Summer 2020, NC, Golf, MN, Showers, Kilts and a New Daughter

We decided to not let COVID ruin time visiting with family.  We skipped spring break visit with Kayla and Sterling, and didn't want to miss anymore time with them.

So after I was finished with my school assignment for the 19-20 school year, we headed down to North Cakalatey, as they loving refer to it.

We were Kayla's dishes and lawn care service for the week.  Giving her a break on some of her chores so we could get more visiting in when she got home from work.

Kyle bought Kayla a set of golf clubs for her birthday and brought them down early.  Today, is her actual birthday.

 Kyle asked Kayla to bake something for him, while he was there and she made him apple cinnamon and zucchini bread.  Both were delicious for breakfast.

 While down there we went to a metal makers shop and Kayla bought this cute little hot air balloon.  We got a weather vane, but are not sure where we are going to put it right now.

 It was a nice little visit at Kayla and Sterling's house.  We thouroughly enjoyed visiting with the children.  Once home, I was in and out of work.  There are a lot of unknowns going into the 20-21 school year.  Decisions that are difficult to make ... the principal asked if I would change offices with our school counselor.  Now I am in the main office instead of the first grade wing, which makes sense with the new title of Assistant Principal.  I never thought I would want to be a principal, but now, I think it will be okay.

 While setting up this new office before going to visit Dakota and his fiance Erica and Kyle's parents and brothers and a sister; we get a phone call from Dakota.  We have some news for you guys, he says, we glance at each other and were bracing ourselves for something bad.  Erica and I decided that we are going to get married while you guys are up here visiting.  'WHOA.'  We didn't see that one coming.  Erica had brain surgery and they didn't think they could get married until after all of that was settled, but they found out it would not affect her current insurance at all.  So, why not they thought.

We spent a lot of our two weeks in MN visiting the family and wedding prepping.

Uncle Kyle with one of the two newest editions to the family.  Kory and Jessica has a set of twins three weeks before we came up.  Kyle is holding little Laurel.  What a sweet set of sister they are.

 It's not a perfect trip without a couple visits to a lake.  We ventured out to Ten Mile Lake this time with the soon to be married couple.  We enjoyed some rays and Kota casted his pole a few times.

 We all earned some sunburn from that trip.  Even though Erica and I used lots of sun screen.  You could tell the spots we missed.

 With COVID restrictions and the size of Kyle's family, we held a small bridal shower for Erica at Robin's house.  It was fun having my sister-in-laws and mother-in-law talk and laugh about marriage with Erica.

When up we always help with Kota's cabin some.  This year Kyle helped with a chicken coop and splitting firewood.

 This log was about 2 feet in diameter and had a hollow spot that made it like a chimney.  It was a super hot fire.

 Robin and Toby always have the prettiest gardens.  I am not this talented or patient to grow a garden or want to harvest like they do.

We made time for another lake trip on Birch Lake in Hackensack this year.  We went on two lakes that I  had never been out on. 

 Robin, Toby, Kyle and I took time to go on a drive up to Leech Lake and our favorite beach there in Whipholt.

 There is nothing like walking around on the beach that makes your feet so smooth.  It was so beautiful up there mostly in the 70s with little to no humidity.  We totally missed the Ohio heat wave being up there.

 Even though the wedding was impromptu, Kayla and Sterling were able to pull it off to fly up and be a part of it.  They got in later in the evening on Thursday night.  We spent the morning together in Walker and stopped at our favorite pizza place up there Benson's.  There is nothing like having all your adult children in one place, that makes my heart happy.  I love them all.

Saturday, July 25, 2020, the day we prepped and talked about the whole trip was sweltering hot.  But we got through it.

 With all the restrictions, Robin and Toby opted out, but took some pictures with us before going up to the wedding.

Kyle is my stripling warrior...he is such a mama's boy.  But, that is okay by me.

 Kayla and Sterling got to stay at Grandma's house and truly had a great time.  They stayed a couple days after we left and enjoyed Minnesota, Sterling's first visit.

 Dakota feel in love with his Crawford ancestry.  He bought the Crawford kilt pattern while living in Ohio and said he would get married in it one day.  He kept his word.  His best man Kalep also the father of the ring bearer.

 Because of the restrictions, the kids got married in Erica's grandparents yard.

 You may now kiss the bride...welcome to the family Erica Crawford.

The nice thing about the wedding, is that Erica was able to get baptized yesterday.  Hopefully a year from now, they can be sealed.  Our hearts are full.  I now have four beautiful children and I couldn't be happier.

Crawford Home Ofiice during Covid

I haven't said much about this virus pandemic we are experiencing.  I'm not gonna lie, I thought it might go away a little faster than it has.  I kinda miss my normal routine.  However, that being said, I can adapt, I can do hard things, and cope with the cards that are dealt in my professional world.

This is my home office, I alternate between the dining table and couch.  If it is a cold, rainy nasty day, I usually chose the couch.  If it is a beautiful day, I usually chose the dining table so I can soak up some rays.  Once, we get some consistent warmth and less wind, maybe I can move to the patio outback.

I think the hardest thing for me is missing the students.  Every Monday when we go into the building to get food ready for them for the week, the halls are so quiet.  There is no one to tell, 'Use your walking feet.'  There aren't any older students jumping up to touch the exit signs, showing their new found vertical jump is improving.

We have been forced into online distance learning, zoom meeting, google classroom soon to be experts.  Our desks contents of what we might need is in a copy paper box, waiting to be useful.

It makes me think of the Sword and the Stone, Disney movie when Merlin gave Madame Mim the virus so he could win the wizards dual.  I hope our students feel the love and energy the teachers are tying to create for them.  I hope the parents aren't too overwhelmed with life and the addition of helping their students/children learn.  I hope that life goes back to normal soon.  I hope our scientist find a cure.  I hope that my friends in the medical field stay safe.  I hope that my family stays safe.  Because that feels like all I can do is hope, pray and keep on keeping on.

Getting Our Kicks on Route 60

Spring Break brought a little heartbreak for me.  I was planning on spending a week with Kyle in North Carolina visiting my daughter and her hubby.  Due to the virus, we opted not to go.  Kyle instead picked two days to stay with me this week.  We opted to do some social distancing, by having a driving vacation.  

 We ended up on Monday driving State Route 60 to Marietta, Ohio.  We were in no rush to be any where so we just took the scenic route.  You never know what you are going to find when you are on a drive.

We found some bison...

 ...flowering dogwood trees...

 ...beautiful architecture...

 ...song birds serenading us...

 ...old barns...

 ...murals...

 ...locks on the Muskingum River...

 ... a little park along the Ohio River, which was a perfect place to eat some KFC and watch...

 river boats float by...

 ..and wave to West Virginia.  It was a gorgeous 68* outside on Monday.  So we decided to take a different route home, before hooking back up with State Route 60 in Zanesville.

 We saw a covered bridge...

 ...took a small hike in Burr Oak State Park...and meandered our way through farm country in Holmes County...

 and bumped into my new favorite cow, the Scottish Highlander.  What an eventful Monday.

 Wednesday, we started our day at an Ashland County Park.  We were just going to hike on Wednesday.  We hiked along 603 and found what old timers call the Steigerwalt bridge.

 It is named that because the Steigerwalt's  (my great-greats) had a farm close to here.

 We hiked a couple of miles through the Black Fork River bottoms.  Tuesday it rained a lot so it was pretty soggy.

 Nothing some water proof boots couldn't handle though.  We splashed through the park scaring away deer and ducks along the way.

 We decided to get some lunch and weren't ready to go back home so we started driving through Amish farms north of Ashland.

 As we meandered through the farms we bumped into ...

 ...the beautiful peacock...

 ...Canada geese...

 We stopped at another Ashland County Park and hiked a bit more...then meander through some more farm country.  We bumped into State Route 60 again and decided that we have never been to Vermillion, Ohio...so why not.

 We bumped into Lake Erie.

Our drive cation took us from Lake Erie, to the Ohio River.  It will be a spring break I will remember for a long time.  I realized in all those miles, that I am grateful for a husband who knew I needed him to not leave me alone on a week where I could have been visiting my daughter.  I am grateful that we still love each other.  I am grateful that we got to witness a sacred General Conference to start our week and got to participate in a Worldwide Fast on Good Friday.  Although I didn't get to hug my daughter, I got to experience a lot of love and happiness, for this I am most grateful.