Is Gracie a Nova Scotia Duck Toller Retriever?

Check out this video of a Duck Toller and then the photos of Gracie. Is she a Duck Toller? We have had at least 3 strangers ask us if she is. Two vets have told told us they thinks she's a mix-breed. We never asked the vets if they thought she was a Duck Toller though. Seems like if they knew what a Duck Toller was, they would have said something. I'll probably ask next time I take her in.  What do you think? We think we're ready to tell people she's a Duck Toller. (Please, no comments on which dog is trained better.) DUCK TOLLER PHOTOS

I'll Have Another (Win)

Andrew, winner of the March Madness brackets, wins another one with the horse he knew nothing about and did not pick - I'll Win Another. A BIG congratulations from the rest of us in the field!

And for the record, Rick's horse, Daddy Long Legs, finished last. ORDER OF FINISH

The Picks - Derby 2012 - Post Time 6:24est on NBC

The Picks:
MEET THE HORSES
Rick - Daddy Long Legs and Creative Cause
Mike - Union Rags and Bodemeiser
Lyndsey - Liaison and Take Charge Indy
Kate - Optimizer and Dullahan
Debbie - Gemologist and Perspective
Jack - Sabercat and Rousing Sermon
Luke - El Padrino
Andrew - I'll Have Another
Levi - Alpha
Mary - Done Talking
Kacey - Daddy Nose Best
Justin - Went The Day Well
Clay - Trinniberg
Ted - Hansen

The West Family KY Derby Sweepstakes 2012!

The 138th running of the Kentucky Derby is this Saturday, May 5th. You can GO HERE to learn all about the KY Derby. I need to to know if you would like to participate. The sweepstakes is only open to "The Fam." (which includes extended Fam) I will be randomly putting the entries into a hat with randomly assigned numbers. Mary & I will then draw numbers alphabetically by the first name of each participant until all horses have been chosen. You could possibly have more than 1 horse to cheer on to the finish line! Please comment below if you would like to be included and stay tuned for updates. The field should be ready to go by Thursday of this week. Yours truly had last year's winner - Animal Kingdom. The winner gets a big congratulations from the rest of us!

Welcome To This World Jack West Cornell!

8lbs - 11 oz and 20 inches of toughness entered the world at 11:50am on Saturday April 21st and he is ready to take it on! Welcome Jack!!!

A Lesson On Patience

A NYC Taxi driver wrote: I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware. 'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her.. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.' 'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?' 'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.. 'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice. I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice..'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. 'What route would you like me to take?' I asked. For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing. As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired.Let's go now'. We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair. 'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse. 'Nothing,' I said 'You have to make a living,' she answered. 'There are other passengers,' I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.She held onto me tightly. 'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.' I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut.It was the sound of the closing of a life.. I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day,I could hardly talk.What if that woman had gotten an angry driver,or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away? On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life. We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

"The Road to Gr8ness"

# 8!!!!!!!! Best quote in the clip. "One of the all-time shockers. Lehigh defeats Duke!!"

Thank You Anthony Davis!

Davis' Trophy Case:
Naismith Trophy
John R. Wooden Award
AP Player of the Year
Oscar Robertson Trophy
Adolph Rupp Award
Basketball Times Player of the Year
SEC Player of the Year (coaches and AP)
SEC Freshman of the Year (coaches)
SEC Newcomer of the Year (AP)
SEC Defensive Player of the Year (coaches)
Sporting News National Player of the Year
Wayman Tisdale Award
Pete Newell Big Man of the Year
NABC Defensive Player of the Year
USBWA All-America first team
NABC All-America first team
AP All-America first team
Wooden All-America
CBS Sports National Player of the Year
and all around great person!!

Great Trip To Oklahoma!

Thank you Justin and Kacey!

Happy Beat Louisville Day! Ky Wins - 69-62

Gratitude

Welcome To This World Levi!

Welcome to the world, Levi Deason West!!! Born 12/6/11 at 12:25 PM. 6 lbs, 8 oz...20" long.

Classic Game

The Thanksgiving Jar - A West Tradition

Here's how it works. Post something you're thankful for throughout the day on Thanksgiving via the comment section and I will add your note in the jar. As new notes are added, more notes will show up in the jar. See how it works? The tradition started when the kids were small. We would put a jar on the counter on Thanksgiving morning and as thoughts of things we were thankful for would pop in our heads, we would put a note in the jar. Then we would pull all the notes out at the end of the day and read them. We have much for which to be thankful!
Side note: This is our fourth year of doing this via the blog. It's kind of neat to go back and look at the previous posts. Just type thanksgiving in the search window in the upper left hand corner.

A State of KY Basketball History Lesson

Fun Trip To The North

First stop - Charleston for some "rafting" and last minute cleanup.
Second stop - a trip to Keeneland for burgoo, horses and jocularity.
Third stop - UK Football - where we saw a rarity this season - a win. 38-14 over Jacksonville State.
Great time for us with Justin, Kacey & Luke! We wish you well in your new home in Altus, OK!

This Calls For A.....

Our Lives Can Change Quickly

Hank Fights Back - Click For Download

Days after being dropped from ESPN's "Monday Night Football," Hank Williams Jr. fired back at that network, "Fox and Friends" and what he called the "United Socialist States of America" in his signature style -- a song bellowing biting lyrics in between guitar licks.
"This country sure as hell has gone down the drain," Williams sings in a tune posted Monday on his official website. "We know what we need. We know who to blame."

Clever

Our Time Is Almost Here

Time To Move On?

Last week, FL destroyed us 48-10 and we have #1 ranked LSU on Saturday. So, emotionally, I have decided to move on to basketball where we have the best fans in all of college basketball!

The tents started going up before sunrise outside Memorial Coliseum Wednesday as University of Kentucky basketball fans started the campout for Oct. 14 Big Blue Madness tickets. The free tickets will be distributed at 7 a.m. Saturday for the first open practice for the men's and women's teams.

Not Much To Dance About "After" The Game....

KY goes down to it's arch-nemesis and loses at home to Louisville - 24-17. It's going to be a looooooong season.

This Year's Governor's Cup Goes To....

Both teams basically suck so far. KY is 2-0 with hard fought victories over the Hilltoppers of WKU and the mighty Chippewas of Central Michigan. Loserville - slipped by the mighty Racers of Murray State and lost to Florida International? But, it is still a huge rivalry as far as I'm concerned and once again the Wildcats will prevail over the dirty birds. My pick - KY - 10 - Loserville - 7. ESPNU - 7pm Saturday Night.
Go Cats!

And I Thought We Were Ready...

Check out some of the great plays from the QB position. Especially his "drop back" move. We're lucky we snuck by with an 11 point victory. 14-3. The 1st quarter was so bad I went to bed when it ended.

UK vs Western KY - Thursday 9:15 (Really) ESPNU

GO CATS! I believe we're ready....

And I Thought He Was Dead (Ray)

Call His Bluff

More great stuff from the smartest man in the world.



All of a sudden Obama is a born-again budget balancer prepared to bravely take on his own party by making deep cuts in entitlements. Really? Name one. He’s been saying forever that he’s prepared to discuss, engage, converse about entitlement cuts. But never once has he publicly proposed a single structural change to any entitlement.
MORE

Great Song

4th of July Trick Shots

Andrew Cornell....

Bush Continues To Do The Right Thing

In Your Face Gaga

Good kids win the big one! It was refreshing to see the two finalists and their families in the finals. I already knew there are still great kids doing great things because of our two kids. But I saw this finale as a victory over the ridiculous, costume-wearing, sex-laden pop culture of today's music world. Are Lauren and Scotty a couple?

KY Derby Order of Finish

I wish the track announcer had a "KY accent."
The final order of finish for the 137th Kentucky Derby was:

1 -- Animal Kingdom
2 -- Nehro
3 -- Mucho Macho Man
4 -- Shackleford
5 -- Master of Hounds
6 -- Santiva
7 -- Brilliant Speed
8 -- Dialed In
9 -- Pants on Fire
10 -- Twice the Appeal
11 -- Soldat
12 -- Stay Thirsty
13 -- Derby Kitten
14 -- Decisive Moment
15 -- Archarcharch
16 -- Midnight Interlude
17 -- Twinspired
18 -- Watch Me Go
19 -- Comma to the Top