Shiloh Garden Standards
Debbie Euker
(406)240-9560
ABOUT THE EUKER FAMILY
!! MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011/2012 !!
Steve & Debbie Euker
It is so very hard to believe that we have not done an update on our family since 2006. So much has happened in our lives. There have been many trials and many triumphs and the Lord has continued to bless our family and to take care of each and every one of us in miraculous ways. Here is our latest updates on our incredible crew who are also our closest friends! Their isn't anyone we would rather spend our time with than our children and our grandchildren. The saying that says that "grandchildren are a parents reward" is so...........very, very true! We have (7) rewards and they are indeed......"Precious in His sight"! Our children and grandchildren are the light of our lives and the fruit of our years together that has multiplied over the years. For them...we are thankful.
Our number two son, Matthew (28) and his wife, Carrie, continue to reside in Hamilton which is south of our location. Their crew includes Isaac (5) who is in Kindergarten and enjoys learning and being one of the guys, remodeling, working or playing drums or guitar with his dad or riding his bike down their road with his friends. Rachel (3) is in preschool and is the princess of the family. You will always find her in some type of dress or dress-up outfit dancing and singing wherever she goes.
The newest member of our family, Caleb, was born 9/17/11 at home and delivered by none other than his dad! Let’s just say "he came quickly!” He is such a content and happy baby and is a perfect fit in the family.
Matthew has a very successful business called Precision Painting and Construction and Carrie works for a ticketing company called Quantix, Inc. as the office/sales manager. Matthew is also the Associate Pastor and Worship Leader at Riverside Christian Center in Hamilton, MT where they also just launched a new Sunday night service called Awakening and they are very excited about what God is doing. Let’s just say they are a "very" busy family!
Well that brings us to our 2011 "miracle"! Our 3rd son Samuel (25) had a hunting accident on opening day this year. He fell down a 600 ft. cliff and came out with only a broken ankle and a few lacerations on his head. Seeing the pictures of where he was, it truly was a miracle that he came home alive. There were angels taking every hit for him!! Depsite the fall, he has always had a deep passion for the hunt and it is one of those unique giftings that is so amazing to see come out of each of our children!
Sam has also been blessed with a very prosperous business, Elk Ridge Contracting, which has kept he and his family going allowing his wife Emily, to fulfill her dream of being an at-home mom taking care of their son Liam who is 2 1/2, our number 6 grandchild. He is quite his own character and at 2 years of age has taken up his love for golf. Not to mention basketball, along with helping his dad and Papa scout our mountains for elk and deer..... constantly! :^}
Emily has done quite well in following in her mother-in-law's footsteps and becoming the next endurance rider junky! She also has a hobby in photography and is hoping for an opportunity to pursue it more intensely.
As a famiy, they are making a plan to move to the Bozeman area in the next couple of months, a new journey for their small family and something they have been looking forward to for quite a while!
"Lord help me to be the person my dog thinks I am."
Last but not least, this is what Steve and I have been doing!! This year was busy with our precious poodles and sharing them with many of you that are reading this letter. They are such a gift in our lives and it is a privilege to play a part in bringing a new family member to those of you around the country and abroad. We thank each and every one of you that chose Shiloh Garden Standards for your standard poodle. With each puppy that leaves our home, you are getting a part of us and we feel that we are giving you the greater gift. They continue to bring us much joy and we are so thankful to live the lifestyle that we do here on the ranch, that enables us to raise this magnificent breed!
Our children and our grandchildren however, remain our greatest treasures on this earth! Without us, they would not be and without them, who would we be? We have 6 beautiful and talented grandchildren, with our 7th arriving into the hands of his dad in September. They are our life, our joy and we are so thankful for each and every one of them. Their is not one person we would rather spend our time with than our family!
Steve and I are also continuing to pursue our other passion of the incredible Arabian breed of horses by riding endurance. We do not breed them, we just ride them, and as the saying goes, "Ride hard, ride far, ride fast", well, that would be us!
Steve's main horse Nakona is an Arabian/Quarter X who has been an absolutely incredible steed and companion for him as well as the horse "anyone" can ride. Our grandchildren ride him as well as friends and family that aren't as experienced and he is just amazing. Yet, put him in the starting line of a ride and you have a level headed competitor who has been in the top ten every ride and has gotten Best Condition a couple of times.
Steve will start his new Arabian mare Big Starr who was sent to us from Nancy Blewett of Rancho Milagro Yegua out of Texas in the spring.
It has been so much fun to share this sport with Steve and I hope for many more years to come.
His other passion is playing basketball and getting pounded or pounding others on the court!
Then there's me......I was born to ride, and to ride hard, ride fast and ride very...........far. They say a woman's place is in the kitchen, well..............I would dispute that to say, " a woman's place is in the saddle in the mountains or wherever their four hooves take you!"
My main competition horse Pikes Peak, also came from Nancy's ranch as did Vaz's Chan Chan, my up and coming prospect. Piker is an incredible, natural born athlete and his ride record proves that to be true. He and I started the endurance journey together in 2007 and we haven't done to terribly shabby at that. He and I did our first 75 miler at the Fort Howes ride in Ashland, MT. It was an FEI ride with most of the top riders in the US qualifying for FEI and we got 9th place and we didn't even try. I went with the mind set of riding Pike's ride, where he was at that point and enjoy the scenery. We started at the end of the pack and he was just fabulous that day altho the last 10 miles were ridden in pounding rain and hard winds and we came in absolutely soaked to the core!!! Judah is my other competition horse and has challenged me in areas of my life in ways apparently I needed to be. We have pressed through many issues and hope to do some multi-day's next year as well as our first 100, possibly even Tevis.
Our daughter in-law Emily competes with Steve and I and has ridden both Nakona and Piker in rides with me. I taught her well........... :^}
With summer litters, it can be more difficult to get away for competitions, but thus far, we have ridden of course, Montana, Idaho, Utah & Washington.
My dream is to do the Tevis Cup in Auburn, California, and prayerfully 2012 will be the year to fulfill that dream!
I hope you enjoyed seeing our family and who they are and now I will share some pictures of our endurance journey!!
"NAKONA"
"JUDAH"
Looking straight down the cliff where Sam fell.
"PIKER"
Shylea .....
Me and Emily in Potomac, MT.
Our oldest son, Brandon (31) and his family recently moved to Missoula after an 11 year commitment to the United States Military. His travels included five different states and two tours of duty to Iraq. Brandon and his wife of 11 years, Lacey, will be pursuing their academic goals at the University of Montana over the next few years and couldn't be happier to be home near family.
Together Brandon and Lacey have two of our beloved grandchildren, Chance and Kylan. Chance recently turned 10 and has a passion for playing soccer and a growing interest in hockey. Kylan, 8 years old, is a girls girl and loves to sing and dance. Her sweet demeanor is a pleasure to have frequenting the ranch once again.
Last but not least, we have the latest addition to their family, BammBamm Jr. of BammBamm and Wilma. BammBamm Jr. (who is often confused with a fluffy teddy bear) loves the outdoors, snuggling and playing with his housemate, O'Malley the kitten.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
