Somewhere In The Middle

A Mother's Day

2009-05-18T12:40:00.000-07:00

We got to meet Kennedy!!! Leslie and Judd have a beautiful little girl and we finally got to see her and hold her. What great eyes and sweet disposition. This little girl is so fun to be around.

I love this one of Paige and her son Jameson! He loves his mama so dearly. I don't think I've ever seen a child more in-tune to his relationship with his mother and how wonderful they are. Jameson is kind hearted and aware of other's feelings around him. I guess I've seen him on all of his good days.

Cousins John, Jessica, Sara holding Kennedy, Isaac, and Jameson. The boys used to out number the girls... but since Lillian and Leslie have had some girls... we are fairly evened up. John is rockin' with his reading and with his home-schooling and Isaac is fun to watch while he plays with the crew. I can't believe how fast the boys are growing.

3 of my sisters and our kids. All we were missing is Lillian and her three and my sister in law Natasha and her 4. It was great to have a day with as many of my sisters as I could. We spent it at Thanksgiving point at the dinosaur museum. The kids had a ball too.

Passey Gatherings

2009-05-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

We went to Utah over the Mother's Day weekend to see Kolton Passey's mission farewell. We were also excited to see the rest of our family. Crystal with her new baby William (full of energy, and loves to be held), Grandma Carol, Grandpa Kim and the rest of the Passey clan. Sara and Jessica were especially excited to see their uncle Kregg, but were very frightened from his new appearance and took a little while to warm up to him and realize he's the same inside... but the mohawk and peircings took a bit of courage to get past. Kolton is going to Portugal to serve his mission, he is setting a great example for his family, Sara and Jessica and many of his friends. We wish him safety and success as he serves the Lord. Of course at Grandma's there is going to be Swann's Ice Cream... so everyday Jess and Sara had their share. I just realized that we haven't posted any pictures of Sara and Jess's new baby brother. I will have to fix that... he's just as cute as William! Carol mentioned how hard it is to have so many of her grand-babies so far away. We think it's just as sad to be so far away from her too.

William Christian (Crystal and Tyler's bundle of joy).

Kolton Passey with his two neices.... they are big fans!!! We love you Elder Kolton Passey!!!

All in the Black

2009-05-07T07:33:00.000-07:00

---I took Sara and Jessica shooting last Tuesday at the Fairfax Rod and Gun Club. There is a group of youth that practice, and some great people who volunteer their time to teach them properly. The center two bullseyes are the practice shots... the outer ones are for score.

---The amazing this is that this was the result of their first time on the range... at actual targets!!! I had taught them previously about safety, proper handling, etc. But we hadn't actually gone into full blown classes to get them into precision shooting.

---Since Jess is using glasses now, and we know that her left eye is definately the dominant eye, she is firing left handed. Sara is firing right handed. They both enjoyed it and want to go back again... they actually didn't want to leave. They were very determined to apply themselves and hit the center. It was neat to watch.

---Many people at the range were impressed, especially with Jess, a 6 year old, could do this well.... watch out mom, Jess is on your heals!

Ted in some Army news

2009-05-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

Ted will be an instructor with the 5/108th now. He'll be teaching Civil Affairs to service men and women who'll be conducting civil-military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas that need CMO. The Army unit thought it was neat enough to put it in their newsletter, so it should be good enough to blog too. Funny part is how well they messed Ted's name up.

Training Wheels

2009-04-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

While in New York visiting Beppe, the neighbor girl had three bikes, one for each girl to ride. But, by design none of the bikes had training wheels. With the option sitting out or riding with the other two girls, Jess opted to figure it out and just make it happen. Within no time, she was off and riding. She had a couple spills, but kept on keepin' on! I was able to get a video of it when I came back from my Isagenix event the following day. The very next day after we got home, Jess made sure her training wheels were off!

Another late entry: Halloween

2009-04-11T04:51:00.001-07:00

Arrrggh ye' mateys, the Blue Witch is in cahoots with a Pirate; and they are boiling some trouble! Sara was a pirate instead of Hanna Montana (ugh) from last year. Jessica also elected for something a little less associated with the death theme (The Corpse Bride - which she had wanted to be for the last two years in a row.) We used black hair spray... which managed to get rubbed off onto their skin for a really dirty kid look. As well, the girls saw the fake eye lashes so we put them in our cart along with the black nail polish. Often I make the girls' costumes, but this year proved difficult because I was on active duty earlier that month for the Reserve Combat Marksmanship Training School, so the time did not allow. We attended our church "Trunk or Treat", and did a little door to door in our neighborhood to aquire too much candy... which was forgotten about a week later.

Sara's doing a great job looking the part of the steely eyed, but lovely pirate.

Jessica, with her grin that is as cute as it is deceptive.
I wonder what scheme she's got cooking up?

The photo with Ted, me, Sara and Jess is from Oct 2007.

Our corresponding pumpkins that we carved are behind each of us.

Sending the girls to school in "PURPLE"

2009-04-06T16:35:00.000-07:00

September 2008

Hmmm. Have you ever wondered what would happen if you dyed your hair purple and when to school? Maybe if you were in Junior High, or High School purple hair would be quite normal. Call it "Babysitter Revenge", or call it two little girls who convince their babysitter (who has purple streaks of her own), to share some dye.

Upon picking the girls up... yes my little girls had turned into grapes. "It'll wash out the sitter assured me". Her mother (also in the home, was quite furious with what her daughter had done). But with only a couple days before school started, it proved that this dye needed more like 2 months to come completely out.

Well, here is a picture of the girls on the day of the dye and then the first day of school. Sara's hair is up, but rest assured, she has a bright purple ponytail. The neat thing is that both of the girls had no-reservations about going to school! They were filled with what I call, "purple courage". Yes, the little kindergartner and the third grader couldn't wait to, (in their words) "show everyone how cool they are", "everyone's going to like me", and "everyone's going to want hair like me".

So, all of you parents with clingy kids who are afraid to go to school.... go purchase some purple hair dye!

A Choice of Her Own

2009-04-06T16:18:00.000-07:00

Sara was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in August 2008. She is pictured here with her uncle, my brother Andrew. Along with Sara's Dad, Andrew and he were a big part of this special day. The particular reason that I posted this is because Sara made the decision to become baptized. She believes in the Savior Jesus Christ and knows that she is a child of God. Our family is proud of her for her decision this day, and for her commitment and perseverance each day since.

Exploring Utah with 4

2009-04-06T16:07:00.000-07:00

In August Ted (after his return from Afghanistan and my return from Camp Perry), we traveled to Utah to link up with Sara and Jessica. The most important part of our trip was being as a family again, but since it was Ted's first chance to see a bit of the natural beauty that we have in Utah, we decided to make the best of our time. We took a nice drive to the Arches Natl. Park and we also hiked up to the Timpanogas Caves and took a "chilly" tour to see some beautiful formations beneath the rock surface. Here we are emerging from the end out our cave experience, and together sitting beneath an arch.

June 2008 - Visit to NY

2009-04-06T15:41:00.000-07:00

With Ted and the girls away, I took a drive to Florida, NY to visit with Heit and Mem. Mem took me to the Holland-American Bakery, in Jersery. The windmill you see is just outside where the store. Yummy treats await inside! We also made many stops to the hospital to see Heit. This not so clear photo is the last one that I will have with him since he had passed away in November of 2008. He was a great man, and there are many who miss him. I personally enjoyed our many talks, and his insight of life and God.

A Cage of Distance

2008-05-31T20:17:00.000-07:00

It's only been a few days since my last opportunity to see, touch, or hug my daughters... yep it's that time again; when their dad has them and I am left wanting. No doubt these feelings will transfer back and forth from all people involved with the two families for many years to come. Hard on parents, but even harder on our children. Still, there is much happiness to be had even though distance is separating us again. This time the miles will span the ocean and land them into England, where the girls' dad will spend a few years serving in the military. It's too quiet here, what with Ted's deployment and now the daily bustle of the girls gone... it's just me and my thoughts. (Yep. I still talk to myself.) I plan to get as much shooting in this summer as possible to get ready for Camp Perry in their absence and to build my Isagenix business. Between the two, I will be gainfully employed, but I know I will add in many more wise things to fill the time until August.

Jade of Jewels

2008-05-15T03:56:00.000-07:00

Sara Jade. Brilliant, kind, and full of life. She brings as much joy as she does tears. Trully she has the spirit of an angel with determination in her wings. She is strong-willed (just like her mom at that age) and she brings so much art into our lives. We love you Sara Jade!

You throw like a Girl!

2008-04-16T16:42:00.000-07:00

Just before the Potomac Nationals vs the Kinston Indians baseball game, our Jessica was fortunate to be the one to throw the first pitch! They gave her an edge from the pitcher's mound, and this brave little girl gave her best throw... which is actually the furthest she's probably ever thrown in her intended direction. She was happy that she had the chance and even more excited that she got to keep the ball (which was later autographed by the mascot "Uncle Sam" along with Sara's ball she was able to snag from one of the many foul balls that evening. Proud Jessye held her ball the rest of the night and it went to church with her. Way to go Jess! Here is Sara and I with Uncle Sam.

"The Shooter"

2008-04-15T18:47:00.000-07:00

"The Shooter" by Combat Artist, LtCol Alex Durr, USMCR

I received two prints last week from combat artist, LtCol Alex Durr. He and I met in Fallujah in 2006 during deployment. He snapped a photo of me after the completion of one of my missions... the photo became the painting of what you see here. What an amazing talent to have, LtCol Durr was able to capture my personality in the painting... perhaps some of you can tell me what specific personality trait I refer to. Sorry no hints. Leave a reply and I'll let you know if you're right. I am humbled and grateful for this wonderful gift from Alex Durr.

Adding Ted

2008-04-15T18:05:00.000-07:00

The visit we made to the mix-n-mingle after the Goshen Christian Reformed Church Easter Sunday service, we noticed that the paper flag on the wall didn't have Ted's name on it. Normally we wouldn't have grabbed my Sharpie permanent marker (always happen to have one with me for some reason... probably has something to do with my Dad) and added "GySgt Theodore Yntema - USMCR" to the other listed servicemembers names already listed. The fact to note is that this flag wasn't just hanging on the wall of any school, it was the school that Ted attended and graduated from; a small town school named after it's supporting/adjacent church; hence the name of the school, the Goshen Christian School. You can take a look at http://goshennycrc.org/ to see where we attended services at with Betsy. Not having Ted's name on the wall struck me as odd since it's such a small school and a tighter knit community than most neighborhoods that you hear about... I figured that someone in the school goofed and forgot about one of their alumni who was a Citadel Grad, and enlisted in the Marines? Well we'd better get his name on the flag before bad luck happens to the school or to Ted. :) Ted by the way is doing well in Afghanistan... I may even get a few days with him before I compete at Camp Perry this year - what a way to be sent off to the nationals!

Statue of Liberty

2008-04-06T07:38:00.000-07:00

An unaware Sara gazes through the ferry window towards Liberty Island. She was excited upon her initial sight of the magnificent sight, but soon became full of silent awe as we listed towards the Lady. This is one of my favorite pictures of the day. Her hand on the window says a lot to me. This was Sara's quietest moment of the day... before falling asleep on the way home.
Jessica "Ariel" as she demands to be called now (thanks to Disney's The Little Mermaid) was cheerful the whole day, especially when she was able to pose in this common pose that I am sure many take while visiting the Island.
Although the sun is in the wrong spot, I like this one... It has all of our good smiles, plus having a silhouette of the statue is a neat effect from the sun. Thank goodness the sun was shinning, because the wind from the surrounding waters sure was bitter at times.
The back of one lady and the great smiling faces of three others! Linda and Betsy ditched me at the souvenir shop! Not really, but we did get separated for a while, but were able to meet up again to stand in line for the return ferry.

Pake's Tricky

2008-04-03T13:47:00.000-07:00

Two precocious girls find ways to keep this "tricky guy" smiling. During our stay with Ted's parents it was non-stop action! It was probably good that we didn't stay longer than we did because we were out somewhere every single day, and when we were at the house... the girls found ways to stay busy. Part of their busyness naturally had Casey (Pake = Dutch for Grandpa) getting some good laughs at their antics. As well there were some not so pleasant times where they were out of hand and had to get put straight, but all the same we had a pleasant time.

The term "Pake's Tricky" comes from Jessica blurting it out at him the first time they were introduced last Thanksgiving. I took a lot more pictures this trip than during Thanksgiving... I don't know why, I just did. Casey's not doing so well and will shortly be going under treatments for cancer, so keep him and Betsy in your prayers.

Letters in 1994 and a Call in 2008?

2008-04-03T13:07:00.000-07:00

So what is it that brings old friends together that you haven't heard from in over thirteen years? Google searches in combination with old articles and news post regarding competitive shooting. If you look for something long enough you probably find it through the continuous clicking of "next page" when surfing through all of the hits the search can find from your key words. I have wasted hours looking for the right information of what I was looking for. But my friend Tom happened upon my site for the Isagenix home business I am actively engaged in. "Probably because it had a key word that just had to relate to shooting".

So let me tell you about Tom... he was the young man who I remember was always quiet and smiling at Camp Perry. Never did he have a bad day when he didn't shoot the way he was capable, and his parents were the same way - down to earth, people loving, and willing to share their time and energy to make you feel like you were important. Tom and I started writing to each other (yes another pen pal from Camp Perry - laugh if you want), but that's how we kept in touch. Slowly the letters stopped and silence for the next 13 years. Until a call just before Easter weekend when we caught up a bit. It just so happens that I was heading to NY to visit Ted's family for our Spring Break (more great pictures/stories to follow from that visit). Tom and his lovely wife Rose live about 5 hours from where we were headed, so what do you do now... leave the phone call where it stand and then just "talk" about keeping in touch or linking up for a reunion? My experience with this is that "talking" isn't action... you just have to do it. Make things happen or they don't. Pick a day and just do it.

I guess you can tell from the photos that we made the drive! We had so much fun, the only sad part is that we only had about 1/2 a day to play. The girls fell in love with them (especially Rose) immediately... Rose is a perfect name for the type of lady she is as well. Rose makes goat soap from her goats and the girls got to milk goats, collect eggs from the chickens, pester the dogs and the cat, and went sledding in more snow that we've had all winter. Tom is a successful business owner and gets to have the outdoors as his office by being in the forestry industry. Tom is still the same person I remember him to be. We took a ride through their property and checked out the great view of the landscape around their town. What neat people to be associated with once again and to have in our lives.

How do you steer when you can't see?

Too Far Away

2008-03-13T18:54:00.000-07:00

It's been nearly a year since Ted proposed to me. Back in our courtship days, we were separated by more than one time zone, and now that we are well into our first year of marriage we are separated by night and day... he being asleep when I am awake and vice versa. Some may say that this space would provide the self with much freedom, but in reality two hearts miss the time to grow together. Sure there are ways to connect between distant lands, but emails and phone calls only tend to scratch the surface of keeping a connection. The old technique of letter writing I found has been of great benefit to me. Try writing it down, putting a stamp on it-- and for me it's like I am speaking with my heart. I remain grateful for how we met, how and why we each serve in the capacities that we do. My prayers are with all families who have a loved one too far away. In the time between his return from Afghanistan, I keep busier than ever and it helps to get time to move faster, but I still miss the extra helping hand I get from my friend... the laughter, funny looks, encouragement, hugs, his humility and pride, and the time to just be together. Sara and Jessica miss him too... he's better at playing a "dancing prince", or a "horsey" than I am. Come back safe Ted... we need you!

Here is my love... GySgt Yntema outside Kabul, Afghanistan Intl. Airport. Leslie Zimmerman (blog link above/right) has a great song playing on her blog that fits with this post--"Far Away" by Nickleback, and a military tribute in photos if you scroll down a bit on her site.

When Jessica Meets Jessica

2008-01-31T16:46:00.000-08:00

Our Jessica is 5 years old, and finally was able to meet Jessica Grembi. I have known Jessica Grembi since the summer of 1992, during my first year shooting the National Rifle Championships at Camp Perry, OH. She was 13 and I was 16; two young and awkward girls who clicked and began a simple pen-pal friendship across this great country. Our friendship grew over the years, meeting up again each summer to compete at Camp Perry, and again when I was stationed near her home during one of my assignments with the Marines. I was fortunate to witness her graduation from high school, as well as her graduation from West Point. She and I happened to be deployed to Iraq during the same time period, my reenlistment was due to occur... so I found a way to get to Baghdad where she was so I could have my friend do the honors.

What an amazing woman she is... so much life and love that her soul posesses, her gumption to do what's right in the face of adversity... these are just a few qualities that my friend Jessye posesses, which is a big factor in choosing a name for my daughter. (Plus Jessye just finished the whole Appalation Trail-- what fortidude she has!)

When Jessica met Jessica... was a very rewarding time. It was just a neat to have a new experience to add to all of my wonderful memories of her and her family. Snow angels, followed by snowball fights, constantly playing with Duke... You can tell that little Jess had no problem at all loving "big Jess" (as the girls called her) by the photo of them crashed together on the couch after a hike throught the snow. Jessica G's mom, Peg was also renamed to "Grandma Peg". Having no grandchildren of her own yet, Peg welcomed the title. Peg and Jessye took us to "Candyland", where they work in a chocolate/sweets factory, and they sent us home with lots of goodies... the girls were full of sugar on the way home... about a 4-hour drive. (I don't think I'll put the sweets within reach on the next trip home.)

The photo of all of us together at Peg's home was a lucky shot... since we put the camera on a timer, it's hard to get a dog and kids to sit still long enough for the flash to go off. Duke is the furry one that the girls fell in love with.

We love you Grembi Family, Thanks for loving us too!

Yuck & Poor Duke!

Penny is worth many thoughts

2008-01-18T11:12:00.000-08:00

We went to see the Lincoln Monument last week. The girls call it the "Penny Monument". (Which is why I gave them a shiny penny to pose with.) I am trying to fill the girls' Saturdays with more meaningful activities instead of morning cartoons. It was a warm day, but the later it got it became quite cool. Jessica thought it would be easier to climb on all fours and make her horse sound up the many flights of stairs. I tried to take them into the exibit area to try to explain to them why President Lincoln was so important, and what he did for our country. Sara started to understand, but soon followed Jessica in quickly bypassing the displays. Earlier that day we were fortunate to see the National Symphony Orchestra perform at a free concert for children at the Arc in the S.E. area of DC. Sara was enthralled at the talents of the musicians and the sounds they could make and was able to sit still - I think it helped that we were sitting in the second row and could see everything clearly. The symphony played a medley of songs from different styles music, ranging from Jazz, classical, country, and a piece from the Nutcracker. It was a special treat for all of us. On our way to see Lincoln Sara saw the teepee display that is outside the National American Indian Museum, and got very excited. She begged to stop because her class was studying about the Powhatan's (Indian tribes that lived on the N.E. coastal areas when the first Colonists arrived from England). Sara wanted to go look at them so she could tell her teacher that she saw them. On our way out of DC we figured we had time for a last stop at the Indian Museum... we parked and found a $20.00 bill on the sidewalk by our car, there was one gentleman infront of us who declined that it was his, so with not a soul around I put it in my pocket. (We used it to pay for our dinner that night - since traffic was slow on the way home we decided to stop). At the museum, the girls ended up in the library/research area because all Sara wanted to do was learn more about the Powhatans. So we ended up closing the place down due to her hungry mind -- which I think is a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I told Sara on the way into the museum that she has a cousin that is 1/4 Sioux Indian... she flipped out with excitement! What a fun day for us. We wish that Ted could have shared it with us, but unfortunately he is on his way to Afghanistan.

Yes Sara, there is a 'Clause'

2007-12-19T09:07:00.000-08:00

Surrounded by so many things about Christmas that I don't seem to care for anymore; the commercialism of it all... the efforts and ploys to accumulate "stuff". I found myself longing for the days where it was simpler than it is now.

Although television isn't on too often in our home, the girls have gone crazy everytime they saw a toy commercial, and the very thing that louldly follows is, "I want that, pleeeease can I have it?" Another one of their pastimes is to cut out the pictures of advertised toys on sale in the junk mail that arrives at our home weekly. As we were preparing a letter for Santa, with said cut-out toy images, I noticed that they each had litterally cut out every toy they saw (with the exception of boyish looking ones). As a parent trying to shop for a child, this would make even the wealthiest middle class parent cringe at what the bank statement would look like following purchasing the items from such a list.

When Christ was born it marked the first Christmas. Jesus Christ gave all mankind what was the greatest gift to the world... the Atonement. So wonderful that I can not fully comprehend the magnitude. With His coming we are given the opportunity, if we have faith in Him, to return to our Heavenly Father. This is the 'clause' or gift that we are given - our gift of peace and goodwill toward men. As we are asked to become like Him and do as He would, we should do the same for our fellow men.

So this year the girls and I chose to be the Santa for others instead of making a pile of gifts under our tree and under the trees of our immediate family. This time we were shopping for unknown people who really need the gift of love. With our selection of ornaments from the Angel Tree in hand, the girls were excited and pleased with themselves each time they found something to purchase for the children on the ornament.

A week later I heard Sara ask her Dad, "Next year I want you to be Santa for others instead of buying us a lot of presents." Well there... a good deed can sink in and a good feeling can be remembered from a 7-year old who you think is too busy to notice. Next year we will find ways to do the same and give to others. But the real peace will come from doing such all year-round.

Merry Christmas to all of you!