Boardman

Well, I have been in Boardman now for almost a week. I am missing Kate, but other then that, things are going ok. I mean, this is not a popular vacation spot for a reason...so the smallness of it all is not what I would have wished for. They do have a movie theatre and bowling alley in Hermiston, which is where when I want to do ANYTHING, I have to go there. It is not that far of a drive though, so all is good. They even have a Wal-Mart, and if you know me at all, I love Wal-Marts...despite; "they treat their employees bad, the outsource all thier work..." blah, blah, blah!!

Anyways, I do not have a laptop, well, I do...but it does not get the internet...pretty much to watch movies on only. Anyways...so I am finally at a library to update you all on what is going on.

Just so you know...I am working 12 hour days, 7 days a week and being that this is a really small library(my hotel room is bigger), they open and close when they want to pretty much, so checking e-mails and stuff is left to my cell phone. I can access it through that..just tough sometimes, given the reception. Well, this computer is about out of time, so I hope this post finds you all doing well.

KFC Cruel To Chickens..??

Sure enough. At a little race track called Talledega Motor Speedway, PETA is taking on KFC to discourage the chicken dance being done to try and break a world record at the Talledega Motor Speedway. Seriously folks, this is no joke.

If you have not heard about this already, it is the truth. PETA contacted Guinness Records Inc. and informed them..."If this record is allowed, it could encourage other animal abusers to attempt silly feats that make a mockery of animal protection," said Tracy Reiman, executive vice president of PETA.

Are we being seeing serious? The chicken dance is being attacked by animal activist?! LOL Well, heck, there have been times when I did not want to see the chicken dance done, but that was either because the person doing it should not be moving to any sort of beat at all, or I felt that at a funeral it was not acceptable. Other then that, what had the chicken dance ever done to you PETA? In fact, I am willing to make a bet, that over half the people that work at PETA have done the chicken dance at least once in their lifetime! Heck, if you have ever been to a wedding where there was music...I can guarantee you were dancing the dance that "encourages other animal abusers to attempt silly feats that make a mockery of animals."

Here is the bad thing, I joke about this, but it is something serious. Have we gone so far nuts in the U.S. that this could and is a real news headline. Are there people out there that have nothing better to do then to try and keep rednecks from doing the chicken dance at a Nascar function?? Seriously...PETA, get a life!!! Go out and do something, heck, splurge, have a wing and thigh on me today, huh?

Another change to the change....

Well, I got a call from my boss as I was just about to leave today for Boardman, and it turns out that I will not be leaving until later on this week...maybe. I mean, when I say I was just about ready to leave, I mean the car was packed and everything. The only thing I had to do was swing by WalMart on my way out of town and grab some cooler items...Mt. Dew...etc. lol I guess the contractors there in Boardman are not quite ready for my "rule" yet. :) So...another week of night shifts...which is not a bad thing. I try not to complain too much when money is coming...from anywhere. But....keep me in your prayers.

Unfailing Trust

Well, last night was the last night that I work here in the Portland area for the next month or so. Sunday I am off to Boardman to work for my new company. I am really excited as God has seem to bless me with a new car(new to me)and a new job. Starting off with this new job, I was able to receive two promotions in two weeks, and when I go out to Boardman, I will be the site lead there. So...kind of a big deal, I guess when talking with some of my co-workers who wanted to know who I had paid off. Believe me, I know that it is nothing that I have done, but what God has done for me...which brings me to my topic.



When times are bad, how many of us start to get stressed out, worry, and drive ourselves crazy with thoughts of "why me?" I know I have, and do. I, in no way are above those thoughts, and anyone who claims to be is more then likely lying to you. Even as Christians we worry about the small things in life, the insignificant little bumps in the road that sometimes seem to disrupt the whole flow of our lives. Then, once those times are over with, we wonder why we did not have the faith we should have, and God again shows us He is in control.

Sometimes I wish I could be more like Hezekiah in II Kings 18, and learn to trust God. The Bible tells us that there was not one king EVER like Hezekiah. More then likely, that just did not include just the kings. In II Kings 18:6, the verb "CLUNG" was used. Have you ever CLUNG to something so tightly that you did not want to let it go? I am sure you have...whether it be a baby blanket when you were little, or a nice fishing pole of your grandfathers. The point is, how many of us can say that in times of trouble we have clung to God as much as an old fishing pole?? I know, I can honestly say that this is an area in my life that I need to work on. It goes on to talk about how because of his faithfulness to the Lord, the Lord was always with Hezekiah wherever he went. If you read further it goes on to talk about the battle he won, and the cities he conquered...with the Lord at his side.




Trust is not just when it comes to the Lord. Trusting a girlfriend/boyfriend, wife/husband, or family member is also a big social problem now. How do go about trusting someone when it seems so hard to do? How do you give of yourself, exposing who you are to hurt and ridicule?? Can we fully trust man? Are there people out there that no matter what would NEVER break your trust? Well, as much as you love someone, the answer is no. You can never fully trust someone. But, the good news is, that is why God is there. I am not trying to say that you don't TRUST someone really, but more or less pointing out the mere fact that man/woman is fallible...we are not like God, we make mistakes. When it comes to humans, then it borders on whether or not you have the forgiveness as God did for us to forgive the people who break that trust and have the strength to carry out and continue to trust them after they have made a mistake. It is because of the fact that man is not perfect that we celebrated Easter just last weekend. We need a Saviour...we need someone we can put 100% trust in, with NO doubt whatsoever.

Family and Easter

Well, it is starting. The time when family starts showing up for the Easter celebration. Where, the house lights up with the sound of little nieces and nephews., and all the toys come out. It can sure get loud here in this house when 6 kids from age 1-8 are running about excited about the Easter Bunny coming tomorrow. Well, there are more on the way too. My little brother Peter, recently married to Trisha, is not over here yet. But, as pretty much newlyweds...I am sure they have some better things to do early on a Saturday. :)

Well, a holiday with family. Honestly, it is something I am not used to. I know, sounds sad that this is one of the very first and few holidays that I have had with family since my return to Oregon. I have had some lonely and very sad holidays...so, it is nice to be able to have the noise and all the commotion around. Whenever I think that the noise is getting out of hand, I remember the times where Christmas consisted of a couple movies and a cup o' noodles.

So, this is nice...I guess... :)

Photography

Well, I thought this would be a great way to start off my blogging on blogspot. Here are some pictures that I have taken recently, or maybe within the last three years. Hope you enjoy them! As you can see, I love to be outdoors.

This picture is when I went hiking in the Eagle Cap Wilderness when my family and I were camping at Wallowa Lake. The lake behind me is Ice Lake. It was a wonderful hike/jog. It took me a while, and honestly, I was not as prepared as I should have been, but beautiful, nonetheless!!

This next one is probably the greatest memory I have of my dad and I when I was younger, and this probably being one of the best pictures to capture the love of my father for his boys. Weird how when we look back at life past, it seems to have been just yesterday he was showing me how to fish. Now, I am almost 30....man, time sure flies by when you are loved and have a great family. I know, kind of a sappy beginning, but this is me. I am still that little boy at times, sitting between my fathers legs and he teaches me about life.

This is one of the very first pictures of a person that I ever took. I know, not the best, but...I still enjoyed spending the time with my niece, Auna. Probably the best model I have ever had. I really appreciate black and white photography for what it is. This photo was shot with just a Nikon S50. As all of my photo's have been to date. I am looking forward to getting a better camera soon, but as for now, I am happy with just using what I have. I still enjoy capturing life no matter what equipment I am using.

Suttle Lake

Well, there will be more to follow. I have plenty more pictures to share with you, but, as you can see by the post time, it is getting late for me. So, until next time, I wish you all the best.

Well, here I am...

Here I am starting my blogging life on blogspot. What should I expect? What should you expect? Hopefully, you can expect some entertaining and sometimes thought provoking reading, and I can expect a new avenue of putting my thoughts down, and expressing feelings about life, culture, and sometimes, love and relationships. I enjoy writing, yet with no formal training, I do the best I can. I have been writing blogs on myspace for a bit, but wanted to branch out a little bit, and more or less have things be a little more professional.

Here is a little about myself. I am 29 years old and soon to be 30 next month. I love life, and family, and I fear God. No...this is not always going to be about my walk with God, but there is a possibility of that popping into my blogs every so often as He is a big part of my life. I have a wonderful girlfriend, Kate, who more then likely you will hear me discuss many times in my blogs. She is a wonderful woman, the best a man could ask for, and I love her more then any man ever could love a woman. Yes, that is her pictured with me...my best friend. I have one daughter, Alyssa, who you may also hear me talk about often as well.

Anyways, I am looking forward to writing more, and also looking forward to someone eventually reading my blogs.