4/30/2009

Last night was phenomenal, because the benefit for Eric’s family, at bdubs in Defiance, was a huge success. The restaurant was full most of the evening, and many paper gift coupons were passed out. The coupon was relatively simple to use, and the 10% of each bill cost nothing for the consumer. All the patron had to do was give their waiter or waitress, respectively, the slip of paper as they paid the bill, and a percentage went to help out the family. I rode to and from Defiance with Amy after we met at John and Marie’s home just on the East side of Ottoville. Her older brother Tony went with us, and I think he would agree that it was a sigh of relief that we made the trip without getting too bruised up. I saw my life flash before my eyes once on the way there and twice on the way back when we nearly flipped the mini van as we went off-road through fields. Amy said she knew a shortcut, and really none of that happened but it is worth a slight chuckle. It was actually a very safe ride and Amy is an extremely nice person (Tony would probably tell you that his actions rubbed off on her when they were little,:-) but I know she can take a little joshing around. Jeff was met, and he runs a blog site about Eric which can be reached here, http://jeffg40.livejournal.com/638.html. He is an older brother of Eric. I also finally met Sarah and her parents, K/Cathy (with whom I met a few weeks ago) and Mr. K/Cathy (sure enough I forgot his name.) But it was his birthday so happy birthday. I believe he is 58, but for all purposes here anything 33 or over falls into the old category (right Amy?.) I was intrigued by Sarah, because she is finishing up her speech therapy internship at St. Rita’s. I can relate with the whole therapy scene, as I have endured plenty of occupational, physical, and speech therapy in my day.
In related news I found out that Eric is likely going to Dodd Hall in Columbus, which is The Ohio State University medical facility (GO BUCKS!) Why is that significant to me? I spent 8½ weeks there after my accident. The first Seven weeks I was still in a coma, and only a couple of days are in vivid memory. I hope and pray that Eric makes a speedy recovery. To me prayer is the best way to help someone, and it is economical regardless of your situation. Oh I almost forgot possibly the funniest part of the evening… I got to hold Kelly's one week old baby, Lauren, for a little while, and I even accepted congratulations for her a few times, claiming she was mine. She is so cute, and I had so much fun holding her. Thanks to Kelly for allowing me to do so. LOL, Kelly said she was 33 also; a classmate of Amy, but Kelly seems MUCH younger (ha.)
The Reds won tonight, breaking Houston’s 11 games in Cincinnati winning streak. Volquez pitched marvelously, allowing only one hit, as the Redlegs shutout the Astros 3-0.

4/29/2009

Last night after volunteering at St. Rita’s I had some very good pizza at the relatively new Beer Barrel in Lima. I went with Eric’s parents, John and Marie, Joe, and Dorothy (a.k.a. Mrs. Joe). I never had their pizza before tonight. Marie and I split a small with ham, mushroom, and onion. We decided to try their pizza since our waitress suggested it. Speaking of our server… I learned that he went to school in Delphos, and now she lives just outside of Columbus Grove. She seemed pretty interesting.
The big news of the day was however Eric’s improvements. He was able to nod his head yes and no to a couple of questions, but the funniest thing I heard that he did was stick out his tongue at the therapist after being told to. That is awesome! Although with small steps, Eric is continually showing improvements, and he is actually rapidly taking strides compared to how fast I have heard people with his type of injury do, including myself. I am in awe of his story, and I am going with his sibling, Amy, to a benefit for Eric at BW3 in Defiance. In an earlier post I mentioned Amy and not being aware of her age, bu8t her mom says she is 33… WOW! That’s old, and I hope she does not forget to take me this afternoon due to absentmindedness (senile.) LOL… only kidding I am, because she is only a few steps ahead of me in age. I know from talking to her that she can dish jokes out about other people, and that means she has to be able to take it, too.

4/28/2009

I have a check up appointment at the doctor this morning, and then I am going to visit Eric and his family. That is all before I volunteer at the hospital this afternoon. I think that I am also going to attempt seeing a specialist in regards to my shoulder. I know not why but ever since last Thursday it has been progressively been hurting more and more. I am excited to hear about and/or see Eric's improvements since last week. As of last night it was still up in the air as to where he will be spending the next phase of his recovery. I spoke to Marie last night and she said Dodd Hall is concevable.

4/27/2008

Hello, not much time to talk now, because I've got to take care of some things before going to the Grove high school baseball game.

4/26/2009

Yesterday was simply amazing. I had loads of fun at the lineman challenge with Gary and Carla yesterday, and that was only the beginning. For dinner that evening I went to Luke's in Bluffton. We went with a whole group of people, ad I sat next to Tom. I saw many people I knew besides the people I was with. The fun was not missing from that experience whatsoever, nor was it over after I was dropped off back home. My sister and nephews were all up and a it, as I arrived at home rather early in the evening. The Cincinnati bound crew left here after lunch. It is always pleasing when they come to visit. The Celtics dropped a double overtime thriller to the Bulls, and Chicago is now tied in the playoff series as i heads back to Boston.
On another note I also spoke via cell phone to John last night. Eric is always making baby steps towards recovery, as he is still comatose, and he will likely be moving to another rehab/care facility next week. He is constantly in my prayers, and I hope I can maintain a friendship with him during and beyond recovery.

4/25/2009

Lisa and the boys are going to be here all day today and tonight. I really enjoy their presence, but unfortunately I already have plans for today and have for the past month or so. My friends Gary and Carla are picking me up this morning to go to a track meet, and then after that we are heading to the lineman's challenge in Defiance. If we are finished in time I will probably make it back here to celebrate my youngest nephew, Nick's first birthday.

4/24/2009

My sister and her boys are home as of yesterday. With that said I'm very busy this weekend. My nephews are cute little ones. The 2yo sounds so cute when he talks....

4/23/2009

St. Thecla... Myth??? But since disappearing from the liturgical calendars in 1969 and not even being mentioned in the most recent edition of the Roman Martyrology, she has largely been forgotten and consigned to the dustbin of 'myths and legends.'

4/23/2009

I want to pray for Eric's family on this day. This must be so hard for them. Eric's situation is similar to yet not my situation. The extent of his injuries is not yet known. It may be totally different than mine or nearly the same, the recovery process that is. I can tell you that right this moment he likely is not feeling pain, because Eric is pretty drugged up and not with it consciously. We will be able to tell for sure after he regains his awareness. I ate dinner with John, Marie, and Amy yesterday, and they are Eric's parents and his sister. I am unable to distinguish if Amy is older or younger than Eric. I can however tell you that she is a very loving sibling. She reminds me of my sister, and what is eerie is that they both have kids all of which are boys. It helps me draw a similarity between my situation and that of Eric. St. Thekla again was a mainstay in our conversation. It is a battle of wills between John and I. I am not going to get into depth with it, but peering at the Parish site again it appears that they have Catholic ceremonies, but I still have my questions. I know what I'll do... call Pope Benedict XVI and settle this once and for all. John originally spelled it wrong and who knows the correct pronunciation, and based on those facts alone I'll proclaim victory, but I'm still led to doubt the validity. That is if it is really fact and not a tale. Who wants to have a victory cocktail with me?

4/22/2009

Today started a certain time of year that is occasionally dreaded. Mowing the yard, including trimming around all trees and structures, sometimes hampers my style of networking (meeting people,) but it gives you a great sense of accomplishment when you get done. Today was the first cutting, and it is a sign of spring time. Dad did the riding mower this week while I trimmed with the push mower, but nonetheless great satisfaction is felt after accomplishing the task. A slight workout accompanies trimming, and I even took a short walk afterwords. I definitely did enough walking to meet my self imposed exercise routine. From now on I must allow time each week to cut grass which should not be problem. However the thought of it is annoying from time to time.

4/22/2009

Yesterday was very pleasing to me; because of the way Eric seemed to show improvements. I had a good day at the hospital, because I had a chance to visit with Eric’s family, and I ate dinner with them. John (Eric’s dad) came to share some joyous info about Eric making progress just as I had a funny feeling about. I had so much fun having some dinner with Eric’s parents and aunts and uncles. Over dinner John mentioned how I had to eat crow, because of our dispute about a St. Thecla, even though he did not spell it that way. Kyle looked this up on the Internet at the hospital and proclaimed St. Thecla to be a valid Catholic Saint, but I am one who still questions his resources. The Internet frequently has faulty sources so I called a priest right then and there to make this a point of validity, but I got no answer. The issue pretty much died out until this week at dinner. Again John and I had altering opinions… not that either one of us gave a rat’s behind, I think. I called two priests this time, but still no answer. I did pursue this further by asking Fr. Ron at the Knights of Columbus meeting Tuesday night in Columbus Grove. He said he thought that probably St. Thecla existed, be he did not know anything about him. I got home and researched the Internet which I against my former reason for arguing. Anyhow I did find several sits that claimed of a St. Techla. I even found a St. Thecla Parish at www.saintthecla.org. “St. Thecla is a multi-cultural parish located on the northwest side of Chicago. The parish welcomes, respects, and embraces all members of the community. Our mission is to promote spiritual growth to all generations through the celebration of the sacraments, Christian education, spiritual, and social events. St. Thecla encourages all parishioners and members of the community to be disciples of the Gospel message through prayer and good deeds. Our Lord’s message is to “love one another”. We spread His message by giving thanks to God for the gifts we have received and sharing our time and talent with the parish and with others.” There is even a school, but after going to the site I am accustomed to not believe this is a catholic school or church. I found no evidence of such material proclaiming Catholicism, and that was the main cog in our earlier discussion. I looked further and discovered a St. Thecla, and this St. was a she, and that contradicted Fr. Ron’s belief that the fore mentioned saint was a he, but gender was not part of our discrepancy. Therefore John appeared to be right… until that is I kept looking. I found some astonishing news on http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=323. It begins, “According to a popular second century tale,” which I believe a tale is a made up story. Later the article goes, “The tale had tremendous popularity in the early Church but is undoubtedly a pious fiction and was labeled apocryphal by St. Jerome.” I had to look up pious an apocryphal in the American Heritage College Dictionary to be sure, but it obviously means it is a false belief. Unusually she still has a feast day of September 23. That confuses me as does basing my arguments via the web. Nobody wins this time. I am disgusted but not overall since I was the biggest winner in solo at my K of C meeting. It is even funnier, because my Dad was the biggest loser (money wise.) That gives me bragging rights. Two consecutive nights of being the big winner… WOW! Until next time…

4/21/2009

My friend Katrina, went to see me speak at Wayne Trace high school last week, and she put together the following picture displaying video(click the link): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0Q6K8Ikodw . She runs a photography business called Stone Fruit Studios. Please check them out here, http://www.stonefruitstudios.com/

4/21/2009

Today I feel something really positive is going to happen with Eric's condition. He is still in ICU step down, as far as I know, but I have an eerie feeling that something good is going to happen today. I will likely visit with Eric and his family today, as I am going to volunteer at the hospital today. Afterward I have a Knights of Columbus meeting, and odds are great that we will play a little solo afterwords.Speaking of solo reminds me of last night when my Karl and Wayne came over to play cards with Dad and I. Cards are a big thing in my family, and more often than not the name of the game is solo. I won five dollars last night, and I was the only winner. It might be more because the cards were dealt in my favor, but I will keep on thinking that being a good player had the most o do with it.
On another note, if you checked my blog yesterday, ore my website (www.mattschroeder.org) either of the last couple days, you will notice that I have a new YouTube video up and running. I am working o getting my story out there, because motivational speaking is something I thoroughly enjoy. Helping others is quite rewarding in itself, and make a difference in lives is what I do.

4/20/2009

1 month until my birthday, the big 30!!!
This video is the only one out there that actually shows clips of me speaking.

4/20/2009

I just finished a cardiovascular workout this morning. Sure it is not nearly as vigorous as most people my age are capable of but that maters not to me, and that is what baffles people about me. Everyone seems to think not being able to run a mile or make hoops without inconsistency would lead me to depression except me. I cannot fathom why people think that. It is true I guess that I used to be an athlete, but I had an automobile accident. That is the way my life was supposed to occur, and I have no problems with it. I love me life just the way He intends it to be, and I wish people would stop thinking that I wish I never had the wreck. Of course I would not appreciate all the pain again, but if there was no other way to achieve His plan heck yes I'd do it again. I love my life!

4/19/2009

Last night Aunt Joan came over to play cards, and if you know the family you can guess what we played. The old German game named solo was on the agenda, and have fun is what we did. My Dad was the only winner, I did not lose much, and one could say it was Dad's turn to come out on top in cards. The last several times that I have played with him he was the biggest loser. Today the Reds are on T.V. which makes me happy.

4/18/20209

Last night was quite possibly the best night I had in Findlay in awhile. Let me start at the beginning. I went to the University of Findlay to eat lunch with Dr. Laura, and then we had a brief business meeting to discuss plans for my upcoming guest appearance with her students. That is not until the fall, but we like to make plans so I ca keep those days vacant of other events. This confrontation also gave her the chance to tell me that she is expecting the birth of her second child. She just started to tell people, and I am so excited for her. We also had lunch with Jackie, Tara, and Matthew. The first two are people I knew but not the last. Even though his name is awesome, he is anything but me. Matthew was on a visit from his high school as he was on some sort of college professional day. I later that day met Brian, and they had a bowling league party. After that we went to Uncle Bucks, which is a bar and social area. That was the most fun part of the evening, and it came without drinking any alcohol. I was Brian's driver, and believe me...he needed one. I met some very interesting people named Denise and Curt, and I feel comfortable no calling them my friends. We had an interesting discussion, and the Magic Mn entertained us. The magician does some seemingly impossible stuff.

4/17/2009

Its Friday, and I am spending the day in Findlay.

4/16/2009

I went to a Columbus grove baseball game, and they won convincingly, tonight. I also went to se my cousin's house he is building...I have not heard an Eric update today but hope he's still progressing.

4/15/2009

April 15 is the famous tax day throughout the nation, and the days leading up to it are the most hectic for accountants. That is of course if you classify hectic as only being in the workplace. I am more than certain that Eric's family is taking it pretty hard, and I talked with John today. He had been given some prognosis, from medical staff, that his son will probably be staying at the hospital in Lima for an extended period of time before being shipped somewhere else for rehab. I know that my parents went through some trying times hen I was in a coma, and I am sure Eric's parents an entire family are going through a rough patch of time. Prognosis are not necessarily fact, and I continue to pray that Eric makes a speedy recovery. At the same time I am stuck between a rock and a hard place called reality. Medical professionals obviously have a more educated guess, and Eric may indeed be in this for the long haul. That is not said negatively at all, because what I have heard of Eric are great things and he will successfully triumph over the farming accident. Hopefully it won't take long, but one can feel a great sense of accomplishment after they travel the long road too. Its like climbing Mt. Everest brings you more notoriety than navigating over a small hill. Just hang in there family, and go get 'em Eric. Get better buddy, and then we can go cheer them Buckeyes on!

4/14/2009

M experiences today were excellent, but I am whipped. I suppose that I will sleep like a baby tonight. I did not sleep well last night at all. I was too excited about my speaking engagement at Wayne Trace this morning. I left slightly before 7:00 A.M., and I arrived at the school plenty early. That gave me ample opportunity to get up and get everything just right. A grade school friend was there taking complimentary pictures.Katrina is her name. I was so glad to see her. The speech overall was a great success even though a lapel microphone was not had. The hand held made carrying note cards difficult, but I made due. Afterward I met Dan in Van Wert at Wal Mart. We went to eat at a friend's ice cream and sandwich shop. We had a refreshing discussion there, and I had an order of Chile fries that was to die for. Then I discussed a future gig at Van Wert high school with their principal at their school. I made it back to St. Rita's in time to volunteer, but we were super not busy, so I visit Eric and his family. Tom and Joanne were there, and they took John, Marie and I to Lock Sixteen after I was finished volunteering at 8:30. think Eric is showing signs of improvement which is awesome. They may be small signs, but one has to have faith an believe he will be back soon I also talked with Eric's sister, Jody. I feel so bad for her and her parents, but they understand that God's plan will ultimately turn out for the best. I feel somewhat close to them and their situation.

4/14/2009

Wow... I had a crazy dream about being lost at OSU Lima campus, not being able to find my car, burning my tongue, and having go back home to get a dress shirt and tie before going to my speaking engagement! In my dream I was debating whether or not to just where my tee shirt, asking everyone if I looked okay in my tee shirt, and I was cutting it close on time. I burnt my mouth on some scalding coffee just before speaking with a security guard about my missing car. He could not understand what I was saying,g but amazingly we knew each other. The only true things about the dream were I am speaking at Wayne Trace high school tomorrow and the names and location of the buildings at OSU-Lima. The campus was huge though, and they had cable cars like Cedar point to get from one end of campus to the other. The dream was very realistic, and it got me all stirred up. I am glad it was a dream, because things will go much smoother tomorrow (Tuesday.)

4/11/2009

The Reds offense is pathetic, and their pitching is obviously not very good, as they lost today by a lot. They only played four games, the season is young, but to only muster one win is hard for a fan to swallow. I guess they could turn their season around, but the poor showing thus far is disappointing. In other news I am going to a surprise party this evening, and tomorrow is Easter. I may be busy with family gatherings, and writing on here may be inconceivable. Eric is remaining comatose, thanks to being medically induced, but slight improvements give a positive outlook for recovery.

4/10/2009

Good Friday for me, as a Catholic, is a day of fasting and abstaining from the consumption of meat. Lent was officially over yesterday, but it is the holy trio of days leading up to Easter Sunday, and I went to church not for Mass today but a service for Good Friday.

4/9/2009

I am going today with my sister, Mom, and three nephews to Leipsic. The time spent with my three nephews is enough fun for the day, but we are going over to visit Jennifer, who is my cousin that lives in Pennsylvania. and her two kids. Jennifer is at her parents house for a week. Her oldest child is about 15 months old, and she has a newborn. Since my sister is also home, we decided to visit. I am very close with family, and this is a prime example. I am elated about the opportunity.
I have not heard much about the condition of Eric lately, but his mother emailed me last night. She expressed how tired she is when gets home from the hospital at night. I feel that I can relate with her and her family, because my accident left me really messed up, injury wise, similarly to Eric. I hope things work out the best for the whole famliy. I am also excited with the thought of helping the family cope with the situation. Hopefully I can also benefit Eric soon during his path to recovery.

4/8/2009

Today is my mother's birthday. Because you are not supposed to say a woman's age, I will just subtly make the point that she is old :-). Today Lisa and the boys came home for a couple of days.

4/7/2009

Last night I went to Brian's billiards league in Findlay. Actually the shot pool at Slammers in Fostoria at a bar called Slammers. How ironic that is, because a certain group of people refer to me as Slammer. That nickname is one that Mark gave to me, and it really has no hidden meaning. All them guys refer to each other by unusual names, and I decided that I wanted one, too. Thus Slammer was born. I had oodles of fun watching even though North Carolina won the NCAA mens basketball championship. I was rooting for Michigan State, the Big Ten champs, but they were outplayed drastically. The Tar Heels were more talented, and they never relinquished their lead that they gained early on.

4/6/2009

Today is opening day for the Cincinnati Reds. I'm excited... gotta run...

4/5/2009

Last night was an evening that was full of fun. At the reverse drawing I was down to number seven out of about 150 people. If I could have made it past just two more pulls I would have made $250, because at five people left they decided to split the $2500, that would be $500 a piece. I was oh so close, but it was terrific fun. I had an opportunity to meet some cool people. Al is one of the best coaches in Ohio high school basketball history, and his boys Rob and Brian were there. They were in charge of running this fundraiser. Steve, Bob, and Brandon were there. Coach Thompson and a real cool guy named Bret was also there. Of course I cannot forget Larry, who is also known as Buckeyeman, and is pictured with me in the photo above. I did get an autographed Greg Oden Ohio State jersey when I had my name called.
I talked with Jody today, and she informed me of Eric's condition. He (Eric) is improving. Not by leaps and bounds is he recovering, but by assured baby steps he is improving daily. Eric maintains his coma state, but his sedation level is getting smaller. I think tat means he is recovering as expected. Although I am no doctor, and assumptions can be about as good as a plastic shield when fighting an intense fire. Anyways, I know from experiences that what professionals say about a person should not be simply accepted as fact. The only person that knows what Jimmy can do is Jimmy, and even he doesn't know unless he gives it a shot. Failure is nothing more than the first step to success next time! Trying may seem endless at some time, but you will not succeed by not trying!

4/4/2009

My new friend Jody is Eric's sister, and she updated me on Eric's status last night. He is still kept in a comatose state, but he appears to be making strides to get better and he has a minimal level of sedation. Always praying for the best with him.
Later this afternoon I am going to a stag party, that should last the whole evening, with a couple of friends. I think it is in Van Wert, and I know they will have the Final Four collegiate basketball games on a big screen. Plus there will be food and drinks, a reverse drawing, and possibly celebrities. I'm pumped up.
Hopefully I win something at the reverse drawing. I have been to a similar raffle for some fireman's banquet in Putnam County, and it was a great time. Therefore I'm anxiously anticipating a grand evening. Oh well... have a great Saturday!
The picture at top is of my three boys, but they are really my nephews. My sister has three children and here they are (L to R: Andrew at 4 and 1/2 yo, Grant at 2 yo, and Nick at 11 months.) Aren't they cute (I'm not proud of them at all:-)! I think my sister is bringing them out next Wednesday morning.

4/3/2009

It is the second last Friday of Lent which to many people is no different than any other Fridays of the year, but as a Catholic means obtaining from meat. My parents and I are going to the fish fry at the Ottawa K of C hall, and afterward we are going to play cards at my Aunt Joan's house. When I cards I mean solo. I am really excited about the whole ordeal!!!

4/2/2009

Today I went out to the farm to carry brush and limbs out of our lane. Dad also went, and we piled the brush and limbs together. However burn it did not. We needed some kerosene, but all we had were newspapers to go with our matches. I am excited to hear that as of last night they were going o try to stop the medically induced coma on Eric. That is good news, because he must be progressing as hoped. He may have a lot of therapy to do, but I can tell you with a strong effort great things can be achieved. I have not heard yet today, but I pray that whatever is best happens.

4/1/2009

Yesterday at St. Rita's Medical Center was very refreshing. Greeting people and working at the front desk was rewarding as usual, but that is not even what I felt so good about. I guess the road runs both ways, and it is quite unfortunate that bad things and injury must happen to individuals. And I feel the utmost sorrow for the parents and siblings of Eric. It just so happens to be that Eric was involved in a tragic farming accident on Friday, and he is in a medically induced coma ever since then. Although my coma lasted more than ten weeks and was not medically induced, I can yet relate my story with their situation. I spent a little time explaining my story to the family giving them hope and support. Later, I was even allowed o go back and talk to Eric with his father. I feel that maybe that is why I was affected by my automobile accident over 11 years ago, so I can help both victims and families of accidents. When I can use my miraculous story to assist others or give them hope, it is a very rewarding thing. Prayer is the best medicine, and it is even free! My prayers are always with Eric and his family.