October Birthdays

Kathy, Linda, and Broken Foot Char - Happy Birthday and Best Wishes for a Great Year!

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- e.e. cummings (oops - for those of you who think there is something wrong with your browser - no! this is e.e. cummings - American poet who tossed grammar regulations! Check him out @ e.e.cummings

Halloween.
Sly does it. Tiptoe catspaws. Slide and creep.
But why? What for? How? Who? When! Where did it all begin?
'You don't know, do you?' asks Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud climbing out under the pile of leaves under the Halloween Tree. 'You don't really know!'
- Ray Bradbury, The Halloween Tree

CAT Skiing

A fun time with Kathy, Jim, Michael, and Linda CAT skiing at Blackhawk Ski Club. For more info on CAT skiing - click @ catskier Also, scroll down and check out the movie of Michael cat skiing!

Jenny's Birthday Party

We had a great time, and enjoyed a truly delicious dessert from Jen's Mom.

Brad's Surprize Birthday Celebration

Happy Birthday Brad!
We wish you many more with years filled with your walking (and long, funny emails)

On TV

Video of Achilles and Captain Kimmer @ Click Here

People Making a Difference Update: 3 Inspiring Stories

Since November of 2005, we have profiled 99 outstanding volunteers in communities in and around Madison. And we wanted to check back in on three people we've profiled in the last year. These are people who were nominated by our viewers because of their generosity. Not all of these updates have a happy ending. But what we learn from these three people is they share a common bond - learning to live life to the fullest, no matter what life throws your way. Click on the video icon to the watch the story.

Happy Birthday Jenny!

A big Happy Birthday to Jenny from her Achilles Friends!



Doggish to English Translation:

Snowball to English:

"Woof! Woof!" to "Happy Birthday Jenny! You are bowwow-rrific!"

It's a Boy!

Our terrific sponsors Jessica and Matt, owners of Fleet Feet Running Shop, are the proud, new parents of a baby boy born September 18.

(Ahhhh, now they enter the "Twilight Years" - always feeling like they don't have enough sleep!)

What are little boys made of?


What are little boys made of?
Frogs and snails,
And puppy-dogs' tails;
That's what little boys are made of.

Get Well! Char!

Good bone healing!

"I go to Ortho on Friday to see if my 2nd cast can come off. I have two breaks in my foot.

One healed and the other needed to catch up so the last time they put a new cast on for two weeks.

Hoping to get a walking boot, but we'll see. Keep your fingers and toes crosses.

I have tickets for the Badger game Sat. night and sure plan on going. I will certainly need the walking therapy as soon as I can.

I know my leg is withering. Bob will definitely be faster than me. Please give everyone my best. Will join you as soon as I can drive.

happy trails - Char

Doggish to English Translation:

"Woof! woof!" to "Char, I thought you said Happy Tails! Wag, wag, wag. Now if you had 4 paws like we do, you'd already be walking with us again. Hope those bones heal with all due speed and we see you again wagging your tail on our trail walks....love Ruby the Red"

X-Country Skiing

Kathy & Jim's Cross-Country Skiing Information:

Date: Sunday September 30th.
What: Blackhawk Ski Clubs Annual Fun Day.

Schedule for Clinics/Races for Blackhawk Fun Day:

8-9 am Beginner CAT Ski Clinic
9-10 am Advance CAT Ski Clinic
10-11 am Cat ski World Championships race
12:30 pm Start Long Race/Tour - 5 km
1:30 pm am Start Short Race/Tour(Cat ski for Light for visually impaired) - 2.5 km

http://www.catskier.com/ for detail on location and times.

Registration Contact: grapes@tznet.com or 715-569-4910

• The clinic will be a great start if you have never been on CAT skis.
• CAT skis are skis which simulate cross country skiing on snow, but one can ski on grass.
• It is great fun.

Fall 2007 Vounteer SpotLight

Beautiful and relaxing Summer is waning. Stunning and invigorating Autumn is approaching. It's a good time to use this energy to spotlight another Achilles volunteer: Ms. Barb W.

Barb is a familiar face at our weekly run/walk and post-run/walk festivities. Always calm, positive, supportive, and kind, Barb makes the weekly run/walk an event to savor.

Thank you Barb, for being such a great and constant companion to the Achilles family.

Now for some history and facts about Barb.

Captain Kimmers meet Barb in the fall of 2005 and Barb started volunteering in the spring of 2006.

Barb comments on why she volunteers at Achilles:

"I volunteer because of meeting Kimmers , hearing her story and how she decided to help others have a place to come and be welcomed, included and valued. It is her courage, wisdom and strength that I have admired these past years. Meeting all the other Achilles Members has taken my level of volunteering to a new level. They have taught me there are MANY kinds of physical disabilities and that with each one that a person has we can gather as a family to support them in their quest to live with it. Everyone feels included and identified and no one leaves without being touched in a new way each week."

Captain Kimmers shares with us why Barb is such an invaluable friend and volunteer:

"It's pretty awesome having a friend with so much passion and energy to help out with the Achilles Team. I'm so very appreciative of all her time, love, patience and determination she gives to our Achilles Track Club every week. She is a back bone that I lean on for help constantly. We've had a lot of fun races, trips and activities together - the New York H&P 2006 stands out as one of the great ones!! I know we'll have many more fun races in years to come and lots more NY H&P DVD's to make as well.
Thanks for being there for me - and for all you give. "

Now some Fun Info about Barb:

• Favorite movie: in Barb's case, movies: Man without a Face, Finding Forrester, Rudy, On Golden Pond, Iron Will, Pay it Forward, White Squall ... all the movies have a theme illustrating how one negotiates one's way through life.
• Concert, past, present, or future I would like to attend: Handal or Morzart
• Favorite Summertime sport: Golf Rules!
• What did you do before teaching? I thought about being a gym teacher and not a classroom teacher; but alas, no available jobs )-:
• Favorite autumn sport: Hunting whitetail deer with bow or gun and fishing in Canada
• Shocking fact about Barb: I am a Certified Jump Master in Skydiving. I have over 400 jumps
• Favorite vacation spot: Fjords of Norway and Edinburgh, Scotland (golf!)
• College degrees: University of Florida, Central (Orlando) Elementary Ed. with a PE minor; Gallaudet University for the Deaf
• States you've lived in: Illinois for childhood, Severna Park, Maryland for young to mid-teens, Kenosha, Wisconsin for late teens, North Carolina for early 20s, back to Kenosha again until early 30s and since then Madison, Wisconsin.
• If you won 100 million $s in the Lottery, how would you spend the first 10 million? I am taking every close, dear friend I know with me, we will all win. I want desperately to help others and would love to surprise them with a new car, groceries, anything they would be in need of. Anyone anywhere who just needs a financial boost!

A little know fact about Barb is that she is a Wisconsin Champion Golfer!

Happy Birthday Sheri

"Whatever the weather, be it dodging a drenching or steaming in the sun, celebrating Sheri's Birthday was, a special "over the rainbow" sort of fun."
Poem by Mary

Doggish to English Translation (Roger, as a young lad)
woof! woof! to Happy Birthday Sheri ! Lucky you, a rainbow!

MD Jerry's Run in Verona

Translation of Doggish to English:
"Woof! woof!" to "Great Job Achilles Members! Hope you didn't eat any Hot Dogs though!, gulp!"
Roger the Hot Dog

Saturday, August 18, 2007 @ Verona, WI,
5k and 10k walk/run.
Benefit for Muscular Dystrophy


A fun time! Light rain in the beginning that became heavier as the Achilles members finished.

We had a post-race food feast, with food we shard and food like brats, Hot Dogs (Yikes!), blueberry and chocolate crepes, soda, and coffee....(burp!)

From our member Brad:

I wanted to extend my thanks to all who braved the rain to come out and support Jerry's Race, Mr. Rick Francois was quite impressed with our addition to the show and I think would love to see us back next year.

That was a great feeling of support I got and the Muscular Dystrophy Association representatives will be mentioning it to me for some time to come.

I've been feeling more and more a part of a community and family since my first Achilles Day just over a year ago.

Special Thanks to Kelly for helping me defend my LAST PLACE championship in the walk, And to Bob for pushing me to a better time than last year in that effort (Bob was just a few seconds and 700 mosquitos in front of me)

I also wanted to share what I heard as Brad flew by on the Hand Cycle:

The young man who walked past me just as Brad was cruising by said to his dad, "Is that a wheelchair or a bicycle?"

Upcoming Dinners post Thursday-workouts

August 30, 2007 dinner @ P.F. Changs in Middleton;
Address is 2237 Deming Way, Middleton, WI 53562 608-831-2488

September 6, 2007 dinner @ Houlihan's in Middleton; Celebrating Sheri's birthday!
Address is 1262 John Q. Hammons Dr, Middleton, WI 608-827-0334

September 13, 2007 dinner is Claddagh Irish Pub in Middleton; Celebrating Pat's birthday!
Address is 1611 Aspen Commons Middleton, WI 608-833-5070

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Molly, Ruby, and Roger weigh in:
Doggish to English Translation:
Hey, Any doggie bags come to us! No dark chocolate or peas, please

Another Birthday Celebration!

Happy Birthday Al! Photos courtesy of Eileen

Members, old & new re-unite for fun in D.C.

We are on a roll! Welcome New Members!

Our welcome mat is getting good use: 2 new members and 2 new volunteers have joined us.

A big welcome to our newest members Brad and Dawn!

As an extra bonus, Brad's mom will join us as a volunteer.

A big welcome to our newest volunteer members Eileen and Natalie!

As Roger, Ruby, and Molly would say, Bowwowrrific!!!!!

Athelete of the Year - a Wonderful Inspiration

Our own Captain Kimmer! Hip Hip Hooray! Kimmer will be honored at the Achilles Track Club's Seventeenth Annual Tribute Dinner in NYC Monday, October 29, 2007.

A quote from a person Michael and I and the kids -- furry and human -- really admired. I am sure he was talking about our Captain Kimmer -

"When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" …My answer was that a hero is someone who commits a courageous action without considering the consequences… Now my definition is completely different. I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.--Christopher Reeve "

Move over Lynda Carter - we have our own "Wonder Woman"!

Great News for Pete

Another clean checkup! Go Pete Go! You are an inspiration.

Michae's Birthday Celebration!

Here are some photos from the birthday celebration and from the walk before at the Mall - due to hot, hot weather and bad air quality....Enjoy!

And Happy Birthday Michael! (cake by Captain Kimmer)


















It's good to be alive and to celebrate another year! yeah! go Michael go!