Diagnosis Solved

About 8 years ago I noticed an annoying little rash on the shin of my lower right leg. We went to the doc to try to determine the cause and to this date have not been able to find the problem. It has come and gone every few months over the years and I just accept it and wait for it to disappear.

Then it hit me....the rash appeared shortly after I was introduced to Michelle Kiefer!!! This explains it all. As you know stress can be a cause of numerous ailments including rashes. And you know it has seemed to be less frequent since she moved 3000 miles away from me.

Boy am I glad i figured that out. Has anyone else noticed strange things happening after making her acquaintance?....to coin a Cali phrase "I'M JUST SAYIN..."

Teach Your Children Well

I usually am not very serious here, and I like it that way. The blog for me is an escape in a sense to laugh and talk about funny stuff in my life. This entry, however, is a serisous one. If you are new to my blog, please dont be afraid to come back, they are not all this sobering.

I read an email tonite that was very disturbing. Just when I think I have heard the worst story of murder and senseless loss, another one proves I was wrong.

The email I read tonite was of a 3 year old boy in 1993 who was out of his mother's site for only a second, and was escorted out of the mall by 2 TEN year old boys. What happened next was brutally tragic. I will not expose you to the details, and believe me there is a reason for that, suffice to say the boys life was taken in a way that would sicken even the hardest criminals.

As I read through the email many emotions boiled forth from sorrow to anger. As a father I was frightened, but as a christian I grew more determined.

The thing I took from this email, in an obvious attempt from satan to scare and shake my foundation was this; I can do everything in my power to save my daughter's earthly life, but even my best efforts may fail her. What I CAN do is remain vigilant in teaching her about Jesus, and the erternal life she will have with Him and the Father.

I am reminded of Matthew 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

I know that if I teach Anni about God and He truly lives in her heart, then whether she is forcibly taken from this life (at any age) or she passes in a rocking chair in her late 90's, she will spend eternity surrounded by friends of the faith and her family.

In this I found comfort, and I thought I would share the thought, because I know each of us hear of tragedies all the time. Maybe the next time you read or hear of a world continuing to spiral in sin, you too can rest on God's promises, and hug your kids and strengthen your resolve to teach them our faith.

Planner Perils

And so it begins. As of tonight we are in the process of signing up out little lumberjack princess to the "Center Stage Dance Academy." She is very excited and was almost crying when she couldnt dance tonite. The dance classes will be every Wednesday night.

The joy of it all is that now she has an after school program on Tuesday and Thursdays, and now dance on Wednesdays. I have seen parents in my lifetime go from everyday normal people to "kid shuttling brain drained zombies." The week now holds 3 events for Anni. I have told Gena that her "dream car" will now have to be painted yellow and have a magnet on the side reading "Joe's Cab Shack."

The life we once knew carefree and being able to live our own schedules is gone. Replaced by Anni's agenda. I may never see football again.

More of ME

Paying Union Blues

Ok, here is my dilemma. I am a member of a Union at my job. Because of some changes in the company, we are no longer allowed to drive our company trucks home. The problem with this is that my actual reporting location is 30 miles from my home.

My company has graciously told me that I may park my truck at office which is half a mile from my house. The Union however stated that in order to stick it too the company, I must drive to the 30 miles away office. The problem is I do not see how this is "sticking it" to the company. I am however readily aware of how a 60 mile round trip each day would stick it to me.

That said I live and work with these guys in the union, and should such time come that I may need their services I dont want to burn bridges. Anyway if you are still reading this, and are still awake then I applaud you. Its just one of those get it off my chest blogs. And if ya cant share it here, then where can ya share it???....lol

Its one in the morning....not responsible for content

Bowling for Birthdays

Sunday night I decided to take the little typhoon that is my daughter to a birthday party. This wild bash was held in the local bowling alley. The particular alley is a duckpin bowling alley (small pins). I know a 5 year old BD party at a bowling alley, but our choices are limited here.

While I stood with the fathers chewing Red Man and spitting on the floor, my daughter enjoyed her first bowling experience.

She would send the ball flying down the alley, then contort her body trying to put as much persuasive "body english" on it as she could. She knocked out spares about one third of the time. When she knock all the pins down, which she did several times, she resembled Tiger Woods pumping his fists after sinking a putt at the Masters. I loved it.

I am gettin her a polyester shirt with the name LOU over the pocket and teaching her how to drink beer and eat hot dogs...something every bowler should know. She already knows how to belch like a bowler.

Thats my baby.

More of ME

New Blog

Here I sit, all down and depleted
I came to blog, but it just got deleted

My friends all wonder where I have been
If my blogging days have come to an end.

Fear not fellow bloggers for all is still well
I soon will be ringing the old Blogger Bell

Im inspired to continue to raise the blog mast
And keep Michelle Kiefer from beating my @$$.

So just stay tuned to the Son of a Mitch
And Ill keep you informed of every time's stitch

So as Gena and Anni and I like to say
Get soul in the morining and have a GREAT day!

143N1

What we do for Them!

Ok, it has been awhile but you know the story. I have been busy, my dog ate my homework, the sky is falling... you get the picture. ANYWAY my fellow Blogarians here I am, I have missed you all terribly.

I am sure you saw Gena's post about the fair and all that was included, it was a blast. But I must tell you of a journey of epic proportion.

Here we were at the fair, Anni says HEY DADDY LETS SWIDE!! Foolishly I say ok!! We were 1/4 of the way up and I thought is it just me or is the air gettin thinner up here? When we were halfway up I was looking for the tents at the last checkpoint.

At the 3/4 mark I screamed ANNI JUST GO ON WITHOUT ME...TELL YOUR MOTHER I LOVE HER!!!....Some how I dragged myself to the top breathing heavy and about to pass out I grabbed the Ghandi looking figure on the precipice and gasped "can I be Batman now??"

My Reward for this life changing climb was a 5 second slide to the bottom...looking back up at Ghandi I said...THATS IT!!!....he gave me the "get off my ride or I will call security smile" and I lifted my lard butt up off the ground and ignored Anni as she begged to DO IT AGAIN?

We did have a great time, Anni found other things to keep her mind off the slide, and we were all happy. But I wonder sometimes, late at night, in the darkest regions of my mind, as beads of sweat multiply on my forehead will they be back and will I be ready???

The Coast Guard and the LifeGuard

I watched a movie several nights ago called "The Guardian". Many of you may be familiar with the flick starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher.

I was struck by a line in the movie that stated, "we do everything just alike, we train all our men and women to act and perform task to EXACT specifications", Okay maybe that is not an exact quote but you get the idea.

The point here is that any one member of the coast guard can be dropped into any unit across the country and immediately go out on assignment. This is because the procedures are all the same across the entire Coast Guard Nation.

As Christians we are the same way, God trains his children to be ready to serve at a moments notice and his values and teachings go across the board. If you are in Fairfield, CA or Luray, VA you can serve God at any time and with any crew. Only the names will change.

343N1

I dont know why she hangs around me.

If you are reading this and thinking "oh not another blog about how much they love each other I think I will throw up". Well put your trays and seats in their full upright positions buckle up and grab the barf bag cause here it comes.

For the record, this woman has put up with me for almost 22 years now. I am quick to point out that is a far greater testament to her than it is to me.

She has always made sure the beds were made, the laundry done, the supper cooked, the house cleaned, the birthdays remembered, the presents bought, the Christmas cheer enhanced, the family photos taken, the husband supported, the daughter fed, clothed, taught and disciplined, the biggest pieces of food given to anyone but her, always taken a backseat to anyone else's needs, given till it hurts, never complaining, always complimenting her undeserving husband like he is the greatest thing in the world, moving to Knoxville for her husband, moving to Luray VA for her husband, lives every breath for everyone else.

I have much more to say that 21 years has collected. Suffice it to say the woman is unbelievable. She has so much talent and ability, and potential,yet she puts it all aside to be my wife and Anni's Mommy.

She makes so much about me seem so wonderful and yet I look at her and I see the servant to all that Jesus calls us to be. If any of you have been around Gena, you have been cooked for and served like royalty. That is just her nature.

She also has a gift of discernment, and I am not talking about discerning when I need to get off my butt and do something, she can see things in the spiritual world that amaze me when revealed.

To say that I thank God for making us soul mates would be an understatement. I am like the leper who turned and ran back to Jesus thanking him for His healing, on my knees weeping at His feet thanking Him for my beautiful, precious, giving, loving, wife.

Gena will probably think I wrote this to be silly or amusing, truly nothing is further from the truth, I LOVE YOU BABY with ALL MY HEART!!...and I ALWAYS WILL....get the picture?

One for Michelle...Short and Shallow

If you have ever experienced hypothermia because you went to a drive in movie in a convertible, with the top down to see the movie "Closed For Winter!"

You might be related to Michelle.

there ya go Chelle....;-)

Heres you Sign

I am surfing the net when I see a proposal in South Carolina for "I Believe" licences plates. I thought to myself oh boy here they come. I was not disappointed. I was very encouraged to see the A.C.L.U. is up to speed on the issue naturally calling for lawsuits. American United for the Separation of Church and State chimed in. I am so glad all these organizations are on the lookout for my welfare.

Before I decided to go "reverend" Jesse Jackson on someone and remove parts of anatomy. (JUST KIDDING). I saw a quote from the governor of SC who said..."While I do, in fact, ‘believe,’ it is my personal view that the largest proclamation of one’s faith ought to be in how one lives one’s life.” This struck me as very true. There are some on the other side of the fight trying to get plates that say "I don't Believe". I thought this is obvious, if you don't believe it is very evident. I thought you know if we do believe it should be obvious as well, without a license plate to do the talking.

Ok, with that being said and reiterated by the SC governor, another thought crossed my mind, and yes I am going to share it....humor me. When we see fights like this in the news it is a no win situation these days for the christian community. The ACLU and other freedom of speech stealing organizations will always lawyer up and the publicity of the fight and the mudslinging will do more harm than good. Even if the christian side is victorious.

So here is what I thought, when Jesus began his ministry He did not go appeal to Rome for personal plates on the chariots, or buy a bunch of "what would (I) do" wrist bands. He simply served His Father and the people around Him. He washed feet and ministered and taught to individuals. The government in His day as in ours will always squash efforts to display our faith. I am not saying we should not stop these efforts, just don't be discouraged when they do not succeed, and above all keep ministering to the people around you.

Ok I feel better now, thanks for the vine
143N1

Patience is a Hurtchu

Okay, for all the men out there who are planning in some realm of the future to buy your wife a car, let me give you one word of advice. Dont tell her about the car 3 weeks before you get the car. It will only result in the maddening anticipation of the car and the subsequent eye clawing of the well meaning innocent husband.

To be honest the woman has been great, we have only the pictures of the car, like a carrot in front of her nose. Also our current car, the reason we are getting new one, is AC deficient. Making those trips to town in the 105 heat just so enjoyable.

She also has not received the Mothers Day present I ordered for her, even though UPS tracking assured us it would be here today.

If this is my last post being of wound mind and broken body please dont blame my little loving wife...it was Carmax and UPS that was the catalyst for my early demise.

When you Least Expect it, God finds You

Ok what I have done so far has been mixed with a little crude humor along with some good natured jabs at the ever humble Michelle Kiefer.

But this one is a bit different. We have all gotten the emails that are fun and ask us all kinds of questions about ourselves like what is our favorite food, and if we were stranded on an island what would we take with us if we could...etc.

Needless to say I got one of those the other day from a friend and one of the questions was "when was the last time you cried?" I thought you know it has been awhile, I got real emotional when I saw Gena crying when she lost her phone....it always breaks my heart to see her cry. But it has been a while since my heart has been touched enough to shed a tear. I thought there have been many times when I have been moved by God to tears, and feeling his closeness and love moving me is something that I have been apart from recently.

Anyway I said to myself we need to get involved in a church and be around God's children more and in His house on a regular basis again. We have found this church close by that we think fits the bill in all manners for us.

Now back to my story/blog I went on a repair job at work Friday and I went to a house where a little old lady and her husband resided. She was sweet as she could be and her internet was down. She was fairly limited in her ability to move as was her husband. She kept a laptop beside her to communicate with the outside world and up to date with her church's prayer chain. It was very important to her to be able to respond to the needs of those on the chain and being down for 3 days meant there were probably 50 to 75 emails in her inbox of prayer requests.

I thought this is some lady, to be confined to her living room and still with enough zeal for God to pray for others. I was yet to be amazed however.

As I fininshed I made sure she could surf and picked up my tools and told them it was nice to meet them as I made my exit. This little lady said "oh by the way...can I ask you a question?" Being a christian for many years and seeing the warrior this lady was for God I knew what was coming, and I was not disappointed. She said "has anyone ever told you Jesus loves you?" I assured her they had and that I was a christian and had been for some time.

The next thing she said was "well good because our paths cross for a reason and if I didnt ask, and you never knew Christ I would be very disappointed to get to heaven and not see my new friend James Mitchell." I somehow managed to make it to my truck before breaking down.

God heard my silent prayer a few days before knowing that I missed his touch moving me to tears used this lady to reach me. There is no mistake when you feel God's hand on your heart and it brings me right to my knees. This lady allowed herself to be used by God in a mighty way to uplift a fellow brother in Christ. To add benefit to healing she asked where we went to church, I told her the church we were going to attend and she lit up shouting ..."THAT's MY CHURCH!!!!!" It is amazing when you see God take care of even the little details in our life and give us just what we need and more.

I could go on and on about that experience but I will stop now. I just had to share it with my brothers and sisters in the blog world of The Kingdom.

Balls and Strikes, Yippees and Yikes

I dont know if it was the inspiration I recieved from the great ball player Sam Kiefer or just a love of the game to pass along to my loving daughter. I bought her a bat and a ball from the wonderstore that is Wally World. I have never really been a huge baseball fan but I remember my dad playing ball with me in the backyard and it was a great memory.

Anyway I know you all are soaking your feet from that trip down memory lane so let give get to the story. Me and my baby girl living the dream in the backyard. She is not too bad either, I am not biased at all. She hits hard enough to go from the garage to the side of our house in the air (this is a long distance trust me...or ask Michelle she has seen it....on second thought just trust me) Anni then runs around the outside of oour house yelling Home Wun Home Wun!!! I guess ya gotta be here. It is awesome and I have learned a lot watching and playing with her. On one instance I pitched the ball and she smacked it, got a hold of it, put the pepper on the bun, ripped the stitches, sent a screamer....you get the idea. The next thing she said was "Daddy? why you on the gwound? Ahh you okay Daddy? Mommy!!! Daddy Hut.

There are times when watching your child grow and experience new things truly takes your breathe away...this was one of those times.

Who's Who?

Ok so I am a little Blogerly Challenged, who is getting this and who is not. If your not getting this blog please let me know. I think Michelle Kiefer is getting it but its hard to get her to respond between knocking out her kids teeth. Steve I am praying for yo man!!

When in Rome

Or maybe its when in Cali. Anyway since I have been in California I have been exposed to the blog scene. The Woman in whose house we are staying is a blog addict and therefore I think we have been assimilated.

SO here we are this is my first blog, a little simple and extremely quick but hey i just signed on.

Abigail just came up and I told her her scientific class was abigalias monotailias I got a look like "you're wierd" I like it that way.