Grand Parade and Grandpa Dale

Well, this weekend our family lost a great grandpa, and the world lost a great man. My wife's dad's dad passed away Saturday evening. He had a very aggressive form of cancer and we were all caught by surprise by the swift progression of the disease. He was one of those individuals that many would categorize as a cuddly bear. He was large in stature and personality, but meek and mild in mannerism. He will be greatly missed and forever remembered.
In other news, this weekend I was able to go see my Uncle perform with his Genesis cover band Grand Parade ( http://www.grandparadeprog.com/). They performed at Otto's in Dekalb. I am always impressed with his guitar skills and the band sounded great! (Jeff, if you're reading this, don't get a big head just cuz it was great, k?! ;-) ). It was nice to spend some time with Steve and his wife and my father. We also got to see some family that we haven't seen in a while!
I am so ready for this semester to be over! Between the shooting, work, school, illnesses and everything else occurring this semester I have just felt swamped the whole semester. This summer should be nice with me not working much OT anymore, no school, and Beth not working either. Our poor kids probably have felt neglected and have watched WAY TOO MUCH TV the last month or so. Hopefully we can get out and take them to the Zoo, go swimming, and maybe go to Branson Mo. I recently found out a mission buddy is in Branson doing a Polynesian show. (http://www.theduttons.com/islandfire/) I would love to be able to go see him and the show, and Branson is a really fun place from what I remember when we went when I was a kid. Anywho, thanks for the comments on the last post, feel free to add thoughts whenever you feel a need or desire.