The War

I've been having some big paradigm shifts in my thought recently. I remember, like most of you, where I was on 9/11. Eric Noll passed me in The Village at JMU and told me to go turn on the TV because a plane had flown into the Twin Towers. I didn't believe him until I saw it on the TV. A man named Osama was the mastermind. And America went after him hard for a little while, which I think was a good thing. But then there was a shift.

The Iraq War. I also remember when the US decided to attack Iraq. Shock and Awe, it certainly was and we got an up close view of it thanks to the media. I never really had any doubts about the war. I figured this was the War on Terror. Saddam was a bad guy like Osama and it would be a good thing if we got rid of him as well.

Recently, however, I have begun to question whether we should really be at war. Why is it America's job to get rid of Saddam? There are many of bad people in this world, but is it America's job to police them all. I will give Pres. Bush the benefit of the doubt that he truly believed there were weapons of mass destruction. But even so, should America have felt threatened by this. Russia had nuclear weapons, but we didn't go to war with them. What makes one dictator worthy of feeling the power of America's military strength and another not?

On top of this, I'm understanding more the reality of the horrors of war. Real people die, lots of them. When we bomb a city, of course we intend to minimize civilian casualties. But the result, nevertheless is someone's wife or child or grandparent is killed. As Christians, we need to affirm that war should be avoided unless every last single attempt to stop it has been exhausted. War is sometimes needed. The just war principle is a good guideline. But did the Iraq War qualify? Had America been attacked by Iraq or was it Osama bin Laden that attacked? What would have been the outcome if the church would have sent 300,000 missionaries instead of the US sending that number of troops? Any thoughts?

This video affirms the support of our US troops, but wishes that they were back at home with their families.

Leaving for India

Krisha and I take off for India tomorrow (Wednesday, Dec 12). We are excited about getting to hug and kiss family we haven't seen in awhile (or for me ever), eating spicy food that will leave my tongue permanently scorched, and riding on the top of trains b/c they are over-crowded. Unfortunately, someone told me that India has banned cows crossing roads. I was totally expecting to get to see this. Who knows, maybe there will be some rebel cow herders that will snub their noses at the Indian gov't and cross their cows regardless. So, the blog might be empty for a few weeks, but upon return, there will surely be pictures, stories, etc.

Ohhhh and Krisha is starting to feel the baby kick. So exciting.

Ron Paul !?!

Hey friends...I thought I would throw up a political post. I've been watching some of the debates and haven't been satisfied with most of the candidates, even in the Republican Party.

However, some friends at RTS told me about Ron Paul. He is not getting a lot of mainstream media coverage, but his popularity on the internet is huge. Krisha and I have also seen home-made signs and even people out on the streets of Orlando campaigning for him. We were like "Who is this guy?" I haven't seen any signs for other candidates yet.

Then I took a little time to hear what he had to say. I'm pretty impressed. Anyways, watch this video if you are interested in learning about his positions. It is not a waste of time, I guarantee. I'd be interested to hear what you think.

ultrasound pictures

Here are some of the highlights from the ultrasound pictures


Body shot


3D-ish Face


Baby giving kisses


It's a boy


All the pictures

ultrasound

Krisha and I saw our baby for the first time today. What an amazing moment. The ultrasound technology is so clear. We saw the baby's nose, eyes, lips, spine, heart, brain, kidneys, arms, legs, feet, and penis. Yep, we are having a boy, who I think looks strong and mighty. Enjoy the video. Pictures to come later.

Hike with the Wife

Krisha and I went hiking at a nearby State Forest. Not as beautiful as Virginia, but if you look hard, it can be found. Highlights include vultures on an old railroad pole, wildflowers, and conversation with Krisha.

Little Big Econ State Forest Loop at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: GPS, Photos & Geotagging!

New Favorite Website

I have a new favorite website that goes along with my love of hiking/being outdoors. You can upload a GPS track from a hike onto a Google map and then easily plot pictures you have taken from the trip over your track. An example of my recent bike ride is below. The gators I saw during the trip were huge (only in Florida).

Little Econ Greenway at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: GPS, Photos & Geotagging!

Also, here is another hike (Rawley Springs) that some of my blog readers may have been on.

Rawley Spring Hike, Virginia at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: GPS, Photos & Geotagging!

Naomi's Baby Shower

Here are some pictures from Naomi's Baby Shower.

Bullie High Jump and Bullieween

For those of you that like to see Zoe being her crazy self, watch this video. You get to see just how high she can jump.




Also, I thought I would include some pictures from the latest bulldog group meeting. Bullieween.



Zoe, the Lobster or as Krisha says, "Zoe, being vomited out of a lobster."



My favorite costume of the day was Augustus Caesar.



Group photo


Zoe, the Lobster being attacked by crazy bulldogs. By the way, she lost two tentacles because of their pulling.

Dog Blog

Thanks to my father-in-law, Larry, for the funny cartoon he sent me. It is a pretty accurate account of my blog lately.

Baby Whited's Heartbeat

We visited the doctor to check-up on the baby this past Monday. It was the first time we got to hear the baby's heartbeat. Pretty exciting! The video below has the baby's heartbeat. Take a listen and rejoice with us.

Note: the recording of the heartbeat has background noise in it. It might help to be in a quiet room or put headphones on. There is also some crackling, which is not the heartbeat. Listen for the quick, low, "duh-duh-duh-duh."

Ft Lauderdale Vacation

Krisha and I went on an extended weekend vacation to Ft. Lauderdale. We had a lot of fun, but instead of reading about it, watch the video.

Zoe, our Crazy Bully (cont.)

Ok, so this video is even clearer and a better representation of Zoe in her crazy mode. Enjoy.

Also, if you are getting sick of seeing bullie posts, then be glad, because in the next few days I'm going to be varying the topic.

Bullie Babies

I think I have mentioned before that Krisha and I occasionally go to these meetups of English Bulldogs. So much snorting and sniffing. It really is a crazy time. Oh and did I mention that Zoe upchucks at nearly every meeting as well, because she is so excited.

But the real reason for posting this is to show you a video of five 6-week old bullies that someone had brought. They are so cute that it makes us want to breed Zoe. Enjoy.

Zoe Art

More art from Krisha.

Krisha Crafts

I thought I would dote on my talented wife for a bit. She recently made some fun crafts. I only took a picture of one of them, but we had a fun time making them together. Krisha definitely did the majority of the work, including the cool paint job and decoration. I installed the hardware. Go Team Whited!!! Thanks to Tabitha Lookabill for the inspiration.

Also, we got a new camera because I seem to have misplaced the other one. So, yay to having pictures again.



dote = to bestow or express excessive love or fondness habitually

Zoe, our crazy Bullie!

Krisha has been wanting me to stick up a video of Zoe in one of her wild and crazy states. If you've never seen one, then here is a taste. If you have, then you know a little about it and hopefully she didn't run into your knee when you did see it...because it hurts. We actually think she might be manic-depressive because she goes from the state in the video to sprawled out and lazy for several hours.

(Sorry the video quality isn't the best. It is from a cell phone. If I ever get a better camera, I'll post with that.)

Love Your Neighbor, Warts and All!

So, Krisha and I have a new neighbor, but it is probably not what you think. I went out the other day to water the plants on our balcony. As I was watering the avocado plant, which I grew from a seed (By the way, I have found growing an avocado tree from a seed quite rewarding. I think it would be neat to grow plants from seeds with children to teach them how God makes things grow.), I came across a startling discovery.

There was a rather large, grayish white frog sitting in a pot partially filled with water. After the initial shock of seeing this unexpected visitor, I was glad he had come to visit. I figured that he might eat some of the bad insects that are known to frequent our porch. And it was also reminder of a young childhood memory I had. There used to be a toad that lived in the missing brick of a patio my parent's had. Unfortunately, he was gone the next time I went out to look for him. But he has come back for one night since then and I hope that he will visit again sometime soon.

Best Friends come to Orlando

Krisha and I have been very blessed the past two weeks with some of our best friends visiting Orlando. Two weeks ago, my wife surprised me by having my best friends Jon Bonker and Eric Noll show up in Orlando. We had a great time doing guy things. Jon came first. We canoed Long Lake by RTS, something I had been meaning to do for awhile. Then Eric shows up, feeling competitive. Eric and Jon challenged me to some rounds of disc golf. I won't tell you how many handicaps I had to give them and still managed to beat them in the first game at least. The second one we tied. After disc golf, they challenged me to a mental game of skill, Hearts. It felt so good to drop the Queen of Spades to Bonker. This game was close, but I again squeaked out the victory. These victories were much needed because I had recently been in a game losing streak. Overall, it really was a great time among best friends. Props to my wonderful wife for a great birthday present!!!

Then, this past weekend, Krisha's friend Heidi came. We had a great time. On Saturday, we went to Deleon Springs. Unfortunately, we arrived after the Make-your-own-Pancake restaurant closed. But, we still had fun swimming, throwing the frisbee, and catching up.

Ohh, and Krisha pushed me into the water, can you believe it?



Unbelievable!!! :)

I'm curios, what is Kurios Caching?

So, for awhile, I've been meaning to explain the meaning of my blog title. The meaning is nothing fancy and I'm not sure if it makes 100% sense. I think most of us have been there. You sign up for something and are asked for a username or in this case a title. Most of the time, I would just use a simple name, but for my blog, I wanted to be cool, so I put on my thinking cap. Cool, or not, this is what I was thinking at the time.

Having recently studied Greek in seminary, the word for Lord is kurios. I had the first word in my title. Next, I wanted a word that would tie this reference to Jesus and my devotion for Him into my life. Some of you know, I have gotten interested in geocaching. The idea of geocaching is to find small hidden treasures on the earth using coordinates and a GPS. The cache part being a hidden object that is stored away and to be used at a later date. Perfect, I would take the caching and make kurios caching. So, the final meaning having something to do with storing away thoughts about the Lord for later recollection or in this case for others to see. So, that is the title of my blog. I hope this blog occasionally reminds you of Jesus and His greatness.

Renu got Married

This is a little late, but for anyone who didn't know. Krisha's sister, Renu, got married to Bryan Musslewhite on April 21. (Sorry, Dr. Chris France, you missed your opportunity to win over this beautiful lady. By the way, a big congrats to Dr. France, who is the first real doctor friend that I know.) Krisha and I had a great time at the wedding. I got to meet a few of Krisha's relatives from India, including: Uncle Kish, a free spirit who loves to travel and has offered to take me to the Himalayans in India; Cousins Sumit and Mohit, a pair of friendly brothers who run a fertilizer business; and Sumit's son, Karan, aka the Great Wall of China because of his keeper skills.

Other highlights included seeing my family, Krisha bringing out the Michael Jackson dance, visiting the highpoint of Roanoke City, Mill Mountain Star, and visiting a geocache, which was very close to where Krisha and I started dating.

For more pictures of the wedding, click here.

My Grandfather's Account of the Attack on Pearl Harbor

The following post contains a letter written from my grandfather, Robert Whited, who is no longer living, to my father (Robert's son). It contains his account of the events of the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Any text within [brackets] indicates a note I've added to help the letter make sense to a broader audience.

Aug – 1 Sept. 91

Dear Brian,

Thank you for the nice birthday card. Couldn’t find anything that was worth a damn anywhere here – this really is a hick town [Bull Head City, Arizona] for all the talk of progress so I was going to write you one anyway – now there’s another reason – PHSA [Pearl Harbor Survivors Association]. Well, where to start. I was aboard the ANTARES (AKS-3). She was an old 1918 hog islander, originally the S.S. NEDMAC. She displaced 5000 tons, 400’ x 54’ with a mean draft of 11’. Really not much of a ship but not many of our train ships were. Our flank speed was 11.5 knots. We were a general store issue ship home ported in San Pedro. The Antares was a target towing ship just [a] few years before while on the east coast, but [the] designation changed to AKS about 1938 when she joined the Pacific fleet. In 1940 & 41 we carried a lot of misc cargo to such out of the way places like Midway and Palmyra Island. In between times we moored in Pearl and issued small stores – rags, diesel spare parts and toilet paper. Sometimes we would take Commander Base Force [the commander of the base] aboard. The early part of 41 we took him and his family to Hilo, Hawaii for 4 days.

We had about 145 men aboard and the ship was really strict and squared away – inspection every Sat until noon with rope yarn Sundays [a time usually set aside for easy chores] and Wednesdays starting 1200 (not 1159 either).

This is a little background on the ship and conditions. Well, about mid October 41 we were assigned to tow 4 barges loaded with army supplies and all 4 holds loaded as well to go to Canton Island. – The army was to set up an air base. We carried the civilian contractor personnel aboard.

Well, we made it, but with 3 barges, lost 1 due to heavy weather.


Canton Island – a T shaped building owned by Pan Am Clipper. The top of the tee was the hotel section – the vertical line was their store room. The parallelogram in the center was the dragged area for the clipper landing. The x was an English gov’t rep [?home?]. The □ was a coral black house set up by Astrology people to observe an eclipse sometime in late 30’s. And the . on the tip was 125’ metal tower for communications. The Antares laid off shore going back and forth off loading supplies to the other side. Well after a week of this, really bad weather blew up and at the same time the Pan Am warehouse caught fire. We needed that warehouse to keep the army’s frozen meat in. We sent our fire and rescue team ashore with our handy billy pump [portable gas powered water pump]. I was the SM [signal man] on the team. The Antares had to lay off, well off out of sight. The hotel wouldn’t put us up despite our fighting their fire (they had no pressure in their water line). So after 14 hours, the fire was put out so we all walked down the strand to the coral house, it did give us some shelter until the storm blew over. We collected rain water which was all we needed. After 4 days our O in C [officer in charge] of the party was a LtJG [Lieutenant Junior Grade / officer 2] – USNR [United States Naval Reserve] – quite a good chap with a lot of smarts. Well, he told me to climb the tower to see if the Antares was in sight. I did and told him the Antares was not in sight but a 3 stack Cruiser was. Well he turned white as a sheet – the point ? someone knew something, but I wasn’t one of them.

About a week later a destroyer came in to escort us back to Pearl (another strange event). We completed off loading and were directed to Palmyra Island to pick up a barge and tow it to Pearl.

Late Saturday nite we came across a Cruiser div [division] patrolling. Guess this was about 50-60 n.m.[nautical miles] south. Our DD [destroyer] escort left us and joined up with them.

I had the 4-8 watch besides that [I would have been outside because of] my anchor detail anyway. Well we had to wait until the tug KEOSANQUA came out and relieved us of the tow. We were all looking forward to a bit of liberty. The sea detail was set. About 0615 Vargas – Cox – BMOW [boatswain mate of the watch] alerted the bridge to an object in the water half way between us and the tow – Cdr. Grannes (C.O.) [Commanding Officer] shouted “Submarine” – about that time Murphy – SM1 [signal man 1st class] tried to notify the WARD, a DD on anti sub patrol but they had already seen it and at 0637 opened fire – dead on first round. We couldn’t do as good even if we had weapons. It truly was the best firing that I had ever seen. She straddled it the first round. It didn’t look anything like an SS [submarine]. It was more like an elongated barrel. Anyway, the time I noted in the QM notebook was 0637. I don’t know what time the Ward put down but I’m sure with her being credited with firing the first shot would be the accepted official time which is OK with me. Anyway we dawdled off the entrance still between 2-4 miles out. 0755 came and we could clearly see what was going on at Hickam A/F [airfield] and the smoke at Ford Island. We in turn were heavily straffed, the bridge, chart house, and radio shack were all wood. The Bridge was abandoned for the few moments of each straffing run but at our speed it wouldn’t make any difference. Our main battery was a 30 cal. rail mounted machine gun which was in the armory out of commission.

I remember jumping from the bridge to the 02 level, thru the sky light over the wardroom table. Breakfast dishes were still on the table down the passageway to the well deck. I stayed there thru 3 separate strafing runs. There was a rifle cabinet with 6-30 [double aught] rifles enclosed in glass with a lock on it. I was going to break the glass but there was no ammo in it. This was the peace time navy. Anyway, after the strafing we re-manned the bridge and made our way into Honolulu HR [harbor] mooring to the dynamite wharf – though we didn’t know it at the time. Wasn’t very glamorous was it and I doubt if anyone in the whole area was any more scared than we were. This was the day I first smoked a cigarette and never quit. It wasn’t during the day that the shakes started, it was at nite – but all day I expected we would at least be called to go and assist but leadership was shattered and I did think about that long and hard. To this day, Brian, I get flash backs about what happened.

It was two days later when we went into Pearl. All I can say it was a good thing the carriers were not there. Also, the fleet used to anchor off Lahina on the Island of Maui, had they been there and the Japanese attacked them there then we would have had nothing left to salvage – that’s a deep water anchorage.

People ask me what we did at Pearl and I tell them we wiped the ass of the fleet until we ran out of toilet paper. I say this jokingly of course. I was transferred to a light cruiser shortly afterward – the U.S.S. Columbia (CL56).

I met a man quite by accident here in BHC [Bull Head City] who joined the Antares in June of 42 and stayed with her till the end of the war. He told me two 5” 38 guns were added, one forward and one aft. Also he knew a lot of the guys I knew and it was good. Haven’t seen him in awhile.

Well, my dear Son, I hope you can read this and understand what I wrote – an author I’m not. Guess I could have said, “I was off the entrance with a barge in tow waiting for a tug.” Hardly anything worth getting a medal for, but I’ll apply for it one of these days. Oh, that 3 stack cruiser at Canton Island, it turned out to be an Australian, the Japanese weren’t the only ones who had them. Now we know why LtJG Oates turned white.

Once again, have a most happy birthday.

Love,
Dad

That ends the letter. But, if you are interested in the relevant official naval ship reports of the events of Dec 7 you can find them below.

• USS Antares
• USS Ward

Spring Break Visit Home

I traveled out of Orlando for a few days last week during Spring Break. There were two reasons for doing so.

1. To play Ultimate Frisbee with old JMU alumni at a reunion tourney, Fools Fest.
2. Fools Fest was in Fredericksburg, so I got to see my family.

The tournament was okay. It was great to see a lot of my old Hellfish. We didn't play that hot though. 1-6 on the weekend. And some of the teams we played were not fun at all. Players making bad calls and not honoring Spirit of the Game. I could go on, but will stop.

I also got to see my family and had a great time with them. My sister picked me up from Dulles Int'l Airport in DC. While waiting for my dad to pick me up, I hopped on the Metro to do a little sightseeing. I went to Arlington Cemetery and saw the Changing of the Guard and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I saw several school groups and was thankful that they took time to watch the ceremony. Maybe most of the students didn't care, but in a society that I think is increasingly becoming uncaring, this ceremony, at least for a moment, pulled them the other way towards caring about people that fought for the dignity of human life.

The other reason for going to Arlington Cemetery was to see my Grandmother's grave. I never knew her, but have only heard great things about her. This excursion was a part of a new hobby to learn more about my family history. Hopefully, I will write more about that later. One quick teaser I obtained over this trip. My grandfather wrote a letter to my father before his death detailing his experience of being at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Also, while sightseeing, I went to the highpoint of DC, Fort Reno. This is not one of the official 50 states, but since I was in town, I thought the visit would be interesting. Unfortunately, it was not that glamorous. If you want to read more, goto my highpointing page, click here.

Zoe's Lampshade

It has been awhile since I've written. I'm staying busy with school right now. I hope this makes you laugh, though. Zoe had been scratching her face for a long time and we couldn't get her to stop. So, we got the lampshade. Now every time we get home, we have an eager bully waiting to see us...but with a lampshade.

(^_^)

Eric, Bonker, and Josh might find this interesting...I met up with one of Jack Miller's converts a few weeks ago. Bob Heppe is a missionary with our church (University Presbyterian) here in Florida. He works over in London with World Harvest and had come back on a furlough. Our church's mission committee took him out to eat, so I got to listen to him tell a good number of stories. It was reminiscent of Sonship (or is it Billship) hearing him talk. What was also interesting is that as he told of his conversion experience, it reminded me of a story I had read from Jack Miller's book a Faith Worth Sharing and sure enough he confirmed that he was the kid in an asphalt parking lot where Jack Miller came to share the gospel among a bunch of hooligans. He eventually was brought into the kingdom of God and then went on to marry Jack's daughter. Crazy.

On another note, Krisha and I had a fun and rather unique Valentine's Day. We went over to the local community center where I had recently discovered they had a rock wall. I don't know why we did this, but we decided to eat some Mexican food before climbing. I think it weighed me down, but I did manage to get to the top a few times. We had a lot of fun, but I realized that I need to lose some weight.

As the Westminster Larger Catechism Q136 says:
What are the sins forbidden in the sixth commandment?
Answer: The sins forbidden in the sixth commandment are, all taking away the life of ourselves,[1] or of others,[2] except in case of public justice,[3] lawful war,[4] or necessary defense;[5] the neglecting or withdrawing the lawful and necessary means of preservation of life;[6] sinful anger,[7] hatred,[8] envy,[9] desire of revenge;[10] all excessive passions,[11] distracting cares;[12] immoderate use of meat, drink,[13] labor,[14] and recreations;[15] provoking words,[16] oppression,[17] quarreling,[18] striking, wounding,[19] and: Whatsoever else tends to the destruction of the life of any.[20]

a great break

I've been back in Florida for awhile and only finally getting around to posting. It was really a great time. I saw a great number of friends and family, a new year befell, my sister got married, I climbed two more highpoints, and my wife and I picked up a "new for us" 1990 Volvo with only 40,000 miles.

Getting up to Virginia was a blessing in itself. A wonderful family in our bible study was heading up to Harrisonburg for a winter ski trip. They were taking a van and had room for Zoe and myself to tag along. This was great because we were picking up the Volvo to drive back down. Krisha was able to get a cheap plane ticket and meet us up a week later.

In Harrisonburg, another great family friend let me stay with them and borrow an extra car they had. Zoe had a fun time playing with their kids. Zoe even met a horse that she enjoyed sniffing. While in Harrisonburg, Zoe and I also traveled over West Virgina and conquered Spruce Knob.

It was then down to Richmond, where I met up with Krisha and celebrated Christmas with Krisha's extended family. Zoe got to meet two dachshunds here. Unfortunately, they did not get along very well. Much barking was heard.

Then it was over to Roanoke. I headed over to Mt. Rogers and climbed that highpoint, which was absolutely beautiful. (If you want to read more about my highpointing trips and see some pictures, go to www.climbinghighwithbrian.blogspot.com.

Then the real fun began. A large group of college friends got together. There were multiple games of Settlers of Catan. (Unfortunantly, I had lost my touch and could not pull out a single victory. Andrew also joined me as the Supreme Losers of Catan. Josh would be the Supreme Lord of Catan with two wins.) Bar none, the best event was the White Elephant exchange, which included such gifts as a taxidermy dog, pickled pig's feet, and items from Chris France such as an IPOD, computer, and underwear.


Next, it was over to Fredericksburg for my sister's wedding. While in Fredericksburg, Zoe got to meet her future bullie husband, Wyland. Wyland was one of the things that inspired Krisha and I to get a bulldog. He lives across from my parents. If they ever to have babies, we plan on calling the boys, Wylies and the girls, Zoelands.

The wedding was beautiful and I'm very excited for the newly married couple. They invited me to read the Scripture for the wedding, which I was grateful to be a part of. The selection was Jonah 2, which is the prayer that Jonah says from inside the great fish. The concluding verse in this chapter is, "Then the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land." This will probably be the first and last time I get to say the word vomit at a wedding service. If you want to know how Jonah 2 fits into a wedding service, you will have to track down the groom.

Krisha and I are now back in Orlando. She just finished a Hebrew class and did very well. I have one year of seminary left to go. And then it is off to ....