Holiday Traditions - Caberfae Cabin

Our favorite time of the year is to gather as a family in a cozy cabin near Caberfae Peaks, and spend a couple of days snowboarding as a family. Because these are things that you love the most: Family + Snowboarding. 

We opened presents at home, and then Teresa made a great Fondue Dinner (family tradition!) then we watched The Polar Express until midnight. We cuddled up on the floor, and no matter how old you get it's always welcome. 

The next day we went to see the Spider Man movie because we're awesome. Then we packed up and went up north to the cabin!

The first night, I could see obvious progression in your snowboarding skills. Hanna and Andrew joined us up there and they brought their musician friend, Hayden Huber. You were blown away by having a "literally famous!" person in your chairlift. You were flying down the hills like an expert. I could hardly keep up with your blazing speed... Where did this confidence come from??

Later that night we all went back to the cozy cabin. Teresa made yummy Chicken Chili and then we all stayed up late with the cousins, playing a new game (Werewolf!) with Hayden and Henry Huber. You were laughing so hard and we all had a blast! Hayden stayed up late talking with everyone about his deep knowledge of astrophysics, REM sleep, and physical energy.

 

The next day we continued the demolition of the snowboarding hills. We were surprised by Shawn and Noah Wolf, and everyone hung out together causing down the black diamonds. You continued to crush the mountain, even in icy conditions. I couldn't believe how much better you got since last year!

I love this family, and I love you!!!

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The Jacob Situation

 Alright, we need to talk about this... 

For the past year, I've watched you being a good friend to Adelle's "boyfriend" Jacob. He would show up at our family night at the beach, to walk and talk about his immanent breakup, and his broken heartedness. You walked him through that sad season, and tried to be a neutral friend the whole time. He was "off limits" because of your circle of friends, and out of loyalty to everyone involved. But I was always asking you... "are you sure he doesn't like you for more than a friend?" I mean, you were watching sunsets together on the beach, and when I said to go for a short walk and be back in 30 minutes, you disappeared for a couple of hours, "oops." 

And then Adelle broke up with him, as 8th graders are prone to do, over text. Jacob was a wreck! He came over to your house and found encouragement in you as his best friend. You found it all to be so exhausting, but eventually... (and it would become obvious), you caught some mysterious feelings. 

The good news is, I actually like Jacob! He is a gentleman, and he's not afraid to carry on a conversation with me. He likes Michigan Football - and at one point he struck a "heisman pose" for Teresa! We started going to the football games and sitting with Jacob's parents. It all feels comfortable, and right. 

Then you and Jacob started hanging out like literally every night. Although you insist that you're taking things slow, it seems like warp speed. Suddenly the friend zone has morphed into something more. And you guys seem inseparable. "Dad, he's literally my best friend!" 

(I mean, what about... whatever.) 

And to Jacob, there's an old country song that says, "I loved her first." 

"But I'm NOT Mariah!" - Homecoming (9th Grade)

 What is happening right now??? In a vanish, you have transformed yourself from the jock, tomboy, daddy's girl, into the internal PRINCESS you have always been. I could see it in your eyes the whole time... You never cared before. Oversized sweatshirts, hoodies, baggy sweatpants, no makeup, blah. 

But then, like Super(WO!)man, you step into the phone booth, spin in circles and step out as a NUCLEAR BOMB of beauty! 

Friday night at the Homecoming Game, you came over during the third quarter to say hello to me. You weren't afraid to sit with dad for a little while, and you made me feel special. I love that you're not embarrassed by me, and although you've become so busy with school activities, you've always kept our relationship sacred. 

Oh, by the way... you were voted top 6 for the Homecoming Court, without even working for it. You just be you, and shine your light. You have deeply-rooted friendships, and are known for your loyalty to your friends. You stand as a bridge between Adelle and Jacob (breakup), and love both equally. You straighten Emma's hair with delicate authority, and encourage each other to shine! 

At one point during the pictures, you looked uncomfortable posing. Teresa said, "do a different variety of poses for the camera - like Mariah does." 

You yelled, "But I'm NOT Mariah!" 

No, you are very much Ambria. Unique and confident in her own skin. UBU Kid. 

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FrEsH wOmAn (9th Grade!)

 And suddenly she enters Holland High School with the force of a tornado. Don't look at her too closely or your eyes will melt in the furnace of her beauty! She's my Ambria Faith DePoy, surrounded in grace and truth and wonderful friends and a heart of gold! 

You don't know about this blog... You don't know that I've been planning this for years. You don't know how excited I am to one day sit and down and show you these thoughtful entries. You'll see how much time and energy I put into preserving your scrapbook of formative years, and how much your dad loves you and believes in you and I know I tell you this all the time, but I'm your biggest fan. I'm your own personal hype man!

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Worth Dying For

 And just like that, it's seemingly over. 

Chase broke up with you over a text, simply saying, "It't not worth it."

I came into your bedroom and found you crying, in deep pain. It still brings tears to my eyes the way you looked at me and tried to smile through your tears, and you told me to go away. You wouldn't even let me hug you. You stormed out of the room.

I found out the next day that after a couple of months of radio silence (he had been grounded for talking to you and lying to his mom or something), he finally responded to your text inquiries and shrugged you off like a snowflake. "It's not worth it." 

Not.

Worth. 

It.

He could not be more wrong. Because here is the truth...

You are worth dying for. You are worth living for. You are worth a real man getting down on his knee to propose to you. You are not meant to serve as a question mark; you are an exclamation point! 

You are valuable beyond measure, the daughter of the King! You are strong and courageous and vulnerable and gracious. You are beautiful from the inside out, and you shine with an undeniable electricity that demands attention. Your whisper screams independence. And you demand respect. You will be treated like a queen, because you. are. worth. it. 

If I could inject this one thing into your veins, it would be to have the mind of Christ who knows that he has come and will return to glory. You are a masterpiece that is to be honored and adored. You should NEVER have to wait for a guy to pursue you. You do not chase. (No pun intended).

Because you are Ambria Faith DePoy, and you know who you are. 

Summer of Transformation

A few years ago we went to a daddy/daughter dance during Valentine's Day. I remember how you fearlessly danced without rhyme or reason, and even created your own version of the butterfly metamorphosis. You spun from the cocoon on the dance floor, weaving your way in circles and fluttering away like a monarch...

This summer, your wings have taken flight. So absolutely beautiful! You lost your glasses and braces, and blossomed into a gorgeous, young woman in a short window of time. 

Last weekend we all attended Andrew and Hanna's wedding at an outdoor service, complete with barn dance and exciting reception party. You got all dressed up in a black dress and sparkly jewelry. I overheard my dad and and my brother saying, "Wow, it's hard to believe that she's the same girl that dominates on the athletic fields!" You are truly captivating on the field and the dance floor in great succession!

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New Puppy Alert!!

 Meet Jax DePoy. The newest member of our growing family. Along with rescued squirrels, three bunnies, and Bismarck...

We drove out to the middle of nowhere to the Colon, Michigan where they honor their "heros", and eventually came across a farm where breeders had been waiting for us to select the absolute cutest puppy on the planet! 

You wrapped him up in a towel and brought him home. He loves you. He plays with your long hair, and follows you around everywhere. He whines when you leave him. 

Last night we took him to Laketown Beach for the first time. He was reluctant to get wait, and barked, "NOOOO!" when we tried to coax him out to the water. But eventually he joined us and we celebrated his courage. 

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8th Grade Graduation. and CHASE!

I stood in the back row at the top of the bleachers, recording everything. Because I'm a dad, and that's what we do. We watch. We listen. We believe that our daughter is going to be the recipient of every award available, so just keep the video going in the spirit of anticipation...

And you did. Because of course you did! 

You won the shining star award for science. Your teachers marveled at your intellect and open mindedness. 

That announced that you have a logical explanation for all of your answers, and verify your findings with researched date. You are kind to all of your classmates, and you give 110% in everything you do. I cheered you on, and agreed. She is my shining star!

After the reward ceremony, you gathered with your friends. Emma and Adelle and others. You baked in the heat of the open sun, in a cute black dress. 

You then said, do you want to meet Chase!?

We walked to the back of the crowd and did a brief meet and greet and yes... a picture is accurate. He is 6'5" in 8th grade, and recognized as one of the best soccer players in the state! He is super handsome, kind, and extremely popular. His intelligence is evidenced by the fact that he   l  i  k  e  s    y  o  u !!!!

Look at the grin!

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Taking After Your Dad's Footsteps

 You couldn't find the #12 jersey, so you scooped up the next best thing, #5. 

Soccer is in your bloodline, and you were born to crush this sport! Even with limited experience, you stepped on to the 8th grade team and massacred those poor girls on the field. Who does that?? 

You automatically start at midfield. Because you're a diesel engine, and you can run for days. You defend, steal the ball, dribble through crowds, and pass the ball with tremendous accuracy. You are one of the best players on the team, and through it all you remain humble. 

But you H A T E to lose! Obviously you haven't had a great history with team sports, especially soccer. But you bounce back anyway and keep growing and pushing yourself and your teammates. You're always training, running, and getting motivated to strengthen your game. 

And I know there is designated bleacher seat for all of the normal suburban boring forgettable vanilla lame dads in West Michigan. I know I'm supposed to wear a mask (covid) and clap politely. I know I'm supposed to stay in my lane and watch the scoreboard like all of the other dads. 

But I can't. 

I have to be on the sidelines, as close as legally possible, to your side of the field. I have to scream and shout and cheer and love you with all of my strength, because I'm wired like that. I am your biggest fan, and I will always be the guy that you hear from miles (or inches) away! 

Go Ambria! Great job!

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A Surprise Call From The Bucket List Family!

 After a lot of back and forth emails, I was able to finally connect with Jessica Gee. She agreed to surprise you with a FACETIME phone call on your 14th Birthday! This was an EPIC surprise, from your favorite celebrity!

You're welcome. I'm the best dad ever. 

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Happy 14th Birthday!!!

  You've always been more mature than other girls your age. So although it blows my mind that you're turning fourteen today, in some ways it seems like you've been a teenager for a long time... Thank God you decided a while ago that "middle school relationships are stupid." So, you refused to be just another boycrazy girl. And it has probably saved you from a lot of heartache.

It's a beautiful spring afternoon, and you will be arrive soon with Mariah now driving, and Ashlyn in the backseat. You don't know this, but I have working hard on trying to set up a surprise FaceTime call from the Bucket List Family!!! Hopefully we can make it happen. Fingers crossed they will call tonight. You also requested Teresa to make your favorite dinner (fondue) and dessert (Angel Food Cake)! Then we'll catch up on each other's lives and maybe watch a movie of your choosing. 

It's so hard for me not be able to see you every day, so we make up for it in the short windows of time that we have. Our roots go deep, and we value quality over quantity. We really focus on meaningful and deep conversations, often challenging each other to think about something in a different way. You are so opinionated, and your political views are widely shaped by your peers and what you see on Social Media. I hope that as you grow, you'll reflect on the things that I've taught you and learn to pray through difficult decisions. 

So happy birthday, Ambria. "May the best of your todays be the worst of your tomorrows," (a quote by Jay-Z)., I pray that you will always stay close to me, as we walk up the hill together...

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Jackson Hole, Wyoming

You inhaled exhilaration and exhaled anxiety, as we approached the Snow King Mountain. Looking up at the Double Black Diamond, you said, "The Black Diamond runs at Caberfae would be a Bunny Hill here!" We had been dreaming of this trip for a few months, and now that it is finally here - you. me. Teresa. and our boards... we were so excited! As a middle child, you crave quality time and this was our opportunity to focus on you. With undivided attention, we spend four days in Jackson Hole, snowboarding our brains out.

To be honest, it was a bit of a roller coaster. After the first couple of runs, you began to struggle with reality of a steep fall, human limitations, and your own skill level. This is one of the first times I ever witnessed you demonstrating apprehension due to physical fear. You fell. You slid. You struggled. You looked at me with tears in your almond eyes and said, "I literally told you I wasn't ready for this!" 

I bought you a sticker for your helmet that says, "Hold on, let me overthink this." 

Because the reality is that you are classic PsychoAnalytic. You process the formulaic equation in your gut, and then you step out based on the probable outcome. After falling a few times, you spent the first two days totally psyched out. At one point, you opted to trade your snowboard in with Teresa's skis. While she fell on her tailbone on the bunny hills, you and I took the chair lift to the Blue Square run. This was a terrible idea, because you hadn't been skiing in a few years! You fell repeatedly, and eventually we both sat down in the middle of the snowy run, and contemplated our options... "nobody is coming to rescue us. So we have to keep going." We literally took our gear off and began to walk down the mountain together. I told you, "I'm going to be right here with you the whole time. I am not going to leave you, don't worry." I held you by the arm as we steadied our footsteps over the icy conditions. 

Eventually we slid our way to the very bottom. You traded back to your snowboard and committed to giving it one more try. 

And the final half of the final day would prove to be the greatest four hours ever! You rediscovered your swag, found your confidence, and charged down blue and even (partial) black diamond runs on the Snow King Mountain. 

That night we went into town and crushed some authentic Mexican food, and I looked at you my beautiful daughter and thought, "I'm the luckiest dad in the world."

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