Shout out to a friend and my total stupidity....

First off, I just checked out my good friend Kevin Bruce's blog. He's a great chaser and a good friend. He and I usually end up at the same place during a chase...lol. Be sure & check his blog out.

On another note, I have to tell you my stupidity story from last night (believe it or not, I DO stupid things). One day I will look back and laugh...but not now.

I was gearing up to shoot some pics/vid of the marginal severe storms heading for Verdigris last night. It was dark, I was excited, so I grabbed my gear & shot out the door. I had too much to carry and unlock the truck, so I gently placed my bag that contains my hand held HAM radios in it, along with other gear on top of the truck. Can you see where this is going??? After setting up my laptop & camera, I proceeded to pull out of the neighborhood. Stupid me. As I reached cruising speed on my road, I heard this thump, thump, CRASH!!! I immediately thought, "OH NO!! MY BRAND NEW REBEL XSI!!!" Then I looked to the backseat, saw my Rebel, and thought "what in the world was that?" Then I realized it was what I affectionately call my "ham bag". AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!! Well, at this time, I know I lost a battery pack for my HT-202 and maybe the 202.....gotta check at the house & make sure it's there.... I rescued the rest of the equipment from the ditch, still in the bag, a little "shook up".....moral of the story.....triple check EVERYTHING!!!!!

Mission of Compassion bio...updated

MISSION OF COMPASSION


“I have been fascinated with storms and tornadoes since I was five years old” says storm chaser Jeff Smith when asked about his passion for severe weather. Jeff has been active in Skywarn for over 15 years, and is a media chaser for KJRH-channel 2 in Tulsa, Okla. With the combination of seeing the destruction and devastation that severe weather leaves behind and a compassionate heart, Jeff has always wanted to help disaster victims in practical ways. Jeff’s dream finally came true in 2005.

In 2005, Jeff partnered up with best friend Mike Borrell and formed Mission of Compassion. Mission of Compassion is a ministry that collects donations, packs up within days after a natural disaster and delivers relief supplies to affected areas. The day that hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005 they embarked on the first Mission of Compassion and brought relief supplies, cleaning goods, water, Bibles, and teddy bears to evacuees living in shelters in Alexandria, La. They since have been to Dumas, Ark. (F-3 tornado), Coffeyville Kansas (2007 floods), Northeastern Arkansas (2008 Super Tuesday Outbreak), and the Picher, Ok.-Seneca, Mo. area. (May 2008 EF-4 long track tornado).

Our most recent trip was to Lone Grove, Oklahoma, a small community near Ardmore. On February 10, 2009, a violent EF-4 tornado ripped through Lone Grove after dark. Sadly, nine people lost their lives. We delivered PowerAde, snacks, non perishable food, trash bags for cleanup, and much more in two trucks and a trailer! We were able to help out by delivering these supplies to the Lone Grove Assembly of God, and the Lone Grove Church of Christ.

Many have asked why not just let the Red Cross handle these situations? While the Red Cross is an amazing organization that has helped millions of storm victims, they get overwhelmed at times and cannot be everywhere at one time. That is why we concentrate on helping smaller churches and organizations that are helping in the community and acting as shelters and may not have benefitted from Red Cross assistance yet, and go directly to them. There has always been a place for us to help out, no matter where we have been.
Our vision for the future includes procuring a truck & trailer equipped with a Bobcat tractor so we can immediately dispatch a team to a disaster scene in order to help clear roads/driveways etc. We also are looking to form multiple teams in order to be more effective. Please pray for us as we continue in our service. For more information on Mission of Compassion please contact Jeff at Stormrider1970@gmail.com

Another race chase....

This view is of the Stillwater storm at approx 8:00pm. Driving west on the Cimarron Turnpike a couple of miles east of Hwy 18, looking southwest at a ragged wall cloud with rising scud and an occasional (possible) funnel. It was a race chase as I did not leave the house until 6:45PM. Things got a bit tense as I drove towards Hwy 18, watching this insane hail core heading towards me and trying like the dickens not to get in it!!!! We got to 18, blasted south and did get some marbles & occasional quarters, but missed the ping pong hail that later covered hwy 18! We watched with interest the wall cloud as we raced south but then the storm seemed to weaken a bit and turn back to a NE heading. It could've, should've, and would've....but it didn't put a tornado down. How's that for contractions?

Snowstorm Saturday!!!

Image from NWS Tulsa....

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

A couple of updates....

Wow! It's been awhile. Well first, I want to let everyone know that Ashlea is home! she went home Tuesday and is undergoing physical therapy at a local hospital. Thank you for your prayers on her behalf!!

My best friend Mike is doing ok--he has three more chemo treatments to go!! I am ready to shave my playoff beard and he is too!! As soon as we win the "championship", I will get to shave this ugly old beard off!!! Maybe Michelle will videotape the shaving & I can post it...lol....naaa!!

I am still learning my new Rebel XSI camera--I'll post a couple of pics soon.....

1st picture with my new XSI Rebel!!

Shot this at the R/C races Saturday night. You have racers Tyler, Cameron, and Steve. (left to right)....cool kids that had a lot of fun!!

Yes, I bought myself a camera and whoa what a beauty she is! I bought the Canon XSI Rebel kit that came with a bag, extra battery, U/V filter, and an 18-55mm IS lens. They say that we only use 10% of our brain, well I'll be lucky to figure out just 10% of this camera's features...lol

Quick update for Ashlea...

Ashlea is doing well after a bad night and day on Sunday night & Monday. She has moved to a regular room and is not taking any visitors at this time. If you want to help, she needs prayer, and time to recover. Please pray for the whole family as this was a big scare for all of us. I am so thankful that the Lord has been so gracious to us in keeping her here with us and I'm glad that He comforts us all in these troubling times. God is good isn't He?

Sorry about the lack of updates as I have been sick...yuck! I'm better now, though.