Happy Thanksgiving from Jackson and Carson Whited

I have had a “crick” in my neck for six days. Usually when you sleep on your neck wrong, it lasts for what, a day or two? So I don’t know if my neck is broken or what…

“I feel that your management skills need some adjustment”. This is what a (now) former employee stated to me in an email today. She had just blown off a shift on Sunday and had not make any contact with anyone whatsoever until today when I got the email. This is someone who had done this once before a few weeks ago and everyone was calling for me to fire her, and I chose not to. Instead I gave her a second chance and put her on probation. So when this young 21-year-old indicated this today, I felt the need to reply with the following: “I agree that my management skills need some adjustment. I certainly make mistakes. For example, I absolutely should have fired you the first time your lack of responsibility put our team in this kind of crisis situation. You may have heard the old saying, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me".

Remember when George W. Bush made this reference? Hopefully I did not flub it up as bad as he did (check out the very last scene of Fahrenheit 911).

Anyone want to work at a Youth Shelter? Give me a holler if you would and I’ll try to hook you up.

Apparently, my father fell of the roof of the house while hanging up Christmas lights? Mom said that he hurt his arm/shoulder pretty bad, but he refuses to go get checked out by a doctor, even though he has been having to walk around with his hand in his pocket to hold his arm up. Anyone ever wondered where I get some of my profound stubborness?

STAR STUDENT

The Whiteds have a new celebrity in the family. Mr. Jackson Whited was selected as a star student of the week at Cloverdale Elementary school for October 30-November 3. He brought home a "Star Student" license plate holder, and a coupon for a free Frosty from Wendy's. Of couse Jackson has handled all of the publicity in a humble manner, announcing "I'm really not that famous" after dinner last night.

I love it when people submit stuff. Here is a photo of Alex, all set for Halloween. Thanks Tom!

Also, I wanted to mention that I found out yesterday that Lisa and Dan have discovered the sex of the baby................it's a BOY! (although my mother could not immediately recall the name....a little help here, anyone?)

Can someone remind me again why we got a dog?

I have been the commisioner of a fantasy football league for 10 years now. I started out in the early days back when I had to gather everyone's stats on Sportcenter and from the newspaper and calculate everything myself. Anyhow, I posted the following message on our league website this evening:


Well, I made a decision today. And I'm OK with it. This is going to be the last year for the Gosport Enigmas. I can't do this anymore. Obviously this means that I will no be the commisioner after 2006, so if you all want to continue with the league I'm sure you will do just fine without me.


I can't simply enjoy football for what it is anymore. It's too complex. As much as I love NFL football, fantasy football is draining all the joy out of it. Anyone that knows me knows that I am a big time competitor. And I'm a sore loser. It's a fact and I admit it. And I just cannot continue to go through this.


Just consider this and maybe you will begin to understand: After losing my 3rd straight yesterday, it brought back serious Deja Vu. I started out 6-0 this year, now three straight losses. So I went back and checked every game of the last four seasons. Here is what I found: my cumulative record starting out these four seasons is 29-5. My record to close out these four seasons, including playoffs, is 4-17. Now how does that happen? Every season? I don't know and it doesn't matter anymore. What I do know is that I cannot invest myself in this anymore.....Combine that with all the headches of being a commisioner and it's just something I would be better off not having to endure. My family deserves to have a husband and a father on Sunday and Monday nights, not a sressed-out lunatic who looks at the computer every minute-and-a-half.


So......I'll finish out the season as the Enigmas and the commish, of course. I'll do my best to collect the remaining prize money and hand it over to Smashmouth after week 16. At this point, though.....I am in the red so there may be no prize money.....Hope Smashie can accept that. Thanks everyone for all the memories, good and bad. Let me know if there might be anyway for me to help with transitioning to a new commish for 2007.

I'm getting worse and worse about posting on here. Time is just flying by. It seems like I just have less and less time for The Whited News. By the time we get the boys to bed every night, Kim and I are both just completely exhausted and all we want to do it just grab our blankies and fall alseep on the couch with Dancing With The Stars or The SuperNanny on the TV.

We have been more involved with stuff though. We have been doing "small groups" through church with the Hubers and the Teipens and have enjoyed that very much. I have been going to Praise and Worhip band rehearsals on Thursday nights at the church and Jackson has been going with me lately. It looks like I will be alternating on the drums every other week with DeeDee. This past Sunday was the second time I have played for the service. It was great. I'm getting alot of comments about it and it has been something I have really enjoyed. For years I have wanted to play drums again, but it is completely different this time around. In high school, I just thought I was the bomb - to be honest. As conceited as that is, it's the truth. It was all about me and I just tried to overpower the band with my drumming. The Cloverdale High School band was not very good, we had poor direction , and I was just looking after me, basically. I will admit it. Now, it's a totally different story. This is for God. I'm playing with some extremely talented musicians. Brice told me that I would probably never play with a better band and I think he is right. I am basically trying not to screw things up. I want feedback. I want direction. It's a total 180.

Halloween was a fun night. Jackson was a Star Wars Stormtrooper and Carson was a little doggie. We went to the church for games and treats and then to Sheila Brinkman's, then to the American Legion to see Ma'am and Pap, then to Marie's, and finally to Kogers. I snapped some pictures. Here they are.