End of Summer/Beginning of Football

Great Wolf Lodge
Last weekend (Aug 28) we took the opportunity to go to Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City.  If you haven't heard of it - check out the website:

Great Wolf Lodge - Traverse City

It was a great time...Cam definitely loved the water, we went on some slides (including big kid slides!), and they had plenty of other activities like story time, miniature golf, and more.  And no, I am not employed by Great Wolf Lodge and in no way is this a paid advertisement!  Seriously though, it was a great time, and we would recommend it for anyone with younger children.  Also - the $3 refills on the 22-oz beers doesn't hurt!

Here are some pictures:

Baby Evie
Our friends Katy and Bob DeVillez just welcomed a new baby girl, Evelyn (Evie for short).  Congratulations to them, and here is a pic!

 
Michigan Football
Tension = High.  No one really knows what to expect from this team - I think most believe we could go anywhere from 2-10 to 10-2.  It's is going to be an interesting year, that is for sure.

One thing that is certain - this team is going to come out fired up and ready to play on Saturday.  Hopefully this goes for any Saturday, but especially the opener, at home, in a re-dedicated, renovated stadium, with everything that has gone down in the last 3 years. 

One additional thing - I don't know how many have heard of Brock Mealer, or his story.  Basically, he is the brother of a UM Offensive Lineman (Elliot Mealer) and was in a bad car accident with Elliott, his father, and Elliot's girlfriend about 3 years ago.  Their father and Elliot's girlfriend did not survive it, and Brock was told he would never walk again.  Well - he is going to be leading the Wolverines out of the tunnel on Saturday!  There really is a lot more to this incredible story - the link below is an absolute MUST READ.

http://www.annarbor.com/sports/um-football/from-never-to-walking-brock-mealer-will-lead-michigan-football-team-onto-field-saturday/

As far as the team - like I said, no one really knows what is going to happen.  Here are some things I expect:

- Denard Robinson will be the starter.  I think he will probably get most of the snaps as well.  I am not even certain that Tate Forcier will play, but nothing would surprise me at this point - Tate could play a lot, a little, or not at all.  I would expect to see True Freshman Devin Gardner play some as well, possibly even against UCONN.
- This offensive is going to be EXPLOSIVE no matter who is at QB.  All 3 guys are outstanding talents.  I actually thing D-Robinson may end up being the leading rusher on this team.  When he is in, it is likely to be a run-heavy offense, and there will be plenty of big plays.
- The offense definitely has talent at the skill positions, but what really differentiates it from the last couple years is the Offensive Line.  I fully expect our OL to be one of the best in the conference this year, which will be a huge benefit.
- I don't really even want to talk about the defense.  It is basically the exact opposite of the offense - whereas I am expecting big things from the offense, I am terrified of the defense.  We are extremely young and thin in the secondary, so I think we are going to have a real hard time stopping the pass all year.  I am really hoping this defense can gel and at least get enough stops to allow our offense to out-score people though, which I think is a realistic possibility.

On UCONN - they are a tough team and a great test to start the season.  Honestly, I kind of wish we played a crappy team just so we could have essentially a guaranteed win.  That absolutely is not the case though - they will give us all we can handle.

At the end of the day though - I think our offense will prove too much for UCONN to handle. 

PREDICTION: U-M 38, UCONN 31

GO BLUE!