All For God's Glory

While we were in Yuma, Arizona on our 8th Dart Vacation, we were interviewed by the Yuma Sun newspaper.  They even had a photographer from the paper give us a tour of the city and take our pictures for the article.  To our surprise it came on out on the front page.

http://www.yumasun.com/news/yuma-75651-dart-jen.html  

http://www.yumasun.com/sections/slideshow/?id=11631281

When we got home to Dayton, Ohio and went into the office on Monday morning, our phone started ringing off the hook.  Apparently the article had been seen by someone with the Daily News in the United Kingdom and their blog hit the associated press.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2081789/Jen-Bob-Westerfields-random-vacations-throwing-dart-US-map.html

We then heard from ABC News and Inside Edition within a few minutes of each other.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/lifestyle/2012/01/couple-uses-dart-map-and-chance-to-plan-vacations/ 

An email came in from Fox & Friends asking us to be on their show in New York City.  We were excited about the opportunity, but had already thrown our dart for 2013.  After some suggestions from some friends, we thought it would be more in line with our mission in life to send another family on their own all-expense paid Dart Vacation.


For details on the family we chose, read the Blog entry on the Skay Family.  Our hope is that our business, Side Effects, Inc. (www.sideeffectsinc.com), will continue to be blessed with the ability to finance the various missions what we support including an annual gifted Dart Vacation.

The Fox & Friends show will air live at 9:50 am on Saturday April 28th, 2012.   

We then were contacted by a radio station in the quad cities.  They interviewed Bob on their morning show:
http://www.2dorks.com/dart_vacation.html

You can listen to the radio show on our Dart Americaby Chance Facebook page.

Our local newspaper, The Dayton Daily News, featured an article on the Dart Vacations:
http://www.daytondailynews.com/lifestyle/centerville-couple-use-unorthodox-method-to-pick-annual-vacation-spot-1316278.html 

Then, most near and dear to our hearts, our church asked us to come and share our story.  You can listen or watch the interview on the following Podcast.  Bob has been attending Southbrook Christian Church since 1992 and I have been attending with him since 2004.  We absolutely love our church and their mission to help those who struggle with faith live more like Jesus forever.

http://www.southbrook.org/resources/podcast/forewords/signipretation.html 

We recently came across a personal Blog of a family we met in St Johns in 2008.  
http://makeyourbreakaway.com/2008/12/19/the-%E2%80%9Cdart%E2%80%9D-vacation-bob-jen-trust-the-fates/

Following the Skay Family Dart Vacation in August 2012, there was an article written in the Nassau County Record in Hilliard, Florida.  We really appreciated the attention to detail this reporter took.  Great article really capturing that trip.

There was an article written in our local paper that a co-worker told us about:
http://www.springborosun.com/2012/09/westerfields-take-others-on-8216-dart-vacation-8217/

We have no idea if this is heading somewhere more or if we will just continue to blog our future trips, but our hope it to make a difference in each American city we travel to by chance in one way or another and encourage others to do the same. 

Our Mission: To develop and nurture relationships within communities while making a difference, serving Christ, and positively affecting people's lives.

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven." Matthew 5:16

The Skay Family Dart Vacation ~ Before the Trip

This is the Skay Family.  We met them in Yuma, Arizona on our most recent 2011 Dart Vacation.  They were so very generous to give us the opportunity to take a ride in their Dune Buggy in the dunes west of Yuma.  We got to know them a little bit and their story is incredible.  When we decided to send another deserving family on a 2012 Dart Vacation, the Skay family was the obvious choice.  We're very excited to find out where they will be traveling and thrilled that Dylan's recovery has been so successful.

 The story of the Skay Family: Dan and Keri Skay have a son, Dylan, who was diagnosed with diabetes at age 10.  He got the flu and his sugars went through the roof.  When his parents took him to the ER, he ended up going into a diabetic coma in the waiting room.  He was in a coma for a long time and had 4 strokes involving his brain stem while in the coma.  It has been a long road, but he is recently able to walk again.  Praise God!  They took the vacation to Yuma as soon as he could walk alone and did the trip they had scheduled for 2 weeks following the incident in the ER.  Because of the coma, they cancelled their trip and it's been years until they could take this recent trip.  They have been driving great distances weekly for Dylan's physical therapy and all the time and effort is paying off.  He is doing great!

It's amazing to me the way God works.  I was a 24 year old walking around Home Depot buying the items to create the map I gifted to Bob that started this tradition and here we are almost 10 years later sending a Home Depot employee and his family on a dart vacation of their own.  God is great!

Dylan in February 2012

Bob and Dan Skay on the Dune Buggy

YouTube video of our dune buggy ride:

http://youtu.be/5MnwN4OIwyo

Below is a sample of communication between Keri Skay and I.

From: Keri Skay
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:53:16 -0700
Subject: Re: Possible Fox & Friends Segment Opportunity
To: Jen Westerfield <jen@sideeffectsinc.com>

Hi Jen :)
Sorry, I just checked emails today. Congratulations on your happy
news!! I know, we were just talking about how it was almost the end of
April and we should be hearing something soon, we are very excited
too!!! I got an email from Pam Dillon from Dayton news, she wanted to
use some information about Dylan for an article she was writing, I
emailed her back a few days ago, I hope she lets me know when she
writes the article so I can read it :)
We are all doing really well, Dylan continues to improve daily and is
on the honor roll at school :) we are all doing really well and so
much looking forward to our vacation!!!
Hope you are all doing well too!
 ----- Original Message -----
 From: Jen Westerfield
 To: Keri Skay
 Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2012 2:01 PM
 Subject: Re: Possible Fox & Friends Segment Opportunity


 Hi Keri!


 I just wanted to touch base.  We heard from Fox & Friends this
morning with our hotel information, etc.  We are getting excited as
the show is only 2 weeks from today.  I'm 12 weeks pregnant with our
4th child and feeling very nauseous, but hopefully that subsides
before the morning of :-)  She told me where to be and what to wear,
but not much about the time and content.  I'll be in touch again as I
learn more.


 Hope all is well!


 Jen


 On Sat, Feb 11, 2012 at 10:44 AM, <Keri Skay> wrote:

   Hi Jen,

   How are you? We hope you and your family are doing well! We are
doing really well on this end. Dylan continues to make such progress!!
He is so AMAZING!!! He is making HUGE strides in his therapy, he is
now able to walk much longer distances and is also shocking all his
therapists, family and friends with his ability to continue to make
strides. He decided a few weeks ago that he wanted to ride his bike,
so we put his helmet on him and Dan and I ran next to the bike in case
he lost his balance. Of course he didn't really need us, he just
started pedaling away and has been doing loops in our cul-de-sac since
then!! He loves riding his bike :o) We watched the video link you
sent, that was so great!!!  Thank you so much to everyone for thinking
of us for this wonderful opportunity!!! I can't tell you how much it
means to our family that you thought of us when you were thinking of
giving this vacation to another family!! It really touched us. You are
such special people and have really touched our lives with your
generosity! It will be an amazing trip!!! We are very excited and so
lucky to have met you and Bob!!!
   Thank you so much for keeping us in the loop!!! We are looking
forward to watching the show in April!!
   Take care and have a great day!!!
   ~ Keri, Dan & Dylan
   ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jen Westerfield"
<jen@sideeffectsinc.com>
   To: Keri Skay
   Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2012 4:21 AM
   Subject: Fwd: Possible Fox & Friends Segment Opportunity



     Hi Keri!

     I wanted to forward you the communication between Fox News and myself
     in order to keep you in the loop (see below).

     I have told your story regarding Dylan's turn in health and subsequent
     rehab milestones to a lot of people as the story was told to me by
     Brandon.  I hope I wrote all the facts down right!  It sounds like you
     have been through a lot and as a mom, I can only imagine the fear in
     those early days.  I praise God for Dylan's healing thus far and will
     continue praying for his progress.

     One of the places we shared our (your) story was at 3 different
     services at church last weekend.  Charlie, who interviewed us, is the
     head pastor of this 3,000+ church in south Dayton, Ohio.  He married
     us in 2006 and came in to do this interview.  An associate pastor give
     the sermon.  He did a great job!  I really enjoyed the service and
     would encourage you to watch the entire thing.  You can view the
     podcast at:

     http://www.southbrook.org/
resources/podcast/forewords/signipretation.html

     I hope things are going well on your end and that you have a
great weekend!

     Talk soon,
     Jen Westerfield
     937-776-8826
     www.sideeffectsinc.com

     Our mission: To develop and nourish relationships within communities
     while making a difference, serving Christ and positively affecting
     people's lives.
     "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works
     and glorify your Father in Heaven" Matthew 5:16

2011 ~ Yuma, Arizona

Yuma, Arizona

Yuma, Arizona was our most recent trip.  Just Bob and I flew out between Christmas and New Years.  We spent the first day in the historic downtown of Yuma and ate lunch at Lute's Casino (not really a casino).  There is a photo of Bob Lutes and I below.  This place is a legend in Yuma.  That night we served at the Crossroads Mission where we fed 200 hungry people dinner.  The people that run the mission are incredible people and they just recently opened their new building.  Bob and I always take a photo in front of the city name somewhere in the city limits, so "THE" Dart photo is attached in front of a water tower.  This was the largest city we've been to and the newspaper article that was written on the front of the Yuma Sun the week after we left spurred international media attention to our Dart Vacations.  See separate Blog Title "Media Attention".

Here is what we learned about Yuma before we went:

Yuma (Cocopah: Yuum) is a city in and the county seat^[2] of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of the state, and the population of the city was 93,064 at the 2010 census, increased from the 2000 Census Bureau population of 77,515.  The area's first settlers were Native American tribes whose descendants now occupy the Cocopah and Quechan reservations. In 1540, expeditions under Hernando de Alarcon and Melchior Diaz visited the area and immediately saw the natural crossing of the Colorado River as an ideal spot for a city, as the Colorado River narrows to slightly under 1000 feet wide in one small point. Later military expeditions that crossed the Colorado River at the Yuma Crossing include Juan Bautista de Anza (1774), the Mormon Battalion (1848) and the California Column (1862).

Following the establishment of Fort Yuma, a town sprang up on the New Mexico Territory (now Arizona) side of the Colorado. The townsite was duly registered inSan Diego, demonstrating that both banks of the Colorado River just below its junction with the Gila were recognized as being within the jurisdiction of California. The county of San Diego collected taxes from there for many years.^[6] The town, initially called Colorado City, was renamed Arizona City in 1858. The city was almost completely destroyed by the Great Flood of 1862 and had to be rebuilt on higher ground.^[7] It took the name Yuma in 1873.

Steamboats at Yuma Landing, CA, 1880

From the 1850s through the 1870s, the Yuma Crossing was known for its ferry crossing. From 1852 it was the major steamboat stop on the way up and down the Colorado River. The steamboats transported passengers and equipment for the various mines and military outposts along the Colorado and into New Mexico Territory. They offloaded them from ships at the mouth of the Colorado River at Robinson's Landing and from 1864 at Port Isabel. From 1864, the Yuma Quartermaster Depot, today a state historic park, supplied all forts in present-day Arizona, as well as large parts of New Mexico, Colorado, New Mexico. Yuma served as the gateway to the new Republic (later State) of California, as it was one of the few natural spots where travelers could cross the otherwise very wide Colorado River. After Arizona became a separate territory, Yuma became the county seat for the area in 1864.

Yuma Crossing and RR bridge in 1886. The bridge was built in 1877.

The Southern Pacific Railroad bridged the river in 1877, and acquired George Alonzo Johnson's Colorado Steam Navigation Company, the only steamboat company on the river. Yuma became the head of navigation on the river, ending the need for Port Isabel, which was abandoned in 1879.

Bob serving at the Crossroads Mission

The new building at the Crossroads Mission ~ Praise God!

Beautiful Sunset

Bob Lutes and I in Lutes Casino

2010 ~ Soda Springs, Idaho

Soda Springs, Idaho

Bob and I flew out in January 2010 to Salt Lake City and went to the Sundance Film Festival on our way to Soda Springs.  It was an amazing get away for just the two of us.  Again, we saw a lot of beauty.

Here is what we learned about Soda Springs before we went:

Soda Springs is a city in Caribou County, Idaho, United States. The population was 3,058 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Caribou County.^[1]

The city is named for the thousands of natural springs of carbonated water that are located in and around the city. The springs were well known to Native Americans and were a famous landmark along theOregon Trail in the middle 19th century. Today the city is also known as the location of the Soda Springs Geyser, a man-made carbon dioxide generated cold water geyser.

Downtown Soda Springs.  I bet Bob said, "i love this place" over a dozen times.

We went out to see the natural soda springs and even drank some with rootbeer syrup.  Awesome!

We had two locations we liked for THE dart vacation photo.  I was pregnant with Elle in this photo.

Let it Snow!  Let it Snow!  Let it snow!

We took a sled ride out to see the elk in northern Utah on our way up.  Incredible!

2009 ~ Circle, Montana

Circle, Montana

This was a road trip.  The boys had just turned 2 and they made the trip a lot of fun.  We heard many of their "first" words on this trip.  We visited family in Watertown, South Dakota (where we also visited a vendor of ours, Daktronics), saw Mt Rushmore, went to Circle, Yellowstone, and Jackson Hole.  Incredible scenery.  I think I had 500 photos to choose from (you can see them on Facebook under Dart Americaby Chance).  This had to be our most scenic trip to date.

Here is what we learned about Circle before we went:

Geography

Circle is located at 47°25′1″N 105°35′19″W (47.416987, -105.588734)^[2].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²), all of it land.

[edit]Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 644 people, 291 households, and 185 families residing in the town. The population density was 815.1 people per square mile (314.7/km²). There were 384 housing units at an average density of 486.0 per square mile (187.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.89% White, 0.78% African American, 0.93% Native American, and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanicor Latino of any race were 1.09% of the population.

-Circle Vacation Favorite ~ just love this photo..great visual of an American family seeing America

THE real live cowboy in downtown Circle

The Circle Vacation Photo (i was pregnant with Elle here too)

 Bob, Boyd and Ben in front of Mt Rushmore

2008 ~ Superior, Nebraska

Superior, Nebraska 

Superior, Nebraska was a fun trip.  We took our bus out with my sister, Kate Ferguson, and best friend, Lindsay Sav (pregnant with Lyla Capri at the time), the twins, Bob & I.  We went to a Chicago Cubs game on the way ~ the boys first baseball game.  We stopped at the Kool-Aid museum in Hastings, NE.  We then went to Circle and had our first pizza with sauerkraut on it at Dave's Fine Food & Refreshments ~ local dining.  At the Victoria Rose , we were sung to by elderly women ~ the Nebraska state song ~ and Bob had his first newspaper interview.  We felt like celebrities in this cute town.  After Circle, we went to my cousin's wedding in Garden City, KS and headed home from there again stopping at the Power Ad Company in Salina, Kansas.  Great trip!


About Superior:

Superior is a city in Nuckolls County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,957.^[1]

Superior bills itself as the "Victorian Capital of Nebraska", and holds an annual Victorian Festival.^[4] The downtown area is listed in the National Register of Historic Places; along with many of the older houses in the city, it has been maintained or restored to its Victorian appearance.^[5]

Bob and the ladies from Dave's Fine Food & Refreshments

The group of us in Superior

The Velvet Rose ~ very memorable.  The owner was so nice, I bought her a Victorian tea cup and saucer for her collection when we were in Mackinaw Island, MI later that summer and sent it to her.

The boys after their first American baseball game in Chicago.

2007 ~ Two Buttes, Colorado

Two Buttes, Colorado

We flew to Denver in May 2007 and I was very pregnant with the twins.  Two Buttes is the smallest town we've been to with only 43 residents at the time.  We stayed in Avon and toured Aspen, Beaver Creek and Vail.  It was an interesting time of the year to go as May is off-season in ski country.  We stayed at our timeshare in Avon ~ The Sheraton Mountain Vistas.

Here is what we learned about Two Buttes before traveling there:

Two Buttes is located at 37°33′40″N 102°23′52″W (37.561046, -102.397729)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²), all of it land.

[edit]Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 67 people, 34 households, and 19 families residing in the town. The population density was 271.1 people per square mile (103.5/km²). There were 38 housing units at an average density of 153.8 per square mile (58.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 100.00% White. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.49% of the population.

This is a photo of a Butte.

And this is a photo of the Two Buttes Country Store & Inn ~ no longer in operation.

Memories:

• Naming our Twins on the airplane out to Denver
• Buying all sorts of Bear & Moose themed items for the twin's nursery
• Shopping at the 2nd time around store, Once Upon a Child, in Aspen ~ wow!
• Bob getting pulled over and given a warning for speeding while leaving Two Buttes (wide open spaces)
• Being in a place where the postal worker knew how many residents were there that day because two had gone to another town for groceries.
• Seeing some of the most beautiful mountainous sights we'd seen as a couple.  It even snowed like crazy in May!