations in Europe. When my parents moved to Tucson, Derek’s family arrived soon afterwards.

It was a long answer to a short question, but Derek’s family has been around for as long as I can remember.

And if Derek decides to attend Covenant, I wanted him to know that we will be here for him too.

Digging through old pictures on our media drive the other day, I came across this old picture of Sarah-Ginny and me putting together her invitations for her wedding. I have some fond memories of helping her get ready for her wedding. We got to spend a lot of time together during that time. And now that she is about to have her first baby, she keeps sending me emails asking questions about gear and breastfeeding and stuff. We might not be in the same room, but it all makes me feel a little closer to my sister.

The wedding invitations were a design of my own, but involved some pretty heavy handed DIY (and the beginning of my love affair of scrap booking supplies. No, I don’t scrap book, but I love the supplies!)

If we were working on wedding stuff today I would probably find an online place like Little Things Wedding Favors, to help us along. Little Things has a lot of of DIY wedding favors. Well, they have more than DIY, they have over 2,600 wedding favors ranging from personalized to wedding party gifts. (If you decide to make your purchase there you can get 10% off purchases of 50.00 or more with coupon code: grandopening AND they have free UPS ground shipping on orders in the lower 48.)

That was a fun wedding, complete with a May pole and cheese cake. And now, five four years later, we are waiting anxiously for baby Genevieve. Can’t wait!

In October 1998, Damon Crumley asked me to be his wife. I said yes.

On April 10, 1999 we said our vows and marched out of Chattanooga Valley Presbyterian Church as husband and wife. And then we went and partied with a bunch of people who were eating, fellowshipping, and watching us dance. Not a lot of people joined in on the dancing, but that didn’t matter (we aren’t a dancing bunch). Damon and I danced to Bing Crosby’s “Swinging on a Star” as our first dance.

We had practiced dancing at his office, in the evenings. Damon even had one of those books with paper steps you lay out on the floor. Damon would lead and I would step on his toes. I wasn’t very good at following. But we got that box step down and on our wedding day we tentatively twirled around the fellowship hall.

Now we tentatively twirl around in our lives, usually making up steps as we go along. Instead of paper steps, we pray to God and look for direction in the Bible. Damon tries to lead and I try to follow, but we still step on each other’s toes. But that’s ok, because we haven’t stopped dancing. And we may never stop.

Continue Reading »

Christmas is over and I didn’t have a white Christmas. Of course, this year I get a second chance because we are having a second Christmas in Ohio on Friday. It sure seems cold enough here in Chattanooga, I wonder if it is cold enough to bring us snow in Ohio? Then I could have a white Christmas.

(The last time we were in Ohio for the holidays we were snowed in during a blizzard. It was so much fun!)

I’m a bit funny about the winter. I don’t mind it at first, I think it is appropriate for Christmas, since there is that chance of a white Christmas. (Hey, it snowed in Las Vegas, can’t it snow in Southern Alabama?)

I think winter is ok, but as soon as the holidays are over, I’m ready for spring. I want to ditch the sweaters and turtlenecks, hide the heavy socks, and find my twin sets and sandals.

Spring brings the SEC basketball tournament, the flowers on the phlox, and more opportunities to be outside.

Continue Reading »

mcfamilyphotos604.jpg

Originally uploaded by coolauntstina.

When we lived in Lexington, VA we lived on Main Street. This street also happened to the be main parade route through the tiny town. Every so often (probably twice a year, really) my parents would say, “Let’s go outside and see the parade!” and we would walk to the front yard and watch the floats, bands, and clowns go by.

I honestly thought that parades just showed up in front of my house.

One year my sister Austina & I were offered the opportunity of a lifetime. To be elves on Santa’s float in the Christmas parade. I remember the outfit, the float, and the candy. It was such a fun time!

Last night we took Fuller downtown for the Starlight Parade and watched the floats, bands, and got lots of candy. Maybe someday Fuller will be in a parade and get to have that thrilling feeling of rolling down Main (or Market in our case). There is nothing like it.

Final touches

Originally uploaded by CrumleyFamily.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend we gathered around the dining room table and attempted to interest Fuller in making a gingerbread house.

The kit was one my mom purchased in Ohio, but the baggage of how to actually make a gingerbread house was on the shoulders of me, my sister, and my mom. The memories of failed gingerbread houses of the past hung over us as Damon piped the icing and I placed the premade pieces in the spaces provided by the gingerbread house makers.

In previous years that we attempted the gingerbread house, the gingerbread was too heavy or too soft. In other years the icing was too runny and not stiff enough. I wasn’t there the Christmas that my sisters made a noble attempt and had to use a hairdryer to dry the icing. I think it still fell apart.

The best gingerbread house I think I ever made was in elementary school when we “glued” graham crackers to pint sized milk cartons. The funnest part of that project was eating the gum drops. And the icing.

This particular gingerbread house, the one we completed this past Thanksgiving, is perfect. I don’t know if it is because Fuller helped or because it had Damon’s special touch, but there it is, sitting in my dining room and adding a touch of Christmas to our home. Everyonce in a while I get a whiff of the ginger and I know that Christmas is here again.