Empathy

"Man tries to steal laptop to check Facebook
19-year-old snatches computer from Starbucks patron who denied him use
The Associated Press

BRADENTON, Fla. - Sheriff's officers said a 19-year-old man snatched a Starbucks customer’s laptop after being told he could not use it to check his Facebook account. According to officers, the man then grabbed the customer's laptop and ran out of the coffee shop, located in an outlet mall.
Two people in the parking lot tackled the man and held him there until a mall security guard arrived.
The victim got his laptop back and the man was charged Saturday with robbery by sudden snatching, a felony."

Seriously...I can understand this guys desperation! That's sad, isn't it?

--Laurel

Chef

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new culinary prodigy on our hands. Travis at the tender age of 4 has discovered the power of the kitchen.

Monday morning, while lazying about watching TV, Travis came in and asked me if he could make himself a ketchup sandwich. Groggily, I said yes, not realizing what I had agreed to. Next thing I know, Travis is standing next to me happily munching away on a ketchup filled sandwich: literally two pieces of bread with a filling of ketchup in between. Hmm...this peeked my interest, so I called in the rest of the crew to only discover that yes, indeed, Travis had come up with this idea on his own, executed it, and reaped it's benefits.

Apparently his creation is now his favorite food...guess what he made for snack? Yep. A ketchup sandwich.

Ewww....gag. But I'm not going to complain--I didn't have to make it!

-Laurel

Under the weather

For the past week we've been battling a sweet little stomach virus that Travis lovingly shared with us. We quietly endured his week of fun and thought we were past it. Au Contraire mon frair! To date 5 out of 6 of us have been hit by the bug. Aaron is the last man standing...which makes sense because he is the most consistent germaphobe in our family. He fears germs like no other...and probably for good reason.

So, here to help make the the Baker's days go by faster and help make your day more amusing are the top moments from the past week:

--Envision me laughing at Billy as he dashed to the bathroom on Tuesday night. Envision me making lame jokes and being cruel. I know it's hard to do...but seriously I'm capable. Now envision Billy smirking and knowing that Karma takes care of everything in the end. She did...5 hours later. Who knew Karma and Billy were such good friends?

--Me dragging Travis to work on Monday where he consumed hot chocolate, one crumb donut and a cheesestick...then sending him over to Billy's office to hang out for a while, while I finished up some loose ends. Of course, it was conveniently in time for him to lose the same menu listed above in an 8'x4' streak in the mens bathroom--far away from my office. Did I mention that Karma paid me back the next day?

--Me wandering through a grocery store on Wednesday barely conscious enough to buy gatorade and crackers. The terrified look on the checker's faces as they took my money told me the makeup wasn't hiding the greenish shade of my skin. (My hands were clean and disinfected people...really.) I was the elected one to go to the store because Billy was semi-conscious at home. Man, I wish Austin was old enough to drive the car!

--I was feeling much better this morning and started cleaning up the mess that comes from having two parents down at the same time. Realizing the trash needed to go out and the fact that I was still in my jammies--I looked both ways and verified that the coast was clear to the dumpster. Apparently I didn't see my new neighbor coming out of his gate at the same time. The way he jumped in terror when he saw me at the dumpster will forever be seared onto my mind as another reason why I should make the guys do all the dirty work. Ugh.

That's all for now from the land of the sick...

Laurel

Hmm...

Last week I received a text on my cell phone from a couple who's names I didn't recognize. We'll call them the "Smiths". The text said something along the lines of:

"The "Smiths" want to thank you for being our friends. We'll be thinking of you all while we head to New Zealand for 14 days. We'll see you when we get back. Until then XOXO Freida and George."

I laughed to myself because it was obviously a wrong number and didn't think about it. Yesterday I received another text that said:

"Hey...just wanted you to know we're watching the Super Bowl in NZ."

Hmmm...I thought to myself. Maybe I should text them back and know that they have the wrong number, that would be the courteous thing to do. Being lazy and determined not to lose my spot on the couch--I put it off until later.

This morning at work I was researching Huntington Beach lifeguard history for a project at church. (Mind you this is a project that I've been working on, off and on for the last couple of weeks.) Today I was trying to get more info on lifeguard names and typed "Huntington Beach lifeguard history" into Google and guess what pops up.

"George Smith".

When I saw the name I did a total double take. I couldn't believe my eyes. Hastily I fished my cellphone out of my purse and sure enough ...the names were an exact match. Now doubt about it. (The real spelling and combination of his name is distinctive.) I sat there trying to figure out what this all meant. Was this a cosmic message from God? Or just a seriously strange coincidence? So I did two things: first off, I texted the guy back and told him that he had the wrong number...but I hoped he was having a great time in New Zealand. Second, I went to Amazon and ordered his book.

What makes it even stranger is that I was researching lifeguard names for characters in skits that we're rewriting. I've been stuck on a couple of character's names...but a month ago I had already set the name "George" in stone because I thought it was perfect. Yes..a month ago--before the text messages and finding the book. Wow.

Seriously. I'm still tripping out on this one. Am I living in some strange Lost episode or is God just messing with my mind? Or is he just demonstrating once again that he notices even the small details and has it all under his control? I don't know. I have a feeling that I'll be trying to figure this puzzle out for a while.

--Laurel