Kristy R. Langstraat-Bolte

Two Memorial Day weekends ago Darrell, dad and I went camping at Happy Acres Kampground in Wisconsin. The day we got there we went to Lake Geneva to walk around and have dinner. On Saturday we actually went and visited our friends Ann & Dennis in Fox Lake, IL at their cabin. Darrell, dad & Dennis stayed behind while Ann and I went horseback riding and it was so much fun! I’d love to do it again sometime!
Afterwards we went back to their beautiful cabin and they made us dinner and we all ate together! We had a really good time!
Even though we were full from our dinner we found out that we would be passing a Dog ‘n Suds on our way back to the campground and we just HAD to stop for a snack!!
On Sunday the Schneidau’s came over and we fed all the animals at the campground!We also celebrated my birthday!My sweet boy Dutch, who I miss terribly, even got in on the birthday fun!

On May 22, 2013 I got my first ever (and only) tattoo. I did it in memory and honor of my mom. I just wanted to do something, to show how much I love her and miss her, and something that would be with me forever. I’m glad I did it, but boy did it hurt! Way more than I ever imagined it would! I got it on my wrist which I heard later is one of the worse places to get one, in terms of pain. Oh well, I just hope my mom likes it…..I think it turned out FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Holy cow! I knew I was behind, but WOW! I need to catch up! So 2 Mays ago we had a very nice trip to Iowa. It started with me bringing my 3 babies to my dad’s house in Bensenville. Batman took over the house RIGHT AWAY!
And my Dutch (RIP) & Batman could not get enough of the back screened in porch!Even though she was crabby about being there, Mary even enjoyed the garden window!That night I spent the night in my dad’s RV with Mary, Batman & Dutch so they could get used to it. Early the next morning dad left in the RV with my 3 and Oreo. Poor dad had to travel all the way with 4 animals! Darrell and I left in our 5th wheel 2 days later. When we got there we went to the cemetery to visit with Aunt Kathy, Grandpa Pete & Grandma Liz.One morning Darrell, dad, Uncle LeRoy & I went shooting!One of our favorite places to eat when in Northwest Iowa is Bob’s in LeMars! They have these AMAZING things called Taverns! YUMMY!Obviously one of the reasons we were there was for Orange City’s Tulip Festival!This was going to be the first year EVER, in my entire life, that I would get to actually participate in the fest, because thanks to my Aunt Kathy I finally had a Dutch costume! It was bittersweet however, because so many people weren’t there to see me, like my mom, aunt & grandparents. I walked in the parade every day and scrubbed the streets and one day I even got to ride in a float!I had to take a picture with my aunt since it was her costume I was wearing!Besides visiting with family I was super excited to get to see Zoey again! After Aunt Kathy died, we thought we’d never see her again!The perfect shirt for Darrell!We had a GREAT time! We hope to go back in 2015 for the 75th Tulip Fest! When we got home, this is what we found, a week without grass cutting!

Last April, Darrell, the babies and I camped 3 weekends at the Jellystone in Amboy. One weekend we got there and it had rained a LOT and a lot of the campground was flooded!

Here’s what the lake looked like from the flooding:

Sometimes when it’s been raining a lot they have a waterfall. This time you can only imagine how fast and hard the waterfall was running!

Another of the weekends we were there, my dad came out, and we went to watch a husky dog demonstration!

I found a husky that I really loved and who wanted to go home with me!

This husky was GIGANTIC! Biggest one I’ve ever seen!

So last April, 2013 I had my 3rd colonoscopy! I certainly never thought I would have 3 colonoscopies before I turned 31!!! Unfortunately, this was my first one without my mom being there, which always make it’s harder. At least I had my dad there with me. The first picture is of me before they took me back

I don’t know why but I just love pictures right after I get out of a procedure or surgery. They are just so real and raw, that I love them. I know people give me crap for putting them up, but I don’t care. My dad took these when I was brought back to my room.

This is an old family photo of my mom’s side of the family!

You can see how far behind I am on photos, because this is of my stick figure family stickers when we first got Dutch (I miss him so much still….)

This is a photo of some new lights we got for the bathroom.

This is from last year right before our tulips were about to pop up!

This is when we had decorated my mom’s grave for Easter last year.

Some ducks outside my dad’s house!

A picture I took last May at Dickson Murst’s Day at the farm event that Darrell and I brought our tractors to!