The boys of Fall???

I posted an entry back in March before the Tiger's season started with my predictions on the coming season. I was thinking they'd win 85-88 games. As of today they've won 83 games and there is an entire month left.

They've had the best record in all of baseball for pretty much all year. There has been some lineup changes but for the most part its remained the same team. Justin Verlander (rookie) has been UNREAL!!! One of the best pitchers in the league.

Last night Craig Monroe hit a game winning homerun in the 9th inning at Yankee Stadium. I was slightly excited! The Tigers have been playing some ugly baseball of late but I really think that homerun could be a sign of things to come. I'm excited to watch playoff baseball and have my team participate.

More to come on this when they clinch a playoff birth!
Ash

A Brief Encounter

This weekend Kelly and a couple friends held a garage sale. The sale started at 8am and when I showed up around 11am Kelly had made a grand total of $1.

My favorite part of the garage sale was the people watching. The large majority of the patrons were gray haired ladies trying to "dicker" with us for our junk.

At one point in the day a car pulled up that I haven't been able to stop thinking about. A Mexican family got out. The family consisted of a father and mother (both very young), a sister and then 2 of the most adorable girls. I sat back and just observed the family as they shopped through our "junk."

The mother, who again was very young, just ate up Kelly's old clothes. I remember buying Kelly a couple of the dresses the girl bought. The look on her face was priceless. She couldn't wait to get "dolled" up and put one of the dresses on.

The father spoke broken English. I was trying to communicate with him. I remember about 2 minutes of Spanish from a couple classes in high school. I was trying to ask him about his adorable daughters. Stephanie (I'm guessing 2 years old) and Britney (baby in a car seat) were their names.

Emerson was being her typical welcoming self. She was making friends with Stephanie. You have one girl who can't speak or understand English and the other girl whose go-to word is "HI!" It was really cute watching the two interact.

After the shopping was done the family pilled back into their car. Before they pulled away, Stephanie who had been sucking on a frozen fruit stick brought one over for Emme.

Here's what I got out of the short shopping trip:

• I have a lot of "junk" in my life. Not just tangle items but stuff I deem important and really are not.
• One man's trash is another man's treasure is so true. I wish I could adequately describe the mom's excitement when purchasing Kelly's old clothes.
• That little girl taught me more about giving when you really don't have anything, then years of bible class and sermons ever did.
  

I thank God for moments like these. These moments are always around but I'm just too blind or dumb to see them. I pray I can take what I've seen and learn from it.
Ash

Dr. Todd

Earlier this week I received a very random call. It was a call asking if I could driving someone to Home Depot. As soon as I heard who it was asking for the ride, I said yes.

The person needing the ride was Dr. Todd. I've gone to church with him just about my entire life and I was in a couple of his classes at Rochester College. He's one of the most interesting people I know.

The reason why he needed a ride to Home Depot and couldn't drive himself is because he is visually impared. He can make out objects and see shadows but not enought to drive. When you approach him you always have to announce who you are.

What is amazing is how this man who hasn't let this "handicap" stop his life. I mean, when I get a cold I'm done for.

What's amazing is how he was blinded and how he lived his life after.

Dr. Todd was a Cobra Helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War. A 50 caliber (very large gun) shot and hit his helicopter. His co-pilot guided them back to base. If it wasn't for the co-pilot they would have crashed into the jungle and Dr. Todd would have been dead.

For the next 5 or so years he spent his life in and out of hospitals and doctors offices. A particular doctor in New York City helped him get back what little sight he has now. As he was re-cuperating or as he called it "being a professional patient" he heard John Kerry on TV. John Kerry, pre-snowboarding and ketchup days, just got back from Vietnam and was speaking out against the war. He was saying that all the soldiers returing from Vientnam drug addicts and other bad things.

Dr. Todd didn't agree. So he called CBS and told them he wanted to refute what Kerry was saying. Eventually he talked his way on air. For the next little while Dr. Todd traveled around as an advicate for the returning soldiers and POW's.

While this was going on someone at the White House heard about Dr. Todd. They tracked him down and hired him to write speaches for President Nixon. I'm not sure how long he worked there but he had NOTHING to do with Watergate - so he says! (just kidding Dr. Todd)

After working for the President, Dr. Todd attended the University of Michigan and got his law degree. Remember he is blind.

After he got his law degree he started teaching law at Rochester College. He's been there ever since.

So you may be asking yourself, what does a blind guy need at Home Depot? He needed some supplies for a carpentry project. Yep, that is right a carpentry project. He's a highly skilled capenter. He's even built a gazebo in his backyard.

This guy is unreal!!!

I truly enjoyed my time spent with Dr. Todd. He's someone who hasn't let ANYTHING stop him from living his life. He's an inspiration to me and many others!!!

Ash

Sweet 16

This past weekend was the Sweet 16 softball tournament. It's an annual tournament that is always a lot of fun. Below are a couple pictures from the day.



We tried to fit the entire team under this tiny tree. It didn't work.













The infamous orange hat once again made its return! Bull looks good in it!!!












Look the tools behind me.


















Our ladies enjoyed the sun!



















I can't think of a better way to end a day of softball then a hot tub and sombrero.