don't shoot the messenger

a statement was made by someone that my husband has been a bit antagonizing on the blog lately . . . not that he told me to say this or anything, but

though the Hoosiers came up short tonight
Marco Killingsworth is unstoppable




uhhhm. yeah. and that knocking you hear. . . is tom izzo's knees.

It's GAME TIME WHOOO!

Mr. Ager
I will say this and this only (to Wes). Watch what you say about Pdiddy (Davis). BTW, he's not even our go to guy (3rd or fourth man, i.e. Spencer Mackuenik). Watch ESPN tonite for a double header 7:00 - 9:00 and 9:00-11:00. You will get a good look at the 2 top teams in the both the Big Ten and ACC. For all you haters alike of MSU this year, you may want to check ou Mo Ager. 46'' vertical. Oh yeah, that's right, Jason Richardson sucks too. Whatever. We'll see in MArch. BTW, Wes has gone all Indiana for sports...oh wait..except UofM. How convenient.

I'll be finishing up my master prog final papers and watching the the spartys hit the hard court, win or lose. Note to Jake: You can only have one loyalty and we know you're a dukie (I saw the tear and the bird you filled IZZO last march at uncle Bob's oasis. As far as I'm concerned, the only one who has some form of green is Benny's half semester tuition he payed. Remember when we saw the MExicans almost knock off the National Champs. Chispas. I'm out.

In jest and jeer,


Jefe

Gramie Goes to Work!

Taking her cell phone problem into her own hands, Gramie goes to work for Cingular Wireless! "Now I want the seamless internet browsing of the Blackberry but also be able to jam my tunes like the Rokr." Whateva...a Thanksgiving to remember in Birmingham. Like always Hoosiers, football, family, and one-liners from Gramie.

Duke v. Indiana on Wednesday, the Hoosiers are stacked this year, watch out Coach K!! IU will contend for the Big Ten this year mark my words. Paul Davis is no match for Killingsworth. Bring it on Sparty! cue Black Eyed Peas "Let's get it started..!"

with a greatful heart

for a great family scattered all over the country at this point. For the Lampi's, for you joel, and for anybody else who reads this blog, I give thanks. Wes, go get your guitar.
A. Michael Gaines

college b-ball time

Watching the MSU Gonzaga game last night got me pumped up for college B-Ball. Tough one for Sparty to handle but a great game. Spartans were done in by Adam Morrison (who has the sweetest stache) after being bailed out three times by Maurice "Ager" Bomb. Anyways, watch out for our Hoosiers as a silent killer in the Big Ten Marco Killingsworth is huge!! More on sportscenter...any predictions? put it on the line right now. Out-

I blog the line

Cash,
originally uploaded by andrewgaines.

Has anybody seen 'Walk the Line' yet? I was thinking about going to see it soon and I wanted to hear some thoughts. Maybe we could all go see it and have a forum on the blog. Well, I'm going to go check it out.

Gaines Kids Christmas Gifts

Hey Crew! Whats up? What if for the Christmas gift exchange we just gave to the person or couple above you, ie Andrew gives to Ben and I, We give to Wes and Sarah, Wes and Sarah give to Jacob and Abigail and Jacob and Abigail give to Andrew...what do you think? Next year then we could just go to the next person in line:)
Happy Holidays!
Becky

More Platinum News

As our California family knows, mom and my Northwest flight to LAX was 2.5 hours late last week. NWA just sent each of us a letter telling us how sorry they were that our travel plans were disrupted and that our frequent flier accounts would be awarded frequent flier miles.

Mom (non-platinum) = 1,000 miles
Dad (Platinum) = 2,500 miles

Echo Park Store

Echo Park Store,
originally uploaded by andrewgaines.

This is a new store that just opened up in Echo Park. I thought it looked pretty sweet so I took a picture and blogged it. We now have over 80 stores! We're putting a store in Santa Monica where the Gap used to be (The Gap went out of business), a store in East Lansing coming soon, Royal Oak, who knows, maybe we'll open up in the Fort!

We don't need no stinkin' baths

I haven't blogged for awhile, so I thought I'd show you a picture of what we think June and Pete's band photo would look like if they were in a band together. I wonder what their band name would be?

This picture was taken last week before we took them to B-Town for the weekend and ended up giving June two baths--one for rolling in a surprise pile of nastiness in the meadow, and one for jumping into the Lampi's leaf-filled pool (we still don't know how she managed to get out).

We missed you guys this weekend and wish we could've been in california too.
Anyone have any idea which direction the christmas-gift rotation is heading this year?

Feliz CUMP, mi'jo mediomexicano

HAPPY 25th! I hope you enjoyed your day. I am a bit belated...wish there was some warnings for us forgettfulls. Anyway, everybody pretty much covered solid Ben moments, so I will just share a couple. Ah yeah, MSU when you told ole' roomate MIKE "Not this time" after he stumbled in slobbering all over looking for a hand with his case of Labatts. "Don't put that in my fridge, man!" INTEGRITY. Little did we know next year was your 21st and you would do 21 shots of Tequila in his name! J/K
Also, when you woke up after spending a lonely nite at my crib during the MSU years..year. You weren't on the floor next to my air mattress, but somehow YOU were the one that kept my fragile body war that cold November nite.
I'll continue with more later...My wife just gave me the call to get her a BIG APPLE BAGEL HAM AND EGG ON WHEAT BAGEL WITH LITE CREAM CHEESE etc. I'm out.

OH yeah, go to this site...Happy Birthday Bulldog
http://www.mlive.com/preps/aanews/football/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1131795831185260.xml&coll=2

And it Don't Stop

We had to take advantage of being at home to look for some good pics of Ben. This one has always been a favorite, Ben always liked to party!! More classic Ben moments: how he'd help himself into the Newbergs house, his drum solo for the school musical, only Gaines to play football, convincing Dad that you steered the car on the way to school while I slept. Good Times, wish we could be harvest partying with y'all. Have Fun!!

wes and sarah

Today's the Best...It's Harvest Fest!

I as well am only kidding, because though tonight we will dine on some of the best harvest food west of Iberia, today is about Ben's big day turing a quarter century. We've already had Plaza French Toast at Village Eatery as well as a snazzy trip to TJ's (Trader Joe's) in B & B's phat new ride. I too share similar fond memories of Ben's life throughout the years. Here's some of my favorites... Ben was always a Gaines trend setter donning the first ever black and teal wicked high tops with jams hanging far below the knees. Ben's record setting year in T-ball where he challenged Barry Bond's HR record...If I remember right his first plate appearance was complete with a towering D. Ford-esk blast from Field I to Field H. And he did it all with "the patch." Ben's reaction about age 6 after mom shatters a jar on top of the fridge, "Oh Sh#@!!" I think some soap followed. Ben's epic Daniel Laruso moment in the BCC kitchen after Wes comes high and wide with a kick to the side and soon has his legged nearly snapped as Ben shows moves that only the Cobra Kai sensei could be proud of as he puts Wes' knee out of comission. In all seriousness...Ben moving to SoCal to give me some family when I was feelling way out of the loop. Ben showing up on our doorstep with a ring on Becky's finger just after proposing and getting to experience that joy with them. Being honored to baptize Ben at BCC after the ghost of McFadden finally got him! Ben is certainly one of a kind. Today we celebrate you!

P.S. Wes and Sarah we miss you and wish you were here!

Happy Veteran's Day!

images,
originally uploaded by andrewgaines.

Just Kidding! Happy Birthday Benny! You're awesome, man. These are some of my fondest Benny memoirs.
When you decorated your entire room in Mexican motif. When you used to drive me to school every morning. When you used to invite me to go swimming at Adam Sunday's and we would run accross the meadow. Whenever you would design and implement crazy projects around the house. When you used to put hot sauce on everything. When you helped me and Steve distribute a u-haul full of brush all around Livingston County. When you jumped out of the car after I kicked it in neutral I was nervous at the time but now I think it was awesome. When you hit a Home Run off Mike Deford in Wolverine. When you sacrificed your body for the team and took that wicked hit from that South Lyon kid. When we were roommates in College. When we went to Mexico for Spring Break and I got really sick and you took me home. When you married Becky. When we would go to Burger King after church and you would make the best 'suicide' ever. Ah, hiking and biking and sledding to suicide and U-hill. When I crashed your car and you were not mad. Your love for T-Bone and all his bilingual demon killin'. Your middle school fear of Kathy Tait. Big pimpin' in your new Volvo. and on and on and I'm forgetting so many things. But Happy 25 Benjamin Lee. Now let's give it up for #76, one last time, King Jesus is All!

Taxwise

Hello, my name is Joel

I work in the tax preparation factory

One day, my boss came up to me and said

Joel are you busy

I said no, so I prepared the 1040 with my right hand

Hello my name is Joel .....

This is my work photo. Who's that sexy korean?

JDE -JOURNAL, TAXES-The Tax Magazine, November 2005 vol. 1

Are your tax savings plans in line as we approach the end of the calendar year?

Advice from the family expert:

Andrew - Don't file your 1040. - Your federal tax dollars go straight to a government that supports large corporations and is controlled by the political donations of the capitalist machines that put those politicians into office. All the while, ignoring global economic issues, the marginalized of society and spending your tax dollars on a war that the rest of the world does not support, while our educational system at home is falling apart and our own citizens are unable to pay for medical needs because of a health care system that is in shambles compared to the rest of the world.

Jacob & Abb - You're taking way too much on your housing allowance - watch out for the IRS - Just cause you prayed before your meal at the restaurant doesn't mean it qualifies as a clergy deduction

Uncle Bill - You need to cut back on those capital gains

Aunt Lena - Don't let uncle bill get caught up in those get rich quick investment schemes

Wesley & Sara - withholding nothing on your paychecks for taxes is NOT acceptable nor wise -

Ben & Becky - having a child is a great tax savings plan, not only do you benefit from the dependent deduction and exemption you also qualify for the child tax credit. Just ask Anna and David. You think it's just chance that they're having another baby before the close of 2005? Tax deduction baby -His name is going to be Reitoff (writeoff) Jinkins

Gramie - sell, sell, sell!! Southern hasn't done didley for you in years. At what price did you buy IBM? MY WORD!!!!!

- by Joel Eisleben, CPA

*Mr. Eisleben is not liable for any of the afformentioned advice if acted upon by the reader of this article - also if you have read this article you will receive a bill in the mail based on the amount of time it took you to read it.

Broken Social Scene/Feist

images,
originally uploaded by andrewgaines.

It don't stop! The funny thing about Los Angeles is the plethora of music that passes through this town. And I've devised this clever little scheme of getting into every show for free. It's really amazing and it works everytime. Last night Broken Social Scene was in town with Feist at the Henry Fonda in Hollywood. Patrick and I rode our bikes down to the show parked out front and began the hussle. I got the first ticket within 3 minutes. Then Patrick got one soon after but we still had some more time so we decided to try for a few more just for fun. We ended up scoring two more tickets so we called up some friends and they ran down and met us out front. We ran into the show (after they searched my new fancy bag through and through) and weasled up to the front right as the show was beginning. The show ended up being a total blast. Feist is simply amazing and Broken Social Scene was so much fun, they had about 10 people in the band. Patrick and I got the crowd into it with our insane dance moves and the show didn't end until about 12:30. It was a long bike ride home. I've put some tracks down here for a listen. One from each band. Wes can you doctor these up. Ok, gotta go. Rolling Stones tonight!

Mushaboom
Stars and Sons

STATE CHAMPS

Lets' hear it for Pirates of Pinkney who won the Michigan State cross country championships. Must be that Spanish teacher who encouraged all those runners to run.

GAINES-LAMPI ANNUAL BOWL PARTY JAN. 1

Oye everyone!

Hey, got some free seconds here to shoot and idea at y'all. Knowing that this is the first in many years that during the holidays EVERYONE (i think) will be around the B-town area. I know the Lampis' are headedn to Chi-town for a couple of days after Christmas, but will be back in town before New Years. wondering if we can have a FIESTA like the past over at the Lampi's Casa in B-town for the New Years Bowl Games. I know our perspective schools probably won't be bowling on that day (if even ever STATE!!! que paso?), but it might be fun to get everyone punch drunk j/k. and to catch up. What do you think?

Also, wanted to know if everyone would like to, when they (the bowl brackets) come out, have a little competition like the NCAA b-ball tourney. You can fill out your bracket early December and send it to me through an attachment via e-mail (jlampi@pcs.k12.mi.us). I'll be the bookee...sp? Bragging rights till April for the winner (and NO NEWMAN!). BTW, things will slow down a bit for me after December 2 with MSU holiday recess and semester finishing, so I'll be able to focus on priorites like BCS bowl brackets. HA! How are your classes, Abigail! Mucho reading, no?

Just thinking about everyone and how much we miss you guys. Paz y armonia.

Love ,

Jeff

Pee wee

Pee wee,
originally uploaded by andrewgaines.

Oh, I was not spared the embarassment of my Pee Wee year!

20 years later

Andrew,
originally uploaded by andrewgaines.

Well, thank you to all for the birthday wishes. 'Twas a nice birthday and I'm happy after 23 wonderful years.