Finished! Done! Nix! Nil! Zip!

Dear friends,

A few weeks ago, the Rocky Mountain News shut down. Just too many people reading news on the web these days; there wasn't a need anymore for printed news delivered to your doorstep each morning. By the time it arrived, it was old news. The web keeps us updated (and infautated with the future) so efficiently that people don't read paper anymore.

There's another phenomenon taking place as well and in conjuction with all of this. The younger generation, represented in our family by my wife and kids, are much more savvy and efficient on the web than I am. I got to thinking about this not too long ago when I realized that I hadn't updated our family's blog in quite some time...then realized that I didn't need to. Noel and the kids are on Facebook, and they do a much better job of keeping people abreast of their lives than I could. Noel, who is 44 (Ha! I'm only 43...for a couple more months) has friends galore on facebook who know more about our lives than even I do. Dennae (18), Jami (16), Ivy (14) and Michael (12) all spend countless hours updating their facebook profiles, uploading pictures and videos, chatting, etc. So, why spend my time telling people what they've already known for weeks on a blog when people can just go to their individual facebook accounts on a daily basis and stay up to date? Yes! One less thing I have to do! This is a good thing! Right?

Me? I'm the "Anti-Facebook" in our house. I have no intentions of getting an account. Plaxo? Deleted. Myspace? Not on your life. So, since people generally could not care less about me and I could really not care less that people could not care less about me (OK, maybe it's not that bad and this really isn't a pitty party - and as I said, people who want to can know more about me than I do from Noel's Facebook account), I am officially ending this relatively brief (compared to the over 150 year old Rocky Mountains News) news source for the DeVries family.

If you would like to see what's going on here in the Wild, Wild West (or "God's Country" as I call it), then please feel free to get a Facebook account and find Noel and the Fantatstic Four! They're fun! They're active! They love the Lord! And they keep me happy and satisfied seeing them day by day in person so much so that I have no need to see them on the web. And if you would like to see the DeVries family in person, you are always welcome to come and visit out here when you can arrange a week or two to do so. If you are satisfied seeing us on the web, you are always welcome out there, in cyber-space, wherever that is and whenver you can arrange a few minutes or so to do so.

Now, I need to go read the Denver Post and read about some ancient history before they discontinue that publication as well!

For Christ's sake,

MJD,Sr.

Jami is Sweet 16!!!

Wow! It's been two months since I've updated the blog. That means it's been two months since I"ve taken any picture. What a shame! Such a beautiful family I've got and no camera action! Idiot!

Anyway, to catch you up to speed, this past weekend Noel and I took Jami to visit Jim and Loretta Frawley and sons in Seattle, Washington in celebration of her 16th birthday. Jami and Loretta have developed a great relationship via email, so it worked out great for us to take her there. Western Washington is also the setting for the Twilight books that Jami has read. She has become and official "Twird" or a "Twi-hard" as they've been called. Anyway, we wanted to take her to see the setting for the books' plot, to visit the Frawleys and just to have some good fun time with Mom and Dad. And a fun time we had! From the Space Needle to a ferry ride, to Forks, to the Hoh Rainforest, to church, to catching crabs at low tide... we had a great 4-day weekend. It will be remembered for many years to come.

The other three kids went on a youth retreat up to Winter Park over the weekend, so they were in good hands in our absence. Jared Kidder, our youth director, led the discussion on various cults along with another gentleman (and both their wives); everybody had a great time studying, praying, tubing, playing, eating, etc. You know; all the stuff you did on winter retreats in high school.

Anyway, hope you're all doing well. Please know that Christ is a faithful Savior and that He ever lives to intercede for you if you know Him. If you don't know Him, I'd love to introduce you to Him sometime!

For Christ's sake,

MJD,Sr.