Fútbol

Over the past 2 weeks, the U.S. Men's Soccer Team made an improbable run to the finals of the Confederations Cup in South Africa. It was both surprising and exciting to see the U.S. have such success in the world's most popular sport, where America has consistently underachieved.

Reviewing my favorite photojournalism site today brought light to the unbridled passion for this sport in other areas of the world, namely South Africa.

Michael Jackson - A Tribute

Since this wasn't getting any coverage, I thought I would create a blog tribute or...blibute.

A man whom millions worshiped died last Thursday. Unequivocally, he was the greatest performer ever captured on video.

As far back as I can remember, channel surfing would stop when I came across a live Michael Jackson performance - and I would not change the channel until it was over. It was always riveting television. When I discovered videos on the web in 2000, his was some of the first material I consumed. Still, I somewhat regularly stop by YouTube to be reminded of his immense talent. Crowds worldwide would swarm to watch him perform. China, South Africa, Germany, Japan, Romania, Brazil, the USA, and those in between all adored him. He transcended language and culture.

Now seems like a good time to be reminded again of his brilliance. It is extremely difficult to narrow it down to just 3 videos, but here are some I found especially fantastic:

1. Billie Jean - See the debut of the Moonwalk around the 3:40 mark. Notice, no special effects or special lighting, just a really talented man and a handheld microphone. He was about 24.

2. Man in the mirror - Presumably there are not a lot of English speakers in Romania but notice how the entire crowd sings along. Also, you'll understand what I meant by "worshiped".

3. Beat It - I'm not an Music Video Guy, but I imagine this is a top 5 all-timer.

It is truly sad to know that he will create no more.

Chain Letters

Who doesn't love a good chain letter? I mean, you get the opportunity to have a profound impact on people's lives - just by forwarding on a letter.

Yesterday, I got a chain letter! The promise of financial blessings could not be more welcomed with a baby on the way, especially in this sort of economic environment. You may be wondering how I knew it was a chain letter (Actually, you probably don't really care at all and have likely stopped reading at this point). Well, the letter opened with, "Greetings! This is Not a chain letter."

Here is a list of some other phrases found in the letter that confirmed my suspicion:

• "You will receive a financial blessing within four days of receiving this letter provided you 'pass it on'."


• "THIS IS NOT A JOKE!"


• "...this letter must tour the world..."


• "SEE WHAT HAPPENS IN 4 DAYS!"


• "You will get a surprise!"


• And my personal favorite: "This is true even if you don't believe in miracles."

There are too many other things to list about this letter that make it Certified Gold in the booming Chain Letter Industry.

Check it out for yourself. I'm hoping at least 20 people see this on my blog in the next 4 days and I will win the lottery, even though I don't play. With Chain Letters, all things are possible.

Big News!

One random Wednesday morning several weeks ago Ashley woke up with a full bladder and went to pee on a stick. She came into the bedroom without the stick. We waited for 2 minutes and went back together to see how it reacted to her urine. Still wiping sleep from my eyes, I looked down to see 2 lines, only I didn't know what that meant. I hurriedly asked Ashley, "What am I looking for?" She replied, simply, "We're pregnant." I held her and we prayed. It was a sweet moment.

A few weeks later we had the opportunity to tell her whole family while together celebrating Mother's Day. Our little niece woke up from her nap and Ashley went up to change her. Ashley changed her shirt into the one seen below. I carried Livy downstairs and waited for the family to react. It took some long seconds for everything to process, but they were VERY excited once they realized that Livy's little cousin was living in Ashley's uterus.
We waited to tell my family because my brother and sister-in-law, Natalie, were coming to visit from Denver, CO on Memorial Day Weekend. I had acquired a pocket video camera the day they got here. So, below you can see how it played out.

It was a good reaction.

Credits: Music - Phil Wickham, Editing assistance - Stephen Mann, Inspiration - Zack Mansfield

We're back

I think we're going to start using this blog more. Some interesting things have been happening recently and it might be nice to share them (e.g. Our house was broken into a few weeks ago.). With a sister heading to Honduras and a brother, sister-in-law and future niechew in Denver, CO, I thought it would be nice to at least share more of our life with them.