FATHER'S DAY

It's really the day before Father's Day as I post this. Actually this happened the Friday night before Father's Day -- but it all applies.

Do you like surprises? Typically, I don't. But I'll make an exception this time. I'm sitting in my living room with Joelene Friday night about 11 p.m. when I heard the garage door going up. I thought it was our youngest daughter, Olivia, coming in from having been at a friend's house - so I didn't pay much attention. But it wasn't her after all. I didn't realize that standing right behind the living room sofa I was sitting in was our two older daughters, Whitney and Allison - surprising me by driving all the way from Minneapolis in order to be here for the Father's Day weekend.

What a great surprise! It's one of the greatest surprises I could have hoped for. It WAY beat the other Father's Day surprise, which I was given tonight - just a few minutes ago - a super-duper deluxe outdoor grill that I can burn steaks on.

So today we all went down to the harbor to the Kenosha Farmer's Market and then to the newly opened Civil War Museum. Then we walked around the harbor for a little while and eventually ended up at a custard place for 'dessert' at 4 in the afternoon.

On Father's Day Sunday, we'll all be sitting on the front row in church together and then back home to enjoy a lunch cooked on our new grill by me. But that's OK. If I'm cooking for them, I don't mind at all.

So, I won't be blogging tomorrow (Sunday) in honor of our family time together.

Furthermore, this is as shamelessly self-serving as it gets on a blog like this, but the pics here are some of the family I adore. They were taken on a trip we took last year down the Mississippi River to Red Wing and Winona, Minnesota, where all seven of us spent the night in a Bed & Breakfast in the same room. It doesn't get any better than that. Thanks girls - and Joelene - for making me the proudest dad in the world.

Enjoy your day. And be blessed.