Saturday, December 4, 2010

The Home Stretch

From the scenic city of Sedona, Arizona.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving with friends and family!  Tonight I write to you from one of my favorite places on the face of the earth, Sedona.  If you haven't had a chance to visit this magnificent part of the country, I encourage you all to do so within your lifetime.  The mountains of red rock truly take your breath away.  The Foley's gratefully invited me up here for the night to get in the Christmas spirit and prepare for the colder weather I will face when I come back home in a few weeks.  

I can now say that I am coming down the home stretch of my first semester at ASU.  It has been a great semester filled with many highlights and moments that have made this past five months one of the best chapters of my storybook through life.  The meeting of new friends and transitioning to college itself has been a cherishing experience.  Truly, I could not be surrounded by better people than those I am so fortunate to have here at ASU.

Over the course of five months, I have met a few individuals who are true heroes and leaders.  Earlier this year I met Arizona Governor Jan Brewer and Arizona Senator John McCain.  On a flight from Burbank to Oakland, I sat next to none-other than Capt. Chelsey Sullenberger, the pilot who landed on the Hudson River.  Never have I crossed a more humble and noble man in my life.  And recently, I met one of the most inspiring women I know, Sarah Palin.  All of these individuals were certainly a pleasure to meet!

As for school, it has been an enjoyable first semester and college is all and even more that I expected it to be.  Classes have gone extremely well and now all I can do is prepare myself for the end of semester finals.  Fortunately, I have my Spring semester schedule already planned and am looking forward to seeing what the upcoming semester has in store besides Spring Training baseball! :)

On December 16th I will be packing my bags and flying to the place where I love most, home.  I am looking forward to spending a month back in Wisconsin with family and friends for the Christmas season.  Bring on the cold weather and snow.  After living in the desert for a few months, I hope I can still handle the Wisconsin winters!  

In memory of coach Jimmy Valvano, let us all take time this Christmas season to have laughter, thought, and emotion.

Blessings,

Zachary L. Ziebarth

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Giving Thanks

Greetings!

On this Thanksgiving eve I am proud to say that I have finally started my own personal blog!  I will do my best to find a routine and make this successful!

As all you travelers scurry your way to your Thanksgiving destination, I hope you take the time to sit back and think about all the things you have to be thankful for.  For me, the list goes on and on.  First, I am thankful for God and the Faith he has instilled in me to have such a cherishable life, living in the greatest country in the world created under the words and beliefs of him.  Second, I am thankful for my family who has given me the shining light of inspiration and hope that I carry.  Truly, I am grateful to have been raised be two of the greatest people on the face of this earth.  Third, I am thankful for my rights that have been handed down to me by our founding fathers.  The freedom and liberty they have set out for myself and all of you is a grateful act that we can never pay back.  Our only obligation is to uphold and protect those so sacred rights that they felt so strong about.  I have confidence that as a nation, we can get this country back on the path that the founding fathers have paved.  Fourth, I am thankful for life and health, as I know many others this holiday season are facing obstacles.  For whatever the battle is you may be fighting, I send you my prayers and I encourage you to keep praying and keep fighting.  Lastly, I am thankful for you.  I have been blessed to know and be surrounded by people who have touched my heart and made a difference in my life.  For this, I thank you.  And the list goes on and on.

To all of you, I hope you have a safe holiday weekend filled with joy and love.  Truly, we have so much to be thankful for so let us cherish the memories we make and live a life of happiness.

With love,

Zachary L. Ziebarth