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My mom and dad and another couple from their church headed to Branson, Missouri, last Saturday for a week of hanging out and going to shows.


For some of you, I could stop right there and the entry title would be fitting enough. I've never been, but it sounds like the sort of thing I probably wouldn't hate terribly - after all, my last few times at amusement parks I've enjoyed the shows more than the rides. Laugh if you must, but see me when you're my age and we'll see who's laughing then (hint: it will be me).


My mom called me on Monday night and said, "Are you sitting down?" and then proceeded to tell me my dad was in the hospital. He started feeling ill on Sunday morning and was admitted Sunday afternoon. They had taken X-rays and done a CAT scan, and had determined he had some intestinal blockage. There was some concern that he would need surgery, and apparently it's a rather nasty surgery with all kinds of recovery time - a real bummer when you're nine and a half hours from home. Over the course of the next few days they kept an eye on him and finally decided it was okay to release him back into the wild earlier today.


That first night when I was talking to Mom and then to Dad, and back to Mom again, she's relaying things to me that he's saying in the background, including something about how they're going to bury him in Branson - note: this is before the results of the CAT scan were in and anybody knew what was going on. Is it any wonder where I get my sense of humor?


Dad also made Mom and their friends leave the hospital and go see some shows. "They didn't come down here to sit in a hospital, after all," he said. My dad cracks me up.


So now he's out and about and they are planning to fit as many shows in in the next couple of days as they can before heading back to Wisconsin.


Many thanks to all of you who were praying for him. I appreciate it, and he wanted me to tell you that he and Mom appreciate it, too.


Here's one of my favorite pictures of Dad - there's something about the look on his face and the look on Tiger's face that is just absolutely perfect:

Labels: family