I signed the petition to Deny Parole to Vanessa Coleman.

I avoided broadcasts and news when they told the details, especially the live broadcasts from the courtroom. I just can't handle the gruesomeness of the violent rapes and murders of Christopher Newsom and his girlfriend Channon Christian.

During the course of Coleman's trial for her part in the rapes and murders of Channon and Chris, evidence was presented from her diary entry dated 3 days after the murder. It read in part, “I’ve had one HELL OF AN ADVENTURE since I’ve been in the big TN. It’s a crazy world these days! But I love the fun adventures and lessons that I’ve learned. Its going to be a long interesting year! Ha! Ha!”

Here's the comment I added to the petition:

"I have eight living children. I cannot imagine how the victims' parents feel, but paroling this criminal would violate them all over again. Furthermore, rapists and murderers are the worst threats to all children and adults. If you must release someone to make room for this one, release a non-violent offender, please."

 I encourage you to sign the petition too:  Click here.

God bless,
Dadofmykids

Sore bum, bruised foot, and deflated confidence.

While Jill and the girls went to the Katy Perry Concert, I took the boys for a day of fun. Sean and Riley had to work, so it was Tucker, Asher, Levi and me. We went to Jayell Ranch in Pigeon Forge, surprisingly close to Dollywood Splash Country.

Smoky Mountain View

At Jayell Ranch, we rode ATV's, Zip Lines and Horses. The ATV ride was very cool and trouble free for the most part. Tucker drove one with Asher on back. And I drove one with Levi as passenger. Tucker and Asher got stuck a couple times. Levi and I got stuck once. We had a great guide who took through lots of mud. You never get too old for fish tailing.

Then we suited up for the zip lines. Levi was very nervous. Somehow we got him to go on the first one, which was the shortest on the farm. They called it the warm up line. Although it was shorter than the other five lines, I thought it was fast and fun. Levi must have been scared by it. When we got to the next one, he absolutely refused to go, no matter how brave we told him he was. That was the "end of the line" for him and me. Tucker and Asher continued on.

Here they are playing with a cat before zip lining.

Next came the horseback ride. I thought this would be the most laid back and easy activity of the day. I was mistaken. Asher was the nervous one on this activity. Honestly, I was wondering if it was smart of me to take him and Levi on this one, considering they both were on horses by themselves. Our guide, Susan, led the pack with Levi following close behind on his horse, asking question after question and almost continuously testing the horse to see if it would stop when he pulled the reins. Susan was very patient with him. Tucker was next. Then me. Asher in the rear.

All was well until we went down a particular slope on the trail. Asher's horse thought this would be an easy time to catch up with the rest of us and picked up his pace to a slight trot which made Asher bounce up and down in the saddle like the back seat of the school bus going over a speed bump. He lost his balance and fell off with a scream that would surely catch the attention of a herd of walkers from The Walking Dead. He hit the ground with a pretty good smack. I heard it. My horse got spooked and tried to take off out of there, but being the skilled rider that I am, I pulled back on the reins till he came to a stop. Then it was all over but the crying and figuring out if he was truly hurt.

Susan was great. She told him not to move, radioed for help, and started asking Asher questions like, 

"What is your name?"

Levi had Susan's ear
even after the fall.

"Asher"

"What is this?"

"A horse."

He was fine, except for a sore bum, bruised foot, and deflated confidence. Not that he was too confident to begin with. 

Help arrived and put him back on the horse, much to my surprise, as I sat quietly and observed all this from my horse's saddle. Susan promised to keep a close eye on him and to keep on flat terrain. So we continued. 

Asher kind of freaked out one more time, so Susan attached a rope to Asher's horse and lead him the rest of the way. 

I was proud of Asher for taking it "like a Brasfield", getting back on the horse and riding back to the stables. 

He was happy to get off that horse.

BEEF PATTY, DRILL SERGEANT!

It was lunch time on the rifle range when we were told to line up for chow in the summer of 1986 at Fort McClellan Alabama.

Yesterday my son, Sean, left for boot camp in the winter of 2014. He's headed to South Carolina. I doubt they'll get much snow there, but it surely won't be like an Alabama heat wave.

Sean joined the Army National Guard, like his late uncle Scott. I was about twelve years old when Scott came home from boot camp all lean and fit. He had stories that he told me about it. I was impressed with the six mile cross country run that he told me about.  At that age, I didn't really understand what cross country running was. I imagined it was something like Motocross racing on foot. In my mind, it was all back country trails with ditches to jump and trees to hurdle.

I was in the Army Reserves. On the rifle range our drill sergeant was handing out MREs.  That's Meals Ready to Eat, not my Jill's home cooking for sure. They are non perishable high calorie meals for soldiers on the go.  Some MREs were okay. Some were barely edible, like the beef patty. The beef patty was a freeze dried piece of mystery meat that was supposed to be softened by water from your personal canteen. It was actually more like a beef puck. Getting an MRE was like getting a lottery scratch off. You never really knew what you would get, unless you took a moment to read the camouflage on camouflage print which revealed the contents.

That day on the rifle range the drill sergeant was acting like a comedian.  I reckon she didn't get enough laughs watching the trainees learn to shoot M16 rifles at human-shaped silhouette targets. (Yes, "she"!  Female drill instructors can be just as mean and even uglier than males.) Many of the mostly seventeen year old split option high school recruits had never touched a firearm before. As each one passed by for their lunch, she would ask, "what's your favorite MRE, Private?", as if she was going to dig through the box to find that particular one. Most said "beef stew",  "spaghetti with meatballs" or one of the other edible selections. Then she would verify that the MRE in her hand was NOT the favorite before handing it to him with a smile.

My turn.  "What's your favorite, Brasfield?"

"BEEF PATTY, DRILL SERGEANT!"

She looked at the beef patty meal in her hand, placed it back it the box and gave me some thing else. No way was she going to give me my "favorite".

Sean, I love you and am proud of you.  I pray you have a safe journey.  You will do well in the National Guard.

Oorah!
Dad

PS.  Write and call your Momma.

Day 12 of #40Days - Safety First

Do you ever look back and wonder why you allowed your kids to do something?

I felt that way after Madison got injured by a golf ball at my house.  Yes, a golf ball.

We were all outside.  I think Jill had gone to the store or something.  Daniel was way back in the rear of the yard, hitting a golf ball with a baseball bat.  I know, that's a lethal combination.  I thought I had made it clear to all the kids to stay back.  I should have stopped him immediately.

I was in the driveway, probably tinkering with the lawnmower.  I had a Murray that was always throwing a belt.  Daniel suddenly appeared.  He was screaming, "She's dying!  I killed her!!"

"Who?"

Then Madison came around the corner.  Her face was covered in blood.  She was bleeding from the forehead area.

Thankfully, I learned a little first aid in JROTC and Army boot camp.  A dish towel applied directly to the wound stopped the bleeding.  Once I cleaned her face up a little, I looked at the wound and saw what looked like her skull in there.  She needed stitches.

Daniel had been hitting the golf ball pretty hard with the baseball bat.  Madison walked in front of him at just the wrong moment.  Thank God it didn't hit her somewhere more vulnerable.  That kind of injury could have been serious.

Nowadays, Madison still carries the scar.  But there was no serious damage.

It was very scary for a few moments.

I can lie down and sleep soundly

because you, LORD, will keep me safe.

Psalm 4:8

God bless,
Dadofmykids

PS.  This is post #12 of 40.  Learn more here.

Day 8 of #40Days -Stand Still

For many years, I've had this speech I give the kids when we go somewhere with large crowds.  If it's a concert, sporting event, anywhere with a large parking lot, especially out of town, they're sure to hear it again.

"There are a lot of people here.  It would be easy to get separated.  If you get lost, stand still.  Don't come looking for me.  I'll come looking for you."

We took Daniel, Laken and Brooklyn to Disney World in Florida.  Brooklyn was about three years old.  In addition to the stand still speech, we put our phone numbers in their pockets.

Things were going great.  The kids were having fun.  There was a play ground.  True to Disney's style, this playground had huge characters to climb, and tunnels.  It was really nice.  A good place to rest for a few minutes while the kids played.  There was only one way in and out of the playground.  But then...

Little Brooklyn.

Brooklyn went missing.

I quickly ran through the playground looking every where.  She was not there.  Jill started to panic.  I ran out of the playground, looking frantically for both Brooklyn and for a security officer or park employee.  I found an employee and told him she was missing.  He asked what she looked like, then went to get help.  I continued to look for Brooklyn.

After a few minutes of running larger and larger circles around the playground, I saw her standing by a light pole.  Waiting for me.

She said, "I did what you said.  I stood still.  And you found me."

We were so happy and relieved.  I still get emotional thinking about it.

God says the same thing in Exodus 14:13, "Don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today."  If you get lost, you don't have to go looking for God.  He'll be looking for you.

God bless,
Dadofmykids

Day 7 of #40Days - Center of attention.

I was pretty rough on bikes.  Jumping ramps.  Popping wheelies.  Doing any stunt I could dream up.  It wasn't unusual for something to break.  With no dad in the house, I taught myself to work on them.  I took apart the rear wheel and learned that coaster brakes have a lot of parts inside.  Putting them back together proved to be a challenge.

It was common for handle bars to give out.  After tightening and re-tightening, I might find myself with handle bars that wobbled as I rode.  There was a pile of old bikes behind the storage shed in the back yard.  It was a junk yard of sorts for bicycles.  Usually, I could find about any spare part needed to make a repair.  Not this time.

I found this example on the Internet.

I had been through all the handle bars in the junk yard.  The set on my bike was absolutely useless.  So I thought up a solution.  I would try to use the bike without any handle bars.  Since I was pretty good at riding with no hands, maybe I could do the no hands stunt with no handle bars.

And it worked.  I would start by reaching down and holding the forks to get started.  After my momentum was up, I could let go and sit up straight while pedalling.  With a little more practice, I was able to start with no hands, too.

I rode the bike to school without handle bars.  When everybody noticed what I was doing, they acted like I was crazy.  I loved the attention.  Everywhere I went on the bike with no handlebars, people said something. 

It became about performing.  I wanted to be the center of attention.  It took me a lot of years to realize that.  I still like being the center of attention.  Who can resist a good pat on the back, right? 

Proverbs 16:18

First pride, then the crash—

the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.

God bless,
Dadofmykids.

PS.  This is post #7 of 40.  Learn more here.

Kids should observe a Safety Zone at the bus stop.

Blount teen recovering after being hit by a school bus

WBIR reported this story about a student who was injured when her own school bus hit her.  Basically, it sounds like she may have been standing to close to the street when the bus arrived.  Read the story for yourself.  

We have three kids in our home who ride the bus.  I walk up to the bus stop with them and wait there till the bus picks them up.  Most of the other riders' parents wait in their cars, except for one who stands with us.  This leaves the safety of most of the riders on the other parent and me. Early in the year, the students had the habit of racing to be the first one to board.  Then there are those kids who sit in their cars till the bus turns the corner to start down our street.  This combination of racing and last minute dashes left the bus coming too close to some kids for my comfort.  So I teamed up with my neighbor parent to designate a Safety Zone.  

Our Safety Zone: 
At our particular bus stop, we stand in a neighbor's driveway.  There is a crack that conveniently marks off about six feet from the road.  We ask all the kids to stay out of the safety zone, directing them to scoot back, away from the road.  We also ask that they wait till the bus comes to a complete stop before moving toward it. The result has been, first of all, no one has gotten hurt.  Secondly, most mornings, the arrival of the bus has been with much less stress than before.  

The next kid who runs out in front of the bus at the last minute because they don't want to wait out in the cold with us may subject his/her parent to a parent-to-parent conference at the car.

Please teach your bus riders to stand back until it comes to a complete stop.  

God bless, 
Dadofmykids

Heater is working! Thanks to all for your tips. Here's what happened...

This morning, I posted this because our furnace wouldn't work.  It was kinda cold upstairs. 

When I got to work, I Googled "furnace won't come on" or something like that and studied several possibilities.  There was a video on YouTube about furnace repair.  It was boring and elementary; exactly what I needed.  In it, they showed the safety button. 

A few freinds mentioned the thermocouple, too.  After bracing myself to replace the thermocouple (or thermocoupler?), I came home and removed the access panel.  Looking it over with the flashlight, I saw the safety button.  Shazaam!!  I pushed it.  And, Holy Snapoly!!, the furnace fired up!  That's our button right there.

While doing this, I noticed how dirty the air filter was.  We have five separate filters on our two units combined.  So I replaced them all with new ones.  Maybe the safety button popped because the air couldn't circulate through the dirty filters, causing the furnace to overheat.  Idk.  Just a thought.


Thanks again to all my friends who called, texted, facebooked or spoke up, offering tips and assistance. 

Now, let's see if it will work through the night.

God bless you all,
Dadofmykids

The Brasfield Nation versus Paper Targets

This was our first time at the firing range.  Each one got to shoot a .38 Special from a distance of 15-20 feet.  The older kids shot from 20 feet, while the younger ones from 15 feet.  We had a lot of fun, although I admit there were a couple of our kids who made me nervous on the lane.  

I am very proud of their shooting abilities and their attention to safety.

Tilley took this picture of Tucker taking his first shot.  This was on the computer monitor just outside the firing range.  

Notice the nice shot groups; one group at the center of the chest, the other at the base of the head.  Nice shooting, Tucker!!

Riley was next.  We went in order by age; oldest to youngest.  I was probably telling him to keep it pointed down range at all times.  It looks like a security video from a gas station.

I took this one of Tilley.  They allowed me to have two kids at a time inside the range.  

Since Asher was paired with Tilley, I sat with Asher while Tilley was shooting.  Safety First!!

Asher won his battle against the paper man.  He was aiming for the head, obviously.

KK is such a girl.  She asked me to take the first shot for her.  Then another.  Then all of them.

Whatever gets the job done, KK.  Great job!!

I wish I could have taken a picture of Levi wearing his adult sized safety glasses and ear muffs, but

it wouldn't have been safe to let him hold the gun by himself while I took his picture shooting it.  So, we kind of did this together, with him standing on the bench, my arms around him, both of our fingers on the trigger at the same time.  

In my high school days, I was on the competition rifle team in JROTC.  I was blessed to win the Memphis City Champion award my senior year, among other awards.  We shot .22 caliber long rifles.  I loved it, but haven't been on a firing range since then, until today.

The kids are already asking me if we can go back next Saturday and do it again.  It was another good day for The Brasfield Nation.

God bless you all,

Dadofmykids

PS.  I want to dedicate this post to Jilly's papaw, who passed away last night.  What a strong man of God, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.  His example is worth following.