2/2/26

 

Dear Family,

               Life without Bobby is so much calmer.   It’s interesting how both youth groups were mellow; I would even call it a groovy vibe.  And that’s OK.  Jeremy was practicing music as people came in.  So, as people were drawing, playing gutter ball or practicing checkers they were singing along.  It created a feeling of camaraderie and was lovely.  Then during singing it felt like everyone sang, at least everyone around me.  And while we were writing prayer requests, we just kept singing the last song.  It was so peaceful and fun.

               During the lesson I was struck by how Romans 3:24 describes God.  “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished —  he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”  He’s outside of time and space.  It’s just a deep thought and was described to our middle schoolers.  That was pretty cool.

               The High school group was also subdued.  They were super sweet and during lesson time it was funny how they tried to figure out a fill in the blank but then gave up.  Romans 8:29-30 – Our C _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ isn’t upon ourselves.  Someone blurted out, “Chicken”, another, “Chipotle!” I’ll tell you the answer at the end.

               I must admit being a Sunday School teacher for the 3–5-year-olds can be exhausting.  Thank goodness for young helpers.  I mentioned to one that we would start the lesson as soon as the youngsters got all that energy out.  He said, “That will be take a year.”

               Although there are many upsetting things happening in the world, I can have peace because I know God is in control.  I am glad He cares about us; he gives us power to love each other and grace to be kind in all circumstances.  May you also find your strength in Him.

 

Love and hugs, Cristy

 

The answer to the fill in the blank is confidence.  Our Confidence is not upon ourselves 😊. (It is in Jesus.)

1/25/26

 

Dear Family,

               Seeing likeness can be comical.  I had worked out in the guest room and left the blackout curtain aside.  Light was streaming in, so I went in to close it and noticed Seth.  “Oh, Hi Seth, do you mind if I close the curtain?” He didn’t care so I did but then I noticed the room was dark.  “Seth, do you want me to turn a light on?”  He said, “Only if you want to use electricity.”  Well, when he put it that way, I left him in a dark room.  I was chuckling to myself when I saw Bobby.  He asked what was so funny and I told the story.  Bobby said, “You two are so alike!  It’s funny that you both were thinking, “Got to save electricity.”

               Tuesday evening with the middle schoolers was pleasant.  Part of Bobby’s message was about not living recklessly.  He picked on a student and said, “XXXXX, let’s say you stole my credit card.  How much of it would you spend?”  XXXXXX was like, “Uhhh, I don’t know, thousands?”  Bobby said, “That’s not the right answer.  The right answer is all of it.”  Meanwhile our volunteer and father of the young man was laughing and feeling chagrined.  “You do know who you are talking to right?”

               Wednesday night was full of joy and fun.  Nothing really stood out but I am blessed to be able to go and enjoy our teens. 

               I still enjoy my commute and hope you enjoy the picture of the Wallace Marine park pedestrian bridge from our foggy days.

               Bobby cooked several amazing dinners, and it was delightful to eat with him and see how much Seth liked the food as well.  Bobby also mowed the lawn and was lovely to be around.  I enjoy his company and, all in all, this was another great week.

               May you enjoy the day’s God grants to us.  May your strength be filled by Him and may you find grace to do what he wills for you.

 

Love and hugs,

 

Cristy

1/19/26

 

I dropped my car key in the bottle drop at Fred Meyer accidentally.  I went to the desk to say, “I think I may have dropped my keys into the bottle drop.  Can you please have some people look for me?”  The person was kind enough to send several workers to clean up the bottle drop area and look for my key.  Then I said.  “I may have locked them in my car.  I definitely locked my phone in there.  Can I please use the phone to get my son to come rescue me just in case?”  She was also kind enough to let me call out.  I left this message for Bobby since I haven’t memorized Seth’s number, “Hi, Bobby, I might have locked my keys in my car at the South Salem Freddies.  Can you please have Seth come and rescue me?”  I then went to the bottle drop area. 

The wonderful young men found my keys!! Yay.  I unlocked my car, got my phone and called Bobby to leave this message, “Disregard the last message. I’m fine.  I don’t need to be rescued!”  I then called Seth to say, “You don’t have to rescue me anymore. We found my keys in the bottle drop.”  Seth sounded a little confused and said, “OOooK?? Be well?” Then I noticed I had a message.  I had called myself from Fred Meyer.  I had left a message to myself to tell Seth to rescue me.  Needless to say both Seth and Bobby were a bit confused last Sunday afternoon.

               The week could only get better and it did.  Monday was blissfully uneventful.  I had wanted to take Seth out to “Bag O’ Crab” because it has a robot serve the food and that sounded super fun.  Seth was too busy (on a weekly basis he has meetings with friends online).  I couldn’t tempt him enough.  I finally gave up and told Bobby, “I guess I’ll have to take you out to the Bag O’ Crab.  Seth doesn’t want to go.”  Bobby didn’t mind being my second pick at all.  He said, “How about Saturday?”  Well, OK – Saturday it was.

               Tuesday evening at the Middle School group I was reminded of a comment I made about someone’s sequined item hanging off their purse.  When I asked, “What’s that?”  She mentioned, “It’s broccoli.  I have told you once before.”  I did mention that I might even ask again because I do forget things.  A fun comment from her friend, “Because you are so old.”  I fit in the ancient category for them.  It was fun to laugh with them, even though the joke was on me.

               I did enjoy bringing some Valentines cards, random stickers and card stock for making cards in general and Valentines for next month.  The comments were, “Isn’t is a little early for Valentines?”  My reply, “Well, this is what’s in the stores.”  After a pause they got into it and I heard, “I’m going to make this for my _ _ _  or other people they had in mind.  It was fun to see them get creative and think about sharing love even though it’s a little early.

               The group on Wednesday night was enjoyable.  They started trying to do origami with the cardstock I brought.  I thought they were done with origami!  I made a mental note to bring some thinner paper. 

               During the lesson time Bobby said, “Tonight we will be talking about sin, but it’s not all bad.”  That made me chuckle.  I’m sure he meant the talk wouldn’t be bad, but it still sounded silly.

               Saturday at Bag O’ Crab was an experience I will never do again.  My favorite restaurant is McDonalds because it is fast, tasty and  . . . did I mention fast?  OK, OK I LOVED the robot with cat ears, whiskers and an adorable voice – that was fun.  But I had a project for lunch and giving me a bib and plastic gloves just made me leery.  It was messy, it was yummy, it was not for me.  Bobby enjoyed himself and I was fine for about 15 minutes.  Then I was just making it so the leftovers didn’t include outer shell.  Seth enjoyed the leftovers.  But I did have to clean the microwave after that.  Yikes.

               Well, in light of that – even though I didn’t like it that much may you also be willing to try new things.  May your heart be filled with the people that are willing to spend time with you.  May you find strength in being loved and loving others and may God fill you with gratitude and peace always.

 

               Love and Hugs,

 

Cristy

PS, the picture was taken by Bobby :-).

1/11/25

 

Dear Family,

 

               I am thankful for God’s love, provision, care and active participation in holding our earth together.  I know that without him we would literally fall apart.  This week my Dad’s surgery went well, he survived a lumbar puncture to drain fluid from his brain.  While this wasn’t a huge surgery and didn’t involve a knife I was still very, very glad for all your prayers, love and encouraging words.

               One of my co-workers quietly retired.  They gave one day’s notice and slipped away without any fanfare.  Last month we had a party for another co-worker (who gave months’ notice).  It’s interesting to see how different individuals are.  I on the other hand plan to never retire.  I love being productive way too much.  I’ll get to heaven and say, “How can I help” 😉.

               Tuesday night youth group has so many fun sweet people.  I admit, after bicycling home in sleet and taking a shower, it is hard to want to go out in it again but it’s worth it.  A fun thing about the lesson was when Bobby was talking about never having chicken pox.  A youth mentioned there is also, “little pox” and he said, “Yeah, smallpox.”

               Bobby wanted to illustrate how God’s wisdom helps us see clearly.  He showed a 3d picture and had the teens agree it was blurry.  Paper 3d glasses were hidden in the Bibles under their chairs.  He had us turn to the passage where he had put them and there was much excitement.  The person next to me exclaimed, “Yo! Legendary find!”  I love their words.  There were so many, but they came so fast.  Later when we were looking at several 3d pictures my neighbor said, “3D is rough though.”

               The High school group was also delightful.  I enjoyed coloring Far Side comics before the lesson and then how fun they are while processing the lesson.  Bobby asked, “Where does wisdom originate from?”  A youth piped up, “Spain!”  I don’t even know if Bobby heard it – he just kept on teaching.  Another part of the lesson was when Bobby said most people think they are pretty great.  Somone asked Bobby, “Who do you think is genuinely nice?”  Bobby paused to think about it. . . “Well. . I think I am.”  There was enough of a pause that someone had to make the “BZZZZZZT” sound.  This met with laughter as it illustrated the point perfectly.

               I enjoyed chatting with my mom on her Birthday and Adriel through the week.  Bobby has been busy with planning a sermon and hanging out with friends watching football.  I’m so glad he does this.  People start yelling about plays and I don’t want to be around the loudness.

               May you also find joy in the rhythms of your life.  May you sense God’s leading and follow it.  May your heart be glad for each day God gives us.  Love and hugs,

 

Cristy

1/4/25

 

Behold my newest creation!  I went to the goodwill bins looking for two different materials.  Something warm and soft to put next to my cold wrists while I bicycle and something iridescent or reflective to put on the outside of my arm warmers.  When we entered, I immediately found a 18-month-old Pegasus costume that fit the bill.  Normally I am not all about bling, but I need to be seen while bicycling.  I believe these will do the trick and am contemplating a Pegasus backpack to complete the ridiculousness of my outfit.  Let me know if you think I should do it.

               Last week was different simply because youth group happened during the day while I work.  They went out to lunch and shopping.  They also had a souper board game day (many soups included).  I did miss out from those, but I thoroughly enjoyed visiting and shopping with my friend on New years day.  How fun and exciting to be paid for a day off.  Holiday pay will never lose its thrill.

               Speaking of thrilling – I am delighting in the Bible Project’s devotionals through the Bible app.  I’m all about keeping a streak going and their devotions are not only engaging bug informative, and I learn new things even though my degree is in Biblical Education.  His words are alive and active and can even be fun.  Have you tried the “Y’all” version of the Bible?  I am enjoying it immensely.

               Adriel, Seth and Bobby are almost over their colds.  Yay!  I managed to find a coupon book Adriel made while in grade school.  It warmed my heart how in the end she said, “I love you mom and you know I’ll always care, no matter what.”  She really is a delightful individual.

               Seth has been plugging away at work, and I am thankful he will continue to do school until he is finished.  He’s a steady person and I appreciate that about him.

               Thank you for indulging me in this quiz – I really do want to know if the shiny backpack is the way to go.  So far, I have two middle schoolers who think I should definitely do it and one who is voting no with a very sad shake of their head, “Just, no.”  What do you think?

 

Love and hugs, Cristy

12/28/25

 

Dear Family,

 

               Adriel seemed upset when she looked at our manger scene on the 20^th.  “Why is Jesus in the manger?”  Half of the people understood why this was so wrong.  The other half were a bit confused until we explained that tradition.  “He wasn’t born yet.”  It was fun for Adriel to also admit that we don’t know the real birthdate exactly anyway.  I did have to smile about all the confusion.

               During dinner, Bobby’s sister seemed to be choking a little.  She whispered to Bobby, “Hit me.”  Bobby gladly came over and thumped her a couple of times.  Finally, she was able to swallow better.  Bobby said, “It’s not often I get to hit my sister.”

               Bobby and I celebrated Christmas day with the Duval family.  I requested ahead of time to take photos of individual families because I have been praying for them with pictures from before Sam was born, 17 years ago.  They complied and now I have shiny new pictures to use.  How fun that one family wanted to recreate the old picture, closed eyes and all.  That’s why I have posted the Kuykendall photo.  They have such a fun spirit in them.

               Seth stayed home with a cough and Adriel enjoyed working at the Skate shop.  She said it had the, “Perfect Christmas vibes, Very mellow.”  They grilled steak, hotdogs and burgers.  Yum!

               Work on Friday was nice and went quickly.  I truly enjoyed contemplating Jesus birth this year with friends during our break time.  We brought to the table thoughts like, “Did you know the shepherds were probably not men, they were teen boys or even younger.  Can you imagine the excitement they brought to the manger?”  “I feel so sorry for Mary, her mom wasn’t there during the birth.  I was really glad my mom was present.”  (One person said Mary’s mother was dead – the catholic tradition.)  I was thinking they had a broken relationship.  Either way, how sad that the Bible doesn’t mention any grandparent relationship between Jesus and Mary or Joseph’s parents.  Also. some celebrate the Solstice as the day the wise men visited and this was the first time non-Jewish people were introduced to the Christ Child.  Such wonder and excitement Mary must have felt.  Such mixed emotions as they were turned away for no room in the inn. 

I remember while checking into the hospital leaning over a bit and someone said, “Get her off the carpet.”  Poor Mary – the Innkeepers might have only been thinking of the mess she was going to make.  Did she have a Dr. or a midwife?  No mention – but she did have God and the knowledge that Jesus wasn’t just going to thrive as a baby – he was going to rule the world as an adult.  I might not have brought Adriel to the emergency room for her first cold if I knew she was destined to grow up queen. 

               So many of our own child bearing stories weave into the day Jesus was born.  We consider the depth of first time parenthood and feel with and for Mary.  Oh, what a hard time.  May you also weave your stories in with His.  May you find joy as you consider God’s hand in your life through Christ and may you rejoice that He did it!  Our Lord came to earth.  Wow,

 

 

Love and hugs, Cristy

              

Merry Christmas!!

 

Hello!                                                                                                      12/25

 

I’ll try not only to update you about our year but to share the funny parts of our lives in this Christmas letter.

Seth continues to work as a custodian and do school full time.  Adriel has two jobs although the law office job has picked up to full time and the Commonwealth skateboard shop has less hours.  Bobby continues to work as a youth pastor.  We have been at West Hills for over 18 years.  I enjoy working for the Employment department very much and volunteering with our church and the Union Gospel Mission thrift store.

And now, on to the entertainment:

Several things have been endearing with Seth.  I do have a perpetual popcorn bowl that I like to keep full.  One day Seth texted with, “I think I ruined the popcorn.”  This interested me and he responded that he had added butter.  I immediately thought of how popcorn sometimes melts when you pour butter on it and assured him, he was fine.  I just thought it was sweet of him to be concerned.

   Another incident was his concern about fraud on his card with an Amazon purchase.  “Mom, did you use my card on Amazon yesterday?”  I did not, so I thought he should report the fraud.  Later that day, “False alarm – it was a return.”  There are so many firsts in life.  It’s interesting to be part of Seth’s as he is a young adult. 

One of our former youths made my day by asking if I liked his new tattoo and sending a picture of something quite hideous.  I hedged and was at work, so I didn’t say yay or nay.  I did ask clarifying questions.  Given enough time, I was happily surprised with, “APRIL FOOLSSSSSSSSS.  I didn’t actually get that tattoo.”  I had a great laugh and shared the story with coworkers who were also quite appreciative.  Ahhh – to laugh.

   I knew Seth wouldn’t appreciate a story, so when I got home, I bared my ankle and asked if he liked my tattoo.  When he looked and said, “I can’t see it,” I said, “It’s very tiny.”  As he was looking closer, I whispered, “April fools.  I love you.”  I got a smile out of him, and that was super fun. 

   Seth helped so much to make our yard beautiful this summer.  I appreciated his efforts immensely.  Our yard is manageable this year, yeah!!  Since Seth put hours into the yard I haven’t cried once because it was overwhelming.  Seth even swept our sidewalk.  It was so beautiful!  I then had time to take my wheel barrel and clean up two or three other blocks on Wallace that were trashy.  I bicycle every day and want to live in a clean neighborhood.  During that task I saw a lovely lady from church and had several amazing interactions with neighbors.  I felt so loved, blessed and happy to live exactly where I live. 

   Adriel was a camp counselor for a couple of weeks.  She was a one on one (or helped two at a time).  She had some wonderful weeks and has a new appreciation for caregiving and camp in general.

   Bobby came home early from his 100 mile hike this summer for an entirely different reason than past hikes.  No tent malfunctions, fire, or extreme mosquitoes.  This time they simply hiked faster than expected. How fun.  Bobby was home just in time to help Seth spread gravel.  He was so excited about that. 😉.

    I asked for and received a very short hair cut in the summer.  I love it because it bugs me when hair gets into my face or eyes.  Bobby wasn’t very happy – he did pray that it would grow fast.  Seth doesn’t care but I told him he could at least say, “Nice haircut.”  Bobby said, “You can say, ‘You are still pretty.’”  It’s funny how our outward appearance does affect others.  Care or not we can notice and be nice about it or mean.  I mostly don’t care about what it looks like.  My hair is going to be crazy no matter what kind of cut I have.

I had a fun moment with Seth.  My friend had texted saying she wanted to pick me up early for a woman’s retreat trip.  I mentioned that I was coming home and expected to leave in half an hour BUT if she wanted to help unload groceries, I would love her company.  She said she was coming right over.  When I got home, I asked Seth to help unload groceries and he was in the middle of something, as usual.  I mentioned it was OK; my friend was coming over to help.  He untangled himself from his computer work and was beginning to help when my friend came in.  Seth was curious.  “Did she come over just to help unpack groceries?”  I said, “Yes” and he was a bit confused.  Then I said, “Nah, you can take over.” And he did.  It was fun to see him pondering the situation. 

I am so glad that I was evaluated for allergies this year.  It was a much better prognosis than being allergic to Bobby or our cat.  I am more allergic to dust mites than anything else.  Cats – a little.  Now we can manage my allergies quite easily – since we know what to do.  Yay!!  I think the allergist found me amusing.  I told him that if I was allergic to cats I must be allergic to dogs as well because I don’t want a dog.  He said, “That’s not how it works.”  Drat.

I commented on how cool Adriel’s pants were and she mentioned that she had sewn the part I liked on.  How cool is that?!! Adriel and I enjoyed sewing projects when she was a child – we didn’t ever follow a pattern – we just had fun with extra cloth and made things.  We have a picture of little Seth hugging something she made for him.  I really love that Adriel is continuing the tradition!  I even felt inspired to alter a Rooted sweatshirt.  It turned out well.  The sleeves have thumb holes and are thinner now.  I love my very old, newly remodeled sweatshirt.  It’s not just cool, it’s better than new to me.  I’m thankful for Adriel’s inspiration.

All this fun and silliness brings me to the most important point.  We are free because of others sacrifice.  We are free to live in peace because soldiers have fought for this freedom.  Bobby is free to be a pastor because Jesus gave his life.  We are free to not sin because Jesus’ death made it possible.  Such gratefulness wells in my heart when I share our stories.  Thank you for reading them.  Thank you for caring 😊.

Love and hugs,

 

 

 

 

Cristy VanKleek

cvankleek@yahoo.com

and my Monday blog is https://vankleekblessings.blogspot.com/ )