"Teach me to do Thy will....."

"Teach me to do Thy will, For Thou art my God; Let Thy good Spirit lead me on level ground." Psalm 143:10

This has been a good verse for me of late. I never thought that His Will had to be taught to me. But I am believing that it does. What God wants for my life is not dropped into my lap, handed to me on a piece of paper from the church bulletin or even shown to me in a dream.... The Spirit inside me, teaches me through my comings and goings, through my relationships, through my children.... what His perfect will for my life is.  I must abide in HIM.

I have been reading "WHEN I RELAX, I FEEL GUILTY" by Tim Hansel. Tim also wrote 'YOU GOTTA KEEP DANCIN" which just happens to be one of Susan's most favorite books. The Dancin' book's theme is In the midst of life's hurts, you can choose JOY!!!   Susan did just that.......

So my new book on relaxing is good. It starts out with this:


Go outside and look around,

See what you can see.
If you are unable to see anything beautiful,
anything that brings you peace,
a deep sense of joy and God's presence,
anything that delights you
with the magic of color and aliveness....
If you are not reminded that today is special,
a unique, once-in-a-lifetime gift from the Creator...
Then you need to spend more time outside,
and you need to read this book.

Basically, you have to 'stop and smell the roses along the way'. Action words but not busy words. We live in a hustle bustle busy crazy world. And God wants us to enjoy Him and His creation. So the book is good and an easy read......

SO, this summer, which has gone by too fast, has been a full summer. To wrap up with the IRONMAN focus, Nathan and Jason did AWESOME!! I am sooo proud of them for working through such a grueling training schedule, keeping their focus amongst their busy schedules and for FINISHING as an IRONMAN. Inspiring to say the least..... Nathan came in second place overall of the people in Coeur d'Alene. He finished in 11 hours and 45 seconds. Jason finished at about 12 hours and 47 minutes. We all had our TEAM VETSCH shirts on and were the cheerleaders for these guys along the way. We had a lot of fun. Here is a link to a local TV coverage of the IRONMAN and features US, TEAM VETSCH. Watch it...   TEAM VETSCH TV COVERAGE

In early July, we headed over to the Vetsch Family Reunion at a church camp near Chico Hot Springs just outside of Yellowstone Park. What a great weekend of family activities. I had aunts and cousins from Minnesota, cousins from Seattle, cousins from Billings, too many to list. My sister Jane was the main planner for the reunion. We plan on having a reunion every three years like we have had now for the past six years. Here are some of the pictures from that time.

The main lodge where we ate, played games, mingled.

The overall group of about 55 people

The Harn family from Seattle area

My cousins from Minnesota and my sister Kathy on right.

I will post more pictures and continue this blog entry. Its time to go to church.....

"I press on toward the goal..." Phil 3:14

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Phil 3:14


This is the TEAM VETSCH Bible Verse for the IRONMAN. Nathan and Jason will be pressing toward the goal of being called an IRONMAN.


Well Ironman Coeur d' Alene is on Sunday the 24th, and if anyone would like to follow Nathan and Jason as they compete on race day, you can track them all day using the following link. The first one is for Nathan and second one is for Jason:

(Nathan) http://track.myathletelive.com/VEmap.aspx?name=247333

(Jason) http://track.myathletelive.com/vemap.aspx?name=264189

Unfortunately the tracker does not work in the water, but they will be wearing it on the bike course and on the run!!!! The tracker reports their location, speed, distance, and elevation. You can log on using any smart phone, tablet or computer to track me. So if you are in Coeur d' Alene this weekend, come on down and cheer on TEAM VETSCH!! They would really appreciate the support. If you are not in town, you can still follow them throughout the day using the links above. Thanks!!!!


We went down with Nathan and Jason today to check in their bikes in the transition area. Downtown CDA was a buzz with 3000 competitors, their family and friends and a bunch of locals that just like to mingle with some pretty fit people. Here are some pics of the day....

 The Cheer Leader Team making up support signs.

 One last training swim before the big day. Weather today is pretty nice. Hope its the same tomorrow.

The Big Event

Hi everyone. We are getting ready for IRONMAN 2012 in Coeur d'Alene. This is like the tenth year that Ironman has been held in CDA but this year it will be different. That is because Nathan and Jason will be competitors. I am SO PROUD of them. They have been so diligent in their training, I mean really sticking to their schedule and it will pay off for them. I know they are going to do well. Nathan and Michelle are having t-shirts made up with TEAM VETSCH on them (along with some other stuff). The rest of the family will be volunteering down at the transition area for the swim to bike transition. Then we can take off from our volunteer positions and follow the guys. So if you are wondering what to do on June 24th in CDA, come on down and help cheer on Nathan and Jason. They are both going to do AWESOME!!! If you have never watched Ironman, it is inspiring. And this year, it is going to be awe inspiring as we watch our very own compete with some of the best. Looking forward to that day. About a week and a half away. For those that don't know the distances, here it is: Start out with a 2.4 mile swim from City Beach on CDA Lake. Then transition to their bikes for a 112 mile ride between Higgins Point and about 20 miles south of CDA on Highway 95. Do that loop twice. Then transition to running a full Marathon, 26.2 miles. AT THE END, THEY WILL BE AN IRONMAN!!!  THEY ARE READY!!!!

Jason and Nathan trying out the 52 degree water. Brrrrrrrrr.........

 Luke is saying "GO DAD!! GO IRONMAN DAD!!"

My grandsons are getting so big. Can't believe Luke is almost 2 1/2 yrs and Lincoln is almost 1 yr old. They both are doing well. Having fun as a Grandpa, experiencing life with these little guys.

In Luke's backyard having fun on a nice day!

We also attended the Relay for Life again this year. It is always a nice get together to raise money to focus on battling Cancer. We have been going for years. We see a lot of friends that have been or still going through Cancer treatments. Susan loved going to these Relays and we still have a lot of good memories of walking around the tracks at Lake City HS, Coeur d'Alene HS, the Greyhound Park and now at the Fairgrounds. Still haven't stayed through the entire night, which would be fun.

One of our Illuminarys!

Me!

Hannah, Lincoln and Dawn at Relay for Life

The Group at Relay for Life 2012

 Also we had a family get together on Memorial Day in the back yard. Leah was home for the weekend. We both did the CDA Half Marathon. Here is a few pictures of the family. Nathan, Michelle and Luke couldn't make it.

My family, I really love them!!

GOD BLESS you all. Keep smiling and trust Jesus!! Keep your focus on the LORD!!

Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart....

Hi Dear Friends and Followers,

Well my grandson's are now off at college. Luke is going to med school and Lincoln is going to engineering school. Ah, ah but not really!!!! BUT, it does seem like centuries ago since I last updated the blog and communicated with you. Don't worry, everything is great, we are all doing well, by God's GRACE. We are TRUSTING in the Lord as we ALL are on our journey that God has us on. This verse is a fav of mine because it does describe our dependency on God as we navigate through this life here on earth. It tells us to NOT do it ourselves but LEAN on HIM.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

I recently read a poem that fits in here very nicely. Amazing how God works sometimes in our QUIET times. Not sure who the author is of this, but it really spoke to me.... its about prayer.

"I asked for strength

and 
God gave me difficulties to make me strong.



I asked for wisdom

and 
God gave me problems to solve.



I asked for prosperity

and 
God gave me brawn and brain to work.



I asked for courage

and 
God gave me dangers to overcome.



I asked for love

and 
God gave me troubled people to help...



My prayers were answered."

God gives us what we need, not always obvious at the moment, but later on you see His hands in the midst of it all. We don't always know WHY God does things the way He does, but in the end we have a stronger faith. This past September 16, 2011, Nathan and Michelle's baby in the womb went on to be with her Creator in heaven. MADELYN GRACE VETSCH was in her 7th month of life in the womb when God called her home. She had been diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) earlier in the pregnancy. Here is a link if you want to read more about it. HLHS Basically, the left ventricle is underdeveloped and has to work harder to pump oxygen enriched blood back to the body. This syndrome is correctable after birth with surgery. And that was our hope. But Madelyn's heart gave out in the womb. She now is back home in heaven with Jesus, Grandma Susan and Auntie Elizabeth (and a whole lot of other relatives, friends). Nathan and Michelle are healing through this all and can still use your prayers. Here is a picture tribute to Nathan, Michelle, Luke and Maddy:

Lincoln Edward Hoy born June 30th, 2011!!!!!!!

Hi friends and family,
Have been experiencing laptop issues and been unable to access and update. But I was able to upload pictures and will update what has been going on. We are celebrating the birth of Lincoln Edward Hoy!!! He was born on June 30th (now almost a month old) and is doing great. Hannah has been doing just wonderful. Lincoln has been a very good first baby. He has light colored hair and blue eyes. I see a lot of Jake in his facial features. Good looking boy.

Jake, Hannah and Lincoln.

Aunties Laura, Mary and Kayla getting to hold little Lincoln.

Leah came home too and was in the delivery room with Hannah!

Another grandson to hold. I am soo blessed to now be holding another grandson.

The family also took part in the Coeur d'Alene Marathon events this year. Nathan, Jason and I did the CDA Marathon, Sarah did the Half Marathon and Michelle did the 5K. We all finished and did awesome. Nathan really burned up the field and finished at 3 hrs 27 minutes. Wow!

Michelle made a cake for the after race party at Hannah and Jakes house.

Out front of Jake and Hannah's house!

We also went on a hike up to St Regis Lakes at the Lookout Pass area. There was still plenty of snow even in June when we went for the 5 mile hike. We were crossing big streams of melt off and still traversing large snow fields. It was an awesome day, in the 80's that day but it felt so good being up in the mountains and crossing icy cold water and walking the snow. Kaiser absolutely loved the snow. He was like a kid running around in the snow and eating it and throwing it up in the air. He was a good hiker that day. Sarah, Laura, Kayla and I had a great time.

IS IT SPRING YET?

"My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19
Hi all my family and friends. Is spring here yet? We wouldn't really know here in the northwest. It has been raining and cool most of May. Things are progressing though but at a very slow slow pace. My heart goes out to all those being effected by the tornadoes and flooding waters. Because of those uncertainties in life, we count our blessings everyday and are truly thankful for a God who does meet all our needs. Not our wants, but needs. He knows whats going on and reveals His grace and glory when we need it most. Even in disasters. And there seems to be plenty of disasters, trials, etc going on. I trust all is well with you readers. Its been some time since I last updated the blog. We are all doing well. Update on Hannah is all is going very well. Due date is still on for June 21st. There have been no other issues with her kidney so thanks for your prayers. Leah came home on the 13th of May and helped with Hannah's baby shower that was at out home. What a grand display of creative fun, generosity, love and support for Hannah and the baby. There were 26 ladies there and they had a wonderful time. Some pictures down below on that special day for Hannah. During that time, I got out of the house and went running.
Last time I posted my Salt Lake City Marathon trip. I finished with no major problems. Weather was very nice. Stayed downtown SLC within a couple of blocks of all the activites. SLC is a very nice city with great views of mountains all around. Here are some pictures:

This is the finish line. Started over at the University of Utah about 3 miles away from the finish line but the run took me way south and back up north. Met some very nice people from New York who are doing the 50 state Marathon goal. They were on state #47, with three to go for them. I am on state #7. Will be doing a marathon in Missoula MT in July. Also doing the Coeur d'Alene marathon this Memorial Day weekend with Nathan and Jason. Sarah will be doing the Half Marathon.
After the race, and oh look over my shoulder, there is a Starbucks. Went to have coffee right afterwards. Caffeine tasted so good after exercising. I do like running though. Keeps me going. Makes me thankful for abilities. Thankful for health and for a chance to do these activities with my wonderful kids.
At the end of April was the ever fun 'Bring your kids to work day' at my work on the Navy base in Bayview. The kids look forward to this every year, young and older, they just like spending time at my work. Here is a picture on the floating barge where I work. That is Cutthroat in the background (head-on view) high and dry, out of the water so we can reconfigure it and work on it. It is a quarter scale submarine model that we operate for the Navy and special projects. Mary, Laura, and Kayla usually come up but this year, Mary wanted to go to school (weird huh) and Jason decided to go. When Aaron found out later on, he wondered why he wasn't invited. Next year Aaron. On Mother's Day weekend, our near by Amusement Park Silverwood opened up. So Saturday, Laura, Kayla and I went and road the rollercoasters in between rainstorms. It eventually got pretty nice, when the girls convinced me of going camping at nearby Farrugut State Park near my work. SOO, that afternoon we shifted gears and went camping.
We took Kaiser our german shepherd along with us. It rained right after setting up the tent and awning. But we built a fire, kept warm and then snuggled in for the night in the rain storm. It was actually very adventurous and fun for an early May camping trip. We were the only one in the campground. So we had the pick of a favorite campsite. Kaiser did pretty good but we brought the kennel in the van for him to lay in at night and during the rain storms. Wet dog in the tent just didn't sound good to us. It was fun. On Mother's Day, rain stopped and we packed up and went back home. Visited Susan's gravesite to reflect on what a great Mother Susan was and the impact she has on the children's lives. We miss her dearly.
Here is a picture of Kaiser. He is now about 9 months hold. On this trip, one ear is up and one is undecided. As I write this, both ears are now up and he is maturing into a pretty good dog. He still is naughty and has a lot of puppy still in him.
Later on Mother's Day, we decided to go back to Silverwood. Sarah and Mary joined us too. We have Gold passes there and so six of us get in on the passes. Here is a picture in rollercoaster alley. To the right side of the picture is TREMORS wooden rollercoaster. In the back is AFTERSHOCK, which is a steel smooth rollercoaster, but full of twists and turns upside down. Not in the picture is TIMBER TERROR, another wooden rollercoaster. We all love riding them. Kayla has a school trip to Silverwood, and I volunteered to be a helper. Just another excuse to ride the rollercoasters. Waterpark should be opening up soon too, but dependent on NICE weather. Someday.
Riding the antique cars, Mary driving Laura. A glimpse of what is to come. Mary is going to be taking drivers training this summer and will get her license next spring. Mary turned 15 in March and Laura is 13. They are maturing into some very beautiful young ladies.
Here is a picture of LUKE. He is now 17 months old. And guess what!!! HE IS GOING TO BE A BIG BROTHER!!!! Found out from Nathan and Michelle on Easter that they are expecting on November 20th. We found out in a game that Nathan and Michelle made up. It was a word scramble game that we were divided into three groups. And the words that were formed told us of the news. I was a little slow in getting it until everyone else started cheering. I think some of them already knew. So our family is getting bigger. And that is exciting.
And here are a couple of pictures from Hannah's baby shower. There were a lot of hands that went into the preparations for this event. Gina Hardy was very instrumental in preparing the food table with all the decorations. First picture. They all had a ball.

Here is the "MOM TO BE". Pregnant women just have a certain angelic glow about them don't they!! Jake and Hannah and baby are all doing great.

This was cool. This baby train was all made by hand. It is made of diapers, blocks, rattles, baby wipes things, wash clothes, etc. All things that can be used for the baby but displayed in a very creative work.

Prayer requests:
-Sarah is thinking about moving out of the house. She found a place over in Post Falls with a Christian lady who has rooms in the basement. It is a very nice place and would be good for Sarah to experience renting and being on her own. She is excited about this as we all were when we first did this. Her help around the house will be missed. But the rest of the kids will just have to step up the plate and fill in the gaps.
-Jason has been looking at Christian colleges in California. He visited Asuza Pacific and really liked it. So he is gearing up for his studies at Asuza next January. Be praying for plans, finances, and just what God has for him at college. He continues to work as a server at a local restaurant.
-Aaron is also looking at Christian colleges in California. Not as defined as Jason but looking. He is in Communications at N. Idaho College right now. He is working with kids at the KROC CENTER in Coeur d'Alene. He will be full time this summer and working some other smaller jobs just to make money.
-Mary will be taking drivers training. Not sure if the prayers are for her or for me. But I am not new to this. But still, sending my kids out to drive is always a concern.

Email me or respond to the blogs. Would love to hear from you all. Blessings to you all.