It Is What It Is -- Broncos Fire Shanahan

Well, it's been a nice ride.

138-86, two Super Bowl titles and three straight years out of the post-season.

I can't say that I am at all surprised. There were many people calling for his replacement after last season, but the Bronco's season-ended debacle led to the decisions that owner Pat Bowlen had to make.

It will be interesting to see what happens.

News conference tomorrow.

2008 In Pictures

So I found this wonderful collection of photos from 2008.

I'm posting a few of the photos, but they are all amazing. Take the time to look through them.

The first two parts have already been posted but the third one will come out tomorrow. I'll link it for you then.

It's amazing to consider what goes on across the world and how every culture is so different. Many of these photos come from places ravaged by natural disaster, torn apart from war, the remains of forgotten communities, the mechanical feats of the human race and the physical demands of athletics.

I am humbled by how little I was aware of some of these events.

These photos are amazing! I must warn you that some of them are rather graphic (bloodshed), but you have to click to view the ones deemed offensive, so your safe.


Click here for the first set

Click here for the second set

Faith

So I'm going to stray from my traditional posting style and take a moment to talk about faith.

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, my faith is an important aspect of my daily life, but I don't want to talk about my faith as a member of LDS Church. I am going to take some time to talk about faith in general. Faith beyond a denomination, faith beyond doctrine, and talk about faith that transcends everything.

I grew up attending non-denominational churches with my family and faith was a big part of our lives. But it has grown to be a part of every decision I make and every move I make.

Our Heavenly Father truly wants us to be happy and like a gardener he has crafted our lives and is helping us grow to reach our full potential.

My personal faith may be very different than yours. You may believe in Allah, Science or a Holy Trinity, but I feel that any type of faith can help people rise from the ashes of life to aspire to greatness.

I was shopping for Jenna's Christmas present I saw a sign that said "Faith is not believing that God can, It's knowing that He will."

My faith is not even close to perfect. I falter and I rarely find it possible to trust completely to take that first step into the darkness, but every time that I have I have been blessed immensely.
When I think of faith I like to think of the story in the bible when Peter desires to walk on water to the Savior and as he steps out onto the water and focuses on Christ he is able to walk, but when he is distracted by the tempest storm around him he struggles and falls.

Are we at all different from Peter? I don't think so. The water is comparable to the world we live on and when we focus our lives on Christ (or the center of our faith) we can accomplish anything we desire, but when we take our focus off Christ, we fall.

But be not dismayed, because who is there to save Peter????

School's Out Forever!

So it maybe took me a semester past four years but I finally graduated!

It hasn't really set in yet, but I am sure that when school starts next semester it will hit me. I think it will be amazing to do what I love and not have to worry about homework at the same time!

I did my final presentation for my capstone last week and my team rocked it (little shout out to Jeanette and Marianne for all their hard work this semester)!!! It was the culmination of four months of hard work from research to brainstorming to a lot of designing. I feel like the client was really pleased with our work too!

So I'm at a crossroads in life. BYU has offered to let me stay on as a graduate assistant and I am going to stay there until I find the right job for me. I'm really lucky to have a place that I can work while I transition it this quasi-adult life.

It will be sad to leave BYU behind and it will be unbelievably scary to leave everything that I have grown to love in these past five years.

I'm incredibly grateful for an institution that has really shaped me into who I am. I've learned so much while at BYU from an educational standpoint and I've grown in ways I didn't see imaginable.

But part of growing up is taking risks and jumping out into the world that is daring to eat me alive.

So here I come world (I say in a really dramatic stance because it's easy to have that stance from the comfort of my little Provo world).

Cold Winter Morning...Lovely Winter Meetings

Now that I am unofficially done with school (did my final presentation for my 485 class and it was pretty much BOMB) I'm ready to continue blogging about my life.

Due to the scheduling of my Capstone course and other finals I was unable to attend Winter Meetings in Las Vegas. It's too bad because it is just down the interstate from me, but apparently finishing my degree is too important.

I really wanted to get a chance to go to the job fair, but I am sure there will be more opportunities for me in the future.

I just wanted to note a few things:

1. The mets signed K-Rod to a really nice deal. Do I think 36 million dollars is too much for one of the most overrated positions in baseball...yes. I'm not sure if Frankie is worth that kind of money. Don't get me wrong, he's a great closer and he did break the single-season save record with 62 saves for the Angels last season, but 11 or some odd million dollars to year to pitch one inning every few days???? And you usually are just protecting a lead, get three quick outs.

2. CC Sabathia sign a seven year deal, I think it is 140 Million dollars. Now a real true Ace is a gem and CC is a great pitcher but 140 Million on a 290 lb. aging pitcher??? (Note: CC is 28, and that's not old, it's just in seven years I'm not sure how he'll be performing) If Frankie isn't work 26 million then CC is def. not worth 140. Now the Yankees need pitching and the Yankees buy talent so let's see how far this deal will get them.

3. No news on the Teixeira front yet. Its been pretty quite so I'm not expecting anything final to come out of Winter Meetings. I've read that he wants to sign by December.

4. The Rockies are looking to trade Carlos Gonzales (no-named outfielder with real potential acquired in Holliday trade). I'm sure hoping they get something big out of a deal with them. With Holliday gone they are going to need a big bat in the lineup and they NEED pitching still. I'm starting to doubt this Holliday trade and it's potential implications.

Ahh, Winter Meetings. A glimpse into the 2009 season, which I anxiously anticipating.

Little Know Fact... I'm an Astronomy Nerd

So, many of you have been forced to listen to me go on and on about the wonders of the universe and all that it holds.

There are so many fascinating things that we have yet to learn, and with every discovery we only discover that there is so much we only know.

A group of Dutch undergrads discovered a new planet. We have been discovering planets rotating stars for quite some time, but this is a unique discovery.

First I want to say how awesome is it that by studying light fluctuations or wobbles, and gravitational pulls, we can mathematically prove that other planetary systems exist.

For the most part we have found Jupiter sized planets in places where life is unlikely, but as it was explained to me that is because of the limitations of our technology. It is almost certain other solar systems exist that are similar to ours.

Anyway, this new planetary system travels around a star much hotter than our Sun, and it orbits the planet in less than three days.

I'll spare you the two-hour lecture about how cool astronomy is and just sum up my feelings with this: Astronomy is FASCINATING!!!!!

So this is an image taken from the Hubble Telescope of the star Fomalhaut. This is the debris that circles the planet and the close up is one of three planets that orbits the star. This is not a picture of the newly discovered planet, but I wanted to give you an idea of what this stuff looks like.

Also, astronomers hypothesize that earth-sized planets may be present in this solar system but they may be too dim to capture.

Me

The bad thing about you win some you lose some and some get rained out is that it applies not only in sports, but also in life.

Today I lost some.

Sporting World Update

School is literally consuming my life right now. There are so many things that I want to write about but I'll just give a little bit of attention to everything for you.

Brooke and I decorated her Christmas tree tonight. I love the holiday season!

Baseball America came out with its top prospects. I was a little surprised that Nick Adenhart was named the Angel's Angel's No. 1 prospect. Of the top-10 prospect, seven were pitchers which is a little unexpected. Kevin Jepsen ranked in at No. 7. It will be interesting to see what happens at winter meetings this year.

Also I had a random dream about Nick, it was strange. That is two prospect dreams within three weeks. Weird.

I'm not sure if the Angels will get all, or any, of the free agents they offered arbitration to. I'm hoping for Mark Teixeira but I'm not going to be all the surprised if He signs with a team with a lot more money like the Red Sox. I've heard that Jason Varitek will return to the Red Sox, so I don't know if they will sign Teixeira.

The 2009 Hall of Fame ballot was released. The voting will take place on Jan. 12. I'm excited to see who will make it in this year. Tommy John will be on the ballot for his final year (you get 15 years on the ballot). I'm not expecting him to make it, I just think it's interesting.
Check out this article on John and this one for the Hall of Fame voting information.

Plaxico Buress shot himself in the leg. Ha Ha Ha. Really? Seriously?

Following his arrest for weapons charges he was suspended by the NFL for four games and the Giants placed him on the non-football injury list, which means he can't return for the rest of the season.

The Broncos looked really good against the Jets. What I can't figure out is why they can perform so well in New York but choke in Denver against the Raiders. Honestly.

I'm heading into the playoff for my Fantasy League in first place. I used to think fantasy sports were a waste of time but, now I kinda like them. I'm kinda good at it.

Well this is all for now. I must go back to writing about Nike's marketing campaigns and the More Good Foundation.

Here's to only 10 more days of school left!!!!!