I've been on the blog for quite some time now and one thing I've always wanted to do was to share my fortunes with anyone who takes the time to read what I have to say.  Of course, if we were talking about the fortunes that I've made in my tenure at Duke, then I think I have already shared my fortunes with 2/3 of my blog's readership (taking into account that I do read my own blog occasionally).

Fortunately (a word whose root word is "fortune"), I'm not planning on expanding the sharing of those fortunes.  People would be like "Hey, thirty bucks!  Thanks, Stephen, what is this, my gas tax holiday advance, you cheap sonofagun?"  No, the fortunes I plan on sharing are those from fortune cookies.  Anyone who knows me well knows that my top visited restaurants are Grace's Cafe, China Buffet, and Shanghai.  So, today, I share my fortunes with you.

Yesterday, we went to Grace's and I got the Kung Pao Shrimp.  As spicy as it was, I somehow managed to keep my large colon.  The fortune was:

Well, if I'm going to take a chance in the near future and win, I'm definitely going to play the numbers on the back (14, 10, 30, 31, 22, and 8).  The one thing I like about Grace's is that you can have a cheeseburger, fries, and top it off with a fortune cookie.

Today, we went to China Buffet, as it was Richard's turn to buy.  Generally, it is Richard's turn to buy considering he usually makes a combined total of Ken and my salaries.  Today's fortune:

Again, another one speaking of making money.  More numbers to play!  WOO!  OH, and hey...on the back, it says "receipt" for learning Chinese.  (I don't have the chinese keyboard to share it with y'all...sorry!) 

Honestly, I'm expecting my next fortune to say something along the lines of "Go ahead and waste a dollar with this:  Lucky numbers 3, 6, 11, 13, 15, 21"

I told Ken that my plan is to have a restaurant with fortune cookies that also sells lottery tickets.  Talk about saving a step!!!

So, this morning while I was trying to get on I-85, I looked to my left and I saw a truck coming down and not much else.  As I neared the end of the on-ramp, the truck was about a third of the way past the end of the on-ramp.  Not being one to stop at the end of the on-ramp (an offense which should be punishible by death), I continue travelling on the shoulder waiting for the truck to pass.

Well, the truck doesn't exactly pass.  He holds his speed just a hair faster than mine, and he gets halfway over into the other lane.  I realize that he had every right to be in the right lane if he wanted to be, but don't make a half-attempt to feel good about helping out your fellow man.

So today's driving tip:  If you can get over, get over!  If you're going to get over, get over all the way!

Between prayer requests for Johnny Ray, I was actually doing other things last month.  For instance, I was struggling with Samsung to get my home theater repaired, and then replaced.  (Once I re-host the pics elsewhere, I will post the story.) 

I found a really good deal on PeachTree accounting software, so next year, it looks like I will have an official business!  Yay!  I'll be accounted for and stuff.  I'll get to see how much money I'm really losing. 

Uhm...not many changes around the White Household.  The spring things are coming into bloom, and everything is looking better than it looked during the winter.  (And it looks much better since I bush-hogged the yard...well, it could've used a bush-hog, but I managed to git-r-done with the lawn mower.)

Things are going pretty well with me otherwise.  More news as it becomes available.

-S 

Prayers have been answered. Johnny Ray Henderson is home! Doctors have been amazed by how Johnny Ray suddenly began to respond to treatments and have released him to go home. Saturday his mom and dad threw a welcome home party. They told Johnny Ray last Monday that when he could go home they would give him a welcome home party...and they did.

He is still very limited in what he can do. His heart is so damaged that he simply cannot do the things he did before he went to the hospital.

The doctors say Johnny Ray is in desperate need of the heart operation he went in to get and didn't get, or a new heart. For right now, they plan to operate with in 6 weeks if possible. If not, then he remains at the top of the list for a heart.

Hey y'all, I just got this update on Johnny Ray's condition.

Johnny Ray has been moved to a step down. He had a really good day yesterday, but today was really bad. He was having problems breathing, and his numbers went down and he couldn't talk he was so short of breath.
 
The doctors told the family that prior to this surgery he was one of their huge success patients, he no longer is. They do not think he will ever be able to live a completely normal life now. There is simply too much damage to the heart.
 
Needless to say the family are struggling with this new news. Please continue to pray for all of them, and Johnny Ray as each day is a new challenge.

God has proven the doctors to be wrong once before, and the opportunity is there for him to do it again.  Please continue to lift Johnny Ray and his family in your prayers.

-S

Hey y'all!  Just got this update on little Johnny Ray.  Here it is... 

Johnny Ray had a very good day! We are all praising God for the giant steps that were taken today. Johnny Ray is off the vent and breathing on his own! He is doing breathing treatments every hour, but other wise his breathing is really good. He is down to 2 IV's, his urinary catheter has been removed. He has been awake some today, and talking a little. Late this afternoon they began to cut the pace-maker back to see what his heart will do without the pacemaker. So far so good, but they are going in tiny little steps.
 
We are all so very pleased with his progress, and we KNOW God is in control, and HE is a mighty and awesome God!

Keep praying.  It keeps working!

-S 

Just received this update.  

Johnny Ray is no better, but also no worse. The doctors would like to be able to get him awake enough to get him off of the ventilator, but admitted they do not know how his heart will react when he is awake, alert and breathing on his own. With him laying there, not moving and the machine breathing for him, his heart is doing good. They did another echo cardiogram yesterday and it showed no improvement in the heart's ability to function. They are still hopeful that some of the paralysis to the right side of the heart is just temporary. As they have been cutting back on the sedation medication Johnny Ray has been waking up and is really frightened, and wants Mama and Daddy to hold him, and they cannot due to the chest incision. It has been a really long and hard day for Penny and Chris.

Please keep Johnny Ray and his family in your prayers! 

-S

Hey y’all, here’s a prayer request I’m passing along from a friend at church.  It’s for a young boy named Johnny Ray Henderson.  Three years ago, he was born with half a heart to Penny and Chris Henderson.  Doctors at Duke were able to create the other half of his heart to enable him to live a somewhat close to normal life.  He’s done much better than the doctors had expected and until recently has had the appearance of a normal and very healthy boy, running and playing like any other 3 year old.

Prior to his third (and most serious) surgery, he begged “mama, don’t make me go with them…they are going to hurt me, and there isn’t anything wrong with my heart.”  Tragically, Johnny was right.  While doctors were attempting to remove a tremendous amount of scar tissue to expose the heart, they nicked an artery hidden within the scar tissue, immediately turning the operation from heart reconstruction to a life and death situation.  Eventually they were able to repair the artery and stop the bleeding.  The doctors told the mother that had that happened to an adult, the result would have been a massive heart attack.

Johnny Ray was placed on heavy sedation over the next few days as they wanted to give his body a chance to heal.  Though he had a slight heart attack in the early hours of Wednesday morning paralyzing the lower right chamber of his heart, the arteries on that side have been managing to keep blood flow.  He was then placed on the transplant list due to the severe damage.  At the time, doctors did not know whether the paralysis was permanent or not.

At three PM yesterday, the family was called in as Johnny Ray was rushed to the OR.  They had to place his heart on a pacemaker and his status on the heart transplant list was upgraded to “Immediate.”

Today, he is in a drug induced coma, though being a typical wild three year old, they have been having difficulty keeping him there as he is fighting to be awake.  The doctors are pleased at this point, as last night and today have been good thus far.  He is still on a ventilator, which may be coming off tomorrow.  He is currently at the top of the donor list at Duke, and near the top for the nation.  (Child and infant hearts are very scarce.)

Before Johnny Ray’s birth the mom and dad had placed him in God’s hands the day of the ultrasound when the doctor told them his heart wasn’t forming as it should.  He is still there and they can feel God’s presence with them.

Pray for them, and please pass this along to anyone you can.

I’ll try to pass along updates as I receive them.

-S 

Well, to avoid wasting your time in flipping back and forth from three different surveys, I posted them together as one BIG survey.  Enjoy yourselves, copy if you want to!

Besides your mouth, where is your favorite spot to get kissed?
Between the jaw and the ear.

Were you happy when you woke up today?
No...infernal alarm clock woke me up.

Are you happy now?
For the most part.

Do you eat candy on a daily basis?
I often eat mints.

Who was the last person you ate with?
Shanda last night.

Can you live a day without television?
Yes.  I could live a long time without TV.  Internets, not so much.

When was the last time you saw your dad?
Mama's birthday.

How many pets do you have?
6 (In case you forget the numbers, it's 3 dogs, 2 cats, 1 betta fish)

Relationship status?
Married

What is your favorite color?
Green (though Orange is quickly growing on me)

What are you doing for your next birthday?
JUNTOBERFEST!!!

Any plans for this weekend?
I'm sure there are...Shanda usually has something to keep me out of trouble.  :)

What were you doing at 12 last night?
Sleeping or trying to.

Have you ever had a life threatening injury?
Nope...went to the ER twice in my toddling days, though...once for a head injury, and once for pulling granddaddy's hot coffee on myself.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Who says I gotta grow up?  :-P

Do you like flying or driving?
DRIVING!!!  I'll drive anywhere, where you wanna go?

What is your favorite thing to spend money on?
Electronics.

Do you wear any jewelery daily?
Wedding ring - always
Watch & high school class ring - Almost always

Are you mad about anything?
Generally, no.

What time did you go to sleep last night?
Not sure.

List a fact about the last person you hugged?
She's married to a devilishly handsome man.

Where is the next place you will drive to?
Home.

Do you want to get married & have kids one day?
A.  Once is enough, don't ya think?
B.  A few.

Do you curse a lot?
Moreso at work than anywhere else.  I tend to use substitute words to amuse myself, though.

Do you have long hair or short hair?
Short.

Do you like ice cream?
Mmmmmmmm....yes, especially homemade!

What does the last text in your inbox say?
Heh?

Do you get jealous easily?
Over some things.

Are you of great importance in someone else's life?
Of course!  Didn't you know the world wouldn't turn without me?

Is someone a great importance in your life?
Yes, and she has a devilishly handsome husband.  :-)

Is there anybody that knows your deepest, darkest secret?
Uh, would it be a secret if someone knew it?

Who taught you to tie your shoes?
A TV commercial, IIRC.  (Daddy taught me to double-knot.)

Do you usually sing while showering?
Yes.  (No further comments.)

Whats something that really grosses you out?
Squishing of bugs.  Yeech...that cracklesquish sound makes me wanna purge!

Do you stick up for what you believe in?
Generally, yes.

If you could go back in time would you?
I've already been.

Do you use your middle finger often?
IDK, what do you think?  ;-)

What's annoying you right now?
Sounds of the server farm next door.

Are you a really understanding person?
Yes, I like to understand things.

Do you know anyone who's addicted to any drugs?
Probably.

It's a Saturday night, what are you doing?
No, it's Thursday afternoon, and I'm filling in a survey.

Do you like the life you're living?
Overall, it's not bad.

The phone rings; what is your ringtone?
I get Rickrolled each time my phone rings.

Who is your last text from?
Ken.

Last time you talked to your mom?
It's been awhile.

Where are you right now?
At work.  :-P

What color is your phone?
Which one?  All together, there's grey, white, blue, and black.

How is your hair?
Fine thanks, and yours?

Any complaints?
I'd like a vacation.

Whats the latest you stayed up in the past week?
Not very late, probably.

What are you doing?
Typing.

Have you been in a car accident?
Yes...poor truck, but we got him fixed up.

What is the last thing you said aloud?
I have no clue...

Who's the 1st person on your missed calls list?
Probably someone I was trying to dodge...

Story behind your MySpace song?
I searched for bagpipes one day...

Do you care if people hate you for no reason?
Yes.  I'd much rather give someone a reason to hate me than to have them hating me aimlessly.

How was your day today?
So far, so good.

Do you have any special talents?
I do impressions of unfamous people like my grandaddy and our FedEx guy here at work.

Do you regret anything about your past?
Who doesn't?

Do people ever mistake you for being a different race?
No.  In fact, whereas most people get mail addressed to "The Smith Family", we get mail that says "That White Family."

Do you collect anything?
Money...like old coins, old style paper bills, etc.

Would you tattoo someone's name on your body?
No tats for me, thanks.

What do you worry about the most?
Failing at stuff...nothing in particular.

Do you have any friends with "benefits"?
Yes, and she has a devilishly handsome husband.  :)

How old were you when you moved out of your parents house?
Right around 21½.

Who do you miss right now?
The girl with the devilishly handsome husband.  :)

Are you drinking anything?
Not ATM.

Do you like beer? If so, what one?
Dunno, never tried it.

Do you carry any form of contraceptive with you?
No.

Do you have any weapons for personal protection?
I'm good at acting like I'm insane, does that count?

What is the last restaurant you ate at?
TGIF, was the last real restaurant I went to, I believe.

What is your favorite fruit?
Hrmmm...probably peaches.

Do you believe "Once a cheater, always a cheater"?
Depends on the person.

What is a goal you would like to complete this year?
I'd like to pay off 2 credit cards.

Last person you had an arguement with?
In my head, just now, over who I last argued with.

Have you ever ran away from home?
Nope.

Where were you 2 hours ago?
Same place I am now.

Favorite concert you have been to?
One of the Christian concerts at Carowinds we went to with the church...it started raining and it was fun.  :)

Are you listening to music?
No.

Describe the shirt you are wearing?
Blue with a Duke 75th Anniversary logo on it.

Do you know anyone named Bob?
Yeah, at least one or two.

What is your favorite candy?
I love Icebreakers Mints.

Do you take your daily vitamins?
No.

What color is your vehicle?
Brown.

Where is your most ticklish spot?
My sides.

Last thing you bought from Walgreens?
I dunno if I've ever bought anything from Walgreens.

What do you think about the president?
I liked him a lot better when gas was under $2.00/gal.

What are your favorite pizza toppings?
Pretty much anything, but I do love me a good veggie pizza.

How much money do you have on you?
I think about 16 dollars or so.

When did you last go swimming?
Sometime last year, I think.

How old are you parents?
58

What is your greatest fear?
Failure.

When did you last hold a baby?
It's been awhile...

If you had the oportunity to open a store, what would you sell?
It would probably be a restaurant.

What did you last cook?
Wow...when was the last time I cooked?!?

Do you have over 200 MySpace friends?
That would be a no.

How many splash points do you have on www. {DELETED!} .com?
Uh...Yeah.  not only am I going to not answer this question, I'm going to delete the website.  ;)

What is your favorite piece of furniture you own?
Well, I like the chest of drawers we have for our movies to go in...but I like the dinette, too.

Where is your favorite place to eat?
At home.

What is your favorite movie theater?
The Starlite.  :-(

Do you have a favorite number?
Pi.


For these, You Can Only Type ONE Word
Not as easy as you may think........

Where is your cell phone?
holster

Boyfriend/girlfriend?
wife

Your hair?
short

Shoes?
big

Kids?
none

Your favorite thing?
peace

Your dream last night?
missing

Your favorite drink?
Tea

Your dream car?
TRUCK

The room you're in?
Office

Your ex?
Texan

How smart are you?
Smrt!

Your fear?
Failure

Where were you last night?
home

What you're not doing right now?
anything

Muffins?
Sure

One of your wish list items?
money

Where you grew up?
Dafork

The last thing you did?
answered

What are you wearing?
attire

Your TV?
BIG

Your pet or pets?
Home

Getaway?
Mountains

Your Life?
convoluted

your mood?
a'ight

Missing someone?
above

Your car?
Truck

Your work?
Here

Like someone?
Love

Your favorite color?
Green

Last time you laughed?
earlier

Hey y'all!  Welcome to Stephen'z Blog.  I'm Stephen.  This is my blog.

You may have followed me over here because I seem like a nice guy and you thought that I would have something insightful to say.  You probably followed me over here because you know me and you want to read what I have to say.  That's good too.  The important part of it isn't why you're here.  I mean, I'm sure that you being here could be very important. 

For instance, perhaps you are a prospective employer.  If that's the case, please consider me as "the devil you know" rather than "the devil you don't know."  (Speaking of the devil, I don't really like the guy.  I really don't want to have any association with him, but I have a feeling that he ain't gonna leave me alone any time soon.)

Maybe you're here because you're looking for my naked pictures.  (What else did you think I was going to mention after prospective employers?)  I'll neither confirm nor deny the claim that there are pictures of the family jewels circulating on the Internet.  If you are here looking for my naked pictures, then you probably have far too much time on your hands.  Besides, I have to see me naked every day.  It's not as pretty a site as you might think.

Perhaps you're here because you followed an unfortunate link.   Yes, you had hoped that you were being Rick Rolled, but instead, you've been Stephen...Rolled...or something.

Yeah, here I go rambling all over the blog again.  I was considering your being here important.  I dunno.  Perhaps your presence is important.  I tend to just write these things because I want to prove to myself that I can put two cohesive thoughts together.  Granted, many times the two thoughts aren't that cohesive, but I'm not sure that antihesive is a word.

I'm sure there are thousands of you thinking, "But why?  Why a new blog?  We liked TheBig Blog!  It was great for a snack and it fit on our backs!  It said so right on the front page!  What is the snackitude of Stephen'z Blog?  Does it fit in a backpack, or in some other type of back-worn harness?" 

Well, fear not my fellow inhabitants of the Intertubes.  I will answer your questions from last to first.  Stephen'z Blog™ is available in two convenient sizes...or more, I really haven't thought about it that much, but yes, Stephen'z Blog™ fits in a backpack, in a laundry basket, on your car, in your shower, and even under your toilet seat.  It also fits in most back-worn harnesses such as uh...those things serious hikers wear, those things rescue people dangling from helicopters wear, those back braces that people who work in the moving industry sometimes wear, and many many more!

Snackitude?  If you thought TheBig Blog was pretty snacky, then you'll find that Stephen'z Blog™ is Snackaflippinriffic™!  Stephen'z Blog™ comes in delicious bite-sized wafers which you can take with you anywhere!  In your laundry basket, on your car, in your shower...oh, wait...that was the last one.  So you're stuck in your office with pangs of hunger?  Why not flip over to Stephen'z Blog™ and have yourself a snackin' good time!  It might make you say "Snackaflippinriffic™," but do keep in mind that "Stephen'z Blog™," "Snackaflippinriffic™," and the feeling you get while reading Stephen'z Blog™, are all registered trademarks of TheBigWhiteWolf.com.

Why a new blog?  Why not?  Out with the old and in with the new!  It's NEW and IMPROVED!  Stephen'z Blog™ now features CAPS LOCK!!!  Stephen'z Blog™ also now has the ability for you to leave a comment after you type in your little code number that tells the Stephen'z Blog Microcomputer Processing System™ that you are indeed a living breathing seeing and typing human being or a really cool seeing eye dog, not one of those PHONY FAKE DISGUSTING SPAMBOTS. EEEEWWWW!!!  Yes, that's right folks.  No longer will you come to read my blog jam and be disturbed by the advertisements for marital aids, rollexes, c!a11I$, l3vi+r4, that were left by computers.  Now you will be disturbed by advertisements for marital aids, rollexes, c!a11I$, l3vi+r4, etc. that have been left by living, breathing, seeing, and typing human beings (or really cool seeing eye dogs).

Why?  BECAUSE I HAVE THE POWER!!! MOWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHH ahah   ah  ahhah.  Ehemm...  Yeah.

So, as I have absolutely run out of things to say, I'm going to just go.

-S