The Dirk Dykstra Family

Christmas 2009

2009-12-25T21:38:00Z

Christmas in Texas - 2009

We welcome you to our home on Christmas and hope you enjoy our photos.

Dirk II is ready and excited on Christmas morning.

It appears that Santa, once again, managed to find our home and to stop by with a few presents.

Everyone received a stocking stuffed with goodies and candy. (All fat-free and sugar-free.)

The family members spent weeks hunting around for the perfect gift. A lot of love and care went into the selections and wrapping.

Santa sent musical instruments to the grandkids so that we will be surrounded by melodious sounds.

Wow! Look at those new pajamas - cool!

The girl with necklaces helps out grandma with her new book.

This is one of those old-fashioned, solid metal planes. The kind that will last forever. Excellent!

Lisa had John's favorite books reconditioned and resoled. You could hear his feet exclaim their joy.

John found a beautiful skirt for Lisa. (You can see the Disney parade on the TV.)

John gave Lisa one of those gifts that take your breath away. (Necklace and earrings)

John's present seems a little too much like work. Hmmm.

Dirk II found the perfect coffee grinder for Dawn.

Dawn has Ocean's 11 & 12 to peruse at her leisure.

John was excited about his cell phone holder. Evidently his cell phone was lonely and needed held.

Holly sat near the Santa presents and we think snuck a peek to see which was hers.

Dawn got mom the book "The Secret" by Beverly Lewis.

Dad is checking out the calendar from Silvana. One of her pictures on every month. (Hey. What happened to his hair?)

Everyone enjoyed the giving. Each present was so thoughtfully selected that we all felt a part of the gift.

Everyone paused for the traditional Christmas morning breakfast.

Dad got a box full of new shirts from mom.

A real Mr. Potato Head. This brings back many memories.

Dirk II receives an Atlas of the Universe. Impressive.

Grandma gets some beautiful new work clothes.

More clothes for the princess.

Monoploy Junior - start them young on Monopoly and watch the fun begin for the Real Estate Tycoon.

A whole box of Dora the Explorer books. Wow!

Who would have thought? Lisa is excited about cookware.

Speaking of food - Grandma gets a super food sealer. She has always wanted one.

Pajamas from Great Grandma Dykstra - with footies.

Dirk II has a new Dan Brown thriller from his grandparents.

Dad will have all the Ocean's movies to watch, including the one with the rat pack.

Lisa will now be able to start her own Scrabble empire. Look out - she i going to practice a lot!

Having so much fun can be tiring.

A little fun for everyone.

Well, isn't this a most beautiful and sneeky young lady. Love the new dress.

Of course Texas is a rough place, that is why everyone needs a dragon fighter with a dragon fighting sword.

Christmas around here is so much about family and giving. We hope that yours was the same. God gave his son to us whom he loves and we do what little that we can to give what we can to those we love.

God Bless and may you have a wonderful New Year.

2009 - Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T17:53:00Z

Thanksgiving Returns!

Dawn comes to Texas to visit. She traveled far and wide to dcorate the Dykstra's Christmas Tree.

Dawn has a lot of help with the tree. (Jordan and Scarlett provided valuable assistance.)

Aunt Dalayna and family prepared an excellent dinner!

Dad cannot believe that the whole plate of Kringle is not for him. (He already ate one plate full. LOL)
{Uncle Albeso and Daniella are having fun. Dirk and Uncle John are solving world problems.}

It was a wonderful day and the family was able to catch up on the news.
{Aunt Chris, Dawn, Aunt Dalayna, and cousin Miranda take care of the kitchen work.}

We hope that your Thanksgiving was as wonderful as ours. Thanks to all who traveled to spend time with family and thanks to those who prepared places for all who came by.

Fashion & Fun in the Fall of 2009

2009-11-15T20:40:00Z

Fashion & Fun
Fall 2009

Fall Fashion Show Starring: Silvana

Love the colors.

So serious and so innocent.

You have got to love those curls!

Interesting expression - what was she thinking?

Another great hat.

The shirt is soooo cute!

Taking a break from the fashion show to teach Dad how to play ball.
(See the ball in the air - great photography!)

Auntie Dawn loves to come by for the fashion shows.

That's all for now! Please stop by for the next show.

Halloween in Wisconsin - 2009

2009-10-31T20:24:00Z

Halloween in Wisconsin - 2009

Pumpkin Design by: Silvana

Halloween goodies from Grandma & Grandpa Dykstra.

A Halloween visit from a witch. (Auntie Dawn) Check out that face.

Hunting for the "right" pumpkin takes time and talent.

She needs just a little help from her Dad!

Now this is the fun part.

She has no trouble digging deep and cleaning out the pumpkin. Fun!

The pumpkin is ready and now it is time to "Trick or Treat."

Clearly her mom built a beautiful costume for a beautiful girl. Way to go and ready to roll!

Ann, Silvana, and Damon - a Halloween to remember. Thanks for the photos and memories.

We hope that you and yours had a great Halloween.

2009 - Halloween

2009-10-31T17:46:00Z

Halloween 2009 in Texas

The ladybugs are very big here. This one is known as Scarlett.

Batman showed up to help find the candy. Jordan had the noisemaker for quite a while.

The grandkids wanted their mom to dress up too!

The Thorlinthian Royal family was represented by Dragondii - he was in charge of the Home Guard on Halloween.

Please check out the Wisconsin Halloween. We hope your family had as much fun as we did.

Happy Halloween.

Dad leads the parade

2009-10-24T14:50:00Z

Homcoming Parade

Dad drove his convertible in Cotulla High School's Homecoming parade on October 22nd. He was given the honor of transporting the Superintendent of Schools, Mrs. Elizabeth Saenz.

The Parade and Bonfire were both a great success with higher turnouts for participants and fans than in recent history. To view a small sample of the parade, check out this link: http://smilebox.com/playEmail/4d5445354e7a63304d7a4a384d6a45334d546b784e546b3d0d0a&sb=1 or you can visit the school website at http://www.cotullaisd.org

Lisa and John's Wedding

2009-07-18T21:18:00Z

Lisa and John's Wedding

Dad gives away the bride. (They were laughing as they came in.)

A beautiful ceremony.

A beautiful couple.

Making it all legal.

The wedding party.

The happy wedded couple.

The bride's parents.

The groom's parents.

Some of the bride's family.

Some of the groom's family.

The wonderful cake.

Everyone is ready for some cake.

The wedding dance with Dad. (His knees held up and Mom snuck in a dance also.)

Off to the honeymoon!

It was a beautiful ceremony and everyone had a good time. Wish all the friends and relatives could have made it.

Mom has a new job.

2009-07-01T23:41:00Z

07/01/2009

Today mom started a new job in Pearsall, TX. She is the new Special Education Director for Cluster XII, which includes Pearsall ISD, Dilley ISD, and Cotulla ISD.

The three districts together make for a sizable student population and this is a serious promotion. This job will be challenging and involves three very distinctive Independent School District. We are all very proud of mom and are positive she will once again do a fantastic job. ...

Lisa is Engaged!

2009-06-19T23:29:00Z

06/19/2009

Lisa is engaged to be married. Today, John Hardy Benton, asked Lisa to be his wife. They will be married on July 18th, 2009. The wedding will be a small family affair at her family's house in Texas.

They make a great couple.

Dad is a High School Principal

2009-06-02T23:07:00Z

Today, June 2, 2009, is Dad's first day on the job as the new High School Principal in Cotulla.

Cotulla High School is a 2A school with approximately 330 students. This is a great opportunity and Dad is looking forward to the challenge. More information on the school can be found at http://www.cotullaisd.org.

Bike Rodeo

2009-04-25T21:15:00Z

Jordan was able to compete in a bike rodeo in Carrizo Springs at the Junior High.

He stayed right on the line and did a great job!

All of the contestants received a new helmet in the school color - purple.

Jordan had a great time!

Military Ball - April 2009

2009-04-22T22:49:00Z

Military Ball - April 2009

Dirk II and Lisa attended the Spring Military Ball for the ROTC candidates at the University of South Alabama. The had a great evening with close friends and fellow classmates.

Good friends and a good time.

A group of professional models?

Dirk II and Erica at the ball.

The Fantastic Four.

Having a great time.

Dancing the night away.

Good friends, great atmosphere, and fun.

It was a wonderful night and everyone had a good time.

Spring Visit to Six Flags Fiesta Texas

2009-04-10T21:37:00Z

Six Flags Fiesta Texas

There is nothing like a spring visit to Fiesta Texas. The weather is perfect and the lines are short. The kids had a blast as they rode on many rides and watched shows.

Grandma went on many rides. Oh Yeah - to take the grandkids!

Up, Up, and Away we go.

Wow! That was very fun - look at those faces.

The Wiggles have shows for the kids to watch.

There are quite a few characters, singing, and dancing.

Grandma's favorite ride. Oops - Grandma suffering by taking grandkids on a cup ride. LOL

These rides are really intense.

Jordan also got to ride in a white car. Things have to be fair.

Scarlett loved riding the horse on the Merry-Go-Round.

Jordan's ride was a little wilder. Although he did not want any help - big boy.

However, Jordan loved the plane ride. If you pushed the button, it would go way up.

Of course we had to go on our favorite - the train ride.

The day was long and tiring. Someone could not stay awake for dinner.

We all had a blast and the day was excellent.

Christmas in Carrizo

2008-12-25T16:45:00Z

Christmas 2008

The spirit of giving is alive as the greatest gift from our Father is remembered in the manner of the three Wisemen.

Dirk II receives a beautiful cross with a little help.

Fantastic food was in abundance!

The reason for the season in a most unique gift.

Holly appreciates her warm and fuzzy. - Yes even in Texas we like sweaters.

Absolutely cool crash cars.

Someone was very happy and I think thought all the presents were hers. (At least to inspect.)

She was right about this one. Although the toes barely touch.

Excellent equipment for those cold mornings going to school.

Grandma loved her gifts.

It wouldn't be Christmas without something Star Wars showing up.

Everyone had LOTS of fun!

We hope that you and yours had as wonderful a time as we did. Perhaps someday the entire family will be able to come together for Christmas. We keep the hope alive.

Merry Christmas and God Bless!

Thanksgiving Visitors

2008-11-26T20:05:00Z

Thanksgiving - 2008

This Thanksgiving was full of visitors and family. Everyone had a great time and ate way too much.

Everyone is so scared of Grandpa and his rule about no animals in the house. (There is even video of the bunny, Daisy, running around the house loose.)

Grandpa is trying hard not to notice the "bunny" in the house. Fortunately pie seems to help.

Dawn was here and brought her Christmas presents as she was not going to be home for that holiday.

Dawn became the prize chair for a certain duo.

Someone looks rather happy. It was nice to have visitors from Alabama also.

Thanksgiving is time to thank God for all the blessings in our lives and we had tons to be grateful for. We hope your holiday was a good one also.

Thanksgiving Cookies

2008-11-24T20:46:00Z

Thanksgiving Preparation

It takes a lot to get ready for all of the visitors. Two super helpers stepped up and prepared cookies for all.

Hey who is helping them?

Very intense work.

You have to have plenty of toppings - always.

They sure look like siblings here.

Wonderful Thanksgiving cookies!

It kind of makes you hungry just watching.

Silvana's Fall Fun

2008-11-18T00:51:00Z

Silvana is growing faster than we can keep up with. Here are some pictures from her Fall fun.

Silvana has a wonderful time during the Fall of 2008.

Everyone loves a firefighter!

Pumpkins are a Fall favorite for kids. Silvana picks her own.

Dad and his little girl - oops - his LION.

"I got a box from Grandma & Grandpa!"

Some boxes are more fun than others.

Halloween 2008 - Carrizo

2008-10-31T17:05:00Z

Halloween 2008 - Carrizo

Jordan and Scarlett prepare for the trick-or-treating. The kids enjoyed dressing up and visiting our friends in their outfits.

They had a blast and even collected some healthy treats.

Dirk II and Lisa go off to College

2008-08-10T00:01:00Z

Off to College!

Dirk II and Lisa leave Big Spring for the final time and head of to the University of South Alabama.

Here comes Dirk to say goodbye after loading his car.

Dirk's special friend is waiting. Scarlett will miss her favorite. (After grandpa of course.)

Jordan will mis Uncle Dirk also.

But Jordan's favorite is Auntie Lisa.

The wind is bothering Lisa - but not Dad - hmmm.

Everyone is going to mis these two.

The U-Haul is taking the final load for Mom and Dad. I guess everyone is leaving Big Spring.

Dad and Dirk have a final goodbye.

Dirk is ready to roll.

The final farewell as the convoy is leaving.

Big Spring was good to us and the house there very comfortable. We wish the best for all our friends that we leave behind. Thanks for the great times.

Time-Worn Beauty

2008-07-21T14:05:00Z

07/21/2009

In historic Dimmit County, Texas there are a number of former beauties that have lost their luster. However, this hotel is one that could have a comeback. Currently priced at $250,000 it is waiting for someone to rescue it.

If you ever take a trip to Marfa, Texas, you can find a similar hotel that has been restored. In many of these small Texas towns you can catch glimpses of their former glory. It is properties such as these that would not only restore a building, but also bring back a town.

I will keep trying to win the lottery and this location one of my possible projects. Or you could buy it and revitalize a town and own a piece of history.