A Pandemic Christmas (2020)

 I realize it's been a while since I've last posted. The fall season came and went, and you returned to school, only to be sent home to learn virtually. You are bored at school because of course you are. You want to be challenged! 

One of the things that keeps you going is dreaming of the snowy season, when you can actually go snowboarding (your new first and last love!)

The global virus has wiped out almost all of our holiday plans, and we're forced to cancel a myriad of activities. All we have, and all we need, is each other. This Christmas season we get to spend almost two weeks together. Your mom and Chris are in Florida, so you get to stay with us for an extra week! 

Christmas Eve traditions include: everyone laying on the floor, watching The Polar Express and A Christmas Story. We drank Peppermint Hot Cocoa, and Teresa made a yummy fondue dinner for us to enjoy. We ate and laughed and snuggled and pet the bunnies, and when we looked outside... snow was falling! 

We woke up Christmas morning to the smell of breakfast in the kitchen, and lots of presents under the tree. It was magical, and full of love. We read from the Bible and then took turns opening our presents. Of all the gifts - you got hooooookkkkkeeeeddd up with Snowboard equipment! Probably $1,000 worth of stuff, including your snowboard last summer. We all got North Face attire thanks to their discount for Health Workers during the pandemic. 

The next day, Teresa and I took you to snowboard at Bittersweet and despite the chaos of the crowds, it was a lot of painful fun!

... just wait until you see how we'll kick of 2021!

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The Best of the Best

Yesterday afternoon the final race was conducted at Holland Christian Middle School. This was your last stand after an awesome year of running Cross-Country, and out of everyone in the region - you finished in the Top 5! My little diesel engine plowed her way through the thunderstorm, and proved that she can hold her own against the best of the best!

About an hour before the race, the unpredictable Michigan weather turned for the worse. Dark skies turned angry, and wind blasted the colors from the trees. Leaves dropped in submission, and rain soaked the backroads leading to a crowded parking lot. 

You were huddled with your team, and when I approached you - I could see the shivering shoulders and trembling lips. "I'm sO cold dad!" I hugged you and told you to do jumping jacks to warm up. "Who is the fasted girl in the universe? You rolled your eyes and said, "We're about to see..."

When the gun shot rang out, you all bolted in unison. Elbowing and shoving your way to the front... Two girls from Holland Christian would eventually pull away ahead of everyone, following by a lone Zeeland Dux. Then you came flying around the corner, side by side with Emma (because, of course!), and charging through the rain-drenched woods. The energy of the surrounding crowd was contagious. Your had friends and family from all around, screaming, "Go Ambria! You got this!" 

The crowd would scurry from one location to the other, just to catch a close up glimpse and cheer you on. I kept counting... "Five! You're running five right now! Don't let anyone pass you from here on out!" 

And you didn't. You charged forward like a bat out of hell! You didn't look back, and although the rain would slow your personal record by 13 seconds, you finished 5th overall and proved to the world that Ambria Freakin' DePoy is her daddy's child!

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Gone With the Wind

I have found a new love. Watching you run. In the fall. 

Each Cross-Country event presents a challenge against your previous time on this particular course. You time yourself, and run to the point of throwing up. After each race, you are visibly flushed and overwhelmed with anxiety. Your head is clouded and you feel as if you're going to faint. 

Still, you run. As if your life depends on it. You run like you're being chased by the wind. You run because you love to challenge yourself. You run because it's in your DNA. Your dad was a runner, and his dad was a Cross-Country star. 

This 8th grade year of Cross Country, you have yet to place less than Top 3. It is inevitable around the final bend, I anticipate seeing you bolting out of the woods toward the finish line. Because you kept the faith and you will finish your course. 

But the absolute coolest thing about watching you run is the fact that you and your best friend Emma Margaron are intrinsically glued together no matter what. You start out running together, and coming out of the woods, it's always you and Emma still side-by-side. She makes you laugh. She makes you challenge yourself. She makes you want to push harder. And sometimes she pulls ahead by a few steps at the finish line. Sometimes you are the one pulling ahead. 

But you're never more than three steps from each other. 

 

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Running Away From Corona!

It's been a helluva year. So many challenges, not the least of which is a virus that has quarantined most of the country, and forced the rest of us to wear these awful masks, even outdoors. Yesterday afternoon your Cross-Country Team received word from Governor Whitmer: all athletes must wear a mask, even running through an open field! 

It all seems so ridiculous, but current death totals from the virus are somewhere close to 200,000 in the United States alone. Most Americans are getting tired of the stipulations and want to revolt. Because 'Merica!'

We gathered outdoors yesterday in an open field, surrounded by wild flowers and screaming parents. This was your first event of the season, and you were "meh" about the anticipation leading up to the race.

I think I was more excited than you were! My dad came along too, and we all cheered you on. 

For the past year, you've been a fierce competitor to your best friend, Emma Margarone. We've all grown close with their family as well. She's been a really good friend to you. You both push each other. 

Side by side, neck to neck, sprinting toward the finish. 

When we saw you from a distance, coming out of the woods in 4th place overall, you were on pace to break your own personal record, and your goal was to finish Top 5. 

Your little diesel heart powered its way uphills in the mud toward an electric finish. 

If you look closely, you'll see me watching you past me...

8th Grade!

This morning you lined up with your sisters for the annual picture... first of day of school. Today you are entering the 8th grade, and we are preparing for your domination of the entire school! You have actually been dreading going back to school, and refused to talk about it for the past few weeks. 

This past year you've thrived in the company of new friends. You truly have great friends, especially Emma, Adelle, and Ruby. Although the summer has been challenging on most social aspects, you've always enjoyed their company, and have been looking forward to seeing them again at school!

Cross Country has started, and most of the schedule remains in tact. A few of the larger events have been scratched due to COVID 19. Your classroom sizes and structures have been rearranged to combat the virus. You hate school, which surprises me because you seem excel at learning. You are literally he smartest in your whole school. I actually think you would thrive at a Montesorri School environment. 

Here's to another year, pretty girl. I hope you know how LOVED you are!

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2020 Trip of a Lifetime!

Well, the long awaited vacation has finally come... We had been planning this epic road trip for over a year, with lots of discussions about where to go and how to get there. In the end we decided on four primary stops, and lots of sightseeing along the way! To be honest, I put so much time and energy into planning every detail of this trip because I wanted you to be able say years from now: "Remember that epic family vacation we took out west? That was my favorite memory!"

First, we rented a Chrysler Pacifica minivan, and drove 12 hours to North Platte, Nebraska. We stayed one night in the hotel and jumped back on the road in time to make it to Estes Park, Colorado by noon! We were able to check into our cabin, so we unloaded our things and then went to check out some of Rocky Mountain National Park (about a mile from our cabin)!

For Father's Day, I got two hammocks. Which is perfect - one for me, and one for you! Probably one of my favorite moments of our vacation happened on day 2. You and I were just sitting in the hammocks outside our cabin. We were both reading. And I realized how much I love spending time with you. Later that day we hiked to Brainard Lake Trailhead and encountered snow (in early summer!), and two Bull Moose along the hike. We stopped and took pictures of the snow capped rockies, and you did a myriad of handstands and assorted tricks for the picture poses. Did I mention we had a snowball fight up there?

The following morning we drove all day to Bryce Canyon, Utah. But let me warn you... along the way we drove through the den of hell, otherwise known as Loa, Utah. Altimony, Utah. Population, 14. Dead cows on the side of the road. Nothing for hundreds of miles. Only 100' and no water. No gas stations, no food. We were all laughing about what it'd be like to live that far from civilization, and you actually said that you would like it because you're an introvert and you hate the whole world. We stopped at "Henry's Swing", a creepy baby swing hanging from a dead tree near an abandoned house.

We finally made it Bryce Canyon before sunset. We had just enough time for our heads to explode from the beauty, and we decided to hike the "Navajo Loop". Winding trails through a diversity of colored canyons and hoodoos. It is no wonder this is probably my favorite site of all time. The next morning we sat in our hammocks outside the lodge, until we forced away by park rangers because it's illegal to put up hammocks in the national park because it hurts the trees. You almost killed him.

Later that afternoon we went to the Willis Creek Slot Canyon, about 45 minutes from Bryce Canyon. First of all... nobody warned us about the crazy back roads to get there. Long, winding, dirt roads on narrow canyons. Thank God the minivan was a rental, because she took a beating that day. You kept wanting to drive, because you have some kind of a death wish. We finally arrived and found an awesome slot canyon out in the middle of nowhere. We were the only people within 30 miles, and it was scorching hot. There was a trickling stream throughout the slot canyon, and we paused for a few great photos.

This might be my favorite picture. of. all. time.

The next morning we had to wake up early and drive to meet the shuttle into Zion National Park. We actually hired a shuttle van out of East Zion Adventures, and an awesome guide named Brooklyn dropped us off right at the foot of the Narrows. The ride in and out of Zion National Park is spellbinding too, with amazing mountain and cliffs and majestic walls everywhere. As far as the eye could see, we were felt like we were in heaven! We entered the Narrow River, and began to forge our way forward... We had a running bet that Teresa would be the first to trip and fall into the water. As it turns out, you stumbled first and then again and again! Haha!

The common agreement about the universal mystery of the Narrows of Zion is that we would be so concerned about where to place our feet among the moving river stones, that we'd forget to look up and take in all of the beauty! SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO LOOK UP!

We had a enough time at the end to jump into a deeper section, and let the river current spit us out between boulders a bit further downstream. Only you and I tried this, because you have a spirit of insanity.

We slept like champions that night. It was 104' Fahrenheit. We rented an Air B&B in Hurricane, Utah. You had your own room, but refused to let Ashlyn use the associated bathroom. Meltdown. We'll talk about that later...

Day 2 of Zion. Well, for almost a year we were excited to hike "Angel's Landing" but thanks to Covid 19, the top was shut down. Due to the heat registering at 108', we opted for the nearby Sand Hollow State Park, a reservoir of water. We rented ski doos and drove out the cliffs to explore.

When we got to the cliffs, I asked you if you wanted to jump off the top into the water below. You said, "Sure." So I stayed with the SkiDoo and you swim over to the rocks. I watched as you climbed up to the top, passed the older teen boys that were hesitant, and marched right to the edge without even calculating the drop. You marched like a soldier into combat. Step. Step. Step. JUMP!!!!

The next morning began our long drive northward to Yellowstone. We made it to Driggs, Idaho and checked into the Teton Valley Cabins. Teresa and I got our own cabin next to you girls. It was a long drive, and we failed to make our scheduled appointment for a boating tour over Jenny Lake. Everyone was crabby, and tired of driving. Something seemed to shift in the collective family mood.

We woke up to much cooler temperatures at Yellowstone. Due to heavy snowfall at the top of Table Mountain, we opted to take the ski lift from the Grand Targhee Ski Resort nearby. We took a ski lift to the top of the mountains and looked directly into the face of the Grand Teton Mountain Range! It was glorious! Once we got to the top, we stopped for pictures and built an altar of rocks and had a "Devotional Thought" in honor of Grandpa DePoy. Then attempted to start an avalanche with the loose rocks.

Later that day, Mariah chose to stay home in the cabin and play on her phone.... but the rest of us jumped into the van and drove into Yellowstone National Park! We were blown away by the beautiful sights around every turn, and I thought I saw the stairway to heaven. We saw two Grizzly Bears, an open field of Bison, Moose, Elk, and an Eagle. There were hot geysers randomly exploding around multiple turns, and we stopped to see the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. We hiked to the bottom of the stairs and took some epic photos, and then got back into the van to make it to see Old Faithful just as the sun was setting! Because Bucket List.

The next day you and Teresa and myself decided to continue hiking around the base of Table Mountain. The cold, rainy temperatures created a dense cover of clouds that prevented us from seeing the majestic Grand Teton Mountain Range. But still, we were able to see a deep forest with trees and mountains and a river running through it all. Of course you tried to catch a fish with your bare hands. Because Bucket List.

Day 3 of Yellowstone - I was super bummed because I had scheduled an epic helicopter tour over Yellowstone, to surprise you girls. The weather required the tour to be canceled, and everyone was in a crabby mood. Mariah still won't leave the cabin, etc.

However, the 5 of us climbed back into the minivan and drove into Jackson Hole to go White Water Rafting. In the snow. Because we are fearless. We put on wetsuits and got into the empty bus and drove quite a distance downriver. Our rafting guide, Maddie, talked us through the safety plan. We huddled up and climbed in for a crazy journey down the Snake River! The class 3/4 rapids were loads of fun, despite the freezing snow and rain! At one point, you decided to jump into the Snake River while it was sleeting rain/hail/fire/ice - because Bucket List.

After the rafting experience, we went back into Jackson Hole and went shopping. I had arranged for you to get a new/used Snowboard from one of the local ski resorts. We went inside the Snow King Resort and got hoooookkkkeedd up! You got your first snowboard and you were stoked! It is a Never Summer brand, and it's retail is $580. You got it for $150! You smiled all the way back to Michigan.

And then, we were finished.

We packed up our things and headed east. We had a long drive through Wyoming (speeding ticket), then Nebraska, then Iowa, then Illinois, then Indiana, then... Michigan.

The whole time, we had been journaling as a family. I had carved out individual bible studies with questions for each of you to answer. We studied the biblical narrative of Creation/Fall/Redemption. We asked hard questions. We looked in the mirror. We journaled our thoughts. We found our place in the story of God's redemption.


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Quarantine - DePoy Style

Your cousin David joined us this weekend, and we all went for a midnight bicycle ride around Maplewood Park. It's always great to have him, and he provides tremendous encouragement from a christian perspective. He always enjoys talking to you as well...

Yesterday afternoon most of the DePoy clan all met up in Holland for ice cream... We missed Janelle and her daughters, as well as Andrew & Blare. But we had a blast as usual, and Grandma & Grandpa DePoy were deliriously happy!

We walked for miles, around Windmill Island. You carried around a white frisbee the whole time, hoping to play a chaining round of DePoy Ultimate Frisbee. We never got around to actually tossing the frisbee, because we were too busy laughing, talking, walking, and taking pictures.

You prefer an isolated setting to be 1 on 1. Groups are fine, for a while, but you'd rather go deep in conversation with me or Teresa. When we got home last night, you went for another bike ride with Teresa and wanted to take a few extra laps around Maplewood Park, because you just enjoy the undivided attention.

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COVID19 and "THEO"

So, you ask, what did we do for Spring Break, 2020?

N o t h i n g.


Because the whole world is frozen in the paralytic fear of the Coronavirus. Literally, everything is shut down. There's nowhere to go, and nothing to do... So all this week, you're sitting around the house, groaning about what could have been an epic soccer season, eating ice cream instead, and farting around on a skateboard in the road in front of our house.

I'm not afraid of getting the dreaded virus, but I am afraid that you will associate dad's house with "boredom". So we count down the hours until this government imposed quarantine will end. We look forward to our trip out west this summer, and we lean into the first glimpse of spring!

And one way to combat the boredom is to buy a rabbit. Yes, you heard me correctly, a rabbit!

This was Teresa's prescription, of course. Let's drive to the other side of the state to buy a Holland Loppy Eared bunny rabbit, and even though we don't have a cage for it ("we'll make one!"), and even though we don't have rabbit food ("eh, I'll boil it an egg"), and even though Bismarck has an arrest warrant out for his multiple premeditated attacks, attempted murder, and assault with intent to do great bodily harm, Teresa insists that Bizzy and the baby bunny will be "best friends!"

So you brought the bunny home, and named him "Theo!" (?), and proceeded to build a cage and Teresa made a homemade muzzle for Bizzy (which lasted .07 seconds).

This is how we roll in the DePoy house!



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And Then You Were 13

We have become inseparable, from the moment I turned around to find you following me (3 years old), through the following ten years, you remain close to me. I love how excited you get to spend time with me, especially when we get to play sports together!

We have a DePoy tradition... Every year at birthday celebrations, we put a chair in the center of the room and we all take turns speaking Truth to them. We point out a favorite memory, and a character quality that we admire. We shape the identity of each member of our family. Stories are shared and laughter travels quickly. It's my favorite tradition of all time!

You seem to have an uncomfortable relationship with attention. To be honest, I can never tell if you crave it or if you detest it. You are always telling me to put my camera away! But it seems you feel lost in the shadow of Mariah sometimes. I wonder if you are jealous of her stage, always performing for a crowd. Perhaps you just prefer a few quality friends instead of a shallow crowd? Maybe you just  want the attention of one, deeply - rather than a handful who can only scratch the surface.

For the record, I love to watch you performing (sports, theatre, or orchestra) in front of the masses.
But.
I think I'd rather take a long walk, and talk with you alone. I'm kinda jealous for your time...

Your 13th Birthday party was a shared with Mariah's 16th, and Hanna joined us too! Most of the DePoy family was in attendance (David Hulings was off at college at Indiana Wesleyan, and Brianna was in Florida with grandparent's. Janelle was home with Kaelyn who sick!).

Teresa set up activity games, arts & crafts, and lots of yummy food! Afterwards, we all went to the park and played, and you couldn't make up your mind which sport you wanted to play more. So we tossed the football and kicked the soccer ball at the same time.

Ambria. You're probably sick of me saying the same things in every post. I love you. I'm proud of you. You're beautiful. In every way.

But can a dad ever say these things too much?

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Seasons Change, Talent Stays

No matter the season, you love to be on a board! In the summer you have no problems paddling into waves and climbing on a surfboard. Everything seems to come naturally and easy to you. For the rest of us mere mortals, you make us all jealous. It took me years to finally stand up on a surfboard! But you got up on your second try, of course.

And then it transferred to the Wake Board, riding the waves behind a boat. To nobody's surprise, you were up (yawning) with one hand, and waiving with the other. Pttft. Whatever.

Or the Rip Stick... remember the time I tried to join you? I twisted and fell directly backwards and hit my head on the pavement. I almost knocked myself out! You kind of looked back at me like you were embarrassed or something! Like, "What are you thinking, dad?"
Then of course the winter comes. And what do you want to do?

You want to attempt Snowboarding for the FIRST TIME! And although I had to work, Teresa took the day off and picked up you and Ashlyn, attending her field trip. You took the day off school, and dominated the ski hills like a DEPOY!

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