Insights and Sounds 1st Anniversary!

Today marks the one year anniversary of the Insights and Sounds blog. Thank you for reading! I thought it would be good to recap my first post before I share a bit about where we've gone and where we'll go.

"The biggest question on my mind today is "What am I doing here?" Or if I was in a fairly obnoxious mood, it might be "What are YOU doing here?"Random thoughts is a good name for this first post because I really don't know what I'll be sharing everytime I add something. My hunch is this is where you'll hear about what interests me, what I think about what's going on in this world, what I'm trying to figure out, or how we can really make a difference. Maybe I'm really just looking for a place to journal...

Why "Insights and Sounds"? A play on words. Kinda thought it would be fun sharing reflections and revelations, music and movie perspectives, travel experiences and photos, and thoughts on faith. Regarding that last piece, a verse out of a letter called First Corinthians happens to be my favorite : "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."

If you check in here often, you'll discover that I'm really a geek at heart, pretty sentimental, not sophisticated, and for the most part, that I really like people. Hope that works for you!"

Apparently, you appreciate the postings- so thanks! Over time, the blog and ideas for it has grown, and it will continue to do so as long as I have the energy and time.

If this is your first visit, you might like to see some examples of some of my favorite posts here. They cover a wide range of topics just to keep things interesting. Here's a few:

Bargain Basement Imagineering- the concept art of Disney's California Adventure compiled in one place- http://insightsandsounds.blogspot.com/2008/10/bargain-basement-imagineering.html

Space Mountain, Universal Thrills- History of the Disney attraction throughout the world- http://insightsandsounds.blogspot.com/2008/09/space-mountain-universal-thrills.html

Idol Flashback- Thoughts on American Idol- http://insightsandsounds.blogspot.com/2008/04/idol-flashback.html

Hong Kong Mystery- a look at some rare concept art for Hong Kong Disneyland- http://insightsandsounds.blogspot.com/2008/05/hong-kong-mystery.html

Two Spoonfuls of Sugar- trip report on Disneyland and California Adventure- http://insightsandsounds.blogspot.com/2009/01/two-spoonfuls-of-sugar-day-two-at.html

Indiana Jones: The Attractions- Stories, details, and rare concept art on Disney's Indy based attractions- http://insightsandsounds.blogspot.com/2008/05/indiana-jones-attractions.html

Best Beatles Remakes- the name says it all!- http://insightsandsounds.blogspot.com/2008/09/best-beatles-remakes.html

Invisible Children- Reaching and caring for the forgotten kids of the world- http://insightsandsounds.blogspot.com/2008/05/invisible-children.html

Moonlight Serenade- a tribute to my parents on their 50th wedding anniversary- http://insightsandsounds.blogspot.com/2008/04/moonlight-serenade.html

Saving Epcot- How to restore the world's greatest theme park to the grandeur of prior years- http://insightsandsounds.blogspot.com/2008/05/saving-epcot.html

Islands of Mixed Adventure- After decades of visiting only Walt Disney World, I stop in and see what Universal turned out in Florida- http://insightsandsounds.blogspot.com/2008/06/islands-of-mixed-adventure.html

Disturbed- a movie review of The Dark Knight- http://insightsandsounds.blogspot.com/2008/07/disturbed.html

The Horizon Review- a series of posts spotlighting the albums of a much loved and missed female vocalist, Karen Carpenter- http://insightsandsounds.blogspot.com/2009/02/horizon-review-carpenters-masterpiece.html

Trains, Planes, and Automobiles- our European Adventure in words and photos: London, Paris, Venice, Tuscany, Wales, and Germany- http://insightsandsounds.blogspot.com/2008/03/planes-trains-and-automobiles.html

Notable and Quotable: Bono- U2's front man shares some wisdom- http://insightsandsounds.blogspot.com/2008/08/notable-and-quotable-bono.html

Disney's Animal Kingdom, A True Life Adventure- a continuing series on the creation, execution, and history of the park. Lots of rare concept art- http://insightsandsounds.blogspot.com/2008/10/disneys-animal-kingdom-true-life.html

WOW- that was alot, wasn't it?

Going forward, I am very excited about a series of interviews with Eddie Sotto from Walt Disney Imagineering. (The first segment posted by mistake earlier this month!) Again, thank you to Didier Ghez from the Disney History blog for this opportunity.

As promised, I'll continue with my existing series, and I'll add some new ones as well. I've got plenty more of Disney concept art to share, lots of music reviews, segments on what it means to me to be a man of faith in this modern world, and more trip reports and photos from our journeys. Of course, I'll sneak in a few family photos old and new from time to time. If you want a more personal look at who I am, here's my acceptance speech.

Thank you again for making this a wonderful year. I am blessed to have you along for the journey.
Mark