Baby Girl Turns 9

My Baby Girl turns nine today *sniff* *sniff*.  It was just yesterday that she was born (strange how that works).  Her plan is to remain unmarried and live forever with her daddy (she is unaware of this plan).

To celebrate my one and only little girl – here are some things you should know about her:

• She would eat pepperoni pizza for ever meal if you let her.
• She would also drink sprite all day if you let her (except at McDonald’s…she prefers orange drink)
• She loves to sing.
• She has the longest tongue you’ve ever seen (cross between Gene Simmons and a giraffe).
• She loves to sing.  That is what she does in her room when she goes to “play.”
• When she grows up she wants to either be a singer or work at a beauty salon.
• Her favorite thing is roller skating.
• The volume of her mouth is always set to 10…seriously…10!  “Baby girl, I’m a foot away from you, you don’t need to yell.”
• She wakes up happy.
• She wants a Snuggie and she isn’t embarrassed to admit it.  (come on WNDU…we want to win a free Snuggie!)
• If she wants something, she won’t stop asking for it.
• She is perhaps the most social child I’ve ever seen.
• She loves drama club.  She is drama.
• She has Bieber fever (I’m still looking for the antibiotic).
• She loves Target.
• She can’t wait to get braces on her teeth (strange I know).
• She’s a great cuddler.

Happy Birthday Cinnamon Sugar (my pet name I gave her at birth…her hair was a strawberry blonde that reminded me of cinnamon sugar)!  I love you.

Craptastic

Thanksgiving break is over.  Vacation is over.  Back to the office this morning.  Trusting for a good start to the day until…

Isaac, my oldest son, comes running upstairs to tell me that the toilet downstairs is overflowing.  Problem:  no one has used the toilet downstairs.  That means the line going out to the city sewer is plugged (most likely from tree roots, etc.) and any water that is used in the house (like three people taking showers this morning) simply overflows through the toilet downstairs.  Flood.  And nasty flood.  Same thing happened in July of 2007.  I blogged about it here.

Not a good start to the day.  So, in answer to the question, “How’s it going?”  The answer is – “CRAPTASTIC!”  I wonder if my in-laws would mind driving up from St. Louis to clean up this mess? 🙂

This is How I Feel Today

(wait for the 1:00 mark)

Have We Learned Nothing

Green jerseys?!!  Really?!! Those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it.

The Royal Family

Dear Prince William and Kate Middleton.  Congratulations on your engagement.  I wish you all the best.  May you have long life, health, and great joy.  Sam.

Dear American media…MOVE ON!!!! Please tell me that the happenings of the royal family in England and an engagement that everyone suspected was coming isn’t the biggest news story of the year!  Sam.

Beatles Now on iTunes

Apple announced today that iTunes would now be selling the Beatles catalogue.

I can care less.

But I’m going to guess my son (and my dad) is going to be thrilled!

Did the Beatles thing skip a generation?

Everything in Perspective

I believe a trip to a pediatric-oncology floor or a stroll down the Riley Children’s hospital burn unit would cure a lot of Facebook statuses.

Leaf Raking & Ice Scrapers

Living Stoners –

Don’t forget our I Love South Side event tomorrow morning (November 13th) @ 10:00 a.m. We are going to have two different activities – 1) a leaf raking blitz in South Side neighborhoods; or 2) handing out free ice scrapers.  It is another opportunity to love the South Side by showing acts of love and kindness with no strings attached.

Bring your own rakes.  The event will last one hour.

[*important note* this event is weather permitting.  The forecast looks like rain in the afternoon so we should be good tomorrow morning, but just in case, we will post on our website:  www.livingstones.cc a cancellation notice by 9:30 a.m. should it be necessary.]

Ouch South Bend School Board

I know yesterday was a big election and there were huge shifts in the political landscape and Republicans won back…blah, blah, blah…

My heart is local and very much interested in the South Bend School system.  And for that, I was very much interested in the results of the three incumbents from the school board who were up for reelection (Maria Hummel [President of the School Board], Sheila Bergeron, and Ralph Pieniazkiewicz).

And what happened?  A MASSIVE SMACK-DOWN!! All three were defeated, two quite soundly.

District 1:

Jay Paponigro: 3804 (winner); Sheila Bergeron:  1365; and Nikki Hutchinson:  818

District 2:

John Stancati: 3174 (winner); Ralph Pieniazkiewicz:  2628; Michael Voll:  2013

District 3:

Michelle Engel:  5816 (winner); Marcia Hummel:  2213; Anthony Douglas: 907

BUT – even out of this election I am TOTALLY convinced that the school board should either be in full / or part – appointed officials by the mayor (even though that wouldn’t excite me too much in regards to the current mayor…but in philosophy) rather than elected by the populace.

And this is why – because the populace has, IN THE MAIN, no clue about the candidates and what they would do, or where they stand.  And that is why we have the mess we do!!!

Two cases in point:

1.  District 2 – John Stancati won.  But everyone that I’ve talked to (and granted I’ve not talked to everyone) who attended a town hall meeting or forum in which John Stancati was present left concluding that out of the three candidates he was the LEAST capable of being on the school board.  While I’m sure he is a very nice man, he was incapable of articulating his thoughts and plans for the school corporation.  And yet, he was the winner.  [Angie Medors if you are reading this…you could have won handedly].

2.  District 5 – Anthony Douglas dropped out of the race in September but he still received nearly 1000 votes.  So 1000 voters knew so little about this race that they voted for a guy who had already dropped out!!!

I don’t think I won’t our current mayor to have any more control than he already does.  But when it comes to a system that is able to find, research, and hold accountable appointments to the school board – I think the mayor’s office is way more qualified by way of philosophy than the general public.

I don’t know what the rest of the school board who wasn’t up for election thought.  But if I were:  Roger Parent, Stephanie Spivey, Dawn Jones, or Bill Sniadecki I would be a little nervous.

My New Throne

The ladies in the office went to IKEA last week.  I got a text asking if I wanted a new office chair.  Never thought about it.  I’ve used the same chair for the past 14 years.  Granted – my old chair is ginormous, very uncomfortable, and clearly more concerned about being ornate then anything regarding ergonomics.  I would NEVER sit back in my chair.  I couldn’t…it was too big…if I did I couldn’t reach my desk *no short people jokes please* because the chair’s arms didn’t fit in the desk!!  I would always sit on the edge of my chair and slouch.  I’ve been doing that for almost fourteen years.  So, when Ann Lynn asked if I wanted a new chair, I thought – “sure, why not?”  I’m now sitting in my new chair.  WHAT IN THE WORLD HAVE I BEEN THINKING FOR 14 YEARS!!!? This is night and day difference.  My back just literally said, “Praise Jesus!”  I bet I would be three inches taller had I been using this for the past fourteen years and not been slouching.  AHHHHH (sigh of relief).  Thank you ladies of the Living Stones Church staff!!