It's Purple

Megan wanted to redecorate her bedroom for her birthday last year. Six months later Meg got her purple room! It also turned into her Christmas gift, New Year's gift, Valentine's Day gift, St. Patrick's gift and Easter gift! Happy Birthday Megan!

CBS Morning Show 5/12/09

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Here is the CBS Early Show piece this morning that debuted the story about the film.

Megan & Twilight

You will only appreciate this post if you're a Twilight fan.............

Megan's favorite movie is "Twilight"....the big Vampire movie/book tween hit (Ok I loved it too and yes stood online with friends opening night) was filmed in Portland! Some of the scenes were filmed on the same sound stage that our movie is being filmed......too cool! Molly (one of the awesome people working on our movie) told us that the Carver Cafe where Bella and her dad go out for dinner in two scenes was right down the street. So, a few wrong turns later our two huge handicap vans pull up into the parking lot just as they are turning off the OPEN sign and closing the curtains on the windows.....just our luck! Sharon, of course, ran in and explained that Megan was the biggest fan and had to see the inside. The owners graciously let us in to take pictures. They also had a guest book for all the Twilight fans to sign and we bought a T-shirt that says "I had a Bite at The Caver Cafe". I'm pretty sure Megan was more excited about seing Bella's table than meeting any movie stars in the "Crowley" film....well, not really, but close!............Ah, pre-teen 12 year olds!



The tree where Mike moons Bella


The "I Had A Bit At The Carver Cafe" guest book


Megan & Dad


Bella's Table

We Made It to Portland!

Almost there!



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Megs and Patrick All comfy on the plane!


We made it to Portland!

On April 27th we arrived for the family visit to the movie set. It took two mini vans, one SUV loaded with luggage, three nurses (Sharon, Cathy & Yvonne), one nurses' husband (Eddie), Nana (my mom), Megan, Patrick, John, me, two pilots, one flight attendant, two ground crew guys with a forklift and one wheelchair tech in New Jersey (with lots of tools to take Megan's wheelchair apart) but, yes, we made it from New Jersey all the way across America to Portland, Oregon.....Yes, once again there is a reason why there is a movie being made about us all!

The best part was, when we finally arrived in Portland and finally got the kids' wheelchairs unloaded off the planes, John (yes, my John...) had to reassemble parts of Meg's 400lb wheelchair on the tarmac...in the rain. He put it back together and we hit the "on" button and....nothing. No power. Nada. Zilch. John quietly sighed an foul word (rhymes with "truck"). Got his tools out and went back to work. On the phone with the wheelchair tech he learned what the problem was and was told it could only be repaired at the factory....not an option. John's not one to give in (reference: "Why a movie is being made" above) and I was not going to have Megan carried into the hotel in Portland. So yes, John (still "my" John), twisted, maneuvered, pulled and prodded the chair's batteries and electronics until he had so completely "McGyvered" it that...it worked! Of course, after an hour on the tarmac in the rain fixing the wheelchair, when we finally carried Meg's off the plane, she grumbled "Well, that took long enough." Ah, Megs.

The kiddos loved the hotel in Portland. "The Nines" hotel...very chic! And so, 11 hours after we left home, we laid the kids to bed, shared a glass of wine and crashed fast asleep. Vacation had just begun. Stay tuned for a brief summary of our week in Portland shortly...!

Easter

                                                                         Cousins!

     The boys all look so handsome

  What a beautiful day for a family picture

Finally some beautiful weather in New Jersey!  The kids were all dressed up and we would not let them play outside untill we took pictures...........didn't you hate when your parents did that?

Like We Don't Have Enough To Take Care of...Meet "Little Bear"

This is Little Bear.  He is a 2 year old Irish Jack Russell Terrier and he is ours.  He is cute as a button....and he is, unquestionably, THE worst dog in the world.  (seriously, he makes Marley look like Lassie....).  He doesn't listen to a thing, chases cars (UPS trucks are his favorite), has eaten 1/2 the furniture in the house, taken down a Christmas tree, run away 3 times (including an entire night spent hiding on the minivan), lasted 30 minutes in obedience school (they suggested he comes back and reenroll when he "matures somewhat"), terrorizes his big sister Annie (our 4 year old Jack Russell) all day long, and has rolled in deer poop outside more times that I can count. Oh, and did I mention...he's a biter.  Cesar would quit if Bear was a client.

Little Bear has also struggled with severe allergies since he was a pup. Poor Little Bear ("LB" for short).  Did you even know there is such a thing as a "Dog Dermatologist"?   Oh, there is. After countless trips to the vet, antibiotics, steroids and four chewed paws we were sent to see the"specialists" (long a specialty in our household).  He was tested and retested and, long story short, LB is allergic to everything!

I started giving LB allergy shots every other day a few months ago and the poor little guy just got worse.  John ended up taking him to see the dermatologist when I was in Portland.......like John doesn't have enough things to take care of.  At the specialty vet, they immediately took Little Bear back for blood work.  He returned with the classic "lampshade" attached.  As they brought him back in for his exam with the lampshade on, John commented to John, Jr. "Oh, look John, in case Bear doesn't bark loud enough, now they've outfitted him with a Megaphone. Sweet." They also quickly affixed a bright orange "warning" sticker to LB's file after the bloodwork was drawn (see comment on "he's a biter", above).  They say his severe allergies are likely genetic (of course...).  He is back home and happy again, though on a fancy cocktail of allergy meds (including more steroids).

He is keeping busy enjoying the Spring weather. He ate Annie's bed today again.  That is the 4th bed this year of hers that he has torn apart.   Little Bear adds to the excitement around here for sure.  He is a pain in the a--, but he is ours.  And we love him!  There are so many Little Bear stories that he may soon get his own blog page on the family site.  Stay tuned!  (Oh, and he is NOT coming to Portland....).

We're Leavin' on a Jet plane........to Portland April 27th!

Well, it's official..........we're taking the whole Crowley clan to Portland!  The logistics of getting megan and patrick across the entire country are worthy of a movie in itself!  (We'll spare you details....but will post lots of blog comments and pics to document our journey).  The kids are so very excited.  I am not sure if they are more excited about:  a)  a vacation in Oregon;  b)  their cameos in the film; or c)  meeting Harrison Ford.  When John asked Patrick if he was excited to meet Harrison, Patrick's eyes light up...and then he started humming the tune to "Raiders of the Lost Ark."  TOO cute!!!  We all leave April 27th and will be in Portland for a week.  Much publicity to come soon.  I'll update more about that this weekend.  Have a great Friday!