Thank You

Today is Veterans Day. It is the day we honor all who served and sacrificed for our country. A favorite tradition is singing the songs of our Armed Forces.

This video is from the annual Memorial Day Concert allows us all (even those who may have forgotten the words) to sing along:

For information on the history of Veterans Day, visit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website.

Spelunking: Be Like Peyton

No matter what team is your favorite, it is obvious Denver Broncos Quarterback Peyton Manning is a future Hall of Famer. He is the fastest ever to reach several passing records and has been named player of the year or MVP several times.

Of course, Steve Barnes and Krysten Parrish had to see they could be as great as Peyton at something. So, we checked the Wikipedia page, and found an accomplishment that seemed attainable- the Saltine challenge.

What is the Saltine challenge? It is a competition in which you must eat six saltine crackers within one minute. You may not drink anything during the challenge and all crumbs must be eaten. Peyton did it while in college at Tennessee, failing the first time, but beating it when he changed his strategy- he stacked them and ate them all at once.

Krysten got all six in her mouth, but still had full cheeks at the end of the minute. Steve came close, but also failed. Even Peyton failed the first time...

Spelunking: Happy Halloween

We are pretty good with the whole costume thing, so we have a little contest at BAT. This year, Ann Turner, dressed as a moonshiner, won the contest.

To let you in on the fun, here are our costumes and the costumes of our favorite little ones. Enjoy our parade of costumes!



Cindy as Dorothy

Sandra as a blonde bombshell, Anthony as Mr. Rogers,
Stephen as a black cat, Marissa as the stylish lion,
Phil as Phil in the blank, Katie as an '80s rocker, and
Ann as a moonshiner



Maureen Shea's kids,
Karson and Karley,
as Batman and Minnie Mouse

Spelunking: Halloween Past Haunts

As we make our final preparations for Halloween tomorrow, it's always fun to remember some of our favorite past costumes.

Many of us who were teens in the '90s remember the troubles Donna Martin had in her mermaid costume on "Beverly Hills 90210," but Katy Wilson lived it. She was once the Little Mermaid for Halloween. She suffered the same problem with the costume's tail making it hard to walk, but because Katy did not grow up in Beverly Hills, she had another obstacle- ice on the sidewalk! She slipped on every block she visited while trick-or-treating.



Maureen Shea (left) and a friend, about six years ago

Stephen Sinclair would have been sure to come to Katy's rescue if he actually had super powers. After he was Superman for Halloween when he was preschool age, he spent many days "transforming" into his favorite costume. He did this to provide whatever help was needed, including bringing his grandmother a glass of "freshly squeezed orange juice."

Some of our favorite costumes are from when we were past trick-or-treating age. There was Jon and Kate (plus eight), the SNL Bears Super Fans, Snooki and JWow, the Operation Game, and even Vanilla Ice.

Who will we be this year? Knowing the creativity involved with our past costumes, you know it will be good...

Echo: Holiday Season Starts Early For a Reason

As has become the norm, the glitz of lights and Christmas trees are well established in stores even though the shelves aren't clear of Halloween items yet. Don't worry, we'll still have fun next week for Halloween (and, if you've seen any of our past costumes, you know we will), but getting the goods across the country for those all too important November and December sales is a top priority.

This is the time of year the freight trains pass by a little more often and trucks are filling the roads. Retailers need their stores and warehouses stocked for the $602.1 billion in sales expected across the country over the next two months, according to the National Retail Federation.

How important are these sales? As you can see from the NRF's infographic, retailers earn 20-40% of their annual sales during November and December. It is important we help our clients get their products in time to take the maximum advantage of those sales. It's always better to be prepared (even if it is a month or two ahead of the official season) than behind.

Courtesy of: National Retail Federation

Echo: Truckers Plan Protest

Traffic in Washington, D.C., is usually on the slow side. But, starting Friday, some truckers plan to make it even slower.

The group of truckers, calling themselves "Truckers Ride for the Constitution," plan to circle the Beltway's Inner Loop in a convoy with signage asking for "restoration of our Constitution and freedoms under the law." The group is inviting non-truckers to join them in the three-day protest.

The American Trucking Associations announced on Tuesday that it is not a sponsor or supporter in any way of the protest.

Some reports exaggerated plans of the group. On Facebook, the group said they "do not intend to arrest anyone or blockade DC until Obama is impeached."

Spelunking: Ready For Football?

Every Friday night, Chuck Kizer exchanges his BAT shirt for a thankless one-- he officiates high school football. On Saturday, he sits back and enjoys watching the Ohio State Buckeyes. Then, on Sundays, he stays busy keeping up with the Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals.

Not everyone at BAT devotes as much of their free time to the sport as Chuck does, but we do have some intense fans.



Katy Wilson shows her team spirit

For example, Liz Wayne blackened her hand and burst a blood vessel while clapping for her favorite player in his first game this year. Tyler, her son, plays quarterback for the Junior Pee Wee Trailblazers.

Nearby college teams have won some of our hearts. Nebraska's Huskers have two BAT fans, Katy Wilson and Maureen Shea, while the Iowa State Cyclones have Katie Forney cheering for them.

And, of course, there's a Florida Gators fan. Steve Barnes grew up watching the Gators with his brother, and now continues to do so in his memory.

On the professional level, Peyton Manning (who, by the way, was never able to beat the Gators) has Ashley Jankowski as a fan. She, by default, is a Denver Broncos fan, as is Katy Wilson. Maureen Shea also has thing for quarterbacks, as long as they are playing for the Green Bay Packers. Meanwhile, Anthony Harder has faith every Sunday that his Minnesota Vikings will pull out a win.

Which is your favorite team?