The Life of Buff's: Vacation!!!

Every July we go to Oklahoma. This year was a little different. On our way to Oklahoma, we met Wes' cousin Sandy and her husband and their adorable daughter, Renley in Branson for a few days. This was an absolute BLAST! We went to Dixie Stampede. Of course, Grant and I got tricked into going onto the floor to ride horses. Little did Grant know that they were stick horses. It was so funny I could barely run. Grant, on the other hand was dragging me because he was running so fast. What a hoot!

There was a horrible tornado that went down the strip of Branson a couple months before we went. There were still some buildings that hadn't been torn down. Such a scary sight.

Another fun part of our trip was the Ride the Duck!

We got soooo lucky, Sandy's parents and Wes' parents came to Branson to stay and keep the kids so we could have adult time. They kept the kids while Sandy and I did some shopping and the guys golfed. They also took Drake to mini golf and ride go-carts. On our last day, we took Drake for one last round of golf.

After four days in Branson, we headed on to Oklahoma. This trip to Oklahoma was like no other. It started wonderful just like every other time. There was a drought throughout the whole Midwest. Fireworks got cancelled everywhere due to the fire risk with the dry ground. On our second day in Oklahoma, we had been swimming for a few hours and went inside to grab some lunch. While we were inside, Aunt Karen got a call from Dub (Wes' cousin that was baling hay in a field behind the house) saying the baler had caught on fire and it caught the field on fire. The wind was strong and the fire was spreading fast. It all happened so fast. Wes went out to the field with all the other adults that were in the house to try to fight the fire while waiting for the fire trucks. (Keep in mind, it was July! As a matter of fact, 103 degrees outside) I stayed inside with all the kids. I was a nervous wreck! The fire was spreading sooooo fast! Finally, two fire trucks showed up. I started to feel relieved. The next thing I knew, Karen came in the house crying and said I needed to get in the car with her because Wes got too hot. I remember thinking okay, big deal, he will be fine. She kept crying and I asked if he was okay. I realized it wasn't good when she said she didn't know, the ambulance was on the way. Drake and I got in the car with her so she could take us to the field where Wes was. It was approximately 1.5 miles from the house but seemed like it took 5 hours to get to him. I remember being in the car trying to keep it together for Drake and telling him that daddy was going to be okay but wondering to myself if he would even be alive when we got there. We pulled up and there was Wes on the ground, completely motionless. Family members had poured ice and water on him to cool him off. He couldn't bend his fingers, arms, or legs. He couldn't open his mouth or his eyes. I thought for sure I was watching him die right in front of me. I knelt next to him praying, wanting to hold him, but he couldn't stand the pain of being touched. FINALLY..............the ambulance arrived. They hooked him up to an IV to give him fluids. After a little while of receiving fluids, he opened his eyes and could talk. I've never wanted to hear that voice so bad in my life! The EMT's assured us that he had a heat stroke. This was a mega slap in the face for me. I take this man for granted every day. Yeah, yeah, I know I shouldn't, but think it's easy to do. I forget how hard he works to provide for us, and everything he does for us. I know everything happens for a reason and I believe the good Lord made this happen for me to realize how important he is to me. I'll never take this man for granted again. I love him SOOOOO much! We enjoyed the rest of the trip taking it easy.