Yous Kids

Casey - shining brightly

2012-01-29T21:30:00.001-06:00

Just found this picture of Casey on the army website. We are anxious to hear from him, but it is good to see him and it looks like he is enjoying himself.

5 Months Old

2012-01-26T22:34:00.000-06:00

Here's Adam's 5 month old pics with Teddy!

2012-01-21T11:28:00.004-06:00

Casey's Address

2012-01-21T11:28:00.003-06:00

Hi All, I want to share Casey's address with you. I know he would welcome letters. Because it is boot camp, just letters. Thanks.

PVT. Casey Richards
F Company, 1-34 IN
4th Platoon
12000 Dixie Rd.
Fort Jackson, SC 29207

Also Jim found the website to look at pictures they post every couple of days. Google Fort Jackson, open combat training, Click on 1/34 infantry, scroll down and click on F company in a pop-up window.

Family Help?

2012-01-20T10:41:00.003-06:00

I think most of you are aware that I leave shortly to teach at a seminary in Ethiopia for the month of February. I will be teaching the books of Amos and Galatians while I am there. Our family is very excited for the opportunity but also realize that some stress is going to be on Kristin and the kids with my being gone.

Therefore, I am asking for your help. Our family has always done an excellent job of caring for each other and having fun experiences intergenerationally. I myself was able to visit Trinity overnight at about 7 years old thanks to an invite from Kathy, learned how to dance to the Thriller album from Karyl and Kelly. It was fun for Kristin and I to have the cousins spend the night at our house after we were first married. Justin still talks about when he spent the night at Craig's house. If you have time and are able, could you invite Anneke, Justin, or Kate to do something fun while I am gone? I would much rather have them say, "Dad, why don't you go away again because we do great stuff without you."

Anyway, if you could help, that'd be great. And, prayers are always accepted.

Thanks!

Jason

Trinity Fun

2012-01-18T13:07:00.002-06:00

What to do on a Monday night....how about some highlighters, black light bulbs, and easily entertained college students?

Karley

Karley, Lauren, and myself

Lauren's the artistic one in the group

picture of Casey in boot camp

2012-01-17T22:04:00.005-06:00

Sawyer is 3!

2012-01-16T21:22:00.003-06:00

Hard to believe... but Sawyer is 3 years old today. The "they grow up so fast" cliche is ridiculously accurate. She got her first pet (a goldfish that is still yet to be named- she's deciding between Nemo, Dorothy, and Sawyer the fish) today and was really excited about it.

Here's a slideshow that I posted on the blog 3 years ago.

Now Everyone Knows Kouts, Indiana!

2012-01-11T13:49:00.001-06:00

Home / News / Local News / Porter County News / Kouts News / Kouts News

Stolen Kouts squad car, suspect still at large

By Lauri Harvey Keagle lauri.keagle@nwi.com, (219) 852-4311 | Posted: Wednesday, January 11, 2012 6:34 am | (4) Comments

Font Size:: Default font size; Larger font size

William Blankenship III, 22, of Knox

KOUTS | Police said there are still no signs of a stolen Kouts police car or the handcuffed suspect accused of taking it Tuesday evening.

Porter County Sgt. Larry LaFlower said as of 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, investigators had no new leads in the case.

"We're hoping daylight helps us out a little bit," LaFlower said of the search.

Around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, William Blankenship III, 22, of Knox was handcuffed following a traffic stop in which police found drugs.

Blankenship then allegedly took off in the police car from Family Express near the intersection of Ind. 8 and Ind. 49 in Kouts.

The white Chevrolet Impala with a gold stripe marked with "Kouts Police Indiana" in black on both doors was last seen around 6:15 p.m. near 1810 U.S. 30 in LaPorte County, according to Indiana State Police.

Blankenship was wearing jeans and a white or gray hooded sweatshirt when he allegedly took off with the squad car. Police said the vehicle contains loaded weapons and Blankenship should be considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone who sees this vehicle is asked to call 911 immediately and not to approach it.

Downing Oysters at Parrot Key

2012-01-09T14:42:00.001-06:00

YouTube Video

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

New Timothy Christian Schools Video

2012-01-02T11:56:00.003-06:00

Not sure if you all know this or not, but I'm the marketing director at Timothy Christian Schools. We just launched a brand new promotional video that I'm really excited about. This was an ongoing project that was pieced together through the fall, and we're launching it today. New Year/New Video type of thing.

Please enjoy... and share it with anyone who might be interested!

Missing Charger

2011-12-27T12:41:00.003-06:00

Did anyone happen to grab a Kindle Fire charger on Sunday from Keith and Cher's house? It was in the front coat room and it looks like a phone charger. Just let me know =]

Wes & Korie's Wedding

2011-12-22T10:10:00.000-06:00

I know it has been over a month...but I figured these were definitely still worth sharing...
[there's also a video of the dance at the end...taken by none other than the talented Sam Staal]

Yous Kids: Project Mustache

2011-12-19T10:35:00.002-06:00

Yous Kids, I have a challenge...

The innaugural Yous Kids: Project Mustache.

Our Christmas get-together is 6 days away. Any willing and able male member of the fam is encouraged to grow a mustache for the week and show up with a sweet soup strainer at Sunday's Yous Kids Christmas Party.

I'm putting up a couple gift cards for two family-voted awards: The Rollie Fingers (Most Creative)and The Tom Selleck (Best in Show).

Comment on this post to let me know if you'll be sporting a cookie duster come Sunday. I wish I had thought of this sooner... I know that 6 days is not enough for everyone. I apologize for the short notice.

p.s. this picture is NOT my head start on the contest... it's a pic from a post that I put on the blog back in 2008. It's meant as inspiration and/or intimidation. You decide which one it is for you.

Christmas Day Menu

2011-12-16T11:41:00.004-06:00

Christmas Day our family will be having lunch and supper at Keith & Cher's home, starting at 1:00 p.m. Following is our Christmas Day menu: Let us know what you would like to bring -

Appetizers

1. suggestion (baconwrapped water chestnuts)

2. Vegtables & dip

Sloppy Joe Meat - Kathy

Ham - Mom & Dad

Buns - Karyl

Chips - 2 large bags

Pickles - (Mil. Dills) - Kathy

Salads

1. Pretzel - Kim

2. Pasta - Karyl

3. Jello

Baked Beans - Kathy

Pop - 8 leders (?)

Cheese/crackers/sausage

Desserts

1. Chocolate Eclair - Mom

2. Scotcheroos - Kelly

3. Death by chocolate - Kim

4. Karyl - ?

Fudge - Mom

Cookies -

Suggestions/changes are welcome

A send-off for Casey

2011-12-14T18:56:00.002-06:00

We will be having an Open House for Casey on January 1st at our church in Kouts on New Years Day in the afternoon from 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. He leave the next day for boot camp.

Wedding & Life Afterwards

2011-12-14T13:38:00.003-06:00

Dear Family,

I have just now had time to actually see the dance moves Karley & Anna put together for our wedding. We loved it! Definitely brought a whole new element to Van Drunen dancing ;) We just got pics from our photographer and there's probably 100 pictures of YOUS dancing!! hehe...some rather funny ones too.
My amazing new husband and I had a great honeymoon in Fort Myers at Nick and Karen's lovely place, and we have been adjusting well to married life! :)

Due to some generous wedding gifts/gift cards, we were able to cut down a real Christmas tree and wanna show it off (as shown above).

Love you guys and see you at Christmas!!

Korie & Wes

Christmas Box Reminder

2011-12-10T18:54:00.001-06:00

This is just a friendly reminder to all the women in the VanDrunen family. Remember the Christmas Boxes from last year? The adult women are supposed to put something in the box that has to do with their favorite color. The younger girls all voted on doing the same as last year... 12 favorite things. Bring them with you on Christmas Day!!!

Trinity Promo Video

2011-12-10T13:29:00.000-06:00

Check out this video for Trinity - pretty awesome!

Xander's First Year

2011-12-07T23:20:00.003-06:00

Xander turned one today!

Hard to believe how fast this past year has gone. Here's the year in 4 minutes.

Yous Kids Blog Turns 4 Years Old!

2011-12-05T06:38:00.003-06:00

Hard to believe, but the Yous Kids blog has just turned 4 years old. Way back on December 5, 2007, Jason opened up this digital gathering with the following post:

Merry Christmas from Rudi and Jason. As typical first-born male children who are constantly looking for the next achievement, we've created the VanDrunen Family Blog. A place to share what's going on in your life and the life of your family. Feel free to begin, we will probably have tutorial during the Christmas Party for those who'd like one. Also send ideas of things you'd like to see included.

So much has happened with our family since that first post four years ago, it's actually hard to think about sharing family news WITHOUT this forum. Thanks to everyone in the family for meeting and exceeding our initial vision for this blog. Maybe a new years resolution could be to maintain or increase your number of contributions to this blog. It's always better when everyone chips in!

Gotta go- I think that I just heard Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet knock on my door.

Let's put it all together!

2011-11-29T20:51:00.000-06:00

The final product...

Next Gen Training

2011-11-22T17:10:00.002-06:00

Here is the video of Kate practicing in our kitchen before the wedding. She did self-induced two-a-days in order to prepare. The bar has been set pretty high for the next nuptials. Our choreographers better start planning now!

Practice Makes Perfect

2011-11-20T00:49:00.001-06:00

YouTube Video

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Dance Tutorial!

2011-11-14T00:10:00.003-06:00

Karley and I took the liberty to craft a little dance number to the popular wedding hit "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas. We are planning to do this at the wedding, so you can just watch us and follow along if you want to join in, but you can also use this video to get the jist of what is going on!

A Few Notes:

- We start out with the ever popular hand jive from Grease.

- Every time they sing "I gotta feeling..." we do the same move.

- Every time they sing "Mozel Tov!" We cheers our imaginary glasses.

- For Fergie's solo (when it's just the girl singing) you get to FREESTYLE

- Every time they sing "and do it again...etc." we also do the same move.

- In general, there is a pattern that makes the same move every time they say the same words. Give it a shot, I know you have it in you.

See you on Saturday!

PINOCHLE PARTY ALERT

2011-11-11T10:43:00.002-06:00

The new location for our Pinochle Party is at Keith & Cher's home. They graciously offered to host us, as with the amount of family invited, we were thinking of the overflow in the basement or upstairs. Please reply to us, as we will take care of the details. Also, if grandchildren would like to come, you are welcome if you know how to play pinochle.

Wedding Day Drinks and Appetizers

2011-11-06T18:50:00.002-06:00

This is an open invitation to any wedding guests of Korie and Wes to come to the VanDyke Home between the wedding and reception for some drinks and appetizers. The wedding is at 3:30 and the reception is at 6pm, so there is a little time to kill. The reception hall is only 5 minutes away. Maybe some of us can also use this time to brush up on some important dance moves before the party begins!

Thanksgiving & Christmas Gatherings

2011-11-03T16:22:00.002-05:00

THANKSGIVING
For those who are not going to other family gatherings, We are planning on having Thanksgiving Dinner (1:00) at our home. Later we will have supper. RSVP your plans as soon as possible. If you would like to bring any food items, include that in your response.

CHRISTMAS
Keith & Cher have graciously offered to host our Family Christmas Celebration on Sunday, December 25, at 1:00 p.m. RSVP your plans to us. Menu plans to follow.

Karley's Senior Night

2011-11-03T01:16:00.000-05:00

Karley's Team

On Tuesday night, the Women's Volleyball team at Trinity celebrated their last home game of the regular season. This game was designated as senior night, and the three seniors in the program were honored. The three girls are named Lindsay McWalter, Melanie Lawrence (Karley and I's roommate and friend), and Karley.

Coach Schepel said something over the mic that was nice about each girl. He talked about Lindsay's serving abilities, Mel's killer setting, and when he got to Karley he talked about how, after being taken out of play due to her shoulder surgery this June, she has approached the season with an awesome attitude and invaluable leadership qualities. I personally see both Karley and Mel stepping up to lead the team this year especially - I've heard lots of the underclassmen girls on the team say that they really look up to both of them and can't believe they won't be back next year.

Grandma, Grandpa, Craig, Conor, Karen, Nick, Karyl, and, of course, John, were all there to see the game. The trolls blew out Calumet St. Joe's in three games. We were out of there in 30 minutes. But afterward some parents brought cake and other desserts so that families and friends of the team could all linger and talk in the lobby of the new gym. Congrats Karley on an awesome volleyball career!

Sawyer and Xander Trick or Treat 2011

2011-10-31T21:54:00.001-05:00

Mr. October

2011-10-27T11:55:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since I've given a pictoral or video update of my kids. Here's one of Xander posing for the Yous Kids calendar: Mr. October. 4 teeth in place and aparently loving pumpkins!

Dance songs for Korie & Wes' wedding reception

2011-10-25T21:37:00.003-05:00

Help!... Kelly put me in charge of putting together a list for the D.J.- songs we want to dance to for the wedding reception. I'd love to get your favorite selections added to the list... give suggestions for: all-participating dances ("Electric Slide"), slow (Elvis - "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You", fast ("I've Got A Feeling"). Of course, the VanDrunen sisters' favorite, "We Are Family" is a must.
I know classics, but could use help with newer songs.

The Blog is Back in Town

2011-10-24T22:35:00.002-05:00

Just in case you all were wondering...my blog is still functioning...just not about travels anymore. I missed blogging too much and picked it up again when my senior year started.

It is still annagesch.blogspot.com and the link is still on the right side of your screen!

Read along if you so choose!

The End of an Era

2011-10-21T20:26:00.001-05:00

YouTube Video

Today, Anna played the last game of her soccer career. It was a game at college of Du Page, and Stephanie and the kids, my mom, and aunt Karen were on hand to take in the history.

The entire event was awesome, but the clear highlight was Anna scoring a goal- the 3rd of her college career (video above). She usually plays defense, but for a large stretch of the game, she played forward, and was able to put the Trolls second goal in en route to a dominating 4-0 curtain call on a terrific career.

Way to go, Anna! We're proud of you!

YouTube Video

Adam's baby dedication

2011-10-21T00:16:00.001-05:00

Taylor and Nicole asked me to invite anyone who would like to come to Adam's Baby Dedication. It will be next Sunday, October 30, 2011 at their church in Hobart. A lunch will follow, so let us know if you are able to come so we can plan.

Need a laugh?

2011-10-20T09:54:00.000-05:00

Even though she was feeling terrible, Keelan still had her in giggles. It was so good to hear her laugh! I am convinced there is no better sound in the world!

30 Foot Flame

2011-10-18T19:57:00.002-05:00

A week ago, the soccer team that I coach had a friday night home game under the lights. It was senior night, and we celebrated with a huge all-school bonfire afterwards. We stacked pallets about 8 feet high and 15 feet wide. The flame (at times) reached 30 feet tall. It was awesome. It was so hot that there was about a 20 foot "wall" of heat that you really couldn't even approach it. It was a great time!

Mystery

2011-10-16T08:10:00.002-05:00

A gold crown (tooth) was found at our home. Did you lose one? Let us know. We sent it to a company who will send us check for its worth. We would be happy to forward the check to you.

Chick-Fil-A Fans

2011-10-14T17:10:00.002-05:00

So it was this past Sunday when a few friends and I decided to read the newspaper. In the paper we noticed the grand opening of a Chick-Fil-A in Merrillville. This isn't your ordinary grand opening event. Instead the first 100 people received a year supply of Chick-Fil-A. So at 4AM Wednesday morning we managed to be the first 100 people in line. The stipulation was that you had to stay for a full 24 hours, after being the first 100 in order to receive a year supply. So we didn't bring a single item but we managed to stay a full 24 hours til Thursday morning. We met a variety of fun people, played some mexican train, card games, as well as games put on by Chick-Fil-A. So look out ladies cause if you win a date with this guy... you better believe you'll have the option of a spicy chicken sandwich or tender chicken nuggets... and this time, it's on me.

Might find useful

2011-09-26T11:38:00.004-05:00

Since "saving" is deeply ingrained in our Dutch heritage, I felt it was necessary to share an online website that has already saved me couple of hundred dollars. The URL is www.retailmenot.com and it is easy to use. Once you visit the site you simply enter the company or product you are trying to save money with. For example: To renew my Norton Antivirus subscription I searched for Norton and found an online coupon code which saved me $50. (College Kids)I also rented some of my school books from Chegg and got an extra $40 off. Final Note: Whoever will have my name for Christmas might consider putting 50-70% of their savings towards their Craig VanDyke Christmas fund.

2011-09-20T13:41:00.002-05:00

Cindy Kleist, Nicole's mom, asked me to pass on the following information

Taylor and Nicole are having a Baby Open House

Saturday, September 24, 2011 • 10 am - 1 pm
Hosted by Cindy Kleist
219-464-7398
76 Niles Drive
Valparaiso, IN 46383

If you have not had a chance to meet Adam Lee Richards, we would love for you to stop by and see him and mommy & daddy on Saturday.

Please let me know if you plan to attend, so I can let Cindy know.

Apple Pies. Buy Them.

2011-09-19T14:54:00.001-05:00

This post is on behalf of my lovely mother, Kathy.

You can order Apple Pies from her (through the school sale)!

The large size costs $12.00 each and the small costs $6.00 each. They are frozen. I can attest to the fact that making this purchase is a great decision.

Comment below on this post with your order. They are pretty delish.

(Mom: as a bonus for posting this for you, I would accept a gift of a pie as payment. Just a thought.)

RA surprise

2011-09-15T21:17:00.000-05:00

The crowd hushed as the MC handed the mic to the next speaker. The freshman class sat in anticipation, having no idea what kind of treat they were in for. Suddenly, as the speaker began to talk, she was interrupted by an obnoxious sound. The freshman looked around in confusion. What on earth is going on? Suddenly, RAs were rising to their feet and waving their hands, moving from every direction toward the front of the room.

Two words: flash. mob.

[i apologize in for the video quality and the music being off in the end...it wasn't my camera]

During FYF (Trinity's freshman welcome weekend), the leadership groups on campus put on an SNL event for the freshman class. The act that stole the show: the entire RA staff surprised the freshman by doing a flash mob.

In addition to this funtivity, I have been having a blast with my floor of wonderful girls! Here are some of the things we have done so far: First Burst (an epic battle of water games), a huge sleepover in the Chapel when it was too hot to breathe in South Hall, a campus version of the Amazing Race, a trip to the mall [and some things coming up...] a prayer walk, a trip to Coldstone for free ice cream, tie dye, and more. It should be a fun year! :)

Fantasy Football #2

2011-09-05T15:03:00.001-05:00

Here's the link: http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/f1/register/tos?league_id=827506&password=lombardi

Check it out and sign-in. League name is Yous Kids, Password is lombardi for grandpa and our Packer friends. Killed me to do that. Any Questions, let me know

Fantasy Football Anyone?

2011-08-29T12:06:00.002-05:00

Thought it may be fun to have a family fantasy football league this year. If you're interested, comment on the blog post here and I'll set it up. We don't have time to coordinate a live draft so we will allow our service to pick for us. (I'm thinking yahoo.) I'll draw numbers out of a hat for ranking and they will fill our rosters.

For those who've never played it doesn't take much time at all during the week and gives you interest in every NFL game. Will also provide some good opportunities for trash talk.

Let me know by Thursday if you're interested.

Jason

Birchwood According to Keith

2011-08-21T13:21:00.002-05:00

A week ago the population in Birchwood, WI spiked to 522. With the departure of the Van Drunen's it is down to 518 just like the sign says. My Nextel gets lousy service but "no service is a welcome sight when you are on vacation." Cher was helping Liz and Eric with adjustments to their water skiing techniques when they challenged their Mom to walk the walk or in this case ski the ski. So Cher booted up her Tommy Bartletts, popped out of the water, and showed two of her kids she is still one year away from old age. Noteable Quotes: Bucks Ace Hardware - "Need a penny, take one. Need two, get a job." B.P. Gas Station - "This is a pickup point for animal fur, call --------- for more information." On the radio - "Cumberlands is having a rutabaga festival, send in your favorite recipe and win $25 if yours is a winner." First of all what is a rutabaga? An Osprey came within 20' of our boat to pick up a fish off the surface of the water. Its wing span had to be six feet. That will be remembered. A Monarch butterfly came to rest on Liz's foot for 1/2 hour. I think she got 20 pictures of it. There are now two Kayaks at the cottage. We may post a documented deep water entry attempt on the blog. It was not pretty. My father-in-law relayed some advice he received early in his business years from a Jewish client of his. Always get pricing on items being purchased, don't leave an open contract. I neglected that advice when we ordered dessert at the Blue Hills Inn. The credit card charge was $981.00. Upon further review they apologized for the $900 overcharge and in all reality the meal was almost worth $981. Emily had to work this week and could not come with us. As the years march on I can remember playing pinochle with Grandpa and Grandma Voss like it was 3 years ago. Fish cleaning houses are special places. Capital punishment may not be severe enough for a guy who leaves a fish house in less than perfect condition. There are not many things in life that will hurt more than a fellow respected fisherman chiding you about your fish house etiquette. This is something that should be passed through the generations. If you have a chance, go to Murphy's Flowage to listen to quietness. The occasional call of the loon will break the silence. On the way back from the Blue Hills the sunset lit up the sky with a shade of orange that has not been produced by Crayola yet. As John Denver put it "I've seen it raining fire in the sky." If you are too young to know JD google him or something. How can Joe's Bait Shop let you serve yourself and leave the money on the counter? I left 50 cents more just because. We found homemade jams on a table near Tagalong. Put your money in a box. Would that work back home? I think it still would work 3/4 of the way back home in Cedar Grove. Spending some time in a town such as Birchwood puts things in perspective. Is it a better place to live than we are now? I don't know, but it can be a wonderful experience. I have learned the three seasons in WI are pre-season - Packer season - post-season - repeat.

Xander Crawling

2011-08-21T12:59:00.001-05:00

I promised a video of Xander crawling a while back. Here he is doing his thing this afternoon.

YouTube Video

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Big girl

2011-08-20T07:47:00.001-05:00

Sawyer's growing up too fast!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tunnel Vision

2011-08-17T13:47:00.001-05:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sounders' March

2011-08-15T11:35:00.002-05:00

A lot has happened in the last few months: graduation; two months of studying for the bar; and most recently, an epic cross-country trip in celebration of the completion of the bar exam. Phase 1 . . . Seattle!

Heidi and I travelled to Seattle and stayed by one of her good friends. There were a lot of great sites to see. Below are some of the highlights.

On the Rattlesnake Ledge trail with my friend Hans Zeiger, a Washington State Legislator

Perhaps the most delicious cappuccino I've ever had, courtesy of Espresso Vivace

A necessary visit to the original Filson store

On our final night in Seattle, we were able to take in a soccer game. The Seattle Sounders took on F.C. San Francisco from Panama in the first round of the CONCACAF Champions League. The Sounders won the match 1-0 and won the series by scoring an overtime goal. The atmosphere was amazing, and began even before the game started. As part of Sounders' tradition, we joined the "March to the Match" as fans processed from a nearby park to the stadium. Along the way we chanted Sounders' cheers to boost our team spirit. Below is an except of one of the cheers.

If you ever get the chance to visit the city, I highly recommend it.

Xander the Stander

2011-08-05T10:11:00.001-05:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Jason's Ordination

2011-08-04T19:37:00.001-05:00

I felt compelled to write a little something to update you all about Jason's ordination at Faith that I had the privilege to attend last night. I apologize for the fact that I have no pictures! Grandpa gave the charge for Jason before the ordination became official, beginning with "This is truly the season of B-L-T," and followed with a three-point speech about how he needs to love the Word of God and henceforth Belive It, Live It, and Teach It. He finished with a story from a trip with Frank and Marie Drown about an Ecuadorian woman who has full confidence that her son, killed by a poisonous snake, is now in heaven. Grandpa closed by telling Jason that he needs to go out with urgency and bring the Word to a world full of snake-bitten people.

There were also some solid small sermons given by Pastor Bouwer and Pastor Pitsenberger (my new personal favorite). Basically, it was a great night of giving God the glory for bestowing Jason and the other guys there with gifts useful for serving the church. And I have to say, the whole event was a little poignant for me (and I am sure for most others in our family), as almost exactly two years ago to the day we sat gathered in front of that same stage for Nikki's funeral. It's cool to see God's faithfulness to our family through all the high and lows. And keeping us united together in the process.

Congrats to Jason and family - it was awesome to see!

Ms Expressive Eats Breakfast

2011-07-31T19:27:00.003-05:00

Sawyer is one of the more expressive children you'll meet. This morning, she was particularly happy while she ate her Cherios for breakfast. I basically took my camera while she was eating and just went rapid-fire click-click-click-click to capture her every face that she made. Here is the result.

Jason's ordination and graduation party

2011-07-30T21:04:00.002-05:00

I sent out an e-vite, but just wanted to be sure that everyone got the invitation to Jason's graduation party and ordination. The ordination is on Wednesday at 7:00 at Faith Dyer. Grandpa is giving Jason's charge. The party is on Saturday, from 2-5 (Open House) at Faith Dyer. Let me know if you have any questions. Hope to see you there!

Xander's Crawling and Sawyer to the Big Girl Bed

2011-07-23T22:17:00.001-05:00

Family update: Xander's crawling (video soon) and starting to pull himself up to standing. Sawyer has just made the transition to her "Big Girl" bed. She loves it.

Celebrity Sighting

2011-07-18T21:05:00.000-05:00

Besides spending the last week lounging by the pool in Parker Lakes, we've enjoyed a couple trips to the beach, including dinner at the Beached Whale (picture below), ice cream at the Love Boat, night swims at Fantasy Island, shopping trips during a thunderstorm, Bananagrams at the dining room table, and late night stops at Publix...

Tonight we spotted a celebrity while picking up a couple items to provide breakfast for the next two days......

Even Frank Torino shops at Publix. Everyone....we witnessed Elvis out of costume...and couldn't believe our eyes....

And to think just nights earlier we were serenaded by him at the Parrot Key...

(and Kim would like to let the sisters know....she got a ring:)

also...Scott- we miss you!

VanDrunen Open

2011-07-18T17:31:00.001-05:00

and we'll have fun, fun, fun till daddy takes the T-Bird away

2011-07-12T19:30:00.003-05:00

I know many of you have been waiting for this day and counting down the days on your calendar just as I have been for the arrival of THE BEACH BOYS at the Porter County Fair! They are playing on Saturday, July 23rd at 7:30 p.m. Kristen and I were talking and I believe that their whole family wanted to attend and I will be going for sure, so we wanted to make sure all of you knew that the offer is on the table for whoever would like to join us!!! Even though only 3 of the original boys are alive, they are still just as good:) So let us know so we can buy tickets in the same area!

I need addresses!

2011-07-12T18:41:00.002-05:00

Hello, everyone!
I am getting ready to send out jason's evite invitation to his ordination and graduation party, but I don't have everyone's e-mails. Would you send them to me in the comments? I also need them for those who are not married, but aren't living in your parents' household. Also... I need auntie lee and auntie jean's. Thank you!!! If I don't hear from you, consider yourself knocked off the list. J/K!! :)

in case you didn't know...

2011-06-27T00:04:00.002-05:00

So I decided that I better share this with the fam. in case you all wanted to see what's happening in my life/photography business....my blogs:

1. my best friend and I have a summer bucket list and we created a blog to write about our adventures...check it out at www.beckyallie.blogspot.com

2. my photography blog... www.1023photography.blogspot.com

In case you are bored...check them out :)

Dominik and Rudi's Chicago Segway Tour

2011-06-23T22:18:00.002-05:00

My German cousin Dominik Gesch visited the Gesch fam for the past two weeks. He came by our house on Thursday and Friday before flying back home.

We spent the day in Chicago and hit up a Segway Tour. It was AWESOME! I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested.

Actually, you can help me out. This Segway company (www.chicagosegwaytour.com) will actually refund my ticket it this video gets 300+ views. Hope you enjoy!

Happy Birthday Auntie Jean!

2011-06-20T06:57:00.001-05:00

As you'll no doubt notice from the family calendar, it's Auntie Jean's birthday. Happy B-day to you, Auntie Jean!

Every time I hear Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," I typically replace it with "Auntie Jean" (and disregard the rest of the subject matter and content of the song). So... in honor of Auntie Jean, please play the Michael Jackson song above and enjoy.

AFRICA

2011-06-16T12:59:00.002-05:00

Dear Family,

As many of you know, I will be heading to Ethiopia on Saturday night for a 3 week trip with a group from our church. I am very excited about this and how God will use us to teach adults about teaching children about the Bible. I will be sharing more when I come back! Have fun at the golf outing and see you all later this summer :)

Disclaimer: I am not Liz or Anna and therefore will not have an amazing blog to share ;) But I'd love to show you pictures when I get back!

That's the Way It Is

2011-06-11T01:10:00.000-05:00

If Rudi and Anna are allowed to live near each other for any length of time.. expect results like this. That's the way it is.

Family Golf Outing

2011-06-09T21:35:00.002-05:00

Our tee-off time at River Point Golf Course in Hobart, Indiana, is 12:00 noon. (6700 Country Club Rd.)

Mike & Kim have graciously offered to have supper at their home after we golf. Those who are not golfing can stay at their home. We have capable family members to care for those who will be at Kim & Mike's home.

Our menu will be: hamburgers, brats, hot dogs, chips, drinks, and ( you will be able to sign up for a dish at Conor's graduation party.)

We are looking for someone to help arrange 4-somes. We will have a list of golfers at Conor's party also.

Let us know if you have any questions.

Indonesia!

2011-06-09T09:52:00.002-05:00

As most of you know, I am teaching in Indonesia for a few weeks this summer! I thought I would share the link to my blog if you feeling like hearing more about it!

http://elizabethvandrunen.blogspot.com/

Disclaimer: Elizabeth Van Drunen is not Anna Gesch. So if blog posts aren't intellectually stimulating, cunning, clever, creative and all of the above, or not up for book publishing immediately after completion, you know why ;)

Xander June 2011

2011-06-08T22:23:00.001-05:00

6 months old! (December 7th).

Alex's Graduation!

2011-06-07T11:34:00.000-05:00

Karen, Nick, and grandma crammed into the backseat :)

processing in

Alex and Heidi - officially graduated!

at a reception the night before graduation

New York City

Yous Kids are moving up in the world! Congrats to all the graduates this year from high school, college, and further education too. Here are a few pics from our trip to New Haven, Connecticut earlier in May for Alex's graduation from Yale! Grandma, Grandpa, Nick, Karen, my parents, and I went to the East Coast for the ceremony. The ceremony itself was rained out before the graduates could walk across the stage and the law school had a pathetic plan B: run inside in a free-for-all fashion. But after we were all crammed inside a smaller auditorium, they announced each person's name for an opportunity to be recognized and shake hands (or awkwardly hug) the Dean. Even with rain, it was a very cool atmosphere with some really interesting people. The rest of our time there was spent exploring New Haven, New York City, and Mystic Harbor. Alex is currently studying for the bar in New Haven for the next short while until he comes back to Wisconsin for his clerkship. So proud of Alex (and Heidi too!) for this amazing accomplishment.

Jason's graduation

2011-06-05T21:25:00.004-05:00

We had an awesome weekend in MN celebrating Jason graduation at Bethel. We were so thankful to have our parents and grandparents there. Grandpa and grandma came from Birchwood and met us there and the rest of us caravaned. The graduation ceremony was great and the keynote speaker was Wes Stafford from Compassion - awesome. After graduation, Jason's favorite prof had some of the guys from Jason's cohort over for a cookout. We all were invited and it was nice to get to know the families of the guys who have been so important to Jason over the past 5 years.

Van Drunen Heating Salutes Veterans

2011-06-01T15:38:00.002-05:00

Monday, Van Drunen Heating had an entry in the "Wooden Shoe Parade" in South Holland. (I'm sure they call it something else now, but I'm old school.) The entry consisted of Keith driving the pick-up (good job if you can get it), Cher and Karen handing out magnets and coupons, Eric, Liz, Anneke, Justin and Kate handing out candy and the Nickster and me making sure no kids were crushed under the second vehicle.

The second vehicle was a restored "Half-track" Army vehicle. (Wheels on the front, tracks in the back). The half-track was carrying precious cargo in the form of World War II veterans. What an honor to meet these heroes and hear their stories as the gathered at Grandma and Grandpa's prior to the parade and once we reached the park.

Here are some pics:

Recent Kids

2011-05-22T15:19:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since I shared some pictures of the kids. I'm rectifying that today.

Homes Needed

2011-05-15T18:59:00.000-05:00

The first item looking for a home is this "Mind Challenge" book that was left at the Vanderzee house on Easter. They are looking for someone to claim it...or will give it to the person with the highest bid.

The second item that needs a home is a pair of spiffy brown shoes valued at $79.99. They were ordered online by relation to the VanDyke family and are not returnable. They are size 11 and are in mint condition. If interested, contact Karyl. (She may even give them to you for free...or possibly for a small amount of physical labor. :)

Jumping and Singing With Sawyer

2011-05-11T16:13:00.000-05:00

Bubble popping and twinkling stars... all in a day's work for a 2 year old girl.

Van Drunen Golf Outing

2011-05-10T17:17:00.002-05:00

Dear Family, We have secured the River Pointe Golf Course for our Golf Outing this year. The date is Saturday, June 18, at 12:00 noon. The address is: 6700 Country Club Road, Hobart, IN 46342. The phone number is: (219)942-2747; www.riverpointecc.net. The course is a couple of miles from the church where Taylor and Nicole got married. We played 9 holes there yesterday - we think it is a good course for our family. The people in the club house were very friendly.

Following is a list of those we presume are playing: (Please let us know of any corrections or additions as soon possible)

Grandpa
Grandma
Nick
Karen
Jason
Kristin
Kyle
Kelly
Kathy
Brian
Rudi
Keith
Cheryl
Emily
Eric
Kim
Mike
Scott
Mark
Kelly
Jim
Taylor
Casey
Karyl
Dyke
Craig
Conor
Cole
Sam

Lost in Translation

2011-05-08T20:08:00.001-05:00

Here's a picture of a Pakistani rally. The crowd is anti-America and pro Bin-laden. They are TRYING to say, "America- get out of our country." Instead they wrote "Go America Go."

Thought this was hilarious.

Girls' softball schedule

2011-05-02T17:31:00.002-05:00

Hi! I've been asked to post Anneke and Kate's softball schedule, so here it is. The field is at Heartland Park in St. John by the Ice Arena.

May 7 (Opening Day) - Anneke - 10:00 (4) Kate - 1:00 (4)
May 9 - Anneke - 6:00 (1)
May 11 - Kate - 6:00 (3)
May 16 - Anneke - 6:00 (1)
May 17 - Anneke - 6:00 (3)
May 19 - Anneke - 6:00 (3)
May 20 - Anneke - 7:30 (1)
May 23 - Kate - 6:00 (4)
May 25 - Kate - 6:00 (4)
May 31 - Anneke - 6:00 (1)

June 1 - Kate- 6:00 (3)
June 6 - Kate - 6:00 (4)
June 8 - Anneke - 7:30 (2)
June 9 - Kate- 6:00 (3) Anneke - 7:30 (2)
June 13 - Kate - 7:30 (3)
June 14 - Anneke - 7:30 (1)
June 20 - Kate - 7:30 (3)

We enjoy going to the "big cousin's" games, so if anyone else has schedules, we would love to have them!

Last day of class

2011-04-29T08:33:00.002-05:00

The end of an era. This is what 21 years of formal education looks like. I guess I still have those pesky little things known as exams ahead of me, but as for classes, it is all over.

Van Drunen Golf Outing

2011-04-26T21:17:00.002-05:00

We are trying to come up with a golf date that most of our family can attend. Now we are looking at Saturday, June 18. We have to contact the golf course yet, but want to nail down a date first. Please let us know as soon as possible if this date works for you....Grandma & Grandpa Van Drunen

Thought Yous Cubs fans would like this...

2011-04-25T22:47:00.005-05:00

4 Timothy Christian administrators were given a pretty sweet gift tonight. We were given just about the best possible cubs tickets- literally 3 rows from the field in the owners box. Amazing experience (though I'm not a fan of the team). It was misting rain for a big part of the game and it was cold... but it was AWESOME.

The last picture... yeah, that's three of us with Cub's owner Tom Ricketts. I told him to add a jumbotron to wrigley field. He declined my suggestion.

Some Wedding Pics!

2011-04-13T18:53:00.003-05:00

So I feel that I have slightly failed at my photographer duties at Taylor & Nicole's wedding, for which I sincerely apologize. Here are the few pictures that I do have...

Be sure to take note of the classy club we went to in between the wedding and reception :)

Timothy Jog-a-thon: Head's Up, Yous Kids!

2011-04-12T09:20:00.002-05:00

Some of Yous Kids will be receiving a Timothy Christian jog-a-thon mailer. (I work at TC for those of you who don't know). If you receive this mailer, you're one of 10 address that I sent these to as part of a school-wide fund raiser. While Timothy is certainly a good cause, PLEASE don't feel any pressure to give if you don't want to. This entire program is based on encouragement of mailers sent OUT, not on money coming IN. We're trying to get everyone on campus to participate, so I needed to do this as an example for students. Just wanted to give you a head's up so that you didn't think ol' Rudi was trying to bilk you out of money!

Pictures?

2011-04-07T12:00:00.001-05:00

Anybody got pictures from Taylor's wedding? It'd be cool to see some.

Xander and Roll

2011-04-01T21:25:00.002-05:00

Indiana's Next Top Models

2011-03-24T20:04:00.010-05:00

Check out our family "top models" that strutted their stuff at the Bible League Luncheon last week. Their wardrobe choices came from the Bible League thrift store. I believe grandma purchased the wedding dress Kelly modeled, just in case one of her granddaughters is interested in wearing it someday. Aunt Lee, Aunt Jean, and their friend Judy also attended the lunch. Keelan was quite entertaining as he walked the runway and charmed the ladies in the room.

Tournament Time

2011-03-15T12:35:00.003-05:00

Not that we're a competitive family or anything, but it has been a while since we played "Which Kid is it?" at Christmas. So, here's your chance. Compete in our first bracket challenge for March Madness. Go to: http://youskids.mayhem.cbssports.com/e and our password is: elmer . You may need to set-up a CBS Sportsline id and password first, but that is free.

An Awesome Alta, Utah Adventure

2011-03-13T23:46:00.012-05:00

The VanDyke family just returned home from an awesome vacation with the Wories family. We are so lucky to have an "uncle John" who loves to get together with the whole family and have fun. We skied for 5 days in Alta, Utah. There were 19 of us. We all took private lessons (which we all needed). The view was amazing, the runs were incredible, the food was delicious (an in-house chef), the fellowship memorable, and our muscles a bit sore.....but so worth it!!!!

Stand-up Routine From College Circa 2003

2011-03-11T14:57:00.004-06:00

OK, Liz... your talent show video has inspired me to share...

Back in 2003, I created a stand-up comedy routine that I performed at Trinity Christian College's "OPUS" (TCC's annual spring-time academic festival). A buddy of mine taped the performance... and from there the video footage has been on quite a journey.

The VHS was at my parents' home in WI... and taken home to Ecuador by foreign exchange student Juan Pablo Bueno (referenced in the third video). Apparently, Juan thought that the VHS video was for him. Years later, I connected with Juan on Facebook, and asked him for a copy of the video. He mailed it to me in DVD format... but the discs were scratched. So another friend of mine fixed the dvds and I loaded them online.

Anyway... available now for the first time online... here's my performance. Some of the stuff is Trinity-specific or even 2003 specific, but I thought it was worth a few laughs.

Mark & Xander Resemblence

2011-03-08T00:05:00.006-06:00

I know that Mark is older than Xander is these pictures, but they are the best pictures I could access from school to show you how much Xander resembles Mark in the last picture Rudi posted (which I reposted to make it easier to compare). Check it out...I think they look pretty similar in the first picture..I think it's the nose :)
(also take a moment to appreciate Scott's adorable good looks and my obviously trendy hair cut in both photos)

Family Pictures and Updates

2011-03-05T14:12:00.001-06:00

A couple of recent family pictures and updates:

Xander was baptized on February 20th. He's growing quite a bit and changing every day. I think that he looks like Uncle Alex in these pictures. Sawyer is talking at a ridiculous rate, and we're all ALMOST sleeping through the night.

One of my Dreams achieved - cross it off my bucket list

2011-02-25T12:03:00.003-06:00

Nick & I began our adventure at 2am yesterday. We traveled to Titusville to view the last launch of Space Shuttle Discovery. We arrived at 6:30 to claim our great spot and spent the day with "a couple thousand of our closest friends". It was a fun atmosphere and excitement built as countdown approached. Communications from NASA were broadcast into the park. Around T minus 20min. it was announced there was a glitch with East coast computer screens & the mission was a "no go" until T minus 2min., at which point the NASA commander would make the final decision to "go" or scrub the mission... we could hear the Discovery commander saying they were ready to go, weather was a go, the glass tile was fixed after coming off during the locking of the hatch, Kennedy & Houston were a go... (I must admit I was praying hard) and at 2 min. we heard her say, "it's a go"! Count down continued until blast off at 4:50pm... we were able to see the ignition fire, the shuttle launching with a trail of orange fire (the narrator over the speakers announced that this fire could drain an average swimming pool in 25 seconds), and witnessed the boosters coming off as the shuttle separated ... soon we heard, "Discovery, you are in space".
Wow, it was emotional & AWESOME!... Nick captured this picture.
We arrived back at Ft. Myers at 1:45 this morning. Our van left Space View Park at 5:20 & traffic was so congested it took us until 10pm to reach the Orlando expressway... So we had a 23hrs. 45min. adventure for 4min. of viewing to the naked eye, I had binoculars so I watched for another 3-4min... as Nick says he loves me, but it was a once in a lifetime experience!... Incredible!
We kept in contact with Mom & Dad and they were able to view the launch from a fish camp near Mims... also a great time.

Dordt College Talent Show 2011

2011-02-21T12:45:00.004-06:00

Dordt had is annual talent show last Saturday night. The BJHaan Auditorium was packed full of students. Following an impressive voice impersonator, superb glow stick routine, inspiring piano duet and more, at 11p.m. my friends and I were the last act to perform. We had a lot of fun making the routine up. The people who's heads you see are using their hands to be the feet, and each have a person standing behind them acting as arms. Hopefully that makes sense : ) My roommate's Rochelle and Amber are on the left, my friends Josh and Dan are in the middle, and my friend Katie and I are on the right. Our friend Doug, nicknamed "Dougie Fresh" was our surprise guest, and two of our engineering friends were kind enough to help us build the stage. Enjoy!

Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJHLVtkHDv8&feature=player_embedded

VanDrunen Movie Star Look-A-Likes

2011-02-17T17:17:00.003-06:00

So I've have been house sitting at Kyle and Kelly's casa for a few days now and I wake up every morning to a photo of Keelan. Every time I see it, I see a stunning resemblance of Channing Tatum(a big time movie star). I decided that I needed the family to determine if we might have a future movie star in the making. On a scale of 1 to 10 you can cast your vote on The VanDrunen Movie Star Look-A-Like Game. Standard blog rates may apply.

I've got all my sisters with me!

2011-02-13T14:14:00.013-06:00

Leaving the cold and snow behind, all six sisters (Yes, "Sharon" is officially a sister) along with adopted sister Sue, enjoyed a WONDERFUL week in Florida. Our time was spent relaxing, reading, swimming, "punching it down" in water aerobics, shopping, talking, laughing, dining out, cheering on the Pack (except for the sister who was too nervous to watch), visiting Pastor Dave TerBeest and Lambert (our new best friend) and celebrating Kelly's 50th birthday with Elvis. FUN time was had by all.

TCC Alumni 3-on-3 Champs

2011-02-11T09:43:00.001-06:00

Every year, Trinity Christian College hosts an alumni 3-on-3 basketball tournament for Alumni. There's always the competitive division and the recreational division. My team (Los Polos Locos) is made up of soccer players who really don't have any discernable basketball skills... we're remotely athletic and we like to play.

For the last 5 years, our team has been slowly getting better, and this year (last Saturday)we won the "best of the rest" rec. league title. It's not quite a Connor or Green Bay Packer level of accomplishment... but then, what is?

Other observations from these pictures- man am I getting fat and bald!

2011-02-05T09:57:00.003-06:00

Wes and I have great news.......We are ENGAGED!!!

The short story of this: 1.God moved powerfully. 2. We obeyed (Praise God for strength to do so) 3. Now God is preparing us for marriage. And we are so excited!

Mark your calendars. Our wedding date is Saturday, November 19, 2011. :)

Blizzard of 2011

2011-02-03T11:43:00.003-06:00

Thought it would be cool to share some pictures from the aftermath of the "Snowpocalypse". Yes, that's a pile of snow bigger than Sawyer (who's now 3 feet tall at age 2). Through some raw man-power, I cleared our driveway... took about 2 hours.

Timothy Christian (the school I work at) has had 2 straight snow days. Here's one amazing picture of a huge snow drift that literally engulfed our middle school entrance:

So there's some from our neck of the woods... anybody else got some to share?

blue harbor photo book

2011-01-30T08:06:00.001-06:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

White Boy Can Jump

2011-01-24T17:19:00.005-06:00

What you are about to witness has not been edited or modified in any way. This was streaming video of a Kouts- Washington rivalry game. During the second quarter of play, both teams were changing leads like an Earnhardt- Waltrip Winston Cup Race. Until one player..... and one play..... changed the momentum for good. This comes from the region's(northwest Indiana and southeast Illinois) current rebounding leader(10.2 game), who averages a double-double, along with 1.7 blocks per game followed by 1.6 steals a game. Kouts ending up winning this game somewhere around 75-43. In this back-to-back dunkathon, the second dunk is provided by Kouts player Stephen Keller. Ladies and Gentlemen..... Dr. C, Air Conor, Conor the Stilt, Pistol C........ Conor VanDyke.

The Great White Dwight

2011-01-23T14:45:00.002-06:00

Karen shared a link with me, so I thought I'd throw it on to Yous Kids. Looks like Conor, in addition to being an all-around nice human being, is another one of the elite athletes in the Van Fam Clan. Read the full article here.

To further prove that Conor's the man... he's a Packer's fan.

Da Bears!

2011-01-21T12:22:00.003-06:00