The last few days I have been working in Wisconsin helping to put on the Get Motivated Motivational Seminar. It is great to be in a nice hotel for 3 nights again but I always have a hard time finding a moment to write during these days. This show was particularly difficult. My wonderful boss, and dear friend Marlo, headed to the airport when he found out that his wife Jheri (they live in Tampa, FL) rushed their 3 year old son to the ER. Before he was able to board the plain he learned that his son had passed away. This happened just a week after he had lost his mother to cancer. My heart is completely broken for him and his entire family. Marlo's faith has always been an inspiration to me. He is a man of God and lives his life as a testimony to his faith. I know God has big plans for this family. Their love for each other and for God will give them amazing strength.
As you can imagine I (all of us) had a very difficult time getting through that show, but I also realized how blessed I am to work with such a great group of people. We all held each other up and we gained strength from each other. Dave and my boys even came down to the arena to help support the team. I really do thank God for the many very special people he has put into my life. I really am blessed.
So I guess I have very mixed feelings about Madison, Wisconsin. It's a very pretty city with a lake right downtown. It has a college town feel (University of Wisconsin) with a hint of class. Although I did speak to the rudest lady I have ever met in Madison (we actually had to kick her out of the arena). We had our RV TP'd which in a strange way made us feel really loved. Maybe it was the, "We love the HustleBUS's" that was written on the window, or maybe it was the smiling faces of my entire team covered in toilet paper sitting on the seventh floor when the elevator doors opened. Not sure, but it did help to lift my spirits in the mist of such a difficult day. I don't think I ever want to return to Madison, WI but I am thankful that God is good even when things are bad.
After Madison we decided to drive toward Minneapolis, MN. I have decided to catch a flight with my United Airline miles to go to Tampa on Friday and Minneapolis had the best flight options. We stopped in Osseo, Wisconsin at this great spot called Stoney Creek RV Park. This place is exactly what we needed after Madison. It has a great pool, a full volleyball court, basketball court, mini golf course, cafe, arcade and even a skateboard park. The kids had a blast until it started storming. Actually, they have really enjoyed the storm as well. At about 11pm we had our second fire department warning... they drove through the campground and on a loudspeaker warned of a severe storm warning. They said to take shelter because the storm was getting worse. I'm writing this with the thunder and lightning at their worse. Good thing we have one of the larger "houses" on the block.
I also have to mention that Dave worked really hard today fixing things that needed fixing, handling things that needed handling, and paying things that needed paying. Thanks Dave!
One last item of note... Thanks to our English side of the family we have our first International reply on the hulsebusfamilydream.blogspot.com! Thanks for the comment Alastair (Dave's youthful, debonair, 007 uncle)! We have our eyes pealed for an Alastair and a Clova sign. Take good care of your house guests. (FYI to the all readers... Pop and DeeDee are visiting all our family in England).
Here are some pics of the boys enjoying the campground:
