Template:Decker Family Blog

Wow! This poor neglected blog….

So much has happened in the last 5-6 months. It would take me forever to go through it all in full detail. I will run through it briefly to catch everybody up and bring you all up to date.

So, August 2013 we prepared for our move to Arizona. As we were looking into it, Mom wanted to check and see if we could get some grass-fed beef from somewhere (because who farms in Arizona?!?) We found a Ranch called Double Check Ranch…and happened to notice they had a doublewide on the property for rent and a position open to an enthusiastic person to run his cows and bring more industries to the ranch (ex. Chickens, pigs, etc…..). “How fun?” we thought….we could live there, Dakota could work for this guy and Dad could commute to work. So we emailed him and got the communication going. He was all excited about us and thought we would be a perfect fit and we were really starting to like to idea as well. OH! Little did we know just how much we would love it and how much God had in store. Our move from Korea to Arizona took us across a sea, and through at least 20 states visiting just about everybody in our family and friends. We arrived in Seattle and traveled through Oregon and down the California coast seeing the Redwoods, driving through Yosemite (closed due to that government shutdown) and San Francisco, cut over to Arizona to see our house and meet the ranch owner, then to Kansas, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky,  Georgia, then all the way back to Arizona. It was the longest road trip I’ve ever been on….I think we put 10,000 miles on the truck. ;) Dakota and I actually stayed behind in Georgia because the storage company delayed when we could pick up our storage we had there and dad had a deadline to be back by. So, Mom and Dad and the two littles went on ahead and Dakota and I got the storage truck, loaded it (With lots of help from friends…thanks!!), and drove it all the way to AZ. I think we impressed some people… ;)

So, now lets jump ahead to now.

It’s March of 2014!! Wowzers……

We are living on Double check ranch. Dakota is working part time for Paul Schwennesen (the ranch owner) and working on getting some complimentary businesses started. He has 60ish test batch chickens out in the brooder almost ready to be put out on pasture. He has a gorgeous and amazingly sweet milk cow that thinks she is a pet and is as docile as they come. Her name is Chloe. She is really the sweetest…most of the time ;) She will be calving sometime this month or next. Mom and Dad currently own 46 laying chickens. (I think they are obsessed with chickens ;)) Mom also has a small garden on the side of the house. She claims that as soon as she brings a plant home that it commits suicide as soon as it looks at her. J I know this garden will prove her wrong….just wait! Go mom!!

Dakota and I run one of the farmers markets in Phoenix every few Saturdays…Selling Double Check’s yummy grass-fed beef! We have found a wonderful church with great people. We are so grateful to the Lord for giving us a good church.

We live in the boondocks…really. We are and hour and a half from Tucson. And that same distance from Phoenix. Dad has to commute that to go to work! He says it’s worth it if it gives us this life. He sacrifices so much for us….

Yep, that’s as brief as I could make it. On to some pictures… :)

Double Check

The view from the hill by our house. ^That's our abode.... :)

No small supply of these guys around here!!

I was so excited when I saw this guy while collecting wood. I just had to capture him and bring him back to show everybody. I'm sure we'll be seeing our fair share come summer....

You'll never know what you'll find around here....Is it a lizard or a toad?

Out doing what he does..... ;)

Babysitting the ranch owners little girl. :) Such a sweetie

Loading up the trailer full of meat for the market!

In February, Dakota, Dad, and I ran a Spartan Sprint with our pastor and his 3 oldest kids. We had a blast! Spartan is an obstacle race....complete with mud, dirt, water, and more mud. The one we ran was 5 miles long with about 20 obstacles. (walls, ropes, sand bags, cement balls to carry...)

I had so much fun!! The above picture is the gladiator pit at the finish line

Jumping the fire...right before the gladiator pit.

BEASTLY. ;) ^note the broken hand?!? Dakota broke his hand while using a power drill on the corrals. He wasn't about to let that stop him....GO KOTA! :)

All finished and feeling fine!

Our full team!

Oh yes....the roads of Arizona. (Leapyear anyone?!) Haha....

Kade is so in his element around the ranch. He just romps around and explores all day!

Mom and Dad's little chicks. Do we really have to wait 6 months until these girls lay us some eggs?! I can't wait!!

Chloe the gorgeous cow!! :) She runs to greet you when you are anywhere near....and if you don't say hi she'll moo until you do. She loves attention and is super curious. We thought she had mange there for a bit...(it was just shedding! Thank you Lord!) and taking all precautions we smeared her down in motor oil. The next day we had to bathe her...and she loved it. We soaped her up and scrubbed her down...she just enjoyed the moment. The other day when we had her just grazing the yard, Mom and Dad came home from town and she went running over to say hi. Dad was trying to get the groceries out and she kept sticking her head in the trunk nudging everything. She is just the funniest thing! :)

The view from Picacho peak.

Kade was sick and laid up in the wagon while we had friends over. Stella the ranch owners dog that lives out here with us sat by his side "And took care of me" says Kade.

Well there was a peak into what's going on around here.....

I will try to do a better job and post at least more regularly than every 6 months... :/

K.K.M.D

Romans 1:1-2