Thanksgiving Traditions

 For the past several years, the DePoy family has been gathering at Aunt Jen's house in Muskegon for Thanksgiving. It's always a time of laughter and memories and a lot of chaos! 

This year, Mariah joined us from GVSU, and we all rode together in the same car. We don't get the chance to do that very often anymore, and I wondered about what things might be like when you're away at college in a couple of years, and it will leave only Ashlyn with us. How sad will that day be? 

Yesterday we pulled into the driveway immediately as Hanna and Andrew were behind us. Walking up the driveway into Jen's house, I looked around and inhaled grace and exhaled gratitude. I pointed at the idyllic farm house vibe, and the warm November breeze... "Is this a scene in a holiday movie?" 

Grandma Judy greeted us at the door, with one fist in the air and one knee raised to celebrate! She squealed as she greeted each grandchild entering the house. "Precious to my heart!" In each room was a cousin or an uncle or aunt or Grandpa in his chair, and the game on. We all caught up on each other's random updates (school, sports, relationships), and after a flurry of DePoy chaos, it was finally time to eat. Grandpa always have to give a "Devotional Thought", and this time Grandma Judy said a thanksgiving prayer. 

We watched the Detroit Lions disappoint us every year. At halftime it is always time to play some football in the back yard! We all scrambled to arrange teams, and you watched on the back deck. I looked over at you and called out, "Ambria, why aren't you out here?! Come play quarterback!" 

You trotted over, no doubt reminiscing on your recent skills displayed at the Powder Puff game, and took the first snap. You tried to pass it to an open Grandpa, but suddenly David Lee came out of Korea or Taiwon or whatever and intercepted the pass! (What?! Where did he come from??)

After the game we took turns petting the sheep and chicken and random other animals... Back inside the house with coffee and turkey and apple pie and more football. You and Teresa started working on a difficult puzzle, but couldn't find the corner pieces. My brother and I were arguing over Grandma Judy loves more. You know, sibling rivalry stuff. 

Driving home in the late afternoon. Mariah was being Chatty Kathy, talking about life at college and how she wants a surfboard for Christmas. We reminisced on the soft, rolling waves in Sayulita. I looked in the rearview mirror, and you had fallen asleep with your head leaning against the window. Ashlyn was sleeping on your shoulder. 

Be still my heart. 

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Rediscovering Your Joy

 Last year you seemed to be unhappy while running for the Cross Country team. You admitted to lacking motivation, or maybe being burned out. You didn't try your hardest, but just decided to run at your own pace and not care about the results. It seemed like your best friend Emma had drifted away too, and she was no longer on the team.

But I'm noticing this year seems to be different. You are paying less attention to other people, and just focusing on doing your best and having fun! You have been running at about the same pace as last year's times, but there seems to be a lighter burden on your back.

Saturday morning you ran at an invitational in Grand Rapids. (Side note: I absolutely love going to your Cross Country events on Saturday mornings in the fall season. There's just something about the energy, the crisp air and the leaves changing colors!) We scrambled through the woods to catch you flying around the corner, and tried to catch a few glimpses on camera/video. 

On the last stretch, you put it into overdrive and flew by several girls who had been running ahead of you! You finished with a 20.00 time and a personal record! As you cross the finished line, you had a big grin, because you KNEW you had finished well. You gave me both thumbs up and then promptly threw up. Hah!

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Junior Year (11th Grade)!!

And so it begins. 

The fastest summer ever, has given birth to a return to the sacred halls of Holland High School. You are returning as a junior, in all of her glory and snark. Although you missed your friends over the summer, you were not looking forward to being stifled in a classroom. 

I asked you to describe your first day back to school. 

"Boring." 

Because of course it was. If you're not off climbing a mountain, rafting a river, chasing a bear, snowboarding the Swiss Alps, boating in a floating hot tub in Switzerland, or surfing in Mexico... you're bored. 

This year you have several friends as classmates in each of your classes, but that won't really alleviate the fact that you have a very challenging schedule, with weighted expectations and a "Top 10" academic pursuit. I celebrate your focus on academics, but not at the risk of losing your sense of adventure. 

Don't ever change! Climb those mountains. See the world! Chase your dreams!

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Alaska, The Last Frontier

 We knew it would be beautiful, but we didn't quite expect this kind of expanse. The kind of epic that transcends the time/space continuum - literally; The land of the midnight sun. It was all so disorienting, to have light at midnight, and to measure space by mountain peaks and depth of glaciers.

We landed in Anchorage, and my old college roommate, Patrick Matthew picked us up at 5 am. Because their house was under renovation, we were relegated to sleep in the camper in their driveway. It's all good, because we are all about adventure, not luxury!

The first day, we went to breakfast downtown in Anchorage at The Snow City Cafe, and then we drove north to Hatcher Pass. We explored the abandoned Gold Mine at Independence Mine (ghost town), and then drove the pass through the mountain range back to Anchorage. It was all so breathtakingly beautiful! 

The next few days were spent exploring glaciers, hiking mountains, and seeing incredible wildlife. We walked beside rivers and in the forest. We camped the Kenai Peninsula and saw bears, moose, a lynx, and other wildlife! 

We camped with the Matthew Family and we all sat around the fire, telling stories and laughing. One of my favorite things is to hear you giggling with your sisters, usually inside jokes that are inappropriate! Patrick kept us laughing, and Jack just went fishing solo. At one point you sprayed the Bear Spray (Pepper Spray) and Mariah and Teresa almost threw up, coughing!

One of my favorite moments was the White Water Rafting excursion through NOVA at the 6- Mile Creek, literally 4-5 class rapids. Sign a waiver, you might die - kind of rafting! The whole family climbed into the dry suits provided, despite the rain. We had to do a swim test in the frigid glacier water to be approved, then we were on our way! 

The whole family went 2/3 of the way down the rapids with a handful of serious moments. At one point, we hit a rock and the raft spun around, launching almost everyone into the rapids! All three of you girls went headfirst into the river, and I followed too! We all scrambled to climb back into the raft, and then laughed uncontrollably! It was epic! 

But then... the others chose to exit. You thought about the remaining mile... 4 different rapids that were ahead were listed as "Class Five", meaning very extreme and rare. Our raft guide was legitimately nervous, but agreed to take us! I could see the look of adrenaline in your eyes as we chose to continue - JUST ME AND YOU!

We finished. Because of course we did. You chose to accept the challenge because YOLO! You are always up for the challenges of life, and you embrace each opportunity! Fearless and Carpe Diem! That's my Ambria... I've missed you.

We ate dinner in a tiny town (all the towns are literally two buildings) called "Hope, Alaska" where we ate an awesome dinner with live music at The Dirty Skillet. Overall, it was probably the funnest day of the trip!

The rest of the week was complete with a visit to Denali National Park, where Teresa and I took Mariah up on a private airplane tour to the very top of the Mount Denali! It felt like we were on the moon! You and Ashlyn stayed behind to take a run through the town of Talkeetna. Afterwards we all went shopping and ate lunch. 

Each day was something new... a different adventure! We climbed up the insane ice glaciers of Matanuska, and explored canyons and caves and cliffs and glacial lakes! Of course you girls had to stop and take a million photo shoots because #influencersorwhatever.

Another day we drove all the way south to Seward, Alaska to take a boat tour through the Fjords! We watched out for wales, dolphins, and sea lions! It was cold and windy, but beautiful! We continued to shop and ate a big dinner at The Salmon Bake restaurant. 

Each night we would return to the Mathew's House and tell them all about our adventures. Patrick would have some hilarious comments, and snarky stories. (Who would have ever guessed that he is a federal agent for the office of Criminal Investigations!) It was always a blast to talk with them. 

On another day, Patrick took us on a guided rafting tour through the Russian River, for three hours. We saw Grizzly Bears and tons of fly fishing and eagles. It was another beautiful day! Every day was something new to explore, another trail to take, another corner to explore... 

I could see your eyes were full of awe and wonder and shock and curiosity and joy. This moment, these memories... this is what I live for! On the airplane home from Alaska I listened to an audio book about Christopher McCandless and his inspirational/tragic story of the Alaskan wilderness. One of the quotes of the book said something to the effect of: Our duty as parents is to give children two things - roots, and wings. 

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When Words Fail

  Last night I sat on the beach and looked up at the sky, exhaling a deep breath of frustration. The clouds covered the direct sunlight, and I welcomed the shade. It all feels so overwhelming! 

I have historically been proud of my ability to communicate. I am a writer and speaker, a poet and prophet. I am a wordsmith. I labor over which exact words to say and the demeanor/tone to use when annunciating my action verbs. I reach for adjectives and metaphors, with surgical precision. 

And yet, my words fail. 

I've either said too much, or not enough. Maybe it's the wrong choice of words or the emphasis was on the wrong syllable. Maybe you would rather I look the other way, dismissing the ache or ignoring the opportunity to offer paternal guidance. Maybe I should not have pushed so hard, or maybe I didn't pull hard enough or maybe... 

It doesn't matter. These days, no matter what I say, it's wrong. So you're over there with your arms crossed. And I'm over here, with my hands in the air toward heaven in a surrender. 

The Laughter of Sisters

 Last Saturday we met at Lake Harbor Park in Muskegon, for a DePoy family photo shoot. All of the cousins, uncles and aunts, and of course your grandparents - gathered on the dunes to take a beautiful series of photos. It has been 17 years since we all took our pictures together, and now it was time to shine.

Before the entire group came together, the five of us walked along the shoreline and took pictures of our own. It was so fun to watch each of you girls working the camera for your own individual pictures... imitating Mariah, looking over your shoulder, smirk, hand through hair, turn around, smirk. 

But my favorite moment was catching you three walking away on the boardwalk, then turning to face the camera. I could hear the laughter and giggles from a distance, and I can't begin to tell you how much my heart swells with joy every time I hear it. The sound of my daughters laughing together, because truly - you are for each other, an anchor. 

And there you are, with your almond eyes and adorable curls. Like a runway model on the stage of life, owning the attention. 

Red Badge of Courage

 There's a classic novel about a teenaged boy who volunteers for the Confederate Army in the Civil War. The entire story revolves around his internal fears and doubts. He wonders if he will fight or flight, when the actual fighting commences. Will he run away in fear, or will he attack with passion?

Last week, the Varsity soccer coach pulled you up from your duties on the JV Squad. The Holland Dutch were hosting Niles, a non-conference game. Many of the varsity players were injured, and they needed help. So our question is... sure, you do well against other JV players of your own age, but how would handle the increased competition of elite players?

You came in off the bench, and immediate DOMINATED! 

I was screaming on the sideline, and watching you repeatedly annihilate the competition... You would streak down the right side line, dribbling through the defenders and passing the ball to the center. You had a brilliant assist, and the crowd was going crazy for you! Jacob and his friends were screaming your name! 

After the game you came over toward me and I caught up with you on the sideline. I was SO PROUD OF YOU! I could not contain myself! I absolutely love watching you finding your strength and pride. 

I love being the obnoxiously loud and proud father of Ambria Diesel DePoy!

pRoM BeAuTy

It pays off to have friends as Upper Classmen at Holland High School. As a result, you were able to use their +1 to attend the annual prom with Jacob. Or "Baecob", as he is affectionately known. 

This year, Teresa did your hair. Mom helped with your dress. Mariah applied your makeup, and Ashlyn watched it all unfold... The metamorphasis from middle school to high school, is unbelievable! You walked down the stair in your gorgeous dress and we all met up at Morningside Park for pictures.

I arrived early in my jeep with my camera and my coffee because dad skills. 

Then you showed up and blowed up! You pinned the corsage on Jacob and walked over to the park to collect pictures, and pose and slay as usual... The backdrop of flowering spring trees provided ample opportunity to showcase the perfect scene. You, spinning and twirling and flexing like a boss. This same girl who scored three soccer goals in the last two games, can dress up pretty nice!!

After the pictures, you all went out to dinner in Grand Rapids. You've finally found your circle of friends in the vocal dimension group at Holland. This has been an answer to prayer! So while you're driving to the Frederick Meijer Gardens (Butterfly Exhibit), you also received confirmation that you MADE the VOCAL DIMENSIONS for next year! The singing and dancing and rocking the stage with Jacob and friends will be quite the show!

So, yeah. I'd say it was a pretty good day!

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Happy Birthday (16)!!!

 Unbelievable. I just can't. You exploded. What happened? Remember when...

You followed me up the mountain, panting and climbing and trying not to trip over the root system of Craggy Gardens... You called for me to wait. I turned around and you raised your arms. I picked you up and we began to run upward, forward, onward to the pinnacle of paradise. 

Remember (my favorite moment) when I heard heavy breathing behind me. I turned around and realized that you had been following me up a steep climb, with a walking stick and muddy rain boots and runny nose and I just can't stop crying right now as I type this.

Because you mean the absolute world to me! I learned pretty quickly that I had an unreasonable and irrational amount of love for you. And that if anything were to ever happen to you, I would be a complete disaster. I would have to be admitted into a psychiatric hospital because a broken heart could not function.

This weekend I was cleaning out and detailing the 2014 Mazda 6 (My dream car!) and knowing that you would be taking it on Tuesday, March 21st, 2023. I scrubbed and cleaned every inch, and got everything all perfect. I wanted you to be so happy! You have worked so hard to earn my trust, and I willingly give it to you with the grace of God. 

My parents came over and we did our traditional circle, naming and listing the memories and character qualities that we most admire about you. This, of course, has become the routine of the family! We all affirmed your courage, and your talent, the memories and stories of absolute insanity (rolling around on the bowling lane and/or the dance floor!?) and Mariah reflected on the bond of doing A Christmas Story with you, getting ready and learning together. 

But my favorite memory might just have been... Sunday afternoon when you took the key and pulled out of the driveway and drove away. I stopped to capture this picture, and I brushed those tears aside. 

Tears of joy. Tears of joy. Tears of indescribable joy.

S W I T Z E R L A N D

 We've been very intentional about creating personal time with each individual daughter, and the opportunity became available for Teresa and I to invite you to join us on a Bucket List trip of a lifetime. Switzerland. A dream land. The kind of adventure that most people will never realize, you have captured before your 16th birthday!

We flew into Zurich after a missed connecting flight in Lisbon, Portugal. On the 9 hour flight, we each had our own row of four seats, so we slept most of the way there. It was the best flight ever! Once we arrived into Zurich, it was pretty late. We took the bus directly to our tiny hotel in the city, and you heated up some frozen food package in the microwave. We were in bed, asleep by 10:00.

The next morning, we arose early. We ate a nice breakfast in the hotel and scurried to catch the train... a long day of train travel across Switzerland. The views outside the window were epic! I captured this picture of you just mesmerized by the beauty of the landscape. We had a Swiss Pass, which allowed us to take any train or bus at any time. We could stop wherever we wanted, get off and explore the town, or just keep moving north, or south, or wherever. 

Town after town blurred by, until the farmland turned from green to snow covered mountains. In the distance, we could see the massive Swiss Alps surrounding us, and the train moved closer and closer to our first stop: Grindelwald. 

We stopped at a rural train station, unoccupied but well kept. "Shwendi" was quaint and felt like the middle of nowhere. We exited with our luggage and began to walk. Teresa had printed off a hard copy of the address of the Air B&B, which was a great idea because we couldn't get a phone signal to search google maps. We just walked around for a few miles, winding around crazy bends in the road, dodging cars and trying to figure out where we were. Eventually we made it to "Heidi's House". The absolute perfect bend in the road, with a balcony outside on the 2nd floor. 

The next morning we had coffee and breakfast on the porch, watching the sun rise over Grindelwald. I mean, seriously?! This was our morning view... 

Then we took the train for ten minutes, north to Buri Sports where they hooked us up with snowboard equipment immediately jumped on the bus across the street to get our lift tickets. We took the beautiful gondola ride up up up up up to the top of Grindelwald First (pronounced "Fierced") and we unloaded from the top. "Let's meet at the bottom." It was unclear if we meant bottom of the entire mountain, or bottom of the first run. 

Well, needless to say we got separated on the first run. You bolted down the mountain like a bat out of Ohio, and my bindings came loose. So I stopped to fix my gear, and you were literally gone! You kept cruising and winding and carving and cruising and winding and carving for a half hour - gravity is so fun! You eventually got spit out at the bottom of Grindelwald First mountain, and landed on the street. You looked around and said, "Hmmm. There's no gondola lift here." Completely lost, you asked a few German skiers if a bus happened to come through that area. They nodded, so after a few minutes you climbed on to a bus without any working knowledge of it's destination. Hahahahaha! You just got on a random bus and hoped for the best, like ya do. 

Eventually you made it back to the top where we all reunited over lunch. It was quite the story! By then, Teresa's leg was hurting, so you and continued snowboarding in the Snow Park at the top. The sun was beginning to set over the Alps, with diminishing visibility by mid afternoon. 

We made it home that evening without any scratches or injuries, so it was a victory! We went back into town for dinner and then slept really hard for ten hours. Little did we know what would happen the next day...

We woke up and took the train into Lauderbrunnen, and eventually the gondola ride straight vertical to Murren. There are no vehicles in Murren, accessible only via gondola. On the elevated journey we began to spin with dizzying fever at the sheer majesty of the Swiss Alps, specifically Mount Eiger. 

We got out of the gondola and walked around this resort village. The snow crunching beneath our feet and there was a holy whisper, eerily silent. The people seemed to talk in hushed whispers, with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind. We captured pictures and you kept saying, "Dad, can you record a short video of me walking ahead?" 

Murren.

Back into Lauderbrunnen for lunch. $90. 

The next day we packed up our things to head to our second Air B&B designation in Winsderswil. You kept instructing me on the proper pronunciation... On the train we struck up a conversation with the absolute cutest couple. They had met at a Youth Hostel in Amsterdam, and now they were touring through Switzerland together. They told us about a secret town with a guy who rented floating hot tub/tiny boats in Isentwald. We knew immediately that we needed to investigate this lead! We called and talked to "Peter", and made our plans to rent the boat just before sunset!

We dropped our luggage off in Winderswil, and immediately set off on an adventure of a lifetime. We took the train to Interlochen, and then a bus to the tiny village of Iseltwald. Un Be Lievable!!!! It felt like the move The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, long boarding through the winding roads in a deserted European town... We hardly saw anyone here! It was spectacular, but completely silent. Eerily beautiful. A castle at the end of the peninsula, and a walk through town; it appeared to be a summer resort town, and we were out of season. This is not on the map!

There we found Captain Cove's Tug Bug rentals! At the end of the dock stood a local man named Peter who instructed us where to shed our clothes and how to operate the boat. He stacked the wood for the fire, and kept the water very hot! We jumped in, and you took command of the steering.

The sun was setting over the Swiss Alps, blue/purple haze in the clouds, and we set your music playlist to the perfect vibe. THIS IS HEAVEN!

We took a bus back home in the dark, then a stopped in the village for some overpriced salad and pasta. By the end of the night we were out of words, with hearts pounding in appreciation for God's creation. You couldn't wait to get on Wifi to video chat with Jacob, trying to describe our day!

The next day we slept in, and made our way over to Montroix to tour the city on Lake Geneva. The long train ride over provided spectacular views, and we noticed that the cultural language had shifted from dominant German to primarily French. We were closer to the French side of things... It was a beautiful morning, and we noticed the pristine cleaning of the city. We toured the massive "Montroix Palace"(at $600 per night), we walked around like we owned the place. We walked directly into the dining room/auditorium and you climbed up on stage and started Dutch Dancing. 

Then we walked across the street through the empty park, to the water's edge and took pictures. We climbed on a city bus which took us five miles south to the Chillon Castle, with would inevitably prove to be historically fascinating with a beautiful view of Lake Geneva. We spent a couple of hours touring the castle, exploring every hidden walkway. 

After lunch in the courtyard, we hopped back on to the train and headed to Gruyeres. We weren't sure what to expect, but it was an awesome hike up to the little village. Full of restaurants and gift shops, you and Teresa enjoyed homemade waffles in the courtyard. 

We toured another wealthy castle, meh. But thoroughly enjoyed the happy demeanor of the fellow tourists. Europeans as a whole, are friendly and helpful... We had a great time! In the evening we went out to dinner and were growing tired of the poor food in Switzerland. Straight up, over priced and small portions. But whatever. 

The next morning we checked out of our place and moved to the countryside. We got lost again, searching for our final Air B&B... Teresa's red suitcase had a broken wheel, and we dragged it around for miles. You were getting frustrated because we missed our train, and you started talking to local teens, trying to learn more about their culture. You wanted to hitchhike to our destination, but I wouldn't let you - and you didn't have the actual address. 

Meanwhile the sun was setting on the mountains in the distance. Hello Vuuardens. Carpe Diem!

The next morning we hopped back on the train of course. We were headed to Lucerne... it was overcast and drizzle. We enjoyed the progressive energy of the larger city, and noticed the locals all dressed in a cool fashion, and generally seemed to care more about their appearance. 

We took a Ferry Boat across Lake Lucerne to a destination near the water's edge. An exit to a gondola ride back up to the top of Mount Rigi. We thought it would provide spectacular views of the peninsula, but about five minutes up the mountain, the drizzle turned to heavy snow! After a few minutes, it became a complete whiteout blizzard! We couldn't see anything! We stayed until the very top, and eventually took the gondola ride back down the mountain. 

After waiting for the Ferry Boat to return, we avoided the rain and watched sunset from the boat. From the water, we passed several lovely Swiss Villages, and watched the glow of their lights as it became dark. We eventually made it back to Lucerne, and borrowed this umbrella from a local girl standing in the rain (under a canopy) to capture the most romantic setting!

Visiting the cities of Bern, Lucerne, and Zurich, gave us a glimpse of some of the most nostalgic and beautiful cities in Europe. We thoroughly enjoyed walking aimlessly through the cobblestone streets, devouring local pastries, and sipping tiny cups of cappuccino! 

We walked and shopped and asked questions, and imagined what it would be to live here. You began to dream of more travel, and taking risks, and living oversees. You are gaining self-confidence through cultural competence. You continue to impress us with the capacity to use discernment, following your heart, and trusting God!