The Dirk Dykstra Family

Dad's a Junior High Principal

Dirk D Dykstra — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:19:08 GMT

06/17/2008

Dad is now a Junior High Principal in Carrizo Springs Texas. http://www.cscisd.net/carrizo_jrhigh/index.htm

Christmas in Las Vegas

Dirk D Dykstra — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 19:51:36 GMT

Christmas in Vegas

Wow! Mom and Dad were going on a free trip to Vegas at Christmas and some of us asked to tag along. Then Dawn called and asked if her and Chad could meet us in Vegas. We really had a BLAST!

Christmas morning - Breakfast at the famous Blueberry Hill Family Restaurant!

This is the view from Mom & Dad's "free" hotel room. Wow - they are SPOILED!

Did I forget the presents? Hah! Here we go.

Santa brought the family a book on one of our favorite TV series - Firefly.

We did get to see the sights. Las Vegas has some of the most impressive hotels.

Here we all are - except Dad (Grandpa) the photographer.
Back row - Lisa, Holly, Scarlett, Dirk II, Dawn, & Chad
Front row - Mom (Grandma) & Jordan

Naturally we all lost weight. Not! Hey is that Scarlet at the end with two bowls?

We loved the Christmas lights at the Ethel M factory.
(Yes - they make some of the best chocolate.)
(Of course we bought a lot.)

We all had a blast. The kids stayed at Palace Station with Jordan & Scarlett.
Mom & Dad stayed at the Hilton and snuck off alone quite often. Hmmmmm.
Dawn & Chad came on a Christmas special and had a room at the Hilton also.

There was a lot of family fun, sight seeing, and great food, plus some gambling.

Maybe next time you can meet us there.

We hope your Christmas was as much fun and filled with as much love.

Christmas in Big Spring

Dirk D Dykstra — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:14:00 GMT

12/23/2007

Christmas in Texas came a couple days early and revolved around a couple of the grandkids - Jordan and Scarlett. Unlike Thanksgiving, Christmas had no snow and was a mild day. A beautiful tree filled the living room.

The day starts out with a present of a small Christmas tree.

Lisa receives a gift from the attendance clerk where dad works.
She is thrilled!

Scarlett liked to open her own presents.

Jordan - disguised as Superman - opens one of his presents.

Grandpa loves his science fiction books and movies.

Everyone had a great day.

Even the dogs had a relaxing day.

The gifts were great and it was wonderful that Lisa visited.

We hope that your Christmas was as wonderful as ours was.

A New Assistant Principal

Dirk D Dykstra — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 21:02:12 GMT

On December 3rd, 2007, Dad started working as the Assistant Principal at Marcy Elementary in Big Spring, TX. The campus has approximately 511 students in grades K through 4. This is a new direction that moves away from Technology administration. We all know that he will do great.

Here is the board announcement: DYKSTRA, DIRK D.: Assistant Principal, Marcy Elementary School; BS, Concordia University; 15 years experience; Westbrook, Texas. Jeff Brorman seconded the motion. Motion carried 7-0.

My Thanksgiving Trip

Dawn Dykstra — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 22:54:46 GMT

I flew down to Texas to spend a few days with the family for the holidays.

Thanksgiving dinner at Uncle John's

I got to spend a lot of time with my niece and nephew. Jordan calls me "On-tie Dawn".

Besides being beautiful, Scarlett is one happy baby..

Scarlett and Jordan look so cute in their new outfits from Auntie Dawn!

Hard to believe I remember holding Dirk when he was that size!

I had a great time, hope you all had a great Thanksgiving as well!

Thanksgiving Snow

Dirk D Dykstra — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 12:23:16 GMT

11/22/2007

Wow!

We had snow on Thanksgiving in Texas. The snow started in the morning and by afternoon it was very beautiful.

This made for a very beautiful Thanksgiving day.

The garage is greatly appreciated on these types of days.

We hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday.

God Bless.

The Dirk D Dykstra Family

Adam's Address

Megan and Adam — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 15:09:15 GMT

I didn't include Adam's address, because the blog is a public website that anybody can read and have access to. So, if you are interested in sending something please email me or the fam and they can send it to you

Info on My Favorite Soldier

Megan and Adam — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 15:18:10 GMT

Hello! (This post is exactly the same as the email I just sent - so if you got that, this is the same info

I hope this finds everyone doing well. I've had some questions about what to send Adam, and truth be told I really don't know what he needs right now. He doesn't really need anything right now, but he will. Stuff like new socks, t-shirts, uniforms, and gear. The sand and the heat does a number on those kinds of things, and they need to be replaced periodically. Well, obviously it's hard to get your hands on that kind of stuff, you don't have a Clothing Sales (okay yeah, I know you do Dave, but nobody else does!) Also, they have little shops set up on his FOB (forward operating base) where they can buy stuff like gear, clothes, soap, deodorant, razors, snacks, and drinks, kind of like a mini-mart. So AAFES the "Army Airforce Exchange Service", your all purpose store for the guys, has made it easy for family and friends to help by setting up Gift Cards in different amounts that you can purchase online, and have sent to him in Iraq. That way if he wants a powerade and a pack of socks, all he has to do is take his gift card in and get them. They have done the same thing for pre-paid phone cards. The phone cards you can purchase for him through AAFES gives him much more talk time for the money. The website is: www.aafes.com. Once you get there, you go to the right hand side of the page, and click on "Gifts from the Homefront" for the gift cards, and "Help Our Troops Call Home" for the phone cards. Please let me know if you have trouble finding it, or if you aren't sure how to make it work. Also, I wanted to send information about the Post Office and service to Iraq for Christmas, I know it is still a couple months away but since I would recommend sending by parcel post (cheapest), the deadline to insure he gets it by Christmas is Nov. 13th!! Here is the info I received regarding that:

The first suggested deadline of Nov. 13 is for packages going by parcel post to deployed troops and those living on overseas installations, according to the U.S. Postal Service. Parcel post may be the slowest option, but it’s the cheapest, too.

If you miss the parcel post deadline, here are your options for getting mail to an APO/FPO address by Dec. 25:

• Space Available Mail (SAM): Nov. 27.

• Parcel Airlift Mail (PAL): Dec. 1

• Priority Mail: Dec. 4

• First-class letters and cards: Dec. 4

• Express Mail Military Services: not available to 093 ZIP codes **Not available to Adam**

I hope that helps answer some questions. The main thing to remember when sending things is that he has to carry all his stuff with him, so space is premium. I'm sure he'll give me more guidance on what kinds of things to send/what not to send when he has an idea. An idea to send that doesn't cost you anything but your time - articles from the internet, newspaper, or magazines that he would like. Now, when I say that I don't mean things about the war - he's there, he already knows. I mean things about whitewater kayaking, adventure type things, histories of different places and things, you know the things that Adam enjoys (for those who don't know, those are some examples) Also, things that will make him laugh - but make sure you don't just forward him stuff from the internet to his email - write it or print it so it's something he can touch and take with him. Make what you send meaningful, it'll mean the world to him. Also, sends things you don't mind that he throws away, remember space is premium. So if you send pictures, make sure they are duplicates, just in case they get wrecked, or he has to throw them away. I apologize for writing a novel, but I want to make sure you know what kinds of things are available!

I got to talk to Adam yesterday night, he is doing well, just still sandy, hot, and bored. He'll be in Kuwait for a little while longer before moving on to Iraq. I'm not sure how long, and I don't really want to know exactly - remember anything you write over the internet or say on the phone is easily accessed by other people. We don't want that kind of information in the hands of bad people. So don't be offended if Adam won't tell you specifics on where he is or what he is doing or when. That information is classified for a reason, to keep him and his unit safe. I know you all know that, just have to make sure I say it

Take care, and as always feel free to email or call me if you have any questions or if you just want to chat! Also, for those who don't know - I have an email list I am sending regular updates to, please let me know if you would like to be a part of this and I'll add you to the list!

Love,
Megan

Jordan and Scarlett

Holly Dykstra — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 13:53:17 GMT

Well, kids grow way too fast! Jordan is 2 and 1/2 now and growing like a beanstalk. He is starting to read a little bit; although it is mostly memorization of the books we read over and over and over. He is getting better and better at his alphabet, and he recognizes all his numbers through 10; and is great with all the shapes and colors too. He also likes to think he needs to yell everything he wants to say! Scarlett is nearly 3 months now and has gotten a big head start on growing. I think she wants to do all her growing now so she won't have to later! She is over 12 pounds now and more than 2 feet long! She looks about 2 months older than she really is. She will catch up to her big brother soon if she doesn't slow down! She has been talking for a few weeks now and loves to coo and grandma! If you ask grandma she will tell you that Scarlett already said her first word: Grandma. We will post some pictures soon. oh, and my email is back to holly@dykstra.com!

Dad's SuperBurger!

Dirk D Dykstra — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 18:38:24 GMT

09/24/2007

Dad made some of his super burgers for Holly, Jordan, and Scarlett.

Dad uses a secret recipe and special oven cooking to reduce the fat content.

Now doesn't that make you hungry? Dad sure knows how to build a burger!

Unfortunately, no one in the family has a mouth big enough to eat it. NOT!

Family get together in San Antonio

Dawn Dykstra — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 12:11:37 GMT

This past August a group of us met in Texas for a relaxing family get together. The location was a 30 acre ranch outside of San Antonio, with a spectacular guest house and pond. We spent the weekend playing volleyball, fishing, grilling out, watching movies, playing games, and just enjoying the good company. We all had a blast! Here are some pics from the trip.

A Litte Time in Denver and then home.

Valerie Dykstra — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 20:56:00 GMT

07/20/2007 - A little more time with Holly's family before heading back to Texas.

It sure looks as if Jordan is going to be a great big brother.

The hardest part was separating Lisa from Scarlett. She can be even more of a baby hog than "Grandma" is.

Thanks to Holly and her family for putting us up. Especially such a recent birth.

Love to all of you guys.

Mom

Time to say good bye.

Valerie Dykstra — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 20:50:00 GMT

07/18/2007 - Time to say goodbye and go back to Denver.

There is never enough time. We need to win the lottery so there can be way more Grandma time! I loved the visit and thank Damon and Ann for opening their house for me. Love you guys!

Mom's Little side trip

Valerie Dykstra — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 20:38:00 GMT

07/17/2007 - We wanted to visit all the relatives, but only managed one side trip to see Silvana's Great Grandpa Dykstra, Great Grandma Dykstra, and Great Great Grandma Sparks.

Silvana was the star of the day. A real sweetie!

Hard to believe they are Great and Great Great.

It was good to visit, even for a little while.

Mom's Trip Part Two

Valerie Dykstra — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 20:28:00 GMT

On July 16, 2007 Silvana Schmidt finally gets to meet Grandma!

Silvana waves HI as she motors around.

Grandpa Dykstra could not come, but he sent a reminder. Cool hat.

The Damon Schmidt family.

Look who came to visit ...

Silvana and her aunt.

And next we take a little side trip. Stay tuned.

Mom's Trip Part One

Valerie Dykstra — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 20:19:00 GMT

07/14/2007 - Lisa and I travel to Denver to see the new grand baby - Scarlett Keagan Dykstra.

Of course Lisa came along to make sure Holly was doing everything correctly.

Still - Grandma know best!

One more great shot.

Now I need to fly to Milwaukee.

Dad's Test Results

Dirk D Dykstra II — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 20:16:00 GMT

07/06/2007

Dad's test results just came in. He passed the Principal Exam!

Dad is working on a Master's degree in school administration. Part of the State requirements for certification is to pass the State's Principal Exam.

Today Dad's scores came in. He received 281 points out of 300! That's 94%!!!

Great Job, Dad! I guess now you will consider looking a principal or assistant principal job. Cool!

It's obvious that things never get boring around here!

Lisa's Valedictorian Speech - Text

Dirk D Dykstra — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 15:50:00 GMT

Lisa’s Valedictorian Speech

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Welcome visitors and family members. I know that we all face pressure and decisions that will shape the rest of our lives. I know that it can, at times, be overwhelming. Can’t it? Sometimes it seems like our goals are out of our reach.

When I begin to doubt myself, I remember my favorite quote. I have tried to live this quote in my life and never give up. A wise man once told me, "You are what you do and you can do more than you think!"

It seems like we are always being faced with new obstacles in our path. Then we make a choice: go around them, climb over them, try to barrel through them, turn around, or just sit there. I have faced this choice many times this year. As some of you know, it has been a difficult year for our family. In September my dad got very sick. I came very close to losing him. It’s amazing how fast your life can change. My life changed in one night. The day after my dad got sick, I had a choice to make… go to school or stay home. I can’t really explain to you exactly how it feels to see a parent and loved one going through something like that; although, I‘m sure some of you may understand.

I guess it’s kind of like when you see Superman almost killed by Kryptonite. Something just seems horribly wrong about it. Well, I decided that while Superman was fighting, I was going to do my best to show him that I too could be strong. I decided to go to school and the next day my brother joined me.

I have to admit that I was walking around in a kind of sad fog for at least a week and not much of what was going on registered. One thing that registered was empathy anytime that I felt one of my family members was being treated poorly, hurt, or punished unjustly. You know…it really amazes me how some people are not aware of the pain others are in and end up will kicking them while they are down. Please try to pay attention to those who are around you and be more compassionate.

It was amazing to me how some people had absolutely no clue during those first few weeks how cruel they were. That is one thing that I really want to say, is for you all to be aware of that. Unfortunately this will probably happen to all of you at some point it time and when it does, I hope you make the decision to stay strong. It is easy to flash a temper and make a scene, but I believe that it is more meaningful to use logic and wisdom. I could easily have lost my temper at some of the ridiculous things that were taking place, but what would have been gained? I realized that instead of lashing out, I needed to hold on tighter to the things that were truly important in my life.

I realized that my family and good friends were really there for me when I needed their support the most. I really believe that that is an important thing for us graduating seniors to realize. The quality of our friends and loved ones is a testimony to who we want to be. Try not to surround yourself with people who are only there for you during the good times, instead surround yourself with the friends who are there for you when your life comes crumbling down, even if there are fewer of them. I think it is explained best in the country song, "You find out who your friends are." Your friends shouldn’t be measured in quantity but in quality.

I have never been one to chase down confrontation and I was not really sure that I had what it took to stand up for what I believed in. This year I discovered that I really could do more than I thought I could. Today I stand before you as a member of the National Honor Society, but I do not stand before you as the Vice-President. I have spent my senior year serving as the Vice President of NHS up until last week, when I resigned my position in order to stand up for what I believe is right. I saw a complete and utter disregard for the rules and constitution of NHS. I felt I had a moral responsibility to act and, after trying to solve the problem through the school’s chain of command, I decided that a more direct and vocal approach should be taken. So, I wrote a letter to the school board. In my letter I told them that if they did not correct the injustice, then I would no longer feel comfortable being an officer. I won’t go into greater detail because the point I want to get across is that I never knew that I had it in me to address the school board twice, talk directly with administration, and take a stand. My hope for all of my fellow graduating seniors is that you all realize that you have the power to do more than you currently believe. If you can have faith in yourself and what you believe in, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish, even when you do not seem to win.

People are often putting down today’s youth of America but the truth is that we are strong and can do more than what others believe. We have a crossroads in front of us right now. If we are to live up to our full potential then we must be willing to push through the limits of what we think is the most we can do. After all, how boring would it be, if who and what we are right now was as good as it gets. It is hard though to break through our own boundaries because it is so easy to become content or complacent. There is no challenge and possible mishap if all we do is stand still and do nothing. But I know enough about you guys up here on the stage with me to know that you won’t be happy just standing still. I just want you to know that you all have wonderful potential and I can’t wait to see what you do with it.

No matter where these next few months and years take us, whether it be college, work, marriage, or a combination, we need to remember that other people will judge us by our actions. We must remember to make our actions things that we will be proud of. It is impossible to see into the future, so all we can do is make the best decisions with the information available to us, and then work to always learn more. Our education does not and can not stop here! We must always remember that if we stop learning, then we stop growing. The more we learn, the more intelligent, and informed, our decisions will be.

Now is a time to put away the mistakes of our past and make the transition into the rest of our lives. We have entered a new chapter and what we each choose to do with our lives will build us into the people we are meant to become.

Make sure that what you become is someone that you will be proud of! Thank you!

Presented by Lisa Dykstra to the class of 2007 at graduation for Westbrook ISD on June 31, 2007.

June trip to USA

Dirk D Dykstra — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 20:12:10 GMT

06/22/2007

Lisa's one scholarship required attendance at a family orientation program at the University of Southern Alabama - USA. It only required one parent, but everyone decided to come.

All the students stayed in a dorm room for the night. This is a beautiful campus - Student Union.

New buildings on a growing campus & the shoppers at the student bookstore. (Not many books were purchased this go round.)

On the way home we had a minor pit stop. And they have our favorite type of restaurant.

Plus one of the largest swimming pools ever! It was great!

Dad won seven million dollars at the Casino - or was it seven dollars?

Goodbye to the Westbrook House!

Dirk D Dykstra — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 20:12:56 GMT

06/09/2007

It's time to say goodbye to Westbrook as we finalize the move to Big Spring.

Hard to believe how large these are. Check out the lamb's ear. Wow!

The view from the parking area - looks nothing like it used to. What a nice garden - hate to leave it.

Jordan will miss feeding and petting the goats & Valerie will miss her roses!

Neither of these views look anything like they did two years ago. We hope that Westbrook ISD and the new renters appreciate all of the work involved in improving this property.

Goodbye Westbrook house!