Our Beach Trip

Phil, Jane, Amy, and Megan arrived safely last Friday afternoon, but not without a little excitement. In Jane's words, "We prayed that we'd get here safely, but not our suitcases." At least they were delivered to them in the same evening that they arrived here. It could have been worse!

 Time has flown by as it usually does, but we have packed in a lot of fun! Tomorrow we are heading west to Yellowstone, their family by plane and ours by van. Our family plans on stopping by Walnut Grove to see the Little House museum on the way to our first hotel.

The next stop will be Mount Rushmore and onto Crazy Horse and the Badlands.

We'll stay in eastern Wyoming and then meet back up with them at Yellowstone on Sunday.

Since Lake Michigan looks like the sea but doesn't taste like it, we had to take our friends from England there. 

Jane inquired about how big the lake is to which my reply was, "I'm not sure." That's a good question though, isn't it?

Answer: It's 307 miles from north to south and 114 miles across from east to west. Wow! Our God did that!

beyond excited

We have been anticipating, talking about, and counting down, dare I say, for the past 18 months to this very day. This day means our friends from Lymm, England will be spending a glorious 17 days with us.

They are probably landing about now at O'Hare and will then be boarding a plane to Kalamazoo. Sadly, that second flight doesn't always happen which could mean delays. We're praying against that nonsense and if all goes according to plan, I will be hugging Jane by 4:45 EST.

Phil, Jane, Amy, and Megan became some of our dearest friends while we lived in England. It is amazing how God weaved our hearts together in such a way that a life-long friendship was established. We knew before we even moved that their family would one day take a holiday here.

Our plans include:
~talking
~laughing
~eating
~swimming
~hugging
~relaxing by the pool
~taking a million photos
~reminiscing
~worshiping at our church together
~sightseeing
~shopping
~take too many pictures
~enjoying a glass of wine here and there
~drinking coffee or tea depending on the mood
~hugging some more
~watching the girls in their all-girl band, GG BAMM, as they sing current tunes and play dress-up
~diving into the pool
~riding the quad
~oh, the list goes on and on...

During our second week together we'll be going to Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. The hardest part of the trip will be the goodbyes, but let's not even think about that!

Megan, Braaten, Melanie, and Amy

Amy & Megan in Wales

Shawn and Phil

Emma, Carol, and Jane

Driver in Training

I can remember when Austin was about 3 years old and his grandpa, my dad, would say in his strong Jersey accent,

"Remember this kid, Austin Busse, he's gonna be famous one day." 

He said that because Austin's love of baseball and great skill set to play amazed him. He was truly proud of him. 

You have to understand that my dad was a taxi driver in New Jersey and he had the gift of gab. He loved to tell stories and hear his own voice I think. He would tell anyone willing to listen story upon story, one of which was that of his grandson who would one day be famous. 

Fast forward about 12 years and here Austin is. He's about 5 or 6 inches taller than me, still plays a mean game of baseball, he's going to be a sophomore, he loves going to church with us, fishing is one of his most favorite hobbies, and this week I took him to driver training every morning. 

He'll have a license before we know it!

I can still picture his curly locks and his dimpled chin as he would gaze up at me and ask me to read a book to him. I can remember him asking me to draw his favorite drawing... a fish. He'd say, "You do da fish!" Everyone that was willing would draw that same fish for him and it made him really happy.

My boy is growing up. He's a young man and I sure am proud of him.

His grandpa would have been, too.

the handsome men in my life

Watching them watch a baseball game never looked so good.

My firstborn started driver training this week.. Can he really be that old?

I love it when he wears those blue shades.

What a great shot of Grant. Oh, those eyes...

And a sweaty Cooper, sitting on the bench waiting for his turn to bat, makes my heart skip a beat.

I wonder what Grant is pondering here. I love that he has a Union Jack shirt on in front of our colonial flag. And today marks exactly 2 weeks before our British friends come for Holiday at our house.

That cone looks mighty good!

And you, My Love, make my heart beat faster. 

Cool twin shot. Who is who? Can you guess?

Still waiting for his turn to bat...

How's your summer going?

Mine has been busy, but blessed. 

Happy Independence Day

RAGGED OLD FLAG

I walked through a county courthouse square,
On a park bench an old man was sitting there.

I said, "Your old courthouse is kinda run down."


He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town."

I said, "Your flagpole has leaned a little bit,
And that's a Ragged Old Flag you got hanging on it."

He said, "Have a seat", and I sat down.
"Is this the first time you've been to our little town?"

I said, "I think it is." He said, "I don't like to brag,
But we're kinda proud of that Ragged Old Flag."

"You see, we got a little hole in that flag there
When Washington took it across the Delaware.
And it got powder-burned the night Francis Scott Key
Sat watching it writing "Oh Say Can You See."
And it got a bad rip in New Orleans
With Packingham and Jackson tuggin' at its seams. And it almost fell at the Alamo
Beside the Texas flag, but she waved on through.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard, and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on that Ragged Old Flag."

"On Flanders Field in World War I
She got a big hole from a Bertha gun.
She turned blood red in World War II
She hung limp and low by the time it was through.
She was in Korea and Vietnam.
She went where she was sent by her Uncle Sam."

"She waved from our ships upon the briny foam,
And now they've about quit waving her back here at home.
In her own good land she's been abused --
She's been burned, dishonored, denied and refused."

"And the government for which she stands
Is scandalized throughout the land.
And she's getting threadbare and wearing thin,
But she's in good shape for the shape she's in.
'Cause she's been through the fire before
And I believe she can take a whole lot more."

"So we raise her up every morning,
Take her down every night.
We don't let her touch the ground
And we fold her up right.
On second thought I DO like to brag,
'Cause I'm mighty proud of that Ragged Old Flag."

Written by Johnny Cash