trale lewous

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/678eec3433

Abigail Turns 30!!!!

Today, the love of my life finally joins me in the 30s (new 20s) and I wish to use this blog space to publicly proclaim my unending love, admiration, and gratefulness for who Abigail is to me and so many. She enters her 30s with grace and beauty as an amazing wife, a tender mom, and faithful friend to all. Please share a quick thought or two simply telling Abigail what you love and appreciate about her, or any other funny memory through the years!!

SUPERFAN!

What a day was Caleb's Bday! I wanted to share some pics with you and a short story that has to be one of the FUNNIEST EVER!

So like, I was having a convo with Caleb prior to his Bday and somehow we got on the subject of Uncle Wes and him being a ROCKSTAR. We listen to him all the time and he loves his tunes (along with his other Uncle, Steve). So like I suggest to Caleb asking Uncle Wes for a pic and a signature..and tell Sarah..get a couple of laughs from them and leave it at that.

The day after or so his Bday I look in the mail and well, I'll let the pics (shirt, CD, Pic) speak for themselves.

The most hilarious thing about it was when he opened it and held the pic in his hand...he got really weird..Steph and I had never seen this before.....kind of shy...And when I asked him about calling Uncle Wes and thanking aunt Sarah, he said he was too shy to do so.. You should have seen his "starstruck" gaze. Maybe reminiscent of Jake last week with Ryan Seacrest or myself and Al Denson.

Anyway, we threw the CD in and him and EDEN got to it and played some air guitar!

Anyways, great bday, and thanks again Wes and Sarah...and everyone who made Caleb's 4th a hit (H2O tabele -shea and steve- they love it...especially the Eden monster)! UNBELIEVABLE. The pic is going on his wall along with (so says Steve) a pic of Uncle Steve the"goth" Rocker staring through a candle....stay tuned

Kudos to Steph and the FAB cake job!

Trivia Time!

We've done it before, so I thought I'd keep it going. Winner gets the joy of knowing how smart they are. Bonus questions and you're brilliant.

Where is this picture taken?

Bonus: What is it called?

I'll even allow research.

Steve

J & A Catch Idol Fever

I don't know if anyone else in Bloggerland has been watching American Idol this season, but for the first time since Kelly Clarkson won it 7 years ago, Abigail and I got wrapped up in this years Idol fever. Tonight was the big finale pitting the two David's (Archuleta and Cook) against each other. By some twist of good fortune, I was able to score 3rd row seats and Abigail and I skipped work for the day and braved the crowds at the Nokia Theater in downtown L.A.

We sat in a lot of long lines, but in the end it was well worth the wait. Fascinating to see all that goes into a live production like this, we rubbed elbows with a lot of very rich people up front just to the left of Simon Cowell. If you watched the episode you will catch a quick glimpse of Abigail in one shot behind David Cook's mom (Abs is wearing pink) and then a shot of both of us during Archuleta's second song (you really have to be looking). Alas, it was a fun and memorable day being together and dreaming our own dreams while watching these two live out theirs. Any other Idol fans? Who got your vote?

Check this out (Some kids are way beyond their years)

So this girl (Hollie) who attends the LIFT service at messiah, was in a mile run with her school this past Sunday. She is autistic, but has had significant improvement in her disability and is the sweetest thing you'll ever meet. The race was for Parkdale Elementary here in Midland and the second graders all came out for the run. The boys ran first and the girls second. After starting the race, Hollie ran about the first quarter of the race with the kids and then lost all her steam. She was 1/8th of the way done and her mom was crushed that she would have to run the race alone. She debated whether to go walk with her the rest of the way and just before she did, a couple of second grade boys ran out with her, joined by a few others. They ended up running the last half mile together helping her get through. That is pretty cool. I want my son to be the kid that ran out there first to help. I know you all feel the same way.

Steve

Grace's Development

Today I proved to Grace once and for all who runs this house! Take a look...

FELIZ CUMPLEANOS CALEB!

4 YEARS OLD! TODAY 4 years ago the first addition to the GL posse was born and now, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT, is 4!!! Happy Bday to a FAST and CURIOUS lil boy who has brought his mommy and daddy + lil brother so much JOY! We love you Caleb. You are a blessing and such a good big brother.

Love Daddy, Mommy and Eden xo

He'll tell you all about his new BIKE next time you see him!

The Cup Came Home!!

As you know like all the G/L men, I suffer from a slight sports addiction. So when Fort Wayne's IHL hockey team the Komets were hosting game 7 of the Turner Cup Finals last night I had to be there. It had been a testy series with the scrapper Ice Hawks from Port Huron, and the Komets had fought back from down 3-1 in the series to force game 7. The Komets have been in Fort Wayne since the 1950s and have a lot of die hards. As I walked toward the Coliseum last night fans were already chanting "Bring Home the Cup!!", and I knew this is where I belong. The Coliseum was packed and full of energy, I was filled with a feeling that can only be equated with the Cup Crazy days of the late 1990s. Early in the game the Komets were hit with a major penalty, and after clearing the puck for the last time to kill the 4 min. penalty (Sarah doesn't believe this but it totally happened) I stood and applauded (Will You Be the One), those around me followed my lead, and soon the whole Coliseum was up, "Let's Go Komets!!

With under a minute to go and the Komets up 2-1 the place was going nuts and then, a potential heartbreak, the Ice Hawks snuck one in to tie it up. We are going to have to earn this one, I thought. Through two overtimes the teams were still deadlocked. Then just after midnight, in the first minute of triple overtime, Komets got a rebound and stuffed it in the back of the net, bringing the Cup home!! Hugs, tears, high-fives, and a lot of pent up anger was released all at once throughout the Coliseum, it was classic. The best part is that as the Turner Cup (which looks strikingly familiar to the Stanley Cup) was presented to Komets captain Guy Dupuis (ghee duh-pwee: aka best hockey name ever) he hoisted it up and the cup fell off the base. As you can tell in the photos this didn't stop each Komet from doing a victory lap with the base of the Turner Cup. Incredible. What's great about the IHL is that while a lot of the players are young guys waiting to make it to the next level, the rest are just guys my age who love to play hockey and go back to work normal jobs over the summer. One of the Komets is also a local fireman. As you can tell, I became a baptized Komet Krazee last night, and Turner came home to the Fort.

P.S It appears we have some sore losers up in Port Huron (article). So we may have dislodged the goal a couple times when you had open net chances in OT. Its all part of the game, you should've shot quicker!

To all the wonderful Mommy's young and old"er"

Cheers to the Mothers of the Gaines-Lampi family, especially, Becky on her first Mother's Day. Let's face it guys, there's NO WAY we could do what they do. You SEVEN mothers are AMAZING, UNIQUE and INCREDIBLY gifted. There are some things God's reserved for greatness, and that is motherhood. Happy Mother's Day.

Jackson at 3 months!

Here is a short clip of Jackson as he is swinging and laughing!

Friends of Burma

As you've seen in the news Myanmar (Burma) is facing an enormous crisis after a cyclone caused thousands of deaths and left even more homeless . Fort Wayne happens to have the largest concentration of Burmese refugees in the country (www.burmafortwayne.com) and so I just wanted to pass on some info on a local organization that can help get aid directly to people in Myanmar. Check out Friends of Burma if you are interested in making a donation or helping the people of Myanmar in any way.

Cash's Development

All right, Jeff. Here's our installment of "show off how smart your kid is."

Remember my blue shorts?!

It's been a while since I've posted on this blog, and I feel funny writing a post asking for money, but what the hell, right?

I hope you're all well.

This has been an extremely fast paced year for me; I've learned a lot, had a fantastic time in the process, and if you've been around me in the last several months you've undoubtedly heard stories of my time on the pitch playing rugby with the LA Rebellion this season.

The Rebellion ended the year with a record of 5-3, with heads held high. Last year, our winning-est season in our 7 year history, we ended with a record of 1-9, if that adds a little more context. And to toot my own horn, I was awarded 'Man of the Match' in 4 out of 8 games and scored about 12 or 13 tries (touchdowns).

And now, we turn our attention to the Bingham Cup, an international rugby tournament taking place in Dublin, Ireland this June. This tournament promises to be an enormous amount of fun and a great flag planting opportunity for my team and I in the world of rugby.

And it's going to be expensive! And this is a moment of fund-raising humility where I ask YOU for some of your hard earned money. Whether it be $5 or $500 (thanks, *CENSORED* insert name of rich person here), any amount will help me out in this epic, international rugby adventure.

Tax deductible checks made out to the LA Rebellion may be sent to:

Andrew Gaines
1529 1/2 Rosalia Rd.
Los Angeles, CA 90027

Send me a little note with what you've been up to, as well.

Can't wait to tell you stories and maybe play some impromptu rugby on the beach shores at Lake Huron in August!

Until then/lovingly,

Andrew