Denver, Colorado ("my home!"), 6:19 p.m., M.T.~

Howdy, folks!  "Tornado" here, as in "Tornado" Joe Dorman.

I am finally back home, after weeks of chasing storms.  It feels good to be on my home turf again, with the wife and kiddies!  I have missed them terribly; somehow, chatting on the phone (or on the NutNut) doesn't seem to be the same.

It seems that svr wx season is winding down.  Checked NOAA today; no svr tstrms forecasted.  A quiet lull in the pattern, after weeks of activity.

This year took me to Louisiana.  Texas (several times).  Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska (ditto).  The Dakotas.  Tennessee.  Kentucky.  Ohio.  Logged lots of miles on ol' StormWind (my chase vehicle; she's a sunset-orange Hummer).  Also have the empty pockets to prove it:  spent money on gas, food, lodging; I'm purt' near broke right now.  Will have to go back to my regular job, which is working at a factory.

It will be good to get some cold hard cash again; I need it to pay the bills!

(I start back to work on Tuesday.  Tomorrow is my last day of peace and quiet; I plan on sleeping all day.)

Also have to get some hail dents taken off of ol' StormWind; she took a pounding in Texas.  Grapefruit sized hail.  Had to replace the windows twice when baseballs were tossed down from the heavenlies.  Not to mention, grapefruits (that'll leave a mark....). 

More money gone, even before I go back to work.  *Sighhh*  Such is the life of an intrepid stormhunter!  No wonder I'm always having to depend on loan companies or family to get me out of another financial jam!

I'm not complaining; my boss is good, very understanding.  He knows that's part of the territory with what I do.  He wants to go next year with me (and he's a stormphobe!).  I showed him several of my piccys, and he's like "WOW!  I'd love to see that in person!"

I wonder if he'll scream like a little girl when a tor is chasing us or lightning sizzles right outside the chase vehicle!  LOL  Or when hail does its noisy dance on StormWind.  Hmm.  Gonna be interestin' ...

I'm not complaining because the Lord God got me through yet another (potentially deadly) season of storms.  He's my pilot; He protects me from the storms, even when I'm smack dab in the middle of the bear's cage, when the storm is ragin' in all of her glory.  I rely on the Biblical verse of Psalm 91.  That's my key in staying safe (plus I know the rules on how to avoid trouble on a chase).

Gotta use common sense when you chase or else the storm will eat you up like burgers and fries.

Lost a friend last year because he didn't use common sense: drove right into a tornado; tor flipped his car; he was killed.  He was only 24; left behind a wife and baby girl.  Such a shame!  It didn't have to happen!

He was inexperienced; guess the tor's power got to him.  It did:  it got him an early ticket to the grave.  

Guess he thought he was invincible.  The tor had other plans.

I am looking forward to going back to church on Sundays.  I go to Whispering Hope Assembly of God Church here in Denver:  it's where I met Becky, my wife.  I was a young maverick back then; didn't know God, but then she introduced me to Him; the rest is history.

We have two beautiful children:  a girl, Harleigh Hope (six; we adopted her from China when she was two; she's been nothing but a blessing in our lives!), and a littler boy, Skylar Joseph (two; you can guess where he got the middle name:  from me, his daddy!).  Skylar is handicapped:  he was born with cerebral palsy; however, he has a beautiful spirit about him; nobody is ever the same after they meet him.

It is good to see them:  the other day when I got home, Harleigh leapt into my arms, and smothered me with kisses; as for Skylar, he cried with joy; he really missed his big, strong daddy!  Well, the feeling's mutual: I missed them, too, and I especially missed Becky.

God's certainly blessed me by giving me a good paying job, a hobby I love, and a beautiful family, not to mention, a wonderful church.  I wish all people could experience His sovereignty, His grace, His Agape Love.  The world would be much better off if more people knew about God!!

Harleigh is calling me; she wants to play Chutes and Ladders.  She absolutely loves that game!  (Didn't go to church tonight; still recuperating from my long season-long storm soujourn; I'll make it back next Sunday.)  I will run along for now; will check in from time to time; maybe sooner if some storms decide to get their butts in action!  Until then, this is Tornado Joe Dorman saying so long!  May God bless you as much as He's been blessing me!

~"Tornado Joe".   :)