Dear Crookston Family,
Thanks so much for letting me live with you this summer. You will probably never know the impacts you had on my life or how much it means to me that you were willing to open you home up in that way.
With that said, congratulations on your baby goats! I am SO GLAD they waited the extra three hours between when I was done farm sitting and when you got home to be born. I wish your chickens would have been that well-behaved and would have stayed in their coop instead of flying into the trees, but alas. I could not be so lucky. At least I kept everything alive, though, so I think it was a successful farm sitting experience.
I'm quite sure there's no other family on the planet like yours, and I love that. You should too. Don't take for granted what you have out there on your farm, because it's something really special. I feel so blessed to have been a part of that, even if it was just for a summer.
Of all of the things I will treasure about my experience at your house, one of the top things will have to be the contents of this blog. Thanks for being crazy enough to inspire me to write it, and thanks for being crazy enough to keep it going. Whenever I have a bad day in the future, I can just look back at these memories and laugh. Obviously I was never going to forget this summer, but now this blog will ensure that none of us will. He he he...
Anyway, I love you all, and thanks for everything. Sincerely. I know I'll never be able to pay you back, so I can just pray that God will bless you richly for your generosity and hospitality. I'm sure He will, and you guys fully deserve it.
I will miss you, and I will miss this blog. Thanks for being dedicated readers, but it is time to lay "Inside These Crookston Walls" to rest since I no longer live in them. It was a great project, and now it is complete.
Love always,
Christine
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Day 45
The Crookstons came back yesterday. They had one night at home between their beach vacation and their Indianapolis family reunion (I will be farm sitting again). Seeing them, though, inspired me to continue this blog for yet another post. The posts are numbered at this point, though, because I am moving out on Sunday to prepare for my upcoming trip to Australia and New Zealand. The nominees for this post are:
1. I was talking to Taylor about girls. I thought he might like this one girl (who shall remain nameless, partly because I don't remember her name at this point) and he said, "Eh, I don't know. Maybe when she gets her braces off." Can we be more superficial, Taylor?!
2. I went out to visit the Crookstons at their beach house on Tuesday of this week. I went to "supervise" Taylor and his friend Sarah (by order of Mrs. C). While walking back from the beach, the three of us engaged in a Queen sing-a-long followed by a Bible reenactment where Taylor and I put our towels on our heads "virgin Mary" style and pretended like we were Mary and Martha discussing our brother Lazarus.
3. While farm sitting, I had random patriotic songs get stuck in my head. This was not cool.
4. Last night, we (Shelby, Carly, Katie, and I) were hanging out in Carly's room watching old home videos. I was in a surprisingly large number of them. It was so funny to see how the personalities of the Crookston children were evident even when they were so young. For example, Carly was still snarky (DAD! He's eight and a half! Not FIVE!), Shelby was still perpetually naked, Drue thought he was a total stud (he stood in front of the camera that was filming Carly's birthday party so that he could show himself lifting weights), and Taylor was adorable and slightly high maintenence (crying when he got a new bed because he preferred Drue's bed).
5. In the video of Carly's fourth birthday party, I arrived with some really creepy looking baby sitter that I don't remember at all. I smiled for the camera and Shelby said, "Oh my gosh, Christne! Look at all of your teeth. You're like a baby phiranna!" Thanks, Shelby. Be nice to me or I SHALL EAT YOU WITH MY BABY PHIRANNA TEETH!
6. Taylor and I went on a "date night" because neither of us had anything to do last Friday. It was a practice date for when he next goes on a real date, and I corrected him whenever he did anything stupid. It was actually really fun. We went to go visit Rex and Gander Mountain and now Taylor is convinced that Rex hates him. (HE DOESN'T, TAY TAY!)
7. This morning, Carly and Shelby woke up early and went garage sale-ing. This is certainly a switch from all of their making fun of me for doing that. Maybe they have had some effect on me this summer, but it appears that I have affected them too. :-D
8. I had to get a blood test to check for some possible heath problems, and I was very scared so I told Carly about it. She replied with, "Okay, so if you have one year left to live, what do you want to do? I mean, obviously I'll start by planning you an awesome elopement so that you can get married..." Carly, you're such a sensitive friend. Thanks a lot. If I'm dead a year from now, I hope you feel awful.
The winner today is...*drumroll please*...#4. It embodied all of the Crookstons in the same post, so I thought it would be a good winner. I estimate that there will probably only be one more post to this blog, so stay tuned for that. Bye for now!
1. I was talking to Taylor about girls. I thought he might like this one girl (who shall remain nameless, partly because I don't remember her name at this point) and he said, "Eh, I don't know. Maybe when she gets her braces off." Can we be more superficial, Taylor?!
2. I went out to visit the Crookstons at their beach house on Tuesday of this week. I went to "supervise" Taylor and his friend Sarah (by order of Mrs. C). While walking back from the beach, the three of us engaged in a Queen sing-a-long followed by a Bible reenactment where Taylor and I put our towels on our heads "virgin Mary" style and pretended like we were Mary and Martha discussing our brother Lazarus.
3. While farm sitting, I had random patriotic songs get stuck in my head. This was not cool.
4. Last night, we (Shelby, Carly, Katie, and I) were hanging out in Carly's room watching old home videos. I was in a surprisingly large number of them. It was so funny to see how the personalities of the Crookston children were evident even when they were so young. For example, Carly was still snarky (DAD! He's eight and a half! Not FIVE!), Shelby was still perpetually naked, Drue thought he was a total stud (he stood in front of the camera that was filming Carly's birthday party so that he could show himself lifting weights), and Taylor was adorable and slightly high maintenence (crying when he got a new bed because he preferred Drue's bed).
5. In the video of Carly's fourth birthday party, I arrived with some really creepy looking baby sitter that I don't remember at all. I smiled for the camera and Shelby said, "Oh my gosh, Christne! Look at all of your teeth. You're like a baby phiranna!" Thanks, Shelby. Be nice to me or I SHALL EAT YOU WITH MY BABY PHIRANNA TEETH!
6. Taylor and I went on a "date night" because neither of us had anything to do last Friday. It was a practice date for when he next goes on a real date, and I corrected him whenever he did anything stupid. It was actually really fun. We went to go visit Rex and Gander Mountain and now Taylor is convinced that Rex hates him. (HE DOESN'T, TAY TAY!)
7. This morning, Carly and Shelby woke up early and went garage sale-ing. This is certainly a switch from all of their making fun of me for doing that. Maybe they have had some effect on me this summer, but it appears that I have affected them too. :-D
8. I had to get a blood test to check for some possible heath problems, and I was very scared so I told Carly about it. She replied with, "Okay, so if you have one year left to live, what do you want to do? I mean, obviously I'll start by planning you an awesome elopement so that you can get married..." Carly, you're such a sensitive friend. Thanks a lot. If I'm dead a year from now, I hope you feel awful.
The winner today is...*drumroll please*...#4. It embodied all of the Crookstons in the same post, so I thought it would be a good winner. I estimate that there will probably only be one more post to this blog, so stay tuned for that. Bye for now!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Day 38
Well...the Crookstons are leaving me. It's sad but true. They are going to South Haven for a week starting tomorrow, and then I will have nothing to write about! I mean, I'll still be taking care of the animals, so maybe they can make an appearance on this blog. Maybe I'll do a "best of" Crookston moments that didn't quite make it to nomination status before. Maybe I'll call the Crookstons every night and let them tell me the crazy things that happened in South Haven. Then I'll just be sad that I'm not there to witness the moments, though, so maybe that's not the best option. Anyway, before they leave, I will put up this post. The nominees for this post are:
1. Carly's aunt, uncle, and cousins came over to have dinner. Drue told us all about how he can make himself dry heave, and how he did this once in acting class and his professor was very impressed. Mrs. C was like, "Do it right now, Drue!" I expected everyone to laugh awkwardly and say something along the lines of, "Heh heh heh...we're eating. Maybe some other time..." Nope. No one did. They were all really into it. Who ARE these people?!
2. Mrs. Crookston went and learned how to milk a goat. When Taylor had his friend Katie over, Mrs. C said, "Katie! I know how to milk a goat! Okay, now put your thumbs down like this. Seriously, do it! Okay, now those are the teats, and here's how you press on them to get the milk. See? Okay, now I'll put my thumbs down and you try!" Katie was slightly less excited than Mrs. Crookston about this lesson, but I mean, let's be honest: it's hard to be more excited than Mrs. Crookston when it comes to things like that.
3. Taylor's horse, Wrigley, wears a mask during the day that has no eye holes and covers his ears as well. He looks so goofy in it. It seems as if he's about to be executed or something. Supposedly it is to keep the flies off of him. Whatever. Taylor knows way more about horses than me, so I won't judge. Well, not too much.
4. I got sick a couple days ago and had to just lie in bed all day. Taylor said he'd watch a movie with me, and I was glad for the company. He asked what movie I wanted to watch, and I said, "I don't care, as long as it isn't sad or scary." He picked Steel Magnolias, which I had heard was sad. I asked him if it was, but he assured me that it wasn't sad at all. Have you seen Steel Magnolias? Hmmmmm? It's SAD! She DIES! Could he have picked a sadder movie?!? Now I will never trust him again.
5. Shelby got dressed up to go to the Harry Potter premier as a "Slytherin Slut." Yep, she looked like one. Pictures to follow.
6. Mrs. Crookston is probably one of the most hospitable people that I know. That's why I thought it was hilarious when she saw one of Taylor's student's parents outside the door and immediately ducked down, saying, "Christine! Don't let them see me! I don't want to talk to them!!" I'm encouraged to know that we ALL have those moments - even Mrs. Crookston.
7. I was taking a nap and Taylor walked in, grabbed Cindy, and put her on my face. Guess what? Cindy had to pee.
8. Carly's cousin Paige taught me how to do Yoga on the Crookston's front lawn, and then proceeded to tell me the longest story in the history of the world about "Mr. and Mrs. Amsbury" and their "very beautiful" South Korean children named Paige and Tyler.
Hey! Taylor's done with his lesson now. I will end this blog here in order to maximize my time with the Crookstons before they desert me. *sniff* THANKS A LOT, GUYS! WHERE WILL MY LITERARY INSPIRATION COME FROM NOW?!?!
Winner for the day: #4. This is because, in 20 years of being Carly's friend and 38 days of living here, I have yet to see a good, happy, not weird movie here.
1. Carly's aunt, uncle, and cousins came over to have dinner. Drue told us all about how he can make himself dry heave, and how he did this once in acting class and his professor was very impressed. Mrs. C was like, "Do it right now, Drue!" I expected everyone to laugh awkwardly and say something along the lines of, "Heh heh heh...we're eating. Maybe some other time..." Nope. No one did. They were all really into it. Who ARE these people?!
2. Mrs. Crookston went and learned how to milk a goat. When Taylor had his friend Katie over, Mrs. C said, "Katie! I know how to milk a goat! Okay, now put your thumbs down like this. Seriously, do it! Okay, now those are the teats, and here's how you press on them to get the milk. See? Okay, now I'll put my thumbs down and you try!" Katie was slightly less excited than Mrs. Crookston about this lesson, but I mean, let's be honest: it's hard to be more excited than Mrs. Crookston when it comes to things like that.
3. Taylor's horse, Wrigley, wears a mask during the day that has no eye holes and covers his ears as well. He looks so goofy in it. It seems as if he's about to be executed or something. Supposedly it is to keep the flies off of him. Whatever. Taylor knows way more about horses than me, so I won't judge. Well, not too much.
4. I got sick a couple days ago and had to just lie in bed all day. Taylor said he'd watch a movie with me, and I was glad for the company. He asked what movie I wanted to watch, and I said, "I don't care, as long as it isn't sad or scary." He picked Steel Magnolias, which I had heard was sad. I asked him if it was, but he assured me that it wasn't sad at all. Have you seen Steel Magnolias? Hmmmmm? It's SAD! She DIES! Could he have picked a sadder movie?!? Now I will never trust him again.
5. Shelby got dressed up to go to the Harry Potter premier as a "Slytherin Slut." Yep, she looked like one. Pictures to follow.
6. Mrs. Crookston is probably one of the most hospitable people that I know. That's why I thought it was hilarious when she saw one of Taylor's student's parents outside the door and immediately ducked down, saying, "Christine! Don't let them see me! I don't want to talk to them!!" I'm encouraged to know that we ALL have those moments - even Mrs. Crookston.
7. I was taking a nap and Taylor walked in, grabbed Cindy, and put her on my face. Guess what? Cindy had to pee.
8. Carly's cousin Paige taught me how to do Yoga on the Crookston's front lawn, and then proceeded to tell me the longest story in the history of the world about "Mr. and Mrs. Amsbury" and their "very beautiful" South Korean children named Paige and Tyler.
Hey! Taylor's done with his lesson now. I will end this blog here in order to maximize my time with the Crookstons before they desert me. *sniff* THANKS A LOT, GUYS! WHERE WILL MY LITERARY INSPIRATION COME FROM NOW?!?!
Winner for the day: #4. This is because, in 20 years of being Carly's friend and 38 days of living here, I have yet to see a good, happy, not weird movie here.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Day 35
Okay, it's been a while. I haven't been at the Crookston's very much lately due to lots of working, a wedding, a family dinner, etc. I want to update for yesterday, though, and I'll throw in a couple from the days I missed as well. The nominees are:
1. First of all, I must preface this nomination by saying that Mrs. Crookston told me, "If you're still writing that blog thingy, this had better not show up on it." I don't think she actually reads this, though, so I'm putting it up. If you do read this, Mrs. Crookston, then...oh well. Sorry. It's a funny story, and why are you embarrassed anyway? Taylor's the one who acted weird. Anyway, I got home last night to find Taylor and Mrs. C lying on the floor in Carly and Shelby's room. They were practicing "reflexology" out of a new book that Mrs. C got somewhere. Taylor rolled up a swan blanket and said, "Christine! Lie down! I'm going to do reflexology on your face! Just put this blanket in the arch of your back, right above your butt." As Taylor started doing weird hand motions on and around my face, Mrs. C said, "We just started learning this, so if your spleen explodes, please don't be mad," and then "Taylor! Don't start with the colon one!" He continued to act like a weird teenage witchdoctor, saying things such as, "I am now going to touch your chin here, which will help your pancreas," or "when I touch this spot on your nose, your stomach will funtion better." He got to my ear and I said, "What does that do?" to which he replied, "Uh, relaxes your ear. Duh." Ha ha...anyway, it was very weird. I did sleep well, though, so good job Taylor.
2. When Carly's friends Jessie and Allison came over, we were all talking in the morning when Jessie suddenly said, "Oh, Carly. Why is there a weird man in a reflective vest in your yard?" Carly had no idea. After some deliberation, it was decided that Jessie would go ask the man who he was. When she walked outside, though, the man got in his truck and left. We still don't know who it was **cue twilight zone theme**
3. I decided that living with the Crookstons is not so much a place to stay as it is a "Fashion, Hair, and Make-Up Internship." Carly and I play life-size barbies (I'm the Barbie, and she puts her clothes and make-up on me). I'm learning a lot, though. I went out on a date with Rex a few days ago and he said, "Wow, you look really pretty." I replied excitedly, "Yeah, and guess what?! This is all my stuff, and I did it all myself!" The worst part was, he was as suprised at my new glam abilities as I was. Oh, well. I am learning, Master Carly.
Oh, great. My office shift is over at work. I will put the rest of the past nominations on the next post, which should appear tonight or tomorrow. For the ones I posted now, though, the winner is #1. It was incredibly funny. More moments soon!
1. First of all, I must preface this nomination by saying that Mrs. Crookston told me, "If you're still writing that blog thingy, this had better not show up on it." I don't think she actually reads this, though, so I'm putting it up. If you do read this, Mrs. Crookston, then...oh well. Sorry. It's a funny story, and why are you embarrassed anyway? Taylor's the one who acted weird. Anyway, I got home last night to find Taylor and Mrs. C lying on the floor in Carly and Shelby's room. They were practicing "reflexology" out of a new book that Mrs. C got somewhere. Taylor rolled up a swan blanket and said, "Christine! Lie down! I'm going to do reflexology on your face! Just put this blanket in the arch of your back, right above your butt." As Taylor started doing weird hand motions on and around my face, Mrs. C said, "We just started learning this, so if your spleen explodes, please don't be mad," and then "Taylor! Don't start with the colon one!" He continued to act like a weird teenage witchdoctor, saying things such as, "I am now going to touch your chin here, which will help your pancreas," or "when I touch this spot on your nose, your stomach will funtion better." He got to my ear and I said, "What does that do?" to which he replied, "Uh, relaxes your ear. Duh." Ha ha...anyway, it was very weird. I did sleep well, though, so good job Taylor.
2. When Carly's friends Jessie and Allison came over, we were all talking in the morning when Jessie suddenly said, "Oh, Carly. Why is there a weird man in a reflective vest in your yard?" Carly had no idea. After some deliberation, it was decided that Jessie would go ask the man who he was. When she walked outside, though, the man got in his truck and left. We still don't know who it was **cue twilight zone theme**
3. I decided that living with the Crookstons is not so much a place to stay as it is a "Fashion, Hair, and Make-Up Internship." Carly and I play life-size barbies (I'm the Barbie, and she puts her clothes and make-up on me). I'm learning a lot, though. I went out on a date with Rex a few days ago and he said, "Wow, you look really pretty." I replied excitedly, "Yeah, and guess what?! This is all my stuff, and I did it all myself!" The worst part was, he was as suprised at my new glam abilities as I was. Oh, well. I am learning, Master Carly.
Oh, great. My office shift is over at work. I will put the rest of the past nominations on the next post, which should appear tonight or tomorrow. For the ones I posted now, though, the winner is #1. It was incredibly funny. More moments soon!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Day 31
So there is no Crookston Moment of the Day today because I did something that absolutely 100% out weirded, out quirked, and out crazied anything that any of the Crookstons did today.
I threw a birthday party for my pet rat.
Furthermore, it was one of the best nights I've had all summer.
If you don't concede that's a least a little bit weird, then I would really like to see what you're life is like, because it must be completely INSANE.
So yeah, I win today. Not even worth putting up nominations for the others. Good night!
I threw a birthday party for my pet rat.
Furthermore, it was one of the best nights I've had all summer.
If you don't concede that's a least a little bit weird, then I would really like to see what you're life is like, because it must be completely INSANE.
So yeah, I win today. Not even worth putting up nominations for the others. Good night!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Day 30
Quick Post. The nominees for today are:
1. Carly has sixteen tubes of mascara in her make-up drawer. Yep, I counted. Let's ignore the fact that that was slightly creeperish of me and look at the fact that she has SIXTEEN tubes of mascara. How on EARTH do you have that many eyelashes to paint?!
2. Shelby's friend Gabby came over today. Since Shelby wasn't home yet, Gabby and I were hanging out. Here's a summary of our conversation:
G: Hey! Is Shelby home?
C: No, she left about 15 minutes ago. She should be back soon, though.
G: Oh. Is Taylor home?
C: No. (Gabby looks sad). I know, right!? The house isn't as fun without him.
G: Totally - it seems sort of empty.
C: What the heck? It's so true, but why is there this creepy Taylor fan club made up of college girls? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm totally in it. I just think it's weird.
G: I know! I'm in it too. He's just so fun or something.
See Taylor? Everyone loves you, in sometimes a creepy way. I bet Mitch's gf will come around one of these days...
3. Mrs. Crookston came into the girls' room while Carly and Shelby were getting ready. She said, "Look at all of these boobs! They're everywhere! Big ones, little ones..." Carly chimed in with, "I have fake ones!" (P.S. she doesn't actually) I mean, there were lots of boobs, I just didn't feel compelled to chant about them.
4. At the Kindleberger festival today, Carly's grandpa kissed my ear. It was kinda slobbery. Ew.
5. Taylor allegedly just taught Cindy how to do the "YMCA" for her birthday party tomorrow. He tried to get her to perform it, but she got "stage fright." Poor Cindy...
5 wins. I just told Taylor "Pick a number 1 through 5." He picked 5. Therefore 5 wins. Count on Taylor to pick one about himself without even reading the blog. He's such a Crookston.
1. Carly has sixteen tubes of mascara in her make-up drawer. Yep, I counted. Let's ignore the fact that that was slightly creeperish of me and look at the fact that she has SIXTEEN tubes of mascara. How on EARTH do you have that many eyelashes to paint?!
2. Shelby's friend Gabby came over today. Since Shelby wasn't home yet, Gabby and I were hanging out. Here's a summary of our conversation:
G: Hey! Is Shelby home?
C: No, she left about 15 minutes ago. She should be back soon, though.
G: Oh. Is Taylor home?
C: No. (Gabby looks sad). I know, right!? The house isn't as fun without him.
G: Totally - it seems sort of empty.
C: What the heck? It's so true, but why is there this creepy Taylor fan club made up of college girls? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm totally in it. I just think it's weird.
G: I know! I'm in it too. He's just so fun or something.
See Taylor? Everyone loves you, in sometimes a creepy way. I bet Mitch's gf will come around one of these days...
3. Mrs. Crookston came into the girls' room while Carly and Shelby were getting ready. She said, "Look at all of these boobs! They're everywhere! Big ones, little ones..." Carly chimed in with, "I have fake ones!" (P.S. she doesn't actually) I mean, there were lots of boobs, I just didn't feel compelled to chant about them.
4. At the Kindleberger festival today, Carly's grandpa kissed my ear. It was kinda slobbery. Ew.
5. Taylor allegedly just taught Cindy how to do the "YMCA" for her birthday party tomorrow. He tried to get her to perform it, but she got "stage fright." Poor Cindy...
5 wins. I just told Taylor "Pick a number 1 through 5." He picked 5. Therefore 5 wins. Count on Taylor to pick one about himself without even reading the blog. He's such a Crookston.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Day 29
I'm so sleepy right now...but I must update my blog. I only have a few things today, but in the interest of not falling behind I will submit them to you. The nominees for today are:
1. Shelby bragging about how, when she was in elementary school, everyone's assignment notebooks had to be checked except for hers because she was so "responsible" and "practically ran the place." I'm glad that her self esteem boost from second grade has lasted until today. Maybe if she brings that up in a job interview sometime to prove how responsible she is, she will be offered a position on the spot. Goooooo Shelby!
2. Taylor complaining about the amount of time I spent today with Cara, my BIOLOGICAL SISTER, because he feels like he is "being replaced." No, Taylor. There is only room for one surrogate live-in little brother, and that spot is solidly held, maintained, and excelled in by you. Love love love!
3. Mrs. Crookston was very tired today and tweaked the Oliver song "Food, Glorious Food" so that she was singing "Bed, Glorious Bed." She then chased Taffy around the house for about ten minutes while still singing until she finally got her and headed off to bed.
4. Carly compared the pockets on her new dress to a "marsupial pouch." She thinks she should send it back, but I think she should keep it for when she has a baby later in life and feels like carrying it around in style.
The winner today is...hmmm...#1. Shelby hasn't won in a while. I don't even think she reads this blog, though, so she probably won't care. Alas, she wins anyway.
YAY! I'M DONE! NOW I GET TO GO TO SLEEP!
1. Shelby bragging about how, when she was in elementary school, everyone's assignment notebooks had to be checked except for hers because she was so "responsible" and "practically ran the place." I'm glad that her self esteem boost from second grade has lasted until today. Maybe if she brings that up in a job interview sometime to prove how responsible she is, she will be offered a position on the spot. Goooooo Shelby!
2. Taylor complaining about the amount of time I spent today with Cara, my BIOLOGICAL SISTER, because he feels like he is "being replaced." No, Taylor. There is only room for one surrogate live-in little brother, and that spot is solidly held, maintained, and excelled in by you. Love love love!
3. Mrs. Crookston was very tired today and tweaked the Oliver song "Food, Glorious Food" so that she was singing "Bed, Glorious Bed." She then chased Taffy around the house for about ten minutes while still singing until she finally got her and headed off to bed.
4. Carly compared the pockets on her new dress to a "marsupial pouch." She thinks she should send it back, but I think she should keep it for when she has a baby later in life and feels like carrying it around in style.
The winner today is...hmmm...#1. Shelby hasn't won in a while. I don't even think she reads this blog, though, so she probably won't care. Alas, she wins anyway.
YAY! I'M DONE! NOW I GET TO GO TO SLEEP!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Day 27
The last few days have been action packed - so much so that I need to think back and consider what I am going to put in this blog entry...hmmm... I supposed I will start with July 4 (yesterday).
1. I love the Fourth of July - it is my second favorite holiday behind Christmas. Naturally, I walked upstairs on the morning of the 4th wearing red, white, and blue. Imagine my dismay when I meet Taylor dressed in pink. PINK! No country has that as their national color! I gave him some crap about being unpatriotic, and then I walked up to find that his sisters weren't much better. Carly was wearing a powder blue shirt with a coral necklace, and Shelby was wearing white. I wanted to try to inspire some patriotism in them, but it just wasn't working. They said that their mother made up for their lack of holiday spirit, but I didn't believe them. I was disappointed that such a joyful, otherwise dramatic family would show such disregard for such a fun holiday. I should not have doubted Mrs. Crookston. I think she sucked all of the patriotism out of her children and then blew it out of her head in the crazy fireworks headband she was wearing (also out her toes in her fireworks pedicure). I took pictures - actually, they deserve their own nomination.
2.
Oh, and she wanted me to make sure I mention that as I took these pictures she was singing "God Bless America." Yep, she sure was.
3. After we went to the 4th of July parade, as we walked home Taylor told us all that he is going to die in a car crash (!?). Um, yeah. He says he's just always had this "feeling" that that is how he is going to die. Then we started discussing funeral plans, and a totally fun holiday started to become slightly more morbid...but this is coming from the guy who wants to squeeze my rat until her eyes pop out, so you just never know what he's going to say.
4. All of the Crookstons (and their mom's side of the family) went golfing. End of nomination. Let your imagination see how that went - I know I am.
5. Today, Carly, Rex and I went to go see The Proposal. It was a good movie - I enjoyed it. Rex sat between Carly and I, and we had a great time. At the end of the movie, there was the inevitable cute, mushy part that comes at the end of all chick flicks. Rex turned to me and noticed I was crying (don't judge!). He turned to Carly to tell on me and have a good laugh with her, but then he noticed that she was crying too! He rolled his eyes skyward as if to say, "God, why did you let me come to a chick flick with two emotional girls?!" I mean, come on - it's a chick flick. What did he expect? I bet he was secretly crying on the inside.
6. Taylor and I have a secret handshake where we both pretend to be rats. It's pretty fantastic - ask to see it sometime if you want.
7. I hurt my toe kind of badly today, and in such a good, friendly, sympathetic fashion, Carly and Shelby decided to think of all of the things they could do to the toe that would be "a worse idea than putting ice on it." Among the options were: cut it off, tighten a wrench around it, let Wrigley "clomp" on it, run over it with Rex's truck, step on it (Mr. Crookston's contribution - not very original), and a myriad of other options. This makes my toe hurt worse to even type these things. EEEK! What loyal, supportive friends I have.
Let's be honest here, #2 has the "Crookston Moment of the Day" in the bag today. A picture is worth 1,000 words, and she has four of them. I just don't know what to do with this family sometimes, but I am loving every minute of this craziness. For the first time in a very long time, I don't want summer to end.
1. I love the Fourth of July - it is my second favorite holiday behind Christmas. Naturally, I walked upstairs on the morning of the 4th wearing red, white, and blue. Imagine my dismay when I meet Taylor dressed in pink. PINK! No country has that as their national color! I gave him some crap about being unpatriotic, and then I walked up to find that his sisters weren't much better. Carly was wearing a powder blue shirt with a coral necklace, and Shelby was wearing white. I wanted to try to inspire some patriotism in them, but it just wasn't working. They said that their mother made up for their lack of holiday spirit, but I didn't believe them. I was disappointed that such a joyful, otherwise dramatic family would show such disregard for such a fun holiday. I should not have doubted Mrs. Crookston. I think she sucked all of the patriotism out of her children and then blew it out of her head in the crazy fireworks headband she was wearing (also out her toes in her fireworks pedicure). I took pictures - actually, they deserve their own nomination.
2.
Oh, and she wanted me to make sure I mention that as I took these pictures she was singing "God Bless America." Yep, she sure was.3. After we went to the 4th of July parade, as we walked home Taylor told us all that he is going to die in a car crash (!?). Um, yeah. He says he's just always had this "feeling" that that is how he is going to die. Then we started discussing funeral plans, and a totally fun holiday started to become slightly more morbid...but this is coming from the guy who wants to squeeze my rat until her eyes pop out, so you just never know what he's going to say.
4. All of the Crookstons (and their mom's side of the family) went golfing. End of nomination. Let your imagination see how that went - I know I am.
5. Today, Carly, Rex and I went to go see The Proposal. It was a good movie - I enjoyed it. Rex sat between Carly and I, and we had a great time. At the end of the movie, there was the inevitable cute, mushy part that comes at the end of all chick flicks. Rex turned to me and noticed I was crying (don't judge!). He turned to Carly to tell on me and have a good laugh with her, but then he noticed that she was crying too! He rolled his eyes skyward as if to say, "God, why did you let me come to a chick flick with two emotional girls?!" I mean, come on - it's a chick flick. What did he expect? I bet he was secretly crying on the inside.
6. Taylor and I have a secret handshake where we both pretend to be rats. It's pretty fantastic - ask to see it sometime if you want.
7. I hurt my toe kind of badly today, and in such a good, friendly, sympathetic fashion, Carly and Shelby decided to think of all of the things they could do to the toe that would be "a worse idea than putting ice on it." Among the options were: cut it off, tighten a wrench around it, let Wrigley "clomp" on it, run over it with Rex's truck, step on it (Mr. Crookston's contribution - not very original), and a myriad of other options. This makes my toe hurt worse to even type these things. EEEK! What loyal, supportive friends I have.
Let's be honest here, #2 has the "Crookston Moment of the Day" in the bag today. A picture is worth 1,000 words, and she has four of them. I just don't know what to do with this family sometimes, but I am loving every minute of this craziness. For the first time in a very long time, I don't want summer to end.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Day 24
*Yawn* I just got back from a double blind date (well, only half of it was blind), and I am very tired so I only have a second to write, but write I shall. The nominees for Crookston Moment of the day are:
#1. Carly and I's "double blind date." We went out with Rex and his best friend Kyle. It was really fun, and Kyle was very impressed with Carly's music knowledge and band preferences. Honestly, I was pretty impressed with them too. I had no idea she knew all of these eclectic bands. It wasn't until afterward that she admitted to me she only had heard of those bands because of Alyssa, and she was trying to say she liked music that Alyssa likes since Kyle seemed to like that type of music. Ha ha...come on, Carly. I'm sure he would have been impressed by your affinity for Broadway showtunes!
#2. Carly and Taylor's "fight" because Carly's blog post from yesterday was a rebuttal to mine, and Taylor took my side and said that my blog is better. HA! I WIN!
#3. I came home from the double date to find Taylor carefully tending to Cindy and wrapping her in blankets. He berated me for leaving the window open in my room because Cindy's paws were getting chilly. Can I please mention that it is JULY?! She would have been fine, Taylor, but your 5 star treatment of my rat is, as always, appreciated.
#4. This morning Paige (the Crookston's cousin) came downstairs wearing only a shirt and some underwear. She said, "Sorry I don't have any pants. I forgot to bring some." I responded, "That's fine. I won't look." She looked at me defensively and said, "No, you can look! These are clean underwear!" Okay, thanks Paige. I would hate to see unlaundered undies, but since they're clean, all is well.
#5. Speaking of underwear, this morning I found Shelby's underwear in the yard. I texted her to find out what it was doing there, and she said she had no idea. I mean, how does one's underwear jump from her upstairs room to the middle of the lawn? She later discovered a "solution" to how they might have appeared there (something about falling out of her pants? Ask her if you want the story), but I still thought it was funny/random.
The winner today is...#3. The Crookstons really love their animals, and Cindy has been wholeheartedly adopted by all except Carly and Mr. Crookston. We're still working on them.
#1. Carly and I's "double blind date." We went out with Rex and his best friend Kyle. It was really fun, and Kyle was very impressed with Carly's music knowledge and band preferences. Honestly, I was pretty impressed with them too. I had no idea she knew all of these eclectic bands. It wasn't until afterward that she admitted to me she only had heard of those bands because of Alyssa, and she was trying to say she liked music that Alyssa likes since Kyle seemed to like that type of music. Ha ha...come on, Carly. I'm sure he would have been impressed by your affinity for Broadway showtunes!
#2. Carly and Taylor's "fight" because Carly's blog post from yesterday was a rebuttal to mine, and Taylor took my side and said that my blog is better. HA! I WIN!
#3. I came home from the double date to find Taylor carefully tending to Cindy and wrapping her in blankets. He berated me for leaving the window open in my room because Cindy's paws were getting chilly. Can I please mention that it is JULY?! She would have been fine, Taylor, but your 5 star treatment of my rat is, as always, appreciated.
#4. This morning Paige (the Crookston's cousin) came downstairs wearing only a shirt and some underwear. She said, "Sorry I don't have any pants. I forgot to bring some." I responded, "That's fine. I won't look." She looked at me defensively and said, "No, you can look! These are clean underwear!" Okay, thanks Paige. I would hate to see unlaundered undies, but since they're clean, all is well.
#5. Speaking of underwear, this morning I found Shelby's underwear in the yard. I texted her to find out what it was doing there, and she said she had no idea. I mean, how does one's underwear jump from her upstairs room to the middle of the lawn? She later discovered a "solution" to how they might have appeared there (something about falling out of her pants? Ask her if you want the story), but I still thought it was funny/random.
The winner today is...#3. The Crookstons really love their animals, and Cindy has been wholeheartedly adopted by all except Carly and Mr. Crookston. We're still working on them.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Day 23
Day 23 of me living here, and Day 2 of Camp Crookston. Can you imagine if we were on Day 23 of Camp Crookston?! *shudder* That would be crazy. The nominees for today are...
#1. Mr. Crookston accidentally blowing up a firecracker in the bonfire. This is only funny because no one was injured. The explosion was nice, though.
#2. Tyler, the Crookston's cousin, started to tell a story about when he forgot to bring his chapstick camping in fifth grade. Taylor, Alli, and Ginny didn't care about this story and started a rousing chorus of Veggie Tales tunes. A few minutes later when the sing-a-long was complete, we were all silent for a moment before Tyler said, "And so my lips were really chapped."
#3. AS THIS IS BEING TYPED, I can hear the "campers" in the tent outside my window. Junior Counselor Taylor is leading them in a sing-a-long of "Right Round." Great, Taylor. What's next? "Blame it on the Alcohol"?! Please, teach your little cousins more of these great songs.
#4. Carly and I had a bobsledding race on her kitchen counter. I'm pretty sure I won, but it's hard to tell since we weren't actually moving. We just sort of wiggled around and made hissing noises (which were, obviously, our sleds skating along the ice). She took a break to text Shelby, though, and I inched ahead. Therefore I think I won. Gold medal for me!!!
#5. By request, Taylor is submitting a story to this blog: He was with his friend Cole who asked Taylor if he would ever date a black girl. Taylor said sure. Cole wondered if the Bible had any laws prohibiting such a union. Taylor said, "Yes, Cole. God loves black people less. We should not speak to them." He didn't actually say that; I added that part. I'm sure it was what he was thinking, weren't you, Taylor?
The winner fro today is #4. Something like this would not happen anywhere but at the Crookston house. It simply wouldn't. There's no way. If you have happened across this blog and aren't at the Crookston house, go try bobsledding on your counter. It won't work - you'll just look silly. It's only cool here.
***EDITOR'S NOTE*** An unnamed anonymous reader has complained about yesterday's post. She claims that the information about the so-called "Carly" was false because a person can indeed be "a little bit engaged." She says this "Carly" was only searching for wedding things out of interest for her friend, and not because she is a crazed wannabe bridezilla who is living vicariously through her surrogate sister. As the editor, I would like to say that the post from yesterday stands as written, and nothing will be retracted. Every word is true. Take THAT, you unnamed anonymous reader! I write this blog, so I have the power! HA!
#1. Mr. Crookston accidentally blowing up a firecracker in the bonfire. This is only funny because no one was injured. The explosion was nice, though.
#2. Tyler, the Crookston's cousin, started to tell a story about when he forgot to bring his chapstick camping in fifth grade. Taylor, Alli, and Ginny didn't care about this story and started a rousing chorus of Veggie Tales tunes. A few minutes later when the sing-a-long was complete, we were all silent for a moment before Tyler said, "And so my lips were really chapped."
#3. AS THIS IS BEING TYPED, I can hear the "campers" in the tent outside my window. Junior Counselor Taylor is leading them in a sing-a-long of "Right Round." Great, Taylor. What's next? "Blame it on the Alcohol"?! Please, teach your little cousins more of these great songs.
#4. Carly and I had a bobsledding race on her kitchen counter. I'm pretty sure I won, but it's hard to tell since we weren't actually moving. We just sort of wiggled around and made hissing noises (which were, obviously, our sleds skating along the ice). She took a break to text Shelby, though, and I inched ahead. Therefore I think I won. Gold medal for me!!!
#5. By request, Taylor is submitting a story to this blog: He was with his friend Cole who asked Taylor if he would ever date a black girl. Taylor said sure. Cole wondered if the Bible had any laws prohibiting such a union. Taylor said, "Yes, Cole. God loves black people less. We should not speak to them." He didn't actually say that; I added that part. I'm sure it was what he was thinking, weren't you, Taylor?
The winner fro today is #4. Something like this would not happen anywhere but at the Crookston house. It simply wouldn't. There's no way. If you have happened across this blog and aren't at the Crookston house, go try bobsledding on your counter. It won't work - you'll just look silly. It's only cool here.
***EDITOR'S NOTE*** An unnamed anonymous reader has complained about yesterday's post. She claims that the information about the so-called "Carly" was false because a person can indeed be "a little bit engaged." She says this "Carly" was only searching for wedding things out of interest for her friend, and not because she is a crazed wannabe bridezilla who is living vicariously through her surrogate sister. As the editor, I would like to say that the post from yesterday stands as written, and nothing will be retracted. Every word is true. Take THAT, you unnamed anonymous reader! I write this blog, so I have the power! HA!
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