Even though we have a membership at the YMCA, I decided to buy some exercise equipment for the house. It was not a quick decision because home treadmills can be expensive and quickly become nothing more than clothes hangers.

But after researching all of the different brands and types, I found a piece of equipment that is both a bike and an elliptical. I know from experience that ellipticals are good and work well for me,…easy on the knees…no strain on the back…. so I bought it! The price was right. The brand is Pro-Form which is very similar (but less expensive) than a Peleton.

And it came with a membership into iFit – one of those streaming apps with people screaming at you to sweat more. It is cool because it actually controls your machine, speeding it up and raising and lowering levels to match the visuals on the screen.

Turns out to be EXCELLENT! Well worth the purchase price. Love it!

I also bought a Street Strider thinking, okay, I can enjoy doing a bike but standing up. I really get tired and sore while riding a bike long distances. It hurts my butt and (more so) hurts my back and shoulders. So a stand-up bike sounded great.

Honestly, it was harder to do than I expected. First off, it takes some practice and effort to get used to it. Hardly anyone can jump on an elliptical bike and go. You really have to work at it for awhile. It feels weird. I constantly feel like I want to sit down. Plus, it is a MAJOR workout! Riding an elliptical bike takes FAR MORE EFFORT than riding a regular bicycle. After just 1 or 2 miles I had to stop and catch my breath. It was really much more difficult than I expected.

All she does is sweep. She bumps into walls. Sometimes she gets stuck. But, for a robot, she does a really good job! We named her Rosie.

I decided to buy one of those robot vacuums, and I must say I’m impressed. I was a little worried it wouldn’t really be worth the price ($600+), but my worries were put to rest on the very first run. She does a GREAT job every day she roams about the house.

I explored all the different brands of robots out there (there are about 10 right now), and NEATO always rated best. They reviewed better than Roomba, which is the most famous brand in robot vacs. So I decided to get a NEATO. And, yes, it is.

We also got a new kitchen stove! All of the sudden, without warning, our old stove just died. Completely stopped working. The repair guy said it would be cheaper to just buy a new one instead of fix the old one. So we did exactly that… got a new Samsung gas stove with all the works. It grills and thrills and broils and toils. Really nifty!

The amazing thing is the Robot Vac and Gas Stove cost almost the same!

Helms Elementary’s 5th grade class got all herded up and put on a bus to visit the state capitol of Austin. I volunteered to go as a chaperone. Several other parents went, each getting 5 or 6 kids to look after. I ended up only with 3 – Ivy, Natalie, and Elijah. I have to say I was totally lucky because my 3 kids were well-behaved all day long! I enjoyed every minute of it, except for the 6 hour (total) bus ride. Ugh! I used to hate riding the bus when I was a kid, and now I remember why. Those things are just not built for comfort.

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We went to the Capitol building and took a grand tour. Our tour-guide was totally weird, but supposedly everyone in Austin is weird. So I guess that’s normal. She told us all about the history of the building, and also explained how the House and the Senate worked. It was all excellent!

Then we had pizza on the lawn.

Great day!

Ivy did another round of gymnastics competitions this spring. This time 4 cities! Some were quite far away like Lubbock (8 hour drive from Houston). She did pretty good in most competitions. Here are her stats:

League City: Feb 9th, level 3 double mini and trampoline. She got 2nd place in her age group

San Antonio: March 16th, level 3 double mini and trampoline. She got 4th place in double mini and 2nd trampoline.

Austin: March 30th, level 3 double mini and trampoline. She got 4th place in double mini. Moved up to level 4 in trampoline and took 7th in her flight and 20th overall.

Lubbock: level 4 trampoline and came in 26th place On double mini she was level 3 and came in 4th place.

Friends of Holly put on their first annual Urban Homestead tour! They asked we wanted to participate, and we quickly said yes. That meant a stream of people coming into our yard all afternoon, but it was pretty nifty meeting lots of other people who are interested in raising chickens or homesteading. We had about 25 people wander into the yard throughout the day, and just as we thought it was done…. a whole bus load showed up! About 15 people or so stumbled (literally, because some were buzzed/drunk) into our yard and checked out our livestock. I never knew chicken-folk were such party people! lol

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George Kjeldseth passed away February 15th, 2019

Holly: My earliest memories of Uncle George were from about age 4 or 5. He would bounce my younger sister Jill and I on his knee with varying levels of vigor, explaining that “this is how the ladies ride: clop, clop clop… this is how the gentlement ride: giddy-up giddy-up giddy-up… this is how the cowboys ride: yeehaw!”

By the end of our knee-horse ride, we were being bucked around like kiddie-friendly bronc riders. It was fun, and for us as city kids, it was a novelty that never got old.

Uncle George (Kjeldseth) was just like that: a farmer who knew exactly how to relate to, and endear himself to pretty much anyone, be they visiting nieces and nephews from Houston, or fellow neighbor farms gathered at the Pump N Stuff cafe in Irene, SD (possibly with a good dusting of chaffe or fertile soil, adorning their work clothes).

Uncle George had the gift of gab, and a wide array of interests and areas of expertise, and so he could essentially shoot the breeze with anyone about nearly any topic. If Garrison Keillor is to be believed, the stereotypical Norwegian farmer is somewhat stoic and reserved, usually laconic and more or less singularly focused on farming his land. Uncle George was not a typical Norwegian farmer. He was much closer to Will Rogers in personality, in that he never met a stranger.

In addition to mine and Jill’s horsie rides, my brother Todd also got a good dose first-hand of swathing with George. The broad smile on his face after removing the handkerchief said it all. His eyes were raccoon’ed by the dust kicked up from swathing, with his pale skin elsewhere a stark contrast. Throw a John Deere gimme cap on his tousled messy hair and that was one happy kid – all thanks to George including him in on what he did.

What I remember most about Uncle George is how much of a family man he was. Surrounded by women – a wife, and 3 daughters – it would be easy to fall back onto compensatory “Dad” roles, but to my knowledge, he never did. He was there behind them all the way, from 4H to basketball, to prom and college and their own families over the years.

My cousins are some of the kindest and most generous and GENUINE people you’ll ever hope to meet, and that is a direct reflection of how they parents raised them

Joey first met Uncle George at our wedding in Durango. He and Aunt Loann flew out and we were both so glad they made it. Their presence made the whole event that much more “homey” and complete, which is the impact they usually have on any gathering of friends or family.

Joey: I first met George and Loan Kjeldseth at our wedding. Holly said her Aunt and Uncle were coming. I was impressed that they’d travel so far just to attend this event. But that would be just the first of many events they’d travel far to attend! Good for them. They turned out to be great people and family. 🙂

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Holly: We later paid them a visit on a drive up to South Dakota, and Joey got the $10 tour of the farm. Quite a treat, and as always, welcoming, funny and just so easy to hang out with.

Joey: Got drive an ATV and a huge tractor!

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Holly: As the years went by, I got to talk more with George about “adult” things, including handling Mom’s share of the farm’s taxes. Uncle George basically ran 3 family farms: his parents farm, his farm, and the farm of Loann’s (and my Mom’s) parents. That is no mean feat. It’s a challenging way to earn a living, and though there were often losing battles with Mother Nature, I know he always did well and I never heard a word of complaint.

A few years later, the Kjeldseths made a few trips down to Houston to visit. In both cases, it was right around Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo time, and so of course we all went. George was in his element there for sure! This was in 2011, and we got to be hosts and tour guides, taking them to some of the historically important parts of town, including over 50 stories up in one of the downtown skyscrapers. Loann tells me that George spoke of that trip for years afterwards.

Joey: George and Loann stayed at our house, so I decided to be a host and tour guide and do some exploring. We did the Heritage Tour in downtown Houston, visited the historic cemetary on Washington Avenue, did Rodeo Houston, and went up to the observation deck in Chase Tower. That was a busy and interesting week!!

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Holly: In 2013, the second trip was part of a multi-family cruise (folks from both Joey’s and my side of our marriage) to the Caribbean and Mexico. It was a wonderful experience for all involved, and also a reunion for many who had first met at our wedding. Uncle George made new friends on a few different islands, and even found Fort George, in the Caymans 🙂

Joey: Went parasailing with my mother. Spent time with both families and had LOTS of fun! Great trip all around. ‘Nuff said. Here’s a bunch of pics: https://theduttonfamily.com/index.php/2013/03/29/photo-tsunami-family-cruise-to-jamaica-2013/

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Holly: A few years later, and one more trip down to Houston around rodeo time. For this visit, Joey’s Mom and her husband also coordinated with coming down, and we all went to see Cirque du Soleil (a highlight of that was the opening act – a world famous juggler, dressed in a lizard costume – would wander the audience pre-show and mess with people. He licked Larry’s head at one point, haha!.

Joey: In March of 2015, the crew showed up again in Houston! It wasn’t really planned, but just sort of happened. So we spent some time together and Jane treated all of us to a Cirque du Soleil show! http://theduttonfamily.com/index.php/2015/03/25/spring-break-and-family-swooping-in/. We even got plucked out of the crowd and given some special attention by this guy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6OB4EDrUAA

Holly: In March of 2017, once again we then took that show on the road with a weekend trip to Waco, as the women in our group were all into Fixer Upper. George, Joey and Larry went along for the ride dutifully, and I think did also enjoy themselves, even if the marathon shopping wasn’t high on their to-do list.

Joey: Waco? Why would anyone go to Waco? The ladies decided they wanted to visit this town mostly because of that show “Fixer Upper”on HGTV. Even my mom was interested, so it turns out we all met up in Waco for a couple of days of exploring and shopping. Turns out, Waco is actually pretty interesting! We visited the Magnolia site, several tourist locals, a dinosaur bones museum, and even got lucky with a cheap steak night at a Texas Roadhouse restaurant. Good trip! Lots of fun. Click here for some pics and stuff:http://theduttonfamily.com/index.php/2017/03/20/went-wild-in-waco/

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Holly: That trip to Waco was the last time I saw Uncle George, though we’d often just talk over the phone, checking in to see how each other was doing, etc. The last couple years, things were starting to come around under the topic of “how much longer are you going to run the farms?” This involved discussions with Mom of course, because she still had a claim to half of her parents farm, which George had been running.

In August 2018, George and Loann celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. From what I could see, it was a wonderful and heart-felt event full of family and life-long friends. About the same time, Mom was trying to arrange some time to go up there and take a preliminary look into some legal stuff around the farm.

A few weeks later, we all got the bad news. Uncle George was diagnosed with glioblastoma.

We all prayed and several of us made trips up to South Dakota in support of Loann and George. Reports of his health had ups and downs over the next 3-4 months. However, the nature of this particular form of cancer is one that puts survival rates in very bleak territory. By January, George had been moved into a nursing home, and word from those who visited was that he had increasing difficulty keeping straight what timeframe he was talking about. He struggled to find the right word, and his timeline was erratic. Gradually he began sleeping more, and eventually he stopped talking almost entirely.

Mom visited them for 2 weeks in early February, during the most brutal winter in decades, and when she returned it was evident – even if not explicitly spoken – that Uncle George probably didn’t have much time left with us. 3 days later, we got the call from hospice care that he was deteriorating rapidly, and on the morning of February 15th, Uncle George passed. Peacefully, I’m told, though if he could have said goodbye with a story, I’m sure he would have.

My own dad succumb to cancer when I was 14, and at the time, that left such a hole in my life. I don’t think that’s the case this time around with George. Why? Because thankfully we had so much more time with him, that the love and life he lead was implanted in all of us, to carry on and grow in the future.

Like a good farmer does.

For those who met him, they remember him. I’m sure he’s remembering each of y’all now, and gabbing away with anyone who will listen, up in Heaven.

Much love.

-Holly

It was a chilly winter day, and Ivy was bored and so was I.

It just so happened there was a BOGO offer at Pleasure Pier in Galveston. I asked Ivy if she wanted to go? She said yes. We invited her friend Hanley as well.

So off we went to Galveston for some carnival fun.

9 days at sea and no sunburns or seasickness! I’d call that a win.

Off we went early one morning to catch a flight to Miami, then a taxi to our the port, and then set sail for the Caribbean!

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If there was one theme to the trip it would be windy, because it was windy every day of the trip. The ship was rocking and swaying throughout the entire 9 days at sea, and one day was rocking so much that it would toss you back in forth in you bed. We heard of several people getting seasick, but none of us got sick at all. We actually enjoyed the constant rocking. It seemed pleasant most of the time to me.

Temperatures were great every day, and only a little chilly on the first couple of nights, and a little hot (upper 80’s) just one day at sea. Other than that, it was 60’s and 70’s most of the time. Very nice!

First stop was Haiti and a place called Labadee. I went on a kayaking excursion. It was nice! I was dripping with sweat by the time we were done, but it was still a good adventure. Then I took some time to just chill on the beach and watch people fly down the zip-lines.

Then we set sail again. We woke up Christmas morning in the port at Aruba! Holly, Ivy, and I disembarked from the ship and got on a submarine. Yes, a real submarine. It took us down to about 150 feet and along a reef and sunken vessels. Neat experience!

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Next up, the Island of Curacao (pronounced ‘koor-a-sow’). Holly and Ivy took an excursion to the Sea Park Aquarium and got kissed by a sea lion. They had lots of animals like sharks, flamingos, star fish, stingrays, etc etc. I went on a snorkeling excursion and got to swim along a reef and over some really deep water (kind of creepy). We also saw a bit of the island and how the people of Curacao live. Nice place!

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Then off to the island of Bonaire. We have all day on this island, so we rent a golf cart and go tooling around the island. We stop at a nice beach and Ivy and I go snorkeling. Wow! Thousands of fish and crystal clear water. We saw a couple of colorful crabs, too. I really enjoyed snorkeling here! We continued our golf-cart journey all around the southern half of the island passing the salt mines, pink beaches, slave huts, lighthouses, and even a donkey sanctuary.

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Eventually, Holly and Ivy had enough of this adventure and wanted to go back to the ship. I dropped them off at the dock, and within 5 minutes or so a guy hailed me and asked for a ride… he thought I was a taxi! LOL. I told him and wife that I wasn’t a taxi, but hop on and I’ll take you wherever you want. So they did. They were just going to a restaurant on the northern side of town. After I dropped them off, I drove around and went exploring a bit more, got a little lost, saw an iguana crossing the road, and eventually stopped at a little bar to have a drink and use their free wifi. Bonaire is nifty island! Everyone was very friendly and chill.

The rest of the trip was at sea as our ship headed back toward Miami. Once again, we could see the lights of Cuba and Haiti. On board, the activities kept going with a really good Ice Skating show, a Journey cover band (surprisingly good), an 80’s dance night in the middle of the ship, a fun parade (yes, a parade on a ship), and lots more. Of course, the food was non-stop, as well. Great food! Too much food. Omg. I ate way too much.

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On December 30th, we finally make it back to Miami, disembark from the ship (delayed due to government shut down), made our way to the airport and back to Houston. It was actually our 12th wedding anniversary, but we were all so tired and maxed out from entertainment, food, and travelling that we just unspooled at the house and went to bed. lol. Kind of the same thing the next day – New Year’s Eve – and didn’t do much of anything. In fact, I fell asleep about 9:00 pm and slept right through the NYE celebrations. Didn’t hear a thing!

Overall, it was a great trip. We enjoyed it very much… so much that we’ve already booked another cruise for 2019.

Watch the video! 19:00 length

We usually make sure to spend the holidays with family, and we certainly made the trek to Arkansas for Thanksgiving.  The past two years we’ve spent Christmas in Arkansas and Thanksgiving at Grandma Jane’s new house!  But this year we decided to do things a little bit different for Christmas/Anniversary.  We’re setting sail on Navigator of the Seas (Royal Caribbean) and heading to Haiti, and the islands of Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire!  

Christmas morning we’ll arrive at 8:00 in Aruba and spend the entire day there.  Instead of Santa bringing toys down the chimney, he is instead sending us down under the sea on a 2 hour submarine tour!   Here’s a promo video of the tour… 

We return to the mainland on our Anniversary day and may check out some sights in Miami.  Then we hop on a flight and head back to Houston.  I’m sure we’ll have lots of pictures and videos to put together and share when we get back.  So in the meantime, check out the rest of our blog and all the stuff that’s happened this year.  🙂  

This year has been… different, I must say.  It has been non-stop change, surprises, repair, illness, sweat, stress, arguments, exhaustion, etc etc.  I can’t say it has been a fun year, but there has certainly been some fun and good times in the middle of remodeling and wreckage.  

• Ancestry DNA – Many years ago, Holly bought me a Christmas present of a membership in Ancestry.com. It has turned out to be a treasure trove of FANTASTIC information that neither of us ever knew. This year, she decided to do the DNA tests which give you even more detail on your ancestry. It turned out to be more of a confirmation for both of us, but still really fascinating information about our heritage. Of course, most of this info applies to our immediate brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews. Although, during the funerals of Barbara and George Bush, some of it applies to just my immediate family.
• Washing Machine disaster and Floor Remodeling – One night while we’re all just sitting around watching TV we hear a ‘POP’. What was that? I dunno. 30 minutes later Ivy says, hey, why is there so much water on the kitchen floor? It turns out our washing machine broke and water was quietly flooding the whole house. The damage was about $10,000 (according to our insurance) and the remodeling was …. omg…. beyond words… horrendous and extensive. Months of upheaval and stress. It was stressful with sporadic moments of fun. But mostly just stressful. At least 3 months of upheaval as we repaired and upgraded the floors throughout our entire house.
• Keith Urban! – Holly won some tickets to the Rodeo and Keith Urban concert! We enjoyed the suite and free food and another great show. This was actually my 2nd trip to the Rodeo.  I really like the Houston rodeo.  It’s just awesome.  A couple of weeks earlier I took these kids and we rode a bunch of rides.
• Bathroom Tsunami – I was awakened one night by the sound of rushing water and screaming…. Didn’t we just live through a nightmare like this??? Omg, here we go again!!!
• Gymnastics – Ivy had several gymnastics meets this year. One in Ft Worth, one right here in Houston at NRG stadium, and another in San Antonio.  1. NRG, 2. Austin, 3. Fort Worth
• Finished the move of mother in law – Three years in the making, this move has been a LOT of work.  Omg, there were times I reached total mental, physical exhaustion.  Once, I remember, I was so exhausted I just decided to drink some wine and lay down and take a nap on the floor.  Jane, the teetotaller, came in and was like, hello,…I’m sure she was thinking wth???  lol.  But we finally completely cleared out the old house…and sold it!  The last step was to deal with the remaining stuff that was in storage – Yard Sale
• Chicken Coop – Out of the blue, Holly decided we needed some chickens. So, long story short, we have a chicken coop and some chickens. Even a live chicken cam
• Summer Camp – I’ve always wanted Ivy to go to Summer Camp and enjoy it just like I did when I was a kid. But it can be very expensive – sometimes $1,000 per week. Well, out of the blue, a church nearby said they had chosen Ivy to send to summer camp near Austin AT NOT CHARGE! I was excited. She was too. I was also worried she wouldn’t like it, but that turned out to be a needless worry. She loved it! And even said she like to be a camp counselor when she grew up. 🙂 🙂
• Ivy’s Room Remodeled – Ivy had sort of out-grown her little-kid style decor in her bedroom, so we figured…well, while we remodeling the floors let’s just do her room too.  So after lots of sweat and fuss and cussing, Ivy’s room is now sort of Industrial Style with brick (faux) walls, wood floor, and a nice bunkbed that transforms into a futon.  
• Great Wolf Lodge – Holly decided we needed to get away for a weekend and go to GWL in Dallas. I was a bit skeptical, but turned out everyone loved it! Great fun! GREAT indoor/outdoor water park, and the rope climbing course outside is remarkable (kind of scary)! I totally recommend Great Wolf Lodge for families!
• Visit from Ray and Becky!  – Always a pleasure.  Had some dinner at the Grand Lux Cafe.  Also, breakfast at Snooze.  Mmm, I loved the avocado toast and egg thing.  Yumm.
• Visit from Charles Deitrick and Randall Davis!  – great visit and afternoon at the San Jacinto Monument, and great time meeting up at Kemah Boardwalk! 
• Holly’s Job Sold Out!  – While others around her have been laid off or moved off to exotic places like Trinidad, Holly has survived every cut and even enjoyed promotions.  But now BHP Billiton has been bought out by British Petroleum.  What does this mean for job?  We shall see….  
• Health issues – For most of this year, I’ve had recurring battles with cold, flu, bronchitis, allergies, and high-blood pressure.   Sometimes all of those at the same time!  It has been relentless.  🙁   The upside is my doctor is downtown, so I usually try to make a fun little excursion underground each time I’ve gone to visit the doctor.  
• Trip to Arkansas – Headed to Arkansas for Thanksgiving.  It was a nice visit with family, but sickness kind of spoiled it for me.  Still Ivy had a good time at Silver Dollar City with her cousins.  
• Upgraded our fence – Improved our yard a bit! Repaired the fence, and added a bit more fencing to block off the back yard.  All work done by an old white guy ex-marine and his friendly Honduran worker by the name of Juan.
• Trip to Islands/Cruise! – We decided to do Christmas a little different this year. We’re headed to Haiti, Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire for the holidays! It’s a 9 day cruise to the Caribbean and beyond, in fact we’ll be arriving in Aruba Christmas Day. I never imagined I’d be spending Christmas day in Aruba, but here we go!