Christmas Letter 2009

Dear Friends and Family,

Seasons greetings! This annual letter is close to the cutting room floor of my life but, my desire to catch up with those that I don’t speak to all year still wages war with the lack of time that I have now that I’m back at work. Yep, I am back to the 40 hour week grind. I am doing admin for a local real estate company that is full of wonderful people and is very flexible with my schedule. It has been a good step back into the workforce, and I am looking forward to taking a deeper plunge sometime soon. If the job market would help me out in the West Valley of Phoenix, that would be much appreciated! Scott is still with B&T, traveling and doing well in his division of Custom Library Services. Support your local library!
The kids have had a big year of transition this year when they took a leap of faith with me, and left our neighborhood school for a new Charter school. Makenna was not too happy about the uniform thing, but they are enjoying the school now and are learning so much! I am very proud of them for their courage to change!
Both are chugging right along with their sports as well. Makenna is less than a second away from a Far West time in which we would go to California and compete with girls from the Western US. She is also going to be gearing up soon to compete at the State level in March. Riley still does basketball and flag football in a neighborhood recreational league, but he has started swim as well. In his second meet he got within 4 seconds of a regional time! I think they are both half fish! There are so many things that we love about the swimming program that I don’t have time to list them all….but just know that the hard work and dedication they are showing is truly fun and amazing to watch!
We had a wonderful travel year exploring some national parks this summer: Sequoya, Kings Canyon and Yosemite. It was some of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, and we enjoyed every minute of exploring it with the kids. We rafted, hiked, and saw so much wild life that it almost seemed like another world. Indeed, I was depressed coming back to the desert in the heat of the summer after such grander. In the fall we took the kids back to their first TN Vol game in Knoxville, and it was amazing as the kids finally saw the sea of orange first hand! After touring the swim and football facilities, both put UT on their college list. This made Scott very proud, of course!
Our dogs Lucy and Kaydee are a continued joy in our lives. Although, around this time last year our oldest, Kaydee was diagnosed with a cancer on her leg. At 12 she is still hanging in there so the hugs and treats are a constant. She was a birthday gift to me when we lived in California and as many of you can contest, has been a constant companion. I just pray for knowledge of when the right time to say goodbye will be. Ah, pets!
Scott turned 40 this year and his mother’s very generous gift was a golf trip to Scotland. So, next summer we are planning our first Europe trip. I hope to hear from all of my friends that are expert international travelers to help plan the most memorable itinerary. I can’t believe we are finally making it happen...can’t wait!
We hope all of you are doing well this year! I sat looking at my Christmas tree this morning thinking that I can’t believe how fast the years are traveling by. Here’s to enjoying the small precious moments that make each year so special and giving thanks for the people like you that bring joy and love to our lives!
Love and Blessings to You,
The Crawford’s (Scott, Stephanie, Makenna, Riley, Kaydee, Lucy and too many fish to list)