The car pulled into Grandpa and Grandma Hall’s driveway. Jesse and I hopped out with our bags and said good-bye to Grandpa and Grandma Pates. We had enjoyed a wonderful five days with them, and things were only going to get better. I walked between the garage and house into Grandpa’s big back yard, walked up to the back door and rang the bell. Grandpa answered.

“Hi, Grandpa!” I said giving him a hug. “Hi, Joseph. Did you have a good time with John and Sharon?” “I sure did. We were in Duluth today. I woke up at 4:30 this morning and saw the sunrise over Lake Superior. It was beautiful! They took us on a harbor tour earlier this morning, so we saw the grain elevators and all of that.” “That’s great, Joe.” Grandma then came outside. I greeted her too and began showing her everything I had brought with me for the trip. “You’ll need to bring those things inside, Joe. We need to get you organized.” Grandma stated. “Sure, Grandma, we’ll take care of that in a bit.”

Just then Amy, Rachel, and Ryan ran over from their house. They live right next door to Grandpa and Grandma. “Hello, Joseph!” Amy said just on the verge of a giggle. “Wow, Amy, you’re really growing up!” I stated. Amy was six years younger than me. She had really grown up a lot since I had last seen here. She was eleven years old. Amy was expressive, bubbly, and joyful just like her mother. Amy turned to give Jesse a hug, and I greeted Rachel next. “Hi, Joseph,” Rachel said smiling. At fifteen, Rachel was also growing up. A deep thinker, she often surprised us with insightful comments. I could tell that both Rachel and Amy were excited about the adventure that was going to begin tomorrow. I turned to greet Ryan as Rachel and Amy started asking Jesse about his first plane flight. “What’s up, bro?” I said giving Ryan a handshake and slap on the back. Ryan and I have been good friends since we were both very young. He was a head taller than me, but I was five months older. Like me, he was passionate and verbal, but he was a lot more down-to-earth than I was. “We’ve been pretty busy.” “I’m sure. How’s your mom doing?” “She’s doing fine.” “You got all your stuff packed?” I prompted. “Yep, took care of that after dinner.”

Uncle Mike had walked over with his kids. I turned to say hello to him as well. “What’s up, man?” I asked. “We’ve been busy all day getting things ready for the trip,” Mike responded. “I heard you made a couple of purchases yourself. Ryan tells me you bought yourself a full bug suit,” I said chuckling. Mike was well known for his interesting purchases. “Yep, that’s right! I’m not going to have to put on any bug spray,” Mike smirked triumphantly. “I’ve got this great rain suit too.”

“Joseph, come here and try casting this fishing pole,” Grandpa called from the other side of the patio. “It’s a really nice one that I bought at Fleet Farm for this trip. We’ll have nine fishing poles with us on the trip.” I walked over to the other side of the patio. Grandpa had a weight on the end of the fishing line so Jesse and I could learn to cast into a bucket in the backyard. I tried it once or twice and, while not landing in the bucket, got the hang of casting. Grandpa was bringing all of the fishing gear for the trip from his cabin in Wisconsin. Jesse took the fishing pole from me and started learning how to cast it. Jesse was nine years old and was bubbling over with energy. “I almost got it!” Jesse yelled. He wasted no time reeling the weight back in and trying to cast it again.

I walked downstairs to the basement and opened the box containing the little banjo that I had sent ahead to Minneapolis. Finding my fingerpicks in my suitcase, I walked back out to the patio and sat down in one of the chairs. Tuning the banjo up, I began to pick out a couple of songs. “Can you believe we’re leaving tomorrow?” Grandpa said, sitting down in the other chair. “Grandpa, I’ve been dreaming about this day for six months and now it’s finally here. I can’t believe I’m not asleep.” “Yeah, I know what you mean,” Grandpa responded. “How’s packing coming?” “Joe, Grandma has just been amazing. We would be totally screwed without her help. She has us and our stuff all organized.” “I want to go and say hello to Aunt Becky real quick, and then I’m going to come back and go over my stuff with Grandma. I’ll be right back,” I said as I strolled through the gap in the hedge and over to Mike and Becky’s house.

I walked into their house and saw that a major packing operation was in progress. Becky looked up from organizing clothes into a large plastic bag. I love my Aunt Becky. I don't know if Ryan sees how wonderful his mother is, so I try to remind him often. Becky is so much like my own mother. Both of them give of themselves beyond comprehension. I wonder sometimes if my father and uncle see what incredible gifts God has given them in their wives. I see it. Being home schooled has given me the opportunity to see all the ways my mother lays down her life daily. I really want to marry a woman like my mother and Aunt Becky someday. Should God give me that gift, I will appreciate her, encourage her, help her, cherish her, and love her deeply, because God has given me eyes to see the beauty of sacrificial love. “How are you doing?” I asked as I gave Becky a hug. “It’s been a whirlwind past couple of days,” she replied. “How’s the packing coming?” “It’s getting there,” she said. “I sure do appreciate all of your help getting all the details organized.” “You’re welcome. Well, I won’t hinder you any more. See you tomorrow!” I said as I left. Becky likes to have all her ducks in a row. She is incredibly hard working, organized, and always prepared. I couldn't help but notice how tired and sweaty she looked. I could tell she had been working hard all day and hoped that she would have a good night's rest. I was glad that Becky was coming along to take care of all of us, especially Jesse.

I returned to Grandpa and Grandma’s house. Grandma came downstairs with me, and I spread all of my stuff out on the basement floor. “I see you’ve got your socks and shirts in plastic baggies,” Grandma commented, looking at my piles. “Yes, Grandma, I do, right in line with your instructions,” I responded. We had discussed this earlier. “I need you to try a few things on,” Grandma said after looking at what I had. She produced a pair of water repellent nylon pants for me to test. “This is what Becky, Mike, Grandpa, and Ryan are wearing on the trip. These are great pants that will dry out right away if they get wet. I found them at Fleet Farm for fifty percent off.” My grandma is a bargain shopper, and her good deals always amaze me. I tried them on and they fit nicely. Next, Grandma had two rain coats for me to try on. “I brought a rain coat,” I protested, producing my tried-and-tested rain coat from Washington. She looked at what I had. “This will be better,” Grandma said. “It’s really light and also should dry out right away. Whichever one of these two you don’t choose, I’m going to return.” “Okay, Grandma,” I responded, choosing the coat that fit me best. Grandma inspected my rubber boots next. “Those clodhoppers will never work,” Grandma stated firmly. “They’re several sizes too big for you.” “I think I’ll be fine, Grandma. Besides, I also brought a pair of sturdy sandals that I could use as swim shoes.” I showed her a picture in my Boundary Waters book that displayed a pair of boots similar to the set that I had. Grandpa was sitting in his chair watching this whole interchange. “I think Grandma’s right, Joe. Those boots are too big, and you’ll have blisters in no time,” Grandpa put in. Grandma disappeared into her storage room and came out with a shoe box. “Try these on. It’s a good thing I didn’t return these.” The box contained a pair of leather boots. I put them on and walked around a little. They fit me perfectly and were much more comfortable than my big rubber boots. “See how much better those are?” Grandpa said. I had to agree. They were added to one of the piles. “Thank you guys so much!” I said. Little did I know that the nylon pants, rain coat, and boots would be some of the most valuable things I brought along.

Grandma and I then overhauled every one of my plastic bags. She showed me how to remove all the air from the bag and seal it firmly. It took us about an hour to get everything all ready. We ended up leaving a lot of things out, including several books. “I bought the nature guide and book to read at camp.” “I don’t think you’re going to have time for a lot of reading, Joe.” She was right, as always, so I didn’t try to argue. “Now, you need to put a little bag together with all of your clothes and stuff for the first day,” Grandma went on as she continued to sort through my piles. “Why do I have to do that, Grandma?” “You don’t want to dig around in your pack on the first morning, do you?” “No, I don’t. Man, Grandma, you think of everything!” “It’s a good thing somebody does,” Grandma said as she assembled a “first morning” bag for Jesse and I. “Do you have your toiletries sorted out?” I didn’t, so I jumped right on that. “Did you buy a fishing license?” “I sure did, Grandma,” I responded. She put it in a plastic bag and secured it in one of my pants pockets. “You also need to have a bag with clothes to wear home,” Grandma said as she sorted all of our things into a duffel bag. “I’ll just wear the outfit that I’m going to wear up to the outfitters tomorrow,” I responded. We got everything squared away for Jesse as well. Grandma had a poncho for him too. “Now, when you get up to the outfitters, you just place this duffel bag right into the Duluth pack,” Grandma instructed, handing the bag to me. “That’s my good duffel bag, so don’t trash it all up.” “I won’t, Grandma. Thanks for all your help!” I said giving her a hug. “What are you going to do while we’re gone?” “I’m going to rest! I’ve been on my feet for a whole week getting you guys organized,” Grandma said as she headed for her bedroom.

I went downstairs to put Jesse to sleep. Jesse brushed his teeth and then hopped on the couch in Grandma’s basement, where he would be sleeping that night. “Are you excited, Jesse?” I asked. “Yeah!” Jesse said. Jesse didn’t talk half as much as I did, especially when he was excited about something. “Let me pray for you,” I said. “Dear Jesus, thank you that we arrived at Grandpa and Grandma’s safely. I pray that you would protect us on this trip and keep us safe. Help Jesse to sleep well tonight. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” “Amen,” Jesse echoed. “Good night, Joseph.”

I said good night to Jesse and then climbed up the stairs. I walked through the kitchen and living room and entered the screen porch, where Grandpa was sitting. “I just love this room!” I said to Grandpa as I sat down in one of the comfortable chairs. Several years before, Grandpa and Grandma had enclosed their screen porch and installed knotty pine on the walls, creating a comfortable sitting room. “Didn’t our builder do a great job?” Grandpa replied as he leaned back in the other recliner. “He sure did. How are you feeling?” “I’m excited, Joe. I think it’s a real blessing from God that I’m going to get to go back to the Boundary Waters at my age. I thought I was done with these kinds of trips.” “You’re in great shape, Grandpa! Come on!” “I know, but I’m not what I used to be. I’m grateful that God gave me the opportunity to take this trip with the people I love most.” “Yeah,” I said, looking out the window. “So Chris isn’t coming, huh?” “No. That’s too bad, but things just didn’t work out. We went out to lunch the other day, and he told me that he would be praying for us. I’ve got my whole Bible study group praying for us too.” “That’s wonderful, Grandpa. I think this just might be your best trip yet.” “It very well could be, Joe.” We talked for about an hour longer before heading off to bed. “Come in and wake me up when it’s time to get ready,” I told Grandpa as we exited the sitting room. “I will, Joe.” I took a shower, enjoying every second, and brushed my teeth before heading into the guest room. Jesse was already sound asleep.

Before turning in for the evening, I called up my parents to say good-bye. “So you’re all ready to go?” Dad said. “Yes, we have everything all ready. Grandma got me all organized.” “I’m sure she did!” Mom laughed. “Is Jesse awake?” “No, he’s sleeping already. He’s tired. We had a long day today.” “Is he excited?” “He really is, Mom. I’m so glad I brought him. It’s getting late here and I need to go to bed, but I wanted to call you before I left because I might not get a chance later on.” “Okay, Joseph. Let me pray for you,” Mom said. She prayed a beautiful prayer and asked God for safety and good fellowship on the trip. “I love you guys. Thanks for everything!” I said as I hung up. I put out the lights and lay in bed, but I didn’t go to sleep for a while. I had one more Person to talk to first. “Father, thank you so much for making this great experience possible,” I prayed. “The day that I have dreamed about for so long is finally here and I can’t wait! I pray that you would protect us from all harm and danger, give us good weather, and draw all of us closer to Yourself and each other because of this trip.” I don’t know how it happened, but I fell asleep soon after that.