DeGroot Christmas Letter :: 2011

Merry Christmas to you, our wonderful family and friends! Our hope and prayer is that you embrace the gift of our LORD during this Christmas season and all year long. The LORD has been so faithful to provide for us in every way, and we are humbled by all that He has done and continues to do. This year has been such a tremendous year for us as we continue to find ourselves beyond blessed. Here are some of the highlights of our year….

ABC’s DeGroot style!

A: Afghanistan. Our brother-in-law, Paul, was deployed in August for what was supposed to be one year. As of December 10, we received news that he was selected as 1 of about 80 soldiers to be sent home early. He is coming HOME FOR GOOD sometime around the first of the year. Praise the LORD!!!!

B: Ball. Our adorable pup, Harley, loves to play fetch with her ball, whether it’s her blue racquet ball or her used Nike soccer ball.

C: Cooking and crafts. Erinn is trying to keep up with Martha Stewart these days now that she has more time at home. As far as the results, some are good and some aren’t so much, but all are done with love.

D: Ducks. Dustin snagged some sweet seats for a Duck football game (University of Oregon) at Autzen Stadium in September. We were able to cheer them on to a victory.

E: Entrance. We entered into the world of Apple. As of this fall, we are both members of the iPhone club and we own a (used) MAC computer.

F: Family campout. In May, we spent Memorial Day Weekend camping with Dustin’s side of the family at Grandma and Grandpa Johnson’s property: about 30 people and 12 dogs!!!

G: Gardening. We expanded our plot at the Nike Community Garden this year and had a lot of success. We grew (and ate!) everything from brussels sprouts to strawberries, lettuce and tomatoes.

H: Harley. In January, our hearts were stolen by our 7 week old golden retriever puppy. We have had so much fun (and learned a ton, too!) raising our Harley girl.

I: In & Out Burger. We loaded up on this yummy burger joint during our California road trip in August for a friend’s wedding. Can’t ever have too much of this yumminess!!

J: Josh visited. Josh (Erinn's brother), Kari, Avery, and Aiden flew out from Nebraska in August to spend a full week with us. We treated them to lots of summer Oregon activities and great weather.

K: Kayaking. Erinn spent four days in September in the beautiful San Juan Islands kayaking, biking, hiking, eating, and digging into God’s Word with 12 other ladies from our church.

L: Labor Day Weekend. Erinn’s parents and sister came out for a quick trip. We took them out to Cannon Beach and literally wore our swim suits to layout…it was 80+ degrees. Unheard of in Oregon!!

M: MCL. During a weekend trip to the coast in November, Dustin suffered an MCL knee injury when Harley and another golden retriever collided into his leg. We’re praying he can recover fully and quickly.

N: Nike. Dustin has been with Nike Golf for 6 ½ years and still loves going to work every day. He continues to manage several teams of reps as well as take on other various projects.

O: Oregon Coast. In July, Dustin and three great friends rode their bikes down the Oregon coast (about 370 miles) in just over four days along Highway 101. The wives catered to their every need along the way.

P: Pacific Crest Triathlon. Dustin competed in (and rocked!) his first Olympic Triathlon in June. He is hooked and can’t wait till the next one.

Q: Quit working. As of January 1, 2011, Erinn quit her job at Concordia University and gets to stay home and be a full-time wife and homemaker. She absolutely loves every minute of it!

R: Running. Harley is becoming a great running partner. We try to run with her at least three times each week…rain or shine.

S: Sunriver, Oregon. We were blessed to take three trips over to Central Oregon this year with both family and friends. Sunriver is one of our all-time favorite vacations spots.

T: Thankful. We’re thankful for Athey Creek Christian Fellowship, our church, and their commitment to teaching through the Bible verse by verse week after week.

U: Uncle & Auntie. We love being an uncle and auntie to the four cutest niece and nephews ~ Avery Ann (2 ½ yrs), Reid Cameron (15 mths), Cole James (1 yr), and Aiden Thomas (1 yr).

V: Vacation. This year, we were able to take more vacations than ever before in our marriage. Traveling with or going to see our friends and family is something we both love to do.

W: Wedding. Erinn’s baby sister, Sara, married the absolutely wonderful Paul Karlik in June! We were blessed to spend a few extra days with lots of family in Colorado for the big event. Congrats Mr. & Mrs. Karlik.

X: Xtra blessed. We are reminded daily of how blessed we are by our amazing friends. We cannot believe how the LORD continues to bring such fabulous friends into our lives day after day.

Y: Yeah!!! In April, we celebrated 12 years of Dustin being cancer-free. We are thankful for each year of life the LORD gives to us, and we thank God each day for our health.

Z: Zero. The Big Three ZERO. That’s right – Dustin turned 30 in January. To celebrate this special event, Erinn surprised Dustin with a trip to Sunriver with fabulous friends.

Merry Christmas!!

Dustin & Erinn DeGroot

“But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

Joshua 24:15

~Cannon Beach Mini-Vacation~

What a wonderful husband I have - seriously!!!! Not only did he take a day off of work just to spend with me, but he took us (Harley got to come along, too!) over to the coast for 2 days. It was so nice to just get away and spend some time together. Plus, we lucked out with some great weather and headed home just as this nasty - cold, windy, and tons of rain - weather came through. We stayed one night at Surfsand Resort. We highly recommend it. It was a great deal financially, but they also had great service and did all of the little things so well. Not to mention, they are dog-friendly and loved having Harley there. She got spoiled....she didn't even know what to do with all of her excitement. The fact that she got to be at the beach to run around, play in the water, and dig in the sand for 2 whole days AND spend the night in a hotel room was beyond her imagination. That is, if dog's have imaginations.....

We did however get reminded in a HUGE way once again that we are not in control and while we may think we have a great plan for the day, for the week, for the year, for our lives, etc., it is ultimately the Lord who is in control. Within 15 minutes of us pulling into Cannon Beach, Dustin messed up his knee and ended up with a partially torn MCL. Yeah - NO FUN!!! We had just gone out on the beach to let Harley play. She found Maggie, a fellow reddish golden retriever who was about 2 1/2 years old. So as you can imagine, they were full of energy, running around chasing one another. Well, Dustin was in conversation with the other dog owner and didn't even see the girls coming...together they tumbled right into the outside of his left knee. It popped and he collapsed to the ground. So we headed back inside for him to ice and elevate it for a bit. But he was quite the trooper and still spent time out on the beach.

Despite the injury, we made the most of our time away and had a wonderful trip. The details didn't go quite as we had planned (lots of running around together, being active, chasing the dog, etc.), but the time spent together away from the busyiness of life was absolutely fabulous. Thank you, babe, for a superb getaway. :)

Snow on the coastal range on the way over....there was between 3-5 inches which was beautiful.
One of my favorite pictures from the whole weekend. She loves her daddy...even when he can't chase her!
Bribing her with a treat so she'll sit with me for the picture below. :)
Another of my favorites, even though she isn't looking.
There she is...Haystack Rock. No matter how many times I come here, I always snap a picture.
Bummer knee injury.....grrrrr!
This was one of those details they did right that I was talking about....fresh baked cookies, chocolate milk, and puppy treats for Harley waiting for us by a cozy fire in the lobby at 3:30 pm.
So much digging....one of the few places we let her just go to town.
He tried not to let his injury hold him back too much...probably not the smartest thing, but he still had fun and she loved chasing the soccer ball.
More digging.
This dog LOVES the water, even if it's salty freezing cold ocean water.
Yes - another small thing that they did awesome! Harley had her own welcome basket waiting for her in the room when we arrived. Complete with a bed, placemat, bowls, treats, and towels.
DeGroot family photo - November 2011.
Icing once again...trying to keep the swelling down.
Love him with all my heart!!!!!!
This is another one of my favorites. She was probably waiting for Dustin to throw her ball back in the water so she could go fetch it. Love this pup more than I ever could have imagined. Funny how they do that to you, huh?
Look at me, dad!!!!!!
And this is how our vacation ended....not exactly as planned. After a trip to urgent care, he was all braced up and ready to head home. Hoping that he only has to spend some time in this immobilizer and doesn't require surgery.

~Why me? Why us?~

Do you ever find yourself asking this question? I know that I do. And this morning during my quiet time with the Lord, He totally answered it for me. No He didn't tell me the date to my "when?" or the reason to my "why?" But He solidified for me that it is all for His glory - He has a wonderful, huge, perfect plan for my life. The explanation given by Jon Courson in his commentary made perfect sense. And it was so good that I wanted to share it incase you're asking yourself the same thing right now. I love how the Lord comforts us, encourages us, and guides us according to His perfect plan and purpose for our lives.

"And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen." ~ Exodus 14:17-18

The third reason God boxed His people in between Pi-hahiroth and Migdol was as a demonstration of His Preeminence {first was that they might know His power; second was that they might experience His presence}. Even more fundamental than our experiencing His power and His presence is the world's understanding of His sovereignty. "I'm going to put you in this horrible predicament, this tough spot, this brutal place," He says, "because I want to make Myself known to the Egyptians."

"I'm stuck in this marriage. I'm stuck with that parent. I'm stuck in a financial crunch," we cry - failing to understand that sometimes He can touch people who don't know Him by putting us in uncomfortable, difficult, heartbreaking, challenging situations. God doesn't exist for us. We exist for Him.

So scandalized was the church, that for decades she refused to acknowledge Copernicus' discovery. After all, how could the sun be the center of the planetary system? Surely the planets revolved around the earth, around man.

And it remains equally shocking today to discover that it is the Son rather than our own worlds, our own concerns, our own comfort at the center of God's creation. But it is not until we finally understand that we exist for God rather than He for us that the rotation of our worlds, our situations, and our lives makes sense. If the pain doesn't go away, if the business doesn't work out, if the marriage isn't great, God would say, "I love you. But it's not about you. I have bigger plans. The Egyptians {a picture of the world} are watching, and when the people you work with see you continue to praise Me, when your neighbors see you worshipping Me, when your family sees you thanking Me, I will be glorified."

You can fight it until the day you die, or you can finally come to the place in your life where you say, "The Son is the center of everything. Come what may, the Son is the center of my universe."

And although life might not seem fair right now, it will eventually. The waters will part and you will be ushered into eternity where you will hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant. I had you boxed in. But you stood still. You didn't fall away. You didn't turn back. You didn't walk out. Enter in to the joy of the Lord" (Matthew 25:21).

Perhaps special teams football players have the best grasp of this idea. "Special teams" is suicide. Special teams charge down the field full steam ahead, throwing their bodies directly at men who are also running full steam ahead in their direction. They crack heads. They take hits. They endure pain. Why? So that the one carrying the ball can gain yards.

It's such a simple concept, but it sometimes takes decades to understand that we are not the sun, that we are not the ball carrier, but that we exist for the One who is. And the degree to which we allow Him to do what He wants to do through our lives is the degree to which we will be rewarded immensely, immeasurably, eternally.

~Our Harley Girl~

Since it's been so long, I thought I'd post a few recent pictures of our sweet pup, Harley. She is coming up on the one year mark - December 11 is her birthday - and is just such a fun dog. She has calmed down in most areas, but is still very much a hyper puppy. She has, however, developed quite the attitude, which we are trying to figure out how to control. She barks at us quite loudly and consistently if we aren't playing with her on her time schedule. :) Great, huh?

She absolutely loves to play fetch with her ball! We take her to the field behind the middle school down the street and let her run and play. She'll sit perfectly as she waits for you to give her the ball back. She does, however, still get quite distracted at the school because there are so many new sites and smells over there that she isn't around on a daily basis.
She matches the fall-colored leaves! We take her walking quite a bit, and she's even becoming our running dog. Second to Dustin, she is my favorite running buddy. :)

Poor thing - I made her "dress up" for Halloween! She gets so embarrassed anytime I try to put any sort of clothing article on her. It's quite funny. But since we stayed home this year and handed out candy in our neighborhood, and neither Dustin or I were dressed up, I thought at least one person in the household should, right? So here she is, dressed proudly as our "Duck Fan."

~Nephews~

Our two Oregon nephews are getting so big and so cute...and definitely full of personality. They are tons of fun to watch as they begin to grow into little boys. They visited us recently (Reid came two weeks in a row!!!), which was so much fun to have them up here in Portland. They both came up for a day (with their moms and grandma, of course) just to spend a fun day in Hillsboro with their Auntie Erinn. We caught up, we played, they napped, we went for a walk, and ended the day with a trip over to Insomnia Coffee, which always makes for a good ending to a day. Aren't they cute?

The weekend prior, Reid spent the whole weekend with us which was so much fun! Ashley and Rustin came up to celebrate Ashley's birthday, and so we got to have lots of snuggle time with our little Reider bug. We babysat him the whole day on Saturday and he was such a sweetheart - we took him to a Royal Knights and Princess birthday party, a few walks with the puppy dog, played in the pretty fall leaves, and then he crashed. Too cute! He loves his Uncle Dustin so much.

We are so blessed by these two little boys. Thanks for coming to visit us...we hope you'll come again soon!

~Why hello there, blogging world~

We're back! It has been ages since I last posted on our blog. In fact, it's been ages since I've been on our computer. But, we were tremendously blessed - I mean, we got our socks blessed off - and we were recently given a new computer. Well, it's a five year old MacBook Pro, but to us (and compared to the ancient thing we were using) it's like the golden ticket!!!! We still can't believe it. But since we have it, we're going to use it. Thank you to our sweet sweet friends for thinking of us and blessing us more than we could imagine!!!!

A lot has happened since the last post, which was late August when our family came out for a visit. Some of the highlights have included: More of our family (Erinn's mom, dad, and sister) came out for a short trip over Labor Day Weekend. We packed it full of fun, including a day at Cannon Beach...in our swim suits! Yes, you read that correctly - a day at the Oregon Coast laying out in our swim suits. We soaked up every ounce of wonderful weather while they were here. I also got to take a wonderful trip to the San Juan Islands with 12 amazing ladies from our church for a women's retreat. This group of gals was fabulous, and we spent 4 days enjoying the Lord's beautiful creation up there. We biked, we hiked, we kayaked; we shopped, we ate, we cried, we laughed, we studied God's word...and we ate some more. I'm telling you we ate a ton of fabulous food. Diane did a wonderful job spoiling us! We have also had lots to celebrate - birthdays, babies on the way, new jobs, and wonderful friends. We have felt so blessed lately, and as I write this, I am reminded again of how stinkin' good our GREAT GOD is to us. We don't deserve an ounce of it, yet He continues to lavish it upon us.

I am hoping that from this point on, the blogging updates are back to being more regular. Hope all is well with each of you. :)

Dustin & Erinn

~Keithley Family Visit~

Last week was a fun week! My brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew came out from Nebraska to visit us. We packed the week with a ton of fun and made the most of their time out here. Not sure when they will be able to visit us again like this. I am soooo thankful that I have family who is willing to travel to see us....and so we can see them and watch these kiddos grow. The list of everything we did is so long that I will just list some of the things I can remember...and the rest you will see in the pictures below.

• Hike Multnomah Falls and drive to Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood


• The boys golfed and the girls picked blueberries


• Lots of Nike shopping - Employee Store and Factory Outlet Stores


• Dinner at the golf course at sunset


• Walks to the park and around the neighborhood


• Ate lots of delicous food


• Josh and Kari did wine tasting in Newberg while I babysat the kiddos


• A sunny day at Cannon Beach, which included a stop at the icecream shop


• Haysledding at the Eischen farm with some of our wonderful friends


• Family photos on the Eastside


• A birthday celebration for our BIG GIRL niece who turned two on the 23rd!