in a split second!

I've been listening to Nightline, they are talking about the tragic airplane crash yesterday in Buffalo, NY. Seems as though the investigators are suspecting ice build up on the wings.

The experts say the plane likely lost control and crashed in seconds. Imagine that - one moment you are finishing your diet coke - the next second you are dead. I hope the people on the plane never even realized what was happening -after reading the paper today I am afraid their last seconds were terrifying!

Another reminder - cherish every moment - live with no regrets!

I survived this tornado!

On June 13 my family was in Tracy, Minnesota. We had driven there from Houston for my Grandmas funeral.

We were packing the car toreturn to Houston when the severe storm sirens sounded. My dad rounded us up and we headed for the basement. For the next 15 minutes we huddled under the pingpong table, wrpped ourselves in throw rugs and my mom had us sing Jesus loves me. My older sister said she was going to throw up. My grandma refused to come down to the basement until the last second at which time my dad picked her up and shoved her under the table.

The sound was deafening!

As we huddled together - we heard all the windows of the house explode, the kitchen cupboards pull off the walls, the chimney snap off the house.

Then suddenly there was silence. We crept up the stairs to find 75% of my grandma and grandpas house gone. We looked out to what would have been the backyard and allwe could see was lumber from the house that used to be behind her. In the rubble lay her neighbor - she was dead!

Here is an article from Wikipedia about the tornado:

The 1968 Tracy tornado was an F5. It struck Tracy, Minnesota on June 13, 1968. The tornado killed nine people and injured 150 others as it tracked 9 miles (14 km) through Murray, Lyon and Redwood counties in southwestern Minnesota.[1] It is one of only two official F5 tornadoes that have occurred in Minnesota, although several other tornadoes that occurred before 1950 are estimated to have been F5 strength.[2] The tornado destroyed 111 homes, caused major damage to 76, and minor damage to 114. Five businesses were destroyed and 15 damaged. The elementary school and 106 automobiles were also destroyed. A heavy boxcar was heaved more than a block in the storm. Winds were estimated at 261 to 318 mph.

Sirens sounded in Tracy at 6:55 p.m., just a few minutes before the twister struck. The siren was sounded thanks to a call to the authorities from Delpha (Mrs. Melvin) Koch, who saw the tornado from her rural Garvin home.[citation needed]

How to cope with messy Lives?

Seems like just about everybody I know is in the middle of a messy life cycle.

A messy life cycle is best described as those times - usually lasting weeks to months - during which junk happens that causes extra anxiety, heartache, confusion, and disappointment.

I am looking for survival pointers to pass on to my friends - any ideas?

I jumped in to Facebook - have you?

Where is all of this techno-chat heading? If you want to communicate with some one there is a wide menu of choices - we can IM or text or email or Twitter or skype. But in the end - really do we do anything more than just tell me what we either think they want to know or what we want them to know! Where is the value in that?

I confess, I jumped in to Facebook and now I am not sure I see the value - do you?

Random things about me leftover from Facebook.

These are in no particular order.
1. When I was 10 years old my family and I survived an F-4 tornado by hiding in my grandparents basement in Tracy, Minnesota.
2. My wife and I spent the night with Walker Railey, sleeping on the floor of his room at Presbyterian Hospital the night after his wife was attacked and left for dead.
3. I was a trumpet playing band nerd in High school, even made it to Asst. Drum Major!
4. 10 days after I got married I went with the Centenary College choir to Russia and Poland.
5. While we were in Russia - the Russian army invaded Afghanistan!
6. I went to my Sr. prom with a girl named Duchess - she wore a Southern Belle antebellum hoop skirt gown...interestingly we left the prom with different dates?
7. I met my wife while attending a High school weekend event at Centenary - she led my campus tour.
8. I got married on Christmas break of my Sr year in college - the next semester I had a 4.0!
9. We honeymooned in Northern Arkansas - while on a hike one day we were chased by a pack of wild dogs.
10. Sept 23, 2003 I had a radical prostatectomy for stage 3b prostate cancer - 5 years later I'm still kicking!
11.I have the most beautiful wife-friend-partner in the whole world!
12. When I was a Sr. in high school I thought I wanted to be a forest ranger.
13. I grew up in a little red-neck town outside of Houston called Channelview.
14. My college roomate was/is an opera singer in Germany - in 2001 he had the #1 CD in all of Germany!
15. In the 5th grade my friend Robert and I caught the woods behind our homes on fire.
16. We have 4 amazing adult kids - they are beautiful,bossy,fun-loving, thoughtful, caring and adventurous.
17. I was born in Minnesota.
18.I have to have a cup of coffee within 5 minutes of waking up in the morning.
19. I flew in a vintage 2 seater airplane over the glaciers and moose habitats of Alaska.
20. The first and last time I went snorkeling I threw up all over the boat.
21. When I was a Sr. in High school I kissed my girlfriend while standing on the outdoor observation platform of the World Trade Center in NYC.
22. My top-secret fantasy is to be a world famous, modern artist.
23. When I was in elementary school everyone called me Dougie Meyer.
24. I think one of the sweetest things in the world is puppy breath.
25. I have had a dog (not the same one) since I was 4 years old.