- Joined
- Nov 17, 2003
- Messages
- 13,507
I'm sitting here in the lobby, aka the pit, after having a final farewell dinner with my family. I must say that it's a good, but solemn feeling right now because of the euphoria that took place this weekend. If you have never been to blade, I can only imagine it must be like having your birthday, anniversary, first kid born, first Busse, and grail Busse moments all in one weekend with steroids injected. I'm relaxing now and my mind is still buzzing from the amazing events that took place and the people I met and the family I reconnected with. So I'll attempt to post this long winded story in paragraphs and I apologize for those I miss though I won't forget your faces... I hope.
First off, thank you to Jerry Busse for sending one of his many A-Teams (Mr. T pities the foo that didn't make it). Jerry, you are a brother to me and I'm so blessed to know that you are striving and your family is healthy and doing well. Much respect to you for putting your family above all else and though you missed blade, you hit the mark as only you can do so well.
To Garth, though the spotlight may not be your friend, you rocked that podium and I would say that Jerry is blessed to have you in his pen. Garth, you are truly a great friend and bring a smile to my face every time I picture you with a guitar. You knocked the show out of the park.
To Laura, you kicked off my Busse portion of the show in style when you yelled "IS THAT KAAK?". I'm laughing right now about that. I had a great time chatting your ear off and for the laughs we shared. You're my sister in steel and it was fantastic to see you again. You haven't changed and that is awesome (even though you don't have a Hogette name yet... *cough* Jerry *cough*
)
To Pokey, it was great meeting you as well. It was a great time and I'm glad that we finally met were able to converse throughout the show. I'm glad that Jerry was able to hire you and send you to Blade with the crew.
To Lexi, just as with Laura and Pokey, it was a pleasure talking with you and finally getting to meet you. Now you know who the heck that Bryan Kaak guy is that calls 3 days a week trying to find Garth haha.
And a note to the ladies that work the table: Thank you for being ladies. What I mean by that is that you three wonderful ladies are not just some photo-shopped, enhanced version of a female booth babe. These women are a higher caliber of ladies and were extremely professional. They were taking orders left and right and the only time I didn't see them smile was when they were entering some information or filling out an order. That would be weird cause people that smile all the time freak me out haha. I was privileged to see you all and thank you for your hard work and professionalism that you displayed this weekend. You're all my sisters in Infi and thank you for helping make this weekend one of the best I've had in years.
To M... I'm not sure if he's on the forums, please pass this on. He was a boss when it came to assembling the booth and running the set-up. I was blessed with the privilege to help set up the booth (Read as, I scored an exhibitor's pass from a buddy and was comic relief haha). He ran a tight shift and was professional and polite. It was a great time of being with the family and helping them work. He came prepared with the proper tools and was cool as a cucumber, though we were all pouring sweat because the Blade Show doesn't believe in AC before the show. The crew was in unison and it was cool to see
To Beef, it was great to finally meet you as well. We had some great conversations and a great time. I'm grateful that you made it down and you are a great addition to the trough along with the others. I hope to see you at Knob Creek if that comes to fruitation. I'm not sure if they have fixed the bridge yet.
To N... It was great getting to meet you and hanging out. It made the work easier and the conversations were great. I'm glad that you are apart of Busse Combat and were able to make it down to the show.
To J... It was great meeting you as well and conversing. Glad you are a part of Busse and were part of the blade show experience as well.
To Allen, It is always an honor to see you. You are a humble man who is always a pleasure to speak with. I'm honored to call you a friend and hope that I may see you soon. It was a pleasure meeting your traveling companions too. I've forgotten the names.
To Doug, Thanks for the great laughs I had with you and your companion. I look forward to future endeavors and like Allen, your humble nature but great conversations were appreciated.
To Jerry, Once again I had a great time chatting with you. It was great seeing you at the show and as the two above gentleman, it was an honor to see you again as well. Thanks for the laughs and great times.
To the SWAT guys collectively: Thanks for the pics and for not following through and putting me to the floor haha. I'll post the events/pics of that "incident" soon enough.
To those behind the scenes (Please pass this on)... Thank you on behalf of all Busse Combat, Swamp Rat, and Scrap Yard customers. You produce some of the best blades in the world and strive to satisfy. I know you are behind the scenes, but you are not forgotten. It may be a job, but you can tell that you all put your heart into your job and never fail at quality. I know errors happen, but it's not enough that I ever hear about it. Thank you for putting forth your all for Jerry and for the new pieces that arrived. I know that there is the iceberg we can't see behind the amazing people we can see at Busse. So thank you on behalf of all customers past and present.
Overall, Busse Combat employees are my family. Memories were made, tears from laughter were shed, handshakes and hugs to my brothers and sisters, battle at the trough was tough but not rude or brutal. Busse Combat has some of the best people in the business and are some of the most generous people I have met. It makes the offerings fun and entertaining, as well as the opportunities to get shop credit. The Busse Crew, which incorporates all things Busse/Swamp/Rat, never stopped working. They were up early and never complained about the long days of being on their feet and sang praises about working for such a great company. They stayed up late to host dinners and events and obviously talk about the knives. I didn't hear a complaint ever about talking about knives. This wasn't a vacation for them, but it never felt like a business and they are grateful to be working there. They were gracious and helpful and put their hearts into this show for their customers. Not many companies are like that, though there are others out there. I can't say enough good things about them and their humble attitudes.
Anyways, I am going to shut up now. Thank you for all that you do and thank you to EVERY single hog, hoggette, piglet and busse fan that I came across. This will be my last serious post for a while and I'll be posting a lot more from here on out Watch for the smilies as they'll signal I'm joking. Normally, I'm not being serious except for 3% of the time. And pics to follow soon.
First off, thank you to Jerry Busse for sending one of his many A-Teams (Mr. T pities the foo that didn't make it). Jerry, you are a brother to me and I'm so blessed to know that you are striving and your family is healthy and doing well. Much respect to you for putting your family above all else and though you missed blade, you hit the mark as only you can do so well.
To Garth, though the spotlight may not be your friend, you rocked that podium and I would say that Jerry is blessed to have you in his pen. Garth, you are truly a great friend and bring a smile to my face every time I picture you with a guitar. You knocked the show out of the park.
To Laura, you kicked off my Busse portion of the show in style when you yelled "IS THAT KAAK?". I'm laughing right now about that. I had a great time chatting your ear off and for the laughs we shared. You're my sister in steel and it was fantastic to see you again. You haven't changed and that is awesome (even though you don't have a Hogette name yet... *cough* Jerry *cough*
)To Pokey, it was great meeting you as well. It was a great time and I'm glad that we finally met were able to converse throughout the show. I'm glad that Jerry was able to hire you and send you to Blade with the crew.
To Lexi, just as with Laura and Pokey, it was a pleasure talking with you and finally getting to meet you. Now you know who the heck that Bryan Kaak guy is that calls 3 days a week trying to find Garth haha.
And a note to the ladies that work the table: Thank you for being ladies. What I mean by that is that you three wonderful ladies are not just some photo-shopped, enhanced version of a female booth babe. These women are a higher caliber of ladies and were extremely professional. They were taking orders left and right and the only time I didn't see them smile was when they were entering some information or filling out an order. That would be weird cause people that smile all the time freak me out haha. I was privileged to see you all and thank you for your hard work and professionalism that you displayed this weekend. You're all my sisters in Infi and thank you for helping make this weekend one of the best I've had in years.
To M... I'm not sure if he's on the forums, please pass this on. He was a boss when it came to assembling the booth and running the set-up. I was blessed with the privilege to help set up the booth (Read as, I scored an exhibitor's pass from a buddy and was comic relief haha). He ran a tight shift and was professional and polite. It was a great time of being with the family and helping them work. He came prepared with the proper tools and was cool as a cucumber, though we were all pouring sweat because the Blade Show doesn't believe in AC before the show. The crew was in unison and it was cool to see
To Beef, it was great to finally meet you as well. We had some great conversations and a great time. I'm grateful that you made it down and you are a great addition to the trough along with the others. I hope to see you at Knob Creek if that comes to fruitation. I'm not sure if they have fixed the bridge yet.
To N... It was great getting to meet you and hanging out. It made the work easier and the conversations were great. I'm glad that you are apart of Busse Combat and were able to make it down to the show.
To J... It was great meeting you as well and conversing. Glad you are a part of Busse and were part of the blade show experience as well.
To Allen, It is always an honor to see you. You are a humble man who is always a pleasure to speak with. I'm honored to call you a friend and hope that I may see you soon. It was a pleasure meeting your traveling companions too. I've forgotten the names.
To Doug, Thanks for the great laughs I had with you and your companion. I look forward to future endeavors and like Allen, your humble nature but great conversations were appreciated.
To Jerry, Once again I had a great time chatting with you. It was great seeing you at the show and as the two above gentleman, it was an honor to see you again as well. Thanks for the laughs and great times.
To the SWAT guys collectively: Thanks for the pics and for not following through and putting me to the floor haha. I'll post the events/pics of that "incident" soon enough.
To those behind the scenes (Please pass this on)... Thank you on behalf of all Busse Combat, Swamp Rat, and Scrap Yard customers. You produce some of the best blades in the world and strive to satisfy. I know you are behind the scenes, but you are not forgotten. It may be a job, but you can tell that you all put your heart into your job and never fail at quality. I know errors happen, but it's not enough that I ever hear about it. Thank you for putting forth your all for Jerry and for the new pieces that arrived. I know that there is the iceberg we can't see behind the amazing people we can see at Busse. So thank you on behalf of all customers past and present.
Overall, Busse Combat employees are my family. Memories were made, tears from laughter were shed, handshakes and hugs to my brothers and sisters, battle at the trough was tough but not rude or brutal. Busse Combat has some of the best people in the business and are some of the most generous people I have met. It makes the offerings fun and entertaining, as well as the opportunities to get shop credit. The Busse Crew, which incorporates all things Busse/Swamp/Rat, never stopped working. They were up early and never complained about the long days of being on their feet and sang praises about working for such a great company. They stayed up late to host dinners and events and obviously talk about the knives. I didn't hear a complaint ever about talking about knives. This wasn't a vacation for them, but it never felt like a business and they are grateful to be working there. They were gracious and helpful and put their hearts into this show for their customers. Not many companies are like that, though there are others out there. I can't say enough good things about them and their humble attitudes.
Anyways, I am going to shut up now. Thank you for all that you do and thank you to EVERY single hog, hoggette, piglet and busse fan that I came across. This will be my last serious post for a while and I'll be posting a lot more from here on out
Watch for the smilies as they'll signal I'm joking. Normally, I'm not being serious except for 3% of the time. And pics to follow soon.
