VISIT THANKS

This is a big thank you to those who have been to visit Micah. He has been enjoying having visitors. Thank you also to those of you who have spoken with the mitigation team in Micahs behalf. Of course curses on you if you are not speaking on his behalf.

I have gotten to talk to Micah twice this week and have enjoyed talking to him. We are sending him the books to start his anatomy work for massage. He figured he might as well learn something while he is there. So he will be starting with learning all the muscles, their origins and insertions. That will keep him busy for a few weeks to be sure.

He did say that he had been working on his cellys shoulder because he hurt it doing push-ups. He said the gaurd just looked at them like they were gay or something, and I just said she was jealous because she wants a massage really bad. I can imagine all the gaurds could use a massage. But I don't think they would get a very nice one from Micah :)

MITIGATION

Micah has a mitigation team that will be working on his case. His lawyer told us they would be in touch with us, after talking to Micah, and asked that we be honest and helpful with them. How can you lie about a 17 year old? Yeah he was married and he was a great husband and father? I mean really his grades, friends and school record pretty much tell the story that is Micah.

Of course he has become a writer in the past year so it is harder to figure out who my son is now. Being an inmate tends to change a person a tad bit and maybe he has changed a bunch. I hope not, I pretty much liked him the way he was.

We are just hoping this will help.

ONE YEAR DOWN.......

Today was double talk day and it was nice. It is one year since Micah went to Coconino County jail to report that some guys were trying to kill him and got arrested. When we talked today I told him how proud I am of him for staying sane and keeping his chin up.He is still waiting, as he will be for quite awhile.

When we talk we talk about the latest story he is writing and if he got my cards and letters for the week. This week he was commenting on a card that I sent him celebrating his one year mark. I had forgotten that in the picture there was a bagel sitting next to me on the grass. Big no no! We don't ever talk about food or send pictures of food, too difficult for him.

After I assured him that it was just a bagel and not a doughnut he did feel a little better. I asked him if he wanted me to send him a picture of all his favorite foods, he said absolutely not!

He is looking forward to the day when he gets to prison and is able to enjoy the food day visits. Some prisons make a day that family can bring you food. I don't know if he would be happier to see us or the food! A close tie I am sure.

FINALLY

I finally got to talk to my boy today. I have so missed talking to him for the past 10 days and was very happy to be able to speak with him again. He is doing well and working hard on story number two. He is still hairy scary man and looking forward to his one year mark this week.

We will all celebrate on the 11th the passing of one year. I made the mistake of telling Micah that we were celebrating the year mark of one wasted year. I got a tongue lashing for that comment. As he pointed out he has not wasted the year at all.

He has spent the year doing lots of reading, writing and getting into shape. I guess I was just comparing it to all the things I feel he missed out on this year and thinking it was wasted. In fact it was not wasted at all and I am glad he can be so positive about it.

Now we are all looking forward to the day when we tick off the last day of his incarceration and we will certainly have the celebration to beat all celebrations on that fine day.

SALT

Micah is now saving recipes of foods he wants to eat once he is free again. Most of them include salt or sugar or both. When we talk I do not talk to him about food, it is just too sad. This is the boy who when he lived here in Costa Rica loved to go and get a big cola with me and a package of cookies. In fact when we were both trying to lose weight we only allowed them on weekends.

It seems he has finished his second short story and it is in the mail, can't wait to read it. I asked him last night if he was o.k. I told him he sounded a little blue. He assured me he is still very white and doing great. Sometimes I wish he would just break down and scream or cry or cuss or something, but he just tries to be upbeat and positive.

Like I have said before when I told him he did not need to be positive and upbeat just for me he assured me that it was for him that he was doing it, not me. It seems he does not get letters anymore from anyone but a few blessed saints, thank you to all you who take the time and energy to write letters, he loves them.

I told him in a letter that I wrote that I could not really write anything exciting on here, so maybe I should just make stuff up. I am reminded of my all time favorite movie, "Life is Beautiful" and maybe I should start telling Micah this is all just a game and the winner wins a tank!

CHANGE AND THANKS

First of all I would like to thank our anonymos donor for Micah. He was thrilled to be able to buy more paper and envelopes to send some letters. If anyone likes receiving letters just send him one, he will write back.

Things are pretty much same ole in good old Coconino County. Micah is still spending the bulk of him time bulking up and reading and writing. He is about done with his "long, short story". I am excited to read it after the great job he did on his short story.

Micah actually had openings on Sunday for visitors, so if you are in need of some great entertainment give them a call and go visit him, it is well worth it.

MICAH THE ARTIST

I thought I would share some of Micahs' artwork here. He was on a roll with artwork but has not sent any for awhile. This picture is especially good I think. He got some pretty good likeness going on with our family. I just try and encourage him to keep busy creating, makes the time go faster. He has been getting pretty compulsive about the working out again. I guess it would be the only thing in his life that he can control right now.

This picture is very much along the lines of his older brothers' work that he does. He laughed and asked if I noticed that it looks like Jesses' work. For sure. The good thing is Jesse sales his and maybe if Micah can focus and keep at it he can sell his also.

Did I tell you he writes small? This is Micahs' idea of saving paper. Not that he is tree hugger or anything, he just does not like to spend his few pennies for commisary on paper. So he writes at the size of an ant. I had to buy reading glasses just to read his letters!