stevenbush.org

after 12 grueling hours in the van yesterday we finally arrrived to the promisedland we like to call Texas. this time around we’re playing in Dallas for a few nights. ritual has it that we always drive in, and then treat ourselves to the wonderful tex-mex @ Pappasito’s. although Chuy’s is one of my top 2 Tex-Mex restaurants…pappasito’s still takes the cake & 1st prize when it comes to Steak Fajitas & Salsa. we met our friend Jason Hyatt there last night & had a great conversation about church, Haiti, adoption, and our friend the bearded wonder. the steak fajitas were amazing as always.

we then went to hyatt’s house. his family is so gracious when it comes to hanging out & letting us stay at their place. we watched 2/3rd’s of I AM LEGEND, American Idol, ate Coke Cake, and drank a big glass of tasty milk. it’s been a great time. they have a daughter who loves purple & everything princesses. her room, her wardrobe, her toys, everything is princess. even her bed is a princess bed. well it just so happened that Jimmie & I drew straws for the princess room. i think it’s funny that the grumpiest, hairiest, meanest guys in the band get the princess room. it brings balance to our meanness. i couldn’t help but take a picture of jimmie’s bed. i really think that purple could be his new color. and i honestly think he should get one of those princess curtain type hanging things for his bed. it might make him a nicer person.

now we’re just chilling this morning, drinking coffee, and we’ll probably finish I AM LEGEND before we leave. we’re heading to Denton to play a concert tonight, and then a two day conference in Ft. Worth tomorrow. it feels good to be back in Texas.

Besides being known for ronnie floyd & his giant crosses, Arkansas is also known for having some of the crappiest roads in the country. It definitly runs a close second to Louisiana. We’re 112 miles away from the great state of Texas…which means great roads and great Mexican food. Our favorite place, pappasitos’s, is already entered into the ol trusty gps.

Its been a long day so far, and we still have 4 hours to go. I’ve been spoiled by getting to fly here recently. Yesterday was long. Flew from Maryland…2hour delay on flight because of a broken crapper…got home & planted a flower bed…finished in time to say goodbye to my mom then leave & do a photoshoot…got van & filled with diesel & hooked up trailer…ate a great candle lit dinner outside with my hot wife…packed my bags…then went to sleep. Got started yesterday at 6am & layed it down at 1am. Only to get back up at 6am…needless to say its been a long two days.

Dallas & pappasitos here we come. My wife is going to be so mad that I’m eating there. Love you baby speaking of Dallas/ftworth…if you live here & need some photography work done shoot me an email. I’d love to work something out.

so i’m in baltimore, md with groves. we are headed home after a great weekend at Pender United Methodist Church. Who by the way helped release 34 children from Poverty last night through Compassion. Pender is also doing something when it comes to their Church & giving to missions that i haven’t heard of in any church that i’ve been in the last 5 years. It’s something i want to write upon later, but you can read Shaun’s take on it here now.

i’m sitting at the Balitmore-Washington Airport…which honestly is one of the crappiest set up airports that i’ve been to. When you arrive you have to get your luggage, and pile into a shuttle like a can of sardines, and ride 15 minutes to the rental car location. I guess they don’t want any bomb-rental cars anywhere close to the airport…who knows. upon returning, you have to drop the rental car off, and then get on the same shuttle back to the airport. not my favorite of set-ups.

i’ve also been cheated on my boarding passes this weekend…i know what you’re thinking …bush, cry me a river. i’m just venting on my lack of luck or providence when it comes to my boarding pass. here i sit once again with a boarding pass C18. which could mean two things.

1. the only seat i will be able to find is the one located on the back row…you know the ones that don’t recline…and the ones that are right by the lavatory(fancy word for milehigh-pisser)…and i will be blessed with the smell of a blue urinal cake & the occasional untimely #2 dropped at 30,000 feet.
2. i’m stuck between two not so small business men, whom purposefully sat together, one at the window & one on the aisle. they just so happened to put their laptop, pda, and their latest edition of Golf Digest on the seat between them…so that no one would sit by them. well lucky day for them…they get a bearded hippie with tattoos that possibly smells bad sitting between them. hey..they could sit on the back row & smell blue urinal cake if they don’t like it.

so we’re boarding…group A…so i’ll sit here & check my email until the last person gets on. then i’ll take my chances on where i get to sit. i’ll let you know when i land how my seating arrangment works out. once i’m home it’s time to plant some flowers in the ol’ flowerbed….pickup a baby bed…pack my bags for a week in texas…do a photoshoot this afternoon…and then hang with my awesome wife before i leave. busy times in bushland.

thanks to uncle ronnie…august has his/her first basketball. i’m super excited…this is all making it very very real. this baby could be here very soon. i can’t wait!!!

so my sweet awesome mom flew into town this weekend for our baby shower. she came packing 2 huge checked bags & a carry on. the carry on was for her clothes, and the checked bags were full of stuff from our family back in texas. the aunts sent her bearing gifts because they couldn’t make the shower…many gifts to be exact. so we had a mini shower tonight with all of the stuff from the family back in Danbury. thanks to all of the aunts & great grandparents for the awesome gifts!

it’s been an awesome night with my mom. a great night of conversation, papa murphy’s pizza, some shiner, and winston lights (soft pack). i have to leave tomorrow to do road work with Groves…so this is a short visit for me with my mom. i wish the old man could have made it up as well…but he’s playing bass at his company picnic tomorrow. their celebrating 50 years of the company with nothing but 50’s music. wish i could be there to see that…i love 50’s music. miss you dad…see you soon.

here’s me & my girls.

i have had the awesome privilege of being friends with Zach Dodd for about 7 or so years now. i met him my 4th year in college…my first year at Houston Baptist University….i mean Houston’s Blessed University. we were both Biblical Studies majors, both like minded, both non-fraternity bound, both not really fitting in at HBU. we were roommates my last year at HBU along with some of my best friends Marcus & Kenny. It was an awesome year of dirty dishes, trash not taken out, clothes everywhere, people playing my acoustic in open-D without me knowing…all the while trying their best to pull off a lame Dashboard Confessional Song. good good times. times i will never forget.

Zach & I have remained friends over the course of the last 5 years. He now lives in Louisville with his awesome wife Carlie, and is attending seminary. Zach’s always had a passion for music, and even more of a passion for Glorifying God with that talent. This past fall i was honored to record a record with Zach. Me, Aaron, Jimmie, Guy , and Zach’s friend Patrick did most of the music on this record. It was a fun time that will not soon be forgotten. He recorded this record with a vision of using it to help raise money & using that money to build an orphanage in Uganda through his non-profit ministry called Beggartown.

I encourage you all to go check out his stuff on myspace. I know he has a CD release coming up in Nebraska, and he’s touring this summer. If you get a chance to go visit…i encourage you to do it. Help join Zach in building this orphanage in Uganda. Buy his record, buy a shirt, or just donate to his cause. they’re doing a great thing.

so…to much of my wife & my friends dismay…i’m growing the beard out. most of you are thinking…dude, that’s out far enough. well this is just the beginning. i plan on doing a bi-weekly update on this thing i call a beard. i’m not sure i can even call it a beard…because when i’m next to thebeardedwonder.org i look like a pre-pubescent 9th grader. so bi-weekly updates on the beard…hopefully i can make it to christmas. we’ll see how that goes. maris might cut it off during the middle of the night, or i might get tired of sweating like a fat A during the summer and decide to cut it off. as of now…it’s patience, shampoo, & conditioner. i can’t let this baby get split ends…that’d be a tragedy.