Cherry Grove

Our patriotic weekend was spent up in Cherry Grove, PA at the Baldauff cottage. We had a wonderful weekend full of sleep and relaxation.

The first day we took my dad's old canoe out for a spin on the Allegheny Reservoir. We packed our lunch and spent the afternoon on the water. It was a beautiful day! We did, however, feel a bit bombarded by the large number of speed boats zooming by as we putzed along, hugging the shore, at 2 mph.


Then we had a campfire and made PIZZA PIES! YUM!!

On Saturday I woke up early to do my long run of 13 miles. I ran 6.5 miles down a long country road, and 6.5 miles back. John met up with me at mile 9 in the car to make sure I was alive. It was refreshing to have peace and quiet. I just ran and observed the sounds and sights of the woods. I saw a red fox running through the woods, heard several different types of woodpeckers, watched a buck run across the road, and found a few tadpoles in the roadside puddles.

After a short nap, we set out for a hike at Heart's Content. It is an area of the Allegheny National Forest that has never been disturbed by man (meaning that the trees have never been harvested). Some of the trees are GIGANTIC! About half way down the trail we ran into the coordinator for Big Brothers Big Sisters that John and I worked with at Geneva! It was nuts! We just happened to both be on vacation on the same weekend in the same area AND hiking on the same trail at the same time! SO STRANGE! Nice to see ya, Melanie!

This is the root system of ONE tree that had fallen down!

And we concluded that day with ICE CREAM in Tidioute. And, yes, they did have an option entitled the "Tidioute Twister." Nice.

Oh, and then we learned how to make 15 dominoes balance on ONE DOMINO!


Sunday was pack-up day, but we had a nice cinnamon roll breakfast and mowed the lawn before taking off. It was my first time on the riding mower! Just a ways down the road after departing, we saved yet ANOTHER turtle from the middle of the road! This time it was a baby snapper. We have indeed found our calling. :) SAVE THE TURTLES.

PS-Speaking of baby animals, just after we started the lawn mower, a baby mouse ran out from underneath! It missed the blade, but was not old enough to survive on its own. So sad. It could not even open its eyes yet. I actually held it (weird)...I hate mice, but this little guy was so tiny that he was kinda cute. He slowly stumbled his way into the woods. I'm sure something has snatched him up by now...

PPS-Again, speaking of baby animals, there is a baby bunny living near our building and he is the cutest thing I've ever seen (sorry, little mouse, but he is cuter than you). We have named him Benny the Bunny. I wanted to take him in, but we decided that might now work out so well.

Wow, I've never been such a sucker for baby animals.

1st Anniversary

Today marks one full year that John and I have been married. We made it. I think we're ready to do it all over again. :)

I came home to a lovely bouquet of Gerber Daisies, which were the flowers we used in our wedding (he even got the colors right). I love him.

Oh, and then we saw the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen. This photo DOES NOT do it justice. If you'd have painted a sky like this one, I'd have said it looked fake.

Fun in Cleveland...

So because Leah and I are so poor we decided not to do much for our upcoming 1 year anniversary. So instead of Paris we decided to go up to Cleveland (ya...Cleveland) for a cool exhibit that Leah came across called Vatican Splendors. It was a really cool exhibit. They had a ton of art work that has been hanging in the Vatican for hundreds and hundreds of years and has never before been seen by the public. They also had a ton of cool pope stuff and neat Swiss guard part. It was a great exhibit.

And then the fun began...we decided to go to the flats for dinner (my idea). Well apparently the flats haven't been cool since a couple years ago and are now "flat" out dangerous (according to our friend Rob, people get shot there). Well we drove to the west flats and there wasn't anything there...then we went to the east flats and there was even less. Then we went up the hill and ran through the rain looking for some place cool but everything ended up being lame...after being soaked with rain we decided to head to Akron to a cool place we always wanted to try and it ended up being sweet. Monday, on our actual anniversary we plan on going to Dairy Queen. Cool.

Side Note: for the past two weeks Leah and I have not stayed up passed 11. We JUST realized the other day that we are lame...

Camping Schmamping

Sunshine. Downpour. Bocce Ball. Ice Cream. Weird cousins. A very weird Uncle. Ice Cream. Quality outdoor theater. Abraham Lincoln. Disc golf. Ice Cream. Mr. Lincoln. Ice Cream. President Lincoln. Ice Cream. Ice Cream. Ice Cream.

Yes, this is the story of our family camping trip in Springfield, IL (Home of Honest Abe). What an adventure. All 15.5 members of the Hoekstra and Schutt families gathered and spent far too many hours together. But, let's face it, we all loved it even more than we let on. Yes, even you, Jonathan and Dorothy (our not-so-campers).















We ate too much. Far too much. But I was taught that vacation is all about eating. And it is mostly about eating ice cream. The meals plan the day. Have BREAKFAST. Find something to do to pass the time until LUNCH. Lolligag a bit more until AFTERNOON DQ RUN. Stuff the ice cream down so you can fit PRE-DINNER WINE AND PEANUTS, which is appropriately followed by DINNER. And for those of use that made it past 9pm, LATE-NIGHT SNACK around the fire was certainly enjoyable.

Consequently, the pressure is on to return to my previously regular marathon training program.

My favorite part of the weekend was the drive from Canton, OH to Springfield. Okay, I lied. It took John and I 10.5 hours (should've been 9) due to our now most-hated city, Indianapolis, and a flooded road that forced us to turn around, in the dark on unfamiliar country roads, when we were just 4 miles from arriving at our destination.

My actual favorite part was the rainy part. Not kidding. I told another lie earlier when I said "Quality outdoor theater." I've never seen such a terrible performance. It was a lovely evening when we set out to see the show. At intermission, we all secretly wanted to leave, but our dutch heritage left us obligated to stay after paying $9 a ticket. One act into the second half, an oh-so-sweet thunderstorm forced the play to be canceled. What an awful shame. And the better of the two shows followed:

15 Hoekstra-Schutts remembered that they had left their campsites anything but rain-ready. They all ran. They ran fast. They ran on a dark, dark trail in the pouring rain without flashlights. They nearly tripped over fire pits and died. Upon reaching the campsites, there was a mass scurry to zip up the tent windows and pull things into shelter. The 15 knew of only one dry place...under the awning of Auntie Cindy and Uncle Eddie's trailer. And so they huddled, and they dripped, and they figured out who had wet underwear, and they laughed harder and longer than they had during the entire play.

I love camping. It is filled with the unexpected. And that, my friends, is what makes life the quirky, bumpy, fun-filled journey that it is.

Now who's brave enough to try this again next year? Any takers???

Dad B.

Please pray for our dad. It seems that the cancer, which was thought to be gone, has returned to many places in his body, and it is more aggressive than ever. He will most likely undergo a rigorous 5-day chemotherapy treatment. He is in pain and he is weak...and he's quite sick of being in the hospital. Please pray for the strength of his body as he receives treatment, for his spirits and for those of our mom, for miraculous healing, for a sense of peace and of hope. Please pray for mom as she is very fearful of what the future may hold. She has been at his side faithfully over the past year during hospital stays, chemo treatments, doctor's visits, tests, insurance battles, and moments of deep pain...she, too, is beyond weary.

Thank you all for your love and your prayers.

I'm Sorry Leah Joy...

Here is a picture of us in sun glasses in California...

I'm using this blog as a platform to publicly apologize to Leah. What am I apologizing for, you ask??? FOR NOT BLOGGING!!! It is true, I have not blogged in a very long time and I have deeply hurt my wife and I am truly sorry. The great thing about this blog/apology is that I am killing to birds with one stone. I like that.

Anyways, so update time: tomorrow I go in to take my Driving Class Instructor Class D test. I hope I pass. The conference I was at last week was fun and I got to see some of my good friends. Plus we had a tornado watch and I ended up playing Settlers of Catan with some random people in a hallway. Leah and I are preparing for our family camping trip in Springfield, IL. We have been married almost a year. I beat Leah in scrabble the other night!!! (I also beat her in Monopoly) We love each other very much. She has forgiven me for not blogging as often as I should. The end.

lonely.

the love of my life is away at a conference. woe is me. the loneliness was so overpowering that I had to go to Starbucks. I found comfort in a Mint Mocha Chip Frappuccino. Does that make me shallow? -ljb