Rollin'

Here's our latest from Cashland. He started to roll over this week, and now...he won't stop rolling over, leaving us to wonder if he came with an off-switch! He's one active dude, its awesome. Hope you enjoy the video.


Bonus Smile Video

Final Four Tourney Update

I must say I have very little reflections this week on the tournament because I was in Tijuana and Tecate this weekend with 43 students/parents and didn't even know who was in until Sunday afternoon. We had a wonderful 3 day trip and did a medical outreach with some Mexican doctors for about 400 people in a small village outside of Tecate. Lots of tacos, lots of Tostitos Salsa Verdes, and lots of sunburn. But I digress...

The Final Four are set....Ben Brus, Jacob Gaines, Norm Lampi, and Wes Gaines that is! The prophet amongst us this year is none other than Benny Brus who has gone 4 for 4 in picking this year's Final Four. He sits atop the leaderboard and with yours truly nipping at his heels, Stormin' Norman, and Wes right behind with 3 of 4. Here's how it looks like it'll shake out. Brus will take the title with an OSU victory. If UCLA wins it, the the title heads down I-96 to Rosemary Lane and Norm is the victor. Now if Flordia repeats, then it gets a bit more tricky. A Florida win against Gerogetown and the title goes West Coast style to G-dora, but a Florida win against OSU and I believe the Fort would take it. Now if if Georgetown wins, then I'm guessing it would go my way as well since Jeff and I are the only ones with G-town in the final game. Thus Obama08 would make a leap to 2nd or 3rd (respectable). Anyhow, should be a great weekend. Brackets aside, I'd like to see the Bruins bring it to back to SoCal. I simply can't pull for OSU due to UM ties and it seems fitting that Norm should win in a pool dedicated to him!

Belding?

For those of you who haven't heard, I was hired this week as the Summer School Assistant Principal of Gladstone High School. So if you want to see me this summer, misbehave and get sent to my office. I'm one step closer to becoming Belding!

Buckeyes and Bruins leave Bookie reeling...

Well,

So long. It's been real. Between Braydon Brus' bday bash and watching our lil ones run their first race with their mommies today, Ben and I we're able to catch a bit of tourney action. And what looked like (if Memphis was to beat weird OSU and Kansas over UCLA) good chances to repeat for Jefe here....spells L-O-S-E-R. I will have to turn the crown over to either the senior citzens of the GL posse, the trash-talkin' SoCal Big Ten aplogetic, Lansing's own Martin Scorcese Ghettochild B Brus, or may be the Doctor "who gets 12 roses from a male patient with Schizophrenia this weekened" Newman....I dunno. Or could the "Cardinals" beat the Tigers again this year (aka Jinkins over GL posse). Don't leave out "Abs of steel" or Ms. Lena "first round winner" Gaines. Have I left any other possibilities? Oh yeah, could the "Cash money 4 leaf clover" take his Daddy to victory lane?

Enjoy it. And enjoy the winning cash...let me know how that feels...hint...hint. (Playin). Much love. Still have to get Tahoe tix. Anyone have any final suggestions for us. We're looking at Reno or Sactown...then doing some travelin and ending in LA. Mas Amor. Go Gators...i hope

On the same, yet more exciting note for me atleast, my former stundent, Adrianne McNally, played (ESPN2) in the Div II NCAA Championship today for Florida Gulf Coast Univ. but lost 61-45. She starts as a freshman! She had a great game though. Props for the Ptown Pirate!

Jeff

I hear the drummers drumming a birthday tune!

Happy Birthday, Bill!! Thanks for keeping this family laughing! We love you so much and hope you feel extra special on your big day. Grace also sends her Papa a BIG birthday hug!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! WE WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! HERE ARE TWO SHORT SONGS TO HELP YOU CELEBRATE YOUR BIG DAY!


Gabcast! DAD'S BIRTHDAY #0



Gabcast! DADS BIRTHDAY PART 2 #1

Round 2 Update and Reflections

Well the Sweet 16 is set, and the leaderboard is tight once again this year with Abigail once again proving that she was not a one hit wonder last year. Dad (W. Gaines) has taken the overall lead, but Abigail is right behind and perhaps has better picks when it comes down to the Final Four. The politically charged Obama08 (Jeff) is bringing it strong this year, but Wes, mom, and my self are right behind. Don't count out B. Brus, Norm, or last year's champ D. Jinkins either because they are definitely not out of the running.

Once again, the Big 10 has proved just how weak they really are. If Justin Cage makes his second free throw, OSU is at home too along with EVERY OTHER BIG 10 TEAM! I picked Texas A&M to be in the Final Four because of the above Acie Law IV who is the most clutch shooter I've seen since MJ put on the Carolina Blue. If that guy has a shot to win it inside of 2 minutes, he doesn't miss. Look for a couple of the #1 teams to not make it to Atlanta. I'm picking Tenn over OSU, and USC over NC. Can't wait till Thurs!

First Round Leaderboard Updates and Reflections

First off...happy St. Patrick's Day everyone. After the opening round of "madness", I think this year's tourney so far has been notable for it's lack of "madness." The top 20 teams have all advanced and those like me who caught George Mason fever after last year, and picked a bunch of 1st round upsets, find themselves towards the bottom of the leaderboard. The shining star so far is the G-dora girl herself, Abigail. Perhaps, what I love most about her kicking my butt so far is the fact that I walked into the house lastnight after grabbing dinner, only to find her on the couch, wrapped up in the USC-Arkansas game. This only happens once a year, this is March Madness! Abigail picked 29 of 32 games correctly (290 points), and her competitive nemesis, L. Gaines is nipping at her heels with 27 of 32 (270 points). There's a bit of a log jam for third with Bill, Norm and D. Jinkins coming in with 26 of 32 (260 points). My only claim to fame so far is picking VCU over Duke (I believe I hinted at this), and Winthrop over ND. That's it, and now I'll go back to 12th place with my cousin Anna. Steve has made his yearly walk to the basement, and Sarah Jane is right behind at this point, but don't worry, everything changes today as the point values go up, and everyone gets new life. Look for a big upset today. Can the Hooseier take down the Bruins? Doubt it. But I had a Spartan dream lastnight! Can Izzo prove once again that he's one of the best come the middle of March. Down with UNC!

STEVEN SHOOTER #18 LAMPI

Estas son las mañanitas, que cantaba el Rey David. Hoy por ser día de tu santo, te las cantamos a ti.

Despierta mi bien despierta mira que ya amaneció. Ya los pajaritos cantan. La luna ya se metió

Que linda está la mañana en que vengo a saludarte. Venimos todos con gusto y placer a felicitarte.

Ya viene amaneciendo. Ya la luz del día nos dio. Levántate de mañana. Mira que ya amaneció.

Alavio, Alavia, Ala vim vom va, Esteban, Esteban, rah! rah! rah!

Deal or no deal?

Well, despite what may have been in cases #36, #8, #16 and #22 - perhaps season tickets to Michigan home football and basketball games, full Michigan attire, meet and greet Chris Weber (childhood michigan hero), an offer to move to Michigan and live with my fav Aunt and Uncle...?

Joel has chosen to forgoe what may have been in those cases and says "deal" to the most wonderful, smart, beautiful, God-fearing woman he's ever met - Lauren Elizabeth Rossi

Deal or no deal? "Deal" (push the button)

This is how it went down - on a chilly night on March 10th at Niagara Falls, NY. The multicolored lights illuminating the rushing waters that supposedly release positive ions in the air that have been known to turn friends into lovers, couples into spouses and have even inspired some to go over the falls in a wooden barrel... Joel Dae Eisleben proposed to a miss Lauren Elizabeth Rossi on one knee, in the snow...

Mission accomplished! - Here is a checklist of victories that ultimately led to a successful proposal-

1. did not forget to bring the ring to buffalo

2. Survived a 6 hour drive to chicago with to be fiance

3. avoided confiscation of the ring at the airport by swallowing the ring and passing it once I arrived in Buffalo - (painful, and not sure if necessary)

4. earned the love of a large italian family with past connections to the mob (was not wacked by lewis the older brother)

5. did not drop the ring over the falls

6. did not drop myself over the falls

7. proposed on bended knee

8. told her I loved her and that I wanted to marry her

9. got an "ok..." - good enough for me

10. reported back to uncle bill with the results

Operation Wedding has commenced:

We are thinking August 4th or the 11th

Now the balls in your court Uncle Bill - How much do you really love your nephew???

... more than a sunny day in california?

No, Jeff, you can't tan in Tahoe

Hey, there, everyone!

Sorry to take your minds off the basketball watchamacallit for a moment, but I wanted to get the Tahoe ball rolling, so to speak. Wes and I found some pretty decently-priced tickets from Indy to San Fran during the week of the 6-12th, so we wanted to try to jump on them sometime in the next month before they skyrocket, if we can.

Have any of you Tahoe regulars nailed down or thought about which days during that week would be best (or how many days)? Have any Midwesterners bought tickets? Would weekend days be better for those who have to use vacation time? Just a few thoughts. Anybody know anything about this?

We're so excited to see everyone together in one place. This was a great idea. Are the LA pups coming? I'd like to see Brenda and Harley do some more wrestling.

P.S. be thinking about Cash these next few days. the poor guy's got a nasty cold that he can' t shake. we're hoping he starts looking better before we have to get him antibiotics. he's still got that killer smile, though.

P.S.S. looks like we've got two gaines-lampi birthdays in the next week!

YE 2007: KNOCK

Yo,

So don't forget to check out the previous post by Jake, but I told some of ya I would get some footage of YE 2007 Steve Lampi...the sequel...and a bit of lampi fun with the lil guys, Brad Brus rif, the classic "countdown" to the weekend ha! ...and the new Lampi....G-unit Grey Grey Midtown Playa....here's where to go:

Let the Madness Begin!

Yes, it's one of my favorite times of year again. Jim Nantz and Billy Packer are ready to go, Greg Gumble has given us the pairings and I'm ready to make my picks only to realize once again that it's really anyone's guess (e.g. George Mason). So, I'm calling on all who frequent this blog to get signed up by this Thursday and then ante up to the bookie (give us the skinny Jefe). This goes out to all Gaines-Lampi's and friends to make it even more interesting so feel free to send invites out. Also, please take a minute to read the special tribute on our Group Page when you get in. This year tourney challenge has a special dedication. Good luck!!

Click here to join the madness

ARE YOU READY FOR THE MADNESS???

WHAT IS UP!

Amidst the amorous anniversaries, insomianatic baby sympathies, artic freezes, and moments of birthday amnesia right.....emerges a favorite past time amongst the G-L posse. Steveo, you happy Bday on the 16th by the way. Lil prelim announcement not uncommon for me to pull out....

But.......it's MARCH MADNESS!!!!!! (I just heard Wes pump his fist, Sarah hearing the cash register Cha Ching, and Jacob slide on his Dukie sweater)
I'll make this short and sweet. Question/Answer Style pretending I know what you're thinking about our upcoming tournament between 2 highly competitive extended families.

First of all..

Q: Who is the bookie?
A: I am (period). Next question.

Q: Why for money?
A: Why not....Anyways I didn't get paid last time for winning...oh wait, my father-in-law cam through. So, I'm rolling over the 20 dollar winnings into this pot. We have about 16 or so immediate family players and at 2 bucks entry/person....that's oh yeah = well you can add. .....o yeah, and + 20 too from lat competition

Q: Can I play?
A: EVERBODY BETTER PARTICIPATE! Please! Invite close friends too (aka Brus') etc and inlaws!!!

Q: How do I play?
A: I'll blog the link soon (Sun or Mon) or email you (ESPN.go.com is the tourney manager)

Q: What should I do to get prepared?
A: You can go cold turkey into this and guess (good chance of winning prob) or do some research. During my first year of college at GVSU (isolated and depressed) I had some time to research....and won my floor's tourney. I dunno

Q: How do I pay up?
A: Tahoe we can pay up...or if the winner is not going....I guess just mail it to he/she???

Q: When does it start and end?
A: You can make your picks this Sunday night or Monday...but before games start Thursday....and track progress via any sports website. (CBS.com, espn.go.com)
It ends the first weekend in April I think

Q: Is Jeff this psycho?
A: Yes, but so is Wes....Jake...Steve....Ben.......whatever...you would to if you learned how to bet on horses...jk dogs...jk...I was close, but Steph put the brakes on her father and me in Fla.

Q: Are you in?
A: TBA


Awaiting SoTahoe and meeting Gracie when she turns 16,

Jeff

happy anniversary

just wanted to say happy anniversary to my loverly husband of three years!









(now, that's a man a girl can be proud of).

HAPPY 26th BIRTHDAY BECKY!

A look back at 25!

Grey is ready for tahoe

P1000739
Originally uploaded by stevelamps.

We can't wait to see you all in the mountain country of Lake tahoe. We need a break frm this wintery weather. I just got back from Willow Creek yesterday in Chicago and it took me 9 hours at 35 miles and hour in the snow. Summer couldn't come soon enough. Anyway, can't wait to see ya'll.
Steve/shea