Birthday Cards - from Kids and Pirates

My birthday is rapidly approaching, just days away.  I've never been one to celebrate biggly but friends got together this past week to bless me with their company - along with Bumpy cake and a few gifts. My favorite quads were there with cards made especially for me.  I have to share my favorite. This little 8 year old boy loves baseball and is into card collecting.  [I like to take a little credit for this!]  But more than that, he loves ME!

This was a good surprise indeed, and very clever.  He included a few picked from his collection and placed in a special pocket made within the card.

My many gifts included two hats - Tigers and Astros:

and a couple of good books:

I'm looking forward to Macho Row in particular.  1993 was the year I fell in love with the game for good, thanks to this team!  It didn't hurt that Darren Daulton was a prominent feature behind the plate. 

Yesterday, the postman delivered another package which nearly blew me away, literally.  During my temporary trade ban, incoming packages have been few.  This has allowed much needed time to organize my cards.  I still can't say how many dupes I have or what cards are needed for sets but all my thousands of cards are officially sorted by either player, set or binder mini-collections.   

In April, Matt found himself at Target, staring down new GQ blaster boxes.  He wasted zero time picking the right box, something I can't pull off.  After reading his post, and hearing elsewhere these retail blasters were loaded, I tried my luck.  Failing miserably, I then purchased two hobby boxes and failed again.  Matt had that old blaster magic.  From the same box, he pulled an auto and a 1/1 - both Tigers.  YNWV???   Why in West Virginia?   Hello Topps - over here!  Michigan!

Matt held onto these cards until this past week.  He did not know my birthday was only days away. He does know that I'll do my very best to put a great package together for him as soon as I am able. So imagine my surprise upon opening a package from this man:

The very cards he pulled in April!  Jaw-dropping!  How he felt I deserved these beauties I will never know.  I am humbled and nearly hysterical!  Numbered out of 35, an auto from the 2016 ROY Michael Fulmer...AND  a 1/1???  J.D. Martinez is becoming one of the hottest players in the game.  I've collected his cards for five years now.  This is beyond wild!  A true beauty!

We all know Matt!  And if you don't, you'd best get yourself acquainted with him!  He is generous and doesn't give a second thought to sending the rare pull to a trade pal. 

What more can I say?  Thank you Matt!