Making Cookies

Another video of Claire being recorded in her natural habitat, unawares (the computer is recording her, but the screen is set to a screen-saver, so that's what she's staring at at first).

Things to look for:

She HATES my accents. Any accents of mine. Of any kind. Mexican. New York/Boston. She just wants me to talk in my "normal voice."

The sass. The incredible amount of sass she dishes out at me.

Poker-faced Kirsten. She is all business, all the time. All about making those cookies. She also doesn't really approve of my accents.

From Grandma's Vault

Memories of Bill

Memories of Bill Thompson
by
his Brother, Leroy

1. When Bill was around six or seven years old he had a fondness for beans that was well known in the family. Once when Mom served green beans he protested strongly by saying, “Why do we have to eat those old bean hulls?” Someone said, “Bill, why do you like beans so well?” His reply was, “Because they taste Tangy.” Through the years I have teased children in the family while they were eating by asking them: “Does that taste “Tangy?”

2. The most humorous thing that I remember was when Bill, a little older, set off a Roman Candle he had gotten for Christmas in the house. It was a farmhouse with doors between living room, dining room, kitchen and pantry all in a row. Dad was fearful Bill was going to burn down the house with the Roman Candle. However, Bill had the common sense to line the shots from the candle through all those doorways until it burned itself out. Needless to say, it was scary to Dad but funny to the rest of us.

3. In that same farm house, something happened to Bill that makes me cringe to think about it. He was a teen and rode his bike to what was called, “Hoovers Landing,” on Black River. A man lived in a house boat in that area. Though he was strange we never thought him dangerous until that day. We looked toward the landing and saw him throw Bill’s bike into the river. Our worst fear was that he had already thrown Bill into the river. While we were watching we heard a shot from the rifle hit our house. A little later, we looked to the left toward a Levee a little distance from our house. It was the greatest sense of relief one could feel
when we saw it was Bill somewhat casually walking home toward us. Our relief soon turned to great concern when we realized that Bill had been hit in the shoulder area by one bullet from the strange man’s rifle. We got him to a doctor as soon as possible but at that time a decision was made to treat the wound and leave the bullet in the collar bone area of his body. (The strange man was taken to jail and later to an Institution for mental treatment).

The point in telling this story is to show how Providential it was that Bill’s life was spared that day. We can only imagine our loss had God not spared this
good man’s life to bless us in so many, many ways.

Love always, Leroy

Changes

The idea behind this blog was that if it just existed for long enough, it was bound to capture all of the changes that happen to families over time. Hopefully most of those are good-news kinds of changes. But occasionally there are bound to be sad things to report as well. It's just the nature of life. This week is a good example of that. First Matt had a promotion and now Stephen has been promoted as well. But sadly, we've lost Bill, Grandpa Thompson's beloved brother, and the second of his brothers to pass away. I hope nobody minds me making mention of both the sad and good news in the same post. To me, it makes more sense that way because it's an analog to life.

---

Bill was suffering from complications from Vascular Dementia. The condition causes his blood vessels retract and the blood flow to be cut off to his brain. It apparently affects different people different ways. With Bill affected his muscles and caused him to draw back and have spasms. It can progress slowly or go fast. In the end he would sometimes contract into a fetal position and could not or would not eat. He eventually developed pneumonia and this is what too his life.

In the next day or so, we are going to have some of Grandpa's recollections of Bill posted. I wish I would have gotten a chance to know him as an adult, and I'm looking forward to learning about this great uncle of mine who I never knew.

---

Many of us were waiting to find out the news on Stephen's pitch that he had been preparing for just before the Thanksgiving break. I still haven't gotten a final word on this, but his performance for the company must have been exceptional because he's just been promoted to Executive Creative Director. I know we're all in awe of Stephen's talents and the hard work he puts into his career. Congratulations!

Here is the note that went out with Stephen's promotion, within the company.

As iCrossing continues to build its reputation as a full service digital agency,
we must consistently perform on the promise of our key differentiator: deliver
informed creative that leads to measurable results. In parallel, we must fine-tune
our staff mix to reduce overlaps in roles and responsibilities, put the right people
in the right positions, and spread our most experienced staff across accounts.
To these ends, I am pleased to announce the promotion of Stephen Thompson, currently
senior vice president and executive creative director, to executive vice president
(EVP) and executive creative director. Since joining iCrossing in August of 2007,
Stephen has worked to build, reinforce, and sell our strategy as well as redefine
our creative processes and deliverables. As a result of his leadership, we are seeing
interactive agency of record opportunities and increased consideration as a full
service digital agency.
Over his 25-year career, split almost evenly between traditional advertising and
interactive, Stephen has led award-winning creative for such notable clients as
Intel, Iomega, Kellogg's, Hewlett-Packard, Keebler, Red Lobster, and most recently,
Vail Resorts. His personal mantra, be religiously strategic and wildly creative,
has served him and his teams well over the years. Stephen knows what great work
is and how to produce it.
Reflecting the increasing strategic prominence of creative, Stephen now oversees
all creative in North America. He will proliferate and reinforce our differentiator
of delivering informed creative both within iCrossing and to external audiences,
and he will ensure that we consistently perform on this promise in our work for
clients. In addition, Stephen will be a key contributor to iCrossing strategic
initiatives including helping to manage key accounts, developing new business, implementing
standards and best practices, improving processes, increasing performance to our
values, furthering our thought leadership, and guiding our corporate branding.
Stephen will continue to report to Ann Gaglioti, EVP, delivery.
Eric Wegerbauer will continue working closely with Stephen to build our design capabilities
and reputation. Eric will report to Stephen, and will help him lead our talented
team of group creative directors and their staff.
Please join me in congratulating Stephen on his promotion and offering support as
he transitions into his new role.

Don

Bill Thompson, 1932-2008

The Thompson family lost one of its originals yesterday, Bill Thompson (far right). Bill was brother to Leroy, left and Carroll, center. 1932-2008, age 76.

New Job

My brother asked me to put up a post about this so here it goes...

I just accepted a new job at the church where I have been working. For the last four years I have been the pastor of youth ministry and young adults (along with many other responsibilities). I will stay over these areas but now I am also the Executive Pastor. This new position will mean that I will oversee the staff at our church and help in the overall structure and leadership of the church. I will have two assistants to help me oversee all of these areas and I am really excited for this opportunity and challenge.

I work at a great church and can't wait to help focus our ministries and train our leaders.

More of Grandma Phyllis's Thanksgiving Pics

Christmas Tree Cut Down

Here's some pictures of our yearly tradition of cutting down a fresh tree as a family. We then go to Bob Evans restaurant for lunch.

Tree Time

A Note On The Population, From Grandpa Leroy

Top Ten Earth Population Periods
by Samuel Leroy Thompson

1 To time of Christ, 250 Million
2. To time of Lincoln (1850), 1 Billion [Editor's note: always with the Lincoln this guy. I love how historical epoch's are measured off as "Time to Christ," and then "Time to Lincoln."]
3 To time of my birth (1930), 2 Billion
4 To time of our move to Il. (1960), 3 Billion
5 To time of move to Clinton (1975), 4 Billion
6 To time of move to Rockford (1986), 5 Billion
7 To time of move to Mahomet (1995), 6 Billion
8 To time of our retirement (2002), 6.2 Billion
9 To 2008, 6.725 Billion
10 To beginning of Thompson Madness blog... If the number increases it is up to you. Grandpa and Grandma are tired of doing all the work.

Exchange Culture

I have a new piece in Metromode on a new movement that I'm calling Exchange Culture. It's everything from resale shops - which are actually doing better in the recession - to bartering between larger businesses to recycling movements like Freecycle. This was one of those nice story assignments where most of the topic was new to me so the act of research came from real curiosity and was as simple as scratching an itch.

Chzek it out if you'd like.

Grandma Phyllis's Picture Show

This is my Kirsten. As you know from the blog she is a go getter. Here she is just whipping up some cream for her homemade pumpkin pies she baked for the family...

Gabe...see what I can do with a camera....

Two generations of sweetness.

This picture even captured mom....

Sepporah in a bucket

My dad just sent me this picture of Sepporah from a couple of summers ago. I thought it was very adorable so I wanted to put it on here.