365 Days

In 2008, it was a photo a day.

In 2009, it was a portrait a day. I did miss one day, but I took a picture every other day in 2009. Below are some of my favorites.

No daily photo goal this year, but hopefully somewhere along the way I'll snap a few good ones...

College Football

Quick thoughts on college football now that the season is over:

- Alabama is really good. Could be better next year. But there will always be the "what if" Colt McCoy did not get hurt.

- Georgia Tech laid another egg in the bowl. Last year, LSU just ran off lots of points and forced them into a different gameplan. This year, Iowa did a wonderful job on defense avoiding the cut blocks and staying on their feet. Iowa with a healthy Ricky Stanzi plays in the Rose Bowl.

- Losing their top receiver (Demaryius Thomas), best running back (Jonathan Dwyer), best defensive player (Derrick Morgan) and best defensive back (Morgan Burnett) as juniors to the NFL really hurts Tech. We'll see what kind of coach Paul Johnson is.

- I want Tim Tebow to be successful in the NFL. His throwing motion is horribly inefficient, but the knock on Phillip Rivers when he came out of NC State is that he had terrible form too. Now he is an All-Pro.

- Lots of people thought that Boise State vs TCU was boring. I did not watch the game, but if the uniforms said Florida and Alabama instead of Boise State and TCU, everyone would be raving about what a great SEC defensive struggle it was.

- If you are against a playoff in college football, please do not ever say that the regular season is the playoff or that a playoff diminishes the regular season. If every game mattered, then undefeated TCU, Boise State or Cincinnati would have had a shot. Tell me strength of schedule matters and common opponents matter, but every game does not matter. Otherwise, a team that wins every game would get a chance to compete for a national championship.

Can't wait until next season. Go Jackets!

30 Years

Last weekend, I made the drive with my brother and nieces (detoured because of the I-40 rockslide) to Knoxville to visit my family's "sponsors". Lloyd and Patricia Smith brought my family to the United States from Cambodia back in 1979. I've always loved them and been thankful for their role in our lives, but now that I am an adult I have a new appreciation for them.

Mr. Smith was a dairy farmer in Maryville, Tennessee. In addition to cows, he and Mrs. Smith were also raising 4 children. In the middle of their lives-- trying to operate a farm and raise a family-- they took a social and financial risk on a refugee family whom they had never met, which they had no idea how to communicate and who were oblivious to the customs and traditions of this new country that would become our home.

Recently, I have been trying to wrap my mind around what sort of leap of faith it required to be willing to welcome total strangers into your comfort zone. Not just welcome them for a weekend or long vacation, but for the rest of your life. And it was not just one or two people, but an entire family that included a teenager, two younger children and a cranky infant (and that's not including my little brother who was on the way). The Smiths were not wealthy people, but what they had an abundance of was love and faith.

This family, with lots of love and patience, taught us about corn, how to speak English, to feed cows, how to drive and took us to church. They sold out to us; providing us with every opportunity to be successful in our new land. Not once have they ever asked for anything in return. I have seen lots of grace in my life, few so great as the grace that was shown to my family some 30 years ago.

Weather

On the iphone, you can set the weather application to give you current temperatures and forecasts for whichever cities you program. At 9:09 this morning, here were the current temperatures:

Asheville, NC - 12F
Hendersonville, NC - 12
Atlanta, GA - 21
Anchorage, AK - 12
Homer, AK - 24
Bend, OR - 32
London, United Kingdom - 36

We are as cold as Anchorage, ALASKA! Even more impressive is that the sun is up here. It is still dark and 5:09AM local time in Alaska.

The weather guys predict that our cold snap may last up to two weeks. There is a good chance highs won't be above freezing for the next week. Normal if you are from Fargo or Buffalo, but not for the deep south.

New Year's Day

My resolutions/goals:

- Read more books.
- Write more letters. Not email, actual letters... so if you want one and you don't think I have your address, send me a message.

"Let it Snow"

In honor of the recent snowstorm, here's a rap video from some of the locals (who happen to be former students). Probably funnier and seemingly more artistic if you know the people and places featured in the video, but hilarity ensues nevertheless.



Here's the original:

Ashevillians

Last week, a bunch of us were at the Pharr's annual White Santa Christmas party. As always, a good time was had by all conversing with one another, eating treats and stealing presents. The last thing we did was gather around the computer and watch a slideshow of ourselves through the years. This particular circle of friends has expanded and contracted, but in many ways remained the same (at least in heart):