Loyalty

Allison is a faithful reader of Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost for His Highest. I do not read it every day, but today I did. Today’s entry is titled “The Test of Loyalty” and I can’t stop thinking about it.

No matter how little attention I give him, how many times I yell at him, or how many times I tell him “go lay down somewhere,” Buford continues to be loyal. If I call his name or even act as though I am going to pay attention to him he comes joyfully running. I consider myself a loyal person. I am loyal to my family, I am loyal to my job, I am loyal to my friends, and I am certainly loyal to my own interests. How much better would I be if I were TOTALLY loyal to God? Instead of relying on my own abilities, rely totally on Him. Instead of trying to figure things out on my own, rely upon Him. Instead of wasting time doing [fill in the blank], fill that time learning about Him and His Word. However, there are so many times where I simply try to rely on my own abilities to get through things. If I were to be completely loyal to God and rely totally upon Him, I am sure things would be much clearer.

Why does it seem so hard for us to be truly loyal to the One that gave us the ultimate attention, Jesus, who never yells at us, and never tells us to just go away?

They're All Up

The day after Thanksgiving Allison and I put up the majority of our Christmas decorations. Last night my brother met me, Allison, and Cooper to pick up our Christmas tree. We always get a live tree so we wait a little while after Thanksgiving to get it so that it doesn't dry out as bad before Christmas. We got the tree home and me, my brother, and Allison set the tree in the stand. After my brother left we decorated the tree as a family. This was the first time that Cooper was able to participate. For the most part, he was very good and we only broke one ornament. He helped with the lights, he helped me and Alli put on decorations, and he watched as I put the star on top. We had so much fun and I look forward to continuing the new tradition that the Bussell family started last night.

This ornament made it up again. Let's see how long it stays.

A Visit to the Fire Station

Many of you know that Cooper is a huge fan of fire trucks. Yesterday we had the chance to take Cooper to the Murfreesboro Fire Department, Station No. 8. I want to especially thank the guys from Rescue No. 26, Chris and Matt, for being so great with Cooper.

Chris is the son of my father-in-law's girlfriend, Terri and he is the driver of Rescue No. 26. He invited us to come visit sometime, and yesterday we met my father-in-law, Terri, and Noah, Chris' son, at the fire station for a tour.

At first Cooper was very hesitant. He was scared of the truck and kept saying, "It's too big." We were there for a while and Chris showed us all of the tools and gadgets that are on the rescue truck. Allison and I even got to work the "jaws of life." After being there little while Chris had his partner, Matt, come out and put on his fire suit for Cooper. Cooper was still a little hesitant, but he eventually gave Matt five and we were able to take our picture with him. After that Chris climbed on top of the rescue truck and Allison followed him up. That was all it took to break the ice for Cooper. After that he wore his fireman's hat and wanted to climb all over the trucks. He got in and "drove" and Chris even let us get in and take the truck out into the parking lot with the lights on. Cooper had a blast, but I think Allison and I had more fun than he did.

Thanks again Chris for letting us come and learn about what you do everyday protecting the people of Murfreesboro.

Thanksgiving Weekend

Whew! It is Sunday afternoon and I feel like this is the first time I have sat down since Wednesday when we left work. We have had a great weekend with family and friends.

Wednesday we left work early and went to Cooper's daycare for their annual "vegetable soup and cornbread" lunch for Thanksgiving. We enjoyed the soup and had a good time. My aunt, uncle, and cousin were in town from Oklahoma, so we went over to my mom's house to visit for a while. After that, we went home and Allison started worked on some of the food that she was preparing for the various places that we were to attend for Thanksgiving on Thursday.

Thursday morning we got up early and ran in The Boulevard Bolt. It is a five-mile race that benefits the homeless of Nashville. If you are a runner, and have never ran this race before, you should check it out. We had a great time and both of us finished about 2 minutes faster than our goal. I think this may become our new Thanksgiving Day tradition. We left there and came home to get ready for the day. While Allison finished cooking, Cooper and I watched the Thanksgiving Day parade. Because we have not let Cooper watch television, this was the first time we have actually sat Cooper down with the intention of him to watch something. He was so excited about all of the horses that were in the parade. Since Thursday, every time he walks by the t.v. he asks me to turn on the horses. Then we left for various stops along our Thanksgiving route. We went to Allison's grandparent's house at 1 p.m., and ate food. We left there and went to my mom's house at 3 p.m., and ate food. After that, we went to Allison's aunt's house at 6 p.m., and ate food. Although it is a lot of traveling, we always have a very good time.

Do you have any unique Thanksgiving Day traditions?

After The Bolt.

Cooper enjoying the Thanksgiving Day Parade

Cooper and my brother at my mom's on Thanksgiving Day

Cooper and Allison's uncle George on Thanksgiving Day

We got out the Wii and Allison's cousins were racing

Deer Season

Apparently gun season for deer opened today. That could very well be false, I don't know because I am not a hunter. However, deer season opened for the Bussell family last night. We were on our way to some friend's house for dinner when a deer crossed one lane of traffic and almost made it past us. Unfortunately, for the deer and my truck, we hit the deer. There is some damage to the front end and some to the driver's side. The great news is that we are all okay. Cooper was very scared at first but he calmed down.

I think the worst part about the whole thing was the wait. We hit the deer at about 6:00 pm and we didn't actually leave to take the truck away until about 8:00. On top of that, it was very cold. We sat for about an hour as cars drove by and just looked at us. There was one man that stopped twice and offered for us to come to his house until the tow truck arrived. Just as he offered, some of our friends arrived. Thankfully we had friends that helped a lot as well as others that offered. The Joyces came and let Allison and Cooper sit in their car as well as helped me deal with AAA and the tow truck. The Thomases brought their Jeep over and let us borrow it until we get things worked out. Thanks so much guys for your help.

On the way home my friend told me that his wife heard on the radio that this weekend is the biggest weekend for deer movement. I guess that explains it, but unfortunately that doesn't fix my car.

Have you ever hit a deer or has a deer ever hit you?

Two Years Ago Today...

Two years ago today, at about 11:45 a.m., Allison called me. I asked her what the doctor said and she responded, “Well, you're going to be a daddy today.” I was at lunch with friends from work and she had the car. With reluctance, the doctor told her she could come and pick me up, but after that we had to get to the hospital. We sort of fudged on what the doctor said as we stopped by my office and turned off my computer and squared things away prior to going to the hospital. We got to the hospital at about 1:00 p.m. and Cooper was born at 9:09 p.m. That started what has been an absolute wonderful 2 years.

My little boy is two years old today. I can’t believe how fast it has gone, and I am amazed almost everyday at the new things he learns and tries to do. I am so thankful that God has given us this little boy to take care of. I am also thankful for Allison. She is a great mommy. She loves that little boy with all of her heart and for that I am so thankful. Happy birthday chief. I look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with you.

Holding Fast - A Book Review

A few weeks ago I received the book Holding Fast by Karen James from Thomas Nelson. In exchange for the copy of the book, I have to write a review of the book on my blog. Below is my review of the book.

This book is an amazing story of faith. Karen James, wife of Kelly James, takes you inside eight long days as many people attempt to rescue her husband and two other men off of the top of Mt. Hood. Karen provides detail into her ordeal, focusing on how she relied on God through it all.

The first half of the book details the account as many rescue workers worked day after day in the worst storm on Mt. Hood in a decade. When I first started the book, I had some recollection of what happened in 2006 as the entire country watched the events unfold. As I read further through the pages, many more of my memories of the story surfaced. Ms. James does a great job of detailing her feelings as well as what was happening day in and day out.

In the second half of the book, she provides detail of how she copes daily without the love of her life and how her faith in God has been strengthened through the entire process. Ms. James did a great job of making me feel like I was in the story. The way she discusses the details and her feelings is truly remarkable. This book is a must-read for anyone, especially those going through the loss of a loved one.