HAPPY NEW YEAR

2008 has come....


2008 has gone....


2009 is here.....


Happy New Year....


Well, that's the best poem I can write... Happy New Year.

Until next year,
Chip

TOUGH STUFF

Monday, December 29, will always be Black Monday to me. I have been fortunate enough to spend 21 years of my 44 years on this Earth, working for the same company. In that 21 year period, I have never had to sit in front of a team member with the sad news that I had to deliver today.

Like so many companies, the economy continues to eat away at bottom line profits. And with the current cash and credit crunch, the economic situation looks even bleaker. Ours is no difference. Raising funds for non profits is probably not the career choice during tough economic times.

I manage a staff of nine team members. All of them are solid employees. All handle there jobs under, what at times, is a tremendous amount of stress. The stress to meet the deadline, ensure the information or data is accurate, in the correct format and all the other expectations of work.

Well today I met with all nine team members to give them the news. For the first time in my career I had to lay off and dissolve four positions. Necessary, but never easy, especially for the recipient.

Over the last few days I pondered the situations of each team member. I thought of myself and my family and how it would impact us if I lost my position tomorrow. Just walked in and was told my services were no longer needed. Some of you may have wrestled this bear at some time in your life. Me, I've been lucky that I have never, to date, lost my job.

What will happen to those on the block? One is the only bread winner in the home. How will that family survive? Two are single. What will happen with there finances? The other is a mother and wife. Probably the one in the best overall position as she has two incomes, but still, the devastation it could possibly bring.

When I think of my own situation, I count myself as blessed. The Good Lord has watched over me and my family for all of these years and has blessed us beyond belief. I also realized today that all of that could change in the blink of an eye. I could be the one on the block tomorrow. And, if I ever am, I am sure the devastation would almost be unbearable.

My prayers are with these individuals and I ask that you include them in yours. You don't know them, but He does. May we never know this pain. That is some tough stuff.

Until next time,
Chip

THE COMING OF THE KING

Luke 2:

1. In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3. And everyone went to his own town to register.

4. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

8. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

13. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

15. When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

16. So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18. and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.


Praise His name.

Until next time,
Merry Christmas,
Chip

THE FAMOUS DANCING MILLERS

You are going to LOVE this.....

Until next time,
Merry Christmas,
Chip

A TRIP TO: HAIR CLUB FOR MEN

Here it is, finally. Chapter four in the A TRIP TO series... Enjoy..

About ten years I actually took a serious look at joining Hair Club for Men. I continued to see the ad's on TV, in the magazines and even heard it on the radio. At that time I had enough hair that no one would have really noticed the difference. So, off I went to visit Hair Club. Before then, the closet Hair Club was located in Memphis. But that year, they opened there first location ever in Little Rock.

The trip was actually a pleasant visit. Kind of like going to a two hour Time Share presentation. Yeah, you get the point. It was just tremendously less stressful. Lets be realistic about it. The product is easily going to sell itself. You don't go to Hair Club without being ready to buy, or right on the verge of being ready. I have to believe that there close ratio is extremely high. The only reason I can imagine a guy walks out without making a purchase is pricing, which isn't the cheapest around. So after about an hour of watching a video, reading some Hair Club material and talking with a rep, I was sold. Here I was, 34, knowing I was going bald and not in the mood to look like dad right now, so I was a slug when it came to closing the deal. It was easy, in fact I think I signed the paper before they ever even tried to close the sale.

The cost, well that was a little crazy. See you have to join Hair Club. I guess that's why they call it a club hey... Oh well, the joining fee back then was around $1,700 and once you sign the deal, you are stuck with losing at least 50% of that, no matter what. But that did include all of the upfront work, getting my name on the Hair Club role and my first head of fakey hair...

But I must admit, at the time, it was money well spent to me. Of course there is always the inevitable things that you don't think about when you are desperate for hair. Important things like how long does a set of hair last (I thought forever - dumby me), and how much does the next set of hair cost me and what about the hair I currently have on top of my head, what do we do with it? Well, three hours later and none of this had entered my mind. All I could think about was that wonderful new set of hair. Man, I couldn't wait. But wait, well I had to. You see they had to measure my head and determine the exact size to fit me. Yep, little ole me was getting a custom job.

Weeks past, well maybe a couple of weeks past, and finally the day came to get my new head of hair. So off to Hair Club I went again. But this time, it was for the product. The end result of $1,700 in hard earned cash. Hair, that I could swim with, touch, feel, grab, comb anyway I wanted and make it as long as I chose or as short as I desired. Hair that I could continue to comb straight back, yep, straight back, even back then, or I could let just flop all over the place.

In the front door, up to the desk. Show them my membership card. Oh man, how much excitement can a guy take in one day? Hair....glorious hair...here I come. Asked if I would like a cup of coffee or a coke. Seated in a private room. Preparing myself for my brand new look. I was so excited I was about to jump out of my skin. Finally, the hair expert walked into the room, "Mr Miller" she said. "Yes", I said. "We are ready for you." So, like a five year old in a candy store with twenty bucks to blow, off I go, into another private room where they were about to unveil my new mop. The Mozart of hair pieces. "Sit here please", she said. So, I did. I sat there. Right there in that fancy looking barber seat. After about two or three minutes of idol chit chat, that I had no interest in, they finally did it. They brought in the hair. Oh man, here it came. The thing I had waited on for fifteen years. The solution to my physical defect.... HAIR...

You see at Hair Club, they take the time to ensure you get the best possible service and of course the best possible hair and that look that you truly want. This is no pick off the shelf hair piece place. Nope, this is a top of the line, you cant tell its fake, hair piece. Or at least I thought so...

So, what was next. Well, lets try it on for size Mr Miller. "Okay" I said excitedly... Then boom, on goes the hair.... and a big lump comes into my throat. Oh my gosh, I am about to see myself with a head FULL of hair for the first time in ten years. The excitement built. I couldn't wait for the hair specialist to move out from in front of me so I could see what it looked like in the mirror.

Finally, she moved..... Oh my gosh, what the heck is this. Hey, this isn't what I ordered. Someone get over here and check this out. Houston, I think we have a problem.

You see somehow, somewhere along the line, my hair order had a major mishap.... yep, the hair I ordered, well this wasn't it. After about five minutes of discussion, it was determined that Hair Club needed a redo... a BIG FAT redo. Something was horribly wrong, and it was quite obvious.



Okay, so it really wasn't that bad, but it was BAD. Bad enough that they willingly agreed to create a new piece. One that maybe fit and actually looked like my hair. So once again, here we go. Wait another two weeks until the big day.

Finally, back to Hair Club, but this time it was different. You see over the previous two week period... I made a decision, a decision to.......


To CANCEL my membership. Okay, so I burnt $850.00, but I got $850.00 back and my sanity, or some of my sanity. I still had the problem of no hair. What now? Was this really what I wanted to do? Why wait so long? Especially after I had gotten all the way back into that private fitting room, and this time, the hair piece that they brought out... oh WOW!!! It really looked like hair and to beat all of that, it looked like my hair. Oh man...I was torn like a 18 year old between his mom and that can't live without young lady. But finally, I came to my senses and yep... I cancelled the contract.

Hair Club really is a great place to get a set of hair. Heck, I wouldn't mind having some Hair Club right now, but hey $1,700 up front and then another $200.00 a month every month for the rest of my life. Ummm..... I don't think so. So I made the only decision that seemed sensible.....

Next time you see me, ask me about that experience. You never know what might come up...

Until next time,
Merry Christmas,
Chip

BECOME A BORED FRIEND

Hello friends. I know there are a couple of you, okay maybe a couple of you out there that, for what reason I don't know, actually follow along with my gabble I call THE DAILY DOSE. For that I want to thank you and beg you not to stop.

I would also like to invite you to become a BORED FRIEND of the DOSE. Its really simple to do, just scroll down the blog until you find the BORED FRIENDS section in the sidebar on the left. Click the FOLLOW THIS BLOG section and allow your picture to be shown in the BORED FRIENDS column. Come on, I desperately need something to spruce up this page and your picture is exactly what this page needs to become a true work of art.... or something like that.

BORED FRIENDS (1)FOLLOW THIS BLOG

1 Follower

Until next time,
Merry Christmas,
Chip

YOU'VE GOT TO LOVE IT...

As many of you may know, I am a LOVER of the cold. Most people, properly so, think I am a nut or some pshyco for loving cold weather, but come on, there are some great things about Winter.

I mean, don't you love it when it snows and it is so white and pristine and clean looking? Winter is also great for larger people like me... we can always put on more clothes but it would truly be offensive to A LOT of people if I started removing more clothing... I'm not too big, but big enough to know better. And, you don't have to worry about sweating when it is cold. That is unless you live with a human Popsicle who keeps the thermostat on 90. But if that is true then you probably have bigger problems as the majority of your discussion may revolve around that thermostat.

Christmas is also in the winter. Christ came to Earth to set the example of how to live our life and to save us from our sins, and He came in the winter. That alone should make you love the cold.

Okay and what about snow skiing. You can't do that in the summer and you don't have to worry about learning how to swim either. I've never heard of anyone drowning to death while snow skiing.

Then the table fare... this is the only time of the year that eating is truly legal and man we prove it during the holidays. Come on now, from about November to January, we all become eaters, at least the ones I hang around typically enjoy eating. No, I'm not saying my friends are fat. Most are a lot skinnier then I am.. I'm just saying we are less worried about what we are going to look like in a swim suit or a pair of shorts or that shirt that is cut too high.

And oh man the fires. I love going to mom and dad's and hanging out by the fireplace. Drinking hot chocolate and watching QVC. Yeah, QVC! Hey what's wrong with that?

The reality of it is we probably wouldn't truly appreciate the Spring, Summer and Fall as much if it wasn't for Winter. I just don't know how folks live in Arizona, Southern Cali or Florida, or why they would even want too. Don't get me wrong, I'm not appealing to you to raise enough funds to legally move me to North Dakota, I don't want snow 16 months out of the year, but a foot or so every now and then... well I can live with that.

Until next time,
Merry Christmas,
Chip

A TRIP TO: SEE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

Every Christmas the family takes a night or two to take a trip to see the Christmas lights. And every Christmas we always see what I would consider the EXTREME of outdoor light shows. Although some are pretty cool. The following video is a short clip of just three extreme light shows right here in Conway. Hope you enjoy...

Merry Christmas,

Until next time,
Chip

PEDRO AND ROSITA...

From Pedro and Rosita... A special little message just for you here at Christmas time. Hope you enjoy. Have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS...

Until next time,
Chip

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS - THE MEMORIES OF A LIFETIME

Too many times I forget the simple things in life. The joy of a stroll through the park. The simplicity of a snowball fight. The pleasure of a simple kiss or a hug. The power of a conversation with mom or dad. That few precious moments a day I get with Janet.

One thing I have learned is to try and cherish each moment God gives me on this Earth. I'm still not very good at it, but over the last few years I have learned to become much more aware of those things around me in my life. I know one day mom and dad wont be here anymore. Christopher will leave the nest and go on to pursue his own life and raise his own family. So while there is time I better try and enjoy those simple pleasures known as life. Those are the memories that Janet and I will cherish when we sit on the front porch and reflect. What I accomplished with my work will be a long forgotten memory and probably one of little importance. Those days of High School, my first marriage, the promotions or awards I have somehow accumulated will all be dust gatherers. But the memories built with my friends, my family and especially my Heavenly Father will be those things I will forever cherish. Those presents that will year in and year out always be unwrapped at Christmas.

During this season, I pray that we all remember why He sent us and what our true purpose is in this life. May we never forget what He has done for us and may your Christmas be blessed with the memories of a lifetime.

Until next time,
Merry Christmas,
Chip

A SEASON OF JOY

Hello friends. May this Christmas season be filled with joy, may all your wishes come true and may your days be filled with His presence.

Merry Christmas.

Until next time,
Chip

GOD'S MIRACLE'S

Miracles come in all sorts of packages. It can be the look in your child's eye when they open that special gift at Christmas or that unexpected check just when you needed it or maybe even something as small as an encouraging word at one of your low points. Either way, God always seems to know exactly where, when and how to intercede in our lives. Many times it is hard for us to understand why we go through or see others go through some of the toils and troubles of life. And sometimes it causes us to possibly lose a little faith for a period of time in our lives. I've heard several stories about how devoted followers of Christ totally turned there back on Him because of a tragedy, or what they thought was a tragedy, that occurred in there lives. I've also heard about how many of them, when it was over with said and done, saw God's plan unveil through there pain and understood the positive impact that there tragedy created in the lives of so many around them.

I was once told of a story about a missionary couple who was led by God to go and witness to a tribe in a foreign land. I believe it was Africa but I'm not totally sure. Anyway, the tribe continually rejected there teaching of Christ, to the point where they were not allowed in the village. But the couple, both very young in age, continued to feel God leading them to stay, even though months or even longer had gone by with absolutely no success at all in even being able to talk with the tribe.

One day, the wife got sick. Her illness continued to worsen day by day. But God continued to lead the couple to stay. Finally the husband told the wife it was time to leave as she desperately needed medical attention, but the wife continued to hold on as she felt God was not yet through with them at the village.

Several days later, a little boy came to see the woman. They had some conversation for a while and he left and went back to the village, without the husbands knowledge. Later that day, the wife passed away from her illness.

The husband, distraught over the loss of his wife, turned his back totally on God, to the point of never wanting to hear His name again. He turned to a completely different lifestyle filled with heavy drinking. A life that almost killed him until one day he met a man, a black man. Where he met him, I don't recall, but after some conversation the man realized that this old man was the missionary who lost his wife at his village. For the first time in many years, he had the opportunity to sit and talk with the husband about the most important woman in his life.

You see the little boy that came to see the dying missionary lady, turned out to be the leader of the largest church on the African continent. The day he came to see the lady, he turned his life over to the Lord. Throughout the following years, he was responsible for the conversion of over 500,000 people.

In the end, the husband turned his life back to Christ, fully understanding the impact of his personal loss and how God had used that couple to lead hundreds of thousands to Him.

For all of us, we have been at a place in our life where we struggle with God's response. Sometimes it seems to be a positive response. Other times, we feel isolated or unwanted. Sometimes it takes years for us to see why God did what He did, or sometimes we may never see the fruits of our loss. But God always has a purpose.

Over the last week, I have seen three personal miracles occur in my life. Not directly related to me but miracles alone that were truly the hand of God.

On November 25th, Conner James Hogan was sent into this world to Daniel and Kristin Hogan. Conner didn't have a peachy start to life, in fact for the first four or five days he spent all of his time in the nursery hooked up to one machine after another, totally dependent on oxygen. When he was born, his lungs were full of fluid, creating a major breathing problem. Doctors quickly placed him on antibiotics and began the process of trying to drain his lungs. Prayers showered Conner James and five days later he was sent home with mom and dad totally recovered.

Later that same week, Cameron, one of the children my wife babysits, was diagnosed with a heart that was five times its normal size and beating four times its normal pace. The parents and doctor desperately tried to get Cameron into Children's Hospital but was told there was no room and a cardiologist would not be able to see him for at least two weeks. Desperation set in and once again Cameron was showered with prayer. God again turned his ear to the prayers. The parents took Cameron to the emergency room at Children's and after some additional x-rays and testing, the Doctor realized that the heart was not in fact enlarged, but a gland in front of the heart had made it appear that it was enlarged and that the heart was actually beating at normal pace. Once again God intervened.

There are countless stories, both with what we might consider to be a good or a bad ending. One that might have changed our life either positively or created that empty hole inside. Either way, it is comforting and reassuring to know that in the end, no matter the outcome, He has everything under control.

Enjoy the slide show of Conner James Hogan and may your days be blessed with His presence.



Until next time,
Chip

A SWEET RIDE

Normally I'm not a big car buff. Don't get me wrong, I like cars and would love to be able to pick out any car I wanted, but I know that's never going to happen. I am just not financially in a situation to enjoy that particular pleasure of life. But that's okay as I am and have been blessed in so many other areas of my life.

On the other hand, Janet's Uncle Jerrell is in a situation to enjoy some of the finer things in life including some really nice cars. He owns three 1958 Chevrolet's, a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, a 2008 Lexus and the above 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS, all in mint condition.

This is one sweet car. Much nicer in person then I can show in the above slide show. 502 cubic inches, 502 horsepower, original interior and one sweet orange paint job. He took me for a brief and VERY short drive in his driveway. Just the three seconds he got on the pedal scared me enough to know that this machine is a rolling coffin in the wrong hands. On the other hands, it would be a fine piece of machinery in my hands. LOL.

Hope you enjoy the show and a little Springsteen.

Until next time,
Chip

A TRIP TO: GUITAR LESSONS...

Chapter 2 in the "A TRIP TO" series... Enjoy.

At the beginning of 2008, I made a commitment to myself that I wanted to accomplish two specific items before December 31. Begin the process of learning how to play the guitar and the piano.

That goal quickly changed once I started pricing pianos and realized to get a decent one was going to be much more then I wanted or was willing to spend at the time. But it didn't damper my desire to begin to broaden my massive musical talents. For those who know me, they know that my vast talent lies in my ability to sing loud, real loud, and preferably in a shower with no one within at least a half mile. Can I get a witness?

At this moment, I have no singing talent and no ability to play any type of a musical instrument, but I absolutely love music. I listen constantly, even at work I sit at my desk with a headset on listening to Crowder or Hawk Nelson or Frank Sinatra or whoever the choice is for that particular day. Rare does a day go by that I don't spend at least an hour or more listening to music. Even right now I am listening to my playlist on playlist.com. Some "Dead Man" by "Jars of Clay" from their Greatest Hits CD. I just love music. I am convinced that everyone will be in the choir in Heaven, including me.

Oh but you see that is where the problem lies and why I made the decision to do something about my lack of musical talent. Okay, I cant sing, lets drop that one. But maybe I could contribute in a different way. Maybe I should, since I love music so much, attempt to learn how to create some form of usable music. Maybe a melody of some sort or a harmonious noise that is tolerable by more then just myself. Okay then, lets do it. So I did.

Tonight I took my first of what I am sure will be many, many, many guitar lessons. I am being instructed by Kyle at Conway Music. Kyle is a nice polite young man. He seems to know his guitar, at least he can tell me the parts of the guitar. He actually does play in a band by the name of Anxiety. I have no idea folks, I just know it is rock/blues type music. Kyle is young and I mean young. Maybe 22 or 23, somewhere in that area. He has long hair, dresses okay and calls everyone man, including me. Um.... I didn't like that part about Kyle, but hey I am old and kind of set in my ways. LOL. I truly did like him and am excited to have him as my personal instructor. Lessons are weekly for 30 minutes with at least one hour per day of practice. Oh my, did I say an hour a day. Okay, maybe fifteen minutes a day. There, that is more like it.

I have to say I was giddy about the whole stupid thing. The idea that I may, at some point, actually be able to bring music from an instrument excites the woo hoo out of me. I could actually sit in a jam session with some of the boys. Wow!!! That would be cool. I barely could sit in my seat when the lesson started. I was squirming around like a Mexican jumping bean on a sidewalk in Phoenix in August at noon. But before we get to0 the actual lesson, lets talk for a moment about promptness.

You see, I at age 44, believe you should be prompt. If you have something scheduled with someone, you should do your best to be on time. No need to be early, just be there ready to go when the time comes. That would be especially true if someone is paying you to be there. Okay, enough said about common courtesy. I can learn from myself on that one sometimes.

Back to the lesson. Lesson one was, lets say, BASIC. Here is a brief overview of what I learned and what my homework is for the next two weeks. I know, I said weekly for thirty minutes but I am going to Dallas next Friday and he had no other time for us to get together next week so.... Anywho, I learned some important information. Let me share the exciting stuff with you.

Elvis
Always
Does
Good
Being
Elvis

Okay, I really have no clue what this is, but I thought it was cool. I know the first letter is the actual six strings on the guitar, but I can't remember if it is from bottom to top or top to bottom. Hum. Maybe I need to refresh myself on that important aspect of playing. I guess maybe I was squirming too much to really focus during the lesson.

Let me explain that squirming stuff. You know the feeling you get after drinking a two liter bottle of water and waiting three hours without going to the restroom. Yeah, that's what I am talking about. I was excited, pumped, over joyed, through the roof, on Red Bull without actually drinking one type of feeling. This was soooo cool. I am taking guitar lessons at 44. Okay, you don't have to share that with anyone.

Back to the lesson. I learned some other things like what a fret is and a chord and the notes on the guitar. All things you can look up yourself and save me the trouble of reviewing my lesson just to educate you. Come on, I paid $12.50 to learn this stuff. I can't teach you everything.

The one item I did learn of value is that if I am going to be any good with a guitar, I am going to have to commit myself to practicing. And I am not talking half an hour a week. I mean true practice. Hum, maybe I need to find a partner of greater skill and spend some time trying to jam with them, playing as much as possible and learning as much as possible. See, I don't want to learn to play the incorrect way. I want to actually learn to play the guitar, that way I can play anything and not just the stuff I like. I want to learn the notes and how to read notes. That to me is important. I don't think I am going to learn that in my class anytime soon. I mean Kyle said he didn't even learn how to read music until he was required too at college. Oh well. As long as I can play Sweet Child of Mine, I will be happy.

Until next time,
Happy reading,
Chip

EVERYTHING MILLER

About two weeks ago we made the decision to build and publish a Miller Family web page. Why you ask? Well, mainly for fun and the fact that I was truly bored and needed something new to do with my free time. Wait, free time, what the heck is that?

Oh well. We called the site EVERYTHING MILLER because we couldn't think of anything better. This is truly a work in progress but it has been developed to the point now where it is somewhat interesting.

We have multiple pages, a home page, a Janet page, a page for Christopher, one for Chip, one for Princess the Ferret (yes even the pets have pages), one for Gracie Miller the dog and one called Wealth of Useless Information, which is exactly what it states, somewhat interesting facts but probably useless in our day to day lives.

We welcome you to take the tour. We update the web almost daily with new photos, videos, blogs, useless information, bits and bites of stuff so it is pretty rare to find the page go for more then a day without something new.

Featured this week:

1. Princess's new full length video entitled "Ferret at Full Speed". You can check it out on Princess's Page.
2. Guess the Object. Check out the photo on the Home Page. Give us an answer in the Shout Out Box if you know what the object is in the photo.
3. The new Family Fall Photos are up in the Photo Page. Check out my beautiful wife. I know.
4. Christopher has finally updated his page.
5. The new video Aiden on the Table is up on Chip's page.
6. Two new stories on the Wealth of Useless Info Page.

You can check the page out at the following link: EVERYTHING MILLER

We welcome you to be a member of the page. All you have to do is just send me your e-mail address to 063001@LIVE.COM and we will send you an invite. Become a member of the page so we can keep you up to date on any updates added to the page through your personal e-mail.

Thanks for visiting the page and checking up on the blog. May you have a blessed day in His presence.

Until next time,
Chip

A TRIP TO: THE POST OFFICE

This is the first chapter in a series of writings entitled "A trip To". This new series is just a simple overview of a brief trip in my life to "wherever". It may include written word, photos, video(s) or a combination of all three.

Today's chapter is entitled "Aiden and Chip Take a Trip to The Post Office". The stars of the following video clip are Aiden Hogan with his side kick Chip Miller.

Aiden and I, after some persuasion from my wife, decided to take a trip to the Post Office. The objective was to deliver one of Janet's Avon envelopes. Well I was so excited that Aiden and I were taking the trip that I decided to film the entire "to" portion of the trip. The entire trip from our house to the Post Office only took about 12 minutes, but in an effort to save time, I have doubled the speed to cut the overall video down to about 6:30 in length. We hope you enjoy it. Let us know what you think.

Until next time,
Chip (and Aiden)

LIFE IN THE STRESS LANE

For the last twenty one years I have worked at the same company, slowly but surely working my way through the chain of command. Even after being with a company for this long, I learned one very important fact today...stress never leaves your life, it only disappears for a while.

The last two weeks have been incredibly stressful. This is one of those situations where the workload, current condition of the company and on-going increase in expectations continue to build up over a period of time where you eventually realize long periods of pure stress. Headaches, pain in the upper neck, not sleeping well at night, grumpy at times. All symptoms of pure stress with no release.

Well today my lovely wife Janet dealt with some of her own additional stress. You see Janet is an Avon rep, and a good one at that. She has worked hard over the last ten months to build her business, all while babysitting up to three children, two consistently, and trying to take care of a household and family and, probably the worst item, putting up with me.

Today was the first day of Dazzle Days here in Conway. Janet had placed a rather large order with Avon to ensure she had plenty of product on hand for this annual event. Dazzle Days is an event where you buy a ticket to go in and buy stuff... I never really got the whole Dazzle Days thing unless it is raising funds for a non-profit or something along those lines. I mean why would you pay $25.00 for a ticket to go in and buy products at full price from vendors? Well that I cant answer, but I can tell you that it is very popular annual event.

Back to the product. Janet gets her product delivered once every two weeks and the product should show up at our front door no later then Wednesday. Perfect for Dazzle Days which starts on a Thursday. Perfect, that is, if the product actually gets there on a Wednesday. Well, you guessed it, we came home from the Avon training center in Little Rock around 10:45pm Wednesday night fully expecting to see her order sitting there waiting for us. Oh ney, ney...hum. No product. No delivery. Okay, whats wrong with this picture? Oh well, we have had this happen before only for the product to show up early the next morning. But, you guessed it, no product.

9:00 and no product. Stress level six.
10:00 and no product. Stress level eight.
11:00 and yep, no product. Stress level twelve.
12:00 and no product. Stress level has gone into cardiac arrest mode.

Why so high you ask? Well good question. With Dazzle Days your booth must be set up by 4:00pm on the opening day. After that time, you cannot bring anymore product into the center. So stress right now was almost to the point of complete emotional breakdown. Then on top of that, you have paid, up front, $350.00 for the booth so no product, no set up, no Dazzle Days. $350 down the drain. Unhappy Janet, unhappy Chip, unhappy everything.

Next step, call the delivery company to find out what the problem is and see if we can come up with a solution, but only after calling me (the innocent victim) and telling me the issue. Hey you guys know me, all I did, even though I was trying to help, was to increase that stress level to internal combustion mode. Ughhhh. I always seem to do that. So Janet got in contact with the shipping company.

"Where is my product kind sir", said Janet.

"Well we had a driver quit yesterday", said the kind man, "and we have had to reroute your product and we're not sure when it will be delivered. It is on a truck but we cannot give you a scheduled drop time" said the kind man.

Well this sent Janet into complete and uncontrollable panic. No product, four hours to have the booth completely set up with all product in the building and ready to open at 6:00pm. So what now?

Well that answer was easy, a quick and simple prayer. One reached out to Him by me and one reached out by her. It is always comforting to know that God is there. Your prayer may not be answered, but He is always listening. And no matter the situation, His will is perfect.

Needless to say, Janet got her product. See, her next call resulted in a simple solution to the problem. She would meet the driver at Home Depot, provide some ID and get the product delivered off the truck. Whew...problem solved right? WRONG!! Two hours to get the product to the location, set up the booth and get all product on display by 4:00. But how? A one man show isn't going to get this job done. Chip is at work in Sherwood. Marlana is working and cant get away. So who? Well, once again a solution. Janet does the only thing she knows to do, she checks Christopher, to his GREAT joy, out of school, drags him to Dazzle Days and begins getting the booth in order.

Now she truly knows why God gave her Pherby. It was to be there in time of need, true desperate I have to have you need. If for no other reason, he was placed on Earth for this one simple reason, to ensure Janet's Avon booth was ready to go at 4:00pm. at Dazzle Days Thank you Christopher for helping where you could.

It was comforting to me when I got the text telling me that she had her product, had her booth half way set up and was going to make the deadline. Thank you Lord.

By the way, if your not doing anything over the next couple of days, come by the booth at Dazzle Days and check out the end results of "Life in the Stress Lane".

Until next time,
Chip

STARBUCKS

Hello friends,

Well, today I experienced only my third trip to a Starbucks. It is amazing that even in a rough economy, people are still willing to pay this much for a cup of coffee or in my case a cup of hot chocolate.

I must admit that the experience was very relaxing. They have been able to create a very warm and inviting environment. The smells and attitudes of both the workers and the people were amazingly very Christmas like. This seems to be a place where people let go of there outside issues and truly just have a nice quiet, comfortable time sharing with those that are around them.

The hot chocolate was truly irresistible. I loved it and I'm not a big fan of most hot chocolates. But this one was unlike any other hot chocolate I have had in a long time. I really think it was made out of real chocolate and not some fake powder. Next time I think I will try a peppermint mocha twist espresso... Or maybe not.

But the best part of the entire trip was the time I was able to spend with Janet and Christopher. That is worth any amount of money. Let me recommend taking a trip to a Starbucks for a pretty reasonable family outing.

Until next time,
May God Bless You,
Chip

DAD'S HIDDEN TALENT

It seems that every time I get to spend some time with my father, I learn of some new amazing talent that he has possessed that for some reason, I never noticed. On Monday evening I had the opportunity to celebrate my fathers seventy second birthday, a blessing in itself. During the evening I began looking in detail at some Halloween decorations that mom and dad had up on the counter. As I looked closer I began to realize that these were the work of my father.

My dad is and always will be my hero. He is my friend when I need one, my mentor when it was time to learn, my role model on all things good, my disciplinarian when it was needed and although it wasn't very often, trust me it was needed, my earthly hero and at times, my better. Dad was dad, loving, tough, wise and a great role model on life. I knew he had some talents but over the years I have realized just how much talent dad truly possesses. It seems that every time I turn around, I realize I am still learning from the things dad taught me as a child, a teenager, a young adult and yes even now.

But on Monday I learned about another talent of dad's. I learned at an early age that I have a little talent in the field of oil painting. I have never expanded on that talent as it, well, bored me. I discovered later in life that my brother is one of the most talented individuals I know. He can paint, both oil and water colors, he can sculpt, draw, sketch and is an awesome photographer. His painting talent truly showed up the first time he ever showed any of his paintings. A friend of his asked him if he would be interested in showing and possibly selling three paintings that he had laying in his apartment. After about twelve seconds, my brother agreed, having no expectations that the paintings would sell at all. Boy were we all surprised. All three paintings sold for the asking price to one lady and within just a few hours of the showing being opened. With his initial success, he sat out to see if he could do it again, and once again, at the very next showing, he sold both paintings he had created at the asking price. To the family, we were totally amazed as we all realize he is the smartest and most talented individual in the entire family, but at that point, had done very little with it.

The big problem was we really had no idea where we got any of our talent from. So for forty four years I just blew it off as luck. The truth is, it wasn't luck at all. Last night proved it was genetics. You see the talent we received come straight from dear old dad. Dad had possessed this amazing talent, I assume, all of his life. But to this date, was hidden from anyone except mother. Mom knew all along where her sons got there talent. It wasn't from her or just by sheer chance, but it was from dad.


The items pictured in this blog were created, from scratch, by dad. The two items on the left are five inch post that he cut and sheered off to get the correct form, then painted and decorated the entire piece by free hand. The eyes, mouth, cheeks and even nose are so well defined it is almost life like. Dad had created many masterpieces that for many years have adorned there home, all the time all of us seeing but never truly understanding or realizing his talent.

One interesting note, he signs every piece on the bottom by painting a winter scene of a snowman with his name, USA and the date painted in red. I must admit, I have an amazing dad. Enjoy the rest of the photos.

And to dad on veterans day. Thank you for being my father. For your leadership, guidance, understanding and most importantly, your love. I love you dad.

Sincerely,
Chip

CHRISTOPHER'S BIRTHDAY

It is an annual tradition for Meme to cook birthday lunch for each member of the family during there birthday month.

November is Christopher's birthday. He turns 13, an official teenager. This birthday, according to my wife and son, is an important birthday. Obviously I have been in a cave. I thought the three important birthdays were one year, sixteenth year and your eighteenth. I am probably totally in the dark as I have learned that my wife seems to be a little more hip then I am.

If I really am in the dark, I wish someone would let me know. I hate making an idiot out of myself and I am pretty good at that...

Anyway, Happy Birthday Christopher. Mom and dad love you and hope you have a great day.

Sincerely,
Chip

A NIGHT WORTH SHOOTING

On Friday we (Janet and myself) had the pleasure of attending the 40th birthday party for Barry Eason, a friend of ours from church. Originally, Janet and I agreed that we would only make a brief appearance and then hit the road for a nice night at the house with our nephew Aiden. But as the party began and everyone got into the swing of it, we found the company, as we often do, quite pleasurable and made the decision to stay. Man was I glad that we did...

Most times a party ends up being a nice social gathering where you eat, hang out and chit chat a little, then hit the road and grab some shut eye. This one turned out just the opposite. You see the fun part was at the end. An ending I doubt has ever happened at First Church before. The gym which we were using also doubles as our sanctuary. Part of the decorations for the party were helium filled black balloons. An appropriate decor for someone turning the Big 4-0. The great thing about this situation, being in a gym with helium filled balloons, is that it created the perfect setting for the worst thing to happen.

That occurrence, although really small, came about as true as it could. You see out of the 12 or so black balloons filled with helium, about six of them somehow made there way to the ceiling. A ceiling that is not designed to allow easy recovery of a helium filled balloon. And to make things worst, there was a funeral scheduled in the gym at 10:00am the next morning.

Now while black balloons are appropriate for a "over the hill" party, they are by no means appropriate for a funeral. Here sat the dilemma, with no easy solution. We thought of multiple ways to attempt to retrieve the lost balloons, each one getting crazier and crazier. We thought about stacking tables on top of each other and one person would stand on one side while another person climbed up on the opposite side therefore ensuring some chance of equal weight distribution. To say the least, that was a crazy idea. Then we thought about shooting a tooth pick through a straw in an attempt to blow up the balloons. Well that was a good idea, but one of no merit as we just didn't have enough air or weight to get the toothpick even high enough to touch the balloons, much less pop them.

So what do we do? Well, we had one idea that had been discussed several times, but to date, no one had taken action on. But with ideas running short and time getting late, the decision was made to bring in the only item we knew would bring those babies tumbling to the ground with no air left in there miserable bellies. Yep, you probably guessed it by now... a Beebe gun.

The problem, you see, is that we were in the building that was not only our gym, but it doubled as the sanctuary and on Sunday would be filled with 250+ church goers. So the question, was it appropriate to shoot a gun in the church? What if we shot out a light by accident? How could we ensure we didn't end up with ten Beebe's on the floor and members falling because they stepped on one? All were legitimate questions that required our utmost attention, of which we committed about twenty eight seconds too before making the decision that it just had to be done. Well, that was easy.

Oh ney, ney my friend. Now we had to find someone who had a Beebe gun and would be willing to shoot these flying beasts out of the gym sky, bringing them safely to the ground, with minimum Beebe's falling to the floor with them. So we asked around and yes, we found our hero... or at least my hero. Mark "the Man" Carter.

Mark not only had a Beebe gun, but he was willing to shoot those bad boys right out of the sky. After about a 10 minute absence, Mark appeared with the tool of destruction. A pump Beebe gun...

I was lucky enough to actually video tape the entire event. Please excuse the quality, but here it is, the link to the video itself of my Hero, Mark Carter in action.

Well Mark was exactly as he promised, successful, unlike this author. I hope you enjoyed this little part of my life. If you ever need a real kick or a great sermon, come see us at First Church of the Nazarene in Conway.

Until tomorrow,
Chip

THE DESIRE TO KNOW WHY

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

Since I can't remember when, I have heard about UFO's and there existence. After 44 years of living, I can honestly say, I guess it is possible. It seems that God, in all His glory, is more then possible of creating life under any condition. Whether there truly is UFO's or not, who knows? I know I don't. But it does tell us above that God created the Heavens and the Earth. In two days, yes, two days, He created light, dark, water and sky and introduced us to His Spirit. Just based on eight versus, I am quite sure He is capable of producing life anywhere He so chooses.

So why the debate? The incredible desire to know if there is other life out there? An unwavering desire to study the sky? A lifelong plan to go to the moon and now to go to Mars. What is it we are looking for and why is it important?

What did we gather from visiting the moon? Okay, we now know it isn't made of cheese and there is no smiling face up on the moon. But besides a bunch of weird rocks and the junk we left behind, what did we prove? What did we accomplish? Why did we even go?

I guess as men, many spend an entire life pursuing the question of why are we here? What is our purpose in this extremely short life? Surely there is something more then being born, living and then eventually fading into black? Surely somewhere in that little bitty spec of time called our lives there is some reasoning of our objective? And not only that, but why now? Why was I born in 1964 ans not 1534? Or why was I born a US citizen instead of a citizen of Ethiopia? Why are my needs met beyond my true needs while others struggle daily to survive? How do we fit into the scheme called life and how can we leave a better world for those to come?

For 38 years of my life, okay, maybe not the entire 38 years, but a good portion, I struggled with many of the questions above. Why? Why this? Why that? How come? What does it matter?

But finally I got my answer on a winter evening in January 2002 at the foot of my sons bed. On that night, I was moved. Moved by a spirit within me that I can't explain, and even after almost eight years, I still can't explain. But that Spirit swelled up in me and called me to a purpose in my life. I was raised daily in a Christian home and on that winter night, I met the reason we were made and the one I had learned about all my childhood life. His name is Jesus. On that night, He changed my life. He forgave me for all my blemishes, my sin, my imperfectness, my hurting of others, my turning my back on Him, my everything... And on that night, He became the Savior and Lord of my life. I have never, and will never be the same again. That chaos within my soul, is the peace that brings me to a contentment and happiness that I have never experienced before. He set me free, from ME, and I praise Him for it.

I finally realized that I was made, created, sent to this Earth for the same reason my forefathers were, to worship and praise Him, my Creator. The maker of the Heavens and the Earth.

When I saw the sunset tonight, it made me realize just how much He loves me. How beautiful it was to see the light disappear, the stars shine and night fall upon us one more time.

To Him be the glory...

And by the way, if you are still hung up on the other life thing. I can honestly tell you that there is other life out there. In fact, I can pretty confidently tell you there is other life all around us that we can't see. The Angels of Heaven are among us. Cheering us on everyday. Protecting us when sent by Him. And yes, they are in the Heavens and the Earth.

May God bless you.

Sincerely,
Chip

I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!!

Gas prices have been a thorn in the side of all of us for a while now. The price is absolutely crazy. Someone is getting rich and it sure isn't the working class. But, that's okay. I feel blessed just to have a car and the ability to buy gas. I couldn't imagine life without a car but I understand the largest percentage of people have no car or real means of transportation. I guess there are probably tons of folks in New York City that have never and will never own a car. They walk, ride public transportation or rent a car if needed. So, my complaints should really be a thanksgiving.

I have told my wife Janet for a while now that I wanted a picture if we ever found gas at $1.99 per gallon or cheaper. Well guess what, Janet found a station and sent me the photo so it is my pleasure to share this rarely seen beast of the wild. This is worth more then the Mona Lisa herself.

Enjoy the day. May the Lord bless you. And if you ever find gas for $1.50 a gallon, call me personally.

Chip Miller

MOBILE TEST JUST BECAUSE I AM TRULY BORED

This blog is a test. It is only a test. The objective is to see if this mobile blogging can really be accomplished.

So, to ensure some interest, I have included a picture of the Crowder man himself. This was taken by my good friend Kent Britton (Check him out on facebook) at the Youth Specialties Convention for Youth Workers in Pittsburgh PA. Enjoy..

Chip

FIRST TIMER

Welcome to the Daily Dose. My blog site. Updates and new insightful thoughts will be posted on a not so regular basis. Reality is, they will probably never be posted. Random ignorant, non entertaining correspondence will probably be the norm. The reality is I dont have too much to say about too much of anything.

I know, for those who know me, you probably find that very hard to believe. But hey, my name on X Box live is Silent Assasln... and I know it is spelled wrong. The truth is my son picked out the name and it just fits me and my realness... I yap a lot, but say very little.

Well, I guess that it is for this session of the Daily Dose. Original name huh? I will post my first actual update on Thursday evening and we will see how this blogging stuff goes.

Take care,
Chip