getaway...

we had a mini-vacation a couple of weeks ago...here are some of the memories we made...destination: maple valley farm...one hour north...and even longer back in time!!  maple valley is an off-grid farm owned & operated by one of the NEATEST families...i fell in love with their kids...and we all fell in love with a slower pace of life...my cousin told me if i ever ran away from home, this was the first place she'd look! :)

this is the outside of our cabin...a couple hundred yards down the road from the farm house...

 

yeah, soooo cheezy, but had to take this for the people who know me....if i had some calico on, i would bear a STRONG resemblance to carloline ingalls, dont ya think?

 

i only PRETENDED to cook on top of this baby...i heated up two meals, and doug perked some coffee - not quite as fast as a coffee pot from home, but boy - did we ever appreciate that first cup!!!

 

gone fishin'

 

dawson could fish all day...it's a little late in the season - too cold - for real good fishing, but they had fun!

me milking besse...i dont really remember her name...oh, anna....that girl had the patience of job showing us what to do and answering all our questions!!! love that girl :)

this family literally just got back from a family vacation to the smoky mountains, and jumped right into farm life - plus 4 more people :) they were very gracious and SO HOSPITABLE!

(on a side note: dawson just got done hauling 5 gal. buckets of water to the chickens, trying to keep up with buddy - who is about 5 years older...so cute)

dodge wanted me to report: milking cows IS A LOT HARDER THAN IT LOOKS! but we thought he did pretty good :)

 

feeding the calf

 

my absolute most favorite part of the whole weekend: our family sharing breakfast with their family...it was soooo yummy! french toast, bacon, eggs & coffee...it was such a treat to eat in such a cozy place and get served too...i wish i would have gotten a pic of all of us sitting down to eat...is anybody else humming the walton's theme song right now?...i am :)

 

the guys in matt's deerstand...just cuz.

 

matt & buddy were plowing the field...pretty cool to watch...

one of the most fun surprises...a bed time snack...i was expecting bread & butter (which would have thrilled me)...but INSTEAD...we get a huge container of homemade popcorn (doug's very favorite thing to eat at night)...cider...and an apple crisp waiting in our woodstove oven...c'mon! thats just awesome!! it was soooo delicious!!

as far as surprises go, this took the cake...as we were walking home from chores on the last night...doug notices a deer running in the field...we all freeze...then realize the deer is RUNNING RIGHT TO US! the kids were flipping out (very quietly of course)...and then i realized it was betty...a deer that was kind of hanging out by the farm...she hadn't reappeared since their vacation, so it was a surprise to see her!

she came right up to the boys and hung out with them a few minutes...it made their night!!

 

we had such a great weekend...loved the slow pace...just hanging out

thanks matt & angela (and all your kiddos)....we hope to be back soon!

tooth fairy...

today was a heartbreaking day for me...

we've never really believed in the easter bunny around here. i remember being a kid & completely creeped out thinking some 7 foot rabbit was in my house hiding eggs...chocolate or no chocolate, i just as soon he not come :) the boys just knew mom & dad left them a surprise in a basket...

dodge lost a tooth friday. well friday night was homecoming & the tooth fairy must have been sleepy from watching the big game, and she FORGOT to fly to dodge's pillow. sooooo...saturday night she remembered. dodge woke up sunday morning to 4 shiny quarters under his pillow....AND A QUESTION. "mom...you're the tooth fairy, aren't ya?"  (dawson JUST came to this realization a few WEEKS ago) well, i couldn't lie. i tried like crazy to avoid it...but it just wasn't happening.

then came the next obvious question...."are you santa claus too?"....UGH!! you're killing me son! (dawson also just had this same conversation w/ me a few weeks ago) well, i couldn't lie.  of course, i informed him of my extensive research of the REAL St. Nicholas, and how he left gifts for the children in his village...and how that generous spirit lives on today in our hearts...or something to that effect...we will be reading "yes, virginia, there is a santa claus" very soon....

anyhow, it completely crushes me....part of that magical, if somewhat naive thing about childhood is gone.

dawson (my pack rat) asked me today, "mom, what did you do with all our teeth?"...if anyone knows me, i gave my standard answer: "i threw them away"....well, as i went digging in my top drawer for dodge's latest tooth, i find that one...plus SEVEN more. i guess even i get attached to some stuff. so i looked at all those baby teeth and cried. knowing its silly. knowing i can's stop them from growing up. knowing i'm moving into yet another phase of parenting, ready or not.

so, i went into their bedrooms like i do every night, but lingered a little longer. smelling their freshly showered hair...laying my cheek on their soft foreheads...saying a prayer that i never take any of this for granted...

         dawson is my note writer...this is one of his letters to the tooth fairy from a couple years ago...

                                           a pile of baggies with baby teeth...good grief.

dodge lost his tooth at school..."dont worry mom...nathan found it under the table!"

field trip...for big girls

i went on a field trip yesterday...with my mom, aunt linda and my sister-cousin abbey. (we are cousins, and we married brothers...that makes her special...my sister-cousin) maybe some of you did not know this about me: i am completely OBSESSED with little house on the prairie and that whole time period!!! i know that God knows best, but sometimes i wonder if i got born 130 years too late :)....turns out, some of my family feels the same way...

i found this really cool blog awhile back, completely by accident, and was in awe of what this family gave up...all to live a life that felt called to live...they have a very cool story, please check out their blog...http://eclecticculturefarm.blogspot.com/...hmmm, you'll have to copy & paste...i'm not so good at the linky thing yet



here we are going on a hay ride around their farm...i think there were about 14 of us ladies...



notice no neighbors for MILES!!! it was sooo beautiful here and completely peaceful.....cant you almost smell that farm fresh air? oh, to bottle up that smell...a combination of dirt, horses and hay....

oh, and thats ab's old horse trailer...which they informed us, they have been hauling beef in that - ha! guess that makes it a cow trailer :)

cute shot of boots by the door...if you look real close, you can see the fresh milk being kept cool inside this little "cooler"...remember...no electric here...thats FRESH milk....yum :)

we ate inside their house...talk about hospitatlity! what a beautiful setting it was...so cozy & comfortable...all fresh food from their garden and farm...delish!!

can you imagine cooking on this baby? i was totally impressed by all the yummy food with no conveniences that we take for granted!

this is butch and marge...they're cool.

pretty salad...with a oil & vinegar dressing that was so good!

sisters: my mom & aunt linda

sister-cousins: abbey and me...oh, and penny kuncaitis to the right...she was our free entertainment: i'm thinking she is the chief story-teller and family comedian :)

angela serving up some farm fresh quail....what a treat!

please pass the dessert...pumpkin muffins with cream cheese frosting, sprinkled with nutmeg...mmm mmm.

here's some homemade soap...this is why we went up here...to take a soap making class...pretty interesting...she sent us home with 2 bars...one w/ eucalyptus...which is a natural anti-germ type...

cute kitchen...i LOVED the homemade curtains...adorable...

       us with angela kuncaitis...former hudsonville girl...now farm girl...she was such a sweet hostess...

this is peter. he's 2 1/2 going on 4 (his words)...he's just plain cute.

us girls with the work horses

oh. my. stars. can you say "the waltons"?! what i wouldn't do for an old farm house with a big porch (sigh)...

oh, what a gorgeous day!!! the colors were breath taking...the kuncaitis family was so gracious & sincere...and i totally admire matt & angela and what they have done for their family...i dont think they will have any regrets...well, no more than the rest of us have, i'm thinking probably less.

oh, what a lesson we can learn from them. maybe you wont sell everything you have and move to a 40 acre off grid farm...but what could YOU do to draw closer together as a family? what can you do to slow your familys' pace?  spend time doing what matters...making everything you do intentional...not just because everyone else is doing it...do you dare to be different?

this summer, we drastically reduced tv time...currently, we dont watch any tv on school days - with the exception of thursday night "michigan out of doors" on pbs...thats "man" night around here...and when we do watch tv...we are very particular about what...we have lots of dvd's that are GOOD entertainment...wholesome stuff....my kids watch football, and i have to turn the channel during commercials...crazy! and we're really taking a hard look at the sports thing...my boys have both been in football...but they miss dirtbiking,3-wheeling, shooting their bow & going up north with daddy...and dawson actually said, "mom, i dont know about football next year, it just gets too busy"...

thank you kuncaitis family for an awesome afternoon...it was so appreciated!

hAPpy AnNiVerSarY!!!

september 13, 1997...the day i got married...wow. it has been 13 years already!! i cant believe how time flies...oh, doug vruggink...what a time it has been...so glad God brought us together!

i think when a person marries, they have NO CLUE how much that "partner" is truly a partner...when i think back on all the growing we have done together...the things we've learned...trial & error...hospital visits...babies being born...getting priorities straight...the crying..
the "talks"...the road trips...the big stories - some true, some, not so much...the LAUGHS...oh my - the laughing :)

and it all started with a call during monday night football - half time of course - "hi, this is doug vruggink, wanna go out?"....."ummmm, is this really doug?"...."uh, yeah."...."then, YES!"
(thats the SHORT version...i can give you the LOOOONG version over coffee some time:))

so, we were married outdoors, at spring grove park....look at that couple...look at that fluffy dress and even fluffier hair...oh. my.



this must have been a very serious part of the ceremony....er, something. i remember wanting to get this part over with, cuz i felt like everyone was looking at me. cuz, well...they were.

here we are ready to get the party started...notice i counteracted all the "fluff" with my nikes.

this cracks me up. we went to gatlinburg for our honeymoon...this was at the dixie land stampede...a dinner show...where, evidently we had to get a picture in front of a fake covered wagon...do you appreciate all the denim? no, dougs hat is not part of the get-up...its the real thing, baby.

here we are...just us. love this man.

we look so natural, dont we?! ha! 2 of the best things to come out of our marriage are our two little men...so amazing...we are so blessed...healthy beautiful boys....LoVe!!!!

happy anniversary, doug! i still thank God every day for bringing us together...and in a day where marriages are considered "an option" or "temporary"...i'm glad we both love & trust God enough to give Him our marriage every day...here's to many more years together...

love you always & forever - rach

m.i.a.

oh, for the love of pete....how have i been so busy!? i hate that i haven't blogged since february...REALLY????!!!!

well, it isn't for lack of material...there have been plenty of happenings in the vruggink household...and since august is upon us, i DO need the extra therapy of journaling my life...

i've already warned doug that it IS august, ya know.

he says, "sooooo...."

i say, "SO! i am working 3 of the last 4 weekends of summer, at a job i dont love, giving me less time to soak up summer....(yes, i have a job :(....more on that later) AND summer is my favorite time of the year...i did not get enough beach time (i never do), AND the kids will both be going to school, including my dodger, all day, all week....(i am one of those moms that would just as soon keep them home) AND you are home, not working and if i let myself think about it too much, i could just cry!" (yes, my self-employed hubby tore his achilles tendon clean through, requiring surgery and 10 weeks off work....more on that later too!)

not to worry...august is always hard for me....giving up the freedom of summer, sand, camping, berry picking, sleeping in, staying up late, tanned faces, ice cream runs, late nights snuggling on the couch watching baseball with the kiddos, smelling fresh cut grass, pool parties, the warmest lake michigan has been in years, no schedule....

heres to soaking up those fleeting days of summer....and i'll be playing a little catch-up on our summer, too :)

BENIGN!

that about says it all...i just got the call from spectrum, and my little lump is benign....a fibroadenoma....er, something.

yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

thank you Jesus.

i love God!

today i had my first mammogram. i found a lump a few weeks ago...and one thing led to another. so today, i found myself spending most of my day at the lemmen-holton cancer pavillion downtown.

i should back up. when i first found it...i thought, i'll keep an eye on it...hoping it would just go away maybe :) when my sister-in-law's sister called me about dawson's rash, because her son had a rash....and what does it look like, etc....we somehow came upon the subject of lumps, breasts and mammograms....i know, makes perfect sense...anyhooooooo....she sternly said, "you need to call your doctor, and get that checked out. so, i did.

so....i wanted to share some cool things about how COOL God is...

1. i found a lump. girlfriend calls - whom i totally admire - and gives me the nudge i need to get it checked out. (thanks, shel :))

2. mary anne (the best midwife in the world) sees me...wants me to see a "certain" doctor. however, this "certain" doctor cant see me for another month. so we set up an appt. with her #2 choice...another mary anne :) (turns out the "certain" doctor may not have the best bedside manner...funny, but i knew as soon as i couldn't get in with dr. poor bedside manner, that was God saying it would be best to go with dr. mary anne)

3. doug is going to be home the day of my appointment (he is able get kids on the bus...and it turns out, off the bus, too...because i was gone ALL day for the testing)

4. i am amazingly calm...i have my bible study group praying for me...and a few good friends & family too

4 1/2. two of my aunts, whom i e-mailed, sent me messages about their experience with their lumps...and told me they would be praying for me today, too...(thanks, aunties :))

5. this morning, i simply prayed that i would feel His presence all day long...that He would just be with me...and the results would be good. then, i wanted to take a verse with me...i open the Bible, and this is what i turned to: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10...awesome!

6. as i'm backing out of the garage, i'm really wishing i could find the praise & worship cd that kirk had burned for me a long time ago...i haven't been able to find it for months...i tore the house up looking for it just this past sunday...i looked in the van,too...anyway, i pull out a cd case to look ONE more time...i unzip it, and the cd FALLS INTO MY LAP. i smiled. God knew how VERY frustrated i was when i couldn't find it sunday...but if i had found it...i wouldn't have that awesome reminder of his love...i love music, and they were exactly the songs i needed to hear today :)

7. as i am walking into this building (which is phenomenal, by the way) i think, "how in the world am i going to find where i gotta go?"...this girls sees my confused expression...i explain...a worker says, i'm going there too, just follow me.

8. every person i come in contact with is incredible. seriously.

9. as i'm getting the mammogram, i notice the walls. they are my very favorite color in the whole wide world. pale aqua-blue. (i've posted about this color before...the color of my bedroom when i was a baby...its everywhere in my house...it reminds me of all things happy & calm)

10. as i'm sitting in the room with a nurse going over needle-biopsy procedure, my mary anne calls - while i'm in the doctors office (seriously, so not normal, i wish you could have seen the expression on the nurses & secretaries face)...she wants to make sure i'm ok, that i'm not feeling rushed or uneasy, and if i have any questions...she is the most amazing woman...she loves her job, and loves her "girls" as she affectionately calls us :)

11. they were able to do the biopsy today, too...which wasn't the original plan...but somehow the radiologist just "happened" to have an opening at 1:45....

12. small side note: i have been praying ultra-hard about what direction God wants me to take...especially regarding career, and maybe going back to school...in case you didn't know, i originally went to GVSU for nursing, but didn't get in the program....i actually prayed that God would give me the right nurse to talk to ...and if i felt led, i would question her about her job,etc. well, holy cow, he gave me a couple awesome nurses...one who had a daughter the same age as me...this nurse went back to school when her youngest was in kindergarten (hmmm...) and she was scared to death, but she made it, and couldn't be happier. we had a really long conversation. (i'm thinking maybe God isn't listening to the part when i say, "God, i'll do whatever you want me to do, as long as i don't have to go back to school")

i'm sure i could think of more things, but i just smile when i think of these few things....God let me know that He was with me all day long. no, i dont have the results yet, but i'm not scared. i know there is a reason for everything...and i may not always choose His ways, i know i never walk alone...so thanks, God, for all those little reminders, the people you put in my path at just the right time...You are awesome.