Rekindled Passion in Wildcat Nation

Rekindled Passion in Wildcat Nation

Tre Mitchell celebrates with teammates in a 22-point effort in victory over Saint Joseph’s.

(LEXINGTON, Ky.) – The passion is back.

In Kentucky’s 96 – 88 overtime victory the other night against the Saint Joseph’s Hawks, there was a point in the game that I thought the Wildcats might actually lose. With 30 seconds left in regulation and his team trailing by a point, D.J. Wagner shot a layup that would have given the Wildcats the lead.

He missed.

Fortunately for Big Blue Nation, Tre Mitchell grabbed the errant rebound and slammed it home for a one-point lead.

What was significant about this moment wasn’t that Kentucky ultimately prevailed in overtime and avoided the monumental upset loss at home. But rather, the significance was that—for the first time in a while—I actually cared again whether Kentucky Basketball won or lost.

And so apparently did a bunch of other Wildcat fans watching around the commonwealth. It’s been a while since we’ve all collectively felt the joy—that nail-biting, gut-wrenching nervous energy excitement of actually giving a crap. When Kentucky wins, we’re on cloud nine. When Kentucky loses, we’re depressed for a week.

As weird as that sounds, I miss that feeling.

I can’t tell you how many times over the past couple of seasons that I heard former die-hard fans tell me that joy was gone. Half the time, they didn’t even know when the Cats were playing. That’s sad. When it comes to Kentucky Basketball, there’s nothing worse than fan apathy.

Let’s face it, we’re all tired of hearing about 9 -16 seasons, first-round exits to Saint Peter’s in the NCAA tournament, and Kansas surpassing us as the all-time winningest program in college basketball. Everyone and their brother is totally frustrated by situations where Shaedon Sharpe doesn’t play at all or where Devin Askew plays too much. We’re devastated and demoralized that Final Fours—much less national championships—have apparently become things of the past.

Amidst the gloom and doom of it all, we’ve all forgotten the exhilaration of seeing the last shot go in, the elation of shooting (and making) a bunch of three-point daggers, and even the excitement of successfully running a simple inbounds play.

In one fell swoop the other night, all those emotions came flowing back.

I guarantee you this current team will recapture your passion. They’re agile, mobile, and versatile. Sure, they’re young, but they’re also extremely fun to watch. Talent is overflowing in the backcourt. Antonio Reeves can shoot with the best of them, and “dawgs” like Wagner and Rob Dillingham don’t frequently appear together out of thin air.

Reed Sheppard, however, may be better than anyone, and he’s already a fan favorite. Check out the buzz whenever he’s on the floor.

And don’t forget about Mitchell—the star of the game. The West Virginia transfer can definitely stretch the floor with his three-point shooting. Don’t ever underestimate his maturity and leadership either. It’s all part of the championship puzzle.

On top of all that, Coach John Calipari seems to be letting them play. Random basketball he calls it.

“Random is we are spacing the court, and we are playing off of one another,” the Hall of Fame coach explained. “It is kind of like you have five 3-point shooters. Do you know what you would do? Shoot a lot of 3s.”

One man’s “random” may be another man’s “rolling the balls out.”

Either way, it’s exciting for the program with the greatest tradition in the history of college basketball to be relevant again. It’s appropriate for Kentucky to recapture the all-time wins mantle. And it’s certainly exciting and appropriate for the most passionate fans on the planet to care about their team again.

Is it sustainable? I hope so.

If Kentucky gets a healthy seven-footer (or two or three) back into the lineup, then it certainly will be. Then and only then will all be right with the world.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Dr. John Huang is a retired orthodontist, military veteran, and award-winning author. He currently serves as a reporter and sports columnist for Nolan Group Media. His latest book, “They Call Me Mr. Secretary,” has been met with great anticipation. You can follow Dr. Huang on social media @KYHuangs and check out all his books at https://www.Amazon.com/stores/Dr.-John-Huang/author/B092RKJBRD

Wildcats Seek Redemption in Rivalry Showdown

Wildcats Seek Redemption in Rivalry Showdown

Kentucky Coach Mark Stoops presented with the perfect opportunity to “pony up.” Popping Louisville’s 10 – 1 bubble can drastically change the perception of Kentucky’s disappointing season to date (Dr. Michael Huang Photo).

(LEXINGTON, Ky.) – Thank God for Louisville.

After a demoralizing 17 – 14 loss to the lowly South Carolina Gamecocks, the Kentucky football program appears poised on the brink of a momentous season-ending crash and burn. Not only have dreams of a magical ten-win campaign gone by the wayside, but the reality of a 6 – 6 trainwreck has even a few die-hard crazies calling for Mark Stoops’ scalp.

There’s only one potential saving grace for the embattled Kentucky coach. Ironically, it comes from a program just down I – 64 that previously served as Stoops’ whipping boy. Four straight wins over a Louisville little brother had the Kentucky head man cruising comfortably in his own skin…until now.

Lo and behold, how times have changed.

There’s a new sheriff in town on the Cardinals’ sidelines. Coming into this Saturday’s high-noon showdown, Coach Jeff Brohm—in his first year at the helm—is looking for Louisville’s 11th win for the first time since the 2012 season. The Cards picked up their 10th win last Saturday for only the seventh time in school history and the first time since 2013. Their 38 – 31 victory over Miami also clinched a spot in the ACC title game—Louisville’s first and only appearance ever in any conference championship.

And now, Stoops and company get a chance to crash the party. By taking down their intra-state rivals on the home turf of L&N Stadium, Kentucky can show once and for all that even a mediocre SEC team is heads and shoulders above the best that other lesser conferences have to offer. Bragging rights are certainly in order, but for the Big Blue faithful, there’s a lot more at stake.

For Kentucky fans, it’s a serendipitous shot at redemption.

No matter how you slice it, this upcoming Governor’s Cup is a potentially nurturing salve to what has turned into a poop storm of a Kentucky season. Sure, the team stunk it up with its undisciplined play on the field. And off the field, the false bravado early on and Stoops’ infamous “pony up” comment only added to the program’s existing woes. But knock the Cardinals off of their high-and-mighty perch, and we can at least put the torches and pitchforks away for one more season. A win won’t right all the awful wrongs, but it sure can change the narrative of a program approaching freefall.

If Stoops was feeling the pressure of a fan base in revolt, he certainly didn’t let on at his weekly Monday news conference.

“It’s been a tough stretch, without a doubt,” Stoops acknowledged. “This is another game. It certainly doesn’t salvage some of the things that we’ve done or anything like that. We don’t look at it that way. We look at it as another opportunity.”

I beg to differ. It’s not just another opportunity, but rather it’s a golden opportunity for Kentucky football fans to have something legitimate to cheer about in a season gone horribly sour. Beat U of L, win your bowl game, and suddenly 8 – 5 isn’t that far off from what many of the disgruntled experts predicted preseason.

There’s a difference between disgruntlement and disappointment.

Win or lose, Stoops has consistently denied any sort of disgruntlement emanating from him or his team.

“When did I ever say I was disgruntled?” he snapped back when asked his thoughts after the Alabama blowout. “You put words in my mouth. I never said I was disgruntled. I said I’ll never be defeated. A touch disappointed, I’m not disgruntled, I’m not defeated, I’m on to the next, I’m going to go try to win this game.”

If social media were any indication, it sure seemed there was some disgruntlement coming from players and their parents after the stinker the Cats pulled in Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. But less than forty-eight hours after the carnage, Stoops remained unperturbed.

“I’m disappointed with that game that comes from investing so much,” Stoops acknowledged. “But far from defeated. Our team will show the resolve that we’ve always had and come back this week and try to put together a great week. The bottom line is go execute a little better than we did Saturday.”

And what about his “pony up” comment?

There’s been a lot made about those two infamous words Stoops uttered on his coach’s show just a few short weeks ago. I personally think fans and media grossly misconstrued his intentions. Unfortunately, if things go south from here, they’ll most likely permanently etch those words on his UK coaching tombstone.

“I really don’t want to talk [about it], I want to move past that,” Stoops said when asked if he’d like to go back and change the way he presented those comments. “You have to listen to the whole conversation. Everyone takes a piece of something you say and [they] act like you’re making an excuse. Please go back and listen to the one-minute conversation. That’s at my radio show. It’s a little more laid back. We can just discuss and talk.”

“I was very up front with the caller,” Stoops continued. “It’s like fans have every right. I never get offended or defensive. I may defend our program or our players or say things that we need. But as far as that goes, that was nothing. It was something I light-heartedly said that that person can do something—that is a way they can do something. Outside of that, I make no excuses. You know I haven’t for eleven years. I’m not going to start now. I’ll tell you facts and I’ll tell you reality.”

Here’s the reality—beat Louisville and all is forgiven (well, almost all).

Lose to the Cardinals, and you’ve got a lot more explaining to do.

Dr. John Huang is a retired orthodontist, military veteran, and award-winning author. He currently serves as a reporter and sports columnist for Nolan Group Media. His latest book, “They Call Me Mr. Secretary,” has been met with great anticipation. You can follow Dr. Huang on social media @KYHuangs and check out all his books at https://www.Amazon.com/stores/Dr.-John-Huang/author/B092RKJBRD

Living the Dream—Heroes, Legends, and Books

Living the Dream—Heroes, Legends, and Books

Think about someone you really admired in your youth.

Maybe it was a famous movie star or cultural icon. Or perhaps a political or military leader. For many of us, it might have been someone who was not necessarily famous but rather just a bit closer to home. Perhaps a loving parent, an impactful teacher, or even your local pastor. Whether Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. or Jesus in the flesh, we all had heroes that we all dreamed of emulating.

For those of us who are sports fans, our heroes are often front and center. We all had athletes who we enjoyed watching, that we looked up to, and who we cheered on passionately. As a lifelong, die-hard University of Kentucky sports fan, my heroes landed squarely in the sweet spot of the late ’70s—that magical seven month run where the UK football team went 10 – 1, was undefeated in the SEC, and achieved a No. 6 national ranking, while the UK basketball team won their fifth championship title—the first in my lifetime.

Kyle Macy was the point guard on that 1978 championship basketball team, while Derrick Ramsey quarterbacked the Wildcats through that blitzkrieg of the 1977 football season. And guess what? Those two UK greats just happened to be two of my all-time favorite UK players.

Not only did I finally meet these Wildcat legends face to face, but I also recently got to know them up close and personal. You see, I worked with Kyle on our awesome “From The Rafters of Rupp” book project back in 2021. And I’m finishing up my role as coauthor of Derrick’s just released, blockbuster new memoir, “They Call Me Mr. Secretary.”

Imagine that. If you had told me back in the day—as a nerdy, sports obsessed pre-dental student who dreamed delusionally of on-the-field stardom—that I’d one day be rubbing elbows with two superstars who I’d only gawked at and worshipped previously from afar, I would have told you that you were CERTIFIABLY NUTS!

But it’s strange how life plays out sometimes. One of the things I’ve enjoyed the most about collaborating with these two UK icons is discovering how fantastic they are as people. You learn a lot about someone—how they think, what makes them tick, and how they view the world—when you spend hours and hours with them gathering the information that’ll properly cement their legacy.

It’s downright fascinating where the conversation meanders when you’re watching historical videos in their living room (as I did with Derrick) or driving to ball games (as I did with Kyle). It suddenly dawns on you that despite their immense athletic talents, they’re regular human beings just like the rest of us—real people with real worries, real hurts, and even real hopes in life that occasionally don’t quite pan out like we planned.

Whether it’s Derrick, or Kyle, or the bold and opinionated Alan Cutler in “Cut To The Chase,” or my award-winning coauthor Del Duduit in our best-selling “Kentucky Passion,” or the Hall of Fame UK tennis coach Dennis Emery in “Serving Up Winners,” I hope you’ve enjoyed all the heartfelt time and effort that everyone’s poured into these labor of love projects.

If you’ve read or commented or helped promote any of these books in any way possible in the past, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you’ve actually spent your hard-earned money to buy any or all of them, then—you’re not only my friend, but—you’re my true hero.

I’m living the dream. And everyone needs heroes in order to keep dreaming.

Dr. John Huang is a retired orthodontist, military veteran, and award-winning author. He currently serves as a reporter and sports columnist for Nolan Group Media. He is the author/coauthor of five books, Cut To The Chase, Kentucky Passion, From The Rafters Of Rupp, Serving Up Winners, and his latest release, They Call Me Mr. Secretary. You can follow Dr. Huang on social media @KYHuangs and check out all his books at https://www.Amazon.com/stores/Dr.-John-Huang/author/B092RKJBRD

Kentucky Basketball’s Quest for Glory: Reclaiming the All-Time Wins Throne

Kentucky Basketball’s Quest for Glory: Reclaiming the All-Time Wins Throne

Kentucky players celebrate another notch on the NCAA all-time wins leaderboard. It’s always good to be Number One! (Photo Credit Dr. Michael Huang)

(LEXINGTON, Ky.) –Second place is just the first loser.

I’m pretty sure the late, great Dale Earnhardt was referencing auto racing when he said it, but the above quote could just as easily pertain to Kentucky’s precarious position atop College Basketball’s all-time wins leaderboard.

For those who missed it, the Wildcats regained their vaunted status last month as King of the Hill when the NCAA placed Kansas on a three-year probation and vacated 15 of the Jayhawks’ wins from their 2017 – 2018 season. The Independent Resolution Panel discovered five Level I violations stemming from what the NCAA alleged to be an unfair recruiting advantage Coach Bill Self’s program had due to its relationship with Adidas.

Based on that 15-game swing, the blue-blooded Wildcats currently lead their counterparts from Lawrence by a scant seven wins. With last night’s 86 – 46 victory over New Mexico State, Kentucky’s victory total now stands at 2,378. Kansas, ranked No. 1 in the most recent AP poll (while also favored to win the national title this year), clocks in a close second with 2,371 wins. North Carolina (2,344), Duke (2,274), and UCLA (1,987) round out the top 5.

Historical perspective matters

Who cares, you ask? The answer is a lot of die-hard Kentucky fans do. National championships, Final Fours, and a slew of All-Americans notwithstanding, there’s still an enviable program pride in having more victories than everybody else on the planet. Regardless of the metric used, the minute James Naismith nailed those peach baskets up in the Springfield YMCA, notching as many victories as possible became the ultimate measure of success.

The University of Kentucky has been good at notching victories since the school started playing basketball 120 seasons ago. In 1948, the Wildcats won their first national championship under their legendary coach Adolph Rupp, and by 1968, the program had leapfrogged over Oregon State and Kansas as the winningest program around.

For the next 20 years, the Wildcats extended their lead over the rest of the college basketball world until the North Carolina Tar Heels made a serious run, surpassing the Cats in the total victory count by the end of the 1989 season.

The two regal blue bloods then jockeyed back and forth until Kentucky retook the lead for good after Rick Pitino’s championship run in 1996. The Wildcats would hold onto that lead for another two-plus decades until the Covid disaster in 2021 when they experienced their worst year in school history (9 – 16). That’s when Kansas took advantage and secured the mantle as the all-time winningest program just shortly before their scandalous cheating practices relegated them back to the first-loser status.

The most passionate fan base on the planet

Let’s face it. Kentucky fans are as passionate about being No. 1 as any other fan base in history. As I wrote in my book, Kentucky Passion https://amazon.com/dp/1684351669 , “It all stems from our heritage and culture. It’s that deep pleasure and satisfaction derived from having your identity tied in with the program—the program with the greatest tradition in the history of college basketball. Fans in other states cheer on their team. Kentucky fans are invested in their team and the program. There’s an ownership, kinship, and brotherhood that’s hard to explain. It’s like family—or as Kentucky Coach John Calipari calls it—La Familia. Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat.  

I’ve heard it explained this way. Kentucky is a small state. Other than bourbon, horses, and fried chicken, there’s not a whole lot about the Bluegrass State that citizens of the commonwealth can brag about. For many, life is a grind. The one thing we do know, however, is that we’re good at basketball. When Kentucky Basketball is relevant and competing for championships, life’s hardships just don’t seem to hurt quite as much anymore. Regardless of race, socioeconomic status, or political viewpoints, Kentucky fans have that common bond—an inherent passion to somehow will their team to victory and to let the rest of the basketball world know how much they care.”

Coach John Calipari’s perspective

I’m sure John Calipari feels the pressure of not being the coach who relinquishes the No. 1 crown. After all, no one wants to be the first loser. Coach Cal is adamant, however, about not wanting those records to be a distraction or burden for this particular team.

“Yeah, we want to do that,” Calipari acknowledged when asked the importance of remaining No. 1 in all-time NCAA wins. “We want our fans to take pride in what we have been able to do. The other side, I don’t want them to have to compete with a five-year period [2010 – 2015] that was like maybe never done before and then try to compete against that. Or compete against something else.”

Kentucky players’ perspective

If Calipari is worried about the program’s exalted status being a detriment to his players, he need not be. Sure, players play for Calipari because they think he can get them to the NBA. But being a part of the program with such a rich and glorious history has its definite perks also.

“That’s an honor,” star freshman guard D.J. Wagner said when asked about upholding the glorious tradition of being No. 1. “Being able to step on that court behind all the great players and great teams that came through here. Just be out there with my guys and for us to be able to do something like that—that’s an honor for sure.”

“It’s a blessing,” countered Rob Dillingham, Wagner’s fellow freshman backcourt running mate. “We want to win as many games as we can. We’re not going to think about that, but we’re going to keep winning. That’s what we’re going to do for sure.”

Well, there you have it. An honor and a blessing. This team doesn’t seem to be running from program history—they’re embracing it, as they should.

Perhaps Reed Sheppard—another uber talented freshman whose father, Jeff, played on both of Kentucky’s 1996 and 1998 championships teams—said it best. “It’s really cool,” is how he described being part of the all-time winningest program. “That’s why you come to Kentucky. You know it’s the best—everything’s the best about Kentucky. To be able to do that and doing it with the people that I love, and with my teammates, and the great coaches—it’s really, really fun.”

For now, Kentucky remains No. 1 on college basketball’s all-time wins tote board. Neither Wagner nor Dillingham, however, knew who the first loser at No. 2 was.

“Kansas,” Sheppard calmly interjected with a wry smile.

It just so happens that Kentucky and Kansas play each other next week in the Champions Classic in Chicago. The Jayhawks—like everyone else—will be gunning for No. 1.

“Let’s just compete against ourselves,” Calipari pleaded. “And let’s see how good we can be.”

Dr. John Huang is a retired orthodontist, military veteran, and award-winning author. He currently serves as a freelance reporter and sports columnist. He is the author/coauthor of four books, Cut To The Chase, Kentucky Passion, From The Rafters Of Rupp, and Serving Up Winners. His latest book, They Call Me Mr. Secretary, is now available at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMPN9W8P . You can follow Dr. Huang on social media @KYHuangs.  

Hard Hats Required

Hard Hats Required

(NASHVILLE, Tn.) – I went to a construction site, and a Kentucky-Vanderbilt football game broke out.

For the record, Kentucky beat the Commodores 45 – 28, aided by two interception returns for touchdowns—both by sophomore cornerback Maxwell Hairston. Ray Davis—in his triumphant return to Music City—rushed 17 times for 78 yards and powered his way across the goal line for two additional scores.

The game wasn’t really as close as the final score indicated. The Wildcats dominated both sides of the ball all afternoon except for a short blip around the middle of the contest where they inexplicably forgot how to play football. Dropped passes, boneheaded penalties, an O-line in progress, and an inefficient running attack continue to plague head coach Mark Stoops and what may be the worst 4 – 0 team in college football.

Outside the lines of the playing field, however, the big story surrounding the victory had to be the ongoing construction around Vanderbilt’s stadium. Huge cranes, towering steel girders, gravel pits, and miles of fencing surely wouldn’t dull the enthusiasm of the thousands of Big Blue fans making the trip down I-65. Or would it? This particular road trip certainly had the potential for chaos—and wherever chaos occurs, I didn’t want to miss out.

Arriving in my pre-arranged parking spot off of West End Avenue, I immediately knew I was in for a real treat. Joining the throngs exiting the garage, we could see the stadium just to our left—only a couple of hundred feet away. Unfortunately, security directed us in the opposite direction.

It turns out that to enter the stadium securely, you had to pass through Memorial Gym, the Vanderbilt basketball facility. And I’m not talking about just a small section of facility either. They directed us through the entire entrails—concourses, stairwells, concession stands, bathrooms, and even an occasional stroll past the “Memorial Magic” playing surface.

Out of breath after the marathon hike, we finally found ourselves officially inside FirstBank Stadium. Since both endzones are undergoing massive renovations as part of the university’s $300 million “Vandy United Project,” I knew it’d be a challenge navigating from one sideline to another. As luck would have it, my seat was in the media press box, located on the opposite side of the field. No way was I traipsing through dirt and gravel while dodging falling debris and inhaling jackhammer dust. At least not without hazard pay.

In situations like this, it’s best to just walk around like you own the place. I did just that, flashing my media credential while crossing the playing surface directly through all the pregame warmup drills. Safely on the opposite concourse, it was on to the elevators and smooth sailing up to press row.

Thankfully inside the press box, it was business as usual. Shoutout to the Vanderbilt Media relations crew for their hospitality under less-than-ideal circumstances. The guy making the ham and cheese omelets was my definite MVP.

After the final horn sounded, it was the usual mad rush to the postgame press conferences. Like salmon swimming upstream, our media group threaded our way through the maze of construction clutter, clueless attendants, and temporary alleyways at the back of the stadium. Passing the infamous visiting locker room tent, we finally landed at the makeshift trailer housing the visiting team’s presser.

“I told [the team] what the situation was, that we were going to be in temporary lockers, that things were torn down, that it was going to be a different stadium with all the construction they had going on,” Stoops explained to media inside the cramped and stuffy quarters. “And our guys didn’t blink. They went into that structure over there and they came out and we started really hot. Playing at eleven [o’clock], and being on the road, and driving three and a half hours is not always a lot of fun.”

I couldn’t disagree more. It was a heckuva lot of fun for everyone who made the trip. It’s not often you get to experience the mass chaos of an active construction zone while celebrating a big conference win. In fact, to heck with Rupp Arena. Let’s keep Memorial Coliseum open for Women’s basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics during its ongoing facelift this year. If Vanderbilt can pull it off for its multi-million-dollar football remodel, Kentucky should find a way to do it too.

Pass out the hardhats. The Football Cats are 4 – 0.

Dr. John Huang is a retired orthodontist, military veteran, and award-winning author. He currently serves as a reporter and sports columnist for Nolan Group Media. He is the author/coauthor of four books, Cut To The Chase, Kentucky Passion, From The Rafters Of Rupp, and Serving Up Winners. His latest book, They Call Me Mr. Secretary, is scheduled for a fall release. You can follow Dr. Huang on social media @KYHuangs.

This post first appeared as a sports column for Nolan Group Media publications.  

NAMI Family-to-Family

NAMI Family-to-Family

Several years ago, I attended NAMI’s (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Family-to-Family course uncertain of what to expect. I had stumbled onto a quick blurb in the newspaper about the increasing prevalence of mental illness and the damaging impact it had on the family members who were burdened with the constant care for their mentally ill loved ones. Wanting to learn as much as I could, I signed up for the classes and subsequently came away from the 12-week course with a much greater awareness of the far-reaching implications of these debilitating afflictions. It wasn’t so much the scientific knowledge regarding the brain itself, or the explanations of why so many ill individuals act as they do, or even the numerous helpful coping mechanisms for caregivers that made such an impact on me. Rather it was the recognition and understanding and enlightenment of how many lives can be destroyed by dealing inappropriately with a mentally ill family member or close friend. It was heart wrenching to hear so many tragic stories of self-destruction caused by misinformation and simple ignorance.

I’d be willing to bet that everyone knows someone who has at one time suffered from depression, or bipolar disorder, or some other type of borderline personality affliction. We can all recount memories of Aunt Agnes and her “spells” or Uncle Larry “having a bad day”. There’s certainly not the stigma there once was but open acknowledgement of these conditions still presents formidable challenges in today’s society. Many of our laws are outdated and much legislative advocacy is still needed. When we see people we love struggling with mental illness, imprisoned in their own minds, unable to care for themselves, we can’t help but ask ourselves “How can I help?”

For that reason, I along with 8 other eager and enthusiastic individuals gathered together in Louisville this past weekend to become certified teachers of NAMI’s potentially life-altering program. We were made aware of the newest developments in the area of diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders and equipped with techniques to successfully convey this information to prospective family members dealing with unimaginable pain and hurt. We discovered that the one single element that unites us as families is our emotional experience of a devastating loss.

The reality is that mental illness sucks. It’s very real and relentless and perpetually lurking. I often wish it would all just magically disappear. My hope and prayer is that through leading these classes, I’ll somehow be empowering those family members affected to take back their lives again, to maintain some semblance of hope amidst a sea of heartache and despair. I invite you to join me. I’ll see you in an upcoming class.

There is no fee for the class or material. To pre-enroll or for more information, please email Tracy Jacobson at tracynamilex@gmail.com, phone (859) 536-8278, or visit http://www.namilexington.org/signature-programs/family-to-family/ and scroll to the registration form at the bottom of the page. Pre-registration is required as class size is limited.

 

Ready to Whine

Welcome to the inaugural edition of Huangswhinings. I’m so glad you’re here. Whether you’ve just stumbled onto this site by accident or you’re here to watch someone new crash and burn, I promise you will not be disappointed. I’ve spent the last 30 years creating beautiful smiles as a dentist and an orthodontist. Now in semi-retirement, I’m finally ready to take my fingers out of your mouth (ooh, that didn’t sound quite right) and use them to pursue my love of writing. I confess,  I’ve never been really good at just reporting facts and figures. My intent will always be to convey real-life experiences directly to whoever is interested. I want to to take you with me–whether traveling across the country or abroad, discussing politics and religion, or simply covering local sporting events–to see the world as I’m seeing it and to feel the thoughts, emotions, joys, and hurts of real people living real lives. I guarantee we’ll have plenty of laughs along the way, maybe even shed a tear now and then, and I’ll certainly do my share of whining. But my hope and prayer is that through it all, we’re all somehow enriched, encouraged, and energized by our interaction together. Enjoy the ride.