6 months

Jason and I have been married for a little over 6 months. It is amazing how much we have grown together and as individuals. We already think the same things and we continue to have similar interests which is huge in making a marriage work. I am so lucky to have a husband who is so caring and devoted to me. I hope that everyone has that chance someday to love and be loved like Jason and I share. I know that 6 months is not very long but they say the first year is the hardest and so far we have had smooth sailing, I expect the next months to be the same and from there it will continue to get better. I know a lot of people my age, slightly younger, or a little older who haven't been able to share this experience with someone. My only advice to you is to keep waiting and not get down on yourself. Things work out in the end. Though in the meantime I'll be honest it might really suck, always being the bridesmaid and never the bride, but in the long run you won't change a thing about the ways things happen. I hope that Jason and I can be an example to other couples with the love and compromise we share in our relationship. I'm not saying that our relationship it perfect (even though it is) ha-ha, I just hope that we can be that couple that everyone looks too and says, man they just seem like they are really happy together, and that won't be a front because that is the truth. We are happy together and I thank God for blessing me with Jason in my life and Jason I thank you for being the perfect husband!

Still on track

Jason and I are still set to close on the house one week from today. It is a pretty exciting time for the both of us right now. We made some pretty mass purchases this weekend too, so we are all set up when we get possession. Jason went out and got his 51" big screen tv to be delivered the weekend after we get the house and then I got us a new fridge so we are pretty well good to go right now. Just trying to figure out which insurance to go with, fun stuff. Hope that everyone is doing well and enjoying this unseasonably warm weather! Take care!

Under the Weather

I haven't been feeling too hot the past few days, I broke down and went to a "new" doctor this morning. She was alright, turns out as suspected I have an upper respitory infection. So got I got some antibiotics and was told to use my inhaler more often, which my mom constantly gets on my case about. I hate using it because I would just rather conquer it on my own, but not going to happen this time, so I will have to suck it up and start using it. I am set to go to Defiance tomorrow and sort through stuff I'm storing there, unless I start to feel worse I am planning on going and getting it over with. Sunday will probably be a relaxing day for us, with no plans as of yet, probably just church in the morning and Jason will find some sporting even to watch all day, and I'll probably just lay back and rest and relax. I hope that everyone is doing well. Have a great weekend!

Growing up

It's funny to think about where we all were 5 years ago and where we are now. I know that most of my college buddies are engaged, married, seriously dating someone, or blessed with children. I don't think that any of us would have thought that we would be at this stage in our lives this early. In college we had no worries in the world and we were proud of that. Now most of us are employed at successful jobs and have more responsibilities than we ever thought possible. The funny thing is, I wouldn't go back to college if I had a choice. I know a lot of people say oh back in the good old days, no worries, party haven, get up when you want, do whatever you want, but nah I wouldn't trade my life for that. Don't get me wrong, we had some good times, I mean some really good times, but to look back now, I just laugh and think, what the heck was I thinking. Ha-ha. Good times though, I will always remember those years. I think most of you will too, and most of you remember the highlights that cause me to chuckle to myself, and say woah, crazy stuff. The fact that we have conquered college and are now in the real world, shows that despite having a lot of fun we were able to walk away with an education that has got us to where we are now, and that is something to be said. I have friends/family who have went on to get their masters degree and I applaud them for doing so. I always thought that I would go back and get my degree in counseling, well thanks to the "real world" I soon realized that wasn't for me. I am lucky enough at this point in my life to have a job where I will be able to retire from and not have to worry about more schooling (although I am still in my 13 week training course) and I can't say enough about how blessed and lucky I feel to have gotten this job. We spend so much time at our job and our thoughts are usually consumed by work rather we want them to be or not, so having a job that is both challenging and rewarding is the perfect job for me. The timing of this job could not have been any better, I was to the point in my life where we have all been, I have talked to several people who have been there too, what am I going to do with the rest of my life? I keep telling my friends who are at that stage of their life right now that everyone works out in due time, and it is amazing to see it unfold perfectly before you very eyes. We all have been through different things, we all have a passion for different things, but once you get your priorites straight everything works out from there. Jason and I met at the best time in our lives and from there everything unfolded and we have never looked back from there. So, this is some babble that I am typing as I think and this was not thought out beforehand, so it may or may not make sense, but I think I get my point across, that a lot of good can happen. Growing up is a stage of our lives and I think it is the best stage, it is stressful nonetheless, but overall good things happen to good people. I stress priorities because that is where everything starts and from there growing up can begin. Things always work out in the end and everything happens for a reason, I know typical cliche but something I have always believed in. Growing up is both frightening and exciting, but for Jason and I it has been more exciting than anything and as we move into the next phase of our life, home ownership, we know that it will be challenging, but together we will get through it, we always do! Hope everyone has a great Thursday!

Mortgage

Well, we signed some paperwork last night and Jason didn't pass out so that was a good thing. Although, when we close that might be another story. Some people say though it doesn't seem real until you are actually in the house, so we are pretty much looking forward to that time. Our lease of our apartment isn't up until March, so we have a pretty good length of time to get everything settled, cleaned, and painted before we move some of our stuff in. However, my older brother says once we get in there and see all that space we won't be able to stand living at the apartment any longer, so he's probably right. We will probably try and get the bedrooms and a good majority painted right away so we can get somewhat moved in. We are in the process of getting Jason his big screen tv too, and that is too big for our apartment, so as soon as we get that, I have a feeling that the bed and a lot of our stuff will be loaded up and moved to the new house. I think I mentioned it before but we are moving less than 1/2 mile from where we live right now, which will make the moving process a lot easier. It will still be a pain in the butt because moving always is, and for this chica who moved into a dorm room and it took 3 car loads to get all my stuff in there, you can only imagine how much stuff I have now. I am heading to good old Defiance this weekend to go through some things that my parent's and little brother are so graciously letting me store there, I believe it was "as soon as you get a house it's outta here though!" Nah, I do have a lot of stuff there and I'm sure a good part of that isn't something that I need any longer, so we are going to have one massive Garage Sale this spring that is for sure, hey any little extra money helps, we'll take what we can get. It is all so exciting and it has just moved so quickly, now we are pretty much just getting quotes for home owner's insurance and then we are waiting to get writer's cramp signing all that paperwork. Hopefully this summer, if not before we can have a get together for everyone to come up. I'm sure it will be bring a dish get together, because I am still in the "learning to cool process," so it may not be in anyone's best interest to eat what I make. I'm just kidding, I'm learning slowly but surely, I'll take care of it. Hope you are all doing well.

Mortgage

Jason and I are going to sign the next 30 years of our life away, pray for him that he doesn't have a panic attack! Just kidding, it is so exciting. We have been looking for several months now and it is amazing now that we found the house we want and how fast the whole process has gone. We will own our house in like a week and a half. It really is an exciting thing. I am looking forward to not have to listen to our neighbors walking back and forth across the floor, or the other night at midnight they decided to start sweeping their floors, IDIOTS! Anyways, things are progressing as they should. Will keep you all poste! Have a great Tuesday!

Eye Gunk

Why do we wake up in the morning with crusty eyes? I was curious and in case any of you are too, here you go...your day now can be complete.
Pulled from this website http://yucky.kids.discovery.com/noflash/body/yuckystuff/eyegunk/js.index.html#


What is it and where does it come from?
Well there is no official name for it, so call it what you want. During the day our eyelashes are working like windshield wipers repelling this "gunk" from forming, but when we are sleeping this is a different story. "A goopy mix of tears, sweat, and oils from other glands accumulate near the caruncle, the fleshy bump of the commisure, in the corner of your eye.

Welcome to the future Raike household, hope you can all come and visit us! Set to close February 6th! 

Well folks, drove by the house and saw this in the yard. PENDING! That is a pretty cool sign. We are getting the house :) 

House

Well we haven't heard yet what the sellers of the house are doing about fixing the few things the inspector found with the house. We will know by the end of today though what is going on there, I will be sure to keep you all posted so you can be in the loop. Keep your fingers crossed, we are still set to close on February 6th, so it could be ours in no time. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Have you ever wondered why?

So you don't think I'm totally strange and think about random stuff all the time, there is actually a book out there with this title, so I got interested. And here is some more useless stuff for you!

Why do men have nipples?

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_093.html
To tell you the truth, nobody really knows. The best explanation I've been able to find (and frankly it doesn't explain very much) is that nipples aren't a sex-linked characteristic. In other words, nipples are just one of those sexually neutral pieces of equipment, like arms or brains, that humans get regardless of sex. As you may know, every human being gets a unique set of 23 pairs of chromosomes at conception. These fall into two categories. One pair of chromosomes determines sex--the XX combination means you become female, the XY combination means you become male. The other 22 pairs, the non-sex chromosomes (they're called autosomes), supply what we might call the standard equipment that all humans get. These 22 pairs constitute an all-purpose genetic blueprint that in effect is programmed for either maleness or femaleness by the sex chromosomes. The programming is done by the hormones secreted by the sex glands. For example, the autosomes give you a voice box, while the sex hormones determine whether it's going to be a deep male voice or a high female voice. Similarly, the autosomes give you nipples, and the sex hormones determine whether said nipples are going to be functioning (in females) or not (in males).One interesting consequence of the developmental set-up just described is that during the very early stages of fetal life, before the sex hormones have had a chance to do their stuff, all humans are basically bisexual. Among other things, you have two sets of primitive plumbing--one male, one female. Only one set develops into a mature urogenital system, but you retain traces of the other for the rest of your life.It's tempting, therefore, to say that male nipples are yet another vestige of your carefree bisexual youth. Trouble is, male nipples are hardly vestigial. They're full-sized and fully equipped with blood vessels, nerves, and all the usual appurtenances of functioning organs. Why this should be so nobody knows--in some other mammals, such as rats and mice, male nipple development is completely suppressed by the male sex hormones. (Incidentally, don't start thinking that at one time our human male ancestors must have suckled their young. So far as anybody knows, male lactation has never developed in any mammalian species.)Human nipples appear in the third or fourth week of development, well before the sex characteristics. (The sex hormones start to assert themselves at seven weeks.) As many as seven pairs of nipples are arranged along either side of a "milk line," a ridge of skin that runs from the upper chest to the navel. Normally only one pair amounts to anything, but on about one baby in a hundred you can detect some vestige of the other ones, usually on the order of a freckle. There are cases of women who ended up with an extra breast, which made them freak show candidates not so many years ago. Luckily today the women can avail themselves of corrective surgery while the rest of us can watch Jenny Jones.
Pretty strange but once you hear that question you are like, yeah why do they. There are so many other things that make you go hmmm, but for now this is all you get. Maybe next week I'll think of some others for you, I know you are all dying to know.

FARTS

Where does the gas come from?
Flatulence occurs when a food does not break down completely in the stomach and small intestine. As a result, the food makes it into the large intestine in an undigested state. For example, if you are "lactose intolerant," it means that you lack an enzyme (lactase) in your intestine -- the enzyme that breaks lactose apart into two sugar molecules so they can enter the bloodstream. Without lactase, lactose passes undigested through the stomach and small intestine and arrives in the large intestine.
There, the lactose meets up with billions of hungry bacteria -- the natural "intestinal fauna" we all have in our large intestine. These bacteria are happy to digest lactose. They produce a variety of gases, in much the way that yeast produces carbon dioxide to leaven bread (see How Bread Works for details on yeast). Gases such as methane, hydrogen and hydrogen sulfide are common gases that these bacteria produce. Hydrogen sulfide is the source of the odor we associate with flatulence.
Certain foods produce more flatulence than others because they contain more indigestible carbohydrates than others. Beans, as you might expect, are particularly well-endowed in this regard.

This stuff is too "stinking funny", take some time to read it if you are as twisted as me you'll find it pretty hillarious, I know my husband and brothers will appreciate it! I found this on this website. http://www.geocities.com/krishna_kunchith/humor/fart.html

Farts
What makes farts smell?
The odor of farts comes from small amounts of hydrogen sulfide gas and mercaptans in the mixture. These compounds contain sulfur. Nitrogen-rich compounds such as skatole and indole also add to the stench of farts. The more sulfur-rich your diet, the more sulfides and mercaptans will be produced by the bacteria in your guts, and the more your farts will stink. Foods such as cauliflower, eggs and meat are notorious for producing smelly farts, whereas beans produce large amounts of not particularly stinky farts.
Why are stinky farts generally warmer and quieter than regular farts?
Most fart gas comes from swallowed air and consists largely of nitrogen and carbon dioxide, the oxygen having been absorbed by the time it reaches the anal opening. These gases are odorless, although they often pick up other (and more odiferous) components on the way through the bowel.
They emerge from the anus in fairly large bubbles at body temperature. A person can often achieve a good sound with these voluminous farts, but they are commonly (but not always!) mundane with respect to odor, and don't feel particularly warm. Another major source of fart gas is bacterial action. Bacterial fermentation and digestion processes produce heat as a byproduct as well as various pungent gases. The resulting bubbles of gas tend to be small, hot, and concentrated with stinky bacterial metabolic products. These emerge as the notorious, warm, SBD (Silent-But-Deadly), often in amounts too small to produce a good sound, but excelling in stench.
How much gas does a normal person pass per day?
On average, a person produces about half a liter of fart gas per day, distributed over an average of about fourteen daily farts. Whereas it may be difficult for you to determine your daily flatus volume, you can certainly keep track of your daily numerical fart count. You might try this as a science fair project: Keep a journal of everything you eat and a count of your farts. You might make a note of the potency of their odor as well. See if you can discover a relationship between what you eat, how much you fart, and how much they smell.
How long does it take fart gas to travel to someone else's nose?
Fart travel time depends on atmospheric conditions such as humidity, temperature and wind speed and direction, the molecular weight of the fart particles, and the distance between the fart transmitter and the fart receiver. Farts also disperse (spread out) as they leave the source, and their potency diminishes with dilution. Generally, if the fart is not detected within a few seconds, it will be too dilute for perception and will be lost into the atmosphere forever. Exceptional conditions exist when the fart is released into a small enclosed area such as an elevator, a small room, or a car. (Cockpit) These conditions limit the amount of dilution possible, and the fart may remain in a smellable concentration for a long period of time, until it condenses on the walls.
Why is there a 13 to 20 second delay between farting and the time it starts to smell?
Actually, the fart stinks immediately upon emergence, but it takes several seconds for the odor to travel to the farter's nostrils. If farts could travel at the speed of sound,we would smell them almost instantly, at the same time we hear them.
Is it true that some people never fart?
No, not if they're alive. People even fart shortly after death.
Do men's farts smell worse than women's farts?
Based on what I have experienced of women's farts, all I can say is that I hope not.
At what time of day is a gentleman most likely to fart?
A gentleman is mostly likely to fart first thing in the morning, while in the bathroom. This is known as "morning thunder," and if the gentleman gets good resonance, it can be heard throughout the household.
Why are beans so notorious for making people fart?
Beans contain sugars that we humans cannot digest. When these sugars reach our intestines, the bacteria go wild, have a big feast, and make lots of gas! Other notorious fart-producing foods include corn, bell peppers, cabbage, milk, and raisins. A friend of mine had a dog who was exceptionally fond of apples and turnips. The dog would eat these things and then get prodigious gas. A dog's digestive system is not equipped to handle such vegetable matter, so the dog's bacteria worked overtime to produce remarkable flatulence.
What things other than diet can make a person fart more than usual?
People who swallow a lot of air fart more than people who don't. This can be cured somewhat by chewing with your mouth closed. Nervous people with fast moving bowels will fart more because less air is absorbed out of the intestines. Some disease conditions can cause excess flatulence. And going up in an airplane or other low-pressure environment can cause the gas inside you to expand and emerge as flatulence.
Is a fart really just a burp that comes out the wrong end?
No, a burp emerges from the stomach and has a different chemical composition from a fart. Farts have less atmospheric gas content and more bacterial gas content than burps.
Is it harmful to hold in farts?
There are differences in opinion on this one. Certainly, people have believed for centuries that retaining flatulence is bad for the health. Emperor Claudius even passed a law legalizing farting at banquets out of concern for people's health. There was a widespread belief that a person could be poisoned or catch a disease by retaining farts. Doctors I have spoken to recently have told me that there is no particular harm in holding in farts. Farts will not poison you; they are a natural component of your intestinal contents. The worst thing that can happen is that you may get a stomach ache from the gas pressure. But one doctor suggested that pathological distention of the bowel could result if a person holds in farts too much.
How long would it be possible to not fart?
As I understand it, a captive fart can escape as soon as the person relaxes. This means that a lot of people who assiduously refrain from farting during the day do so at great length as soon as they fall asleep.
Having been on a great many overnight field trips, long bus trips, an trans-Pacific flights, I can personally vouch for the fact that lots of people do fart voluminously as they doze off. So the answer to the question would be, you can refrain from farting as long as you can stay awake!
Do all people fart in their sleep?
I have not made a scientific study of this, but I don't think all people fart in their sleep. I think mainly those who refuse to fart when they're awake do so when dozing off. For other people, toilet training takes such a strong hold that they let nothing pass their sphincters in sleep. For these people, the gas accumulates in the night and they vent it upon awakening.
Where do farts go when you hold them in? How often have you held in a fart, intending to release it at the first appropriate opportunity, only to find that the fart has disappeared when you are ready for it?
I asked several doctors where the fart goes. Does it leak out slowly without the person knowing it? Is it absorbed into the bloodstream? What happens to it? The doctors agree that the fart is neither released nor absorbed. It simply migrates back upward into the intestine and comes out later. It is reassuring to know that such farts aren't really lost, just delayed.
How can one cover up a fart?
There is a company called Fartypants that sells underwear designed to absorb the odor of farts. If you should be caught without your Fartypants, another ploy is to blame the dog or cat, if one should be present, or complain about how the wind must be blowing from the direction of the paper mill. As for the sound... if you are in a large group of people, act oblivious and innocent, or glance quickly at the person next to you, as if you think he/she did it. Other strategies include coughing or suddenly moving your chair so that people think that they misheard the fart.
If you are with one other person, you can act as if nothing happened, and the other person may believe he was mistaken in thinking he heard a fart. Depending upon the company, another strategy is not to cover it up, but to proudly proclaim the fart as your own grand accomplishment and to issue a challenge to the others to outdo that one if they think they can.

And now you know! Have a great Thursday!

House Update

The inspection went pretty good on the house on Saturday, nothing too major. We are waiting to hear back from the sellers to see if they can fix a couple of things for us, hope to know by the end of today what's going on with that. They need to let us know by Friday at the latest. So, things are moving along pretty well there. I did go out on Monday with mom, Vic, Grampa, and Vic's friend Jewell on Monday to Home Depot, Lowes, and I hit up Menards to look at some paint. I got a pretty good idea about what I want to go in which room. Jason only vetoed one color and I got a maybe on another, so all in all not too bad, since I have a rather bright sense of style. We are also in the process of checking out prices on refrigerators. It sucks being a grown up. It really will be so nice to have a place of our own. I'm so sick and tired of the upstairs neighbors walking back and forth across the floor incessantly, could drive a person bonkers. So, that is just one bonus of getting out of there. We know that we will be home bodies for quite awhile not having much extra cash flow to do anything and we probably won't want to leave our house ever knowing what we have gotten ourselves into! :) We are also in the hunt on scoring a deal on a big screen tv, I know a house and all that comes with that and we run out and buy a big screen tv that is not a necessity (well Jason thinks it is), but if we don't get one now, we will never be able to do it, so we have decided we are going to get one. Plus, since we will never leave our house again it might entice people to come over and at least watch some sports with Jason or play some playstation. I will continue to keep you all updated, pray that it all works out, we are hoping so. We are also thinking about getting a dog shortly after we move in, that will be exciting, we have wanted one for awhile so that will be nice to consider. Then I can tell everyone to get off my back about having kids because we will have enough to worry about. Just kidding, Jody! All in due time all in due time! Have a great day everyone! Thanks for checking in!

Jason is a TV Star

Well, they caught the guy who hosed us on our Ohio State tickets. The guy was camped out in a hotel in Florida. Jason got interviewed by our local news station last night and was on the 11 o'clock news, he was a pretty happy man. He was a little worried though that the news crews would be bothering me all the time when he wasn't there though after his big debut! At least he has kept a mild head in this ha-ha. He did a good job. I'll post the write up from the story. Also, I will post the article from the guys wife, turns out this guy is a real piece of work.

Fans React to Ticket Scam Suspect's Arrest
FOSTORIA -- Mark West, the Fostoria man accused in a massive eBay ticket scam is expected to appear in court later this week to find out when he can come back to Northwest Ohio. He was arrested Saturday, in Daytona Beach, FL after being on the run from authorities here for two months. Meanwhile, people who fell victim to the scam he's accused of running say they want to see justice done.
Jason Raike and his wife were two of many people who fell for the scam surrounding tickets to the Ohio State Michigan football game on November 19th last year. Raike has never been to an Ohio State football game, but he's a big fan, and when he saw tickets for the "big game" for sale on eBay, he said, "I showed my bosses the tickets. They thought it was a really good deal, and you know going through PayPal, I thought everything checked out."
Raike decided to go for it three months before the November game day. "I just bought a ticket for me and my wife, and it was $414 with shipping," said Raike. Raike never made it to the game because he never received the tickets from West.
Since then, Raike like many others in Ohio and across the country, has received a refund from Paypal, eBay's secure payment service. Meantime, West has been arrested. Raike said, "the fact that he's caught, hopefully he gets what he deserves to be honest with you."
Raike and his wife have made purchases on eBay since they were scammed, but Raike said, "it's just little items that cost $10." He said he'll have to really think about spending more than that on eBay in the future.
With Super Bowl XL coming up next month, the Better Business Bureau warns we could see even more ticket scams. No matter what, the BBB stresses if you're buying tickets online, you're taking a risk. If you take that risk, they encourage you use a credit card instead of a debit card because credit cards tend to offer better protection in case of fraud.
Another option according to the BBB would be legitimate ticket brokerage firms, which are often listed in the phone book. Always do your homework and check out the firms with the BBB.
Counterfeit tickets are also being made up at home, on personal computers and printers, something else the BBB wants people to know.
Super Bowl XL will be held on Sunday, February 5th at Detroit's Ford Field.

Mark West's Wife Calls Marriage "A Big, Fat Lie"
(Fostoria, OH) --- Federal agents caught Mark West over the weekend at a hotel bar in Florida, the missing Fostoria man believed to have scammed more than $200,000 from people on eBay. Those people were promised game tickets, including the big OSU-Michigan game last November.
It turns out those people weren't the only ones conned. Terrie West, his wife, considers herself more than a woman scorned --- She says she's a woman scammed, just like those ticket buyers.
In an exclusive interview, Mark West's wife says he lied to her every day over their two-year marriage --- a recovering alcoholic she says who got drunk on the love of easy money
"I lost four years of my life with a person I didn't even know," Terrie West said.
Terrie and Mark West met through Alcoholics Anonymous four years ago. Their first date: a Halloween dance. But Terrie now says their two-year marriage turned out to be nothing short of a horror story --- Her husband leading a double-life of lies and deception.
"He was so convincing," Terrie said. "There wasn't any verbal abuse, no arguing, no anything. He was very loving and kind to me."
Terrie now says the lies started big, and only got bigger. West told his wife he had Lou Gehrig's disease and a good job. Terrie says both turned out untrue
"I got him up for work every morning at 7:30," she recalled. "I go to work at eight, I got him up so he could get ready for work --- two years, two years, he never worked."
So did she marry a con artist?
"Yes I did," Terrie admitted. "I'll tell you what, that's some humble pie."
Terrie says the lies started to catch up with Mark West in mid-November, when customers never got tickets to the OSU-Michigan game. Mark West went south, leaving her to deal with angry callers. She had to flee their Fostoria apartment, when death threats started appearing at their door.
"One call we got from a gentleman in California who was bringing his father or somebody to the game of their dreams," she recalled. "I guess he must not have been in very good health. Those were the kind of calls we were getting."
West is now charged with phone fraud and theft, his victims 150 and counting for more than $200,000.
Then Terrie heard more about her husband, like an NBC-24 report that West had done hard time for armed robbery: for pressing a knife to a clerk at a Bowling Green gas station in 1987, all for $200.
"He told me he went to prison for 11-1/2 years because he beat the crap out of somebody who had killed his brother," she says.
Terrie says it makes her sick to know her husband was bumming on a Florida beach with other people's money, while she spent eight weeks wondering if he was even alive She never heard from him the whole time. But Terrie does hope to see Mark West one more time.
"I've been thinking about that-- do I want to see him and part of me does, because I want to ask him why? Why did you do this to all of us?" she said.
The only answer she has at this point is about her marriage to Mark West.
"It was all one big, fat lie," she says. "I didn't know this person at all."
Terrie West says she plans to get their marriage annulled, if she's even legally married to Mark West. Terrie says her husband told her his second wife died of breast cancer. But federal agents told her she's alive and well, living in Columbus.

Happy 1st Brithday Clark! 

Step 3 (Glad I didn't have to clean him up!) 

Step 2 

Step 1 

Waiting to open presents and eat some cake 

Weekend

Well it is Friday the 13th and I don't feel like looking anything up, so I'll just blab on about what is on hand for the weekend. Meredith is flying in tonight from DC and driving from Detroit to Toledo to hang out with the Raikes. Tomorrow morning I am heading to D-town to go to an estate sale with my mom and aunt, it is for one of my aunt's best friends who passes away a few months ago, so I would like to go and support her and I would like to have a few things from her friend. She was too young to be taken from us and such a good kind-hearted person who is sadly missed. I don't know that I ever saw her without a smile on her face we had a lot of good laughs together. Then I will hang with the Peffleys for a bit and head back to Toledo where we are supposed to meet up with Greg and his woman. Sunday we hope to make it to church and then are meeting with the realtor again to sort some more things over. Jason has the luxary of going through the house for 3 hours with the inspector on Saturday, if that goes well we are pretty much set to get our mortgage and take things from there. We are set to close on February 6th. So in less than a month Jason and I will be proud home owners, pretty cool feeling. I have Monday off so I am planning on meeting mom, Grampa, and Vic and getting some paint and stuff for the house. Jason's only request was that I don't make our house look like a circus, he acts like I like bright colors or something, the nerve :) So that will be fun, very eventful weekend, but should be a good one. Lots to do but so is life. I still hope to get some pictures up of the house over the weekend and also from Clark's first birthday. Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the warm weather in January, although I hear snow and rain all weekend, I'll get over it! Take care all!

Donate Blood

Well there was a Red Cross Blood Drive in our building today and I jumped at the opportunity to donate. Unfortunately, my mind and my body weren't in the same place because my iron was too low for me to donate. Enough about that, I think that anyone who can should donate blood. Think about it, most people like to donate to charities or give to this cause or that cause, and understandably that can really add up in the checkbook. Well, giving blood doesn't cost you a thing. You just need to take a little time out of your day and suck it up if you are scared of needles and just do it. You never know when it will be you or someone else that is close to you that might need pints of blood at one time or another. So, wouldn't you feel better knowing you are doing what you can do to save the life of someone you don't know, or potentially someone you do. It honestly doesn't hurt and it doesn't take much time. My little brother is the person I know who does this everytime he is eligible to and he also usually donates platelets too, we could all learn from him! Andy you da man! :) I urge anyone who is capable to consider doing it, out of the goodness of your heart. Someone's life could depend on it.
Here are a few facts for you to read over.
How much blood is donated each year?How much blood is transfused each year?
*About 12.6 million units (including approximately 643,000 autologous donations) of whole blood are donated in the United States each year by approximately eight million volunteer blood donors. These units are transfused to about four million patients per year.

Typically, each donated unit of blood, referred to as whole blood, is separated into multiple components, such as red blood cells, plasma, and platelets. Each component is generally transfused to a different individual, each with different needs.

The need for blood is great--on any given day, approximately 34,000 units of red blood cells are needed. Accident victims, people undergoing surgery, and patients receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer, or other diseases, such as sickle cell disease and thalassemia, all utilize blood. More than 23 million units of blood components are transfused every year.
Who donates blood?
Less than 5 percent of healthy Americans eligible to donate blood, actually do so.

House

Well Jason and I have agreed upon a price for the house and it looks like things are rolling in our favor so far. We need to have it inspected and appraised but other than that it looks like we are going to be taking the plunge for the second time in our life (the first was our marriage, just kidding Jason). We are ready and have been for awhile to get out of our apartment, it is funny how it all fell in to place though. It is the house we have wanted for awhile but it was out of our budget, they ended up dropping the price and just the whole timing of things worked out perfectly. We knew in the end things would work out, but it's funny in the meantime all the other houses we saw, some we liked others not so much. But the whole process has allowed us to learn so much. The biggest key for us was the fact that we had a good realtor who wasn't out there just to make a sale, he never pressured us and he was stright up with us throughout this whole process, we obviously aren't real close to having it, but the hardest part was finding the house we wanted in a good area and in our price range, and that is all done. So now all the fun stuff is left, the paperwork and oh did I mention the paperwork. It is a strange feeling, a good feeling. I have been visualizing in my head where I want stuff to go, and we will need a good paint job inside before we move anything in, the spiderman room just wont' cut it for the Raikes. Other than that, it is in move in condition. Once we get things settled in, we'll have everyone up for a get together so everyone can see the place, and so I will be forced to cook. I am learning, I did get quite a few cook books for Christmas though so I am trying here. Just thought I would keep everyone up to date. I will get some pictures up here soon. Oh yeah did I mention we will only be moving about 1/2 mile from where we live right now? Can't have it much better than that. I hope that everyone is doing well. Take care of yourselves and each other! :)

Observations

Well, most of you who really know me, know that I enjoy watching people and human behavior. I have noticed a lot of strange things. I thought I would put a few down that I have observed while people are driving a car. This started yesterday on my drive to work, I saw a car with the "Power of Pink" ribbon on it in support of breast cancer research and survivors, well driving the car was a woman smoking a cigarette. I was like, wait a second, you support breast cancer research and you are inhaling one of the most lethal things known. Something didn't make sense to me, breast cancer is something that you can't really get away from, genetics play a big part, they say that diet could help decrease your chances but then at the same time another study contradicts that, anyways; this lady who either knows someone with breast cancer, maybe survived it, or wants a cure to be developed so she doesn't get it, is smoking a cigarette (by choice) that could one day lead to lung cancer. Anyways, enough about that tangent. Some strange things I've observed: Well the one that sticks out the most is the guy we saw driving on I-75 playing his guitar (you can't make this stuff up), my old roommate Jana and I were driving somewhere and we were like what the heck. We've all seent he guy gold-diggin (not like the Kanye West song) picking his nose and digging for something good. Let's see, I've seen tons of people reading a book (because that is safe). Um, lots of people singing at the top of their lungs, probably not the next American Idol, but it's funny to see. I also get a kick out of parents yelling and giving it to their kids/spouse, you know the one that has the finger pointing and head shaking going on. Even one step better is the same finger pointing and heading shaking, but no one else is in the car, and unless they are on speaker phone there is no sign of a cell phone. I like the dancers too, they are pretty funny. The best one is one I saw about a month ago in Toledo, this dude was having a dance off with himself I think, his whole car was shaking, mostly at stoplights though which is reassuring to everyone reading this. I think that is about all I can think about for right now, the best being the guitar playing dude though, classic. Hope everyone is having a good week!

Update

Well I thought I would do a little update on how things are going at the Raike household. Jason and I are doing well. I am still in tranining in downtown Toledo and it is going well, I will be done at the end of March and then I will head back to Bowling Green where I will officially work. I headed down to Columbus on Saturday and got to see Clark engulf the icing on his 1st birthday cake, I will post some pictures of that soon, pretty funny stuff. I also got to see Slim Daddy do his belly dance a couple of times Saturday night so my night was fulfilled :) Sunday we met up with the realtor and made an offer on a house, we will know by tomorrow if they accept it and then we will go from there. It was a strange feeling committing to something so large, a good feeling, but it does make you feel pretty "grown up" for sure. We are pretty excited about it, after we got into the car after signing some papers and stuff I looked at Jason and smiled and he was like, "I'm doing ok!" It was pretty funny, it will be a far more intense family when we are actually buying the house and not just putting an offer in on it, so I might need to refresh my CPR skills in case Jason passes out. Tonight we are talking to the mortgage broker and again we should know by tomorrow what the deal is. This is an exciting process and we have learned so much in the past few months it's amazing. Luckily, we have friends and family that have been there and done this so they were able to give a little direction on some do's and don'ts and the realtor we are working with is a super guy, he has never once made us feel awkward or pressured and that is tough to do these days. So, I will keep you all posted and up to date on what happens. If we do end up getting it, I'll post a few pictures, but not until we know it's ours. Hope everyone is doing well, take care. Until next time!

Signs

Here are some signs that I found on a website, pretty funny, give you a good laugh for a Friday! Hope you all have a great weekend. Heading to Columbus for Clark's first birthday tomorrow, how crazy is that, he is 1 already! Take care!

-Sign in downtown Detroit on the Fisher building door: "Caution: Automatic Door (push to operate)"
J-ust outside Houston there are two signs about five feet apart:
State correctional facility, do not pick up hitch-hikers.Adopt a highway litter control next mile: Boy Scout Den 102
-In Rice Lake, WI is a billboard on the side of a local road advertising for "The Butcher Shop". Right behind the sign...a graveyard.
-A sign outside a furniture store in northern Virginia states (in large letters)"ANTIQUE Tables Made Here Daily."
-In a small town in North Carolina there is a junk yard that has a huge sign on the front of the building that says, "Drive Reckless! It Helps Business!"
-For the Stupid signs section: I have repeatedly seen the same banner on bus stop benches all over Sacramento, California. They read simply, "Learn to Read. Call xxx-xxxx"
-Stupid Signs: I was driving by a KFC and on their marquee it said: "Now Hiring: 2 Chickens for $5.99."
-While driving through a small town I noticed a sign that said, "FOR SALE: BUY OWNER"
-As I was driving down the Strip in Las Vegas I noticed a sign on a small run-down motel:"This motel highly recommended by owner."
-In Ocean Springs, MS, there is a sign that reads "speed limit 25mph unless otherwise posted." Right below it, another sign reads, "Speed limit 30 mph."
-This was seen several years ago, also from the Atlanta Vasectomy Clinic, and was in reference to the Atlanta Braves baseball team... "Atlanta Vasectomy Clinic, Atlanta's best Chop Shop!"
-While on a vacation in Maine, we visited a water park. To help people who didn't want to stay wet, there was a sign pointing to the changing areas. Right below that sign, which pointed left, there was another one for a viewing area, which -- you guessed it, also pointed left. I wonder who the genius was who designed the park?
Found these on this website: http://www.sebourn.com/stupid/stpdsgn.html

Useless Facts

Well I haven't posted too many useless facts lately, so here you go. I know you all have been dying to read some of these and waste 5 minutes of your precious time. Hope everyone is doing well, have a great day!
-In every episode of Seinfeld there is a Superman somewhere.
-There are 10 human body parts that are only 3 letters long (eye hip arm leg ear toe jaw rib lip gum).
-Astronaut Neil Armstrong first stepped on the moon with his left foot.
-Barbie's full name is "Babara Millicent Roberts."
-If Barbie were life-size her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand 7 feet (2 m) 2 inches (5 cm) tall and have a neck twice the length of a normal human's neck.
-Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.
-President John F Kennedy could read 4 newspapers in 20 minutes.
-If you keep a Goldfish in the dark room, it will eventually turn white.
-Koalas never drink water. They get fluids from the eucalyptus leaves they eat.
-Honeybees have hair on their eyes.
-The snail mates only once in its entire life.
-A kangaroo can't jump unless its tail is touching the ground.
-Dolphins don't automatically breath; they have to tell themselves to do it.
-A flamingo can eat only when its head is upside down.
-The cockroach's favorite food is the glue on the back of stamps.
-Termites are affected by music. They will eat your house twice as fast if you play loud music.
-The citrus soda 7-UP was created in 1929; "7" was selected because the original containers were 7 ounces. "UP" indicated the direction of the bubbles.
-It is estimated that at any one time, 0.7% of the world's population are drunk.
-The average person laughs 15 times a day.

Laughter

I was watching the Lifetime Intimate Protraits of all 4 Golden Girls last night, I know get a life right. It was like 2 1/2 hours long, I was a happy camper, Jason was at a basketball game that's how I got away with it :) Anyways, one line struck me on the one about Estelle Getty aka Sophia, she said that her favorite noise was laughter. I must admit that I would agree, I love to hear people laugh and I love to see people smile. I often think of my late great-granma's laugh. It is still pretty clear in my mind, her laugh was contagious that is for sure. I think of my favorite story she ever told. She was talking about tattoos and piercings and was just perplexed as to why anyone would ever do this to themselves. Well, of course she knew all the answers and told me that the only reason someone would get a piercing or a tattoo was to punish themselves for some wrong that they had done in their life to try and make up for it. She said there was no other explanation than that. Well bear with me, that is not the funny part. The thing that I still remember and still laugh about on occassion was why she said that she should get a tattoo or a piercing to make up for something she had done. Well she proceeded to talk about when she was cleaning out one of her birds cages and she was sweeping out the feathers and oops, she accidently sucked up her poor little bird and she never saw him again, so she thought she should make things right and tattoo or pierce herself. Well she was ultimately kidding, but it sure was funny hearing her tell that story. When I think about laughter I also think about this home video that I saw on America's Funniest Home Video awhile back. There was a mother with triplets lying on her bed, the mother would chuckle a little bit and then all the babies would just start cracking up, you would have to see it, but I couldn't quit laughing and I still think of that one sometimes wishing I had it on video so when I was in need of a laugh I could pop it in. Anyways, the point of my post is I guess that we all like to laugh and we have all heard good stories that makes us laugh a little harder and some stories that make you almost pee yourself. Think of those and those that told you these stories, pass them along because if you think they are funny, chances are someone else will as well. Have an awesome Wednesday!

One very happy Buckeyes, and for that matter one very happy wife. When he's happy, I'm happy and if the Buckeyes lose ain't nobody happy, way to go OSU, good way to end the season and start the New Year!