Susan

Well, I don't really know how to tackle this, but here goes. You guys are all here to read about the good, the bad, and the really bad in my life, so you deserve to hear this too...

My 17 year old cousin Susan Miller was killed yesterday in an auto accident.
I really don't know any details, nor do I know if anyone else was killed. No other family members were involved, and that's the extent of my knowledge.

I can't believe that this has happened. While I have had many odd and frustrating circumstances in my life, death has never been something that I have had to cope with. At least not in the immediate sense. Both my parent's families are very long lived, I've always said you have to kill us to get rid of us... anyway, Susan was born with Spinal Biffeda (I think that's how you spell it) and has had various ailments her whole life. She has fought them with bravery, endured them with dignity, and to die in a car wreck seems an insult to her memory. She was a constant reader, a talented singer, and loved horses. She adjusted to the all-to-often moves of a military family, and was an incredibly loving person. When I met my sister in law Kaitlin, I realized that I had only met one other person so ready to love and be loved, and that was Susan. She accepted Sarah immediately when she met her, and was always the first to jump up and run to the door when I would come back home for reunions. She was an amazing person.

Her brother Michael is in the Marines now, just like his father, and I don't know that he has been notified yet. Please keep him in your prayers, as well as her mother Joyce, father Mark, and younger sister Kaity.

My grandparents seem to be handling it with shock, but well considering this is their first loss of a child or grandchild. We grandchildren are back down to 9, at least 9 here. We'll miss Susan terribly, and while Sarah and I can't make it back for the funeral, we will be there in our hearts.

All love to the Miller family.
Jim & Sarah

Blood, guts, and rock and roll... hold on, my tartlets are burning...

Whoa.

I have gone soft.

I was just reading my posts, and that's just softy-soft-soft.

Sorry... I mean... GET LOST! WHO ASKED WHAT YOU THINK?

There.

FURNITURE

Yesterday, several very cool things happened. One was that while I am still working at the South Tejon Starbucks the majority of my time, I had a considerably better day than usual. I think that they got my point about how they aren't very welcoming to new workers. I had several people comment on how they thought I was doing a good job, and one of them gave me a green apron card (For those of you not of the Starbucks persuasion, a green apron card is a recognition device that Starbucks employees can use to award one another. They have 5 catagories, and if you get one of each, you get a pin to wear on your apron. It's just a neat way of saying that you noticed that whoever you gave it to was doing a good job, and that you appreciate them.) but she scratched out it's category "Compassionate" that it came with, and wrote "Brave" there. The inscription on the back said that the card was for "staying positive in the face of adversity." It was a really kind sentiment, and I almost feel bad about leaving... uh... well, not really.

The second really cool thing came from the same store. One of the shift managers is moving, and she gave Sarah and I her couch and a coffee table. They are both great, and I would've picked them out myself if we had been out shopping. VERY VERY COOL. Now we won't have to watch movies in our lawn furniture!

Anyway, I'll write more later this week.

Peacy-weese.

P.S. Massa, don't tell Vicki, but I almost feel bad for her getting engaged to that dipwad. Which reminds me... don't date dipwads. If you're not careful, they'll propose. Then you'll be stuck with a dipwad, and that's no good. Kaitlin, that goes for you and Gabi too. Bo-Daggit.

Starbucks, football and pinch hitting preachers...

Well, we had an eventful weekend.

I had a discussion with the manager of the store I've been at out here last Friday, and apparently, the district manager wants me to be at the Garden of the gods store. Much busier, and much more like my old store back in Woodridge. I am happy about this decision. I really haven't fit in at the downtown store, it's pretty far from our apartment, and the parking is atrocious. I've had to park about 5 blocks away just to get a space that was free. So I had my first day at the G.O.G. store today, and I loved it. They're a drive through, which is new to me, but otherwise, very welcoming, and very friendly. I still have to work at the downtown store a bit this and next week, but I'll be full time at the Garden of the gods store after that.

We went to a pretty neat church on Sunday. The first in our search for a new place of worship... and a good one. We looked in the newspaper to see what was around, and found a Vineyard church. Vineyard is a group of non-denominational churches that I am familiar with to a certain degree. I've been to ones in Columbus, OH, Ft. Wayne, IN, and Chicago... and they were all good. This one we visited was no exception. It is small, and still meets in an elementary school gymnasium, but hopes to have it's own building soon. The people couldn't have been more welcoming if they tried, and we really enjoyed the message. It was perfect for the situation we've been in, and it really spoke to us. The pastor is a kindhearted man, not too much older than us, and the only downside was the worship service which was truly aweful. But, as it says in the Bible, "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord."

At the end of the service, they announced that they were going to have a church softball game afterwards, and that visitors were welcome. Sarah and I decided to go home for lunch, but come back for the game. Now, those of you that know me, know my undying hatred of the game of softball (That abomination of baseball)... so you will understand how much we were needing a bit of fellowship with kind people that believe similarly. The game was MUCH more enjoyable than I thought possible, and afterward, we played a game of TACKLE FOOTBALL!!! I love football! I was huffing and puffing, due to the altitude sickness that I'm fending off with the tanacity of Jesse Jackson fighting off reality. I played safety, which is totally my position. I love to intercept, and I really enjoy tackling. People really don't expect me to hit as hard as I do, which really turns into an advantage in a nice competitive game. And despite the fact that I consistantly tackle them, and force lost yards, and strip the ball (Nice clean church game) they still don't get it, and run right at me, like I'm going to bounce off them. Silly running back, kicks are for trids.
Anyway, enough with me being proud of myself, because I ache like a mother today. But at least I'm dying with a smile on my face. After the game we went and visited with one of the men from the church that we met that day. He's a scientist from Britain that's working with the military here in town. He has a really nice apartment on Norad mountain. (Which I still can't get used to seeing... the mountain that is... I mean, how "secret" is our secret base in the mountain with all the antenae sticking out of it?) Anyway, that was a nice, if not slightly weird visit, as he showed us all the cool, expensive stuff he has, and I couldn't help thinking about how we're working our butts off to pay next month's rent, you know? Anyway, that was that, and we went home and watched movies.

We ended up watching different movies, because I rented an ungodly amount of dvds from the library (FREE!!!) that would be incredibly boring to anyone but me. I have yet to attempt the full 5 hours of the German masterpiece Das Boot, but I did tackle (heh heh... tackle... I'm retarded...) the original movie Solaris, which was a classic Soviet movie from the 70's. Sort of an answer to Kubrick's Space Odyssy 2001. It was really good acting. Alot of russian, which, by the way, is a really cool language. Very dramatic, and easy on the ears. It was long, and not a movie to be watched lightly. (You have to keep saying "I will not fast forward this movie... I will not fast forward this movie... I will not fast forward this movie..." to yourself at certain parts, but otherwise, totally worthwhile.)

I continue my money making schemes, and will keep you all posted on any developements. Please continue to pray for our financial situation, and for Sarah's job search.

We love and miss you all.
Jim

Settling down.

Well, I'm working my butt off, and things seem to be coming together.

At work, I've been iffy about the Starbucks I'm at. It's just not at all like any of the stores I've worked at in the past. They're really really really laid back. And yet, their tips are great because the customers love them. It's not my style at all. I'd love the happy environment that customers love, but there are standards to hold to. And I miss them. Plus, they are NOT AT ALL competitive. Right now, we're focussing on selling coffee bags by the pound, and I accounted for nearly 50% of the store's sales in that area last week! I mean, I'm not bad, but that's just silly.
It does, however, make me look really good, and if I do decide to go to another store, I should have a pretty good selection to choose from.

Sarah has gotten her resume, cover letter and applications done, and is on her way to finding a great job! Please keep her in your prayers as she steps out into this new and exciting chapter of her life. We still don't have internet, so snail mail is much appreciated if you want to send her a friendly note.

Well, that's it for now.

And as they say and the Rock and Roll Cafe... "Love all, serve all."

Clothing, moving and Harry Potter...

Thanks for all the feedback on the ideas. The idea concerning the clothing adaptation line continues to blossom, and Jim, I think that Paula would be awesome at that kind of thing... she should definitely pursue it. Let me know if it gets any farther along...

Yesterday, I finally got my hands on the sixth, and most recent Harry Potter novel, the "Half blood prince"... and interesting title for what seemed to be a minor part of the plot. Anyway, I read it yesterday, and it was excellent. Definitely made up for the last two books that I didn't like all that much. Rowling is a fantastic writer, and creates some truly creative characters. I don't know anybody that has made a similar character that has carried the mistrust and mystery surrounding the character of Snape through several books. Usually, you make up your mind about a central character, as to whether they're good or bad, by the first or second book. But by the end of this last one, you're still guessing.

So all in all, good reading. This new library has a great selection of movies, and a decent music selection. Definitely some fringe material in the music department, which of course, I don't mind at all. I found an old Hokus Pick album that was what appears to be on first listen, AWEFUL! A Ryan Adams album from 2003 called "Rock N Roll" which appears to be quite good, and a "Jim classic" from my childhood called "Mansion builder" by the early christian rock group 2nd Chapter of Acts. Very cool. We got out two of Akira Kurosawa's movies that we hadn't seen yet, and watched Yojmbo last night. Funny, weird, and basically a Japanese spaghetti western. Good Friday night material.

I close my store tonight, so I'm off to work before long. We got an invitation to a game night at somebody's house last night, but declined to go. One of our friend Dan's friends from back home helped us with the move on this end, and his college and careers group from his church were the ones with the party. It's nice to have people who are kind enough to invite us, but we're still pretty tired, and enjoy the peace and quiet of home for now.

OH! My best friend Ryan is planning on buying the newest iPod of the bunch, the iPod Nano. This new iPod will be replacing the very successful iPod mini, has a color screen, is incredibly thin, and will most likely receive a storage boost before this time next year. It may end up being the most successful yet... it definitely has the potential.

Oh, well... I've run out of stuff to ramble on about...

Later.

Colorado Springs

Well, it's been a few days out here, and we're making our adjustments.

I feel out of it. It may be the altitude, it may be the lack of money, or it may be that I miss you all so much... I'm not sure.

Sarah has been adjusting to it too. It's a really strange feeling to suddenly be "living" in a place you hardly know. I had this happen in college, but it was different. This is unique. There are moments when you can hardly believe that you're lucky enough to live in a place with (insert cool thing here)... and there are other moments when you are really disappointed.

I have begun working at the South Tejon & Colorado Springs Ave. store in downtown C.S. It is a VERY slow store. (About half the business of the Woodridge store I came from.) Particularly at night. I really like the environment, and I really like the downtown area. The store manager is a really cool woman named Michelle, and she has a real heart for people and coffee, so we get along very well. I've only clashed with one employee there, who has a very abrasive personality. She is looking for people to reject her, and does everything she can to push people away. It's really annoying because I have no intention of rejecting her, nor do I wish to, so her constant attempts to insult me or call attention to my "faults" are a bit taxing. Otherwise, the crew is a good one, and I have gotten a bit attached to the store already. In truth, I'd love to keep the store, and the manager, and trade all the baristas for my friends back in Woodridge starbucks. You guys would love it. There are NO assistant managers! How about that?

Oh, yesterday... something completely bizarre happened. These two girls came in while I was working register, and I overheard the one say something about working back in Chicago, so I asked her where she was from, and she said that she worked for a Starbucks back in Chicago, and that she was transferring to the store I'm at out here. I asked her whereabouts in Chicago, and she said "Oh, this store in a western suburb called 7 Bridges... it's in a town called Woodridge." I was like "I'm from Woodgrove Festival! We hate you guys!" So it turns out that this girl (Vanessa) and her friend are both transferring out, so I'll have a little bit of Woodridge out there with me.

Um... I'm trying to remember if I've forgotten anything.

Oh, I am planning on starting a little business on the side to help make ends meet. The purpose of it will be personalizing articles of clothing. I've been seeing alot of "personalized" designs on jeans and shoes at stores like Abercrombie and Fitch, and they are really charging an arm and a leg for these things. The problem is that if you do find a design that you like on the leg of a pair of jeans, the chances of that pair fitting you well is unlikely, and if you do find a pair that look good, and have a "personal" touch, you walk out and see three other girls with the same design on their pants. Not very personal at all. Many of these designs have a tattoo feel to them, and are designs that I could match in quality without breaking a sweat. So the idea occured to me, that I could make truly personal designs, even custom ones to include the girl's name or whatever, and put the design on a pair of jeans or whatever that she already loves. That way, the customer ends up with an affordable and truly original article of clothing. I am planning on beginning with jeans and jackets, expanding to shoes (like sketchers or Converse Chuck Taylors) and moving on from there. In theory, a girl with the money, could have her own logo of sorts, and have it placed on whatever clothing an accessories she wanted. I do see guys getting in on the jackets and shoes part of this, so I don't want to make it too girl-centric, but that is where I see my initial market being. I am planning on calling the line "Tricky". Like a tricked out car or something. This is more modification that manufacturing, therefore keeping the overhead incredibly low.

It's just an idea, but with the right response, it could really suppliment our income. It's difficult, if not impossible to get a second job while working starbucks, simply because of the randomness of my schedule.

Well, that's it for now. Gimmie feedback. Tell me it's a great idea, tell me it's awful... tell me to move back, tell me to stay...

I love you all.
Jim

It's driving me nuts!

Alright, so the name of this post is an inside joke... to all who get it... I love and miss you. To all of you who didn't get it, I love and miss you too.

We are now in the great state of Colorado, and are beginning the next chapter of our lives here. I am currently writing this from the library, as we do not have the mac set up yet, nor will we have internet up and running for several weeks. We are running an extremely tight budget right now, and will hopefully be much more stable shortly. Thanks go out to all of you who supported us in your prayers, and to the kind folks who helped us pack, unpack, move, drive, pay for gas, and all of the kind goodbye-for-nows.

The apartment is great! It has an awesome fireplace, and a year round jacuzzi. Even though it's 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, it's still $150 cheaper a month than our 1 bedroom in Woodridge! We really like it alot, and it has a beautiful view of Pike's Peak. We got to go over to the Garden of the gods earlier this week, and it is more beautiful than I imagined... we will definitely be spending alot of free time there, as we hope to get in better shape. These past few months have really taken a toll on our bodies as well as our stress levels.

I miss all of you terribly, and especially to the peeps I didn't really get to say goodbye to, I am sorry, and I hope to see you again sometime. To my "How you like it?" girl, I hope you like the cd...and dump your boyfriend, he's a dork. Geeorge, miss you at work... it's not the same. Massa, I know you're lying about it being better that I'm not there. You know you're lying... just fess up! If Michelle or Mike are reading this, I miss you guys too. Thanks so much Michelle for all the stuff you did. Somebody tell Jen that I said hi, so that she doesn't feel left out. Jim V. Hey man, I forgot to give you back your album art book before we left, so it will be coming in the mail. Hope all is well with you and your wonderful wife. Ryan, let's figure out that skype thing once I'm up and running. I have a feeling it's going to be our saving grace. Sean, you rule. You've been and continue to be such a great friend. To the illustrious Dan... who will not be reading this... Dan is the greatest. Mom and Dad Miller I love you so much, and am so grateful for all of your support and prayers. I have never doubted that I could do anything, and that's all because of you. Mom and Dad Schmitt Thanks so much for the month of housing, the conversations, and the help moving out! It was so much more than we could have asked for, and we are really thankful. G & G Miller Thanks for coming out to see us last time we were out! We miss you, and can't wait for you to come out and visit us mountaineers! Tammy, I've gotten so used to missing you that it doesn't seem like we're that much farther apart. We really had a nice time visiting you, and hope to do it again sometime... you're always welcome out here! Stephen, Thanks for being patient with me when I don't always have time to talk. You are so understanding, and have such a great heart. I wish you could be here, the hiking is great... you'd love it. You are totally my favorite 12 year old brother. I can't believe you'll be a teenager next year! WOW. Ezra, Dude... I really wish you were out here. Everybody rides their bikes... you'd fit right in! We are praying for you and hope that you get a new drum teacher soon. Katie, I miss you sooooo much! I am really glad that we got to have the month that we did. Remember to read 1st John, and James... tell me what you think, and call with questions if you have them. Love you. Gabster, Big hug! I miss you too! Take good care of Kaitlin for us while we're out here. To everybody else reading this, we love and miss you, and would've kept writing, but the librarian is giving me a look.

Peace and thank you!
Jim