soldier re-enlists to be with daughter

Master Sergeant Tim Larrison was up for retirement but decided to re-enlist for one year so that he could deploy with his daughter to Afghanistan.  They have both returned home safely to a welcoming crowd.  It was reassuring to Katelyn's mother that her husband, Tim, was with their daughter.  father-daughter

Puppy Bowl 2013

Sunday is the day for the Big Game.  I'm talking about the Puppy Bowl on the Animal Planet.  I've watched it every year since it started and that's what will be on my tv this Sunday.  This year they will have the puppies of course, but they will also have kittens, hamsters, and hedgehogs.  Puppy Bowl

Can 14 people live in an RV?

The Kellogg family intends to find out.  They sold their home and moved into the RV.  The kids are home-schooled in the morning and can do whatever they want in the afternoon.  It is a new learning experience every day.  RV family

Gomer Pyle gets married

Actor Jim Nabors who played Gomer Pyle on the Andy Griffith show has married his long time partner.  Jim is 82 and has been with Stan Cadwallader for 38 years.  They wed in Seattle after same sex marriage became legal in the state of Washington.  wedding

USS Guardian

After running aground on a reef in the Philippines, the USS Guardian will be decommissioned and cut into pieces.  It is the only way the ship can be removed without further damaging the reef.  The US Government has apologized to the Philippine Government.  stuck ship

One last trip through the drive-through

In life, David S. Kime Jr. was a huge fan of Burger King.  He passed away at the age of 88 and the funeral procession went to the Burger King drive-through one last time for him.  They ordered 40 Whopper Jr.'s including one to put on top of the casket.  last Burger King

snow hotel

For $170 to $580 a night, you can rent a hotel room.  Spend the night in a room that is a constant 32 degrees.  After skiing or snowboarding, there's no curling up by the fire because that would melt the hotel.  snow hotel

blind sled dog

Gonzo's owners didn't think he would be able to pull a sled after he started going blind.  But thanks to the dog's pooch brother, Poncho, all is well.  Gonzo and Poncho are hooked up to the back of the sled dogs.  Gonzo depends on Poncho for direction about turns and speed.  He also cocks his head to the side so that he can use his other senses to help guide him.  sled dogs

puppy on zip line

Somehow a small white terrier mix got stranded on an island in a Los Angeles lake.  The island is intended for ducks and geese not for dogs.  Rescuers weren't even sure how a dog that small could get out to the island but there it was.  After realizing that a kayak wouldn't work to rescue the pooch, rescuers rigged up a zip line to bring the dog back to shore.  rescued puppy

pizzas for the troups

Troops in Middle East will get a small piece of home shipped to them.  At least 20,000 pizzas are on their way to the troops for the Big Game next Sunday.  Mark Evans, retired Air Force master sergeant started the project 5 years ago and it has grown since.  pizzas

dolphin asks for help

Keller Laros was leading a dive team off the coast of Hawaii as he often does when he got a surprise.  A dolphin came to the group looking for help.  The dolphin had a fishing hook stuck in it's fin and was tangled in fishing line.  Laros was able to get the hook out but still had to find a way to remove the line.  He got a small scissors from his dive tools and managed to cut the line from the dolphin.  After being rescued, the dolphin swam off.  happy dolphin

getting jealous on facebook?

Friends post on facebook about their vacations, their promotions, their happy marriages, and other gushing moments.  According to new research, this makes other people miserable.  The study shows that jealousy is the root of these feelings.  facebook jealousy

no more cats

Gareth Morgan wants all cats in New Zealand to be erradicated.  He says that if residents have a cat, it should wear a bell, be fixed, and be the last one; meaning that they shouldn't be replaced when they pass away.  He claims that he should have the right to kill a cat, even a domestic pet, if it wanders onto his property.  All of this anger against cats comes from his warped ideas that cats are natural born killers and are eliminating all of the bird species from the country.  cat hater

No gayguy license plate

The state of Georgia has denied a man's request to have GAYGUY on his license plate.  The man has filed a lawsuit saying that the state's vanity license plate program is unconstitutional.  The state won't approve ILUVGUNS but GUNLUV was ok.  vanity plate fight

how many is too many?

Hundreds of animals had to be removed from an Ohio home.  Workers had to use two days to collect the animals which included pigeons, chickens, and rabbits.  Neighbors complained about the stench coming from the home which prompted authorities to investigate.  It's unclear if the home owner will be charged with animal neglect.  He will be allowed to keep two dogs and some cats.  Ohio home

brother against brother

For the first time ever, brother coaches will go up against each other in the big game.  John and Jim Harbaugh are the coaches for the Ravens and the 49ers.  Their family is very proud of both of them but also realize that one of them has to lose.  big game brothers

No World record yet.

The boy who wanted to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records for receiving the most Christmas cards has passed before making his dream come true.  Dalton Dingus was 9 when he succumbed to cystic fibrosis.  Guinness says that no application in his name has been submitted but they will consider re-opening the category for Dalton if someone submits the application.  Christmas card record

Another loyal dog

In San Donaci Italy, a dog visits the church where he and his owner went to Mass.  The difference now is that the owner passed away last year.  Her funeral services were held at the church with the dog in attendance.  He even followed the coffin as she was put to rest.  He now shows up when the bells ring for church services.  The parishioners give him food and water and because he's well behaved, he's allowed to stay until the service is over.  loving dog

Dog is man's best friend

After thousands of years bonding with dogs, they are just predisposed to be loyal to man.  One dog remained with his owner until rescuers could get the man out of the frozen Colorado River.  The 60-year-old man had ventured out onto the river to retrieve a duck when the ice gave way.  Luckily other hunters witnessed the accident and were able to call firefighters to the scene.  The dog waited, pacing by the man, even as he tried to send the dog to safety, it refused to leave.  The two were reunited on shore after the rescue.  loyal dog

PT Barnum's well trained parrot

A trained parrot sat at the entrance to Barnum's circus telling patrons "keep quiet, don't crowd, one at a time please."  While in Janesville in 1871, the parrot got free and Dave Watt was sent out to find it.  When he came upon the parrott, it was in a corn field surrounded by crows and reciting it's lines.  parrot

Hole for sale

For $24 million, you can buy a hole.  Sounds like a waste of money and it may be but I guess if you have that much disposable income, a hole is the perfect thing to buy.  This hole is the biggest deep blue hole on the planet located in the Bahamas.  It is 663 feet deep and divers love to explore it.  hole

violent games removed

In Massachusetts, officials have removed violent video games from their rest areas.  This is in response to the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown CT.  They're also organizing a violent video game turn-in program. video games

No Death Star

The petition for the US to create a Death Star was posted to the White House's site.  It gathered way more than the 25,000 signatures required for an official response.  Unfortunately there will be no Death Star even though it would create jobs and bolster our national defense.  It's not the policy of the US Government, however, to go around blowing up planets.  Apparently we already have a space laser plus there's always the International space station.  We'll all just have to be satisfied with what we already have.  The force is strong in the US.  Death Star response

burglar leaves trail

A South Carolina teenager leaves a trail of cheetos that leads to his arrest.  After breaking down the front door of the store and the cooler door, the teen stole beer, cigarettes, energy drinks, and snacks.  He punctured a couple bags of Cheetos and thus left a trail to his whereabouts.  easy arrest

happy guitar ending

Delta airlines would not let musician Dave Schneider board with his vintage guitar.  Instead they  made him check it as baggage and it ended up getting shredded by the baggage handlers.  Delta offered him a check for $1000 but he wouldn't accept it because he didn't know what the repairs would cost.  Now, there's a happy ending...Delta has issued him a check and given him vouchers for future travel plus Gibson has offered to repair the 1965 ES-335 guitar.  They have also given him a brand new 50th anniversary reissue of a 1963 Gibson ES-335.  Dave is so overwhelmed with Gibson's generosity that he plans to purchase some Gibson guitars in the near future for a charity auction.  vintage guitar

stranger roommate

A woman in Yelm, Washington was surprised to learn that someone had been living underneath her house.  They had altered some duct work so that warm air was blown on them.  Beer cans and empty liquor bottles were found in the crawl space.  73-year-old Velma Kellen would not have known about it but had to call a repairman to come check out problems with her new furnace.  It cost her $500 to fix the duct repair.  unwanted guest

Have a beer

Good news for beer drinkers.  Having a couple each day is helpful in preventing rheumatoid arthritis.  Just don't overdo it and be careful if you're already on medication for RA.  beer's benefits

Duct taped to a chair.

One airplane passenger got drunk on a New Years Eve flight.  He began screaming at others on the flight, hitting them, and even spitting on some of them.  They decide that they had had enough and duct taped the man to his chair.  He was arrested when they arrived in New York.  Unruly passenger

JoyJars

Jessie Joy Rees was an up-and-coming swimmer until one day when she started getting headaches.  After a check-up it was discovered that she had two tumors in her brain stem that were inoperable.  By age 12, Jessie would be in heaven but before she left, she decided that she wanted to help the kids who had to stay in the hospital.  She got to go home but they didn't.  Jessie started with paper sacks and filled them with little toys and trinkets from around the house.  Paper sacks were eventually replaced with jars.  Thus came the name JoyJars after Jessie's  middle name.  Several professional athletes have taken up the cause.  JoyJars

Minnesota outside winter wedding

It was 10 degrees when they said "I do" but that's what the young couple wanted.  Nikki Hering and Ryan Hoffman decided to wed on the first day of the year.  They love the outdoors and the winter so the Minnesota Horse and Hunt Club was the perfect choice for the wedding.  But it wasn't indoors--as a light snow began to fall, they stood out in the cold to start their life together.  Guests were given blankets and offered hot cider and coffee to help keep them warm.  There was also a "viewing window" if guests chose to stay inside during the ceremony.  The couple kept it short and guests were welcomed by two roaring fireplaces as they entered the building.  Now they're honeymooning in northern Minnesota doing some ice fishing.  snowy ceremony

Kris Allen

A head-on collision on New Years Day has sent Kris Allen (winner of American Idol) to the hospital with a broken arm and other injuries.  His wife and dog were also in the car at the time but they have been treated and released.  Kris' tour starts on January 8 and he plans to be at that first show.  He won't be playing guitar anytime soon but will be on stage to perform.  Kris has also announced that he is going to be a new dad.  accident

Places preserved in 2012

A gas station shaped like a UFO, theater, natural rock formation, and an old Minneapolis factory are all on the list among others.  Some are being restored as museums and some are getting a make-over and are being used for different things. preservations