And so it begins again

That original goal of weekly updates, even monthly updates, clearly, I'm falling short.
But, I have downloaded the pictures, created web versions of them, and am ready to recap the last two months. Buckle up.
July started with a great visit from MN friends. It was wonderful to spend time with them including pick cherries, go for walks, watch fireworks,  get together with mutual friends, paddle board, and just hang out.

Anika and Brandon were interns at the local SERVE project home team.  The project leader has a bunch of the high school youth group kids organize part of the project. This is Anika's third year and Brandon's first. They both had a great time.
During that same week, Jessica went off to Bible camp at Cranhill Ranch. She enjoyed her time, but isn't sure she wants to go back. She was supposed to go to Dordt Discovery Days again this summer, but it sold out before I even logged on. So Cranhill and horse camp it was!
During that week, Maria was home alone, so she got a motorcycle date with dad.

Next, we trekked down to Sturgis, MI for our biennial (every two years) reunion with the Verbrugge cousins. Although not all the cousins were able to make it, we had a great time with those who came. A few of the third generation are talking tattoos next year.......








We did archery, atladl, tie dye, canoe trips, the every Amazing Amigo Competition in which we discovered we know nothing about our ancestors, or at least not nearly as much as the first generation thought we did! What was the name of the boat? The river by the farm? the town in Holland they came from? The weather changed up a few things including the cookout and popcorn hollow, but its all about making memories, and the ice cream is always good!

One of the things we love about Michigan is the fresh fruit. We go from strawberry, to cherry, to blueberry, to raspberry to peach. We pick our own, or we get them from the farmer's market. Fresh fruit is amazing.
Generally, we don't get many blueberries picked because they are too busy eating. However, the bushes were so full this year, they ate and picked 7 lbs in about 20 minutes. They were gone in a few days.

The next weekend we began our journey to MN. We love going back to MN every summer. I often wonder when will be the last time because of schedules, time, graduations, etc. It was interesting to think about how Anika is the age Evan was when I met him, one of my first trips to the cabin. Our kids are almost who we were at that time. In MN, these kids only see each other each year for these few days. And all the people we meet up with, its as though time never passes. It was a wonderful trip once again. We decided to drive through the UP which adds about 8 hours to the trip, but it is just beautiful. Sadly, our children are no longer captivated by the beauty of lake Michigan. It saddens me that something so vast is so ordinary to them, but it is also cool they get to enjoy it at a moments notice. We started by climbing Castle Rock and saying hi to Paul and Babe. Next on the list was Kitch-iti-kipi. Yes, it is that beautiful, yes, it is that clear, yes, the water is that blue. Check it out


Next, we drove through a crazy hail storm to the Pine Mountain Ski Jump and climbed to the top. Perfect phrases along the way:

Why is this fun for you?  (I LOVE heights, I LOVE hikes, if there is a top of something with a good view, I want to go)

I hate you for this? (after climbing 500 stairs to a parking lot we could have driven to.... he hehe -did I mention I love hikes???)

The climb down wasn't as amazing - a little more scary hanging on to every plank, but still totally worth it!

we parked at the bottom, where the skiers land, the parking
lot was at the base of the ski jump!

We stopped at my parents for the evening where bee bee guns, remote control cars, and swings were all a good time.

Next Stop - the cabin in Brainerd - one of my most favorite places on earth. Not just because its beautiful, but for many reasons: the stars, the loons, the opportunity to play in the water in just about every way imaginable... canoe, paddle boat, tube, ski, wake board, surf, fish, trampoline, sail... I love the water... this place is paradise, these people are like family.  Once again the weather didn't cooperate, but we always have fun.

Final stop: Minneapolis.. again, friends without end...framily and traditions we didn't even know we started. If you haven't checked out Central Park in Maple Grove, you really need to!

We spent a quick evening in Indiana/Illinois to see Matt's brother and wife (Mark & Tammy) and sister and husband (Jen & Ben) as well as many cousins, uncles, aunts ...... We always enjoy a good night with Eenigenburg cousins and our kids got to reacquaint which is always nice!

Jessica decided long hair wasn't for her any longer. She donated 12 inches.  Here is the before.... notice the after in the school pic below.

Somehow, Brandon turned 16. In a matter of years, we will have four teenagers in the house, heaven help us. His favorites continue to be Snickers Ice Cream Bars, long john donuts, and for supper we had steak, potatoes, and green beans.  He wanted Sanuk shoes which came a few days later, and of course, he got his license. 

And just like that we are back into school, sports and all things crazy including trying to arrange rides home around work, reffing, one car at school ....

Anika decided to join the swim team this year and is getting an incredible work out. Brandon is playing soccer once again as is Maria. Jessica has joined the middle school cross country and volleyball teams.  Never a dull moment.

And so we begin the first year of lasts.... Anika is a senior.

Brandon is 10th, Jessica 8th, and Maria 6th.

And today, we ran a 5K all together, in the rain. Jessica's cross country team was running a fun run and the families could join them, so we did. A local dairy, (Country Dairy in New Era) - their kids go to school with our kids. Plus, there was free chocolate milk and it is quite possibly the best chocolate milk ever.

And finally, we end with one of our favorite past times..... sunsets, beaches, books, slow, quiet.....

Happy Labor Day everyone!

Baby its hot outside

We had the discussion today if 10 degrees and wind chill is better than 95 degrees and dew points in the 70s.  There's a reason I live in Michigan and not the amazon. I love all the seasons, but you can take humidity any day - I don't want it. So, we sit in our AC house and watch World Cup soccer. Not a bad trade off. We may hit the beach for a sunset later. Its a favorite past time of ours.

School ended, and with it all spring sports. There was actually a week or two where no one had any games or practices. We weren't quite sure what to do with ourselves. But have no fear, it didn't last long.

Maria said goodbye to her 5th grade teacher with a slushie from Wesco; summer here means slushies. We get them often. This started when the kids were little. I would buy one 44 oz and split it into four sippy cups in the car. They are now a bit more expensive in that they each get their own.

Anika's track team won the regionals again this year - two years in a row - and this year the boys team won as well. Anika loves to do the hurdles and desperately wants to three step, but between her speed and the length of her legs she hasn't been able to make it happen yet.

 















Exciting news from Brandon - his mouth is worth several thousand dollars more than it used to be, but you can't see it anymore. His lateral teeth, the two upper teeth next to the two front teeth, were called peg laterals. It means they looked like a peg leg instead of a full tooth. After having his braces removed, he needed those shaved down to a point so a cap could be put on. Two weeks later, he got the caps. He is finished and his mouth is worth more than my van.

with braces

without braces

lateral teeth shaved for caps

caps on and he's finally finished!

Maria ran a 5K with me through an organization called Girls on the Run. Its her last year being the correct age so she thought she would do it one last time. Everyone joined me in a 5K run organized by someone on the YMCA board. Anika had to take her ACT so she wasn't able to run. The best thing about this run is the pancake breakfast and chocolate milk!!! Brandon, Jessica, Maria and I all got medals for our age group but Matt was the first one to cross the finish line from the five of us.

Maria is also playing on a summer basketball team and she and Jessica both attended a summer split basketball/volleyball camp. They are both on the left side as you look at the picture. Maria is #15 in orange. She is tough little defender. I tell her not to worry about winning the game but to get better as a player. How many steals can she get? How many times can she make the other team turn the ball over? She loves to run up and press when the other team isn't expecting it and either steal it or make them throw it away, call a timeout or get a five second call. She is the only 5th grader on the team, the others are all younger, so she does get frustrated, but she is still playing hard.

Jessica and Maria helped me pick some strawberries again this year. The crop wasn't amazing, but it is always fun to have fresh pie and angel food cake and jam and all the yumminess of strawberries.

Brandon and Anika spent 10 days in St Thomas on a SERVE project helping with hurricane relief. Maria spent a week at Camp Geneva in Holland, and Jessica spent the week in the van with me.... I drove her to or picked her up from a different place each evening. She was with a friend at another volleyball camp, to Michigan Adventures amusement park, and a swim meet. Yes, all three girls are trying a new sport this summer.  Competitive swimming here we come.

Through our years here we have met many people, one of which is the owner of the local Harley Davidson franchise. Needless to say, Matt has taken advantage of this relationship. Jessica has received her first ever motorcycle ride.

And just to keep it real, when I go through the months of pictures  to remind me of everything we have done, I find 20-30 selfies... Jessica has entirely too much fun seeing herself in pictures.

We also were the family VonTrap at church. Whenever the praise leader needs a break, here we come. This time we had one of Anika's friends help with singing, Brandon was on keyboard, a friend of his was on drums, and one of Jessica's friends played bass. Maria was in the nursery! It took some doing but we accomplished it.


I had a few goals while the kiddos were
gone, one of which was to clean the house - this was greatly interrupted by the taxing of Jessica. Still working on this one. BUT I did manage to get caught up on laundry - I even got the room so empty I could mop the floor. But do not fear... they all came home with dirty laundry. This is the present state of the laundry room. The gift that keeps on giving.

Have a great week!

Spring has come

It has been awhile since I checked in last.
Basketball season came to an end. Brandon's team won their last game and now their coach has challenged them to make 100 three pointers a week.  Its not going to happen at this house, but maybe during the summer.  Anika's team lost in the second round of playoffs. Jessica's team lost their last game, but we had fun as did Maria's local recreational team.
There have been band festivals - they got a superior rating so they go to the State festival tomorrow.
Brandon and Anika have had to figure out their school schedules for next year.
Anika has gone on five college visits!  Calvin, Dordt, Trinity, Grand Valley State, and Cornerstone. Right now she is thinking about physical therapy. There is a program at a local college where she can become a PTA in two years. Because her GPA is above a 3.5, she could go for free. So that is definitely an option as well! Right now, she really liked Cornerstone - time will tell.
She hates the two most popular questions - Where are you planning on going and What are you planning on doing? I remind her that I was going to be a nurse, decided to be a business major, got a math teaching degree and now work at a YMCA. There are very few 17 year olds that KNOW what they are going to be, let alone 45 year olds.
Last weekend was prom, the church carnival, Matt reffed two games, and Maria has a soccer tournament in Ann Arbor.  Five days earlier we didn't have school because of snow and icy roads. Crazy spring weather.
In March, the YMCA had its annual fundraiser, the Black Tie for the YMCA. I am the staff person in charge of the event and we made a bunch of changes this year, including the venue.  I didn't have many volunteers so Matt, Anika (and two friends), and Brandon (and one friend) all joined the party.
We ended up making around $24,000 but its a stinking lot of work.

Easter week is always a bit crazy around here. Wednesday was a service night with the church the kids go to youth  group -we raked a public garden/park area; Thursday and Friday are joint services with several area churches and both are always a good time; then Easter we spent at our church for the service and at our friends Mike and Connie for lunch. I didn't take one picture the whole weekend and I ALWAYS take an Easter Sunday morning picture.  Brandon and Anika had a breakfast fundraiser - which was delicious - and I forgot! They are headed to St Thomas for a SERVE project this summer, and the church they go with serves a great breakfast on special days. We attend the breakfast - its amazing!
Easter afternoon we hopped in the van and drove to Newton, IA - nothing special there, just the first leg of our 45 hour in the van Spring Break Trip. We were making plans as we went as some of our preplanned activities fell through.
Monday night we ate supper at my cousins Gary and Paula's house in Denver, CO. Tuesday morning we toured the Denver mint and explored the capital building, the library, and the hall of justice building. Tuesday night we made it to Winter Park, CO and went tubing, got our ski equipment, played human hungry hippos, and then played Phase 10 in our cabin. Wednesday morning we spent downhill skiing. Thursday we hiked in Estes Park and then got all the way back to Sioux Center, IA. Friday, Anika and I did a visit day at Dordt, and Saturday we visited my Uncle Don in Sibley, my parents in Hollandale and made it home to our beds. WHEW!
The mountains were amazing - just to take in all the views.

clouds over the mountain peak

Skiing was the highlight for the kids. Our first run we went down a blue - and it didn't go so well. We talked with someone later how they had avoided that run because it was so iced over. Not pleasant. At that point we split up and Jessica and Maria came with me while Anika, Brandon and Matt went off on their own. We three stuck to the green routes. Our favorite was called Village Way. From the bottom of the mountain you would take a chair lift 1/3 of the way up, ski to the second chair lift which took you the next 1/3 of the way up, then you would ski down to the bottom.  The whole process took us one hour and by 4:00 pm we were EXHAUSTED! The ski lift to the highest peak was closed but we got to the top of the lower peak and it was gorgeous! We were at about 10,000 ft elevation.

Jessica is in green and Maria is pink/orange

We stayed at the YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch near Winter Park and had a wonderful cabin with a great view. We also drove to the YMCA in Estes Park because when you work for a YMCA, you have to check out the school statue with the great view.
The hike in Estes Park was to Gem Lake. I LOVE LOVE LOVE hiking and Brandon was ready to go with me. Needless to say, the others needed some convincing - primarily because they didn't want to rush (ie, keep up with me), but I knew we had to drive to IA yet that night so I knew we had to keep moving. I kept reminding them hiking is more about the journey than the destination. The cool views, rocks, etc we saw along the way. Again, pictures don't do it justice.

Gem Lake hike in Estes Park

We made it to Gem Lake!

Views from the Gem Lake hike

Estes Park YMCA - that is Rocky Mt National Park

Prom 2018 has come and gone. Originally Anika planned on going with friends, but a few weeks before prom a senior asked if she would like to go as his date, so that is what they did.

For years - since third grade - Anika has planned on sewing her own prom dress someday. And she made it happen her first go round!  We bought the pattern Thanksgiving weekend, bought the fabric one weekend, figured out it was too thin and would need a lining, so bought that fabric the next weekend, and then the next weekend bought the zipper. From beginning to end she had it complete in less than 14 days!

And now spring sports have begun. Maria is playing soccer and had a tournament in Ann Arbor. We explored the city a bit including stopping at a nature center and looking at the owls - her favorite animal. We also stopped by the Big House and took a picture.

Brandon is trying lacrosse for the first time. The team is a coop of four schools. They haven't won a game yet - in fact -they lose by huge margins, but he is learning a lot, getting better, and getting exercise so it works for me!

Anika is at track once again and loves doing the 100 m hurdles. She is hoping to go to state again this year. And Jessica is playing soccer for school. They have exactly 11 girls so there are no subs - everyone gets lots of playing time - lots of running - and hopefully no injuries!

And Jessica tried her hand at soccer reffing.  She thinks she'll keep going, take the class and ref some older kids with Matt - time will tell!