A Miller Dream....Setting the Stage (Part 1)

After spending the past week-end with Jake's family, I decided to blog a three part series based on recent events that have taken place. I want to warn you in advance...I am not a vulgar person but throughout this series, I may talk about bodily functions. My intentions are not to gross you out but to give you a true snapshot of what I am dealing with here! I would also like to preface this passage by saying...although I am about to poke fun at the Millers, I do love them very much and by all means I am not laughing at them but with them. After all, I am a character in this tale and also prescribe to the "Miller Way" of doing things. So, in essence I am also laughing with myself.

Today I am going to give you a little "background" on the Millers, hence....Setting the Stage. Let me introduce you.

Paul and Linda are the parents. Paul says he doesn't read my blog because I never talk about him. You can thank him for this series. He is the Miller Leader. Paul was born Amish. He says he decided he would leave the Amish way of life while in the fourth grade. He has lots of great stories about being Amish. Sometimes he even speaks Pennsylvania Dutch...just a word or two here or there. When he was 16 he ran away from home and lived with a family in Akron. He did keep in touch with his family and I think he even sent them money but either way...he made his break. Now is time for a little "amish" lesson. When you are Amish, you don't join the church until you are an adult (I am pretty sure that is when you are 21). If you choose not to join the church and leave the Amish, you can still talk to your family. If you join the church and then later decide this just isn't for you....well, then you are excommunicated. You will be shunned by your family and friends. At least that is the way it is supposed to be. I have learned there are good Amish, just like good Christians. Not all Amish follow all the rules. Either way, because Paul had not joined the church he was not shunned. He still talks to some of his family. Paul likes to give me a hard time. He is always saying things just to annoy me. I think he likes the attention (ha ha). We often banter back and forth. Linda was never Amish herself, but her parents were Amish and left. Linda is a special person...afterall, she has put up with Paul's ways all these years. Linda and Paul owned a insurance agency for many years but sold the buisness to work with troubled teens. They have been youth leaders and houseparents. They even started thier own non profit buisness called Adventure Plus. It is an outdoor program for teens. One teen they met by doing this line of work, is Tim (a.k.a. Applehead). I don't think he was actually troubled. I think he was in the youth group or something. Either way, Tim married Stephanie (Paul & Linda's daughter). The way I figure it, Tim spent enough of his formative years with the Millers that it is just part of him now. He is a true Miller. Tim & Stephanie have a lot of kids - Kellen, Lydia, Nolan & baby on the way. Stephanie home schools Kellen, uses cloth diapers on her babies and went backpacking in Alaska when she was 4 months pregnant with Lydia. Eric is another son of the Millers. He has very bad luck with women. He has 2 kids, Miles and Ashley. Eric is deaf. Jake is my husband. He is the youngest of the Miller children.
So here are some fun facts about the Millers. Especially, Paul Miller. He has to do everything himself for a couple of reasons. 1. To save a buck 2. Independence/ Self sufficeincy. The Millers drive vehicles until they just stop going...then they drive them some more. Paul Miller, just recently, drove a van to Ohio that no longer goes in reverse. The Millers love the outdoors. I am not talking about sitting on your back porch chatting with friends. I am talking about rooting around in caves and pooping on holes in the ground. When talking to the Millers, all conversations, if talked long enough, lead to one of three topics - Sex, Poop or Shelter Care. The Millers don't care if they have heat, water or TV... but they have to have cell phones and the internet. And last but not least - They all live in West Virginia (except for us). Stay tuned and tommorow I will tell you how they ended up there.