We had several DeBusk family members (Babah's side of the fam) come in from Colorado, Nebraska, and Nevada to surprise Babah and Grandad this weekend. Everything went well, and they were definitely surprised! We all met for dinner on Friday at Gaillardia (a ritzy country club in OKC where JoBug and her fam are members). I mentioned Mom and I going through stacks of old photos lately and scanning them in... we made a 400-picture slideshow of family pics through the years for that night, which you can see by clicking HERE.
Family Group Pic:
On Saturday, the men played golf while Tonya and DJ came to my parents' house and we all sorted through Aunt Betty's old recipes (we're planning to make a DeBusk Family Cookbook soon). That night, we all came to JoBug's for Swadley's BBQ dinner and Babah's homemade ice cream. It was really great getting to visit with everyone. Toward the end of the night, Bryce spoke up and gave a mini-speech honoring Grandad that was just perfection...
(Bryce, Bill, Audie, and Tonya are siblings, and they're cousins to Mom and JoBug. They were all really close growing up, and at different points, Babah and Grandad helped out with raising them.)
Anyway, Bryce told Grandad that he didn't know anyone who had done it better as a man, a husband, a father, and a grandfather. And that he was "like John Wayne" in his eyes, a larger-than-life kind of hero figure. He made a few jokes to lighten the mood here and there, but people were tearing up all over the room, definitely including Grandad, and it felt really sacred and special. He credited Grandad and Babah for helping raise Audie and build him up to be a good man. Bryce said that they all really wanted to come visit us, and that he wanted to say that to them now because sometimes people wait until it's too late, and you can't tell someone how much they've meant to you after they die. He probably put it more eloquently, but it's so true, and I'm incredibly thankful that Grandad and Babah got to see them and hear that now - I know it meant a lot to them, as it did to all of us who love them! ...I'm thankful for all the times when our family (and my circle of friends) takes the time to specifically encourage and thank people, to say it out loud and tell them what they mean to us rather than taking them for granted! It matters, and it's such a wonderful thing to value and honor people in that way. ❤
Babah's a funny one, and she didn't like the idea of having to decide who gets certain things when she dies... so she brought several of the antique items that had belonged to her parents or grandparents, and she had the six cousins (Mom, JB, Bryce, Bill, Audie, and Tonya) draw numbers and then take turns picking something for themselves. lol Rach and I thought it was kind of a morbid little game when we heard she was doing that, but it ended up being a good time talking about where everything came from, and now she doesn't have to make those decisions. Win-win. lol
We met them all for breakfast at Virginia's Cafe (a good friend of Babah's) on Sunday morning, then they all drove or flew back home. All in all, it was a rich weekend full of good stories and memories, both old and new... and it made me wish I got to see the DeBusk gang more often. =)
Here's a short slideshow with the pictures from this weekend:
Thanks to Judge's vacation and Kyndal's birthday, this will be my first full work week in August. lol No complaints!! Happy Monday, gang! =)
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