Rainy

Hey everyone, not much to report. I think there was a rained out baseball game in about half the county last night. The Houston/Chicago game which was moved from Houston because of Ike was still rained out. Tigers/White Sox...rained out. There were about 6 more rain outs. There will be many doubleheaders played today. I lucked out though...Cleveland played their game against the Royals and since ESPN wanted to put some baseball game on, I got to watch the Red Sox/Blue Jays who actually played about 6 innnings in a steady rain. So I actually had options as far as what I wanted to watch.

Today I'm heading home to Michigan for a party. My friend Jeff bought his first home and has redone about everything. He has worked on it a lot over the past 8 or 9 months and now he's having a little housewarming/bonfire (weather permitting) party.

In other news, there is a rather important college football game today between Ohio State/ and USC (Southern Cal). Living in Ohio now all I hear is Buckeyes this, Buckeyes that, Michigan is the worst, Wolverines are bottom feeders, the school up North is crap. Everyone here is in love with the Buckeyes and it's kind of annoying. I hope USC beats Ohio State. Maybe it would shut the fans up for a week. That'd be a nice break, then again they'll probably come up with some excuse for why it happened. Enough about that, 2 years living in Ohio and I still hate the Buckeyes as much as I did before.

Next topic...ENOUGH WITH THE HURRICANES ALREADY. I couldn't imagine the hardship this is causing for those states in the Gulf. Evacuate, come back, sorry we have to evacuate again, by the way your house is gone or on fire or damaged, or flooded. That's gotta be tough.
Hanna, Gustav, Ike.......how about "Hurricane Finished" or "Hurricane This Is The Last One"?

I think that'll be all for now, have a safe a happy weekend everyone!

#24

I know it's a day early but thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes. Tomorrow I turn 24. Yahoo.

Now onto more current events: HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAM !

That's all I can blog for now as I am on my lunch break. Have a great weekend everyone !

I'm Back

No worries, I can still blog. First I'd like to wish my Sister and Suleyman a very happy first anniversary. Congrats to you both.

Second, the Tigers are not going to make the playoffs....and that comes from someone who is an extreme optimist when it comes to pulling for sports teams. I hope they prove me wrong.

Let me see here, this past weekend I traveled to Indiana with Rachel and her family to camp at Pokagon State Park. It was a great time, we went to the beach, soaked up some sun, played a few games, made a little campfire and just relaxed. I wish I could have stayed a few more days but like always...duty called and I made my return to Ohio.

Next weekend I am moving Rachel into college for her final year and celebrating my 24th birthday. It should be a good time.

That's about all for now, thanks for stopping by.

Blog By Number

First off, congrats to Sam and Kristie on Daniel Ryan.

Second, Pistons....you let me down...again. Tigers....it's not looking good right now but keep trying, long way to go still.

Third - This thought just crossed my mind when I was watching some stuff on horse racing today. Is horse racing the Amish version of NASCAR? I don't know, sometimes I scare myself to think that my own brain came up with ideas like that. Anyhow, good luck to Big Brown as he goes for the triple crown later today.

Fourth - Why did I just talk about horse racing?

Fifth - Red Wings, well done. I've never been a huge hockey fan myself but I stayed up for the triple overtime loss in game 5, luckily they redeemed themselves and won game 6 and won their 4th Stanley Cup in 11 years.

Sixth - 21 days until I arrive in hot and sunny Georgia. I can't

wait.....boating and fishing and not going to work. Gotta love it.

Seventh - My escort just rolled over 165,000 miles the other day. Relevancy to readers: NONE

Eighth - Today is 06/07/08. That won't happen again for a long long time.

Ninth - I have found the best ice cream in the entire world. I think so

anyways. I have never tasted anything better than Ben and Jerry's "Cinnamon Buns". If you feel like being unhealthy, feeding your sweet tooth and enjoying a nice Summer treat all at the same time, I urge to go and try this ice cream. You'll be glad you did, unless of course you don't like Cinnamon Buns.....but who doesn't?

Tenth - That's all for now. Enjoy your weekend everyone !

Weekend Update

Weekend Summary: Home to Michigan, moved Rachel out of college, smashed my finger in a car door, watched it turn black and blue, drank a few energy drinks, played some card games, some dice games, asked Rachel to be my girlfriend, went to church, did some laundry, scratched off some lottery tickets, won nothing, drove home and was in an accident with a racoon, lost some pieces of plastic on my car from said accident, and then went to bed. That was my weekend. Hope you had a good one !

Creature Of Habit

Nothing new as of yet. I'll get up tomorrow, go to work, workout, come home, shower, eat dinner, watch some tv and go to bed, rinse and repeat.

Bringing Down The House

So for about the past week I have been anticipating the release of the new movie "21". The story behind this one is what really got me. It is based on the true events that happened in the early to mid nineties about a handful of gifted MIT students who used card counting and a few other skills to make serious money at the game of blackjack in none other than Las Vegas.

I was so interested in the story of how this came to be I went out Friday after work and bought the book in which the movie is based off of called "Bringing Down The House". I wanted to read the book before I went and saw the movie today so I proceeded to read all 340+ pages in a matter of hours. I don't read books very often and I sure as heck don't read entire books in one night. This one was different though. I finished reading and still wished there was more to read.

Having been to Vegas a few times it only heightened my interest since I've seen and walked through almost all the places they talked about in the book. (My friend Nick and I had quite a walk down the strip one day a few years back. Since we were under 21 at the time we generally had to "keep moving" so we covered a lot of ground that day.)

This team of gifted students not only could count cards but they also developed their own signals, language, and could act the part of whichever fake identity they were playing under that particular trip. They had to stay under the radar somehow. Although card counting is perfectly legal it is highly frowned upon and you can be asked to leave the casino if caught.

I will try and attempt to explain how the students did this but I apologize if it comes out a big jumbled mess.

The students used a hi-lo system of card counting among other things. When playing they keep a "running count" with every single card that is dealt. Cards 2-6 are given a value of +1, cards 7-9 have a value of 0 and cards 10-Ace have a value of -1. Each time one of these cards is dealt you apply it to the running count. A postive value is given to lower cards because when they come out of the deck it means there are more face cards left in the deck and that means there is a better chance to get blackjack. A negative value is given to 10-Ace because when they come out of the deck it means there are less of them left.

Usually one of the team members known as a "spotter" would sit at a table and keep track of the running count while betting the table minimum (every single time without varying the bet at all). When the running count got high, lets say up to +16 the spotter would signal to another team member known as a BP (Big Player) to come and sit at the table (usually signaled by crossing their arms behind their back). When the big player sat down the spotter would then say a sentence with their code words to convey the running count to the big player. Since this particular running count we said was at +16 the spotter would say something like "Wow, my drink is way too sweet." How does that convey the running count you ask? Well they matched up words with numbers to do this....the code word for 16 was "sweet" as in sweet 16. Other words like car meant 4...4 wheels on a car.....glove =5, you put 5 fingers in a glove, gun = 6, 6 bullets in a gun.....you get the idea. They had words for a lot of numbers.

When the big player was notified of the running count he would then have to convert that into a "true count" while still keeping track of every single card that was being dealt. To get the true count you take the running count and divide it by approximately how many decks are left in the shoe. So if we were playing with a 6 deck shoe and roughly 4 decks were left you'd divide the running count of 16 and divide it by 4 to get a true count of +4. If the true count showed positive results, then they'd change their bet size so they could earn more profit. When the deck would start go to get cold the BP could get up and go look for another spotter at another table.

The simplicity and complexity of this plan is what makes it fun. Anyone can learn to count cards, you just have to train your brain to do that. Yet not everyone can act a part and blend into a crowd while taking millions of dollars from the casino without getting caught. Of course, this team of expert blackjack players received their fair share of intimidation from pit bosses on the casino floors but overall their plan worked.....worked very well.

Eventually, technology caught up with the kids and the millions of "eyes in the sky" that Vegas has....all those cameras watching every single move on the casino floor....caught them. I say "caught them" but in reality they did nothing illegal, yet the fact that casinos are "private property" allow casino managers to pick and choose who they want in or out of there. They wanted these kids out. One of the MIT students, Jeff Ma is his real name, who was part of this team is not allowed within 25 feet of a blackjack table in some casinos in Vegas and they know exactly where he is the second he walks into a casino. Seems like pretty intense security for someone who didn't do anything wrong except beat the system.

So if you've ever lost money in a casino and would like to see a very real way in which the system can and was beat. I'd recommend this movie and/or book to you. That's all for now. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Arnold Classic Fitness Expo

This past Saturday I decided to drive down to Columbus, Ohio for the 20th annual Arnold Classic Fitness Expo. As some of you may know health and fitness along with nutrition are a few things that interest me. After being at the expo for a good eight hours, I can say it was an awesome experience. I even got to see Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger himself. While Arnold is a name that is recognized worldwide there were a few other people there that I would imagine only the fitness/bodybuilding community would recognize. People like Layne Norton (see right), Jamie Eason (see below), and Tommy Jeffers (bottom middle). I introduced myself to each of these people and they were more than happy to talk and take pictures. It's nice when you meet someone you look up to and they're so down to earth about things.

Of course since this was a fitness expo they had events going throughout the day. Dance and cheer competitions, karate, mixed martial arts, arm wrestling championships, bodybuilding competitions for guys, figure competitions for girls, and strongman contests just to name a few. Along with these competitions there were hundreds of booths with information of all sorts of different things relating to health and fitness. I received a ton of free samples after walking around for 8 hours. I even won a raffle while I was there for a months supply of protein. It was worth about 60 dollars and it was a free raffle so I was thrilled.

I definitely got to see people in all varieties this weekend. Out of shape, in shape, muscular, toned, large, small, short, tall.....all kinds. This event draws a lot of people apparently. I would most definitely like to go back. Here are a few other pictures from the expo....

Polar Bears..Prepare For Glory !

Just another weekend of jumping in Lake Huron as told by the Bay City Times.

"Ryan Hogan of Monroe, dressed as a Spartan from the movie '300,' leads the crowd in a snowball fight as they get ready for the Polar Bear Plunge. Temperatures were just above freezing on Saturday for Perchville USA in East Tawas. Sunday's plunges were canceled when the temperature dropped into the single digits and winds increased."

Yes, that is one of my friends.....I am directly behind his bicep and spear. That is our Polar Bear Army. It was once again amazing as usual.

East Tawas, here I come !

Well the time has come again. If anyone needs me this weekend I'll be in East Tawas jumping in Lake Huron. Please have a warmer weekend than I am going to have.

Hi

I know, it's been way too long but for good reason.....I ran out of gas. I, I had a flat tire. I didn't have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn't come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake. A terrible flood. Locusts.....sorry had to throw in a Blues Brothers quote there.

What's new you ask? Not much. I tried going to the Y after work 2 days this week. It's not as enjoyable as when I go in the morning. At one point I counted 12 people by the weights...12 !!! I'm used to 2. So it was a bit cramped to say the least but I got through my workouts anyhow.

Only 16 more days until I head up north to jump into the frozen waters of Lake Huron. This will be my 7th year of jumping now. I'm gonna be honest, it doesn't get any warmer. It takes your breath away every single time. It kind of feels like the inside of your chest stops working for a bit, but then it comes right back and you get out of the water and you can just stand around because the air feels so warm once you get out. I don't recommend standing around for too long though because there is a pool/hot tub/sauna waiting in the hotel that we put to use every year.

Well that's all I've got for now. Man, if my blogs keep being this boring I'm going to be sent back the minors.

The Lions and I Are Bums

Thanks to the Lions performance today they have fully restored my faith in them to be able to blow any type of good thing they have going for them. By losing 42-10 and going to the 6-6 mark on the season after starting 6-2 is quite disappointing. Could they make a late season run? Yes, they could. Could they win the superbowl? Not a snowflakes chance in Milledgeville, Georgia in July. That's basically why the Lions are bums.

Now I will tell you why I am a bum. Last night I came across a website that allows you to play some old Nintendo games. In my younger days I sat and played Nintendo games for hours and hours. Mom even marked on the calendar the first time I saved the princess in the first Mario...back in 1989. Well I played around on a few, The Simpsons....Metroid....Contra.....and then I found the game that I would go on to play for about 3 or 4 hours straight - Mike Tyson's Punch Out. I had that game growing up and I don't think I ever beat it - for those of you wondering...I still haven't. So I have found a great time waster for myself. It allows me to get absolutely nothing done that can be considered productive and that is why I am a bum. At least I don't need expensive gaming systems to keep me entertained :) That's all for now. I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Happy Friday

Hi, just a quick post about nothing before I'm off to the Y. I'm a little tired this morning so I'm hoping that goes away soon. Maybe my oatmeal and yogurt will get me going.....anyways, happy Friday to everyone. Have a wonderful weekend.

Buckeye Blues

I don't like Ohio State. That's all.

I'll Be Missing You

As the days pass and the constant memories run through my head it's strange to think about how someone who has always been there won't be around anymore. It's hard for me to even begin to put into words what Grandpa Fred meant to me. Here's my attempt to share some of the memories I have with Grandpa.

1. He helped me learn how to read.
2. He watched me play a million little league baseball games.
3. He was always glad to take me to and from anywhere I wanted to go before I could drive.
4. He'd ride his lawn mower out into the field and pick up all the golf balls I'd hit out there and bring them back in just so I could hit them back out there again.
5. He untangled my fishing lines when I put knots in them.
6. He'd always offer up his own vehicle so I wouldn't have to drive my own.
7. He taught me how to $AVE.
8. He said when you make your bed- a quarter should be able to bounce off of it - at least that's how it was in the army.
9. I see myself in him.
10. He always let me test the french fries from the fryer to see if they were done.
11. He took me to see Forrest Gump in the theater.
12. He took me on pontoon rides.
13. He cleaned my fish for me.
14. He'd watch me hit golf balls at the driving range.
15. He'd buy me another bucket after the first bucket of golf balls left me frustrated.
16. He was proud of me.
17. Most kids get a part-time job for extra funds, I would visit the Fred ATM.
18. He always liked his jersey gloves he got for Christmas even though I think I gave those to him for about 10 years straight.
19. He'd always ask how my car was running.
20. He loved his family.
21. He enjoyed when I practiced my saxophone at his house (even when it didn't sound that great.)
22. He was a good vacuumer.
23. He was a wonderful listener.
24. He practiced the "slow and steady" method when cutting grass.
25. He raised my Mother and did a wonderful job.
26. He enjoyed a cold beer.
27. He played croquet with me.
28. He spun me around on the tree swing at the cottage.
29. He was a Christian.
30. He said stuff like "What's the good word?" and "How do there gov'ner?"
31. He loved to sit and watch traffic.
32. He told me how every plane he fixed in the service were all shot down.
33. He made me laugh.
34. I watched the Tigers finish off the Yankees in the playoffs with him last year.
35. He was nice to every single one of my friends.
36. He was married to my Grandma for 61 years.
37. He was as soft spoken as they come.
38. He grilled good steaks.
39. He batted crosshanded.
40. He'd wave to me as I'd run past his house when I'd train for the turkey Trot.
41. He loved to watch the World News with Tom Brokaw
42. He'd always make sure an extra $20 found it's way into my pocket whether I needed it or not.
43. He took me to Unadilla to buy candy.
44. He bought his first car with 600 one dollar bills.
45. He was always early for everything.
46. He bought beer in cases of 30 like my friends do.
47. He loved to plant stuff.
48. He thought about everyone.
49. He went to a church on a horse and buggy and a church with a big screen that comes down from the ceiling. My how times change.
50. He'd always wake up from his nap and visit when I stopped in.
51. He always cared about how things were going for me.
52. He'd always tell me I'm getting skinny.
53. He'd always ask if I was going to keep my beard when I forgot to shave.....I'd say "No Grandpa, I'm just lazy."
54. He liked to sing/hum in church.
55. He wore suspenders.
56. He rode an exercise bike that I think has been around since the Dinosaurs.
57. He didn't get mad when a foul ball hit his car at one of my baseball games.
58. He'd always take naps with his mouth open.
59. Ladies of all ages always thought he was cute.
60. Some of them even kissed him on the head on a regular basis.
61. He spent one New Years Eve with me and we watched a special with Guy Lombardo.
62. He liked Big Band Music.
63. He liked to talk about the weather.
64. He took me golfing at Wesburn Golf Course and golfed with me.
65. He was extremely encouraging.
66. He was a wonderful example of being even-keeled.
67. He'd always ask for help on figuring out the clock in the car when it got messed up.
68. He gave me a glimpse of what I will be like when I'm older.
69. He fell on the ice when he was pushing me on the sled.
70. He loved fried noodles.....so do I, they are delicious.
71. He was great about keeping his cars serviced.
72. He was great about keeping my car serviced.
73. He talked about "Getting up to milk the cows."
74. He never yelled at me.
75. He loved to snack-popcorn, peanut brittle, beef jerky-you name it.
76. He had a big heart.
77. He took me bowling when Galen would visit from Florida.
78. He liked to joke around with my girlfriends.
79. He took me to the hospital when Galen hit my ankle with a croquet ball.
80. He'd pay me to cut bushes around his house even though I'd be glad to do it for nothin'.
81. He made me feel safe.
82. He'd always say "It's my turn already!" when we'd open Christmas presents in order of age.
83. He was supportive beyond measure.
84. He loved to have his head scratched.
85. He hated how much athletes are paid nowadays. He'd always tell me the games were fixed.
86. He wore the same watch since I can remember.
87. He was a great grandfather, husband, dad, friend, and disciple. We are all blessed to have known him and even more blessed to know that we will see him again.

If you could read this Gramps, know that I'm missing you. I'll see you again someday and we can catch up on things. Thanks for always being there for me. For such a little guy you sure had a big impact on everyone around you.

Rest In Peace Grandpa - March 11, 1920 - November 4, 2007

Blog Buffet

Hello everyone, welcome to my blog which is inconsistent at best but has slight moments of humor every now and again. This post will contain various topics as much has happened since the last post. I've had strep throat, the Red Sox won the world series, the NBA season kicks off tonight, the Lions have improved to 5-2, I went out to eat with my Grandma last saturday, and I recovered from strep throat.

As I've stated in the past, I'd rather have a broken arm than have a sore throat. I mean my back can give me all the problems in the world and I'll tell you I'm ok but when I have a sore throat I am a big baby. I HATE sore throats. This past episode was one of the worst sore throats I've ever had (I was sure to let my sister and Rachel know about it...repeatedly). I took off from work early on Monday and Tuesday and all day on Wednesday. Thanks to Amanda I saw a doctor on Tuesday afternoon, I could hardly talk so she made the correct phone calls that needed to be made. I sat around with a cup never more than a foot away from me because I could not swallow anything....anything (this mean my own spit). Try not swallowing for a day. It's not that fun. So I went in and saw the Doc and he said my throat looked pretty raw so he gave me a prescription for some antibiotics and after a day of those I was feeling much better. Hallelujah ! No more complaining out of me......

All the while baseball season pressed on. The Red Sox battled their way past the Cleveland Indians and never looked back. The sweep of the Colorado Rockies in the world series lacked drama but I still enjoyed watching it. The 2004 Boston team was more exciting and had more characters but the 2007 Boston team was defintiely better from a talent standpoint. Either way, they swept the other team both times and battled back from a big deficit in the round before. Congrats Boston, may the beer flow onto Yawkey Way in celebration.

On the other side of the sports world the NBA kicks off tonight, the Pistons don't play until Thursday I believe. I think the Pistons are due for another championship this year. Time will tell........Time will also tell if the Detroit Lions are for real. At 5-2 they look like a solid football team who can actually have a shot at making the playoffs, you can't blame me for thinking that they still have time to blow it though, they've proven themselves worthy at that time and time again but as for now, I'll keep rooting for them and hope things work out for them.

This past weekend I went back home to Michigan and visited Grandpa Fred in the nursing home. I spent about 2 hours with him in his room and down in the cafeteria and had a beer with him. He doesn't like to eat much anymore and doesn't really enjoy being told that he needs to eat......but he sure likes the taste of beer. After visiting, Grandma and I went out to eat to Applebee's and had a nice dinner and then went back to her house and we visited a little bit and talked about how things are different with Grandpa now.

On Sunday I finished doing my laundry, watched the Lions and waited for Mom and Dads return from Georgia. I visited a bit and then had to head back on home to Ohio. This week has been pretty normal, I like normal. If anything exciting happens, I'll let y'all know. That's all for now. Enjoy the rest of your week !

Octoberish Jibberish

Hey everyone. It's been a while since last post....I know. There isn't too much to talk about. The Red Sox are making their way through the playoffs, the Yankees are finished, and that Colorado team out west is on one heck of a streak (won the last 19 out of 20 games).

Mom and Dad are in Georgia for a few weeks (hopefully relaxing). I bet it's perfect weather down there right now. The weather swing we had here in Ohio this past week was a bit odd. Monday and Tuesday I read both 88 and 90 degrees on a sign and Thursday and Friday I read 48 and 51 degrees. So I guess fall decided to show up this week. Get the wood ready for the fireplace.

A couple weeks ago I attempted to carve an old picture of myself into a pumpkin. It was a good attempt but it didn't turn out that great. I've had much better work in the past but I wanted to try it out. Too much detail for me....especially since I was working with knives and toothpicks as my tools of choice.

Well that's all for now, if anything exciting happens I'll let y'all know. Bye !

WARNING: BORING BLOG POST AHEAD! READER BEWARE!

Hello everyone. It's been a while since the last post and I'm sad to say I don't have anything to blog about that will really interest anyone.

In the rollercoaster of life.....I think I'm the long line you wait in before you get on. Sure, it moves-slow and steady-but rarely am I turned upside down.

Routine but enjoyable.

Hopefully by the next post I will have something worth blogging about. (Like how the Tigers had 15 game winning streak to end the season and knock the Yankees out of the playoffs.) I can dream, right?

I hope all is well with everyone else. Bye for now !

Deere Crossing

I traveled quite a few miles this past weekend as I went to Indiana with mom and dad to pick up Dad's new toy. A John Deere 318. This is Dad testing it out. Enjoy.

Weekend To Remember

There was quite a bit going on this past weekend and I'm sure I'll probably forget something but I'll give it my best shot to get everything in.

Friday at 2:30 I got off work and went back to my apartment. On this night I would be heading into Cleveland to watch the Indians take on the Yankees. A no win situation for a Tiger fan but it's a ballgame. A ballgame that I attended for free thanks to Rachel's Dad who got 6 tickets through his work. Not only did we get free tickets but we also got to attend a little pre-game picnic with food and drinks. It was great. The Indians played pretty poorly the entire evening and the Yanks pulled away. I did get a few photos of A-Rod and Derek Jeter as well as Jacobs Field.

On Saturday I got up and drove back home to Michigan. There were festivities on Sunday that have been in planning for months. More on that later. So I got home and no one was actually at the house so I called Mom and she said she was out running some errands and what not. So I decided to pay my Grandma and Grandpa Gall a visit. When I arrived at their house they already had company but they welcomed one more into the fold anyhow. I sat and talked for a couple hours and even ate a piece of Grandma's apple pie. It was delicious.

After that, I went back home to check how Tiger Woods was faring at the last major of the year. He was doing just fine. At one point he had a 5 shot lead and seemed impossible to beat. He took care of business on Sunday and took home the title. Nice Job Tiger.

A few more years and you'll catch Jack Nicklaus.

On Saturday night I went to Rachel's house to meet their new addition to the family. A foreign exchange student from Germany named Heineken....wait no, Lebkuchen....wait no, Fleming. Yes, Fleming is the right one. He speaks better English than I do German that's for sure. By the time dinner was over I was dead tired and felt like a zombie so I called it an early night and was back home before Mom and Dad were even in bed.

Sunday has finally arrived. This day has been in planning for quite some time and now it's time for all the pieces to fit together. There will be moments where I'll have to back track to Saturday to make sense of all of this but here goes....Sunday Morning...time for early church...wait, 10 more minutes of snoozin'.....ok now time for early church. I had to go to early church because I had to make sure I was in Detroit for the ballgame and pre-game festivities by 11:45. Ok lets backtrack....this entire day was planned around one girl.....her name is Kalee Iacoangeli....I have been friends with Kalee for quite a few years now....for the past year she has been in Syracuse, New York beginning and finishing her graduate courses in broadcast journalism. For the last six weeks she was in Washington D.C. working for a news station based in Missouri I believe. She interviewed congressman and wrote papers and and made/edited videos...not to mention had 24/7 access to capitol hill and all that jazz that goes along with producing a news show and now she was completely finished with her schooling. So Saturday she was flying back to Michigan where her Mom was going to pick her up....enter surprise #1: Her boyfriend Gary. I'm not sure how long they've been together but it's been quite a while now and she had no clue that he was going to be at the airport when she stepped of her plane. What happened after that goes something like this........................

As you can see...she said "Yes". Little does she know that's only the beginning of her surprises.

Back to Sunday morning.....I get done with church and change clothes and head over to my friend Chris's house as I will be riding with him up to the game. We were instructed by Gary (seen above) to be at the Elwood Bar and Grille by 11:45 along with 5 of her other friends who Gary had contacted through many emails. So we arrive and luckily we got there before Kalee and Gary showed up as it was a surprise to Kalee that any of us would be there. We all held up newspapers when she walked in so she couldn't see us and when she got close we all took them down and her face lit up right away. Gary had to lie through his teeth for about week for all this to work out the way it did but I give him credit because it worked out great. So we had a bite to eat and watched the Tigers crush the A's 11-6 as we got to see Magglio hit 2 homers in one inning and Placido Polanco break the major league record for most games at 2nd base without an error. Nice Job Tigers.

So after the game was over we said our goodbyes to Kalee and Gary and wished them good luck. However, Kalee's Mother was in on the surprises too as she had a party planned for her when she arrived home from the game with family, friends, and food. So I stopped by the party for a bit and talked a while and watched a few of the blooper tapes Kalee and the rest of her crew had compiled over the past year from all the news they produced. It was quite comical.

So with that, my weekend was complete except now I had to drive back to Ohio completely exhausted. Never fear, the old escort delivered yet again a comfortable ride with no surprises. The weekend felt like it lasted about 5 days with everything I accomplished in a short amount of time. It was definitely a weekend to remember.