Spring has finally started to emerge from beneath the deepest freeze of winter. For the month of March, enjoy the shades of green mixing with the ever-deepening blue sky.

Click on the image above to download the 1280×800 version, or download the large image (2650×1600). Taken at the Penn State Arboretum in State College, Pennsylvania.

My sincerest apologies to any diligently waiting for this. A cold winter’s night stifled with falling snow at a quickening pace reminds me that the pace of 2010 has already begun to quicken though only the second month of the year is now upon us. The invigorating chill of the winter air augurs well for the months ahead.

Click on the image above to download the 1280×800 version, or download the large image (2650×1600). Taken in State College, Pennsylvania.

via Reuters

As most of you now know, Haiti was ravaged by a massive earthquake that struck very close to the capital city of Port-au-Prince. The Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive stated earlier that he believes the death toll to be “well over 100,000.” The scale and scope of this disaster is on the same order as the tsunami that struck Indonesia a few years ago, and then, just as now, we have an obligation to rise to the aid of those who are in need, particularly those suffering due to the ravages of nature.

I ask everyone to please pray for our Haitian brothers and sisters, and that all foreign aid promised is swift in its delivery. There are many charitable and aid organizations already mobilized in Haiti, should you wish to contact one to donate monetary support to their efforts.

After the excitement of the holiday season, the start of the new year always seems to quickly fade into clouds of snow and a cold, misty grayness that continues until the first buds of spring emerge through the frozen ground. Keep the fire of your life’s passions burning strong and neither the cold nor the darkness will keep you from your dreams.

Click on the image above to download the 1280×800 version, or download the large image (2650×1600). Taken near Port Matilda, Pennsylvania.

Updated: links fixed.

With December comes lots of things, but for my wife and me it’ll be that much more special…it’s our first Christmas with our stunningly adorable daughter Calleigh. It already feels so much more special and magical with a child than it has for many years now. I remember those first few years when I always thought I heard Santa and a few of those reindeer clomping across the roof, just feet above my ceiling.

For all those who celebrate other holidays this time of year, may you have a happy and blessed celebration with your family. Whatever you celebrate, remember to see it through a child’s eyes. It makes all the difference.

Download the 2650×1600 image or the 1280×800 image. Image taken during the remarkable Dale Chihuly exhibit at Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in late 2007.

With my sincere apologies for being 6 days into November already, here’s the first one! It’s available in two sizes, 2650×1600 and 1280×800. If there is enough interest in a fullscreen format I will offer that as well, but you can also use this opportunity to convince your significant other to let you finally purchase that computer with a widescreen monitor, and tell them I made you. They’ll understand.

Acting like a real lion:

Just being adorable:

Calleigh finally visits GameDay!

And since there are so few photos of me, here’s one of me and the little bean (she seems slightly underwhelmed by the whole ESPN GameDay atmosphere):

This year, there have been several new additions (all female, no less!) to the tailgating family (otherwise known as the Nittany Tailgating Association): Isabelle (born last December to Jess & Craig), Harper (born in February to Amber & John), our daughter Calleigh (born February 27 for those who would like to send gifts), and Megan (born in June to Ken and Courtney).

Here’s a small sampling of lots of baby girls dressed in Penn State athletic regalia. They’re all perfectly adorable. Enjoy!

We’ll start with a few of Calleigh:

With Harper and Belle in the background:

Harper would prefer not to be photographed at the moment, though Belle seems eager behind her:

Heather and Calleigh:

Since she’s my daughter, here’s a few more:

Love this one:

Since she’s still so small it’s hard to find hats that fit:

Here’s Harper with her parents:

And our friends Jen and Matt might have an addition of their own soon!

Harper: The definitive portrait.

And here’s Harper going after the pom-pom:

She also seems to enjoy showing off the guns:

I couldn’t decide which version was cuter, so here’s both:

And back to Calleigh and Heather:

She’s quite obsessed with letting me get every angle:

And then her sartorial side came out…

Megan:

And one with her mom:

More football photos to come…including Calleigh visiting ESPN’s GameDay!

Nothing washes away the end of a long week and the end of summer like a Friday drench. The cold and gray muted palettes stir up visions of prep schools preppy clothes. College stadiums overgrown with ivy echo with cheers through crisp and chilly Saturday afternoons like stirring battle cries from afar. But first comes the rain to wash away the blue-soaked summer landscapes and leave nothing but dazzling and resplendent colors.

There are times when you can feel the pace of life breathing down your neck, when you feel like you have to slam the gas pedal into the floor so you can pick up those extra 30 seconds by making it through the traffic light before it turns red. All our hectic pacing can be exhilarating at the best of times and downright heart attack-inducing at others. I experienced the latter this morning. When I get nailed at a traffic light, I usually tap my foot and silently (or loudly) curse the red light for stealing 30 precious seconds of my life that I will never get back. But this morning, I instead looked out the window and was instantly lost in a sea of golden sunbeams parting an oceanic mist in the valley. A mist that clouds your mind with your daily routine, the grind of work, the inner turmoil in which so many live their lives. The warm, golden sunbeams pierce through the shrouded mist of our confused lives and remind us that our lives do have focus. They have meaning. They are not about getting to work 30 seconds earlier. They are about living life but never getting so bogged down in the thick, choking fog of business that we forget to see the golden rays of our dreams beckoning us to part the mist and climb the hills.

Live your life. But never allow yourself get lost in the mist. Always seek out those warm golden beams, and never lose the light of your dreams to the mundane and the ordinary. Feel the light. Know your dreams. Be extraordinary.