text:
The love i never had
Short Story by: ncgingerchick
Status: Finished
Genre: Romance
No matter how hard I try the pain does not go away, I can sit and cry but I just can't hide from the fact that everywhere I turn another man is hurting me. It may not make since to you or to anyone
else but I know what I'm talking about when I say my life is full of regret and pain. Let me start from the beginning I'm sure you'll understand a lot better than I say to a group of adults I'm was
high school student not quit 18 but close I have so far had the worst life anyone could have. They all look at me in disbelief I watch their faces as I tell them about Samuel, you see I fell madly
in love with this man but in the end he was the worst mistake of my life I watch as their face expressions change and how some turn a rather green color.
Hi, I'm Jane I'm was a senior in high school, I don't really go to school anymore I have been in some situations and I'm scared to leave my house. I guess you want to know my story well if you get sick easy let me tell you this may not be a story for you. I'll start at the beginning so you'll know more about why and what has happened to me.
About 12 months ago everything was going great I was a great student taking all honors classes and on a free ride to collage, but all that changed when I met the hottest guy ever Samuel. At first I thought omg he's hot but he wouldn't like me at that time I didn't even know how old he was. Well my friends and I went to the mall, we was in BATH AND BODY WORKS when I saw him walking my way, I said to myself I still don't know how old he is and I only know his name because of my friends brother, what do I say what do I do? I just looked done at the floor when he came up and said hey, I looked up at him and said hi. All he did was smile at me that s when I noticed I had the feeling I should be with this man, after about 30 seconds of saying nothing he invited me to have lunch with him and I accepted. We went to star bucks we talked about my classes and his work that s when I asked him how old are you? He simply told me 20 in 4 days. In my mind I went insane I was screaming on the inside this was going to be my man for sure now, he asked me that same and I told him that I was almost 18 his eyes got big and his smile got bigger. We talked all during lunch and he asked if he could take me home I agreed, on the way home in his 2011 jeep bright green it was beautiful, he asked Jane will you be my girlfriend? I promise I won't let anything hurt you! I looked at him and without thinking I said YES. That's when I thought to myself I have made a mistake!!
so yeah I had a really hot guy and yes I thought I loved him but I felt like I made a big mistake with saying yes to him. While when I got home that night he was all I could think about, I thought about him in every way possible, everything I did he was on my mind. I was in the shower when I remembered I didn't give him my number so we can go out on dates. I was just getting in to bed with my hello kitty shorts and shirt on when I heard something hit my window, I looked out the window and seen him I smiled and ran down stairs out the door. He was so sweet to come to my house at like 12 in the morning we went to the park where I learned that he moved way to fast, first we kissed on the slide and then made out under a big oak tree, and then down under the hill we made passionate love. Well he so realized it was my first time, I didn't know that this stuff would happen that fast I thought I was a good kid who would wait until after marriage.
I was always with him no matter what; I wanted to stay with him forever in his arms. I tried staying the night but since my dad was a pastor it wasn't that easy, I would sneak out and stuff but never stay out later then like 1 in the morning.
That's when it hit me something is wrong, I haven't had a period in almost 2 months, this really concerned me I hadn't told Samuel I was scared to, the only people that new was Casey and Emma but hope and pray they won't tell anyone else.
By this time it's been 4 days since I have seen Samuel I called him over 100 times but he won't answer, I'm scared he got what he wanted and is now gonna up and leave. That night I lay in my bed crying and praying please God forgive me I wanthim to at least call me and say everything is okay that's when my phone started ringing, it was him I answered Samuel where have you been I've been up for 3 days crying he told me baby I'm sorry I was in a car accident, I'm fine I was just afraid to tell you , that's when it crossed my mind to tell him everythingSamuel I have to talk to you he must have known something was wrong baby what's wrong you sound weird never mind don't tell me I'm coming over now I'll be there in 15 mins I said okay Hun I'll see you then.
15- 20 minutes later he knocked at the door my parents knew I was dating him and knew I loved him, my mom answered the door I could hear her down stairs hey Samuel Jane's in her room you can go on up I heard him running up the stairs he got to my door and knocked come in I said he ran in and hugged me, then looked at me weird Jane what is wrong? He didn't say anything. I started to cry Samuel I have something to tell you , what bout he said I'm 2 months pregnant, Samuels eyes got big and he jumped up how could this happen I began to cry even more I couldn't stop, that's when Samuel said baby I'm sorry, I love you and I'm glad I can't wait till its born that s when I didn't care if my door was open or who heard I ripped his shirt of and we had sex I don't care if my parents saw I was just so happy I couldn't contain myself.
Over the next two weeks Samuel didn't leave my side he was there 24/7 and I loved it. He always talked to my stomach and rubbed it, it started to get pretty big, it was almost Halloween and I was 3 months along, for Halloween he put a pumpkin on my belly I just laughed Samuel was going to be a great dad I thought to myself. I was 5 months along on Christmas and Samuel hadn't come to see me in two days I was flipping out I cried the whole time he wasn't there, I called him several times but no one answered, I called my friends brother if he had heard from him and he of course said no not in 3 days. I stayed up all night and looked at my window wondering is he hurt? Is he mad at me? Does he not want the baby? Everything was running through my mind and all I could do was sit on my bed and cry.
It's now January I'm 6 months pregnant, on 28th my phone rang, I answered hello Samuel was on the other line Jane I'm so sorry, I began to cry why haven't you Called me? What the hell is wrong with you? Did you forget I'm pregnant? I didn't give him time to answer before I screamed, Jane what is wrong? Samuel said, MOM we have to go to the hospital NOW I screamed but I was the only one home Samuel come get me please I begged in 10 minutes he was at the front door. It was a painful ride to the hospital, when we got there I looked back at Samuel while the nurse wheeled me away, he was crying sliding down the wall slowly I could tell he was sorry and that he truly loved this baby I prayed that nothing was wrong with it. 2 hours later after test and many doctors coming in and then leaving again they let Samuel in, his face was red from crying, he sat on the bed beside me, and I gave him a kiss and said I forgive you Samuel I just want to know where you were? He told me I had to take care on some stuff out of town, but baby I won't leave you ever again.
The doctor came in and said your fine and your baby's will be fine to, I looked at him then at Samuel and said wait did you say baby's yes you're having twins the doctor told me 2 boys. Samuels face lit up he was so happy that everything was fine, I left the hospital 3 hours later Samuel took me to get something to eat I was starving, but I couldn't eat I was too busy think where am I going to live, mom won't let me live with her , Samuel knew something was on my mind I told him and he said move in with me I can take care of you and the boys please baby move in with me I said yes and we went to my house and started packing my stuff. My parents came home and asked me what I was doing I told them and they just walked down stairs they didn't say anything to me, that night I moved out and in with Samuel.
We got to his house around 7 in the afternoon, It took us about an 2 hours to get my stuff in the house again I'm 6 months pregnant so I can't really pick up anything. That night was the best night ever lying in his arms all night, I didn't want that night to end? I woke up around 9am and I noticed right away Samuel wasn't beside me, I got out of bed and went in to the kitchen where I found him making me breakfast, he looked over at me and smiled good morning beautiful he said, good morning I said smiling at him. We ate breakfast together, then he told me baby I have to go to work will be back around 3 okay, I love you , I love you I said giving him a kiss goodbye.
I had been living him for a total of a month; I was 7 months pregnant I could barely get out of bed by myself, most the time I just stayed in bed. Samuel started leaving later and coming home earlier which I loved. Samuel would come home and come straight to the bedroom to check on me. He would come in and kiss me then talk to the boys this happened for a month or so.
On March 28th I was 8 months pregnant, I woke up in the middle of the night, and I screamed I was in so much pain. Samuel jumped up he knew something was wrong. He helped me out of bed and to the car where we went to the hospital. I was rushed in by the nurses we left Samuel standing there, he was walking back and forth, he look like he was about to cry. I was rushed in to a room where I laid there for close to an hour before they let Samuel come in, he ran in and said everything's going to be fine baby I promise the pain was getting more intense and getting closer together. The doctor came in and said you're in early labor, this can be a big complication with your baby's we can stop it, what you want us to do? I looked at Samuel he was crying, I began to cry Samuel what do I do? He looked at me and said have them that all we can do. The doctor left, I laid there in bed Samuel not saying a word just crying in to his hands, finally I said Samuel, here is my credit card, go and buy everything we will need he just looked at me I'll be fine just go he took the card and left. 2 hours later he came back, the doctor came in and said are you ready to have some baby s. It took 13 painful hours for them to be born we named them Jacob Eli and Mason Tyler. They rushed Jacob to ICU he wasn't breathing on his own, mason was fine but so little Samuel held him before me, I was so tired and all I could do was cry, I was worried about Jacob. Samuel stayed in ICU with Jacob as long as he could, mason stayed in my room with me. I was in the hospital for 3 days then I left mason got to go home with me, it pained me to leave my baby behind, but Samuel said he would stay there night and day. Jacob on the 30th of March was rushed in for emergency surgery; Samuel called me right away when I got off the phone with him I fallen to my knees and cried. On the 15th of April Jacob got to come home, he had to have a feeding tube and we had to make sure that he was still breathing when he went to bed, mason slept in the nurse but Jacob had to sleep in our room right beside the bed, at 4:00 every morning both of them woke up crying Samuel always got Jacob and I got mason. Samuel took off from work to help me out, he loved the boys he would put them in the floor on a blanket and lay there with them, he would rock and talk to them. I could see the love for me and the boys in his eyes. In august I was rushed to the ER I felt like I was dying, they had to rush me in to surgery they removed my gallbladder; they said I had several gall stones. I couldn't lift the boys for several days; Samuel did everything around the house he didn't care. He knew that I was hurting on the inside. After about 2 weeks of just laying around I final could pick up the boys I was so excited because now Samuel could go back to work and I could do the work I had to at home just me and the boy.
After a long month I was tired I had cooked for Samuel and had everything ready but Samuel never came home, I was worried sick I needed help with the boys they were only 2 months old. I called the office they said he never showed up at work, by now I was in complete panic, I got the boys in their car seats and in to the car we drove for about 20 minutes when I see Samuels's car, it was flipped over. I pulled over and ran to see if Samuel was in the car, he wasn't but that's when I heard my name Jane I looked over there he was sitting against a tree. I ran to him he was all bloody Jane I'm sorry I didn't know Jane please just help me I called 911 he was rushed to the hospital me and the boy waited in the waiting room, it seemed like forever we final went back to see him. He was asleep I sat by his side for what seemed like 2 hours but I'm not really sure, when he woke up he was yelling help, I didn't understand the doctor ran in and said he will be fine he's just seeing the wreck in his head. They claimed him down and I was glad, he wanted to hold Jacob I let him he began to cry what if the boys were with me Jane if anything happens to them I couldn't live anymore I looked at him and simply said Samuel we will do everything in our power to keep them safe. Samuel was in the hospital overnight just to be on the safe side. When I went to pick him up I took him a change of clothes, when he got in the car I told him the news Samuel I'm going to the doctor tomorrow he looked at me weird why? What's wrong? Nothing Samuel I told him. So its now 5 months later the boys are 7 months old we went to the park then we went back home and Samuel watched them so I can go to the doctor, I was gone for about an hour and a half but when I got home I had some big news I ran in and Samuel was in bed asleep the boys were in there playpens asleep I jumped on the bed, which woke Samuel up baby what are you doing Samuel guess what baby, what he said I'm pregnant again. His eyes got big no Jane why are you saying no? Jane we don't need another baby your only 19, and I'm 21 and to have 3 kids that's not what we need no Jane you're going to have an abortion I got up and ran to my car I wasn't going to hear him say anything else I would send my parents for the boys. When I got to my parents I was a wreak my mother knew something was wrong the way I was acting, I sent my dad to get the boys I wasn't going to stay there with Samuel and him not want this baby. When dad returned I put the boys to bed in their playpens. I went straight to bed I had to think, at 2 in the morning my phone woke me up it was Samuel I was afraid to answer but I did anyway, hello Jane baby please come back home we can work this out, we just don't need another kid baby I was screaming over the phoneSamuel no I'm not coming back, this is my baby and it deserves to live just like the boys do understand, that's when I heard it BANG a gun went off. I drove as fast as I could to Samuels I found him face down in a pillow with a letter to me and a picture of me and the boys in his hand. I turned him over he was still barely alive I called 911 and started to cry, I read the letter while I was in the hospital waiting it said dear Jane, I love you with all my heart, please forgive me for this I can't live with myself knowing I wanted to kill a baby. I'm sorry Jane goodbye. I sat there crying for almost two hours when the doctor came out and said he is fine you can go see him but don't touch him, I didn't understand but when I got back to his room Samuel was looking at me, he could talk it was like nothing happened. Jane please forgive me, I want the baby Jane I'm sorry I said to have an abortion I didn't mean it please come back home please Jane I can't live without you. I moved back in a week later I had to keep the boys away for a while so I could help Samuel move around he couldn't even go to the bathroom alone what was worse is the doctor said he won't live to see 23 due to his injury. Samuel and I went and picked up the boys, Jacob had started sitting up and trying to crawl but mason was having trouble I later found out mason has a disorder where he can't do anything. I took them all home I was 5 months pregnant on the twin's birthday, Samuel didn't get out of bed that day I didn't understand why, I would go check on him but he would just lay there and say let me sleep. Samuel was scaring me and the boys Jacob went in there he wanted to show his dad what he got for his birthday, I heard Jacob saydaddy but Samuel never answered I went to the door Jacob was on the bed beside him. Daddy Jacob said again he had yet to open his present he wanted his dad to open it with him. I walked in to the room Jacob was crying, I walked over to Samuel, Samuel baby Jacob wants you to watch him open his presents, Samuel looked at me Jane no take him out of here and leave me alone, fine Samuel I'm moving out bye, Samuel ran to the car to stop me but it was too late I was leaving for good I would find someone else. Baby please don't do this I don't feel good today Samuel our son wanted you to open his presents with him but yet you wouldn't even answer him good bye Samuel. And I drove away. That night I stayed with my parents they didn't mind they loved the boys to death, I turned my phone off Samuel kept calling me, I used my dad's computer to get on Facebook and tried to log on but Samuel had changed my password I couldn't. I called Samuel the next day and women answered the phone that is this I asked I'm Samuels's girlfriend, who is this? I'm Samuels girlfriend, I need to talk to him NOW, he grabbed the phone from whoever that girl was what do you want Jane, I was calling to see if you was home I wanted to come back the boys miss you, I miss you Jane it's too late you left me, Samuel fine you will never see the boys again, baby don't do this to me Samuel you have already moved on that's my sister Jane she's mad at you for leaving I hung up I couldn't take it anymore. I left the boys with my mom so I could go think I went to the park to mine and Samuels's favorite spot under the hill. Samuel was there I stood there looking at him because I'm like 6 months pregnant I can't really sit, he was alone and crying, he was talking to himself. Jane how could you do this to me, I loved you and cared for you, but you left me alone by myself why? I had to say something to that so I did Samuel why didn't you get out of bed why didn't you answer Jacob why Samuel why? he turned around he got up and walked to me, he gave me a hug and said Jane I'm sorry I was depressed thinking the boys are one already and you expecting again. I stopped him I kissed him and said Samuel you don't understand how bad you hurt Jacob, mason doesn't understand anything but he said his first word last night he said dad and you wasn't there Samuel looked at me then got down on one knee Jane marry me, I said yes Samuel but if you ever do anything to hurt the boys I will kill you myself understand, yes baby I understand I left the park and Samuel went home to clean the rooms and everything before we came home but when I got to my mom's I seen the lights. They was taking mason to the hospital, I ran in the house where was mom but better yet where was Jacob I heard Jacob crying, I was screaming JACOB he came running to me he was cut everywhere there was a note on the table Samuels sister had been there. I called Samuel, Samuel I'm going to kill your sister why Jane, your sister came to my moms and masons bleeding to death and Jacobs all cut up and I can't find my mom Samuel hung up and drove to the hospital. Samuel was there waiting on me, he was crying and I was pissed I gave him Jacob and ran to find mason but it was too late they told me they was trying to bring him back, we sat in the waiting room an hour when Samuels sister came in, Samuel was screaming at her you bitch how could you do this to my kids? What the hell is wrong with you? She looked at me and answered it's all her fault! She caused it! Excuse me I said I'm the one that caused this no you're the one that's the cyco bitch, that's goes around hurting little kids I screamed. The doctor came in and said they had mason on a breathing machine, Samuel was the one that went back to see him, I couldn't stand to go see him I was to upset that I left and went to go find my mom. I went to her house there was blood everywhere, my dad pulled up and he was flipping out I found my mother in the basement she wasn't moving I called 911 when they got there they said it was too late she had already passed on. I called Samuel and the cops, Samuel was pissed and the cops came to the house and they went looking for Samuels's sister Beth. Samuel called me from the hospital and told me that mason was going to have to have surgery or he might not make it through the night I told Samuel to make the decision, Samuel said to have the surgery I took Jacob to the hospital to see his dad, when I walked in to the waiting room Samuel got up and gave me a hug I tried not to cry. They told us mason would be in surgery for a total of 4 hours this was a lot to take in, I mean my boyfriend might not live past 23, my twin boys were attacked and my mother is dead what else can go wrong in my life. Samuel was sitting in the chair beside me rubbing my big belly when to baby started kicking, we both agreed we didn't want to know the sex of the baby. Samuel looked at me and he was excited he finally understood that this was his kid and he was going to love him/her to death no matter what. We sat in the waiting room all afternoon I finally told Samuel I was going to have to go home and put Jacob to bed and I needed a shower, he looked at me he was drawing little circles on my stomach, he said okay baby you go ahead I'll wait and if anything happens I'll call you.
I went home and put Jacob to bed he was sleep when we got home, I went and took a shower when I noticed that the bathroom window was open, I ran to check on Jacob, Beth was standing over him, I screamed and Jacob woke up, I ran at her I knocked her down and kicked her several times I called 911 and told them that she was in my house trying to hurt me and my son. They came at once and took her away i was beyond pisses at the world, it was 9 o' clock in the morning when Samuel called me and told me that mason was fine and that i should come. i went to the hospital, Samuel meet me at the door crying, i asked what's wrong is mason alright, he cried harder i ran inside and went to masons room he wasn't there, Samuel i said what's wrong where is mason, mason was rushed in to surgery his lungs collapsed and they didn't no why. I looked at him, I thought you said he was all right, he was then all of a sudden he stopped breathing. I looked at Samuel crying I begin to say your sister was at the house she's got the death penalty. Samuel yelled at me it is your fault this is happening she was right, you gave birth to the boys what did you do take drugs, drink, I screamed I was stressed and worried about you!! He looked at me I grabbed Jacob and left I didn't know where I was going I was just leaving! Jacob and I went to the beach for a week when we came back mason was fine and he was only going to have to stay in the hospital 2 more days, Samuel wouldn't speak to me I was 7 months pregnant, Samuel took Jacob and went home I called him , Samuel we have to talk and we have to talk now he said why you left and took jacob, I said I know but I had to get away Samuel said I don't care you left me and your sick child, Samuel I know I did am sorry. Just then I started to go in to labor, Samuel you have to get down here now, why should I he said, Samuel am going into labor. He rushed down there. They rushed me back and plugged me up the all these different things, when Samuel came back he was as white as a ghost, Samuel what's wrong, he didn't speak, I began to panic my water broke and I started to cry the pain was unbearable, Samuel final spoke the baby is in danger if they don't get it out fast itll die, I screamed the pain was getting worse, please I begged Samuel get it out now please. Samuel ran for the doctor I was rushed back for a C-section when they got the baby out there was a problem I was bleeding more then usual they clamped me in four different places my baby was safe that's all I cared about , Samuel was outside the door looking at me, I blacked out and I don't recall how long I was out when I come back I was back in my room. Samuel wasn't with me my baby wasn't either, I pressed the call button and the nurse came right away , I asked them where my baby was and my Samuel was to. The nurse said your baby is in the nurse because its so little and Samuel is looking at her through the class. I asked if I could get up and go see them, she said no you are not allowed to get up for a while. I laid there crying wanting my kids and my boyfriend with me. The nurse came in with mason in her arms and Jacob holding on to her pants, Jacob seen me and ran to the bed the nurse sat mason on lap, I was so glad to see that my boys were fine and Samuel walked in he was smiling from ear to ear, I looked at him, what is it babe? I said, our daughter looks just like you he said smiling. They wheeled the baby in and we needed to name her, we named her Cassidy dawn. When we got to leave the hospital a mean side it Samuel, he yelled at me all the time I begged him to just stop and to calm down , Samuel died three months later without warning. I lived in his house and I cried my self to sleep serveal nights I went to get a job I meet a young man how was so sweet, he told me I was beautiful we went out a few times and that's when it happened we had sex in the back of his car. He told me I was going to have his child I had no say so. The night I found out I was pregnant was the night we got married, I was asleep when Cassidy came running in she was 2 the boys are 3 she jumped on the bed and yelled mommy Jacob hit me in my ear it woke me up and I just covered my head back up with the covers, rider told Cassidy mommy needs to sleep. Cassidy went back to her bedroom to play, rider hugged me up and said I love you Jane, I smiled I was 4 months pregnant he rubbed my belly I giggled because it tickled, he felt the little baby kick and he said yeah that's my boy.i tried to get up when the boys ran in yelling at rider. Daddy come on look outside they yelled he got up and looked out side it was snowing. Then I heard in a big bang I ran to cassidys room and the bookshelf had fell on cassidys leg. Rider I screamed, he came running he got the bookself up and run Cassidy to the car I stayed home with the boys. Me and the boys was at home for a bout two hours when rider and Cassidy came back home Cassidy had a broke leg. Rider was upset at his self he thought it was his fault because he told her to go back to her room. I was feeling awful so I went and laid down and took Cassidy with me we laid in bed and rider came in and kissed my cheek and said im going to the store the boys are going with me, I smiled and said okay can you pick me up so beef jerky and nacho cheese please, yes baby I can he said. He left, when he got back home I was in the bathroom vomiting everything up, rider came and knocked on the door baby are you okay he said, no im not rider I yelled. He heard me vomiting and ran in there to hold my hair. I was so sick this baby was killing me already………
To be continued
© Copyright 2017 ncgingerchick. All rights reserved.
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this is just my first story there is more to come of this on i finish it when exams are over on friday (:
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Excerpt: "The three-safety package the New York Giants employed so often in 2010 and 2011 with Antrel Rolle, Kenny Phillips and Deon Grant is about to be re-introduced to the team's defensive playbook.
With Kenny Phillips declaring that he is ready to return to the lineup for the first time since injuring his knee in Week 4, and super-sub Stevie Brownleading the NFL in takeaways with seven, defensive coordinator Perry Fewell admitted Thursday he will be dusting off the three-safety look to get them all on the field.
Fewell said that he will "go full-bore" with the three-safety look.
"All of them are good players. That's a good problem to have that Kenny (Phillips) is back," Fewell said. "Initially, we were using Jacquian Williams, as a linebacker, to alternate as a big safety. Since he went down, and Stevie's emerged, we get Kenny back, our plans can totally focus on a three-safety package with three good players in there." Read more...

subset: commoncrawl


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CardFive Classic
CardFive Classic is design for bundle proposal, is the entry level.
The leader in Card design software, Cardfive is powerful but yet very easy to setup and use. With all the features needed to handle cards, you have total integration environment and versatility. With this multifunctional program you can link the design databases, encode magnetic stripe, process smart cards, create effects and manage overlay, hologram or scratch ribbon. The fully integrated environment allows you to easily manage your design and printing jobs. See more...
Basic Features:


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2010-04-02 / Letters
Weiner Had Concerns?
Dear Editor,
Congressman Weiner has been quoted as saying: "I would have liked to see many things different in this bill, but I came to the conclusion that we can't let perfect be the enemy of good." Who does he think he is kidding? He would have voted for ANY bill from day ONE regardless of what was/is in it.


text: Adam Wainwright did it all to help the St. Louis Cardinals salvage a split.The St. Louis righty threw a complete game and added three RBIs to lead the Cardinals to a 7-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers Sunday at Busch Stadium.Wainwright (12-5) allowed a run and five hits while striking out nine without allowing a walk. He also highlighted a five-run third inning with a bases-clearing double.Yovani Gallardo (8-4) got chased early and took the loss. Gallardo allowed six runs and five hits in 2 2/3 innings.Corey Hart hit a home run in the fourth to account for Milwaukee's only run.


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- Online Bill PayAt Farmers State Bank of Camp Point we understand that time is money. With our
Online Bill Pay service, called Express Pay, you can pay your bills at your
convenience while saving postage. And for personal accounts its FREE!
Online Bill Pay allows you to set up each of your bills and schedule when they should
be paid. We simply debit your account when you have scheduled the bill to be paid,
and electronically send or mail the payment. Once you have set up each account, the
information is saved in your bill pay list to access whenever you wish to make a
payment. If you prefer to control each time the bill is paid rather than on a pre-set date,
no problem. Simply click onto the Online Bill Pay service from your Internet
Banking screen, select the bill you want to pay, enter the amount and date you want it
sent, and well take care of the rest.
You can see the above features at work by visiting our Bill Pay Demo.
To apply for Express Pay, our Online Bill Pay Service, you may call 217-593-7756 to
request an application, stop by the Bank to complete the application, or click here to
print off an application that you can complete and send to the Bank. You must be
approved for our Internet Banking service in order to apply for the Bill Pay service.
2017 Farmers State Bank of Camp Point


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Technologist - Gifting
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|Job Title
|Technologist - Gifting
|Contract Type
|£45000 - £50000 per annum + Private Healthcare + Benefits
|Start Date
|Our Reference
|Who to Contact
|Quest Search and Selection - email@example.com
|Job Advertised
|almost 2 years ago
Job Description
This UK retailer is looking for an experienced Technologist to join their Home & Textile team.
This is a brilliant opportunity to join a highly respected retailer and brand.
This is a hands on Technical role & is looking for an individual who has understanding of the methods and processes within the retail sector. Previous experience of working to a critical path and working closely with buyers and merchandisers is essential.
Home Gifting is currently a big growth area for this retailer and remains a focus going forward.
As a Technologist, your responsibilities will include:
- Critical path management from concept through to launch.
- Has dealt with either soft or hardlines including products such as photo frames, decorative boxes and mirrors.
- Oversee the inspection process on existing and new products, making sure all products are fit for purpose and conform to legal requirements.
- Continually analyse returns and recommend corrective solutions.
- Travel within Europe and to the Far-East on a seasonal basis
To be successful, you will:
- Have significant technical experience ideally within home or furniture, either from another successful retailer or manufacturer.
- Have strong leadership skills and qualities.
- Ability to prioritise work loads in a demanding and fast-paced environment
- Be highly organised & commercial and be able to convey technical detail in a clear and concise manner.
- Have excellent communication skills both verbal and written.
- Have the ability to meet strict deadlines.
This is a key leadership role so if you are looking for a new challenge and would like to join a leading brand to help drive them forward during the next phase of their home development; please apply with an up to date CV quoting the reference Q97047.
We request that candidates send their CV as a Microsoft Word document where possible.
Quest Search and Selection is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.
We request that candidates send their CV as a Microsoft Word document where possible.
Quest Search and Selection is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.
Ref: Q97047 | Published: almost 2 years ago


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We are glad you are here!
Service Times
The Church of St. John the Divine
2450 River Oaks Boulevard
Houston, TX 77019
Planning Your Visit
Campus Map
Regular Sunday Service Schedule
7:45 am Holy Eucharist, Rite One (Chapel)
9:00 am Awesome Worship (Life Center)
9:00 am Traditional Worship - Rite II (Church)
11:00 am Contemporary Eucharist (Life Center)
11:00 am Traditional Worship - Rite I (Church)
4:45 pm Service of Healing Prayer (Chapel)
5:00 pm Holy Eucharist, Rite One (Chapel)
View Larger Map & Get Directions
Weekday Services in the Chapel
|7:00 am
|Morning Prayer
|M, T, Th, F
|5:30 pm
|Evening Prayer
|M, T, Th, F
|7:00 am
|Holy Eucharist Rite I
|10:00 am
|Healing Eucharist
|5:30 pm
|Holy Eucharist Rite II
Service Descriptions
7:45 am Traditional (Rite I) Eucharist in the Chapel
The traditional service language in the Chapel includes hymns with organ accompaniment. Because of the smaller space, it has an intimate feel. This service lasts approximately one hour.
9:00 am Awesome Worship Service in the Hall Life Center
Awesome Worship is designed for families of children ages 3 through 3rd grade. The children are encouraged to participate in worship. The music has an energetic, contemporary guitar-driven band, and songs are taught with hand motions. Children, parents, and grandparents participate in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. The message and Communion service are geared for the entire family while being developmentally appropriate for younger children. Immediately following the service, children are dismissed to their Sunday school classes.
9:00 am Traditional Worship (Rite II) Service in the Church
Using contemporary language from the Book of Common Prayer, this service welcomes families while providing a high sense of liturgical beauty and holiness.
11:00 am Contemporary Service in the Hall Life Center
Guitar-driven music leads the worship for this service. The music is grounded in the history of the Church across the ages. Our band is equally adept at leading ancient hymns as well as modern worship songs. Worshippers in our Contemporary Service experience the beauty and breadth of Anglican liturgy. Prayer ministers are available for you during Holy Communion. The Contemporary Service brings the Word of God into our increasingly visually oriented culture by using screens instead of songbooks. Dramas, visual arts, and clips from movies and television are occasionally incorporated in the worship service. While the service is distinctly Anglican, the worship style is attractive to those who are familiar with modern evangelical worship.
11:00 am Traditional Worship (Rite I) Service in the Church
This service uses traditional Prayer Book language and features more choral offerings. The service appeals to those who enjoy historic Anglican worship. While families with children often attend this service, it tends to be a more adult congregation.
4:45 pm Prayer Service in the Chapel
This time is designated for praying specifically for one's own physical, spiritual or emotional healing, or for the healing of others. The worshipper has the opportunity to lift up to God the names of loved ones in prayer and also to kneel at the communion rail for individualized prayer with the priest or a prayer minister. This service immediately precedes a service of Holy Communion.
5:00 pm Traditional (Rite I) Service in the Chapel
This service is essentially the same as the 7:45 service. Because the service is at the close of the afternoon, it tends to feel more informal but no less reverent.


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I remember someone on Twitter saying that Butter London is now available at Takashimaya, and so when I was there yesterday with my sister to buy more Yankee Candles, I popped around the corner to check the collection out. It is located near the L'OCCITANE counter, and the display is not very very outstanding. It might seem like a weird place to stock Butter London, but a quick scan around the area seems to show that the basement of Takashimaya is devoted to all these niche brands, there is also Korres, Juice Beauty, and several other natural beauty products.
The nailpolish are S$25 each, the treatment products are mostly S$32 each.
At revolveclothing.com where I ordered my Butter London nail polish they are USD14 each. I won't say it's crazy marked-up prices, but at least they are under S$30. And for the experience of being able to see them in person, and pick and choose your shades, the price to me, is worth it. Plus instant gratification factor is priceless.
However, if I want to buy 3 or more shades, I would opt to purchase them online from revolveclothing.com instead. Besides at taka, there seems to be only one piece of each nailpolish color in stock. Some of the shades have 2 or 3 pieces, but that's all it. They also stock the newly release lipgloss. They are pigmented, but too sticky for my liking. I think the glosses retail for S$32 each.
I only picked up Trout Pout ($25), the basecoat, and the quick drying topcoat ($32 each). Trout Pout is from their latest summer collection.
I will try to review the basecoat and topcoats in the next few weeks.
quick comparisons
this seems to be the perfect summer shade
peachy, corally orangey shade that isn't neon or too bright
I don't normally go for this color, but now I am getting a little obsessed with finding and owning similar shades!
I will be featuring DIOR's Bikini in its own entry at a later date. The summer collection will be launched 1 May 2012.
another quick pic I took with my phone last night
Here are some pictures I snapped at the Butter London display yesterday
That's all, and thank you for looking!


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By Sarah Lebo
To say that Jeannine Winsness, NP, has heart for children is an understatement. She was a foster parent for 11 children over the course of a dozen years, many of whom had health problems related to maternal drug and alcohol abuse. She has 15 years of experience as a nurse specializing in the care of children and their families. And her most recent endeavor for children, planned for the last 8 years, finally came to fruition Feb. 28: the opening of Exceptional Care for Children, a pediatric center for skilled nursing, palliative and end-of-life care in Newark, Del.
"This is only the second facility in the United States specifically designed to care for dying children," Winsness told ADVANCE. (The other such center is in California.) "I've seen a lot of children living for prolonged periods of time in hospitals with nowhere to go and some dying in very undignified ways. Exceptional Care meets a need by functioning like a pediatric intensive care unit, yet looking and feeling like home."
As board president and CEO of Exceptional Care for Children, Winsness planned the center with 20 patient beds and nine family suites. Patients are separated based on age, not diagnosis or prognosis. Contributing to the soothing home-like feel is the setting: nearly 8 acres of land with a pond, a gazebo and wooded walking trails. Upcoming additions and improvements include a pool, a spa, a gymnasium, a greenhouse, a sanctuary and a library.
While it was a labor of love, the planning stages for changing the way an entire population of children is cared for was not easy. Winsness worked on the project for about 5 years in Pennsylvania but was not able to make it happen there.
"Bringing the facility to fruition has totally consumed me. I had no idea what I was getting myself into," she said. "I never imagined it would be so difficult to raise money for a special nonprofit project like this. We are still only about 30% to our goal. However, the state of Delaware has been exceedingly generous in providing operating grant money to get us through the first 18 months or so, and there have been significant contributions from several Delaware foundations."
Although Winsess saw the uniqueness of this facility as being a selling point for donors, it was at times its downfall.
"Intuitively, one would think it would be easy to 'sell' the concept because it isn't a duplication of any existing services. However, because [of that fact], many potential donors say, 'if it is so needed, why hasn't someone else done this long before Exceptional Care?'" she said. "In some of my darkest moments, I am inspired by the Wright Brothers on the dunes of Kitty Hawk trying to get the first plane off the ground."
Winsness acknowledges that huge strides still need to be made to improve the way care is provided to children at the end of life. However, Exceptional Care for Children was created with the hope that it can serve as a demonstration model to be replicated all over the country, she said.
"I have been relentless in my pursuit of this goal, and I have protected that vision like a mother goose protects her goslings," Winsness explained. "That relentless quality has gotten on some people's nerves from time to time, but it was what needed to be done. Nurse practitioners need to be willing to take up the cause of new and innovative concepts that will solve existing problems. We have the power to affect real and lasting change, if only we believe we can do it!"
Donations can be made at www.exceptionalcare.org.
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Your Cat, Your Life
The Scoop
Cat News, Politics
Meow-Out-Loud Humor
Cat Chic
Gear and Glam
Your cat loves a clean toilet -- don't we all? Catster's singing Cat Lady, Sarah Donner, explains why.
Cat Breeds
Foods & Treats
Health & Care
Behavior & Training
Cats & Cleaning
Cat of the Day
Photo Comments
I ask my self every other day why someone would make that vaccum contraption. Don't they know that it's really noisy and stuff disappears when it's around? Every other day the humans bring that thing out and everytime I find a new hiding place. One of my favorites were taken away in the laundry room. Mom moved the dryer over so now I can't get to my crawl space. On the positive note, I still go in there because that thing seems not to like it there. I guess I should just start my house there. Either way, I'm still confused about what that thing is here for. It's worse than that new sister of mine....silly dog.
So I finally get used to Mufasa and then they bring in that, that, Nani. It's nice to have another female, no I take that back, I wish I was an only child. I used to be an only child at my first house until they got a dog there too. That thing was huge. I guess I should be happy that this one isn't much bigger than us. She's very hyper. I guess that's how all dogs are.
So today was pretty relaxing. I hear Nani is going to be away for a week to have some surgery done. Been there done that, it's not fun. Poor girl. I'm sure when she gets back she'll be a changed female. She's not too bad, she just tries to lick me alot. Not to fond of smelling like doggie slobber.
So I'm liking the fact of this catster thing. I can come here and make friends and put all my feelings down in hopes that another friend will understand. Mufasa is great and all, but he's always trying to venture out. I like being indoors. Everything is at our beck and call and he wants to rough it. I know I'm the queen and all, and that's why he should understand that I do not rough it. Heck I was going to see if the human help would get one of those self cleaning toilets. Of course she won't because she's paranoid that Mufasa or I will stop and it will keep going. Oh well, I guess we're still going to have to resort to the good old days when the human scoopes it out with a shovel.
Well, today was a blessing using this diary. This is going to come in very handy for me to find friends and share experiences. Hope everyone is doing well and more from me later.
The Queen
Copyright © I-5 Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.
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Entries in 'Xbox One' (494)
Call of Duty: Black Ops III tops Black Friday in US - Infoscout
Infoscout has released its list of most popular Black Friday games in terms of revenue, with Call of Duty: Black Ops III coming out on top.
Which console is dominating festive ad space in 2015?
Generation Media account executive Joseph Phelan takes a look at which games are pulling ahead in the race for Q4 TV advertising presence
PS4, Xbox One and Wii U prices slashed to under £230 in Black Friday showdown
Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo are going all-out in their approach to this year's Black Friday.
Star Wars Battlefront's PS4 player base bigger that Xbox One and PC combined, report claims
It looks like PS4 is ruling the roost when it comes to EA's new shooter Star Wars Battlefront.
Blizzard settles Overwatch trademark dispute with Innovis Labs
Blizzard has settled a trademark dispute with Innovis Labs over the use of the Overwatch name.
Chivalry: Medieval Warfare and Ark: Survival Evolved near Xbox One release
Xbox One appears to be on the cusp of welcoming two big PC titles into its ranks.
Ono tells Xbox One owning Street Fighter fans that there's plenty of time to save for a PS4
The producer of Street Fighter V has urged fans of the series who own an Xbox One to start saving for a PS4.
Microsoft adds button remapping support for Xbox One standard wireless controller
Microsoft has announced the addition of button mapping support to standard Xbox One controllers.
Microsoft hits back at Sony's game-sharing jibe with backwards compatibility video
Xbox One is now backwardly compatible with some Xbox 360 titles, and Microsoft is doing all it can to make the most of the positive PR.
The Xbox One strikes back
For all the criticism the Xbox One has received, it is evident that Microsoft is willing to listen to the fans and change its hardware to reflect what players want.
Microsoft sees Xbox One controller sales spike in 2015
Microsoft's first-party controller revenue has shot up by two-thirds during 2015, according to GfK Chart-Track.
Halo 5 does what it was designed to do - gets Xbox One back on top
The long-awaited arrival of the Master Chief on Xbox One has helped the console achieve a rare monthly win in the US.
Microsoft explains Xbox One backwards compatibility for 360 DLC
DLC for backwardly compatible Xbox 360 games will work on Xbox One, but a tiny hoop must be jumped through.
Kinect gestures dropped from new Xbox One Experience update
Microsoft has confirmed that it has cut the ability for users to control their Xbox Ones via gestures in its New Xbox One Experience update for the console.
Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2 launches in February
EA and Popcap's surprise hit Plants vs Zombies shooter spinoff Garden Warfare will receive a sequel release in early 2016.
104 backwards-compatible games named for Xbox One
Microsoft has named the 104 Xbox 360 games that will be available via Xbox One's backwards compatibility patch later this week.
VIDEO: Bioware teases Mass Effect Andromeda
Bioware has released a new teaser trailer for the upcoming Mass Effect Andromeda.
DayZ console prototype delayed until next year
The long wait for the arrival of DayZ on consoles just got a bit longer.
Telltale publishing The Jackbox Party Pack retail release on PlayStation, Xbox
Telltale's new publishing arm is bringing The Jackbox Party Pack to retail for PlayStation and Xbox platforms this week.
PS4 and Xbox One account for two thirds of physical games market
Sales of brand new PS3 and Xbox 360 games have dropped year-on-year as the latest generation of consoles see a greater number of exclusive releases.
Xbox One backwards compatibility launch list hits next week ahead of update
The full list of backwards compatible Xbox 360 titles for Xbox One is set to arrive next Monday.
Halo 5 'smashes record with biggest Halo launch in history', says Microsoft
Microsoft has said that the launch of Halo 5: Guardians is the biggest in the franchise's history.
God Eater rules Japanese charts in Top Ten free of Halo 5
In a contrast to the UK's Halo-ruled rankings, Japan's retail charts were last week dominated by home-grown titles from the territory.
Skyrim has already been ported to Xbox One
Highly popular RPG The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is already up and running – but a release is far from certain.
Xbox One Elite controller will be in short supply until December
Microsoft's premium game pad for the Xbox One has almost sold out at retail.


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I've long ago given up on trying to come to some sort of explanation. Oh, I've gone through the usual. Blackmail, love is blind, money, big d**k, body hair fetish, cuckolding, etc…
A little higher and Claudia could just use the skirt as a double for the bra also.
I'm assuming that Helena and Tim have neither a shower or mirror in their home. Let's also remember that this is them formally dressed.
I know you really shouldn't make fun of royalty, but I feel like The Brady Bunch just exploded.
I've never seen her before, but am truly fascinated by Jaime Winstone. Has anyone in the UK seen Goldplated? Is it any good?


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Dev gets his game face on
Dev dons a headcam to act out a scene from the game Castlevania with Patrick Stewart. Taken from the Story of the Blockbuster Game with Dev going behind the scenes of the gaming industry. Hear the first of the three part series on Monday 5th November at 9pm on Radio 1
Related Links
Featured in...
Best of Radio 1 and 1Xtra Stories
Check out highlights from BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra's award-winning documentaries.


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Vintage Glass Bottle - Round - Orange
Item #: 629
Price: $3.50
Stock: 8
These vintage glass bottles look amazing when clustered together with other colors and styles, or when aligned along the table.
Sold individually.
Dimensions in inches: 6.5" H x 1.75" dia. approximately. The bottle opening is wide enough for inserting 1 or 2 flowers.
Not for food use.


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SC calls prosecutor appointment records in Jayalalithaa case
The Karnataka government withdrew Bhawani Singh as SPP in Jayalalithaa's case after "due consultation with the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court."
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Friday summoned the original records of the appointment of Bhawani Singh as special public prosecutor (SPP) in disproportionate assets case against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who is being tried by a Bangalore special court.
The Karnataka government Sep 16 withdrew Bhawani Singh as SPP in Jayalalithaa's case after "due consultation with the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court."
Jayalalithaa has moved the apex court seeking the reinstatement of Bhawani Singh and extension to the trial court judge who is retiring Sep 30, on the grounds that it would further delay the 18-year-old trial.
A bench of Justice B.S.Chauhan and Justice S.A. Bobde summoned the records of the appointment of Bhawani Singh in the wake of a submission by Jayalalithaa's counsel Shekhar Naphde, who while contesting Bhawani Singh's removal, said the Karnataka government's action would further delay the conclusion of the trial.
Naphade told the court that new SPP would take time to go through the case and similarly the new judge too would need the time to get abreast of the case.
As the court asked him how the change of SPP concerned Jayalalithaa as authorities could always do it, Naphade said his grievance is how could the decision of previous chief justice be "condemned".
"How it concerns you; I am the authority", observed Justice Chauhan as Naphade said that the decision of the previous chief justice stands condemned as if the acting chief justice passed the order mechanically.
"It makes difference to me as a trial is getting prolonged. The then chief justice was different does not make a difference as ultimately it is the institution," Naphade told the court.
While Bhawani Singh was on the third day of the final arguments before the court of the special judge trying the DA case against Jayalalithaa, the Karnataka government by its Aug 26 notification withdrew him as SPP of the case. However, this notification was rescinded after Attorney General G.E.Vahanvati, in an earlier round of hearing, made a statement to its affect before the apex court.
The apex court took exception to the fact that Bhawani Singh was removed without consulting the chief justice of the state high court. Thereafter, the state government after due consultation with the chief justice removed Bhawani Singh from the case.
Jayalalithaa in her petition has alleged that the abrupt change of Bhawani Singh has been done by the state's ruling Congress at the behest of her rival political party DMK in Tamil Nadu.
She is facing the trial in a disproportionate assets case that relates to the period when she was chief minister 1991-96 involving Rs 66 crore. The trial in the case was shifted outside Chennai by the apex court in 2003 to ensure free and fair trial.
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U.S. Courts Camera Pilot Exceeds 100,000 Video Viewings
A few days after the federal Judiciary's Digital Video Pilot Project began in July 2011, the Western District of Tennessee recorded the first courtroom proceeding, a preliminary injunction hearing in a defamation case. A year and a half later, eleven of the pilot districts have recorded at least one proceeding. All fourteen districts that volunteered to be pilot courts have installed video equipment and court staff has been trained in its operation. All pilot court also have procedures in place for notifying parties of the opportunity to record courtroom proceedings, and have adopted local rules or general orders authorizing video recordings and posted them on their courts' websites.
As of December 31, 2012:
- 50 video-recorded court proceedings were available for public viewing on the U.S. Courts' website.
- 23 of the recorded events involved a hearing on some type of motion—for summary judgment, for attorneys fees and costs, for sanctions, etc.
- 14 jury trials were recorded.
- Viewings of the videos of the posted proceedings totaled 116,520.
By the end of 2012, the case with the highest number of views—at 17,667—was of a trial in the Northern District of California, in which numerous citizens alleged their constitutional rights were violated by the United States government through unauthorized surveillance of their telephone and internet activity.
The Judicial Conference cameras pilot will last up to three years and is designed to evaluate the effect of cameras in district court courtrooms, video recordings of proceedings, and publication of such video recordings.
The pilot is limited to civil proceedings. Electronic media coverage of criminal proceedings in federal courts is prohibited under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53. In 1972, the Judicial Conference adopted a prohibition, applied to criminal and civil cases, against "broadcasting, televising, recording, or taking photographs in the courtroom and areas immediately adjacent thereto."
In 1996, the Conference rescinded its camera coverage prohibition for courts of appeals. The Second and the Ninth Circuits now allow such coverage. In the early 1990s, the Judicial Conference conducted a pilot program permitting electronic media coverage of civil proceeding in six district courts and two courts of appeals, but determined not to go forward with the use of cameras in federal district courts.
Related Topics: Judicial Conference of the United States


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Spring Creek Memorial race returns to Steamboat on Saturday
Event includes 9-mile and 5K runs
July 21, 2011
If you go
What: Spring Creek Memorial 9-mile and 5-kilometer running races
When: 9-mile starts at 8 a.m., 5K at 8:30
Where: Races start at the Spring Creek reservoir about a half-mile from the corner of East Maple and Amethyst streets. Overflow parking is available at Steamboat Springs High School.
Cost: Pre-race registration costs $25 and is available at Ski Haus until noon Friday at online at http://www.runningseries.com. Day-of registration is available for the 5K race for $30.
There may be no summer trail in Steamboat Springs more regularly tread or loved than Spring Creek, and the only official race to take place on the familiar track will again offer an opportunity residents and visitors don't typically get.
Saturday morning's Steamboat Springs Running Series Spring Creek Memorial run will feature a 5-kilometer race, which will trace a route familiar to anyone who's ever attacked the trail, and a 9-mile run, which cuts up along a course cleared each year for this event.
"We weed whacked it about two weeks ago, but as always, there are a couple miles in there that are very tough," race director Cara Marrs said. "People are jumping over logs, and there are loose rocks. With all these rains we've had, the foliage on the side is as tall as I am."
Both races start at the Spring Creek reservoir about half a mile up the trail. The 5K goes 2.5K out and back along the trail. The 9-mile race cuts up through the woods to Dry Lake parking lot and all the way back down Spring Creek Trail to the finish line at the reservoir.
Saturday's 9-mile race starts at 8 a.m., and the 5K begins soon after at 8:30 a.m.
Registration still is available, though the 9-mile event is close to hitting its cap of 100 runners. To sign up for the races and pay the $25 entry fee, visit http://www.runningseries.com or Ski Haus before noon Friday.
Registration for the 5K is available Saturday morning for $30.
The Spring Creek Memorial is entering its 20th year. It first ran in 1991 in remembrance of Patty Brenner Hagberg, who died after being hit by a car on the lower portion of the trail.
Today, the race is meant to remind everyone of the importance of sharing multiuse trails.
"It's important for us to remember to share trails, whether it's vehicles on lower Spring Creek, runners, mountain bikers, horseback riders or whatever," Marrs said.
— To reach Joel Reichenberger, call 970-871-4253 or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com


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It all makes sense now that Burger King employees are jumping out of drive thru windows to beat customers up.
This is a discussion on B-u-i-c-k within the Off Topic & Humor Discussion forums, part of the The Back Porch category; The thread about oil got me to remembering... Right out of college, I worked in all manner of industry that equates to legalized prostituition. I ...
The thread about oil got me to remembering...
Right out of college, I worked in all manner of industry that equates to legalized prostituition. I somehow wound up working for General Motor's customer service call center.
The job wasn't all bad, getting peeks at the new GM stuff was cool (I'm a Chevy guy and all that) and you got to talk about cars all day, but I hated 80% of it because of crap like this.
Anyway a big part of my job was processing repair bills from independent mechanics who had done repairs which may have been covered by past recalls. I had to play the role of investigator. Funny thing is, honest claims were always easily verified, and reimbursing honest people was always quick and easy.
It's not that most people weren't honest, it's just that a lot of people don't understand that just because your brakes were recalled, that doesn't mean we're going to pay for it when your air conditioner breaks.
So one day I open up a new file and examine a repair order for a Dodge Dart. Yes, a 1974 Dart. It was a rather expensive repair order, about $3k, lots of work.
Also in the same file the customer sent us a receipt for four new tires for a 1999 (I think) Bonneville with 142,000 miles on it.
I set the Dodge Dart portion aside, and spent 30 minutes trying to see if there was any reason GM could replace the tires on the Bonneville or help with the cost. I knew there wasn't of course, but my job was to try to find a way.
Anyway I sent the customer a form letter on the Bonneville apologizing that the vehicle's repair was not eligible for reimbursement. I had to get with my boss and type a custom letter for the Dart explaining this was not a GM product and I included contact information for Daimler Chrysler in an attempt to at least point the customer to the right corporation.
On both of these letters I signed my name and gave my phone number.
They went out, and week later I get a call.
I went through my spiel. Basically the customer was upset I turned her down but I explained to her in great detail that her Bonneville was not eligible for any sort of reimbursement and pointed out to her she'd already enjoyed assistance from GM on two repairs (the dealer helped her).
Oddly enough once I explained that to her she let it go, but she was determined to get some satisfaction over that Dart. I finally had to lay it out plain.
"Ma'am, this is General Motors you are speaking to. We do not make the Dart. We do not make Dodge. We do not make that product. If you'd like I can transfer you to the manufacturer of that vehicle, but unfortunatly I cannot help you with your concerns."
Can she speak to a supervisor? Ma'am I promise you no one in this building can address your concerns with your Dodge Dart.
Finally she relents and I give her all of the contact information I have, phone, email, snail mail, etc. for Chrysler and wish her luck.
"You've been very helpful can I ask you one more question?"
I sigh.
"Of course what can I do for you?"
"Can you tell me who makes the car I drive now?"
Well I need to know a little bit about the car. What model is it? Dunno. Okay who made it? Dunno. Do you have the VIN? No. Where did you buy it? At the store. What store? A big car store. Was it new or used? Yes. Yes new or yes used? Definitely one or the other.
Finally she tells me.
"I drive a blue car. Who makes blue cars?"
Okay at this point I'm determined to figure this out.
"Ma'am can you see the car right now?"
"Yes, yes I can."
"Okay go around the back of the car to the trunk... is there a word on the trunk? Or anywhere on the car?"
"Well here's one... B-U-I-C-K."
Okay, that spells Buick. You have a Buick. We made your Buick, we're General Motors. After a little more prompting I get her to read me the VIN and I'm able to tell her all about her car.
"Well thank you, it's a very good car."
"Thank you ma'am."
"It's a lot better than the Pontiac car. I don't know who makes those things but the tires wear out. I wouldn't buy anything made by Pontiac again."
I didn't have the heart or the guts to tell her Pontiac is also made by General Motors...
Sigh. I'm glad that job is long behind me but that little episode and a few others like it will stay with me forever.
It all makes sense now that Burger King employees are jumping out of drive thru windows to beat customers up.
Train and train hard, you might not get a second chance to make a first impression!
I vote for Monica Lewinsky's Ex-Boyfriend's Wife for President.....Not!
i better stay away from my gm dealer. somebody might beat me up.
Euc, if you think that was bad, you should have heard some of the stuff I had to deal with when I worked at Auto Zone during college.
For example:
Customer: "I hear a rumbling noise when I turn the key, what does that mean?"
my Co-worker: "Ma'am, that means your engine started..."
or, "can you tell me how to rotate the air in my tires?"
"Being a predator isn't always comfortable but the only other option is to be prey. That is not an acceptable option." ~Phil Messina
If you carry in Condition 3, you have two empty chambers. One in the weapon...the other between your ears.
Matt K.
Bwhahaha - guess they do if you put miles on it duhI don't know who makes those things but the tires wear out.
Chris - P95
NRA Certified Instructor & NRA Life Member.
"To own a gun and assume that you are armed
is like owning a piano and assuming that you are a musician!."
http://www.rkba-2a.com/ - a portal for 2A links, articles and some videos.
How do you keep from either laughing out loud or hanging up? Don't think I could do a job like that.
EOD - Initial success or total failure
....funny stuff Euc....thanks for sharing!
USAF: Loving Our Obscene Amenities Since 1947
Stuff you just can't make up.
Very good...the best stories just hang around in our brains based on personal experiences, waiting to come out..what a classic!
Last edited by Rock and Glock; March 28th, 2006 at 04:13 PM.
ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ: Buy These Stickers Here
"A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon the world" Albert Camus
Originally Posted by kenpotex
Live Free or Die
Back in the DOS computer world I worked for a small computer company in New Orleans, LA. We provided all the support for our sales and so sometimes if I was inhouse I did telephone support too. One day I answered a call from a secretary who worked for one of our major customers. She said that she could not get WordPerfect to shut down. WordPerfect was at the time the premier word processing software in the world. To shut down the DOS version you pressed F7 and answered the question: "Do you want to save this document?" or something like that. The two options were listed at the end of the line as Yes / No. So you hit Y or N to answer the question or if you wanted to save the document you could just hit Enter because yes was the default answer. If you hit Enter the software would ask you for the name you wanted to use for the file. Then it would save the file and bring you back to the initial WP screen.
The conversation went something like this:
Client: WordPerfect won't shut down.
Me: OK, let's walk through closing WP. First, press F7. OK, now press n and hit enter. What does the screen look like now.
Client: It looks like a WP screen.
Me: Hmmm. OK, let's try again. Now do exactly what I tell you, OK.
Client: OK
Me: Press F7. Press n. Press Enter. What is on the screen?
Client: WordPerfect.
Me: OK. This time do what I tell you to do and then tell me what you did. Press F7.
Client: I pressed F7 and hit enter.
Me: I don't recall saying anything about hitting enter. When you hit enter it then asks for the name to assign the file. Then when you press n, it names the file n and comes back to the initial WP screen.
Client: Oh! (BTW this particular person had been using WP for at least a year.
Me: OK, now let's get you out of WP. After I tell you what to do you tell me what you did. Press F7.
Client: I pressed F7 and enter.
Me: Do not press enter unless I tell you to. OK? (said through tightly clenched teeth)
Client: OK.
Me: Tell me what you do. Press F7.
Client: I pressed F7 and enter.
Me: Ma'am are you right handed or left handed?
Client: Right handed.
Me: OK. Here's what I want you to do. Stand up.
Client: OK.
Me: Place your right hand on the seat of your chair and sit on it.
Client: OK, I'm sitting on my hand.
Me: Now using your left hand do exactly what I tell you. Press F7. Press N. Press Enter. Where are you now?
Client: Yaaa! I'm back at my menu.
Me: Good.
We hang up. And everything is lovely . . . for about 30 minutes. Then I get a call from the same secretary. She has gone back into WordPerfect to type a letter and can't get out of it.
Me: Remember how we closed it last time?
Client: Yes.
Me: OK, we're going to do it the same way now. Stand up. Place your right hand in the seat of your chair. Sit on your right hand. Now using your left hand Press F7. Press N. Press Enter.
Client: My menu is back. Thanks.
Me: Well if you have trouble getting out of WP again just remember to sit on your right hand and use the left and it will work every time.
Client: Thanks again.
Never got another call from her.
Truth is stranger than fiction.
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. Albert Einstein
There are several Blond jokes in there just waiting to be developed.Originally Posted by Euclidean
I used to "act like" I could actually work on my car and had gone to Auto Zone many times. While waiting for help at the parts counter, you would be amazed at what you overhear. Here are some that I remember, all of these are from the Auto Zone in Valdosta, GA:
Cust: I need a shiny thing that is in my engine place.
Service: Do you know what it is? The name?
Cust: No, it's just a shiny thing.
Service: Did you bring it in? Is it on the car that you drove here?
Cust: No, that car won't run because I need the shiny thing. It's the only shiny thing on the engine so you must know what it is.
Service: Well, we can't really tell from that description. Here is a diagram of your engine type, can you point to it?
Cust: "Looks at computer screen, screen not in color": Nope, not there, nothing is shiny.
Service: Can you point in the general location.
Cust: Nope, not unless it was shiny.
*Service then explains that they can't find the part that they need without first seeing it. Cust. stormed out of store.
One more: (for those who think they know about cars)
Cust: I need a brake disc. 1980 Chevy (I forgot model name). For the rear.
Service: No prob.... let me look it up.... Front or Rear?
Cust: Rear.
Service: Okay, the drum will run you $$ and we have four in stock.
Cust: No, it's not a drum, it's a brake disc.
Service: Yes, that is called a drum.
Cust: NO, IT'S A BRAKE DISC.
Service: Okay, we have four in stock. Would you like me to get you one (Service is doing a great job of holding back the "IT'S CALLED A DRUM YOU IDIOT!)
Cust: Yes, please.
*Service then goes and gets the drum. Beings back to customer and shows it to him. Customer agrees that it's what he needs. Service closes lid on part... which says: Brake Drum lol.
A guy called one day and said he had a defective riflescope.
"How is it defective?"
"When I look through it, everything is really small."
"The scope is mounted backwards, just turn it around and then when you look through it, it will be fine."
"NO WAY will I do that.... I'd be pointing the rifle at myself."
(A real call from years ago. Some are more amazing.)
My gun is a 7mm Magnum. Can I use this kind of ammo?
What kind?
7mm STW
What's on your gun's barrel?
7mm Remington Magnum
No, can't use STW.
Oh, ok. But I can use 7mm-08, right?
So I worked for Nortel doing first-tier support for routers. That's what connects you all to the internet, not the wood-working tools.
Anyway, the people who run these machines are usually pretty smart as they are complicated devices so when they would call me, it was usually pretty serious. Also, I worked the swing shift so these people were usually on OT fixing a serious problem.
Here is my favorite call.
Me: Nortel router support. Can I help you?
Customer: Yeah, my company is down.
Me: Can you ping the router?
Customer: No. It says reply timed out.
Me: Can you console in. (Connect directly with a cable)
Customer: Let me try.
Customer: No, all I get is a blank screen.
Me: Are there any lights on the device?
Customer: No, I think it's completely dead. Can you send me a new one?
Me: Before I do that, will you just check to see if it's plugged in?
Customer: (A little angry) Of course it plugged in but let me check anyway.
Customer: What the he... (He then hangs up.)
From then on my first question was always, Is it plugged in?
There are 2 sounds in the world that strike more fear than any others. A click when you should hear a bang and a bang when you should hear a click.


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Patriots taking lessons from win over Miami and moving forward
|09.13.11 at 9:23 pm ET
Less than 24 hours after their season-opening win over the Dolphins in Miami, the Patriots braintrust stated unequivocally Tuesday afternoon that they have already moved on, shifting their focus from the Dolphins to this week's opponent, the San Diego Chargers.
The Patriots arrived back at Gillette at 5 a.m. on Tuesday and sent the players home for the day. Subsequently, they hadn't yet had a chance to look at the game film. But that's not stopping them, as they're already on a short week to prepare for Philip Rivers and the Chargers, who will come into Gillette on Sunday afternoon.
'It's a quick turnaround — we're on to San Diego,' said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. 'I haven't had a chance to look at Miami, we're just trying to get started on San Diego, so we'll get to [the Miami film] tomorrow — later tonight or tomorrow morning, we'll see how it goes.
'Of course it's good go down there, playing on the road with all the conditions we had to deal with, and come away with the win. It's great to be 1-0, but we have to put that behind us and turn our attention to the Chargers.'
That's not to say there wasn't some talk about the win over the Dolphins. Even though the Patriots' passing game set numerous records — including 517 passing yards from Tom Brady on the way to a 38-24 win over Miami — there was more than enough to give the coaching staff plenty of material this week. He pointed to a couple of stalled offensive drives, as well an inability to 'close out' the game down the stretch because they failed to pick up a couple of first downs.
'There are a lot of areas [to improve on],' Belichick said. 'There are always things on every play, even good plays, that a lot of times aren't done quite properly and had the defense or the offense been in different play or done things a little bit differently, then we would have had a problem.
'You keep correcting those and try to get as many things right as possible. But I would include every position on that. Again, the coaching staff, all of us ' we all did plenty of things in that game that we need to better.'
Patriots' offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien echoed Belichick's statement.
'There are always areas to improve on, whether it's turnovers, the six penalties, the two-minute [offense] at end of half, the red-area execution,' O'Brien said. 'So, there's a lot of things to improve on in a game and that's what we'll work hard at doing, in addition to first and second downs, and getting better at our game plan for San Diego.'
Wide receiver Chad Ochocinco had a limited role in his Patriots' debut on Monday (O'Brien said the veteran played 'about 20 snaps' against the Dolphins), but the offensive coordinator intimated that New England fans shouldn't read too much into the fact that Ochocinco, who caught one ball on the night, wasn't utilized that much in comparison to the other receivers. Instead, O'Brien said Ochocinco, like every player, continues to be evaluated on a week-to-week basis.
'Every week it will change, and one of the things that's great about the guys here is that they all understand that ' that each guy has his role,' O'Brien said. 'Maybe his role is going to be a little bit bigger in a certain game than it is in another game, and that will be the same for the [running] backs, receivers and tight ends.
'In regards to Chad, I think he's worked hard to improve every week, and he has. He played about 20 plays last night and it will be week-to-week just like it is with every position.'
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Thursday 25 May 2017
The Board published the exposure draft Financial Instruments Puttable at Fair Value and Obligations arising on Liquidation in June 2006. The comment period ended in October 2006. An analysis of the 87 comment letters received was presented to the Board in January 2007. Since then the Board has deliberated issues raised by respondents. In November 2007 the Board held two public round-table discussions to consider a staff draft of the proposed amendments.
At this meeting, the Board discussed a draft of the proposed amendments to clarify issues raised at the round-table discussions. The Board asked the staff to prepare a ballot draft of the proposed amendments. The Board also decided to publish a near-final draft of the proposed amendments on the subscriber area of the IASB Website.
© IFRS Foundation.


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Almost every new restaurant wants to boast a patio these days. But there's more to creating a great one than just wedging some tables between your front wall and the parking lot. Here's a closer look at two that have caught on uncommonly well, a much-loved Fort Worth landmark (you've already guessed this one) and an improbable new one in Dallas that's instantly become one of the most bustling spots in the state.
Related story: Best patios and outdoor dining in DFW.
Joe T. Garcia's
The classic Joe T. Garcia's patio experience begins outside on the asphalt of North Commerce Street, and if you go on a busy night (weekend evening, fine Texas weather), it can take a moment for your brain to adjust to the reality. You're standing right in the street, waiting in a line that can quickly swell to the length of the whole city block. In front, the line snakes up a ramp and around a metal railing, like at Six Flags.
You won't be asked your name. You may not even be asked your party's size until it's almost your turn to be seated. There's no list, no little buzzer to grip. You just take your place at the end of the line and settle in.
If you don't already know the drill, look around and observe the Joe T's veterans. Many are already downing their first margarita of the night. You can buy one — bracing and classic, with just tequila, triple sec and lime juice — at a walk-up bar just inside the patio entrance (cash only, like everything here), or go for a whole pitcher. Yes, at Joe T's, people happily stand in line while holding pitchers of margaritas.
The tequila, and the fact that the line moves fairly quickly, make for a congenial scene. One guy who ambles up to take his place at the end is nonchalantly carrying a large pair of mounted longhorns. My usual nosiness muted by the first first sips of weapons-grade 'rita, I don't even ask why. We're a couple blocks south of the Stockyards: Why not?
One festive-looking couple, Barbara and Fred Bowen of Keller, are regulars. "We look for patios all over the world," says Barbara, a flight attendant at American Airlines. Though she'll allow that outdoor dining in Italy is pretty special, she keeps coming back to Joe T's. "This is the best that I've found." The Bowens have even questioned the Joe T's staff about specific plants and flowers to re-create the patio's look at their home.
But everyone in this line is headed for the big outdoors. The separate line for indoor dining is much shorter. "We come just for this patio," says Fred Bowen, who first ate here as a child, back when you had to walk through the kitchen to get to the dining area. "There's no bad place to sit."
Still, there's a moment of suspense when one of the army of black-clad hostesses (Joe T's employs 22 of them) eventually leads you to a table. Will you get a coveted spot next to the famous pool near the front? Or maybe one in the back so that you're taken on a long, twisty journey through a series of the 10 or so gorgeous outdoor dining spaces?
From any outdoor seat, Joe T's feels intimate and calming, but the true scale of the place is staggering.
On a peak night with nice weather, it takes 50 waiters to keep it all going, says Lanny Lancarte, grandson of Joe T. and Jessie ("Mama 'Sus") Garcia, the couple who founded Joe T's as a 16-seat restaurant in their house on this property in 1935.
Today, food is being pumped out of three kitchens staffed with more than 20 cooks apiece, one in the old front building, one in the middle of the complex, and one at the back, north end of the patio beyond all the diners. All three will be hopping on the busiest evenings, when Joe T's can serve about 1,250 people at once, 750 of them outdoors.
You'll rarely meet anyone who comes here just for the food, although the food service is pretty singular. At dinner, there's no printed menu. If you have to ask, your server will run down the three menu options: the enchilada dinner served family style, or chicken or beef fajitas. (There's a more conventional menu and more choices at lunch and brunch, and — shhh! — veterans know you can order unofficial items like the chicken enchiladas or fajita nachos, or even ask if there are any chile rellenos or flautas in the kitchen.) Most people just let the staff bring on the traditional, unfussy Tex-Mex: enchiladas, plus communal platters of nachos, rice, beans, guacamole and tacos for the table.
Lancarte sees no reason to change what has worked for decades. "The truth is, my grandmother and my grandfather, that's what they taught me. That's who I went to school with. If you do something and do it right, that's all you gotta do."
Lancarte, who is 64, runs the huge operation with his wife of 45 years, Jody, and his younger brother Joe. But the patio is Lanny Lancarte's baby. "It's actually not a patio," he says. "I call it a garden. It's much more of a garden than a patio. And I think people just love being in a beautiful setting."
He opened it in August 1970, when it was just a plain-looking back yard with a newly installed swimming pool that had been intended for the family, who still lived in the house. "People started asking questions about eating outside back there," he says. He set about transforming the space.
"I wanted that feeling I got when I was sitting in a garden in Mexico City. Just that ambience, which was overwhelming. I wanted to bring that home."
It's evolved into a series of outdoor rooms, lush with foliage, fountains, pergolas, Mexican tiles, footpaths, Virgin Marys, little hidden nooks. It's an industrial-scale operation that serves hundreds, but every spot has a human scale.
Everything has a story or some personal touch — Lancarte will push aside a branch and show you the ruin of a piece of fence that he preserved in its spot because it shows where the first little patio ended, or where a bunch of A-frame houses once stood. He has the decorated planter boxes custom made in Querétaro, Mexico. Some of his favorite quotations are enshrined in tiles on the walls.
Food prep starts at 5:30 a.m. daily, as you might expect for a large restaurant, but so does work on the gardens. "We start hosing down the patio, watering the plants, checking for dead flowers." It's Lanny and Joe Lancarte who do this every day. "We have a pretty good eye by now. We've had a lot of practice. Before Joe grew up and started helping me, I was killing a lot of plants, putting plants in the wrong places."
Inside the east wall, Lanny envisioned a walk lined with a canopy of banana trees on both sides. They all died, but "Callejón de Plátano" ("Banana Alley") lives on in a lovely tile marker.
The passion for plants came from his grandmother, whose portrait (surrounded by flowers) is prominently displayed in the offices. "She could make anything grow." Among scores of old family photos hanging in the two-story former family home used as the restaurant's offices, he gestures to a photo of Mamasuez in her apron working at the stove in that cramped first kitchen. It was a cash business from the start. "My grandmother ran all the finances through that apron right there. I mean, no one touched that apron. That's so significant to me, that apron. She probably made more money than we make now, because she knew how to take care of a dollar."
Lancarte moves on to what he calls the "command center," a big room down the hall from his old bedroom. Above his desk, a bank of four large flatscreens lets him monitor the whole property. Three show views from the 76 cameras placed around the restaurant. "So I can know what's going on everywhere." The fourth TV is permanently tuned to the Weather Channel.
It's the Lancarte brothers themselves, Lanny and Joe, who also keep a close eye on the weather. On a drizzly evening like this one, weather is a huge factor in how busy they will be. It's 5:30 p.m., and he's keeping a lot of waiters around hoping for a cloud break. If that doesn't happen, many will be sent home at 6:30.
That's the level of work and worry it's taken to transform a humdrum city block into an oasis that has been embraced by generations of diners, including the famous and well-traveled.
Dallas-born actor Luke Wilson has been a frequent visitor over the years. He drove over from Dallas with his parents recently to eat in the gardens.
And earlier this month, when CBS newsman Bob Schieffer brought big-name journalists Bob Woodward, Jane Pauley and Peggy Noonan to his TCU journalism conference, they ended their stay with a late-night meal at Joe T's.
On the patio, of course.
Longer ago, Ted Nugent and some friends once threw their tables into the pool. "I remember telling him, I'm gonna have to charge the heck out of y'all for throwing stuff in there," Lancarte says, "and he goes, 'Just put it on our bill.' There are Colonial stories, too, I can't tell you about." Those might involve a couple of broadcasters, he adds.
The pool, which was also popular with noncelebrities for birthday dunkings, was partially filled in several years ago so that it's too shallow for all that, more of a pond now.
It didn't hurt the ambience.
"The gardens bring that feel of being out of town," Lancarte says. "That's why I walled everything in, to where you can't see anything from the inside. You can literally think you're somewhere else, you're at the beach, you're in Mexico. I think that's what makes it. "
The Rustic
If Lanny Lancarte and his family have spent decades building an oasis in north Fort Worth, in Uptown Dallas, a pair of young restaurateurs have a giant overnight success with The Rustic. The sprawling restaurant/bar/outdoor music venue opened in October with a concert by a third partner, country star and Fort Worth resident Pat Green.
The Rustic's food team is impressive: Sharon Hage, formerly of York Street, helped develop the menu, and Matt Balke, formerly of Bolsa, is in the kitchen. But the huge patio is clearly the draw.
"The idea came when we were out on a friend's ranch in the middle of the Hill Country," says co-owner Kyle Noonan, who with business partner Josh Sepkowitz has also recently opened Bowl & Barrel, a bowling and beer restaurant/tavern, and Mutts Canine Cantina, an open-air restaurant overlooking a dog park, next door to The Rustic. "We were grilling steaks over an open flame, we were out under the stars and had cold beer and good music. We were just hanging out enjoying life, and we thought: Wouldn't this be cool if we could create this in an urban setting? That was really how The Rustic was born. And I think we got pretty close to it."
Noonan is an evangelist, almost a poet of outdoor dining, full of metaphors.
"My first car was a 1982 Lincoln Town Car with plush blue velvet seats. The front seat felt like a living room sofa, it was so relaxing. I'll never forget the feeling of driving that car, and that's kind of how I want my patio to be."
The Rustic is comfortable, but you wouldn't call its materials plush. It does look like you're hanging out in the Hill Country, maybe in the outdoor area of a barbecue joint, or a craft brewery.
Until you look up. Just outside the walls, the setting is as far as you can get from backcountry Texas. It's at the intersection of Central Expressway and Lemmon Avenue, next to a DART station and surrounded by thousands of apartments and condos. Most jarringly, the 42-story Cityplace Tower looms overhead.
It doesn't harsh the mellow too much, though.
"I think any great patio really evokes the same sensation, the same feeling that you get when you sit on the beach: a little mini vacation from our normal lives with cars and cubicles. If we can get some sort of relief from our daily lives, that's the feeling that makes a good patio, and I think there's a lot of ways to get there," Noonan says.
"One way is by having a great view. If you have a mountaintop or a view of an ocean, good for you. Unfortunately, we don't have that. So the thing that makes the most sense is greenery, having lush gardens, trees. And we're fortunate enough to have nine 60-year-old post oak trees that are 50 feet tall and just beautiful."
But when you first arrive on a busy night (which is all of them, it seems), the greenery is not the first thing you notice. It's the sea of humanity. It's pleasant chaos, with open seating and people grabbing any sort of perch that works. We end up sitting on a big coffee table, putting our drinks and plates beside us.
The crowd is diverse, mostly though not exclusively young and hip. The music is loud, even with no band this early in the evening, but not too loud for talking.
We have no idea how our genial and seemingly unflappable young waiter, Chris, is handling the chaos, but drinks and two rounds of appetizers come out at a good pace, and he manages to find us each time and remember our questions and orders. He remembers my vegetarian preference and steers me away from salt-and-pepper deviled eggs (Pat Green's Fave, the menu says) because there's a chicken topping not mentioned on the menu. We get a trio of dips with homemade chips, and a couple of interesting salads. It's serious food, mostly sourced locally and regionally. The beer, wine and spirits menus show a deep commitment to Texas producers. Besides craft brews and Texas wines, there are Texas vodkas, eight Texas whiskeys — it's as local as a drink menu gets.
The decor is a look that, frankly, might be becoming a bit of a cliché. Picnic table seating? Check. Dirt or gravel underfoot? Check. Corrugated tin? Check. Horizontal-slat fencing? Check. Garage doors? Check.
But it's a feel we all seem to like right now. Perfect for outdoor dining in Texas, it's reminiscent of The Woodshed in Fort Worth, or Contigo in Austin, or any number of places with "Ice House" or "Beer Garden" in their names.
Seating also includes some scattered Adirondacks, your great-grandparents' metal lawn chairs and a lawn area. People are sharing picnic tables with strangers, which is by design. "We wanted big tables out there," Noonan says, "because we wanted to really supply a sense of community, so you could either come with large groups and sit at a big table, or come with two or three people and sit with another group of two or three people and hopefully leave as friends."
A young biker in a leather vest complete with patches (the best one: "THESE ARE MY CHURCH CLOTHES") came with three friends to enjoy some people-watching. It's the kind of place where bikers (!) come to gawk at other people. He says they usually avoid Uptown spots because he doesn't like some of the local types.
A group of middle-aged guys wearing Titleist hats say almost the same thing. Robert and Mike (who decline to give their last names) like that's it's not as upscale as other places in the area, and they don't feel too old to be here. They've brought a friend visiting from Pennsylvania, who's thrilled just to be eating outdoors.
Most people in the crowd are eating as well as drinking, and Noonan says there's roughly a 50/50 split between food and drink sales.
And it's a lot of sales. "We're the busiest stand-alone restaurant and bar in the state of Texas," he says, based on TABC-reported alcohol sales. Remarkable for a place that's been open for only seven months. The patio seats 600 for dining. For a major concert, they can remove the tables and seat 2,000 (most nights, they don't).
"We weren't prepared for the volume we're doing. We exceeded expectations by about 50 percent." One result, he says, is that the kitchen is about 50 percent too small.
So far, there are about 240 employees, although Noonan says because of the huge wave of business, they're still staffing and training. Waiters already have to master a 180-page manual in the training phase.
Another result of the unexpected demand is food and drink service on the lawn. The patio is ringed by a small, raked grass section (we instantly dubbed it The Grassy Knoll) that was really meant for concert seating, but people are getting served food and drinks out there.
"We said, you know what, we've got an opportunity there," Noonan says. "Now we're working on picnic lunches where you can get a picnic basket and blanket and go out there with drinks and a lunch for two and sit on the grass."
It's the beginnings of organic growth, maybe a bit like Joe T's. And people are responding to it in a similar way, like it's a rare outdoor paradise in the city.
You truly cannot tell Central Expressway is right outside the walls. You can't see it or even hear it, at least when there's music playing.
"We hired acoustical engineers, did sound studies, figured the best way to position the building and the fence, to make sure the noise we wanted was in and the noise we didn't want was out," Noonan says.
"There's a lot that goes into making something look simple."