Sunny San Diego

Well here I am in San Diego writing on my blog. I have been sent out here to attend a conference that deals with a part of my job. It is torture but someone has to do it. Anyway I don't often get to travel to places that I have not been, but I have been really looking forward to this. I have never been to California, let alone San Diego, but I have heard a lot about it. Let me tell you just based on what I have seen it is a beautiful place. One thing that constantly amazes me is when people see this beauty how they cannot believe or understand that there is a God. When I had the opportunity to visit Scotland and England I was immediately taken off guard by the beauty. What suprised me even more was that they say that 60% of those who live there are aethist. How is that possible? How can you not look at the beautiful landscape and the world around you and not know that there is a God. The Bible tells us that we can know there is a creator because of nature and the world around us (Romans 1:20). God is real and you can know and see that because of the world around us. Okay I would say I got a little sidetracked, but none-the-less I am excited to be here. First to learn from the conference, but secondly to visit someplace I have never been. I hope to report throughout the week on what I have seen and what is going on. Let me leave you with this, my God can do more than what I can ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20-21) and from what I have seen here in San Diego, I have no doubt about that.

How long has it been?

You know when I first started this thing I expected to write something every week. Well guess what, I failed in that task. In fact it has been several months now since I wrote on here. So here I go again, hoping to add something every couple of days, or at least once a week as my writer's side is tickled by some story or idea. Let me catch you up on what is going on for me. Since we last talked I turned another day older and have had another nephew added to the stable (that makes 3 nephews and 2 nieces-if you are counting at home). I have been in my house for over a year and almost two now which means that time is just flying by. Live has at times just seemed to fly by and make me dizzy along the way. At other times it seems so slow that I just cannot bear how long it takes. One of the reasons I started this blog was to share my opinions and ideas along with my thoughts on everyday life. Now I don't claim to be a "Dr. Phil", but I do think I have learned quite a bit over the last several years. I promise this year to try and be more attentive to the blogs and keep it up to date.
So here goes. Most people who know me know that I am a sports fanatic. I have been one most of my life. And for the most part it did not matter what the sport was, I wanted to be involved, watch, keep track of, you name it I was there in some form or fashion. Well March is a time that has some of the best moments in sports as far as I am concerned. You have the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament to determine the championship. You have spring training for baseball (mean that the season is just around the corner and hope for all Cubs fans). And for the last several years I have had the privilege of attending the NAIA Women's Division I National Tournament in basketball. This year was extra special for me because for the last year I have been doing play-by-play for the basketball teams at the university that I work for. It has been so much fun to call the ball games and get to see the players develop and grow and bring a team to life. For the past 10 years our women's team has gone to the national tournament, and great things were expected from this year's squad. It feature 5 seniors, 4 of which had been with the team all four years, and one who was a NCAA Divison I transfer. Unfortunately the girls were only able to make it to the Elite Eight. I say only because they really would like to have made at least the Final Four and we had a chance to do so. I would say though that it was a great year for us and that the girls should be proud of their accomplishments. I had the honor of doing the play-by-play for their games and let me tell you there is nothing quite as exciting and exhilarating as calling national tournament games on the radio. It has been a blast for me this year and I hate to see it go. We must move on however and enjoy where we have been. So now as I sit here writing this I am turning my attention to major league baseball and the joys that it brings.
I am huge baseball fan and I look forward to the beginning of every season. Why you may ask? Because there is hope, hope that this might finally be the year that the Cubs break the curse and win the World Series. I would love for it to happen in my lifetime. Not sure it will, but I will always believe and hope it will with the beginning of every new season until it happens or I pass away. Baseball has always held a special place in my heart. I cannot understand why today more people do not enjoy it or get involved with it. As I heard one broadcaster say, I see something new happen in every game I watch, and that is what makes baseball so much fun to be apart of. In less than a month, millions of people will begin the season believing that their team has a chance to win it all and that is what is so great about the start of the baseball season. As the season moves on fans of some teams will realize that their hope of a championship that season is gone, but never fearing they will once again have hope restored the next year when spring training rolls around. For those few lucky teams that make the charge for the trophy, there will be nothing like the games played in October. As the season starts I wish all of those of you who are fans of baseball teams good luck and enjoy the season, and as the umpire shouts to start the ball game, "Play Ball!"