2011 Year in Review

Two thousand and eleven has certainly been a whirlwind. we’ve been blessed with many opportunities and much excitement this year. Lots miles were spent on the road between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Independence, Iowa, not to mention the miles that were spending visiting with friends and family.

January – We headed to Chicago to celebrate the New Year. Jon’s Christmas present was tickets to a Chicago Bulls game. Both Jon and I had never been to a NBA game before, and although the NHL will still be number one in my heart, it was amazing to watch NBA MVP Derek Rose. The next stop was Denver for National Western. There really isn’t a better time of year to be surrounded by great cattle and awesome friends. Jon’s family was also fortunate enough to see repeat success in the Hereford shows.



February – Bought about Iowa Beef Expo for Jon, where he sold two head, and had been getting a bull calf ready for a friend. Crystal didn’t make it to Iowa very much in February with a busy work schedule, however the one weekend I was up involved twin Hereford calves, and picking up a calf puller and colostrum from the neighbor in our friends Cadillac. Luckily, by the time we had returned the second calf was already on the bed pack.

March – Many of you may not know, but Jon is a recreational bowler, and participated in the state tournament. (If you pay the entry fee anyone can go!) Crystal got to celebrate her birthday with friends in Oklahoma City while she took in the Oklahoma Youth Expo. It is a good thing that trips to Oklahoma City aren’t too frequent otherwise her bank account might be a lot smaller. Such great shopping there.

April – We made the annual trip to Calf Fry, at country music concert in Stillwater, Oklahoma. It was here last year that we began our courtship. Our good friend Dana flew in from Michigan and we road tripped it south. Six people filled our friend Kristi’s trailer with lots of laughter all weekend long.

May – It was the first time for Crystal to attend Star Lake’s Spring Sale. She was treated to Jon’s dad Randy’s karaoke skills, along with lots of jeering about the Angus employee being at a Hereford sale. The sale was a huge success once again, and it is always fun to see our cattle friends and family. The best part of the whole year happened the last weekend of the month when Jon proposed out in the pasture.  I was completely caught off guard, but I also know I haven’t ever been happier.

June – Crystal’s parents arrive in Iowa for a visit, and for the meeting of the parents. Crystal’s dad knew that he would see a lot of corn, but I think the field, after field, after field was more than he imagined. It was great to have the two families meet. Jon added to the family time with family vacation to Minnesota at the end of the month, where he got to work on his golf swing.

July – The month literally started off with a bang when Jon’s sister and brother-in-law were able to come home to Iowa. Randy lit up the night with a spectacular fireworks show. We then headed in different directions so Jon could take in the Junior National Hereford Expo in Kansas City, and Crystal to attend the National Junior Angus Show in Harrisburg, Pa. Crystal also had the opportunity to go back to her roots and speak at the first ever National Junior Simmental leadership conference, before she headed home for a quick trip to Alberta to spend some time with the family.  

August – We packed up the trailer and headed to the Iowa State Fair. I would stay that we survived our first cattle show together pretty well. Jon’s dad Was awesome wash rack help, and Crystal tapped into her domestic skills and used her crockpot. She learned her lesson to never let your crockpot end up in the barn or you might not get it back in the same condition.

September - It was a big month with Jon’s sister getting married back in Iowa. Both Crystal and I were honored to be a part of Jaci and Jason’s wedding. The next weekend was Crystal’s first experience tailgating for the Iowa vs. Iowa State game. Although she’ll always to be a K-State fan at heart, she’s willing to cheer for an out of conference team like the Hawkeyes. The next weekend we headed back to Canada for an engagement party. Jon passed the Groeveneld and Young family tests with flying colors. It is amazing that two families from different countries can still all contain the same characters.

October – Crystal was lucky enough to spend lots of time with her family this fall. Her mom and sister, as well as Jon’s mom flew to Chicago for wedding dress shopping event. The following weekend Crystal made another trip back to Canada to spend Thanksgiving with her family (yes, Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving in October.) We attended the Star Lake fall sale, which like the spring sale was a huge success. October also meant big change for Crystal, after almost four years she left her position at the American Angus Association and took a position with VitaFerm Sure Champ as the national product and marketing manager.

November – Crystal’s new job allowed her to move to Independence the beginning of the month. It has been awesome to both be under one roof, and although she’s been on the road a bunch, at least her clothes and mail have a home in Iowa. Thanksgiving gave us a chance to start working on our consignments to the Iowa Beef Expo and getting the show heifers whipped into shape.

December – It maybe cliché to say but we can’t believe another year has gone by. We headed to Texas to celebrate Jaci’s graduation before the holidays kick in. With some unexpected plans we’ll now be spending Christmas in Iowa and New Year’s in Canada. It will be a great end to a wonderful year.