Re-Building the Brown House

Re-building the Brown House

By Simon Van Dyken

“I think we should buy that house next door and fix it up.”  My dad said one night at the table. That’s where it all started.  This house needed a lot of work and we knew that it would take a lot of time and a lot of money to make it look nice.  Our plan was to re-model both the inside and outside of the house so that my grandparents could come and stay up here for the whole summer because they did not like the 90 or more degree weather everyday in Arizona.

My parents took a little while to talk about the idea of doing this job and then they finally asked, “You guys ready to work and fix that house up next door?”  I’m guessing we all said yes, because not long after my dad bought the house.  I remember when they bought it, I was really sick and could not go and look inside of it when everyone else was.  I didn’t get to see the inside for a little while longer after that because I could never get out of bed.  My dad bought the house in late spring or early summer, which was a perfect time because now we could get right to work.  My dad’s plan was to start on the outside of the house and then when it got colder do the inside.  

There was a lot of work of work to be done on the outside.  We had to cut down at least twenty four trees, put new shingles on, re-side the house, level the whole property off with new dirt, take down the old shed, landscape, and many other small things.  My dad called up Perry Slagter, who does tree work, and asked him “Would you be willing to cut down twelve big trees at our new place?”

Perry happily responded, “Yeah, I can do that.”

We cut down twelve of the smaller trees and then Perry did the bigger ones.  We also ended up doing the shingling and siding by ourselves which took a little while, but eventually we got it done.  The landscaping and yard leveling was done by I&M Landscaping from Willmar, who made it really nice.  The last thing that was done to the outside was the grass.  We planted new grass in the whole yard and filled the yard really good.  

When we bought the house we knew that we were going to have to do a lot of work on the inside of the house.  The main level needed a new kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, family room, and many other things.  The bathroom and kitchen were quite small, so we took the wall down in between them to make the kitchen bigger and then moved the bathroom over to a bedroom.  The kitchen was totally redone and the bathroom now has way more room than it did before.  The bedroom and living room did not need a lot of work done to it.  They needed some walls painted, the floor redone and then a couple other little things.  The upstairs was remodeled the same, but not until the following year.

Re-building this house and making it look nicer was a really fun thing for my family to do and we were looking forward to doing it for a long time.  My grandma has thanked us so much and now she has a place to stay.  

Flying vs Driving

Flying vs Driving

By Simon Van Dyken

Flying and driving are comfortable ways of transportation, but flying allows you to go anywhere in the world.  Flying is a much faster way of getting around, but will most likely be a lot more expensive.  For long distance, I think that flying is better, but for short distance driving, is the best choice.

Flying and driving are both ways of transportation that many people use to go short distance or long distance.  Both flying and driving can be comfortable rides, but flying is more enjoyable because you don’t have to control the plane, you can just sit back and relax.  When you are driving, it will take more time because you are going slower, but it also takes more time because you have to stop and eat.  On a plane, you get served food and you don’t have to stop unless your flight had a layover.  Driving may get really uncomfortable after a little while because you are sitting in the same spot for a long period of time and that is usually not fun.  Depending on the vehicle, the space is very limited when you have to ride in it and still have a spot for all your luggage.  On a plane, the luggage is in a different compartment and you will usually have more room to sit or lay back, unless you have a huge carry on.  It may also not be as fun because if you are sitting by someone that takes up a whole seat and needs lots of arm room, you will not have the funnest flight.   

For most people driving is a more work and not as fun to do.  When you choose to fly somewhere, you get the opportunity to go in an airplane and fly around the world.  If you decide to drive somewhere, there are a lot more obstacles that you have to go around and you have to decide the best way to navigate them.  Also, you might have to deal with construction and traffic on the freeways and interstates.  Depending on how much construction is being done, you will either be backed or there will be no traffic and you can just go right through.  If you get stuck in traffic by the bigger cities during rush hour, you might be waiting a little while until you get back to the regular speed limit.  Another thing that might slow you down are major accidents or collisions.  The only thing that will slow you down when you are flying is maybe some precipitation, a storm or a security issue, unless your plane breaks.  Pilots usually have nothing to go around, unless the runway is full and they have to fly in circles, They may have to wait if the airport is full and waiting for the other planes to get out of the way.  As the rider of the airplane, you can just sit back and relax.  

Flying is the more expensive route because you are paying to ride on a plane and it costs a lot to make a plane run.  Depending on the airline, you have to pay for your luggage and you might have to pay for your seat.  When you are driving, the only thing that you really have to pay for is food and gas, unless you bring food along.  You will have to stop do do your business,  which usually takes time, but it won’t be as expensive.  

Flying is a faster, more convenient way of getting around, but if you don’t want to spend extra money and you want to go on a vacation, I would say that driving is the way to go.  It will take a lot more time, but you can bring more cargo with you.  Driving isn't so bad if you make it fun.  Flying can be enjoyable also.  Which ever one you choose to do, have fun doing it.

Grandpa Bob

Grandpa Bob

By Simon Van Dyken

My grandpa has been a great influence on me and taught me how to work hard and that there is a reward after working hard.  I was really close to my grandpa. Even though he lived about 1,600 miles away from me, I still became close to him.  My grandpa was a kind, loving guy who was a great parent, brother, and grandpa.

I know my grandpa very well because of all the times that he would come up here and all the time that I would go down there.  I have known my grandpa my whole life, but I actually started to remember the things that I did with him around 2007.  My grandpa grew up Dutch and learned the Dutch language very well, He would always try to test that on me.  Whenever I would do something strange he would say something in Dutch that would either mean that I was a goof or that I was very strange.  My grandpa taught me tons of Dutch words and what they mean.  

When ever my family would go to Arizona and stay there for 1½-2

weeks, we stay in the basement of their house.  Every morning I would get up at 7:00 and eat some breakfast, and then we would get in his truck or escalade and head over to the nearest Starbuck’s.  My Grandpa and I were usually the first ones there and then all my other uncles and cousins would come before they headed off to the dairy.  My grandpa and I would always get the same thing, blended Java Chip for me and black coffee for my grandpa.  When my grandpa did this, it really showed how much he liked being around his grandchildren and other kids.

One time when he was up here visiting with us, he decided to go and buy me a snack and when he said that I thought we were just going to go to Warren’s.  We hopped in the our truck, drove all the way to Willmar, got an ice cream cone and then drove back home.  I loved how he would always want to go and spend more time with us and do more stuff with us. That is something that I will never forget about my Grandpa, the willingness to make others happy and do good for others.    

My Grandpa taught me so many things throughout his life.  He was a wealthy dairymen and because of that, he earned money and he would use that money to help others, the church, schools, and tons of other places.  He taught me that you need to put others first and use your money to the best of your abilities.  He showed me how to love God and how to serve him on a daily basis.  

My Grandpa passed away a little over 2 years ago and it was both a time of celebration and a time of loss.  We celebrated his many years on earth helping others and living his life, while we still mourned the loss of him.  I am thankful for the wonderful Grandpa that I had and the time I got to spend with him.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

By: Simon Van Dyken

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a fantasy, fiction book that has a lot of very interesting details in it.  There are a lot of parts in it that are made up and those parts were made with very good detail to make them seem real.  In this book, you need good imagination to be able to comprehend what is happening and visualize it.  This book is written by C. S. Lewis and is the second book out of seven in The Chronicles of Narnia series.

This book consists of many different characters with many different attributes.  Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie, are the four main characters that all have very interesting characteristics in the world of Narnia.  The four kids were sent away from London to be safe from World War II.  They were sent to the home of a Professor named Digory Kirke and he lives in a large house that is useful for hiding in different places and exploring.  

While exploring the house one morning, Lucy found a wardrobe and she decided to investigate it.  When Lucy went into the wardrobe, she found herself walking through trees rather than coats.  When she was in the wardrobe she found some interesting creatures and characters that told her about the world of Narnia..  When she tried to tell her brothers and sister, they did not believe her and they thought she was just making this all up.  Lucy then went into the wardrobe again and soon, before she had known it, she was not the only one in there.  Everyone else had finally believed and they were now starting a new chapter in their lives.  

The four children were taken home by a beaver and that was were their home was for a little while.  They were told about the great Alsan and they wanted to meet him.  Edmund had gotten captured by the White Witch and the kids had no idea what to do.  They all obtained some defense weapons from Father Christmas so that they could defend the White Witch's people and help free Edmund.  They later arrived at Aslan's camp and when Susan and Lucy were attacked by 2 wolves, Peter and Aslan came to help and free them.  One of the wolves died, but the other one took them right to Edmund and they rescued them.  The Witch called for a meeting because she thought that Edmund was a traitor, and that his blood belonged to her.  

Aslan and the Witch went out later that night where they later reached an agreement; the Witch would kill Aslan to disown Edmund’s death.  Susan and Lucy followed Aslan as he went into the woods and there they watched the Witch kill him.  Just they were just about to leave, they heard something, and that something was the Stone Table cracking. When they looked at it, they saw Aslan standing there.  After that, they headed to the Witch’s castle and there they revived all the statues and found other people that they also revived.  Soon there was a battle between Aslan’s army and the army of the Witch.  When it was all over and Aslan killed the Witch, the children were named High King Peter the Magnificent, Queen Susan the Gentle, King Edmund the Just, and Queen Lucy the Valiant.  

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a very good book, that has a good theme and ending to it.  I like this book because it speaks a Christian theme.  It’s a book that you would look at and not think that, but then you see Aslan being like Jesus and rising again, and the Witch being like the devil and trying to take us away from good.  I think that this is a Christian book and one that everyone should read and understand what it means in thinking about Jesus and what he did for us.      

The Surprise Birthday

The Surprise Birthday

By Simon Van Dyken

It was a quiet, misty morning in the desert of Arizona and Jack Blevins had just woken up.  He realized that it was his 16th birthday today.  The past couple of years Jack never got anything for his birthday, because there had been a couple of different accidents over his birthday.  Two years ago, at their neighboring dairy farm, a big explosion happened with a gas tank and a worker.  The worker was taken to the burn center and stayed there for 3 months.  Last year, his mom got in a minor car accident and it caused their family to forget about his birthday.  This year, he was looking forward to getting something, because the past two years he did not receive anything.  

His parents had not woken up yet, and all he could wait for was them to wake up and actually notice his birthday.  His mom, Joan Blevins, woke up and was looking happy when she yelled, “Good Morning!”  Jack, with a very disappointed look, said back, “Good Morning.”  His dad, John Blevins, came down and not looking happy, he yelled, “Get in your truck, head to the dairy and start working!”Jack’s birthday morning was not going very well because no one knew that today was his 16th birthday and now he had to go work on the dairy farm.  Jack hopped in his work truck and headed over to the dairy farm, which was about a hour drive.  

His parents’ plan was working out great so far, and now all they had to do was get to the dairy before he had did.  His dad made sure that he taken the truck that needed gas and put a note in the truck to tell him to take the backroads, because the interstate was closed.  His parents took off in the other truck and got to the dairy about a half hour before he did.  John had already had a whole bunch of stuff set up for the surprise, so all they had to do when they got there was get the workers together and get a little more food.  Jack arrived about 45 minutes after his parents, because he had to get gas and the back roads took forever because there was a lot of construction.  

Jack headed right for the feed truck because that was the job that  he always did.  Jack did not see anyone for a long time and was starting to wonder where everyone was and what everyone was doing.  He got a couple of rows of cows done and then he decided to call Alejandro.  He didn’t want to call his parents because he was still mad at them.  Alejandro was the manager of the Mexican workers and did a lot of the jobs around the dairy farm.  When he picked up the phone he told Jack that he needed to come to the dairy’s office.  So Jack, not knowing what was going on, headed over there in his feed truck.  When Jack arrived he noticed that almost all of the workers cars were there and he was really confused.  He walked in the front door, and heard a whole bunch of people yell, “Happy Birthday!”  Jack was stunned to see and hear them.  He ran over to his parents and said, “So you guys did remember.”  This was the first time in a long time that he had actually got to celebrate his birthday.  Everyone sat down to eat some Mexican food, cake, and play some games.  Then, after everyone was done, it was time for Jack to open his present.  He did not really know what to expect and was really looking forward to it.  His parents had brought him outside and right when they walked out a brand new 2015 Dodge Ram pulled up, then he knew it was his.  Jack gave his parents a huge hug and then got in his new pickup and drove off.

Jack was happy and surprised that his parents had remembered and had thrown a party for him.  Now, all he can do is wait for his birthday next year, only if his parents remember.

The Five Senses

Poem #7 - Image Couplet

Simon Van Dyken

The five senses

Did you ever smell the ocean?

Waves crashing, water rising up on the shore, waves people can surf on

Did you ever see a temper tantrum?

kids yelling, Moms disciplining, things flying around the room

Did you ever hear air?

wind blowing, cold and warm air

Did you ever taste dirt?

Dry, rocky, no taste

Did you ever touch wet dog food?

slimy, gooey, nasty

Hate

Poem #4

Simile Poem

Hate

Hate is like a dark grayish black

It sounds like a raging storm of thunder

It tastes like bitter dark chocolate

It smells like a big huge pile of dog crap

Hate feels like dead