Barker Baby Bump UPDATE #1 - 9/30/2016

As promised, here is the first photo of Stefy Boo's bump:

There is a baby girl in there (Olivia), and she is due to arrive on Friday, December 9th.  Ironically, Stephany's last day at Jameson Camp is also December 9th.  It could get interesting here that last week or two. I'm not a trained midwife but I would be willing to help in any way.  If she starts having contractions and there's a midwife crisis, I might have to step in.  I'll just close my eyes and do what I'm told.

The Barker Baby Bump

Stephany Barker has a bun in the oven, as they say.  It's a girl and the baby has to wait about 2 more months to enter this world.

I know what you're thinking...'That's Reese Witherspoon!'  Believe me, I was waiting for Ryan Phillippe to walk in with her. (Are they still together?)

Hopefully every Friday I will provide you with baby bun updates.  I'll take you right up until labor begins.  I'll give you a birds-eye view...because I don't want a close-up view when the event takes place.

Her nickname is Stefy Boo and soon she will have another little boo!


P.S. I checked and Reese isn't with Ryan anymore.  I would have been waiting a long time for him to walk in.

National Coffee Day

For all you coffee lovers out there, Happy National Coffee Day!

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2016/09/28/how-score-free-cup-joe-national-coffee-day/91231350/

It looks like Krispy Kreme has the best deal - a free doughnut too!

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Silent Auction Committee Meeting

I don't have many dreams, but last night, one of them came true; I was locked in a house with a group of women.

Ok, technically I wasn't 'locked in' and there was a male dog in the house somewhere, but still, it was a special moment.  As part of my research for a story on the Jameson Camp Women's Auxiliary, I went to one of their meetings.  Last night's event was at a member's house (a very nice house) and there was food, fun, and plenty of frivolity.  I don't know what frivolity means but it fit well.

Items for the silent auction - I'll take the TV

I was told that it would be a raucous time filled with lots of laughter.  I have to admit, the ladies were somewhat subdued and I take full responsibility.  I think the male presence threw them off and didn't allow them to act naturally.  I often have this effect on women - they are taken aback by my masculinity.

The house was absolutely beautiful.  Pam is a tremendous interior decorator and the basement was the perfect 'Man-cave.'  Families that have this much nice living space need more residents in the house.  I would be more than happy living in the basement and walking the dog, although he and I didn't get along initially (we got into a barking match - he won.)

Just like at work, Yvonne has no shoes on

The story will be out soon and I would like to thank all the ladies for their kindness.  Thank you Pam for the hospitality and thank you Cathy for the food.  I had a lot of fun and I hope to soon become a permanent member of the Women's Auxiliary.

Kidney Stones Might Be Fun After All

According to a study from Michigan State University, roller coasters might help people pass kidney stones.

Apparently there was one person who claimed to have passed three kidney stones after taking three rides on Disney's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

I'm sure everyone who's ever had a kidney stone, the first thought that comes to their mind is, "Boy I feel like hitting the amusement park today."

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So if you're ever in excruciating pain and you don't know what to do, consider getting in your car, driving an hour to a theme park, standing in line for 30 minutes for a ride, and then getting strapped into a seat for a wild ride.  30 seconds later, you may be pain free!

https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/27/study-roller-coasters-kidney-stone

Five Times the Fun

When you were growing up with 4 other identical siblings, didn't you just dream of doing everything together?  "We'll wear the same clothes, we'll go to the same school, we'll sleep in the same room, we'll all date another set of quintuplets."  Evidently working at the same place was also on that list for the Curtis siblings, who all find themselves employed at a McDonald's in Potterville, Michigan.

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You're probably thinking of a few jokes, but their mother is already there.  "We call it McCurtis." Well done, Mom.  What about creating a hamburger called the Quintuplet-pounder (5 pieces of meat)?  If you eat 2 McDouble's, you're almost there already.

The article did not mention the ages of the siblings, but just from looking at the photo, the one on the far left looks to be a few years older than the one on the far right.

http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/09/set_of_quintuplets_find_first.html

  

Bee Gone

Federal wildlife officials have recommended the bumble bee for the endangered species list.  In the past 20 years, it has disappeared from 90% of its historic range.

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Unlike some children, I never had a bad experience with bees.  I loved the little critters, probably because they were stinging other kids.

My question regarding this study is, "How do you count bees?"

• Ok, we've got the Birmingham bees counted.  They've taken up residence just outside the city. They commute to work and we were able to count them while they were sleeping.
• The Jacksonville bees have left the city.  They were last spotted in Orlando, we're keeping a close watch on them.
• The San Diego bees have been the most difficult to count.  Some of them have gone surfing, others work at the zoo.  We're still waiting on a few absentee ballots to be sent in.
• Missouri is the most dangerous area now.  The Kansas City bees and St. Louis bees have been feuding for a while and a gang war is imminent.  We're pulling out of the area and will wait until the bloodshed is over to get a full count.

1 Billion, 200 million, 500 thousand, 6 hundred and 40....I LOST COUNT!!!!!

Bee free little guys and gals.  Bee free!

http://www.air1.com/news/2016/09/23/rusty-patched-bumble-bee-recommended-for-endangered-list.aspx

Fall is Here!

Today marks the first day of fall.  It's a wonderful season filled with beautiful colors....

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With a new season comes new seasonal ice cream flavors:

• Pumpkin Spice Latte
• Ginger Ice Cream
• Carrot Cake
• Sweet Potato Ice Cream
• Cinnamon Ice Cream
• Apple Butter
• Apple Cider
• Apple Caramel
• Apple Pumpkin Ginger Rogers

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Enjoy your fall!

There's an App for That

With the LuDela Smart Candle, you can now light a candle with your smartphone.  The flame is real and you can read about the technology here.  Perhaps my favorite part of the story is how voice integration is planned for the future.  I hope they will have a recording of Jim Morrison singing 'Light My Fire.'

If we can't even light a candle anymore, what else will soon become automated?

Tying shoes

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It's just too much effort to bend down.

Brushing teeth

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It's so boring just standing in front of the sink.

Walking the dog

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All they do is sniff and pee.

Shaving

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Every day it's the same thing.

Waving to people

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It's bad enough we made eye contact.

Smiling

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It just feels wrong.

Falling in love

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Romance is the worst.

Making a baby

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Just get it over with.

Having a baby

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Just get it over with.

Playing with a baby

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They're not even cute.

Being parents

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The kids always take over the computer.

Living

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There's no time for it.

Let Go of Your Eggo

Let it go!  Let it goooooo!!!

Kellogg's has recalled about 10,000 cases of Eggo Nutri-Grain Whole Wheat Waffles in 25 states. The reason?  Listeria.  I guess you could say it's listeria hysteria.

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I have to admit, I am a little worried.  Not because of the waffles but because of listeria.  I use it every night as my mouthwash!!

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A Bug's Life

Here in the VISTA office, Caitlin and I see a lot of bugs.  Mostly wasps, but occasionally an ant or even an uncle will crawl around.

Give me the wings if you're not going to use them!

En route to meet the wasp

The wasp and ant gave birth to this

Caitlin's breakfast was stolen; wasp found guilty

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Quite a behind on this fella

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Tail up means it's ready to party!

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This guy was shocked at how many bugs we have

Happy Birthday, Caitlin!

23 years young is Captain Caitlin Camic today.  She's very mature for her age, although next to me, everyone is mature.

She'll be celebrating with her girlfriends tonight and into the weekend.  But the party started at Jameson Camp.  Yesterday, Yvonne brought in an unbelievably delicious chocolate cake:

After the cake, Caitlin also ate the card

This morning, Yvonne took us out for breakfast.  They were short-staffed at FlapJacks so Yvonne stepped in and made these pancakes for Caitlin:

Strawberries and whipped cream - it's all in Caitlin's pancake dream

  We had a great time just talking about boys, clothes, and moisturizer, typical girl chit-chat.

Mom and her girls

I don't know when Caitlin's next birthday is, but I hope it's soon.  I really enjoyed hanging out with the ladies.

Happy Birthday, Caitlin!  Have a great day and a great weekend!

They Call Me Keith

Last week, one of the staff members called me Keith.  An honest mistake that I thought was funny. Apparently other members of the staff felt the same way:

When Caitlin and I started working here, we made name tags and put them above the door to our office.  Earlier this week, someone made a new name tag for me.  The resemblance between the 'Kevin' I made and the 'Keith' they made is uncanny.  When I looked at it, I thought, "When did I make that?"  Kudos to the creator.  You have lovely penmanship.

Speaking of Kudos, I've compiled a list of names that I would like to be called if someone gets my name wrong.  If they don't say Kevin, I hope they say one of these 'K' names:

• Kory
• Kenny
• Konstantin
• Ketchup
• Krispy Kreme
• Kodiak
• Kornstalk
• Kudos
• Klondike
• Kitten
• Kissable
• Knucklehead
• Knock Knock
• Who's There?

Community Health Network / I Will Survive

Yesterday, Community Health Network stopped by Jameson Camp and gathered in the Jameson Center.  At the end of the day, they did a talent show, and at the end of the talent show, Heidi Footman sang to her boss.

Heidi has a great voice and her song of course reminded me of:

Which reminded me of a scene from The Office:

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Thank you Community Health Network, Heidi Footman, Gloria Gaynor, and Michael Scott!

Adios, Andrea

Today is Andrea Groves' last day.  Not on Earth, but at Jameson Camp.

Andrea has been the Program Manager at camp for 4 years and has worked here a total of 6 years. She is moving on to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Indiana as a Guest Relations Manager.  I assume this means she will monitor children at a McDonald's playhouse, although I have not confirmed this with her.

Here is a photo of Andrea:

I was not aware that Jameson Camp had a large warehouse, or that we sold fruit.

Here is another photo of her, this time with marshmallows and a pie pan, presumably using the fruit to make some sort of dessert:

And this last photo was taken during her brief reign as Chief Ninjaturtle:

Good luck with your future endeavors, Andrea.  Jameson Camp will McMiss you a lot.  McBye!

Fabulous Footwear

In honor of the Finish Line Youth Foundation offering Jameson Camp a generous $5,000 grant, here are a few photos of fabulous footwear from friends and family (actually it's just Caitlin but the alliteration sounded nice).

Caitlin's boots - what's inside?

Donut-eating Raccoon socks - that's what


We have a thing for raccoons here in the VISTA office.  It wouldn't surprise me in the least if one ended up inside.  I would obviously ask the raccoon if he or she had rabies, and if they answered 'no,' then welcome aboard!

Great Names in History

One of the newest Jameson Camp Board Members is a woman named Bonnie Woodfork.

Her maiden name was Plasticspoon

This got me thinking about other people with cool names.

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Scipio Africanus - Roman general

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Bastian Schweinsteiger - German soccer player

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Wolf Blitzer - American journalist

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Elon Musk - South African businessman & founder of Tesla Motors

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Benedict Cumberbatch - English actor

Besides Bonnie, where are all the women?  How about another Bonnie!

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Bonnie Fightmaster - American sales agent

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Vanessa Lockshin - Canadian Fundraising Consultant

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Leelee Sobieski - American actress

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Cruella de Vil - American villain

Honorable mention: Pepper Potts, Debbie (Sewer) Wind, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Kevin Johnson, Sam Champion, George Stephanopoulos