Annual Poem 2015
Dear Family and Friends,
As the year 2015 winds down to an end,
It’s time we share our year with those on which we depend.
January began with a trainer who helped advise,
It took lots of work and strength but I went down a dress size!
Despite this, I continued the monthly movie nights,
With popcorn and Pinterest #nailedit decadent delights!
It’s hard to describe this vehicle, this thing Dan bought,
It’s red, has three wheels, and’s called a Polaris Slingshot.
He’s put 20,000 miles on it this year so far.
He’s driven from coast to coast—he really loves that “car.”
In February my brother and his girls came to visit.
It’s a great time to share that Colorado is exquisite.
The trip also was a great chance to seize,
I finally got Brinton up on two skis.
We spent spring break in Virginia catching up with old friends,
Though we never get to see all, as our travel plan intends.
Garrett, our sweet but quiet boy, was hard to reach,
We knew something was up due to his minimal speech.
After several tests and hopeful skeptism,
He was diagnosed with ASD, or autism.
He now receives help and therapy for all needs required,
Making strides as we learn how his brain is differently wired.
I spent lots of time with the Jobies of Denver,
As their Guardian from April till September.
Trips with them remind me of my own Jobie years long ago:
Lots of trips: to the mountains, the Springs, and even Chicago.
We spent time improving the in- and outside of our house,
I did the painting but left most yard improvements to the spouse.
The kids and I were gone all summer—practically nomads.
Boating in NC, climbing canyons and arches in Moab.
After the seemingly summer-long escapade,
Garrett began specialized preschool, Brinton first grade.
Even with school, trips were one thing we didn’t shed.
We went to Michigan to see Brinton’s nanny wed.
Brinton played soccer for the spring and fall seasons.
She wants to try it all, but we’re keeping her schedule in reason.
Halloween is what our October is all about.
With friends, we were the entire cast of Inside Out.
Our Thanksgiving was one we could certainly not forecast.
I raced to Virginia to be with my (step)mom as she passed.
Dan and the kids came on Black Friday to help my dad through.
It’s tough though, she was one of the best women we all knew.
With such short days, we spent nearly all of December indoors,
There were exceptions for shopping, snow days, and of course Star Wars.
So that’s it for us, our year’s challenges and perks.
I hope yours was great, but know it isn’t always how life works.
So drop us a line, or come visit for a bit,
We’d love to have you, should your schedule permit.
Happy New Year, with love from your Rox, Colorado folk,
Kamala, Daniel, Brinton, and Garrett Vander Kolk
- Love is in the air!
- Snowshoeing with my friends and trainer, Patience.
- Dan’s Slingshot on one of the many rides this year.
- Chet and me in Roxborough Park
- Brinton and me at Copper Mountain
- A visit with my family in Virginia.
- Brinton was featured in a school art show this spring.
- Dan and Garrett on Father’s Day
- The girls of Bethel 40
- With some of the Jobie folks at the Bean in Chicago
- Our newly landscaped backyard: deck and grass only! No more rock gardens or overly reinforced hot tub platform.
- Brinton and Garrett with one of their second cousins, Dixie in North Carolina.
- The incredible Canyonland National Park in Moab, Utah.
- Garrett and me atop Double O Arch in Arches National Park in Moab, Utah.
- At a friend’s birthday pool party.
- Brinton’s and Garrett’s first days of school (and Garrett’s first time riding a school bus!).
- Atop Carpenter’s Peak, one of the Peaks that overlooks our neighborhood. Yes, that is our neighborhood among the red rocks.
- At Amanda’s wedding in Michigan. Amanda was Brinton’s nanny from 4 months to 1 year old.
- On our trip to Michigan, we got to visit (and stay) with my sister Colleen and her family. We went to help bag food at her church for the needy.
- Brinton and Garrett zorbing at the neighborhood picnic.
- The entire cast of Inside Out: Disgust (me), Bing Bong (Sam), Riley (Abigail), Joy (Brinton), Sadness (Brandi), Anger (Garrett), and Fear (Dan), featuring our rocketship that runs on song power!
- Visiting with my dad in Virginia in November, just after we lost my mom to a long battle with Alzheimer’s.
- Merry Ugly Sweaters to you and yours!