Steve & Jami Hoekstra

December is here

2011-12-03T10:01:00.005-07:00

Christmas is coming! As soon as December hit, so did the cold and the snow. One day wearing tshirts the next day carhartt jackets. It sure is pretty though. Derek continues to grow and change. I can't believe how big he is now. He now smiles all the time at us, and does silly things. He is discovering his face, making the strangest of faces. He likes to "talk" a lot too. Oh what a sweet little guy we have! So here are some new pictures to enjoy.

Derek Week 3

2011-11-19T10:09:00.004-07:00

Derek continues to grow and surprise us daily. This week he was another five ounces heavier and two inches longer. He also decided that it is fun to rollover when given the chance. He is changing so fast. If we blink we might miss something. He is a wonderful kid though, not too fussy, unless he is hungry. But hey I get that way too if I am hungry.

Otherwise Steve and I are doing well. Looking forward to Thanksgiving with our Hoekstra Family. And showing off Derek to them. We are thankful we get to enjoy the holidays too with our little guy. Thought I would share a few pictures!

Derek Week 2

2011-11-11T08:22:00.002-07:00

Derek is continuing to grow. Earlier this week he weighed in at 5 pounds 4 ounces. Today is will be weighed again. He seems to be growing to me. He is enjoying a visit from his Grandma Smith as well. This little man continues to amaze Steve and I daily. He is learning daily new things and well he suddenly doesn't look so newborn. Needless to say Steve and I are so in love with our little man.

Derek's First Bath. He was so good, never screaming or complaining. :)

Derek's 1st Week

2011-11-03T18:07:00.006-06:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words so here are a couple!

Derek Mark Hoekstra Arrives!

2011-11-01T18:22:00.004-06:00

I have been waiting a long time to write this post. Well much to our surprise Derek Mark Hoekstra arrived a bit early on October 26th in the afternoon. We are all doing well. Steve and I are so excited to have our little man here. He is exquisite in every little way. Infant watching has become our new past time. Movies don't even sound that exciting. We love him so much are thankful all is going well depsite being preterm. Our only hicup seems to be jaundice. Last night we had to stay the night at the hospital so he could get bili lights on him, but his levels came down and he are home again! It is amazing what a five pound body can do. So I am sure you would rather just see pictures of our son. Yes, our son, how crazy is that.

Looking round and spikey!

2011-10-24T11:55:00.005-06:00

Here are a few pictures from the last week. All is going well with baby now. He seems to be behaving better. Sure kicks a lot. I am getting rounder. In other news, Steve got a new pre-fathering hair style, see the picture below. Menda is healing slowly but surely. She sure hates cage arrest. It is turning cold here, the garden is officially dead now. The garage if full of tomatos and other garden veggies. It is supposed to get cold tomorrow, dropping into the teens, which will be hard because we have been enjoying wonderful weather until now. Cool nights and warm days. So we just keep plugging along until then.

Please let me outside... I hate being in here all the time.

Almost 35 weeks along! Getting closer to Novemebr 29th!

Spiker Steve - You have no clue how hard it is to make his hair do this... But I can now say I can make a mohawk!

Poor Menda Kitty!

2011-10-08T13:38:00.004-06:00

A year ago we got Miss Menda the kitten from our friend. This year to celebrate her birthday she decided to break her leg. Thankfully I work with some skilled people who were able to piece her leg back together. So as long as it heals right, we won't have a three legged cat with our three legged dog...
Here is a little photo journal of her leg.

The damage

Internal damage ie. hamburger leg

Putting it back together

Looks good!

Waking up. Mom it HURTS! Pass the fetanyl please!

One leg again

Happy drugged Menda! This morning she was doing great, cuddling with Steve in bed!

Our baby is getting bigger!

2011-09-16T08:29:00.003-06:00

Our little man is sure growing quickly. He is very active as well. It is fun to feel him throughout the day. In our birthing class we were talking about how we are a family now, even before he is born. With him so active it is hard to miss the little man. We look forward, no, we can't WAIT, for him to get here. Sometimes I think I am too impatient for pregnancy, I just want the end product. As much as we like watching me grow, I am sure we will enjoy watching him grow more once he is out and about.

Through a new lens

2011-08-30T08:23:00.004-06:00

Umm so we got a new camera and well had fun taking pictures this morning and figuring it out. So please enjoy some pictures from this beautiful fallish morning. The weather is starting to change here finally. Fall is coming evidence of the wheelbarrow load of pumpkins Steve brought to the garage yesterday. We are trying to finish up a list of before winter projects too. Like a new door,

caulking and so on. Also food preservation is in full swing here, filling up the freezer and shelves with yummy items like peaches! Salsa and tomato stuff comes next. Then it will be the end for this year. Here are a couple from this morning:

Beautiful sunflowers once again grace our yard. They have to be one of my favorites and well they are so cheery being yellow and all!

Little Pepper says hello this morning too! Our babies are all grown up!

Five Years Later...

2011-08-19T08:22:00.001-06:00

Five years has gone by quickly, in a good way. If I had figured how our first five years of marriage played out I would probably not guess anything closer to where we are. The only "goal" we had for our fifth anniversary is to start a family. Guess we did that. People ask us all the time to tell them our story and we are never sure where to start. Sometimes we just have to give the brief explanation sometimes we go back and give the whole thing. Sometimes we use a few words to describe our married life. So here are some words that we use to describe the past five and hopefully some of them will be used in the next five: adventurous, crazy, Iowa, Alaska, Kenya, Colorado, a lot of places in between, teal blazer, bears, amazing people, growing faith, gardens, too cold, too humid, grasshoppers, faithfulness, road trips, matatu, business, airplanes, animals, rocks, riots, growth, airplanes again (yep they are a big part), sheep, Dordt, family, hard work, new jobs, finding jobs, searching, and most of all blessed. We are blessed to have each other and our wonderful place to live. To have family able to visit and be part of our lives, even if it is not enough. To have jobs and crazy animals to fill our lives. Now we are having a kiddo and well we waited a long time for that are so excited to open our lives up to him. So in other words a great five years and I look forward to more with Steve and our growing family!

Garden Pickles

2011-08-16T09:58:00.004-06:00

Well summer is moving right along. School is starting up and that means that the garden is producing overtime. In another month we might start having some frosts. I thought after the tornado ripped through it, that we would not get much out of it. However, I was wrong. If I don't check the garden daily the cucumbers and zucchini pretty much have taken over. It is like an ester egg hunt to find them all. We are enjoying the benefits of having fresh goodies. A lot of experimenting has been taking place in our kitchenas well, which for the most part has turned out well.

Overall it has been a good garden year. We are still enjoying lettuce and okra, are starting to get bell peppers and tomatoes. The corn, its coming along. Soon we can haul up some potatoes. It has been an interesting year, since I was in my first trimester when planting. Let's say the motivation was not there, all I wanted to do was sleep. I am hoping to get a lot more canned this year, like peaches and salsa again. Might try pumpkin as well since I use a lot of it. We will see. For now here is a peak of the pickles!

Before

After

Our little man

2011-07-19T20:47:00.005-06:00

Here is a little update on our little man. Yes, I said little man, we are having a boy. We are really excited! The Smith family this week gained two new boys. My sister became engaged and we found out about our baby. Exciting weekend!

Other things, we were able to spend some time with family in the mountains this weekend, in the chilly air, herds of elk and good company! So just thought we would share our exciting news!

Here we are!

2011-07-05T05:56:00.007-06:00

So finally decided to write a blog. Maybe it was because my parents were here and took some pictures for us. Or maybe its because some people think we are no more. Whatever the reason here is an update from our busy lives!

One, baby is growing quickly. I realized last week that it is getting a lot harder to bend at the waist. It is now time for squatting. Besides that no crazy symptoms. So far this baby has been very good to me. In two weeks we are having our halfway ultrasound. So leave a guess as to what you think the baby will be. We are starting to accumulate baby things as well wish is fun. We look forward to putting it all together in the house.

Second big item. Is now Steve and I own a small Airplane maintenance shop with another couple. Life has been crazy and the opportunity presented itself. The name of the business is Hangar 1 and we are located at the Greeley Airport. Everything has been going well so far, and I must say it is a bit weird to be a business owner.

So between those items it seems life keeps us going. We just enjoyed a wonderful week long visit with my parents, who helped us a lot getting caught up on our never ending list of things to do. Our sun porch is now livable. Gus is laying right now in the driveway wondering where their dog, Trip went. I think he is a bit lonely now that the young one isn't here. I spend a lot of time in the garden, which seems to grow an abundance of weeds.

We are alive though, just taking a lot of new paths at once. Hope all is well with all of you and you are enjoying your summer!

Baby with Two Legs and Without Feathers

2011-04-25T23:29:00.001-06:00

Due November 29, 2011

Look what we came home too

2011-04-05T20:31:00.002-06:00

Steve came home this afternoon to two adorable little girls. Thankfully Momma did well and all three are resting comfortably tonight!

Our Trip - Part 5 - Washington DC

2011-04-01T08:47:00.005-06:00

While in DC we saw a lot of history. At times it was a bit overwhelming some times. However, it was amazing. It was fun to explore all the Smithsonian's, including the new Air and Space museum at Dulles Airport. We stayed with our friends the Roth's, and we were thankful for their willingness to show us around some. Overall, Steve and I had a great trip, but is good to be home. Not sure where we will go next but there is always an adventure in our lives.

When we went as a family a long time ago Krysta and I took our picture in front of this plane. I am a little taller now!

The Space Shuttle - pretty much awesome

Steve at Cory Gardner's desk. He is our Representative.

The blossoms were beautiful, worth the trip our there.

Lincoln Monument

Capitol Rotunda

The East side of the Capitol

The White House. We didn't get to go in though.

Steve and I having a good time!

Our Trip - part 4 - Washington DC - Monuments

2011-03-28T20:42:00.007-06:00

The next and final six days of our trip were spent in our Nation's Capitol, Washington DC. We experienced all types of weather here, from hot to snow. We enjoyed every day there, even though our feet were killing us by day two. It was a beautiful time to visit since all the cherry trees were blossoming. We enjoyed visiting all these monuments and many more, like the Korean War, Vietnam War and a couple others. Washington DC is sort of full of Memorials, there seems to be one on every other block. However, they are all worth while. So many people have given their lives for this country. I am thankful for them all, past and present. This is a pretty neat country we live in and I am grateful for it.

The Capitol Building

Washington Monument

WW2 and Lincoln Memorial

Washington Monument with Cherry Blossoms

Jefferson Memorial

Tomb of the Unknown Solider

Our Trip - Part 3 - Civil War Battlefields

2011-03-28T11:12:00.003-06:00

The next couple days Steve and I spent visiting two major battlefields of the American Civil War, Gettysburg and Antietam. The amount of death and destruction that occurred at these two places is really sad. However, we did learn a lot while we were there. Steve really walked me through the two battles and made them make a lot more sense. I am glad I have a smart husband who knows everything! Ok maybe not everything. We also visited the place where President Lincoln gave the "Gettysburg Address" and visited Harper's Ferry on our way back towards Baltimore. Me head hurts still from the amount of things I saw and learned about.

Bloody Lane Devil's Den

Pickett's Charge

Our Trip - Part 2 - Philly and Cheesesteak

2011-03-28T09:41:00.003-06:00

Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love.... First, you have to fight the traffic and find a parking place. But once you find it, the trip is worth it. Steve or I have never been to Philadelphia, the birth place of our nation. Unfortunately they were doing some restorative work to the bell tower of Independence Hall but we still got to go inside. It was a beautiful day for walking around and we really enjoyed the city. With its old city narrow streets with cobblestones, the flowers blooming and the sun shining. We also learned a lot about the history of the area and our country. I forgot how much I loved that time period.

Independence Hall

Where they signed the Declaration of Independence

Liberty Bell & Jami

Philly Cheesesteak in Philly. First time I have tried one and I am in LOVE with them.

Our Trip - Part 1 - New Jersey Shores with the Schnieders

2011-03-28T09:09:00.003-06:00

Let's say that we have spent the past ten days having the time of our life! Steve and I were able to travel all over the upper East Coast, see good friends and visit some awesome places. Since our trip was long I will write this blog in a couple parts, sharing pictures from each place. I think it will be easier.

First off, our trip was wonderful. Secondly, it is wonderful to be home, even if I did get jury summons.

We began our trip on March 19th, flying to Baltimore and discovering toll roads. Eventually we made it through them all, and down other pikeways. I instantly missed the straight organized wild west. Finally we came to the little town, whose name I can't spell and found our friends the Schneider's. It was a blast to see them and catch up. I could have spent my entire trip there, talking with Louise, playing with the kids, eating burritos.

Even though it was chilly out we managed a trip to the beach, tried a bubbakoo burrito and a fried oreo. Being there was a lovely way to start our vacation. It was hard to leave the Schnieders though, not knowing when we will see them again. Someday...

The next day we headed to Phillidelphia....

Spring yet Winter

2011-03-11T16:43:00.002-07:00

Two weeks ago, cold slushy snow on the ground. Today warm and sunny. The crocuses have bloomed in random places around the yard, adding yellow and purple patches. The rhubarb and grass has started pushing its buds up through the winter earth. It feels like Spring, yet it is still winter. It may decide it wants to snow tomorrow, who knows this is the Front Range.
The baby chicks have arrived. It has been harder this year as they have gotten sick a couple times. The ones left seem to be thriving though. We will be getting more tomorrow too. None of our layers that we have now seemed to want to set any eggs which is what we really wanted. We will also be ordering broilers this year. That should be an experience for the two of us. But we want to raise our own food. So maybe this year we will have milk, eggs and meat plus the garden.
The garden was also worked on today. Tilled and prepping for a busy summer. Adding in composted horse and chicken manure. I also expanded the boundaries of the garden. It's growing. I am going to have to get up at 5am to water and milk this summer.
On that note, yes I know it is still winter, but I am looking forward to spring. To being outside all day and playing in the soil. Today it was beckoning to me, but I know I must be patient. One month until planting of greens. One month and I hope we will have a kid or too. And happy chickies.

I can hear Spring's call and it will be here soon in its full beauty.

Visit from my Mom

2011-03-08T19:46:00.002-07:00

A couple weekends ago Mom came to visit. We had a great time, mostly painting Steve's and mine bedroom. However, we did make it to the Celestial Seasonings plant in Boulder for a tour. We really enjoyed seeing how the tea was made, well at least I did. The peppermint room was pretty much awesome. My nose felt so...not sure of the word. It was neat to see the artwork and see where the tea comes from. Then we did a big Costco trip! Yep, gotta love Costco. It was a great time with Mom too, made me wish she lived closer. It is always hard to let my parents go home. At least I know they will come back to visit, even if I am a slave driver. So I hope they come back this summer. Thank you for all your help Mom. It was great to see you and I love you!

Inspection Authorization

2011-03-03T19:32:00.002-07:00

Well I am proud to announce that Steve has obtained his Authorized Inspection license through the FAA. This gives him more responsibility in his work. He had to take a big test and some other stuff to get this so we are glad it is over. So I thought I would share this awesome tidbit of news with you all!

Near

2011-02-15T08:02:00.003-07:00

So I know there is still a month left of winter, but the past few days have been wonderful for my soul. The sun shining, chicken out in the garden, meadowlarks larking, and other signs that winter is not forever. I love each season, but I always look forward to the next one as the current one ends.

Each season allows me to focus on certain areas of my life.

Sitting in my garden yesterday, I started mentally laying out where to put stuff. I already expanded the boarder so we are making a bigger garden this year. It is nice to dream and figure out what each season will bring us what. I have the chickens out there scratching up the ground for me, sort of my own live rototiller. They do a pretty good job and they fertilize at the same time.

I am so thankful for spring because I love new life. It is awesome to watch the world come back to life around you. Green grass, baby animals, buds on the trees. Yep I am excited.

Also with this new season Steve and I are diving head first into a couple new things, well some of them are not brand new but still new to us. With our youth group we are planning to start doing some service projects in Greeley. Greeley has a lot of need and depending on where you live you might not see it as much. But there is and we plan to help out. Please pray for us as we start this. Not 100 percent sure how it will look but we are excited to see what the Lord does with it. Also we need prayer that another couple will want to help us with youth group. Well it doesn't have to be a couple, just a someone. Especially as the group grows.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings. Take a look around and let me know what spring is looking like in your area of the world. :)

cake. fail.

2011-02-12T18:16:00.002-07:00

Yes, I fail sometimes. Ok, a lot of times. So today I was like lets make Steve a special cake for valentines day. Let's try my new cookbook. Hmmmm, oh this recipe looks yummy. Ok, lets try. So here are the results. Yep, I get a -10 for looks, but mount chocolate raspberry sure does taste good. For other great cake wrecks and severel good laughs go to http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/ Have a good weekend!

Yup, a failed cake

ps. Steve loved it :)

Pumpkin Pie - in the crockpot!

2011-02-06T20:21:00.003-07:00

Ok, I love pumpkin pie and I always have a lot of pumpkin laying around from the garden and I am always looking for new ways to use it. My old babysitter posted this recipe the other day so I gave it a try. Not only can you make this recipe ahead of time in the crockpot, but it is good for breakfast too. My only problem with it was I put too much ingredient in my crockpot and it sort of exploded out the sides of it. Oh well, next time I will make it in my bigger one. :)

So here is a delicious recipe that you should all try.

Pumpkin Pie in the Crockpot
1 15oz pumpkin puree (or just grab the blob that's in your freezer)
1 12oz can evaporated milk

1/2 c sugar (recipe calls for more but we all found it too sweet)
1/2 c flour

1 Teaspoon baking powder

2 large eggs (or 3 semi-medium ones!)
2 tb butter, melted (or a couple globs you pour of your "cream")
1 1/4 ts cinnamon (never measure the spices because more is almost always better!)
1/2 ts nutmeg
1/4 ts cloves
1/2 ts ginger
2 ts vanilla

Grease the inside of a 4qt crock. Combine all ingredients and whisk until well blended. Pour into crock, cover and cook on high for 3-4 hrs or low about 6 hrs. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Bread - a way to save

2011-01-31T11:24:00.003-07:00

Steve and I try to live pretty frugal. But we love to eat. And we also are a bit of a tree hugger. In this day in age it can be hard to do this and still have lower grocery bills. We try to buy minimal ingredient foods, and mainly buy the ingredients to make all our own things. There are exceptions, such as dairy products (maybe if our goats start to produce we can), pastas and well I can't think of a third thing at the moment.
One place we cut over $5 off our weekly grocery bill was by making all our own bread/rolls. Since we were buying the more expensive, organic bread it was adding up. Over a year ago I decided that that five dollars could be used elsewhere. We budget $40 a week on groceries and 95 percent of the time I can stick to that budget. So that $5 a week adds up to $20 a month. To make bread at home it costs me about 45 cents a loaf to make my own. Sure it wasn't easy to do at first.
Making bread is hard. I won't lie. Especially at a higher altitude. I still flop every once in awhile, but we eat it. My first attempt you could have used the loaves for a foundation of a house. Now at work most people are jealous of our soft home sandwiches. It takes time to make but once you have it down you can crank it out. Also I typically make a cinnamon sugar loaf as well. I find it relaxing to make and satisfying to eat.
Therefore I am going to share two time tested recipes I use for bread loaves and rolls. I try new ones out too but these are the ones I used regularly. I find that time and checking temperatures is important. Even me the impatient cook I am does it. There is no skipping steps in bread until you know the recipe really well.

Oatmeal Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
2 cups water
1 cup quick-cooking oats
3 tablespoons butter
1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
4-3/4 to 5-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions
In a saucepan, bring water to a boil; add oats and butter. Cook and
stir for 1 minute. Remove from the heat; cool to lukewarm.
In a bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the oat mixture,
sugars, salt and 4 cups of flour; beat until smooth. Add enough
remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about
6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.
Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down; allow to rest for 10 minutes. Shape into 18 balls.
Place in two greased 9-in. round baking pans. Cover and let rise
until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove
from pan to wire racks. Yield: 1-1/2 dozen.

Whole Wheat Honey Bread

Ingredients

3 cups whole wheat flour

1/3 cup Honey

1/4 cup butter

1 tablespoon salt

4 1/2 teaspons dry active yeast (or two packages)

2 1/4 cups water heated to 120-130 degress F

3-4 cups white flour

Directions

Mix whole wheat flour, honey, butter, salt and yeast together in large bowl. Add warm water.

Beat together well. Stir in enough white flour to make dough easy to handle. Knead about ten minutes or until smoth and elastic.

Cover and let rise until double. About an hour depending on tempature of room

Divide in half and flatten each halve into rectangle. Roll up dough and place in greased 9 inch bread pan. Can add herbs or cinnamon surgar at this point. Cover and let rise for 35-50 minutes until doubled.

Heat oven to 375 degress and bake on lowest rack position for 40-45 minutes.

Remove from pans and enjoy!

Yes, it takes time but even working full time I manage to find a few hours a week to devote to making home baked bread.

Ode To Craigslist

2011-01-30T19:54:00.004-07:00

Where in the world can you buy the most eclectic things?

I would have to say your local craigslist.

Just browsing today on this giant online garge sale you can get a 1940's bobblehead bottle opener with the orginal paint (see picture -->) or have a casual encounter (whatever that might mean to you). The world of things is endless on craigslist. And if you are a craigslist junkie, like myself, you might have a house full of interesting items bought from various people there.

So Steve and I put a list of all the things we have bought from craigslist, not including garage sales, in the last two years we have lived in Northern Colorado. They tend to be larger purchases. All things we still use and have and have probably been some of our better purchases. Here they are....

A Saturn SL $1,600

Washing Machine $70

Two Goats $100

Table Saw $75

Rototiller $300

Corner TV Stand $100

Bed frame $50

Not a huge list but all larger items, which if we had bought new would have been a much bigger bill. All these things, including the goats, still run great and have paid for themselves. Ok now that I say that something will die most likely, but in the long run we have saved much mohlaa. Then we sold the Blazer which earned more then what we have bought so in the end craigslist has been very good to us. So next time you are looking for something check it out. You might be surprised at the treasures you find there, such as a "Rare mini Me Talking Doll." (ps. It is the same price we paid for our solid wood bed frame)

Its a New Year!

2011-01-15T19:27:00.002-07:00

Yep, well I missed the new year by well a couple weeks. It has been a crazy year to start with but so far so good. Steve and I started teaching youth group at our church. We are going to go through the Gospel of John. There are about 12 teens in the group so please pray for us as we start this adventure of shaping young minds. We also have started several projects around the house, like painting and refinishing some furniture. I celebrated my 26th birthday, which I still can't believe I am that old. Time flies...
So the year is off to a good start. Can't wait to see what the year holds for us!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T19:05:00.004-07:00

Merry Christmas from Steve and I!

We had a wonderful day celebrating Christ's birth with family in Denver and our animals at home. Our weather was sunny and warm. Here are some of the animals. Leo is not shown because he is a scrooge. All he wanted for Christmas is for kitten to be gone. His wish was not granted. Merry Christmas to you all. We love you and wish we could have been with you all.

Gus with his Christmas present. And NO he doesn't care about the headband. He actually wears it.

"Don't Cry...."

2010-12-17T16:20:00.005-07:00

"Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened."

-Anonymous Proverb (at least that is what the internet said when I tried to find a source)

That is how I feel this week. I can't say this was a fun or easy week. No, no one died, if that is what you morbid people are thinking. My best friend in Colorado had to move this week. It was sudden and not much time to prepare for it. It is funny how life is always changing, sometimes with little things, sometimes with big things. People ebb and flow in and out of your life. And sometimes in that ebb and flow you find that person. That person who just works with you, where there is no pretending needed, they love you for who you really and honestly are. I am blessed to have people like that in my life. It seems like not matter where I go, God provides one of them or two of them. To keep me in line and share my life with. Those women are pretty much amazing. This time instead of me leaving one of them, I was left behind. Selfish me... Get a little taste of my own medicine. I hope everything turns out well for her and her family. But here in Colorado I will miss her.

Did I mention...

2010-12-14T21:22:00.002-07:00

Ok before you get too excited I noticed that I never wrote about our trip to good ole Southern California... Opps.... I guess life was a little and well still is a little crazy. More on that later. Steve and I were fortunate enough to spend Thanksgiving in California with many of our family members. We also scored to awesome turkey dinners in one day and Ethiopian food the next. We enjoyed driving our go-cart, ok well rental car which felt like a clown car, around in the sunshine. We went to the beach one day which was so relaxing. I miss large bodies of water here in Colorado. Washington state spoiled me. I don't miss rain, but I would LOVE some snow here. We enjoyed seeing my Grandparents, cousins, Aunt and Uncle. I can't believe how much my cousins have grown, they are turning into young ladies. I wish we were closer, but I always say that. Wish I was closer to Kenya, Alaska, Washington, California, Iowa.... So many places we have come to call home. Also enjoyed time with Steve's family. I love his sisters. They make me so happy. We girls enjoyed some shopping time and together time, with a little trip to Trader Joes. A place Karlee and I miss here in middle of the USA. Overall we had a great trip and look forward to a time we can go back.

The Ocean :)

My cute cousins and me!

Christmas Tree Time!

2010-12-06T21:48:00.004-07:00

So what better way to start off the Christmas season then by getting a Christmas tree. Well I tend to favor the live trees so this year Steve and I went and found our own. Ok, so it was 34 feet tall when we found it but hey, it cut down to size, along with providing us with firewood. We thought it would be fun to get a live tree that was from this area, so we packed up the truck and headed to our friends house in the mountains. There we wandered around the forest with our necks craned to see what we could find. See all the tree there are branchless till about 24 feet up, so it is hard to see if the Christmas tree part is any good. We found one that looked descent from the view of the presents and started chopping. Yes, chopping because the chainsaw is not cooperating as of late. Thankfully my strong mountain man chopped most of it, but I did pitch in. It fell perfectly, where then we mauled it into smaller pieces and hauled it up the hill to the truck. Let us just say we worked up an appetite. And the tree was still really big. Nature makes some things look small. We ended the day by celebrating Christmas with my co-workers at an awesome restaurant in Old Town, Fort Collins. Did I ever tell you how much I love Christmas? Well I do and I am glad it is near.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-27T15:57:00.003-07:00

Where did this month go, this year actually? I am not even used to writing 2010 and now I have to write 2011 in a month? Ummm.... Not sure I am ready. Not that I really have a choice. So Happy Thanksgiving 2010! It has been a great year and I am thankful for it. We spent the holiday with Steve's family and my Mom's family. It was a lot of food, I think we totaled 4 dinners in the past week, which if you know how I eat thats a lot of food. I am stuffed still. And we still have more vacation left to eat and not do any work. Hmmmm It was a wonderful day though and we were glad to be here and enjoying the day with everyone. So Happy Thanksgiving to all and now on to Christmas.

Renee & I trying to take the family picture

Family @ Thanksgiving!

Thankfulness - Day 24

2010-11-24T15:47:00.002-07:00

Day 24, tomorrow is Thanksgiving day. Here in sunny southern California we are enjoying our time with our family members. It is a bit crazy but it is great to see them all again. Driving here is nuts too, I will be glad when I am back in Colorado when traffic is caused by a train crossing the road or a farmer on his tractor. I rather drive in a blizzard then between Vista and Escondido. Today, I am reminded of all the good times spent here as a kid. I am thankful we got to visit here as much as we did. I love visiting California, it smells so good. Everything is really green right now and it is beautiful. Being at Grandma's house I have so many memories playing in the driveway, eating chili, cooking with Grandma, making up parades. It is a wonderful house to visit. I love that I can go back there and it is kind of how it always has been. It is a wonderful spot to visit. My cousins are getting so big and are turning into beautiful young women. It has been fun to see them. Wish we were closer to them. I am glad that Krysta and I were able to know our families, near and far so well. So not really sure how that boils down to one word but that is my thoughts.

Thankfulness - Day 23

2010-11-23T16:50:00.002-07:00

OK short because of airplanes and time. As I was sitting in the airport I saw a lot of service men and women and for their service to our country. And for there families, especially their wives who support them. Visiting Kali I saw the sacrifice they all make for us. These people don't have to serve but they do. They do it so we can live how we want too. So thank a service member. They give they a lot, including their lives.

Thankfulness - Day 22

2010-11-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

I am thankful for Ethiopian food. No more to say :)

Thankfulness - Day 21

2010-11-21T21:46:00.002-07:00

I am thankful for Grandparents! We are blessed to know so many of them on both sides of the family. We look forward to seeing some in the up coming weeks and think of the ones we haven't seen in awhile. So many wonderful memories with you all. With Grandpa Smith I will always remember putting up the flag at Hood's Canal and tweak bums. I remember being so scared once and hiding under the bed. Grandma Smith showed me a lot with gardening and shared a love for stories and songs. I can remember her singing to us and her beautiful gardens at their old home. Krysta and I were blessed to grow up near them and share many memories together. Grandma and Grandpa Norris, I loved camping with them and our visits to California. It was always fun to have them visit too, I remember waiting at the airport trying to be the first one to seem them coming off the plane. That was when you could meet people at their gate. Also I have been blessed to know my Great-Grandparents as well. With Grandpa Kirch teaching me about stamps, Grandma and playing Uno. Grandad letting us swim in his pool and eat oranges. Many good memories together. Marrying Steve I gained some new Grandparents as well. I am thankful that Grandma and Grandpa Sjaardema came out form my college graduation and were able to share in that experience. And to Grandpa Hoekstra for many good meals together, however the stories were always my favorite part. Time well spent. So I am thankful to the "older" people in my family that take time to love and teach me.

Thankfulness - Day 20

2010-11-20T07:56:00.002-07:00

Thankful for good times with good friends and good food. Tonight we celebrated Thanksgiving with some of our closest friends. Downing several pounds of a turkey, stuffing, mashed potato's... Oh and dutch crumb apple pie. I think I will be full until Thursday when the turkey shows up again. Thankfully Steve got the dishwasher going again this week so now we can wash dishes in it. The one thing about thanksgiving food is all the dishes. Oh and the belly ache afterwards. It was all good though.
Not much else has been going on around here. The weather is winter now, so the fire place is going full time. Steve and I have been working outside when we can, seems like there is a never ending list. We have been fixing up the goat pen lately. They are such smart animals and had figured out how to get out. Then they were jumping up on the side of the house where we sleep. I think it was their hint of "FEED ME." Life with animals. They make you laugh. No more goat wake up calls. It totally brings the thought of reindeer on the rooftop to life though. Looking forward to bringing the Christmas decorations out next week. :) Ok, well I hope you are all having a great weekend. Love-Jami

Thankfulness - Day 19

2010-11-19T16:44:00.002-07:00

I am thankful for my in-laws. Over the years we have gotten to know each other better, and I love our visits. Especially with my sibling-in-laws. We have been blessed to be able to spend time with some of them this year and we are so thankful for that time. Got to know Tim better as he stayed with us for a few weeks, Renee as she came by on her way to school. Karlee, thru emails and talking more. Steve's parents, by being supportive and Steve's Dad for helping us in the kitchen. Haven't gotten to see Sandy this year but I enjoy time on the phone. Not only did I get another family, but I got a lot of new friends. Even all the way down through the family, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins.... They have all welcomed me and made feel a part of this family. Even if I am not dutch. I love being part of this family, different then mine but wonderful in its own way.

Thankfulness - Day 18

2010-11-18T20:55:00.002-07:00

Today felt like the beginning of the holidays, probably had something to do with making cranberry sauce. I love this time of year and look forward to celebrating with friends and family. Also the end of the garden was officially here today, I tilled the rest of the garden under today. I am thankful for my pets today. I love having Leo, Gus and Menda. They keep me company while I work around the house. The goats and donkey were "helpful" when putting up fence today. Oh my animals. I love them all and they give us so many good laughs.

Thankfulness - Day 17

2010-11-17T21:46:00.003-07:00

Day seventeen already. This month is flying by. Ok, so this year is flying by. Not sure where it went and that the new one is upon us. I just got used to 2010. Today I am thankful for my youth group. The one I grew up in and the one I am part of now. I can't complain, our youth staff growing up really shaped who I am. Steve and I love being part of the group we are with now. The group is small, but the kids are great. I hope we can be as influential as mine was to me growing up.

Thankfulness - Day 16

2010-11-16T06:25:00.002-07:00

I work at a great place. Getting to help animals feel better and working with their owners. I am thankful for my job. Sometimes it is a bit crazy but overall it is good. Today we had an interesting patient, a bobcat. Here is a link to the story. It was hit by a car and had a broken leg. Pretty interesting if you have the time to look at the pictures. Work keeps me busy a lot of the time at least. Steve's job we are thankful for too. After losing his other job this year we were very happy he found this one. He loves it better, so as always there is a plan for our lives. It may seems confusing for a bit but it all works out in the end.

Thankfulness - Day 15

2010-11-15T06:22:00.002-07:00

Today I am thankful for games. Steve and I love games and own several. It is fun to pick up a game on an evening and play. Thanks to the Fesslers who got us all started with "Ten Days in Europe" for our wedding. I enjoy the time spent with friends and family playing as well. So many great memories built around games. Also a lot of time spent with Steve. If you ever want to have a game night, let us know. We would be happy to oblige you.

Thankfulness - Day 14

2010-11-14T21:53:00.002-07:00

I am thankful today for the chance to worship with other believers. Steve and I were really down and out when we first moved here. We were in a new place without community. Something foreign to us. When we started attending Crossway Chapel that is when we started to feel like we belonged here. We started to get to know other believers and share life with them. Today were celebrated communion with our church, which is a special occasion. We thanked the Lord together for the blessings he has given us, especially our salvation. It is wonderful to share our joy with others. We are thankful to have found Crossway Chapel. The family we have there has been a blessing to us and we love them all so much.

Thankfulness - Day 13

2010-11-13T20:49:00.002-07:00

Today I am thankful for creativity! I love to craft, I find a lot of joy in it. It is neat to build something with your own hands. Steve is very creative too, only in a different way, more with building stuff. I enjoy taking what is in my head and making it real. It is neat how stuff can come to life. Nothing too crazy today, but I love working with my hands. I love to create something out of nothing. I am thankful I have the chance to be able to do the hobbies that I love and I get to share with other people.

Thankfulness - Day 12

2010-11-12T21:41:00.002-07:00

Being thankful for the simple things in life I believe is important. Like having flannel sheets to crawl into on these cold days. Or the chance to sit and watch the sun go down over the Rockies and the reflection of the sun and snow turning your world orange. A simple note from a friend saying "thank you." There are so many wonderful things that happen to me ever day. Often we feel like we have to look at the big events and things in our life to be thankful. The stuff that everyone else says we have to like. But God created this world full of detail and creativity. If we put our blinders on and only see the "big" ticket items, we cheat ourselves of so much joy. So look around and think about the "little" things in life that you are thankful for.

Thankfulness - Day 11

2010-11-11T18:31:00.002-07:00

Day 11.... Today was well, wonderful. Wake up to snow on the ground but not on the roads, the perfect combination. Snow always makes me want to clean, maybe because I am stuck in the house? Not sure. So regardless I have a very clean house.
The best part was seeing an old wonderful friend. I don't know what it is about Greeley but people come here. Since we have lived here we have been able to see friends from all walks of our lives. People from Iowa, Kenya, Port Alsworth, and from our younger years. It amazes us. We love it. We love having our friends here. Today I was able to spend it with Laura, who was a good friend from Port Alworth. Her husband flew for Lake Clark Air and worked in the hanger with Steve. They have a little son, who last time I saw was a baby and this time he was telling me please and thank you. Time flies. It was great to just chat and have some girl time.
I am thankful that so many of our friends seem to be drawn to Greeley. It has been a wonderful surprise to living here. The crossing of paths.....

Thankfulness - Day 10

2010-11-10T23:30:00.003-07:00

Well today was Dad's birthday! Wish I was around to celebrate with him and everyone else, but alas a phone call is the best I can do. I am thankful for my Dad. He, like Mom, has been the been the best parent I could ask for. He taught how to do a lot of things like hunt, run electrical wires, play catch, start a fire and so much more. He cared for Krysta and I, cared about our lives and what we were doing. He still does. When I brought Steve home for the first time he made sure he was the right guy for me. I wouldn't trade my Dad for anyone. I love him lots and hope someday I can celebrate a birthday again with him!

This is one of my favorite pictures of us!

Thankfulness - Day 9

2010-11-09T21:18:00.003-07:00

Today was tiring I must say. Steve and I are watching our friends kid while they are in the hospital having another. I must say she wears me out, but it is a lot of fun to be with her. So today I am thankful for my Mom. Yup, all those days chasing me around and teaching me to use a fork. Homeschooling me all those years. Changing my diaper a hundred times a day. Taking care of Katharis is fun, but a lot of work. Mom's are amazing I must say. So Mom thank you for all you did for me and molding me into the person I am today. Thanks for teaching me all those lessons and loving me unconditionally.
How did your daughters get so tall? Or you so short :)

Thankfulness - Day 8

2010-11-08T21:17:00.002-07:00

I am thankful f0r heat, especially my wood burning stove. We were stacking wood last night and then we warmed ourselves by our fire. It is wonderful to have heat, especially as our Indian summer fades into winter.

Thankfulness - Day 7

2010-11-07T18:52:00.002-07:00

I am thankful for phones, email, facebook, blogs... you name it. I love being able to keep up with people. To call my Mom if I have a question, to search for a friend on facebook and see pictures of her family, to pull up another friends blog to see what has been cooking in her kitchen. What can I say, it is great to have instant news of those you love.

Thankfulness - Day 6

2010-11-06T07:26:00.002-06:00

Today I am thankful for food. Sounds silly but there are so many people that go without. Or don't get to enjoy the wonderful variety I do. There has only been on time in my life I was worried about what we might get for food and well I am thankful for that. We live in a blessed country where we can eat whatever we want, make it our self or go out to eat and have someone else make it for us. We can try all different types of food from hamburgers to doro wot. I know it may sound silly, but I am a Smith. We love food. Steve and I enjoy eating and making different things. Also trying new stuff. This week we tried dried blackcurrents and lets say they were a hit. Having a garden this year, we were able to make a lot of our own meals right from our back yard. Our chickens lay our eggs and hopefully next year we will have milk from our goats. So today I am thankful for food.

Thankfulness - Day 5

2010-11-05T16:02:00.002-06:00

Today I went walking with my awesome friend Louise, who is due any day with her baby boy. Again, nice weather here in Colorado, you can't even tell it is November. So todays subject is my friends. I have AMAZING friends and I have always been blessed with amazing friends, no matter where I end up in the world. Louise, well we were destined to be friends because we both started going to Crossway Chapel the same day. Yep, both the new people at church so we turned to each other. We were neighbors for a few weeks before we bought our house even. Her husband Brian is great too and we all get along very well. Ryan and Jenny are also another amazing couple that we couldn't live without. There are so many wonderful people here in Northern Colorado. We both work with some fun and crazy people who brighten our days often. We are getting to know our neighbors in the area, one gave us a free tool box for Steve's truck and another is letting us use their billy for our does.
If you go back in time there were always people to love on us and share life with. Even going back to high school and younger. I have had amazing friends. It has been fun to see where life has taken us all. Thank goodness for facebook and email. I love keeping up, and not in the stalker way. So thank you Lord for all my friends, new and old. I am a blessed person because of them.

Thankfulness - Day 4

2010-11-04T22:14:00.002-06:00

Today I had off from work so I worked around the house instead. As I was messing around in the dirt, planting flowers for next spring and enjoying the golden fall day I thought to myself, "I really love this place." And it wasn't a fleeting thought, I think that quite often. I love where we live. The plains are beautiful with the mountains in the distance.
Today was quiet for some reason and there was a slight breeze. Leaves were floating down from the trees and the finches were moving into their winter homes. It smelled like Autumn.... Taking a walk with Leo and Gus later was wonderful. We enjoyed walking threw corn fields and soaking in the beauty of where we live. Ok so Gus was more like, "Here's my soccer ball, please, oh please kick it."
I am thankful for the opportunity to live here. There are so many beautiful places in this country and I am glad we found one of them. That Steve and I can carve our existance out of this little piece of land and enjoy doing it.

Thankfulness - Day 3

2010-11-03T21:47:00.002-06:00

Today I am thankful for Steve. Well I am always thankful for him, except when I find socks in places I didn't know socks would go. Tonight he taught our Youth Group and he did a great job. It is neat to learn from him, and he teaches me a lot from how to work with his tools to patience. We started dating a little over 7 years ago and well life has never been the same since. The adventures we have done and the changes we have gone through. He has built me up and encouraged me so many times, times when I felt that nothing could. He works so hard to provide for me and all our little critters. He is talented in so many ways, such as being a great craftsman. If he sees something he can build it. Yep, I love him and every day I thank God for giving me a wonderful husband.

Thankfulness - Day 2

2010-11-02T20:38:00.002-06:00

Today I am thankful for the chance to vote peacefully.

Having been in a place where that was not the case, it is nice to be able to go to bed tonight and not worry about a riot in Galeton. Today was our first time to vote in Colorado, just another thing tying us to this place. We love it here, so I can't complain. So never take advantage of our voting system here, it may have its flaws but it is probably the best there is. No human system is perfect.

Thankfulness - Day 1

2010-11-01T22:16:00.003-06:00

So Thanksgiving is in like 25 days and we are supposed to be thankful that day for everything we have and so on. I would like to do something else and write something I am thankful for everyday this month. To remind myself and others that there is a lot we have to be thankful for and we shouldn't keep it to one day. Therefore, for day number one I am going to be thankful for a new vehicle. We sold our blazer last week and this week we bought a truck. I am thankful that we found what we needed (even a little bit more) for a decent price. Pray answered.

Trains, trains and MORE trains

2010-10-31T18:15:00.003-06:00

This weekend I got the day off work and was able to plan a surprise date for Steve and I! So Saturday morning we jumped into the car and I told him where to go, even though he had no clue. An hour and half later and a few wrong turns we managed to get to the Colorado Railroad Museum. When we got there it sort of felt like Disneyland because there four hundred kids running around in costumes, Toy Story and Spiderman being the most popular. There was a family of Crayons which was cool too. The kids were worth it because they had their Trick or Track train out, which is a steam engine. So Steve and I got to ride a steam engine. It was a lot of fun. We wandered around, read about the history of trains in Colorado and wandered into the library. There we got a wonderful surprise. Their main archivist has been studying trains in our area for awhile and had information on the train that used to run through our yard. We got some pictures and maps and learned a lot about our area. Even that there used to be Prisoner of War camps across the street. More to come in a post later. It was pretty cool to learn more about what used to be on our property. We finished up the day by having dinner with family in Denver. Today for Halloween we took our youth group kids through a corn maze, which was pretty neat. Let's say that I am terrible at them though. I was the last one through. So Happy Halloween everyone! Hope you had a great day.

Visit with a wonderful friend

2010-10-18T22:43:00.003-06:00

This past weekend I was able to go visit my life long friend, Kali, in Tennessee/Kentucky. We have been friends for as long as I can remember and well her husband is awesome and is serving with the Army in Afghanistan. So I headed out there for a fun girls weekend. It was neat to see the sights and just hang out. We were also able to hang out with another old friend, Trevor :) I had a great time and I really wish that it wasn't so far to her beautiful little house on Fort Campbell.

Welcome Menda the Kitten

2010-10-01T09:10:00.004-06:00

Here is our new baby. She was found in the engine of someones car and well she needed a home. Well it was love at first sight for Steve. I like her a lot too though. So another mouser has moved in. She is pretty funny and well she makes me laugh a lot. It has been so long since I have had a kitten and well this is Steve's first kitten.

October 1

2010-10-01T08:35:00.005-06:00

Good Morning October. Woke up this morning to a beautiful sunrise and crisp weather. I love getting up and going outside to feed all my animals and water the plants. Yesterday I planted two new trees and they made it through last nights wind storm. I was able to get a good deal on a new peach and apple tree. I am excited to see them grow and produce. Also made a lot of salsa this week. I got a canner finally and it was so much easier to can. I didn't burn myself this time. Hooray for putting up food and saving it for a cold winters day.

Also this morning walked around and took a couple pictures of the animals. The goats are doing well, we found a breeder this week that is actually our neighbor. We are excited to get them bred and have some kids next year. Then we will have milk and eggs next year, which to us is pretty exciting. Tink and Dink also got a new friend this week. No we are not keeping her, but we are watching her for awhile. She is pretty funny and very fat, but she loves people. Her name is Sparrow the donkey. Her and goats get along really well which is great. Not much else is new around here, just thought I would share a few pictures from this morning. Hope that everyone enjoys these beautiful fall days before winter shows up.

WHAT... September is almost over...

2010-09-27T19:30:00.002-06:00

I can't beleive it is almost September, I mean October. It is still so nice out, I mean it has been a month since we have had any significant rain so it is pretty dry. I am enjoying the warmth though because I soon know it will vanish. I mean last year this time we were only two weeks away from snow. Scary thought. I think our first snow was October 12. Hard to imagine when you are still wearing tank tops. Life has been going well on the ranch. We are preparing for winter, getting stuff done outside and preserving food inside. Our garden gives us more tomatos and peppers then we know what to do with. Pumpkins too. We have gotten about a dozen eggs a day, which we enjoy often for breakfast with fresh bread. I managed to get about two dozen cans of salsa canned, which I hope tastes good. I made it when my nose wasn't working quite right. We are fostering a kitten right now too, that Leo wishes would leave the house. We are not sure if we plan to keep it or not. It grows on us daily.
Fall is here though, as evidance by the changing leaves, cool nights, crops being harvested and halloween candy in the stores. Both of us are working hard at our jobs as well. I wish there were more hours in a day to get it all done. Oh well, the bread is calling so I must go! So long....

Moving into Fall

2010-09-13T19:28:00.003-06:00

The past week has seen us moving towards cooler temps and fall time activities. I must say I rather enjoy it. We are eating pounds of tomatoes and peppers from the garden and the squash is already being moved into the house. I can't believe it is already time for pumpkins. Eggs are selling like crazy, which is nice and the goats are well being goats. We have had some local forest fires in the near Rockies this week and have been watching them from our backyard. I am glad they stay far away. Hopefully my canner will arrive in the mail shortly and I can turn these tomatoes into some yummy salsa.

We have been busy this past week or so doing a variety of things, like going to a wedding, celebrating our friends kid's 1st birthday, being in a parade, hiking and seeing a moose, finishing the backsplash in the kitchen. Also preparing things outside for the impending cold months. I love this time of year and am enjoying going forward and thinking about nesting for the winter.

Celebrating 1 year with Katharis

Moose up in Trap Park or something like that

Windsor Harvest Fest

Hiking in State Forest

2010-08-25T21:58:00.004-06:00

This weekend we had a fun time hiking with Steve's younger siblings, Renee and Tim. Renee was driving out to Dordt College and stopped by, bringing along Tim. We decided to go have some fun and go hiking at Lake Agnes in State Forest State Park. Weird name I know. However, despite its name it was a lot of fun. I forgot how much I LOVE the mountains and how at home I feel in them. When you get out of your car and your nostrils are blasted with the smell of pine....sigh.... That smell brings back so many good memories. I can remember a lot of wonderful camping trips with my family. Oh the good ole Smith family trips. Now I want to go fishing as well.

Well we hiked up to Lake Agnes and enjoyed lunch and root beer. It was worth it to hike the bottles in. Root beer and Ginger beer are so much better from a bottle. Steve and Tim enjoyed through rocks (the bigger the better) into the lake, while Renee and I relaxed. We got to see some fish and pikas too. Overall it was an enjoyable time and Steve and I hope to go again and explore more of the park.

Hanger 1

2010-08-20T22:16:00.001-06:00

Well a wonderful praise from last week that I forgot to share. Somehow it slipped my mind! Steve started work at a new hangar in Greeley. The new place is just a stones throw from his old hangar. We are pretty excited because we weren't sure he was going to be able to find work so close to home still. Also it is work he finds enjoyable! So we thought we would share our news with you!

Peaches in a can

2010-08-20T18:52:00.004-06:00

Today I jumped into the world of canning. I was nervous but I did it! It was one of those "Mom, look what I can do moments!" I made 15 cans and all of them sealed. It was a lot of hard work but I am very proud of what I accomplished. They weren't packed perfectly or anything but I think Steve and I will be enjoying yummy peaches come winter.

First you have to start with some squeaky clean jars. We have moved these jars all over the country so it was good to finally use them.

Yummy Western Slope peaches. I think I ate a ton of them as I was slicing. So worth it though.

Peaches in a can.... Put there by ME! Ingredients: Peaches, Water and Sugar! So good.

Anniversary number 4!

2010-08-20T18:47:00.002-06:00

Steve and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversay yesterday! It was a great day to celebrate for many reasons. Four years together though has been amazing. This is the first time we have celebrated in the same place twice. Steve is an amazing husband and well the last four years have had their challenges but they have all been worth it!

Exploring Colorado

2010-08-15T19:53:00.005-06:00

This Sunday Steve and I decided we needed to get out of the house and go for a drive. We have been wondering about places near to us so we jumped into the car with Gus and set out to explore. We headed Northeast and finally arrived at Pawnee Buttes National Grassland. Getting there, well Steve and I didn't look at a map but we did happen upon it. Sort of strange that we manged to find the one road that leads there. But we did and we enjoyed walking around with Gus enjoying the wind and peace. I have always loved Grasslands. They are so peaceful, and they smell good. It was great to have a little day trip and we managed to find a neat little spot not too far away to go camping!

Not much else happening in our little world. We do get about a dozen eggs a day now, which is a lot for two people. Steve has stayed busy with projects around the house. Our church's youth group came over this week for a bonfire, which was fun. We managed to not burn the house down :) Summer is gradually changing into Autumn. The weather changed this week, to a bit cooler temperatures. I love Fall! I love watching the seasons change. Also this week Steve and I experienced the coolest meteor shower. Beautiful shooting stars. That was probably the coolest part of our week right there! This week should be awesome, celebrating 4 years of marriage to the most wonderful man ever and Tim and Renee are visiting! Can't wait!

Pawnee Buttes

Gus enjoying the view. You can't see us holding him and keeping him from doing a flying leap off the cliff :)

Ceder Creek Wind Farm. It was pretty fun to drive through it. There were so many windmills out there!

Wrappin' up July

2010-07-31T20:32:00.005-06:00

July has been a crazy month for us Hoekstras! Some good, some bad some things that don't even fall into a catagory. For the most part I am glad the month is over and to be moving in to August. We enjoyed our friend Lesa's company for three weeks as she studied at UNC. She and the rest of her family are headed back to Nairobi this weekend. Part of me is jealous and wishing I was headed there as well. However, I love it here, with my hubby and my animals. Unfourtunatly Steve is now on attachment from his job. If they do not get more work in the hanger soon then he will be jobless. I know it is a bad thing for me to want people to crash their airplanes. Or maybe if we could have some major hail instead. God provides though and we will not go without. We have been eating a ton from our garden which is so GOOD! And we get several eggs a day and are able to sell them. So like I said, God provides.

The cicadas are chirpping every night and I love siting outside listening to them. They bring back so many wonderful memories of Dordt. Now Steve and I can enjoy them here as well. I think we fell in love to the sound of them. It is crazy to imagine we are coming up on four years of marriage. That we have known each other for almost seven years. Time flies when you are with the one you love.

Not too much else going on for the two of us. Mainly just the little things of life. Things we take joy in. Country living sure suits us well. With Steve home a lot more things are getting done that we didn't think we would get done so soon, so hey a benefit! I don't have many new pictures but here is one of Steve holding our two roosters. They are both full grown and well they are learning to crow, which is very amusing. Other then that I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!

Easier Updates

2010-07-31T20:30:00.001-06:00

Well if you think we are interesting or you just want to stay updated better feel free to become a follower of our blog. Just find the button to the right of the blogs to sign up!

Some pictures from home

2010-07-22T21:47:00.002-06:00

Tink & Dink our silly goats
One of our beautiful layers :)

A little picture of the bounty from our land

I love sunflower :) They grow wild all over our property and they never cease to put a smile on my face :)

Weekend Attacks

2010-07-12T09:40:00.003-06:00

You know.... sometimes life just stinks and this was one of those weekends. I could rant and rave all day but that won't help. For the most part it ended peacefully. However the loss of three chickens and my dog was about as heartbreaking as it could get for me. It all started Saturday, tired and grumpy I went to let my chickens out and low and behold OPPS! We forgot to lock them up this one time. Well someone helped them self to chicken dinner. Then off to work where my mood didn't improve much. Then home and then took the dog somewhere. Well he doesn't like fireworks next to him. He cares less if they are at the neighbors or whatever, but he pulled me over and broke his collar and went running through an onion field. For a dog with three legs he can sure run FAST! Chasing didn't help besides losing my shoes and face planting in the dirt. So we went home dogless. To says the least we were heartbroken. We love that silly mutt. Up really early the next morning we went searching for him. No luck... Steve went to church to set up but they couldn't get into the storage unit the main gate was broken. Or something like that. Lesa and I decided to do one more look for Gus on our way to church and thankfully we FOUND him, just sitting there in someones yard. Besides being dirty he was OK... Praise the Lord! Everything was coming back together, except the dead chickens. It would be a bit scary if they came back :/
The weekend ended watching the sun set from a growing garden. Oh and a visit by some raccoons. They just came up to me in the garden, checked me out and headed away. Probably to eat some more chicken. They were pretty cute though. Sigh, life with animals. If there is one way to tear me down it is through my pets. Animals make up a big part of my heart. So we will see what this week brings. Hopefully more eggs :)

Views of the Garden

2010-07-03T20:56:00.003-06:00

Well the garden is in full gear. This year is for sure an experimental year. I wanted to see what I could get to grow. Already thinking of next year. It has been pretty warm in the last week but as long as I water every night we seem to do ok. We have lettuce coming out our ears. If anyone local wants lettuce let me know please. I will give you some. Or lots. We have some tomatoes and peppers on the plants too. The potatoes are blooming and the broccoli growing tall. It is wonderful to eat something you worked hard to grow. Steve and I want to be better stewards of what God has given us and being able to grow our own food is one way we think we can accomplish that. It will take time and a lot of learning. Hopefully with the chickens and the goats we will be able to have milk and eggs consistently next year. We will see. Life is about learning and boy are we doing a lot of that. Speaking of eggs we are starting to get two eggs a day now. Steve finished the girls egg boxes and they figured out pretty quick that was where eggs need to be laid. Also starting today we have our good friend Lesa living with us for a couple weeks as she works on her master degree at UNC. Please pray for her that she gets these intense courses done and doesn't miss her family too much. We became good friends in Kenya, having both moved there at the same time with AIM. Also she has to live with us for three weeks... that is a prayer request within itself. We are looking forward to seeing her though. No other crazy news to report. The kitchen remodel is close to being done, which is fabulous! Ok, time to sign off for the night!

Greeley Stampede

2010-06-29T09:13:00.004-06:00

This weekend Krysta came down and we went to the Greeley Stampede. We were able to go to Joe Nichols and Craig Morgan. It has always been a dream of Krysta's and mine to go to concert together. Now we did. It was a blast. We also enjoyed some delicious fair food. I had a giant turkey leg which was amazing. I don't think I have ever had turkey so good. It was great to have Krysta around too. I wish she lived closer. Oh well, visits are good, just too short.

Ok, crazy good trukey leg! I think I could eat another one right now.

Our First Egg

2010-06-27T21:06:00.003-06:00

This morning I woke up like any other morning and went out into the sunshine to let my chickies out. However, this morning I was greeted with something that I haven't seen before. AN EGG! At least one of my chickens is in working order. I was so excited I rushed inside to show Steve and Krysta who were still trying to wake up, they aren't morning people. Lets say they weren't as thrilled about an egg as I was. Here is to many more eggs.

Garden Fresh

2010-06-22T19:54:00.002-06:00

Did you know that eating stuff from your own garden is very fulfilling. There is such a sense of pride and accomplishment that is felt when eating your own goodies. Needless to say, for dinner tonight Steve and I are eating salad from home. It is probably the best salad I have had in a long time. I am very proud of my garden so far. Thankfully we had very little hail this year. Also I have had some fun experimenting with plants.
Among other news, the goaties are doing well. The chickens too. Our little farm is prospering, for the most part! The weeds are winning in many places... Ok, well I just thought a little update would be nice....

Goatie Girls!

2010-06-14T07:48:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, Steve and I braved the nasty rain to drive to Boulder to pick up some goats! They needed a new home so we decided to give them one. They aren't named yet, but we are thinking of some good ones. Feel free to post your comments below to let us know what you think they should be.

Rain Rain Go Away...

2010-06-12T22:09:00.012-06:00

Ok, so we needed water, but we didn't need three plus inches in less then 24 hours on hard ground. As you can imagine it's messy here. Steve and I have a ditch that runs through our backyard and the owners that lived here before us said they never saw water flow through there in 14 years. Well as you can tell from the picture, that is no longer the case. Talk about a river. It is a bit of a mess here but thankfully we did not flood like many of the houses in the area. I like rain but right now there is a bit too much. Guess I don't have to water the garden. What amazes me is how quick it will disappear. The water that is.

But rain makes beautiful things, like for example these flowers!

Chicken House?

2010-06-11T22:27:00.003-06:00

So this week we let the chickens out to roam the yard a bit. Well they thought they could just move right into the house. Steve and I have been in and out so much with the remodel that we left the door open. They invited themselves in. Later when it was time to put them away I couldn't find one of the birds. After looking everywhere I finally saw it, running out of the house. Later after I put it away I found a present it left for me in the middle of the living room floor... a big bird dropping. So apparently the chickens think they should live in this house?
Ps. Excuse the remodel mess in the picture :P

May Time

2010-05-30T20:06:00.005-06:00

YAH for COMPANY! Mom and Dad were able to drive down to visit us for a week and help us with our kitchen remodel (that will be a different blog). We were really blessed to have their help and expertise in the yard and house. We were able to get a lot of done, from planting things to new walls, window and cabinets. We had a lot of fun visiting too, enjoying each other company. We took them out to Rodizos Grille too, which was so good.Steve had taken me there on a date many years ago so it was fun to share the experience.

So our little flock of chickies gained a new friend. This little guy traveled many miles in Mom and Dad's trailer from Carnation. We weren't sure if we had any roosters so Mom and Dad brought him down here to live with us. It took him a few days but now he is part of the group!

These little Grackles decided to escape the claws of the cat who climbed the tree. Well down they came and into the jaws of Gus. Both were rescued and sent to a local rehab shelter. They were pretty funny to watch for a few days but I was ready for them to leave.

Here are our new trees. Dad and Steve tore out the old ones and Mom planted the spruce. It looks so much better then having dead trees in the yard!
Awww... my wonderful hubby who has worked so hard on our kitchen. This weekend he headed to California for his Grandma Hoekstra's funeral.

Found a TOAD!

So many other things going on here. Work and play. Rest and running around like chickies with our heads cut off. Life is good and so are we. We love Colorado, it feels like home. It is so beautiful here. Blessing surround us in so many ways, from toads, to jobs to wonderful parents.

A week in our lives

2010-05-07T19:04:00.004-06:00

Another week has gone by, where it has gone nobody knows....

Lets see in the past week, we had company from Denver, went to a Flogging Molly concert, worked hard, bought a bunch of stuff for our kitchen remodel and well I am sure there is more.

This week I also got my garden started outside. The lettuce, spinach and cabbage is poking their little heads out of the ground. Today I got all my root vegetables, corn, beans, peas and okra in the ground. I forgot to get my potato and onions at the store the other day. Opps. Gardens are... I am not sure of the word I am looking for. Fun is not the correct answer. They are full of hope of what may happen. You start with that barren worked up ground and get to add whatever you wish to it, take care of it and see what happens. I am excited to see what works. And doesn't work.

Last night Steve and I celebrated his birthday a little early. Steve has wanted to see the band Flogging Molly in concert for a long time and yesterday he fullfilled that dream. We went to the Fillmore downtown and had the most awesome seats. We were like 20 feet away from the stage and level with it. It was pretty much awesome. Here is a link to one of their songs in case anyone is interested. I have to say the fiddler is amazing. She was my favorite to listen too last night.

Also last Friday Steve was able to go on a crash pick up in Boulder. Someone had missed the runway, hit a car and telephone poll and came to rest in the field. The pilot was ok. In the one picture the wing is wrapped around the poll to the left of the picture. Steve had fun pulling the plane apart and getting it ready to take back to the shop.

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The chickens now can go outside in the day time. They love running around crazy likes and chasing bugs. I love sitting out there watching them. Another month and some of the older ones may start laying eggs. This little girl is the most friendly chicken. She reminds me of a couple Rhode Island Reds I had as a girl. Their names were Pink and Dorthy. They liked to be perched on top of you. Mom has a picture of them somewhere. I should try and find it.

Other then that I am just waiting for my sister-in-law to show up so we can go have some fun! What a crazy week, but it was good.

Adventures in owning a house

2010-04-29T21:48:00.002-06:00

Hmmm... owning a house is an adventure, I must say. If it is not one thing, it is another. This week we had a lesson in plumbing. Steve is pretty much amazing though. He says he can't fix things, then what does he do, fixes them. :) He is pretty smart. So now, finally no more dripping bath faucet. It will be nice to not hear it every night, plink...plink....plunk...

Lets see, what else in the world of Steve & Jami. Not much. Both are staying busy at work. We have had some fun/interesting cases come in lately. One involving a pig, another a blind dog, another a squirrel and so many more. I must say my tech skills have become so much better and I am happy that I have improved in the past year. I can't believe I have been working at Garden Valley Veterinary Hospital for a year. I was so excited for the job when I got it and I still like it.

Steve and I have begun helping with our churches youth group which has been fun. The kids are pretty much awesome. I think we will enjoy this crazy step in life.

The garden was started this week too. I was able to get the greens going. It did snow this morning and the rule of thumb is don't plant most stuff until after Mother's Day, which is in two weeks to let you all know. So love on your Mom! It was not a pleasant surprise to wake up to snow this morning. Oh, well the slush disappeared by noon and watered my yard for me. Who knew grass was so hard to grow. Ah for learning.

Well I hope to get some new pics up this week! Hope you all have a great weekend and love from the land of spastic weather :)

Back at home

2010-04-17T19:15:00.006-06:00

Colorado feels like home to me now. This was my first visit to Washington where I felt this way. For so many years, ok so like 24 I have always considered it my home. But this is home now. Washington will always be special to me and who knows, maybe someday we will live there again. For now though, this is where home is. In little tiny Galeton. With Steve and the animals.

Well I hit the ground running when I got home. By the time we were home from the airport is was midnight and then I had to be at work at 7 in the morning. However, I had this weekend off which has been wonderful. I made Steve breakfast in bed and we worked hard outside today. Then it even rained for us. My pasture is slowly coming up, not like I had hoped but it is there. My tulips are beautiful, well the ones Gus hasn't stepped on. Silly dog.

Steve finished most of the chicken coop. He is waiting to paint before he puts the hang down doors on. It has turned out really nice and VERY sturdy. The chickens have moved outside and stay there all night. It is nice to have them in their own place. They are getting quite big and many of them are trying to figure out what voice to use, they change back and forth between crackling adult voices and chick noises. My little kids are getting so grown up. I can't wait for eggs. If you live in the area and want eggs let me know. Or if you know of anyone who needs to get rid of some hens, pass their name to me.

Other projects at this time include a remodel of the kitchen, putting up fencing and a garden. There are lots of other little projects going on as well. If I could, I would buy out the Lowes nursery. It is so tempting to go there. I love gardening and planting stuff! It is so much fun. I must get that from my Mom and both my Grandma's and Great-Grandpas. The kitchen is a lot of work to figure out. It is exhausting and we haven't even done anything to it yet. Trying to get everything to fit and have space and look pretty is a big puzzle. Thankfully Steve has a great eye for detail. I say what I would like and he pulls it off. What an amazing guy. He did the same thing for the chicken coop. I said here is what I think it should look like and he made it.

Nothing else too exciting to report. Life is treating us well. Giving us its fair share of challenges, but we are figuring it out. Sometimes I still can't believe we own a house. That this is our place to do as we please. It is pretty cool and we feel very blessed.

When good friends get married

2010-04-10T12:37:00.002-06:00

Weddings, I must say I LOVE THEM! I have been blessed to be at so many of my good friends and to see them enter into a covenant with the ones they love. Including Kara's yesterday. They have become more special to me after my own. My marriage to Steve has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I couldn't have chosen or been given a better man. I love seeing my friends find that person for them self. And weddings are so fun because of the smiles and laughter that goes on with them. Now that I have had my own, almost three and half years, I remember those smiles and giggles and sighs. The start of an amazing adventure with that person. And what an adventure Steve and I have had so far. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with him. When we got engaged or maybe even before we choose a section of Bible verses to set a foundation for what we wanted our relationship to be to one another and to others. We thought that Romans 12 was very significant. To help each other to use their gifts to praise the Lord. But the second half of the chapter was even more significant we thought. It talked about being sincere and honest. To love and respect one another. To be joyful and patient. To be faithful in prayer. To not payback evil for evil. With those thoughts in mind we entered into a beautiful marriage, one that I would not trade for anything. Every time I go to a wedding I am reminded of that promise. I am so excited for my friends when they experience this relationship with another. Romans 12 is my prayer for them.

Chicken Coop

2010-03-30T21:54:00.003-06:00

Ahh the warm weather of spring. It felt so good to just soak it all in today. It was so nice all I wanted to do was be outside and not do any of my baking. Oh well, I guess we can buy some bread. But yes, the walls and frame are all up on our coop. The big chickies had their first day outside today. It was so fun to watch them explore and enjoy life. They make me laugh. Also you can tell it is spring by all the birds. From my back porch today I saw over ten different kinds of birds. Blue Jays, Mourning doves, finiches, meadow larks, robins.... So many. It was wonderful. Spring is so joyous!

Chickens are getting BIG! They can all jump out of their coop in the house... Time to move out.

Steve has done an amazing job building this coop. It was the first big thing he has ever built and I think he did a great job. What a handy man!

Crocus!

2010-03-17T20:09:00.003-06:00

Spring is showing its beautiful head

2010-03-10T16:32:00.004-07:00

Just in the last week green has been showing up everywhere in Northern Colorado. Along roads, in alfalfa fields, in the yard. The beauty one can see in a green ditch along the road... The American Robins are showing up along with other birds that disappeared for the winter. The weather has been great too, in the high 50's all week. Today some flakes of snow fell from the sky but I know they won't stick around for long.
Steve's and mine little flock of chickens has grown to include ten more little, hopefully, girls. We were able to find some Rhode Island Reds and Ameraucanas. Once again, they are awfully cute. I am still astounded that the come from eggs. Well, I guess I mean to say they grow in an egg and hatch themselves. Chickens are pretty cool. Birds in general are.
Besides work Steve and I have had the chance to see the new "Alice in Wonderland," which we both enjoyed. It is a bit weird, but wasn't the original Alice. We did see it in 3-D which was different. Overall, we did enjoy the film.
I have been busy sewing and cooking in my free time. Along with getting stuff done outside. Today I am made wonderful english muffins and for those of you who want to try it, here is the recipe!

English Muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/4 cup melted shortening
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in the sugar, stirring until dissolved. Let cool until lukewarm. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine the milk, yeast mixture, shortening and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Add salt and rest of flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Knead. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise.
3. Punch down. Roll out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut rounds with biscuit cutter, drinking glass, or empty tuna can. Sprinkle waxed paper with cornmeal and set the rounds on this to rise. Dust tops of muffins with cornmeal also. Cover and let rise 1/2 hour.
4. Heat greased griddle. Cook muffins on griddle about 10 minutes on each side on medium heat. Keep baked muffins in a warm oven until all have been cooked. Allow to cool and place in plastic bags for storage.

Babies!

2010-03-03T21:57:00.004-07:00

Probably got your attention with that title :) Nope, not human babies but chicks! Steve and I today purchased the first part of our flock, the rest are on order. Here are the Plymouth Barred Rocks & Buff Orpingtons. We have ten right now and in the end we hope to have 20. Steve designed a great chicken coop a few weeks ago and construction has begun. We have also been busy prepping and plant our pasture. The weather has been great this last week and it has been wonderful to be working outside again. I am sure there will be more snow, actually I would like a little on my pasture, but Spring is on its way.

Other news for the two of us... Not too much else besides work. I have been busy sewing a couple projects and Steve has been working on trading stuff over the internet. Our book and game collection continues to grow as he trades. The joy planning and preparing is fun. We look forward to this coming year. We know it is full of hard work, but it will be a good learning year. So stay tuned to see how our chicks mature and our pasture greens. Right now the chicks we have are two weeks old and the pasture is 1 day old. So here it goes, our dive into spring and having our own little farm.

One Year!

2010-02-21T16:08:00.003-07:00

Steve and I realized today we have lived in Colorado for one year, the longest we have lived anywhere since we both graduated high school oh so long ago. We were close to living in Iowa for a year, but we were shy a few days. The weather is sure different then a year ago though, last year it was warm and nice out and today it is snowing.... Please come soon spring, my hands are itching to get into the soil.
It is amazing to look back over the year and think about our first days here, of knowing a handful of people, in a new town, new and no job and just confused. It was crazy and I look to see what God has blessed us with, great friends, church, jobs, pets, house and so much more. It is not near as lonely as it once was. Over the last year there have been times where I was wondering just why God had us move here, but as I look back and see how so many things have turned out, I get it. I mean just last night we were together with good friends making fun of the Olympic commercials and commentators, after a long day of work. Life is good...
Often my heart wishes it was in another town, state or country even, but I am so thankful to call this area my home. As it snows outside, I am hanging out with my legless dog, cuddly kitty and wonderful husband. I love where we have ended up at this point in life and look forward to another year of adventures!

Leo and the Ice Cream

2010-02-01T21:46:00.003-07:00

"Hmm Steve whatever you have in that bowl sure smells wonderful"

"If I try really hard I might get a lick"

"My human will not serve me"

"Maybe I should give it one last try"

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Ps. He got to lick the bowl, Leo that is.

Disaster Averted

2010-01-26T11:57:00.002-07:00

It is always a bad thing when you are in the middle of your nice warm shower and suddenly there is no water... No water anywhere in the house. Taking a peek at the pump you see no pressure left. You are thankful that the shampoo is still in your hand and didn't make it to your hair. You are sad that you didn't make your coffee. So you call your knight in shining armor who comes and saves you.
Now I have my coffee and the laundry in the wash. The joys of owning a house. And we are still able to have our friends over for dinner. Hope you all have a great week-Jami

011110

2010-01-11T16:10:00.002-07:00

Oh where oh where is the time going???

It is already the 12th day of the year and boy has this year brought a lot of changes. I started working full time, we added another car to our fleet, we have made some hard decisions, done work on the house and started planning for the new year. I am sure there has been more, but so much has gone on. Right now, Leo is helping me write this, giving his honest opinion of the year. It is actually quite funny, he is sitting his rear in my lap and has his paws folded neatly under him on the desk. Looks like he is being useful. These pets have been such a blessing to Steve and I.

Yes, we did get another car. A little blue Saturn. Since I am working full-time now we needed another car. One that got good gas mileage and was at least decent in the snow. So far it has been running great. However, as life would have it, the day after we got it, the Blazer decided to "take a break" and now it needs some work. Hopefully by the end of the week it will be running smoothly. AH cars.... It is fun to have a stick shift again.

So yes, life is moving on in 2010. I can't believe how quickly. We are looking forward to our first guest of 2010 this Sunday, as my Dad flies in for a quick visit. I can't wait to see him. I am sure we will be blessed with many more visits this year too. I hope you all have a good week! Here are a few pictures for you all.

Steve and Leo enjoying a winter eveningThere weren't enough candles in the box to represent my age?!?!

Steve has become a wonderful carpenter. He made these shelves for our office. They look really nice!

Hello Twenty-Ten, Two-Thousand-ten, "O"Ten or whatever you want to call it......

2010-01-01T13:57:00.002-07:00

Happy New Years everyone from Galeton! Hope you all had a good time last night with friends and family. We enjoyed playing games and being with good friends the Lord has blessed us with. However, I know we are getting old because by 11 everyone was yawning and wanting to go to bed. Now on to this new year that no one is really sure how to pronounce....

Indescribable

2009-12-27T18:18:00.006-07:00

Christmas was anticipated and it came and now it is gone. Sorry for such few posts this month, it has been crazy-in good and bad ways. This month has brought many joys and some tears too. Joys included being with friends and family, having a warm house, work to do, parties to attend, a wonderful Christmas again with Friends and family and so much more. Tears included the passing of friends and family and also my long time dog, Cookie. We have been blessed greatly here in northern Colorado. It is hard to believe we haven't even been here a year yet, but it is getting to feel like home. Yes, we have left pieces of our heart all over this big world, but it has been so fulfilling living here. We have been able to see so many people this year, Colorado seems to be a big meeting spot. Just found out good friends from Alaska will be visiting here soon, which is exciting. I can't wait to see them.

Christmas was wonderful. I had to work, but we managed to have a nice morning together, go to Denver and spend time with our family, then have a great dinner with our good friends. We managed to cook a ham and have a delicious dinner. We shared many laughs together and stay warm, even though there was a blizzard going on outside. On Christmas Eve we attended a wonderful service. Our church body here is amazing and we are very thankful for them and their message to all.

As you can tell from the pictures Leo was a having a great time and Gus acquired a new friend. No, we didn't get a new dog, we are just taking care of Oliver while our friends are out of town. Him and Gus seem to get along for the most part. Oliver likes to tease Gus by stealing his toys but they seem to have a good time. They were both so happy to get out of the house today, they have been stuck inside for the past two days since the blizzard was a bit too cold. We had fun outside taking a walk and playing fetch today. Gus however managed to wrap all three of us in his leash, which was pretty comical.

Thank you all for the Christmas cards and letters. It has been so much fun to hear from all of you. They are decorating our empty entertainment center. We finally found the corner piece of furniture we wanted, now we just need to get a TV. Seems like lately I have been rearranging rooms and things so we are trying to feel a little more settled. So far so good.

Not much more to say. We enjoyed celebrating Christ's birth and were reminded how special that event was. Often we forget it in the business of the season. I am looking forward to "normal" life in January. This year has been a trying year, and we have been constantly reminded of his indescribable love for us. I hope you all are able to experience his love for you, now and always.

Snow Dog

2009-12-06T14:14:00.003-07:00

This morning we work up to lots of pretty snow. And for many reasons, we couldn't make it to church so Gus and I went for a walk in the snow. Even though it is a balmy ten degrees out Gus couldn't have enough of the snow. He is pretty funny to watch, especially when he submarines through it. He crawls on his belly and tunnels through the snow. It is hilarious to watch, because then when he is done he is more white then brown. Poor guy, had lots of energy to release, seeing that he has been on bed-rest for a couple weeks. His tail is healing slowly, it is just a hard spot to heal since it still is in action. Today though, he could have cared less that his poor tail was missing, or his leg for that matter. He is a such a great dog and every day he gives us something to laugh at. Here are some silly pictures of him playing in the snow.

Submarine dog - Here he is tunneling head first on his belly through the snow. It is hilarious!

Shaking off the frozen wet stuff!

Aren't I Cute!

Thanksgiving weekend

2009-11-30T16:08:00.005-07:00

The Whole Hoekstra Family
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Steve and I are blessed and because of that we are very thankful. This thanksgiving we had so much to be thankful for. Our new house, Leo, Gus (who is recovering from his surgery great), being able to see so much family, the things that make our life easier (ie. computers, cars that work, refridgerator....ect....), our jobs, our commitments to each other, good friends, a wonderful church and well the list goes on. The weekend before, Steve's parents and brother were able to come spend the weekend with us and the next weekend all the rest of his siblings came up and we went to Ethiopian food. The chance to show them all our new place and pets was awesome. It was fun to spend some time with Steve's family. Thanksgiving was spent with the Sjaardema clan and most of us were there. Of course we enjoyed good food, in-fact Sunday I was still not hungry. I made pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce, which was fun. It is neat to be able to bring things to share. Since I love to cook and all. :) The weather was beautiful and it was fun to stay a couple days in Denver. Thanks to Wendy for letting us stay with you.
I was thankful for today (Monday), to get some rest and get caught up on life. Also to wake up late with my cat. Like I started this post, we were blessed to be able to share this holiday with our wonderful family.

Karlee, me & Renee (SISTERS)

Gus's Poor Long Lost Tail

2009-11-20T15:58:00.004-07:00

What a sad day it was in the Hoekstra house when I had to call Steve from work saying we were doing an emergency tail amputation on Gus. We had been trying to save his poor tail from this tragedy but alas, it happened anyways. Gus, had a small wound on the end of his happy lab tail and every time he wagged it he sent a spray of blood flying through the air. And since he always was wagging it, the wound would not heal. So we had been wrapping it and trying to let it heal, but for some reason he decided he didn't like the bandages so he bite them off, taking a large chunk of his tail with it. Of course there are some big arteries going through that tail so it looked like the TV show "C.S.I." had happened at work. Thankfully all this happened at work. So off came the tail and now poor Gus is missing a tail and a leg, as you can tell from his picture. We call him stumpy for short now. On a good note he has recovered well and I don't feel like I have to get up every hour of the night to check on him. Hopefully he can have his cone of shame off soon too. So if you ever want to see a silly looking dog come see ours.

Visit from the folks

2009-11-18T21:56:00.004-07:00

Last weekend we had a great visit with my Mom & Dad. They flew down Thursday night and stayed through Monday. They spoiled us rotten and helped us get a lot done around the house. Dad & Steve were especially busy, while Mom and I crafted and talked a lot. Men being Men and Girls being Girls :) Oh what fun. It was great to show them our house and here their ideas for improvements. They also were given a free snow storm and they experienced Ethiopian food for the first time. I had a good time with them and wish that they didn't live so far away, so they could help us more often.... Ok so that I could just spend more time with them. We are blessed with wonderful parents, what can I say. Next week Steve's family all comes for Thanksgiving, which will be great. It is hard to get all the Hoekstra's together with us all over the country now. We are so thankful that we got to see all our family members as much as we did this year.

How many people does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

Finished (well almost)

2009-11-15T14:00:00.001-07:00

Ok, here it is..... The doors haven't gotten done yet since it has been too cold to take them off. Someday when it is warm....