Welcome Home Craig

Chicken Parmesan

Sorry for the delay. All of my kids like this one and it is a good one to share.

Boneless skinless chicken breasts (I like to cut them thinner or in smaller pieces. You could also use tenders)
egg
bread crumbs (seasoned or plain)
Mozarella cheese slices
Spaghetti Sauce or any kind of Marinara sauce
Egg Noodles

Prepare a frying pan with hot Canola oil and two bowls, one with egg mixed with a little water and one with bread crumbs. Dip Chicken breasts in egg, roll in bread crumbs and fry until lightly browned. Place in 9 x 13 baking dish and place cheese over each piece. Cover generously with Spaghetti sauce. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 - 60 minutes until chicken is cooked through. The larger your chicken breasts, the longer you'll want to bake it. You may have to cover it wil foil to prevent burning near the end. Serve over cooked egg noodles.

Uke Kids

Good to see you all again tonight.  Thanks for indulging me in playing the "Name that person" game. I certainly enjoyed it, (though I'm upset that I didn't take video of the team name reveal/team cheers).  Congratulations to team Farmer Boys on eeking out a victory over team KCs and BeeGees.  A valiant effort on behalf of Team Jean, and clearly the best team cheer by team Lee-gioneers made for an entertaining time.

I DID remember to take some video of Uke Kids' performance which, along with our team cheers, proves that our family is awesome- how many other families have an intergenerational ukulele quartet performance as part of a Christmas get-together?

Anyway- click, watch, and enjoy.  I'm looking forward to pics of Craig's homecoming (Becky... I'm looking in your direction) as well as other pictures from tonight (Kelly DV and others).

Also looking forward to the discussion surrounding our summer trip to Blue Harbor (click here to visit the resort website) in honor of G&G VD's 55th anniversary!

Name That Person Christmas Game

I was given permission by aunt Karen to introduce a new game into the Van Drunen Family Christmas gathering (I direct your attention to comment #5 on the Van Drunen Christmas post dated Thursday, December 10th).

I've borrowed this home-made game from a friend at work who said that his family does this every year and loves it. The game is entitled "Name That Person." It contains 4 separate posters of 25 different contemporary faces (cut out from magazines, and newspapers) from the world of politics, sports, pop-culture, etc.

I've split Yous Kids into 4 different teams, and each team will have 4 different rounds to identify and record as many of the true identities of these faces as possible. Naturally, the team with the most correctly identified people at the end of four rounds is declared the winner.

So... without further adieu, here are the teams:

Farmer Boys:

Grandpa
Cheryl
Mike
Dyke
Kelly R.
Jason
Anna
Becky
Mark

KCs and BeeGees

Grandma
Karen
Brian
Karyl
Kyle
Kelly D.

Korie

Conner

Caleb

Team Jean

Auntie Jean

Nick

Kathy

Kristin

Stephanie

Scott

Liz

Casey

Cole

Lee-gioneers

Auntie Lee

Keith

Jim

Kim

Alex

Craig

Emily

Karley

Taylor

Eric

It's a pretty simple game and I'll answer all questions in person on December 26th.  

Finally, each team is responsible for coming up with both a team name AND a team cheer. Neither have to be elaborate, but this will be a vital piece to the team spirit that will be sure to inspire victory.  

If there is a tie for any of the top-three finishes, the team with the most creative name and cheer (as determined by popular vote from the other teams) will win the tie-breaker.

Family Tattoo Outing

As a 37-year old man I never thought I'd be getting a tattoo with my Mom & Dad. And yet, that is exactly what happened today. Kristin came along as the photographer and we got the gray ribbon tattoo's for Brain Cancer like Kyle's. The Nickster and I got them on our left fore arm, like Kyle. Mom went for a Florida-Friendly, right ankle. Here are some pics:

Craig's Homecoming

Just thought I would give you an update on the information we have received so far on Craig returning home. He is scheduled to fly to a military base in Indianapolis on Monday at around 9 am. They have one hour to be greeted by family and then go for 3 days to Camp Atterbury for debriefing. He should be able to come home sometime on Christmas Eve Day. He has told me not to come to Indianapolis since it will be short and no time to talk. (that's Craig!) Anyway, we are trying to come up with a few ideas on Christmas Eve to welcome him home. Any ideas? If anyone has nothing to do on Christmas Eve, you are welcome to come to Kouts. We will have some food and hopefully be able to see Craig. Things could change, the Army keeps us updated by e-mail, so I will check it daily and update you with any changes.

Van Drunen Christmas

Keith & Cheryl offered to have our Christmas get-to-gether at their home. We are accepting their offer. It is Saturday, December 26, at 4:00 p.m. We would appreciate suggestions as what to have for supper. Are you kids pulling names? (We were asked this question.) As we didn't all get together for Thanksgiving and some have been away on vacation ---it was difficult to do. Awaiting your replies.

National Television Appearance

It's a bit overdue, but I thought I would post my first moment of national glory at Yale-Harvard 09

Costa Rica Missions Trip

In January 2010 I will be going to Costa Rica on a mission trip for 8 days with my soccer team from Trinity for interim. We will be playing soccer against teams from Costa Rica and then sharing our testimonies after each game. We will also be going to orphanages and passing out lunches to those who need them. Last year I had the opportunity to serve in Jamaica and it changed my life! Needless to say, I am very excited for this trip.

If you guys would like to help financially, that would be great! Just mail it to the address at the bottom and note that it is for Anna Gesch. But I would love it if you guys remembered our team in your prayer until this trip on January 10. I'll have to put up some pictures when I get back!

Mail to: SCORE, PO Box 9994 Chattanooga, TN 37412

Christmas Ho Ho Ho-Down

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Here is something Stephanie made to get you in the Christmas spirit.  Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to State Farm's Greatest Agent

While I don't agree with all the words to the song, it is funny! Happy Birthday Brian!

Recent Sawyer

A compilation of recent Sawyer-related activity before Thanksgiving.

ILLIANA annual fruit sale is on!
Orders are due Tuesday, Dec. 1 and they will be delivered to Illiana Dec. 9
Sunkist Navel Oranges - (88 large oranges per case) $33.00 per case
Florida Indian River Red Grapefruit - (40 per case) $26.00 per case
Unshelled Mixed Nuts - (nuts still in shells) 2 lb. bag - $6.00 a bag

Let Kim know if you would like to order. (219.865.9002) No pressure to order - only Juniors sell the fruit, so this is for a friend. I think they have the best oranges in the world, so I wanted to give you the opportunity to order. I can have our friend deliver all orders to our house.

Letter from Justin

Justin's class wrote letters to servicemen (and women) last week and of course, Justin wrote one to Craig. I didn't want to mail it now and have Craig miss getting it, so I'm saving it to give him when he gets back - but, it's so precious thought I would share it with him (and all of you) on here.

Rear Cairg! thank you for beng a good kusin. And serving in ouer country. And mak All of us free. You are very brave. You are great! thank you for sakrfising yore life. And being away from home. may god bles you and kepp you safe! I miss you. P.S. Everyone is dowing good. P.S.S. may God kepp you and bless you and make his love a sheeld. Love, Justin DeVries

Down wit O.P.P

Just a few nights ago our base was blessed with the presence of Naughty by Nature! The older generation of cousins might have a better understanding. You may recognize some of their big hits such as O.P.P and Hip Hop Hooray. They also threw out some covers from Kanye and the beloved 2PAC(thuggin for life) . It was actually an exciting show. They were the first USO entertainment to make it to our base since weve been here so it was a no brainer on wether or not we should see them. They seemed genuinely happy to be here and talked and hung out after the show. If I remember correctly they was frontin on doz studio gangstas back in da states for not reppin da meanin of rap life and deez loyal fans overseas. So who knows maybe theyll convince TI or Sean Paul to lay down some beats over here someday. The picture is of my gang and DJ Kay Gee(center), Vin Rock(right middle) and Treach (Top right)

Last one... I promise

Sorry to continually bombard the family blog with one topic- I'm sort of excited. this is a pretty cool video that I had a student at Timothy put together. It takes the journey with the team from Sectional Finals to State Championship.

Also- sorry to Grandma for bumping your post down- didn't mean to!

Van Drunen Holiday Dates

Dear Family,

Following are dates we want you to know about as the holidays are fast approaching:
Thanksgiving Day - Thursday, November 26 - noon
Pinochle Party - Saturday, December 12 - 5:00 p.m.
Christmas - Saturday, December 26 - 4:00 p.m.
We are looking forward to having whoever can come.
Please respond.

Mom & Dad, Grandma & Grandpa

Video Footage of Championship Winning Goal

So, a high school student at Timothy amazingly recorded this intro to the 4th overtime period and decided to keep the camera rolling.  2 minutes later, she captured the chaos and pure joy of victory.  I've watched this clip like 20 times.

Timothy Soccer: State Champs!

So... some pretty good news: My soccer team won the IHSA Class 1A State Championship on Saturday. We won in the 4th and final overtime with a "golden goal." Check out the Timothy article on this: click here.

Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma, Uncle Gene, Karen and Nick, Karyl and Dyke, and Mark V. for being in attendance. Thanks to others for being there in spirit. What a night!

On to the Championship!

Too late to post much, but my team won the State Semi-final game tonight 2-1 in OT.  We play tomorrow at 7:30 at North Central College in Naperville.

Click here for more info.

Timothy Soccer- Headed Back to State!

Well... after a back-and-forth regular season (my team is just now 13-12) the Timothy Christian men's soccer team is back in the IHSA class 1A state tournament final four for the second time in 2 years.

Here's a link to the latest: click here

Here's some more press on our sectional championship on Tuesday night:

Chicago Tribune

Chicago Sun-Times

The Daily Herald

The Elmhurst Doings

The State semi-finals and finals are at North Central College in Naperville. We play on Friday, October 30th at 5:30 in the Semi-final game vs. Peoria Christian. The championship game is on Saturday at 7:30 PM and the 3rd place game is on Saturday at 5:30 PM.

Good News

Just wanted to give everyone who was interested a quick update on my job search status for this coming summer (law schools are insane, but they do things this early). I know several people have been interested, concerned, and/or praying about this and I wanted to thank you for that. Also, a special shout out to Kyle and Kelly for their direct suggestions and help - definitely appreciated.

Anyways, I just received word from a great firm in Milwaukee that I have an offer for this coming summer. I got the message in a coffee shop, and it was about all I could do to refrain from belting out "Old Hundredth" (which maybe I should have just done).

So to recap - relief, joy, thanks, prayer, praise, etc. Looks like I'll be pretty close to home this summer.

Bohemian Rhapsody Mimed

Rudi and Anna + nothing to do on a Sunday night = this

East Coast Trip

It may be true that "neither rain, nor sleet, nor gloom of night" will deter a postal worker from his or her appointed rounds, but it is certain that these mere trivialities will never deter a VanDrunen from a vacation. You want proof? This past week, Grandpa and Grandma (a woman related to him by marriage) and my Mom and Dad came out to visit me and some of the choice selections of the East Coast. After 4 1/2 inches of snow through Pennsylvania, they safely arrived in cloudy New Haven. Though the weather huffed and puffed, it would never blow our spirits down (cheeseball, I know).

Thankfully, their courage was rewarded with what I thought was a great trip. I'll give you the run down:

Friday: After a long trip, there was little time to do anything but eat, so we ate the famous Pepe's Pizza. While it might not quite give Aurelio's a run for its money, it is about as close in goodness as anything on this planet can be. I recommend a white pie with mozzarella and shrimp.

Saturday: A tour of historic New Haven and the Yale Campus. I learned a lot about the University and later in the day was able to attend a speech with the newest Justice of the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor - an alumna from '79.

Sunday: We attended my church, which apparently met the approbation of all. Then we soldiered on through the fierce wind and rain to Newport, RI. There, we experienced the fantastic Vanderbilt mansions. For those of you who are unaware of what this might be like, think Birchwood in the '80s.

Monday: This day was all about history. We visited Plimoth Plantation (spelling critics beware - no standardized spellings in the 17th century mean you cannot fault me here), which had a replica Wampanoag village and English Settlement. Not content with our daily allotment of historical inspiration, we moved on to the town of Plymouth, where we saw Plymouth Rock and a replica of the Mayflower.

Mom is studying up on the traditional Wampanoag recipe for duck so she can share it on the blog

A self-aggrandizing picture of me next to a ship, this time an almost precise replica of the original Mayflower

Tuesday: Can you see Boston in a day? Perhaps not, but we came as close as any mortals should. You might think walking the freedom trail would be easy. After all, it is just a physical red line that you have to follow across the city. Yet if it can go wrong it will, and somehow we briefly lost our way. Finding ourselves back on the beaten track we proceeded to take in some of the great sights of the town - Paul Revere, John Handcock, Sam Adams, and the victims of the Boston Massacre's tombs; The Massachusetts State House; The oldest continuous restaurant in the U.S.; the Bunker Hill Memorial - yes all 294 steps of it; and finally the U.S.S. Constitution, also known as "Old Ironsides," which is still a commissioned naval ship.

The Massachusetts House of Representatives

Sam Adams's grave - I swear I didn't put that there

Old Ironsides - I think we should sail it to Somalia and go back to defeating pirates, which is what this ship does best

Wednesday: Mystic Seaport. We climbed aboard the last wooden whaling vessel, learned a lot, and even got to taste whale blubber for ourselves (just kidding). If anyone is remotely interested in history, water, sailing, commerce, art, craftsmanship, etc. I would highly recommend it.

Desperately trying to look tough next to the Amistad

The last wooden whaling ship in America

Thursday: Who needs history when you have live whales? I never did get the whale keeper to tell me how much oil you could get off a Beluga, but I had a good time nonetheless. Getting dropped back off in New Haven, my portion of the journey was completed. The long trip back home was the task of travelers more seasoned than I.

Recipe #4

Baby Back Ribs -
Heat oven to 200 degrees. Line a jelly roll pan with foil for each slab of ribs and cover with foil. Cook about 4 1/2 hours. Transfer ribs to grill and apply favorite BBQ sauce for short while - don't burn. In non-grilling weather - (most of the year in Chicago) uncover ribs after cooking and apply BBQ sauce to both sides - brown under broiler. Enjoy!
(Use caution when removing pans from oven as there is usually grease/liquid that can spill. I'm speaking from experience. Drain off the grease before broiling.) Mark's favorite BBQ sauce is sweet baby ray's. Other favorites?
This is a great recipe to use on a Sunday when you are at church all morning.

Recipe O' the week... back in action

FYI: we're entering week 4 in the Yous Kids Recipe O' the Week.  Kim and Mike are up.

Is it week 2 yet?

Sorry, we were so busy going through all of our fantastic recipes time got away from us. Here is the recipe for a great Chicken, Broccoli, Cheese casserole that is wonderful even re-heated. (Sorry about the Cheese part Mom, you probably won't like it.)

6 Chicken Breasts (cooked & cubed, uncooked leads to lots of bathroom visits)

10 oz. pkg. frozen broccoli

8 oz. Cheese Wiz (You got my Cheese Wiz boy?)

1 Can, Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 Can, Cream of Chicken Soup

2 Cups uncooked Minute Rice

1/2 Stick of Butter

1/2 Cup of Water

Directions: Combine butter, cheese and soups in saucepan. Melt together. Add remaining ingredients, putting in water last.

Bake in 9" x 13" pan @ 350 degrees for one hour.

Enjoy!

Millie

There was a sad day in the VanDyke family last weekend when we found out that our dog Millie was hit on Route 8. She is greatly missed. We've had her since 1999, so it's going to be weird without her. So from now on when you come visit to Kouts, you won't be greeted by a friendly beagle :(

My Father-in-Law on WGN's News at 9:00

So I get a call from Grandma VD on Saturday night asking if my Father-In-Law lived in Westmont, and if he were named Tom Day. When I confirmed that both of these items were correct, she said, "I think that he was on the news tonight talking about this Erin Andrews/Stalker story."

Well, Grandma's got a set of eagle eyes, because yes, indeed, my father-in-law gave his "man on the street" perspective to this news story: "It's absolutely shocking. I can't believe it." Play the video above and wait for 1:54 for his moment in the sun. (I was glad on a side note that he was repping Timothy Christian with some Timothy wear... though all you can see is red).

Trollstock

Tonight was Trollstock, Trinity's annual talent show. I played piano with a band including Vinnie Adams, Greg Hartnett, and Adam Perez (some of my friends from school). We played a medley that Vinnie put together, and to top it off, we all dressed like nerds. We went to a thrift store to find ridiculous-looking shirts, and we bought reading glasses at a dollar store. The good news: WE WON! Here are some pictures because words can't describe our nerdiness.

State Farm Agent Brian Gesch: Online in Video Format... Check it out!

Yous Kids,

My dad's just launched a sweet new feature on his website... check it out (click here).

He appears (sings, talks, and basically is Brian being Brian) in video format for your viewing enjoyment and for your insurance needs on the right hand side of his website: http://www.briangesch.com/.

Click play on the video and watch the magic.

Like a good neighbor, Brian Gesch is THERE!

College

Enjoying college and friends and life:)

Here are my roommies Dana, Kalli, and Julia (basically all best friends!)

Can't wait to see you all soon!!!

Go Boilers!

Daddy-Daughter Date

Yesterday Anneke and I went on a date into Chicago. One of our favorite channels is the Food Network, so I found the addresses of bakeries/pastry chefs who have appeared on Food Network Challenge or Unwrapped. We went to four places and were able to meet three of the chefs we have seen on T.V. It was a great morning.

The top is Michelle and Vinny Garcia from The Bleeding Hearts Bakery. They were super cool! They took us back into the kitchen and showed us their medals from F.N. Challenge and pictures of a cake they did for a recent taping that will air in January.

The middle pic was the biggest WOW! Mary Maher and her sister Georgia have won numerous times on F.N. Challenge.

The bottom is from a bakery on Montrose. "Angel Food" is a bakery that appeared on "Unwrapped" because the owner (shown above) figured out how to make Twinkies. She calls them "Airstreams." Kristin says they are way better than the real thing! (We brought goodies home to those who didnt' go with us.)

Recipe of the Week: #2 (compliments of the VanDykes)

ORANGE PORK CHOPS:

Ingredients: 6 thick pork chops
1 can of Mandarian oranges (11 oz.)
4 T. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 whole cloves (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1/4 cup catsup
1 T. vinegar

Directions: Brown chops on both sides in a large skillet. Add drained oranges (reserve juice).
Combine juice with remaining ingredients and pour over chops. Cover and simmer
gently until chops are done (approx. 45 minutes)

Yous Kids Recipe o' the Week (week 1)

Yous Kids: as promised, we will now start the "Yous Kids Recipe o' the week".  Here's the idea: one family member posts a recipe on the weekend- all brave Yous Kids that are willing and able attempt to recreate this dish during the course of the week.  We can then discuss the dish and expand our recipe books (and maybe our waistlines).

Here's the schedule:

Week 1: Stephanie and Rudi

Week 2: Karyl and Dyke

Week 3: Kristin and Jason

Week 4: Kim and Mike

Week 5: Kathy and Brian

Week 6: Grandpa and Grandma

Week 7: Kelly and Jim

Week 8: Alex (and Italian roommate)

Week 9: Lee and Jean (**updated list**)

Week 1: Stephanie's cheesy chicken crescent rolls

Ingredients (recommended doubling recipe to use entire chicken... reheats very well):

• 1 3/4 C Shredded Cooked chicken (I use a rotissery chicken)
  
• 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese, divided
  
• 1 8 oz. pkg crescent rolls
  
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
  
• 1 C milk
  

Instructions:

• Heat soup, milk, 1/4 cup of cheese until melted
• Mix chicken and 2 T cheese and spoon into crescent rolls
• Roll crescent rolls up from wide end
• Pour 1/2 of soup mixture into 9x13 dish and put crescent rolls on top
• Pour the remainder of soup mixture on top of crescent rolls
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes
• Sprinkle the rest of cheese on the crescent rolls
• Bake at 350 for 5 more minutes 
• Serve and Enjoy!

New School, First Day

I just finished my first day of class at Yale, which went really well. Sadly, I have not yet finished my first night of studying, but I pause from the Constitution to give you a brief synopsis and photologue of the first day (sorry, no front porch lunch box picture).

In the morning I was the very first student to arrive, which was fortunate because it allowed me to snap some great pictures of the school. Today I had two classes, Administrative Law and History of the Common Law. Tomorrow I begin Constitutional Law, and later a class on the Law of War. If everything works according to plan, I'll also have a position on a journal.

They let me study here

The Hallowed Hall

The Library: we will get acquainted

My slightly less grandiose but no less comfortable home office

New Blog Idea: Family Recipe of the Week

Family,

My mom was visiting last weekend for a family wedding. Steph had recently shared a recipe with my mom that was met with rave reviews.  This led to an idea for all of Yous Kids... "The Yous Kids Recipe of the Week."

Here's the concept: each week, one volunteer family is responsible for posting one recipe on the family blog. Hopefully this way, we can share the gift of good/new food with each other.  After we've got a few of you signed up, Steph and I will start with the afore mentioned killer recipe: Cheesy Chicken Crescent Rolls.

If you'd like to sign up for this, please comment on this post.

Heads - up

It's that time of year - magazine sales for school! The kids receive "wonderful" prizes if they fill out at least 7 postcards to send to people at least an hour away from us. If you fit the criteria, you'll receive one. Feel free to ignore it. If you're itching to buy a magazine, give me a call. Thanks!

Sawyer Crawling

shiny phone + music playing = baby army crawl motivation

Stiches

Yeah... it's a long story.

Sawyer 6 Month Photos

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while.  Steph and I  had an idea to hire a friend of ours who's a professional photographer (among other art-type things) to come to our house and take Sawyer's 6 month pictures.  We had previously done the JC Penny thing, and had a terrible experience- so we wanted to give this a shot.

We were very happy with how these turned out.  I've included most of our favorites, but as Grandma Kathy Gesch points out... can you really pick just a few?

Anyone potentially interested in free picture downloads of these pictures (or the other 128 pictures that he took!) can do so by clicking here.

A cross-country journey

Yesterday I arrived safely in New Haven, CT - the site of my next two years of education. Everything went more or less according to plan - four and a half days of driving with a one and a half day break in Chicago to see some members of the family. In all I think I averaged around 30 mpg, paid at least $27 in tolls, plus a speeding ticket from one of Indiana's finest.

In the next week and a half I will interview fourteen times for summer positions next year, complete a write-on competition for the law journal, find an apartment, and begin orientation at the law school.

Below I give a brief photo-travelogue of my journey across the country.

My friend Eric drove with me to Chicago

Utah at its best

The car was packed to the gills

Colorado (we stopped at a water park in Denver right before this)

All you need to see of Nebraska

Scranton, PA - For those of you who are Office fans, I made sure to stop at "Poor Richard's" pub, which is located inside a bowling alley

New York

My temporary home

YALE OR BUST

After brokering a deal for his Pepperdine Apartment and mattress, loading all his earthly belongings into the car, and programming the Magellan GPS, Alex, and his travel chaperone Eric, began the long journey East. (Rumor has it Eric was sent along to avoid a long layover in Las Vegas.) We thought they would arrive earlier in the day but they let time slip away while playing at a water park en route. We caught up with Alex in his travels across the country at Aurelio's Pizza in Homewood, IL tonight dining with some of his favorite relatives!
(posted by Mike)

Holland Fest Weekend

On the weekend of August 25th, I had nine friends (including Liz and Karley!) up to Cedar Grove to celebrate Holland Fest and participate in the 2 Mile Holland Fest Run. Sam Staal took second overall in the two mile in a blistering time of 10 minutes and 40 seconds! He also landed first place in his age group and brought home a huge trophy. My friends especially thought it was great that my dad narrated the whole parade to the entire town. We had a great time and I loved showing off Cedar Grove.

Sawyer, Jump On It!

Yale!

It's official. Yale is the destination. Thanks to all of you for your thoughts, prayers, suggestions, etc. over the past few weeks. I have absolutely loved my time at Pepperdine, but now I am really excited for this opportunity. In a few weeks will begin one of the longest road trips known to mankind. Henceforth, everyone is re-invited to the other coast of this great nation.

Buehrle: Perfect Game

Family vote

Dad (Nick) and I had a discussion the other day about Alex and the very difficult decision he has whether to stay at Pepperdine or transfer to Yale. Worth of a family vote and/or discussion to let Alex in on our brilliant ideas for his future? We thought so. So, what do you think people? I believe Nick voted for women in bikinis on the west coast vs. the snow bunnies on the east coast.

Half Marathon

On Sunday morning August 2nd I am going to try and drag my 6' 3" 280+ lb. frame 13.1 miles in the Rock n' Roll 1/2 Marathon. I am joining about 200 other people from Faith Church in raising money for an area in Rwanda where we are partnering with World Vision. (I'm also doing it to prove to myself and Pastor Bob that I can do it.) If you'd like to help sponsor me, you can follow this link http://www.firstgiving.com/jasondevries1 . If not, no problem, you can pray....hard!

Prayer

We wanted to let our family know of two special needs for prayer. First - Nikki is at Northwestern Hospital for tests and treatment. She will have a feeding tube inserted tomorrow. The Doctors need wisdom in deciding on another chemo to give her. Karen & Nick are staying at the hospital as much as possible. Second - Marlene is in hospice at her home. Debbie and family are taking care of her. Dad and I were there tonight. She didn't respond to us. We are trusting God to supply every need in these situations.

Sawyer Talking

This was Sawyer Talk/Yelping about an hour ago...

Kid Rwanda

The kids ran today for Kid Rwanda - a smaller, kid version of our church's involvement in the Chicago 1/2 marathon to raise money for the village we support in Rwanda. The weather turned out to be great and the kids had so much fun! It was a nice opportunity to have the kids look past themselves and focus on other kids' needs. About 60 kids ran, so hopefully we'll raise a lot of money!
(The group picture is some of the Faith-Valpo kids)