THEN: a dream ---- and NOW: a reality

NOW: April 2009















THEN: 19??

My how we have changed

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videos

Sandy, these are the videos I was telling you about.

For the rest of you -- I was telling Sandy that I go to www.tangle.com sometimes as they have very cool videos on there - so I was telling her about some of the ones I had seen. So I have posted them in each of the blogs to share with the rest of you.

http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=569d94ed84155a658623

another good video

http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=b6c7b995da9705f7695b

cool video - kind of long but worth it

http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8cf08faca5dd9ea45513

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY -- POSTED A DAY LATE

I COULDN'T RESIST ---

I HAD TO PUT THIS PICTURE ON THE BLOG!

Well, I think the rest of this post should be titled:

"NOTHING GOES ACCORDING TO PLAN"

Well, after work on Friday I was going to visit a friend, run some errands, and then go home. I got as far as visiting with the friend and came back out to find my car had a flat tire. So I called a taxi and got a ride home. Thankfully, I knew Loren was going to be in town with his family on Saturday and also new Sharla would be in town as Travis has a track meet at Sioux Falls Christian. I was planning on going to that all day Saturday.

So come Satruday morning, a friend picked me up and we finished a few errands and then went to the mall as that was where Loren was going to drop off Sandy and the kids. So I gave him my keys to the car at that time. Then my friend Kris drove me tio Sioux Falls Christian so I could watch Travis. I met up with Sharla and Jeremy at the meet. I was able to watch Travis run one event but unfortunately he pulled/strained his ham string so was out for the rest of the day. I didn't care to sit there in the cold for the rest of the day so Sharla brought Jeremy and I back to my apartment. Sharla then ran her errands. In the mean time, Loren was able to change the tire on the car for me and told me it was finished. Sharla was still on this side of town running errands so I called her and she drove me back to my vehicle and then her and Jeremy went back to the track meet as it was almost over.

Loren and family had more shopping and errands to do so when they were done with that they dropped their kids off at the apartment, visited awhile and then they went out to eat and the kids and I had fun.

So was kind of a weird day..but fun for me as my tire got fixed and I got to see lots of family.

The foot continues to improve. I go without the crutches quite a bit now but do use them for longer distances like at the track meet. I got back in about 3 weeks for the final check up and to be fitted with orthotics for my feet. I am looking forward to that.

For those of you who haven't heard -- Dad and Mom forgot their own anniversary. I wrote them en email before I left for work and wished them a Happy Anniversary yesterday and i got home from work and mom admitted that they both had forgotten till the read the email that morning. HOW FUNNY IS THAT! I am not sure if it is becasue they are getting older or because the marriage is so strong, loving, and secure that every day is an anniversary day to them. Sorry, I didn't get the picture on yesterday but there was no way I was not going to put this picture on the blog. Love ya both,

Vonda

Pictures from Auntie Deidra

Vonda's this and that

Well, where to begin.

All of you already know that I am a Great Aunt so I guess there is no real update there, but I do want to say thanks toTony and Danielle for the pictures, videos and taking the time to write on their blog.

I am back to work again. I worked last week Thursday and Friday. The doctor gave me the ok to go without crutches in my apartment but to use then on long distances. So I use them at work but not at home:)

I have a phone again. I went in and the gave me a replacement phone for $50 instead of having to buy a new one they jsut acted like I had isnurance on the phone. So I was glad about that.

I had a nice weekend as Loren surprised me and was in town Friday when I got off work. He was running some errands so I met him and we went out for Chinese food, then on Saturday Leon and Sharla invited me to meet them at the Pizza Ranch in luverne. Arvin will be in town Tuesday for a doctors appointment so I will meet up with him for supper then.

The foot is doing ok. I still walk with the boot and keep it elevated when I am sitting down. I do this both at work and at home.

Travis has a track meet in Sioux Falls this coming Saturday so I will spend the day watching him do "whatever the coach tells him to do". I wrote it that way becasue I am not really good at all this track stuff and I think this will be my 4th track meet I have ever seen. So I am not really sure what he will be participating in on Saturday.

Darci had her birthday on Saturday and since I didn't write a post then I will put her "birthday picture" on this blog.

Love ya all, Vonda

happy grandma and aunt

Hello everyone! It's Sunday evening and we are sitting around and relaxing! Zoe is so much fun to hold and hold!!!! Danielle and Zoe had a great day, nursing is going so good now after they both got the hang of it, and she is a very good baby! Deidra went with Tony and a friend to a soccer game last night, she loved it and saw how crazy guat people are about their soccer. This morning Deidra and I got picked up by two of their teacher friends liz and jonathon and they took us on a hike. First we had a interesting taxi ride. It's an interesting story, one thats too long to write, let's just say Deidra and I had quite a Guatemala experience. We will have some stories to tell when we get back. But the hike was awesome and we loved it! If you can ignore all the garbage (which is hard to do) the country and mountains are beautiful. Anyway we are doing great and enjoying everry minute!! Tomorrow Tony goes back to teaching so we will stay here and help Danielle and of course baby Zoe. Take care all Delaine (Deidra will put some pixs on yet this evening!)

My Beautiful Great Niece

Hi Zoe, You don't know me yet but I am your Great Aunt Vonda. I just wanted to let you know that I have waited so long to see you and even though I am not there to hold you, cuddle you and kiss you that I LOVE YOU.

Welcome to the family - ZOE!

This is a picture of Daniele with a sign we (Grandma and myself) made her carry through the grade school to announce the birth of her baby sister. Danielle and Darci's Great Aunt Wilma was teaching school that day and we figured that would be a fun way to let her know about the birth.

Seems like only yesterday................

Congratulations again Tony and Danielle, only a few more years (ok, maybe more then just a few) but then she can join the camping weekends.

Love ya, Vonda

prayers!

Tony, Danielle, Arvin and Delaine,

Mom called and said Danielle will be having a C-section this afternoon. Please know I am praying for you now and until we hear from you.

Love, Arla

latest from Pella

Hi everyone,

Cold and even had some snow flurries today. I am so ready for spring.

We had a nice visit to Chandler and Sioux Falls seeing most of you on the weekend.

Latest news here, just to make it official, is that Scott is planning to go back to Dordt next Fall, so now you can plan to watch some volleyball games in the fall and some basketball games in the winter, if you want to, that is! :) It will be really nice for Scott and Jana to be at Dordt together next year. They are both looking forward to it.

Scott has had a sore foot the last week or so. He played with the Dordt team on Friday and he had a good time and it went really well, but when he was finished his foot was quite sore. We set him up with a podiatrist today and they x-rayed it and he has a small stress fracture on the side of his left foot. He is in a boot and on crutches for two weeks. In two weeks he goes back in and they will see how it is going. I guess if he has to have this, now is as good as time as any.

Thinking of you Tony and Danielle. You are in our prayers!

Arla

phone issues.....

I have had phone issues over the weekend. It all started when the phone fell in the toilet. Anyway, it didn't work Friday night - I took it in on Saturday and they got it working and it worked all day Saturday and till Sunday afternoon. Now it just says "battery charging" and I am not even charging the battery. I can't get to my main menu or anything. It doesn't register that people are calling. I will see what happens tomorrow maybe it will work again - who knows but jsut wanted to let the family know at this point I can not be reached by phone.

Vonda

the miter saw won!

Hello all. thought I would fill you in on Arvins day yesterday. Was normal until about 3:30 when he was cutting a piece of trim board with the miter box saw, and all of the sudden he felt a pull and something went wrong. He pulled back his hand and thought wow that hurt, then looked at his finger Oops!! John, the guy he was working with, said that it wasn't good so he had better go in. He he came home and walked in the house with his hand in the air with a number of bloody (and dirty) rags wrapped around his hand. He said"say dear I think you need to take me in" So off to the clinic in Pipestone where the numbed it up and took a better look at it, and said you hit the bone so you will have to go on to a surgeon to get that taken care of. So off we go to Sioux Falls to an orthopedic Dr. They took an x-ray, and yes the bone had been hit. So Dr. Zolnar took good care of him. They actually took some more bone away and cut away some nail bed and more flesh inside so they had something to stitch closed. It was straight across so he will have a shorter finger!! So he has to keep it up, dry and clean until Tuesday when we go back, and he will take a look at it again. He is on some pain pills and is doing o.k. So he will have a story for Zoe about waiting for her to be born, can blame it on "something else on his minds!"
Take care everyone Delaine

thinking of you

Just hang in there Danielle---- God is trying to teach us patience i guess---if it's working or not i don't know!!!!! Have you guys in our prayers daily---morning noon and night.love grandma

... not much ...

i was checkin out the blog and noticed that vonda writes alot of the posts so i thought i (deidra)would write one! i dont really have anything to talk about really so thats why i dont have a title name but i do know that school is going by super duper fast and that my mom leaves pretty soon for guatemala so we will see how being home for that long with just me and dad goes :S it will be interesting haha. There is still no baby :( it sucks waiting because everytime i have a missed call in school im hopeing its mom telling me danielle went in and were just waiting for the phone to ring with tony or danielle on the other end telling us its finally here!... but no still nothing haha. though it will be any day and i cant wait (but i suppose i have to:( ). well i hope life is going well for everyone else, hopefully school is going well for the young ones of us in the family and for the "older" ones, that work or whatever your doing is going well too! cant wait to see family that dont live in chandler, hopefully this summer sometime but who knows! well once again love ya all and talk to you soon!!!
DEIDRA

snow and crutches

Well, the weather outside isn't so nice. It has been snowing since this afternoon and we have probably had about 3 inches or so. I talked to the folks tonight and sounds like Chandler has gotten more then Sioux Falls.

Dad came to Sioux Falls last night and picked up Mom so I was on my own today. It went well as Mom had tons of food made up for me so all I had to do was put it in the microwave and heat it up. Sounds like Mom will probably come back on Wednesday again. I can't complain about the pain as it goes really well as long as I keep it elevated. The pain pills make me sleep alot so today I only took 1 pain pill every 4-6 hours instead of 2. I will however, take two pills toinght so i can sleep through the night.

Other then being on crutches and the snow falling from the sky nothing new in SIoux Falls. I go back to the doctor on the 15th for my followup appointment.

Love ya all,

Vonda

surgery update

Well, it is the day after surgery and all is going fine. I was home yesterday by about 1pm and managed to crawl up 3 flights of stairs without much problem.

They had put a nervee block in my leg leg so i didn't feel anything from ly left knee down till about 6am this morning it started to tingle and the feeling started to come back. So now it is just living off pain pills but I can't complain as the pain isn't that bad. I just keep it elevated at all times. I am scheduled to go back to the doctor on april 15th. Howerver, I will see how next week goes becsaue i was hoping to be back to work by the 13th. My boss already said theyw ould work with me if I needed to keep the foot elevated. Riught now it is securely wrapped and i wear a bladck velcro boot that has a large reinforcement at the heels so when i can put slight weight on the foot it will all go towards the heel and nothing on where the surgery was. I even sleep with the thing on becasue the doctor said that woud be smart since i have been know to be a rather crazy/rough sleeper.

Dad and mom came up the night before surgery since i had to be at the hospital at 5:30am. Dad went home last night and mom will stay here through Friday sometime when Dad comes back to sioux falls to pick her up. Mom, has been busy doing laundry, cooking some meels for me etc..... right now she is taking a well deserved rest and sitting out on me deck. I am going to go put the foot up for awhile again but maybe tomorrow i can put on a picture of the boot i wear so you ahve a better idea.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ARLA ---- GLAD TO KNOW YOU ENJOYED THE DAY WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

Love, Vonda