Christmas Break 2008

The Christmas Holidays are a fun time for me. Sure there is time off work. More time with the family and friends. Great food. Gifts. And if you are a follower of Christ, a wonderful spiritual time of worship and reflection. But there is so much more. Like sports. For those of you who don't know the difference between a Sooner and a Gator, this is known as the College Bowl Season. It is the time of the year when college football teams are rewarded for anything resembling a successful season. The opening of this years cornucopia of football was the Las Vegas Bowl on December 20th between BYU and Arizona. In true Las Vegas fashion, we had an odd mix of images. The grit of football. Scantily clad showgirls at the coin toss. A football field sized flag. David Hassellhoff singing the National Anthem. And an Air Force flyover that probably caused some Southwest passengers to wet their pants when the F 15's hit their after burners in the night time sky. In a game I was lucky enough to attend, Arizona won a hard fought battle. But what stood out for me was that I live in a western state and the organizers had to shovel snow off of the aluminum seats before the game. Yes, it was very cold. A nice Las Vegas Sun Photo of Arizona defending against the BYU offense in the 2008 Las Vegas Bowl. Tuesday the 30th, my son is taking the family to the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. The Oregon Ducks are taking on the Cowboys of Oklahoma State. As a big PAC 10 Conference fan, and having many amigos from Oregon, you can guess who I will be rooting for. Then it'll be on to the 2009 Tournament of Roses Parade. The in-laws are taking a whole group of us, and this year we've scored the best seats in the house, or in this case, on the street. Right below the television cameras on Colorado Blvd., across from the Norton Simon Museum. While a significant part of the good old U.S. of A. will be in a deep freeze, we'll be basking in wonderful dry sunshine watching the best parade in the country. I'll post some pictures after the event but here is a great preview. The 2008 Sweepstakes Winner for the Most Beautiful Float in the parade, from Rainbird Industries. After the game, we'll head back to their house to watch our favorite college team, USC, demolish Penn State in the Rose Bowl. Then we'll share together the traditional New Year's meal of cajun gumbo, sourdough toast, black eyes peas, and with luck, sweet potato pie. Life is good. Have a happy New Year and see you all in 2009!