And This is the Shot for 2014, Christmas Yesteryear and ChristmasTomorrow. Generations and Stories. @Cc1airlines

Well, this would be my 42nd Christmas celebrated at the Crandall household, but this year was a little more special through inviting the eagle himself, Chitunga, to join the family and the craziness of how we roll.

I probably took 100 photos last night, but this one will suffice for today's celebratory day: Christmas.

There's not too many days a year when everything shuts down and we are brought together with the very people than matter to us most.

Last night was spent with the Isgars, and this morning is a total Barnwell kind of day. I do have to say, however, that the love, gifts, laughter, food, and cheer were totally appreciated last night.
Today should be a little more subdued and with more calm and grace.

I am totally appreciative for my family, its expansion, and all the love. It is, however, the love that makes today as special as it is meant to be.

Merry Christmas.

Yesterday, A Holiday Lunch With a Mentoring Friend. Today, Simply the Holiday, Family, and Hooplah 2014

It was 2007 when I read about Dr. Felicia McMahon's book, Not Just Child's Play and where I drove to Manlius to meet several Sudanese men who worked with her, their traditions, and a beginning Clay Cow Project. 

That was 7 years ago, and yesterday Faye and I had a Christmas lunch together to reminisce of our collaborations, to update one another of our lives, and to celebrate her retirement and latest endeavors (jewelry included). 

Faye offered me a box of material: a cow made from each of the men we worked with, traditional instruments, public relations materials and even jewelry. It was like opening up a piece of doctoral history as I worked along side her vision and support in the Sudanese community.

But for today, it's about the Crandall tradition of eating, drinking, and doing gifts the night before Santa does his think. Too much food, too much alcohol, and an overabundance of presents. 

The Syracuse family has grown over the years and remains as special as it always has.

Let the festivities begin.

On the 9th Day of Christmas The Great Whatever Gave To 'Cuse, @LBility @AbuBility @Cc1airlines #Ubuntu

It's simple really. It's really simple.

Focus, Integrity, Self-Esteem, Self-Awareness, Responsibility, Sense of Humor, and Ubuntu.

Skills 4 Life. Literacy 4 Life.

I realized last night that I've been advocating for the twins for over six years, and it is great to bring Chitunga into the fold, spreading brotherhood and family between two states. The good news, too, is that we bonded last night over hoops at the Dome and got to merge forces with Dr. Sandra Bargainnier and her advocacy for Liberian and Congolese youth in CNY. I knew when I was heading up for the holidays, that it would be great to find a way to bring several young men together (and we can thank Syracuse Athletics for helping us out.

And so, I'm home, Syracuse. Really home. I'm ready for an unusual winter run (perhaps in shorts) and then a 10th day of Christmas preparing for the 11th and 12th.

Yes, I also screwed up my six months of eating and had pizza last night. Oh well, it's only for a week.

Let the love of friendships and family begin.

I'm a Little Perplexed With You Old Man Winter. It's Christmas and Syracuse Needs to Be Ridiculously White and Blustery.

It looks like we'll take 17 home today and cut through the southern tier of New York while heading towards Syracuse through Binghamton. It's a much more picturesque view and I'm thankful not to have snow and ice.

But when I get to Clay, I want snow. What a gigantic bummer that Chitunga's first experience in Syracuse is going to be a total lie. He's heard my stories of snowbanks and winds, but it looks like this year the area is heading for a green and rainy Christmas. What a bummer.

Then again, it will be great because he can drive half the way.

We packed the car last night and it's a little bit too loaded with the gifts (so they'll need to be dumped off at Cynde's to create space for the evening 'Cuse game. I also downloaded radio shows and programs, in case Chitunga falls asleep and doesn't want to drive - that's my usual flow, anyways.

I'm just a little chagrined that the Weather Channel is hyping up nothing for CNY. That doesn't seem fair at all. I like the thick, heavy ivory good that makes traveling slick and slow. It's a norm that I like to have when I come that way in winter.

Oh, well. I remember one Christmas when we got banana skateboards and we were skateboarding down the driveway in shorts.

You just never know.

And to Celebrate the First Day of a Holiday Break, Time To Remember The Newest Americans And To Get Them Out

Woke up. Ran. Did laundry, then thought, "Wait, I think there's a home game for the Stags" and sure enough there was. So I put an all call out on Facebook to see which of the ESL, recent arrival kids wanted to catch a sporting event and within minutes, there was a response: Congo and Zimbabwe.

The Stags lost, but it was worth the day in the arena and hanging out with some of the kids of Ubuntu Academy - it's been since summer and I wanted to know how they were doing in school.
All is well and I'm thankful.

Now, today is the last day in Connecticut before we head off to Syracuse. I'm recuperating a little from a Christmas party in Monroe and packing some bags. Already with 24 hours of freedom, my mind has begun to think about a couple new projects and I sat down to plant some of those seeds.

But yesterday was great, because I was able to fulfill a mission I love most. When new families arrive to the United States, they often come with only the t-shirts on their back and a bag of minor items. Any opportunity to provide additional experiences - ones never imagined or known - is a great gift to new arrivals. The game was a Christmas gift from me to them.

I Will Show You the Before Picture, Because It Was All Down Hill From There #ChristmasCookieDisaster2014 #Fail

This boy graded yesterday and finished around 3 pm. To celebrate he ran four miles and then went to the store with the idea that I'd make a good dinner and bake Christmas cookies for a party. He did a happy dance that all the papers were graded and then went into full beast mode of accomplishing domestic things on the home-front. At around 7 p.m. he decided he'd make the easy-to-bake-how-can-you-#$@!-them-up cookies that he's made a million times.

Of course, he forgot the cookie dough ingredients, so he went back to the store. No problem. In the vacation spirit and holiday hype, there's no weight on his shoulder. So he goes, returns, and bakes. They look great, right?

Um. He forgot to spray the pan.

As he popped out each cookie, the totally fell apart. Not even the peanut butter cup stayed in tack, and he ended up with a bowl of cookie crumble.

Optimistically, he bagged the giant mess (trust me, it looked nothing like this pan displays) and decided it could be a nice treat to serve over vanilla ice-cream if someone was inclined.

And he tried. He though well of the evening where he would relax, put away laundry, bake, organize, and process an easier state of mind. But the cookies became a disappointment.

It's probably for the best. The temptation of eating them was rather severe and he did eat one and got a terrible stomach ache for the next two hours. What did he learn form all this?

Nothing. It just is what it is.

This TGIF is More TGIF Than Every Other TGIF I've Ever Experienced. The Countdown Begins and I Can't Wait

This has been a long semester. I often tease that the fall is a tremendous break from the summer (which in many ways it is), but with back to back literacy conferences, grant writing, website designing, blogging, book chapters, buying a home (and losing it), extending my world to providing full time guidance to a 19 year-old, and staying on top of graduate courses has been a little too much.

This week, too, the audit of federal grants put me to the edge.

That is why today, FRIDAY, I will be doing the happy dance around 4 o'clock. That is the anticipated time I have for finishing my grading and transitioning to the holiday break (for a week). This means no planning, reading, writing, grading, or stressing (he says to himself knowing he will plan, read, write, grade and stress over Christmas shopping).

More importantly, I'm doing the HAPPY DANCE because it's my mother's 70th birthday and she deserves all the love, joy, wackiness, unpredictability, and humor that the world can bring her.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

For the first time in a VERY long time (like last Christmas) I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel. My worst fear? I will get sick. The best hope? Every day for a week I will wake up overjoyed to have freedom, family, new possibilities, and time to just be what ever shall be.

I will be throwing myself a party when I get home tomorrow and I can hardly wait.

Seriously. This has been a long haul and ride and the 348 day work year is a little too taxing.

Hoo-Rah! In a few short days I get to see my Mommy!