Taking Chance

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/12/sunday/main2677251.shtml

Please be sure to read the article at the link above. It's pretty crazy! It is a true story about a military escort for a 19 year old soldier who was killed in Iraq. Below, I copy/pasted some of the article:

"...Chance Phelps was wearing his Saint Christopher medal when he was killed on Good Friday. Eight days later, I handed the medallion to his mother. I didn't know Chance before he died. Today, I miss him. "


"...As I walked up to the ticketing counter in my uniform, a Northwest employee started to ask me if I knew how to use the automated boarding-pass dispenser. Before she could finish, another ticketing agent interrupted her. He told me to go straight to the counter, then explained to the woman that I was a military escort. She seemed embarrassed. The woman behind the counter already had tears in her eyes as I was pulling out my government travel voucher. She struggled to find words but managed to express her sympathy for the family and thanked me for my service. She upgraded my ticket to first class. "

There is a movie about this tale: Taking Chance.

If you have the opportunity, WATCH IT! It is pretty short, but very moving.

NEVER FORGET the sacriifice of our soldiers. God Bless!

Door Prizes... Continued....

Mark, some coworkers, and I all went to the Indians baseball game last week. Between innings a group of girls played Musical Chairs. The winner walked away with free breadsticks for her next Fazolis visit...

Office politics: To sign or not to sign

Cards. There is an excuse to send one for just about every day of your life. When it’s your birthday, when it’s a holiday, when you are sick, when you got a promotion, when you moved, when you graduated, when you had a baby, when you are sad, when you are happy, when you need thanked, when you get married, when you get divorced, etc. And just when you thought there was no reason for you to send a card, they come out with the ‘just because’ card. Genius.

There are always cards floating around at work. They are ready to be signed. The cards at my work come with a list of names of people in the department. This ensures everyone signs the card. Once you sign, you initial the list next to your name, date it, and then pass it on to the next person on the list. That is not a joke. I laughed at it once and get the stink eye for three days. The dilemma comes when you don’t know the person you are congratulating/ thanking/ hoping to feel better. It’s s0o0o0o0o0 awkward.

I have a friend whose policy is to sign birthday cards, not sympathy cards, for people she doesn’t know. I think it isn’t important WHAT your policy is, it’s just important that you HAVE one. Like a retirement plan. It’s not really about WHAT your plan is, it just important that you HAVE one.

My other problem is, I feel compelled to be witty. I’m a funny person, but please remember that I’m also an accountant. I usually come up with something along the lines of:
Best wishes!
Good luck!
Congrats!
Get well soon!
Disgusting, I know.

I’ve always wanted to sign someone random’s name on the card. Just to see if the person noticed…. For example:
Get well! -Mike Tyson
Good luck! -President Obama
Congrats! -Pee Wee Herman
Best wishes! -The Blind Guy from American Idol

I was in a meeting the other day. There were two random, obscure cards going around for all to sign. One bday, one congrats. No names. I signed them both. What if that was some huge practical joke that I wasn’t in on? If so, genius. Everyone on the list signed it. : )

Door Prizes

I won a door prize at a work seminar yesterday. The woman in front of me won free bread for a year from Panera Bread. An aweome gift, even though it reminded me of (what I would assume) Bingo was like during the Great Depression:

"BINGO!"
"Congrats! You have won enough rations to have bread for a whole year!"

I ended up winning a Christmas mug with some scented oils. SERIOUSLY what kind of asshole on the seminar committee brought THAT in to be used as a door prize?

This is just proof this recession has even pushed the government to regift....

Excellent Advertising

I’m an idiot. No one has ever disputed this. I love to get attention and love to be a punk. When I was in high school, there was this sign at the stoplight right by the school. It was hand-written (think For Sale By Owner type of thing) and read:

Home for sale. 3 BR 1 BA. Please call.

That’s it. I’m still disappointed to this day that I didn’t get a picture of it. If I would have had today’s fancy technology of camera phones, digital cameras, and I Phones, I definitely could have captured it. But instead, I just had my Nokia phone that was the size of my face. It was pretty fancy for the time. But it was no help in capturing this craaaazy sign.

I had never talked to my friends about the sign, but always let out a little chuckle when I drove past it in my Chrysler Lebaron. One day, I had a group of friends in the car. We were leaving school. I pulled over to the side of the road, right in front of the sign.

I got out and yelled,

“Hello?! I’m calling about the house! I’m very interested!”

To this day, no one has responded. But I would definitely be interested. Not in the house, but in seeing who the dummies were that didn’t leave a number.

My friends thought it was hilarious in 2002. I hope you got a little chuckle out of it in 2009. Maybe it was even a knee slapper. Who knows…

House for Sale...

Just as an FYI, Mark and I are selling a home on 2005 Hulman Street in Terre Haute, Indiana.

If you want more information, visit 2005Hulman.Blogspot.Com

Ross-Dierdorf Wedding

Mark and Abby have known each other since they were in diapers. We went to her wedding a few weeks ago. She looked ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!
MOTHER SON DANCE

Markie and Abby!

He just HATES attention... :D

and I just HATE taking pictures... ;)

Conner, Mark's cousin's little boy, played in the dirt instead of dancing during the reception... his face kind of busted him out... ;)

Aunt Kim and I

My husband the party animal

Aunt Kim and her daughters, Jaime (left) and Amber (right)

Awesome people- Mark (right) and yours truly (left)

wait... other way around.. I would retype it but I'm lazy

Aunt Kim with the mother of the bride, Kathy

Jaime dancing with her sons. That's the best mothering I've ever seen ;)

Congrats, ABby!!!!!

Afterward, Mark and I met Mom, Dad, Craig, and Tiff at the Landing (formerly the Elks).

More boozin means we are THERE! :)

overall a wonderful night! :)

Don't fret........I'm going to claim it soon...

I got this from: http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/weird/Large-Sum-of-Cash-Found-on-Freeway---.html


Money Mystery: Large Sum of Cash Floats Down Freeway
By MICHELLE WAYLAND
Updated 2:05 PM PDT, Sun, Jun 14, 2009

“It was a large sum of money floating down the freeway.”

No one has stepped forward to claim the large sum of cash found flying around a San Diego freeway in Mission Valley this weekend, police said.

Large Sum of Cash Found on San Diego Freeway

The owner of a large sum of cash found flying around a San Diego freeway in Mission Valley has yet to come forward, police said.

Officers were driving northbound on highway 163 near Interstate 8 when they spotted clothing, debris and cash in the roadway.

“They did a traffic break and we stopped the traffic, picked up all the money that we could find,” Sgt. Ken Impellizeri said. “It was a large sum of money floating down the freeway.”

It seems San Diegans learned their lesson from the last time a large sum of cash was scattered across a San Diego Freeway.

In March, drivers stopped to scoop up the bills blowing across the freeway when drug suspects tossed thousands of dollars in cash out of a window during a chase, prompting an investigation.
This time, however, it seems motorists behaved themselves.

“One motorist stopped and we talked to them. They didn’t have any money on them,” Sgt. Impellizeri said, “Other people were just driving by, nobody else stopped on the freeway.”
Police found a bank deposit bag, along with checks and receipts at the scene.

“There was some paperwork in the pouch so we’re doing research there to find out where it came from,” Sgt. Impellizeri said.

Police impounded the items. They have not yet released details regarding the amount of money found, but they say the cash was in the form of $100 bills.

No robberies were reported in the area at the time of the incident

Emergency Contacts.....

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a
light for my path.
( Psalms 119:105 *NIV )

When in need please use the following Emergency Phone
Numbers:

When in sorrow, ...................... call John 14.
When men fail you, ................... call Psalm 27.
If you want to be fruitful, .......... call John 15.
When you have sinned, ................ call Psalm 51.
When you worry, ...................... call Matthew 6:19-34.
When you are in danger, ............. call Psalm 91.
When God seems far away, ............ call Psalm 139.
When your faith needs stirring, ..... call Hebrews 11.
When you are lonely and fearful, .... call Psalm 23.
When you grow bitter and critical, . call I Corinthians 13.
For Paul's secret to happiness, ... call Colossians 3:12-17.
For understanding of Christianity, 2 Corinthians 5:15-19.
When you feel down and out, ....... call Romans 8:31.
When you want peace and rest, .. call Matthew 11:25-30.
When the world seems bigger than God, ..... call Psalm 90.
When you want Christian assurance, call Romans 8:1-30.
When you leave home for labor or travel, .. call Psalm 121.
When your prayers grow narrow or selfish, . call Psalm 67.
For a great invention/opportunity, ... call Isaiah 55.
When you want courage for a task, ..... call Joshua 1.
For how to get along with fellow men, . call Romans 12.
When you think of investments and returns,. call Mark 10.
If you are depressed, ..................... call Psalm 27.
If your pocketbook is empty, .............. call Psalm 37.
If you are losing confidence in people, . call 1 Corinthians 13.
If people seem unkind, ................ call John 15.
If discouraged about your work, ....... call Psalm 126.

Alternate Numbers:

For dealing with fear, ........... call Psalm 34:7.
For security, ................... call Psalm 121:3.
For assurance, ................... call Mark 8:35.
For reassurance, ................. call Psalm 145:18.

All lines to Heaven are open 24 hours a day! Therefore feed your
Faith, and Doubt will starve to death! Have a Wonderful Sunday
and always remember that God answers all Knee mail! Amen.

All My Love & Prayers,
Pastor Allen

Sometimes it pays to be a nerd alert......

I got this from: http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/us_world/Teen-Outsmarts-Doctors-In-Sciene-Class.html?yhp=1

Teen Outsmarts Docors In Science Class Self-diagnosis impresses docs who've missed signs of her disease for years

By EMILY FELDMAN
Updated 10:21 AM PDT, Mon, Jun 15, 2009
High school senior Jessica Terry studied her own tissue samples as part of her school’s biomedical course. (Photo courtesy Sammamish Reporter)

When doctors didn't give a Washington state high school student the answers she wanted, she took matters into her own hands.
Eighteen-year-old Jessica Terry, brought slides of her own intestinal tissue into her AP science class and correctly diagnosed herself with Crohn's disease.
"It's weird I had to solve my own medical problem," Terry told CNN affiliate KOMO. "There were just no answers anywhere ... I was always sick."
For years she went from doctor to doctor complaining of vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss and stomach pains. They said she had irritable bowel syndrome. They said she had colitis. They said the slides of her intestinal tissue were fine, but she knew that wasn't right.
"Not knowing much about a disease you're growing up with is not only nerve-wracking, but it's confusing," Terry told the Sammamish Reporter.
So when local pathologists stopped in to teach students in her Biomedical Problems class how to analyze slides, the high school senior decided to give her own intestines a look.
What she found? A large dark area showing inflammation, otherwise known as a granuloma--a sure sign of the intestinal disease.
To confirm her suspicion, she checked in with her teacher.
"'Ms. Welch! Ms. Welch! Come over here. I think I've got something!" she shouted.
Mary Margaret Welch, who has spent 17 years teaching science at Eastside Catholic School, had a feeling Terry was on to something.
"I snapped a picture of it on the microscope and e-mailed it to the pathologist," Welch said. "Within 24 hours, he sent back an e-mail saying yes, this is a granuloma."
The finding impressed doctors.
"Granulomas are oftentimes very hard to find and not always even present at all," said Dr. Corey Siegel, a bowel disease specialist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. "I commend Jessica for her meticulous work."
While Terry's glad to finally have answers, she now knows she'll have a tough road ahead.
Crohn's disease is an incurable, though treatable condition caused by inflammation in the intestines. It can cause malnutrition, ulcers, pain and discomfort.
Still, she looks towards the future with optimism. She'll begin nursing school in the fall and hopes to have a kid's book on Crohn's disease published

Babysitting with Jen

Yeah, I was asked to babysit a few times in my day. Growing up, I pretty much babysat my brothers every day. I used to SWEAR that my parents only procreated to ENSURE they had ‘sitters’ and WORK HORSES to do their dirty work. I STILL stand by this position.

There was a babysitting adventure that was (as some people would say) “The Straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Jen’s neighbors (and some friends) were all headed to the good old Covered Bridge Festival in Mansfield, Indiana. You read right. They went to a festival devoted to a bridge. I went to one in the same area earlier this year. It’s focus was mushrooms. This isn’t part of the punch line. Actually, it’s not even part of the story… This would be considered a tangent.

Focus.

Altogether, Jen and I were in charge of eleven kiddies that Saturday afternoon. It started off as a good idea. It escalated quickly.

Jen and I had just finished doing gymnastics in the hallway with the girls when a boy started being bad. I have no idea what he was doing. Jen has the memory like a jackalope and could probably recount every last detail of his behavior. To punish him, we locked him in the basement. To prove how responsible we were, I must mention that we did ensure that all ten other children were on the ground level before we shut the door and turned off the lights. He kicked and screamed and cried like a little baby, but we didn’t care. It was time to eat.

The extent to which Jen and I know how to cook is …. Limited. One time we made our boyfriends sugar cookie cards for Valentines Day. Mark still laughs about how he would have rather had to eat the cookie SHEET than that THING I made him. (Let’s just say my new last name is rather deceiving…) Jen and I lived together our freshman year of college. There was a lot of ‘lean gourmet’, chocolate chip cookie dough, celery, and peanut butter that year. (And vodka, of course.)

So, to feed the ten kids, the lion in the basement, and the two of us, Jen and I made the world’s largest pan of macaroni and cheese. Imagine if someone went through your cabinets to try to find something to make for a million kids. Then proceeded to mix together every box of mac and cheese you own: Velveeta, Great Value, Kraft, and “Healthy Choice.” We didn’t care. We threw it all in together and created something amazing. Well, at least edible. We even let little fire pumpkin out of the basement to enjoy his delicious cuisine.

I got super sick that day and had to lay around like a slug muffin on the couch. It was like someone hit me with a brick in the head… or the knee. (Which of those would hurt worse, I wonder?) Either way, it was bad.

Jen was a good sport and played in munchkin land while I popped pills and slugged on the couch.

Luckily, the nuggets’ parents came home from the festival early. I guess they didn’t find that ‘perfect wicker basket’ they were looking for. They shot us each “Thanks for keeping our kids alive” $50 bills as we walked out the door.

It was a great success for Jen and I. It also showed us that kids suck. And that it is very effective to lock them in the basement for a given amount of time. It even worked as a scare tactic on the other little rugrats. Awesome.

And…yes… jackalope’s have impeccable memories. Don’t act like you weren’t wondering….

I hate cats buuuuuuuut.... this.is.pretty.crazy.

I got this from: http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/15/florida.cat.killer.arrest/index.html

Teen charged in Miami's 19 serial cat killings

Tyler Hayes Weinman charged with 19 counts of animal cruelty
Teen lived in areas where pet cats were found dead, mutilated
Pet owners began making gruesome discoveries May 13
Police say Weinman had been person of interest for several weeks

(CNN) -- A teenager is being held on 19 counts of animal cruelty linked to a month-long killing spree of pet cats in the Miami area, police said.

Tyler Hayes Weinman, 18, was charged with 19 counts of animal cruelty in Miami, Florida, on Monday.

Tyler Hayes Weinman, 18, also is charged with 19 counts of improper disposal of dead animals and four counts of burglary, police said.

Weinman lives in Cutler Bay and has lived with his parents in Palmetto Bay, the two towns where police said 19 cats were mutilated and killed.

Pet owners and police began discovering disfigured cats May 13. One pet owner, Donna Gleason, said her family cat, Tommy, was "partially skinned" and left dead in her yard.

Police said 34 cats have been found dead in the towns, but only 19 mutilated cats could be linked to a serial killer. Police confirmed that some of the cats were killed by dogs, said Maj. Julie Miller of Cutler Bay police.

Weinman, who works odd jobs but spends most of his time at home and unemployed, had been a person of interest for several weeks, Miller said. He was arrested Saturday.

The police are looking into whether any people Weinman associates with might have been accomplices in the killings. Weinman's sealed juvenile record includes two prior offenses, Miller said.

He could face a maximum of 158 years in state prison if convicted on all counts, said Terry Shavez, spokeswoman for the state attorney's office.

The mayor of Cutler Bay referred to the string of feline attacks as a "plague in South Miami-Dade."

"The cruelty of these crimes were horrific for the animal victims, but there were many human victims as well," Mayor Paul Vrooman said.

"Let's not forget the children and the families who found their pets mutilated. These awful scenes inflicted a human toll."

Passion of the Christ

Wow. Mark and I watched Passion of the Christ last night. Mark had seen it before, but this was a first for me!!! I can’t believe I hadn’t seen it before.

I was absolutely impressed by the movie. It made me want to read the Bible to learn every aspect of the movie. What a crazy sacrifice God made for us! To give His only Son?!?! Wow. This film really followed Christ in his last hours before His death. The way He was treated gave me chills. And the love that He showed throughout the entire process made me love Him even more.

I’m not sure what age we will show this movie to our children, but it would be nice to make it an Easter tradition. It is so moving and really makes you think about Christ dying for our sins. And the best part is at the end of the movie…. (*spoiler alert*) CHRIST IS RISEN! CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN! ….AMEN!!!!

...by the way... I can't wait to meet Him one day to thank Him PERSONALLY! ;)

Cursing....

I like to curse.... It is a terrible habit, but I think it is funny how we assign words in the English language as "bad words"... and I'm always looking for an excuse to be innappropriate...

But these days Mark and I are trying to watch our language.... The other day we were talking about our nasty habit and came up with a solution: We are going to use automobiles in the place of curse words. Examples:

Shut the Ford Truck!
Chevy Malibu, that is HOT!
Chrysler Sebring! I forgot my keys!
You are really being a BMW.
Now where the Range Rover are those keys!??!?

Those are just a few of the examples that have been cracking the Bakers up for the last week. We just can't help ourselves!

What do you think of our new plan? I hope that it catches on! If not, I don't give two Ford Escorts. Take THAT!

Special Olympics, 2009

Mark, Nathan, Evan, William (Evan's friend) and I all volunteered at the 2009 Special Olympics! It was a great experience for everyone! Mark and I have worked the games before, but it was a first for the three youngest. They wanted to volunteer with us and we just couldn't turn them down!

We were all referrees for Bocce. It is an outdoor game kind of similar to cornhole..
But with Balls intead of bags... and you are aiming for another ball intead of a board...

These were the proud winners of the first game of Bocce I reff'ed....

Mark and Nathan were the refs for one court... Mark rocked the aviators, while Nate rocked the skater gear.... They were cute as can be....

Winners of round two.....

My little brother TOWERS over me these days... He still isn't too cool to take a picture with me....and put his arm around me.... He is SUCH A GOOD boy. I'm sooooo proud of Nathan and can't wait to watch him grow up even more!

Handsome refs

I was assigned to a court with this guy.... Is it bad that I forgot his name already? Let's call him Chris....

Trophey time!

It was great to be able to cheer for the awards ceremonies throughout the day!
Hunky Ref.....

Nathan- enforcing the rules... :D

These two teams played against each other on my court.... They were from the same city.... So they were practically the same team playing eachother... they were all cheering each other on during the game. It was awesome. Afterward, I got a picture of all of them... Since they were all technically the winners... :D

Mark discussing techniques to the game with some of the athletes....

William and Evan were on a court a little further away from the rest of us. They did a good job helping out, though. Here, Evan is measuring the balls to see how many points the team got. William is picking up the bocce balls and throwing them to the next players.

Enforcing rules... one bocce game at a time.... Evan and William 2009

There were 12 bocce courts all together......

I think four games were held on each court.... thirty minutes each... or first to 12 points....

Mark and Nate

Nathan cheering on the athletes

The girl in the glasses was awesome! She won two gold medals at the Special Olympics! When she found out she got two, she came up and gave me a big hug! :-) She started crying when the guy in the yellow put the second medal on her... I'm glad I was there to capture the moment!

More medalists.....

Evan and William were ready to rage once their duties were over... :-)

We found a hopscotch game on the sidewalk....

The boys just couldn't resist... :-)

Overall it was a great day! I'm sure we will all be back in 2010!

Thanks for your help, boys!

We loooooooove yooooou!

Mark and Tiff

FYI

$49 sale at Southwest.Com

If anyone wants to go to the beach as much as I do, LET ME KNOW!!!!

:D

Tiff