La vie en France

Bonjour everybody, lol! I am sitting in Mcdonalds typing my first blog from Le Havre, France! You might be wondering why Mcdonalds? Well, the internet in my apartment is not going to be activated until later this week so I am taking advantage of the free WiFi. This is one of the many small inconveniences that the first days in a different country poses for me! Fortunately, I am no stranger to these circumstances and I know that everything will be up and running smoothly by the end of the week! These past few days have been quite eventful, so what do you say we dive into another episode of the life of J.J. Miller!
Well we have been here for a full week now and everything is in order. I mean our apartment is nice, our car runs(lol), and the team has been working pretty good! Leaving the states was actually the most strenuous of events for Monica and I. When we got to our gate at the airport we were informed that maintenance was being done to our plane and that it was going to be a delay. Again I am no stranger to this so it was not a big deal. But before i knew it a 15 minute delay turned into a 1 hour 45 minute stand still. There was no way that we were going to make our connection flight out of Philly so we would have to spend another night in Raleigh! This is cool right? Wrong? You see our dog (Prince) was on a another airline and his flight had taken off with no problem which meant that he was going to be in Paris a whole day before us! That sucks because I am the only one that can pick him up!!! So now I am on my way back home with no luggage because they could not get it off the plane, no way to stop my dog from departing to Paris, and no confirmed flight into Charles De Gualle (paris)!! Fortunately, my agent and director of client services are only a phone call away! Craig Mckenzie and Pamela Coclasure of Higher Vision Sports were on the job to make sure that everything would be taken care of so that neither me or Monica would have to worry about anything! Big Shouts to HVM Sports!!! They made the necessary phone calls, faxed the necessary paperwork, and aloud me to tie up all the loose ends to assure that everything would be ok for travel the next day!
So later that night we got to kick it with my sister and brother, John and Raquel, we had a good time and got a good nights rest!
The next day we caught our flights with no problem and were finally on our way to Paris. We had to connect through Frankfurt Germany because of the delay and this was a pain! When we arrived in Germany we had to wait to get our boarding passes and this pushed us to the edge for making our flight from there to Paris! So basically we had to sprint through security and high tail it to the gate to make our flight! I have to say Monica was moving pretty good. She may still have a little athleticism in her, lol! We made it!! From there it was smooth sailing. We picked up Prince and headed to Le Havre.
Now to the basketball, lol. We arrived in Le Havre in the afternoon on Monday! I was immediately taking to the team doctor, therapist, and trainer for medical tests! The fact that I arrived a day late was working against me already. I had to take these test and pass them in order to play in an exhibition game that was scheduled for tuesday!!!! That's right... arrive on Monday.... play on Tuesday! It worked out though. I passed the test and was able to play the next day. I was really out of it though, lol. I had no legs and I was sleepy to say the least! I also did not know the plays so I was really out of sync with the rest of the team. We ended up losing to a team that we will probably beat in the future if we were to meet them again. Fortunately, the week has gotten better and better as it has progressed! I have learned the plays and I am getting back to my normal form! We played last night and got a good win on the road against a strong team from Belgium. Even though it is the beginning of the season and these games really don't count every win is good for team morale! We have a talented team and with some work I think we can have a good squad!
So that has been this week in a nutshell. I am going to upload some pictures of the events and things that i have typed about real soon. You guys have to see the car that they gave me. It is by far the worst car that I have had in my career, lol!! But it does run and it is reliable right now. I am not too picky when it comes to those types of things in Europe!
Before i go, I want to take a quick paragraph to Thank God for who he is in my life and what he has brought me through, and where he is taking me even now! I want to thank all the people that have been here for me in my time of difficulty! Family, friends, associates, etc... You know who you are and I want you to know that I am truly grateful to all of you!
So as i come to the end of this post and get ready to study some french, I just want you to know that I am pulling for everyone to have a great week!! As always EXCEED EXPECTATIONS!!

SLOW MOTION is better than NO MOTION

It is Sunday afternoon and I am sitting on my couch spending time with my wife and sister-n-law. I am blogging on Sunday because I am gonna have to start updating on Sundays now instead of Fridays. The summer and off season has come to an end and the next blog will be from France, but i will get to that later in the week's post. It has been a long and emotional week to say the least. I have really been thinking, soul searching, and praying a lot. During times like these you really find out what kind of man you are and just how strong your faith is. So let's dive into another week of the life of J.J. Miller.
The passing of my son Justin has taken so much out of me! For the first days after losing Justin, I did not want to do anything at all. My wife and I were so out of it, but things had to be done. I sucked it
up early, put my feelings to the side, and got all the necessities handled. We are still grieving but that is a normal part of losing a child. We held a small private home going ceremony for Justin which allowed us to get a tiny bit of closure. Most of this week has been about picking up the pieces and trying to move forward. I do believe that with God, each other, family, and friends we will get through this. There will be brighter days in our future.
Nevertheless, time is still passing by and training camp is around the corner. This is my last week in the United States before heading back to Europe! Le Havre, France to be exact! I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. I have been working hard all summer long and now its time to mix it up with the rest of my teammates. There is something about a group of guys working hard for a common goal that gets me motivated. I am dedicating this season to my son and I plan on making it a great one! Things are about to get exciting folks!
So please stay tune as I head to France and take you into the life of a professional basketball player in one of the best leagues in Europe! I want to take this time to say THANKS EVERYONE for your thoughts, prayers, love, and support during our time of trial and tribulations!
I want everyone to have a blessed week, tune in next Sunday, and as always EXCEED EXPECTATIONS!

A Tribute To Justin

This weeks blog will be short, but special and powerful. It will permanently be engraved in my heart similar to the life of my son Justin! Justin James Miller was born on August 4, 2009! For whatever reason, he was very eager to be here with us and decided to join us 16 weeks early. Justin was a fighter from his first breath, just like his daddy! He sighed a cry and was able to breath on his own without assistance from the medical staff! This was astonishing for an infant of his age and size. He was already exceeding expectations the minute he joined us. All i can say about that is "WOW THAT'S MY BOY!" Shortly after birth, he displayed the profound characteristic of love and affection that he must have inherited from his Mom! I rushed in to quickly see him before he would be taken to NICU. I immediately said, "hey Justin daddy is here" and he move his head and reached out his hand in the direction of my voice as to say "I know your voice daddy!" With tears in my eyes and excitement and love in my heart, I let the doctors take him away to do there job! I would be by his side again soon enough. Justin made his parents so proud. We witnessed our son do everything possible to cling to life. He was obviously born prematurely, but that did not stop him from giving his all to stay here with us! Justin's body was small and tiny but everything was intact. The medical staff was absolutely astonished with his ability to endure the rigorous challenges that an infant of his age had to deal with! Unfortunately, he was still underdeveloped and this would make his battle for life an unfair one. God saw fit to take my son home just 3 days 13hours and 58 minutes after he was born. I have never experienced pain like this. My son Justin... my world... our future was snatched away from me. I may never fully come to terms with God's decision to take my son so briefly, but I will try my best to trust him. (Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will i hope in him)

Dear Justin, I want you to know that you were loved by your Mommy and Daddy since the day you were conceived. We loved you with everything we had! As parents we could not have been happier or prouder to have you for a son! You will forever be with us!

I want to take this time to say THANK YOU to my beautiful, loving, resilient, and unbelievably strong wife. Monica words cannot express the LOVE, RESPECT, and GRATIFICATION that I have for you! What i witnessed you do for our son, for lack of better words, was PHENOMENAL and EXTRAORDINARY! Thank You and I LOVE YOU ALWAYS!

Thank you Justin James Miller for being the little boy that EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS! You are an inspiration to Daddy!