This is my second Christmas Card and Year in Review; I had a hard time getting this done with all the actives going on at this time of year. Most of you will be reading this off my web site as a link, I hope if it works. I hope to use this web site as yet another way to stay in touch with everyone as it get increasingly more difficult as priorities change. For those who have received this email please feel free to pass it on to other friends that I might not have included.
I brought in the New Year in McAllen ,TX near the boarder with Mexico. I really enjoyed watching the world react to the Y2K issue from a small town were it seemed to not really matter. I then got back into the swing of what Austin had to offer with playing golf, water skiing, ultimate Frisbee and softball. Having the travel bug I went to go visit good friends in New York City that I know from my time in the Marines in Hawaii. I have to tell everyone that I did some great things but the highlight of the trip was being on the Emerald Live cooking show. This is a cooking show that I started watching in Hawaii as a bachelor trying to upgrade my cooking skills from grilled chess sandwiches. Needless to say I had a great trip and got to see some good friends.
Israel 2000 it will never be the same! I started planning this trip in Dec of '99 knowing that I needed to get to Israel before my friend from high school rotated out from his job there. So I got the family sold on making the trip! Unfortunately my grandmother became ill and my parents where not able to go. So my little sister and I went on the trip ourselves and we had a bast!!! What a great experience it was highlighted by climbing the Masada before dawn at the Dead Sea. The day we left the riots started and soon thereafter my friend was moved out of the country by his company due to the violence.
In October my grandmother passed away just after I got back from Israel so I was blessed to be with her before she pass away. She is the last of my four grandparents and with her passing an end of greatly appreciated leadership in my family. She and the other three that passed before her will be missed greatly. On the same day of my grandmother's funeral I was in a wedding in Houston of a good friend of mine. I had time to reflect on what was important in life. My roommate was the best man so we planned a great bachelor party for him at his beach house in Florida. However, hurricaine Gordon met us there and that made it even more of a party not knowing if we would have to evacuate the island that we were on or not.
It is now December and as I write this I'm getting ready to go spend Christmas with my family in China at my sisters house to enjoy my one and a half-year-old niece. I'm excited to be able use some of my very poor but not lost Chinese and have some real Chinese food(joza's). I plan on going to Beijing to see some old friends from Taiwan and to stop in on Motorola's new 3 billion-dollar factory in Tanjin
In summary God has blessed me this year in my job which continues to challenge me and push me. I have been able build upon the friendships that I have here in Austin and continue to meet some great people at my church and in the A&M club. I hope to stay in touch with you via email or by phone, as you know I do not write. Talk to you soon and Merry Christmas and Happyyy New Yearrrrr!!!!
LakeWay TX 78734
(512) 294-3644
Scott.McCann@Motorola.com