First time ever = Fantasy World Series!!!

Although Baseball season is winding down, the Cleveland Indians have a marveloous shot at the post-season, and Football [and Fantasy Football] have just begun, there has been a "first" that needs announcing.....


After playing Fantasy Baseball for 5 years, and over 10 teams/attempts, I have finally made it to the "World Series!!"

In fact, since July 18, my team has really been ripping it up - going 63-10-5. I made a huge move in the standings as well, going from 11th [out of 12] to third, and into the playoffs.

Round 1 of the playoffs - I won 9 categories out of 10 [5 batting categories, 5 pitching] to advance. Round 2 = more of the same, winning 9-0-1. So here I am, the "big one" - with potential to have a Fantasy World Series title to compliment my TWO Fantasy Superbowl titles!! Wahooo!!

I'll be sure to post whether I win or lose.....but just like the Cleveland Indians chances to make the playoffs in 2005, I have a heck of a shot at winning my Fantasy World Series!!!!

Are you Thankful ??

I AM THANKFUL :

For the wife
Who says it's hot dogs tonight,
Because she is home with me,
And not out with someone else.

For the husband
Who is on the sofa
Being a couch potato,
Because he is home with me
And not out at the bars.

For the teenager
Who is complaining about doing dishes
Because it means she is at home,
Not on the streets

For the taxes I pay
Because it means
I am employed.

For the mess to clean up after a party
Because it means
I have been surrounded by friends.

For the clothes that fit a little too snug
Because it means
I have enough to eat.

For my shadow that watches me work
Because it means
I am out in the sunshine

For a lawn that needs mowing,
Windows that need cleaning,
And gutters that need fixing
Because it means I have a home.

For all the complaining
I hear about the government
Because it means
We have freedom of speech.

For the parking spot
I find at the far end of the parking lot
Becase it means
I am capable of walking
And I have been blessed with transportation.

For my huge heating bill
Becase it means
I am warm.

For the lady behind me in church
Who sings off key
Because it means
I can hear.

For the pile of laundry and ironing
Because it means
I have clothes to wear.

For weariness and aching muscles
At the end of the day
Beacuse it means
I have been capable of working hard.

For the alarm that goes off
In the early morning hours
Because it means
I am alive.

And finally, for too much email
Because it means
I have friends who are thinking of me.

HAVE AN AWESOME DAY - AND TELL SOMEONE YOU LOVE THEM!!!!

This was cut/pasted from the Red Cross website. A hyperlink to the Red Cross website is on the right ====>


WASHINGTON, Thursday, September 01, 2005 — We are about to celebrate Labor Day, a special holiday when all Americans honor the countless workers who have built this great country and those who still labor to sustain it. In this celebration, we tend to focus on wage-earners, as well we should. But this Labor Day in particular, I would ask all Americans to remember and recognize those laborers who are motivated only by compassion and paid only with our gratitude—our nation’s volunteers.

As we begin the almost unimaginable task of helping, healing and rebuilding lives in the deadly wake of Hurricane Katrina, we should remember that—as with all catastrophes that scar our land—volunteers will lead the way. The American Red Cross is launching the largest response it has ever mobilized in response to a single natural disaster in its nearly 125 year history. This massive effort will mobilize thousands of trained disaster relief workers, who will provide safe shelter, warm meals and comforting shoulders to lean on.

But the most remarkable thing about this “Army of Hope” is that most of them are working without any compensation. In fact, volunteers make up 96% of the entire Red Cross workforce and are the driving force behind most of the great relief organizations responding to Katrina. An undertaking of this magnitude could never be tackled by an entirely paid workforce. The cost would be astronomical, the hours too brutal and the emotional toll too great. And yet, miraculously, it can be done by compassionate volunteers, working for rewards of the heart rather than rewards for the purse. Without the scores of Red Cross volunteers and those who staff humanitarian organizations across the country, this massive recovery mission would be impossible.

America has always been a place of humanitarian action and compassion — a place where people look out for each other and are always willing to take care of their neighbors in need, whether they are across the street, around the corner or around the globe. It’s what Alexis de Tocqueville, a Frenchman who studied American society in the 1830s, called “the habits of the democratic heart”—the drive that compels Americans to work together to overcome challenges and continually improve communities, the spontaneous generosity we demonstrate again and again in crises. Putting our compassion into action is deeply rooted in the American character. The American Red Cross is the embodiment of that truly American character.

As a nation, our hearts go out to those whose lives have been shattered by Hurricane Katrina. We cannot imagine the suffering and grief left in Katrina’s wake, but we can pull together as a nation to help begin the healing and the rebuilding. During this Labor Day weekend, I urge you to remember, honor, and above all, support that often overlooked workforce—the volunteers who represent the caring hearts and helping hands of America.
They may work for free, but the impact of the American volunteer’s heart is truly priceless.

Bonnie McElveen-HunterChairman, American Red Cross