Van Dyke family

Van Dyke family 2009 

Here we are at the Layton Park taking pictures for our yearly Christmas picture and letter.  It was starting to get cold and dark, and we were about sick of it.  From left to right we have Jacelyn, mom and dad, Jarem still with long hair, Konner, then in the front Karyssa, Jayden and Kyson.  This was in around November just before getting Jarem ready for his mission. 

 Here we are on Jarem's farewell day, January 23, 2010. 



We got up early and had to have Jarem to the MTC at 1:00.  We had time for a few hugs and goodbye photos.  Sending Jarem out the door was harder than some of us thought. 

Karyssa seems a bit sad here but what

about Kyson and Jayden?  Kyson and Jayden are being goofballs as usual.  Kyson is still innocent when Jarem leaves and Jayden just 8 and baptized this last summer.  Karyssa is 17 and Konner 15.  So much will change in the lives of Jarem's brothers and sisters in the next 2 years while he is away.  Jacelyn is 5 and not in school yet.   

 

Jacelyn Kate VanDyke, 5


 

Jarem starts his new journey on a 2 year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Elder Van Dyke (as he will be called) is serving in the Albuequrque, New Mexico mission. 

 

Lynn and I are very proud of  our elder and his work he

will do on his mission.  It is hard to say goodbye

for 2 years but it will be worth it to see

the young man that he will become.

Our last family picture with our missionary, January 2010 accross from the MTC in Provo, UT.  It is a cold but beautiful sunny day.  We all wear ties just for Jarem, Karyssa's idea. 

Brad Paisley concert, August 2010

Brad Paisley and Darius Rucker concert . ..  Happy Aniversary  to me and Lynn . . Summer 2010.  

We had an awesome time.  The weather was beautiful.  It was outdoors where it was cool.  The music was FABULOUS ..   I love the voice of Darius Rucker and have loved the music of Brad Paisley but hadn't paid a lot of attention to which songs he wrote. 

Janelle Toleman from Poky ID who I actually knew from growing up in the same Stake in Blackfoot Idaho actually told me about the concert.  She was excited to be going to a Brad concert.  Later I found out Darius was having a concert and realized he was playing in the same concert that Janelle was going to.  My brother Dustin and his wife Erica were also at the same concert so it was fun texting both Janelle and Dusty to find out where they were and if they were loving the concert. 

Janelle and I text on and off during the concert.  Afterwards we met outside the concert hall to scream, shout, ooooooo and awwwww over how awesome the concert was and how much fun the night had been.  It was fun introducing Chad and Lynn since they had never met.  We were going to go to Denney's for a snack but it was so late by the time we got out of there and got done talking that we decided to talk another time.  This was a very fun night. 

The Van Dyke family

This was a fun day.  We went for a hike and took a family picture.  Karyssa was having fun taking pictures of everyone.  We missed Jarem and all his craziness.  He is serving a mission in New Mexico and currently on the Arizona border near Ganada, serving the Navijo people.

The Gray's join us in Island Park . . July 2011

Island Park - - -  July 2011 

This is Patty Gray and I in July, 2011 near her cabin pictured on the right in Island Park.  Her family and mine had our family's cabins the same week so Lynn and I stayed a night with the Gray's and took a tour of the area.  We had a fun hike and enjoyed hearing stories of their adventures in their cabin

over the years.    

     Connor, Jayden and Jacelyn had lots of outdoor adventures.  They would have loved time to catch frogs but instead had a fun hike, collected rocks and saw some beautiful outdoors.  

Jacelyn kept up very well with the boys and had a lot of fun with Connor as well. 

The adults had plenty of time for relaxing, visiting, eating and enjoying the peacefulness of being away from our jobs and busy lives.  We get a long very well with the Gray's and enjoy their company.

  We spent the day at our cabin in Island Park next.  We had some canoe trips.  We spent a lot more time visiting and relaxing.  The Gray's stayed for dinner which was taco salad night and we spent the evening playing games.  My parents came up during the day as well so Patty and Dave got to meet my crazy dad and mom.  Dave heard lots of telescope stories. 

 Dave Davidson joined us the next evening and spent time with us on the water and on the 4-wheelers.  The Davidsons stayed with us the rest of the weekend. David D., his wife, Lynn and I went to the dinner theatre to celebrate my birthday.  that was a lot of fun.  (Home School Musical...  goofy but fun!)  Dave and Patty went on a really fun late evening canoe ride with us that was a hoot!  We could barely see where we were going and were even startled once by a log, once by a fish that jumped out and splashed Lynn and once by who knows what. 

 

We had many fun times floating down the river by the cabin, in tubes, canoe and rubber rafts.  Lynn spends a lot of his time fixing bikes, blowing up toes and putting canoes n bikes on and off of the trailor, but he was very happy and had a fun relaxing time as well.  It's fun to have him with us for some fun!  He is my favorite adventurer and such a good husband and father! 

 After our fun at our cabins Lynn took Cody Gray and his friend home and I stayed with the Grays a night in their cabin (Jayden as well) and then went through Yellowstone National Park with them.  We drove up around the main loop and stopped for a few hikes and to see Mammoth Hot Springs.  We had a fun picnic and lots of hours of me yapping and telling my life story.  The Grays still talk to me so I must not have scared them off too badly, but it was like a big therapy session---  free.  It was also my birthday so I bought a turqoise Yellowstone jacket up by the canyon in a gift shop.  It was a fun week of family and friends.