that grin. .

It's such a "proud parent" moment when your children learn to make larger decisions in life. Rusty has been saving his money, and has wanted to buy himself a motorbike for quite a while. He's been watching the ads and asking questions about bikes. Finally, he found a bike that looked good that he could afford, and asked his dad to make the call on it (because dad knows more about bikes). Shane talked to the owner, and it sounded like the bike had been taken care of, so he told Rusty he would drive to Salt Lake to take a look at it today. It was apparently in great shape, and he got it for a great deal, because he had it in the back of the truck when he got home.

Shane wanted to surprise Rusty, so as the school bus pulled up, Shane pushed the bike into the garage. When he got off the bus, Shane pushed it out so that Rusty would see it as he walked around the house. He got that big grin on his face, and it stayed there the rest of the day. Shane has always loved motorbikes (and speed!), so he was more than happy to get on the bike and teach Rusty how the gears work and give him a few tips. I suspect Shane would like to get himself a big, fast motorbike again so they could go riding together, but it'll have to go on the list.

It makes me so proud to see him work for something that he really wants, make a big purchase, and take ownership in it. The bike is a little big for him right now because he's not used to riding motorcycles. He has been very cautious riding it so far. But I predict that the day isn't too far off when he'll get comfortable with handling the bike, and I'll be covering my eyes and wishing he would slow down on that thing. That's just another of life's lessons that he'll have to learn on his own. I just hope he doesn't have to learn it too hard.

I'm proud of you Rusty for learning how to handle your money and becoming responsible for the choices you make! Have fun, but be safe!