I feel like I can finally start thinking about and enjoying Christmas now that I am done teaching for the year. I will actually be at home in Utah for Christmas. It is just the second time in the last six years that I have been here. The previous two were spent in Arizona, here the year before that, and then the two before that in Seattle. So I guess it is a 2 years away and 1 year home pattern I have going.
I am going to miss being in Arizona. For those of you who have relatives close by and do things with them you are very lucky. I hope everyone appreciates their big families and relatives. In Utah all I have is the four of us in my family, subtract my brother in Mongolia for his mission, and my Uncle. Whenever my Uncle comes over to visit it is a family reunion. That is it for the Horan clan. Quality, but not much quantity.
For this reason, and just because my relatives are awesome, I love being able to go to Arizona where my mom has 6 siblings as well as my Grandma and Grandpa Fife. There I am very lucky to have both quality and quantity. Plus I actually have cousins! It is so much fun to spend time with them and play games and enjoy Christmas for what it really is, a time for family and to celebrate the life and birth of Christ. I feel like I have grown a lot closer to them just in the few weeks of time I have spent with them the past two years at Christmas. I wish I could see them more often.
Christmas here is nice though too, I get to spend some good time with my friends who stuck around in Utah. I also got to watch the BYU bowl game for the first time in a while, because my relatives don't have ESPN. I also will get to have a White Christmas, maybe even get to go and play in it a little bit. Christmas is what you make of it, and I plan to make it a great one.
I hope that you are able to do the same, enjoy it wherever you are and with whoever you are with. Take a moment to stop running around and relax and enjoy it for what it really is.
Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving
It has been far to long since I have written anything. I have had a few ideas, but nothing has seemed blogworthy. There are a few crazy things that have happened and perhaps I will write them soon. This week you may get a few blog posts if I get really bored. Seriously, there is nothing like the holidays to make you realize how alone you are sometimes. Our complex is deserted, everybody went home it seems. The good news is that we own this place, well until they all get back.
I figured the least I can do is write down a few of the many things I am greatful for.
I figured the least I can do is write down a few of the many things I am greatful for.
- My Family
- Friends
- A Job
- Good health
- Freedom
- Humor
- Sports
- Music
That is a very short list, but I could go on forever and you should be thankful that I didn't. I don't know why I am such a lucky guy, but for that I am greatful. I see so many things going on in the world that are negative, yet my life is good. It is far from perfect, but it is mine.
I am thankful that I am free, and I don't mean just because I live in America. I have the freedom to do what I love. While many are unemployed, I have a job at an amazing school where I hope I am making a difference. I have the financial fredom of not being in debt and being able to have everything I need. I am glad I was taught when I was young how to take care of my money.
How to take care of money isn't the only thing I learned from my amazing family. They have always been there to help me with anything and everything. My brother and I always made a great team. I look forward to getting him back from loan to Mongolia.
I am also thankful for my friends that help me stay sane. I am lucky to work with people that I like and who understand what i'm going through. Sometimes the only person that can understand what i'm going through is someone else who is going through the same thing. I can tell my friends at work about something and they can relate, I come home looking for that same support and nobody gets it. Don't get me wrong I have the best friends anyone can ask for. But if Jared came home talking about some technology thing he was trying to figure out, it means nothing to me either. I consider myself lucky that I have both great coworkers and great friends.
My friends and I have been watching some t.v. shows that Chris owns on DVD and it has been nice to have something to laugh about and share together. I am so greatful for a sense of humor and for other people who do as well. Life would be so boring without something to laugh about.
We have also enjoyed watching some great sports games lately. Real Salt Lake winning the MLS Cup was amazing! I hope it isn't long before we have many more professional championships here in Utah. I am also glad to have had BYU season tickets again this year, it has been a great run. I look forward to this weeks game against Utah. I also am excited that the Jazz will get the Knicks pick in the draft this next summer. I was able to play on some fun intramural teams this semester and look forward to playing more basketball soon. As much as some people may not understand, I love having a great game to look forward to, be it my own or a team I follow.
So much for keeping this short, this however is the end, for real. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving and I am excited to start celebrating the heck out of Christmas on Friday!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Hey Mama, I Love You!
A lot has been on my mind lately, one of these things is my mom. She is such an amazing person, someone who is always going out of her way to help and serve everyone around her. Whenever I think of her, I think of a doer, someone who is never idle or lazy. To see her stuck in a hospital bed is about as far away from my vision of her as you can get. She is recovering well, she has been there for just over two weeks now. We hope that she will be able to come home in another couple of weeks. I am always amazed at how positive she is and how she is able to overcome the obstacles that come her way. So this message goes out to my mom, I love you!
I was originally going to have the song, Say Hey (I Love You) play along with this, but I was just listening to this song and thought it was more fitting. I am going to include a few of the lyrics below: Smile by Uncle Kracker
You´re better then the best, I´m lucky just to linger in your light.
Lets me know that it´s OK, yeah it´s OK, And the moments where my good times start to fade, you make me smile like the sun.
Even when you´re gone, Somehow you come along, Just like a flower poking through the sidewalk crack and just like that, You steal away the rain and just like that, You make me smile like the sun.
Don´t know how I lived without you, Cuz every time that I get around you, I see the best of me inside your eyes, You make me smile.
I am lucky to have such an amazing family. None of us would be the people we are today without her. No matter how many times I visit her in the hospital that will never be the way I see her. I know she will be back as strong as ever and doing things that most healthy people don't have the energy to do. She will also have to learn again how to let others help her for a while.
I was originally going to have the song, Say Hey (I Love You) play along with this, but I was just listening to this song and thought it was more fitting. I am going to include a few of the lyrics below: Smile by Uncle Kracker
You´re better then the best, I´m lucky just to linger in your light.
Lets me know that it´s OK, yeah it´s OK, And the moments where my good times start to fade, you make me smile like the sun.
Even when you´re gone, Somehow you come along, Just like a flower poking through the sidewalk crack and just like that, You steal away the rain and just like that, You make me smile like the sun.
Don´t know how I lived without you, Cuz every time that I get around you, I see the best of me inside your eyes, You make me smile.
I am lucky to have such an amazing family. None of us would be the people we are today without her. No matter how many times I visit her in the hospital that will never be the way I see her. I know she will be back as strong as ever and doing things that most healthy people don't have the energy to do. She will also have to learn again how to let others help her for a while.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The Perfect Player
About a week ago John Stockton was enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame. He was my favorite basketball player growing up and someone I always looked up to. He made it cool to pass, to work hard, and he always put the team and his family first.
After Bill Belichick’s comment that recently retired linebacker Tedy Bruschi was a “perfect player” Jerry Sloan said that John Stockton is the closest thing he's ever seen to a perfect NBA player. "I'd never heard that before," Sloan told the Salt Lake Tribune, "but it certainly would represent John Stockton in almost every aspect of basketball."
John Stockton led his team to 19 playoff appearances, making it to the NBA finals twice. I will never forget the first, when he made the three pointer over Charles Barkley at the buzzer to win the series. The Jazz didn’t usually show a lot of emotion, but boy did they show it then!
He played in 10 all star games, being named co-MVP of the 1993 game with teammate Karl Malone. He was selected to the All-NBA teams 10 times and named to the NBA All-Defensive teams five times. In 1996 he was named one of the 50 greatest players ever to play in the NBA, he truly did it all.
John Stockton commandingly holds the records for both Assists and Steals. He had 5,483 more assists than second place Mark Jackson. To demonstrate how amazing this is, only 33 players in NBA history have ever recorded 5,483 assists. He has over twice as many assists as Steve Nash who has won two MVP awards.
He holds the record for assists-per-game average over one season with 14.5, and is one of only three players to record over 1,000 assists in one season. Kevin Porter and Isiah Thomas did it once, Stockton did it SEVEN times!
Not only could he play great defense and make everyone around him better, but he was a great scorer. He ranks #30 on the all-time NBA scoring list with 19,711 career points.
With all of these records and success you might think it would go to his head. This was never the case. He was as humble as could be. He was often the smallest player on the court, he didn’t look very imposing, but he always gave it his all. Karl Malone said he would wake up during the off season and think to himself, John’s at home working out, so I better get working. He inspired everyone around him, his teammates often had their best seasons of their career. If they worked hard they knew that he would reward them.
He tried to stay out of the limelight, and was very successful. Check out this video it is hilarious!
After Bill Belichick’s comment that recently retired linebacker Tedy Bruschi was a “perfect player” Jerry Sloan said that John Stockton is the closest thing he's ever seen to a perfect NBA player. "I'd never heard that before," Sloan told the Salt Lake Tribune, "but it certainly would represent John Stockton in almost every aspect of basketball."
John Stockton led his team to 19 playoff appearances, making it to the NBA finals twice. I will never forget the first, when he made the three pointer over Charles Barkley at the buzzer to win the series. The Jazz didn’t usually show a lot of emotion, but boy did they show it then!
He played in 10 all star games, being named co-MVP of the 1993 game with teammate Karl Malone. He was selected to the All-NBA teams 10 times and named to the NBA All-Defensive teams five times. In 1996 he was named one of the 50 greatest players ever to play in the NBA, he truly did it all.
John Stockton commandingly holds the records for both Assists and Steals. He had 5,483 more assists than second place Mark Jackson. To demonstrate how amazing this is, only 33 players in NBA history have ever recorded 5,483 assists. He has over twice as many assists as Steve Nash who has won two MVP awards.
He holds the record for assists-per-game average over one season with 14.5, and is one of only three players to record over 1,000 assists in one season. Kevin Porter and Isiah Thomas did it once, Stockton did it SEVEN times!
Not only could he play great defense and make everyone around him better, but he was a great scorer. He ranks #30 on the all-time NBA scoring list with 19,711 career points.
With all of these records and success you might think it would go to his head. This was never the case. He was as humble as could be. He was often the smallest player on the court, he didn’t look very imposing, but he always gave it his all. Karl Malone said he would wake up during the off season and think to himself, John’s at home working out, so I better get working. He inspired everyone around him, his teammates often had their best seasons of their career. If they worked hard they knew that he would reward them.
He tried to stay out of the limelight, and was very successful. Check out this video it is hilarious!
I was fortunate enough to meet John Stockton, although not as fan friendly as Karl Malone. (Who I have met a few times, he and his brother gave my brother and I fishing lessons).
His autograph is one of my prized possessions. My dad won tickets to the game that he broke the steals record. (Luckily he got a steal that day) After the game they gave us a certificate that said we were in attendance. Later in the year we attended one of the Jazz practices. We hoped that we could get all of the Jazz players to sign autographs.
Every single player signed for me except for Stockton, this did not stop my determination. We waited out in the parking lot for him to head home, he was the very last player to leave. At this point there was only my little brother and I waiting. We asked again for his autograph and he said only if we would walk with him to his car. We agreed and I was able to get the certificate signed.
As he enters the Hall of Fame I will always remember him as the perfect player. He gave his all, made those around him better. He could score with the best, yet was satisfied to let someone else get the glory of scoring. He never liked all of the attention and awards, yet they came in abundance and may have come more freely if he had been willing to work more with the media and fans. His assist record may never be broken. I know, in my heart at least, that he will always be the best point guard to ever play the game.
This video almost brings tears to my eyes, so many good memories.
His autograph is one of my prized possessions. My dad won tickets to the game that he broke the steals record. (Luckily he got a steal that day) After the game they gave us a certificate that said we were in attendance. Later in the year we attended one of the Jazz practices. We hoped that we could get all of the Jazz players to sign autographs.
Every single player signed for me except for Stockton, this did not stop my determination. We waited out in the parking lot for him to head home, he was the very last player to leave. At this point there was only my little brother and I waiting. We asked again for his autograph and he said only if we would walk with him to his car. We agreed and I was able to get the certificate signed.
As he enters the Hall of Fame I will always remember him as the perfect player. He gave his all, made those around him better. He could score with the best, yet was satisfied to let someone else get the glory of scoring. He never liked all of the attention and awards, yet they came in abundance and may have come more freely if he had been willing to work more with the media and fans. His assist record may never be broken. I know, in my heart at least, that he will always be the best point guard to ever play the game.
This video almost brings tears to my eyes, so many good memories.
Assists
1. John Stockton 15,806
1. John Stockton 15,806
2 Mark Jackson 10,334
3 JASON KIDD 10,199
4 Magic Johnson 10,141
5 Oscar Robertson 9,887
6 Isiah Thomas 9,061
7 Gary Payton 8,966
8 Rod Strickland 7,987
9 STEVE NASH 7,505
10 Maurice Cheeks 7,392
Steals
Steals
1 John Stockton 3,265
2 Michael Jordan 2,514
3 Gary Payton 2,445
4 Maurice Cheeks 2,310
5 Scottie Pippen 2,307
6 Clyde Drexler 2,207
7 JASON KIDD 2,198
8 Hakeem Olajuwon 2,162
9 Alvin Robertson 2,112
10 Karl Malone 2,085
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