Mark Hartfeld

Catching Up

2011-11-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

Well, Kate and I have been married now for about a year and half. Things are going good, and we are looking forward to spending another 100 years together. I am still working for G4S, and it's okay I guess, but with the way society is, I just thank God that I have a job. Kate is working for Coffee Rush still, as the manager, and she feels the same way about her job as I do mine...it's a job, and we are thankful for them.

Kate and I moved out of our apartment in August, and moved into a little cottage(house). We are renting, but glad to have the huge yard, and for me...a garage and a driveway!! I am thrilled...not more Oil Can Henry's for me! I am doing my own maintenance now, and if you know anything about me....I really enjoying working on my own vehicles(a privilege I did not have when we were at the apartment).

Kate and I are really happy to have great Christian landlords also, who are pretty care free about Kate and I doing pretty much what we want with the place. Hello fire pit in the backyard!! :) So, there are a couple of projects that we would like to get started in the spring, including a garden that Kate wants to put in so we can have some fresh veggies.

We did quite a few fun things this summer, but as always, it would be have a little nicer of we could have squeezed in a couple more camping trips. Here are some pictures of the of our summer, and fall outings...

Starting out...some pictures of Kate and I's families in the Astoria/Fort Clatsop adventure....

Bruhn

2011-03-03T07:43:00.000-08:00

Well, recently I got appointed as a band manager for one of the hottest bands in the Portland area. How? I don't really know. I have known the lead singer for a while, and him and I were talking one night about his workload trying to get himself out there to be seen, and boom...here I am. Kate and I went to one of his shows, Kate's first, my second, and it blew us both away. Chris Bruhn, of Bruhn had written mostly new music for the show, and it was incredible.

Where does he come up with his gripping lyrics? I do not know, but both Kate and I knew I had to do something. So...here I am...looking forward to working with Bruhn and the future of the band.

Weird, I know, and at this point maybe just a pipe dream, but we'll see how it goes. I know this much, Chris Bruhn can write some incredible lyrics and with his effortless guitar playing, it makes for a great show, a show that will more then likely take him straight to the top. So whether I am in it for the fun, or just my love of music, I am definitely in for one heck of a ride.

Portlandia

2011-02-01T09:19:00.000-08:00

So, Portlandia is a new show on IFC that pretty much makes fun of Portland. As a resident of Portland, how do I feel? I feel...it is about time someone starts making fun of this place!! Sure, there are some great people here, but for the most part, the city of Portland is a joke! Just look at our slogan..."Keep Portland Weird"! What kind of slogan is that for a city? Am I supposed to be proud of that?

Now that this show has come out, there seems to be a lot of offended Portlanders...so what? How can you go with Keep Portland Weird, and not expect someone to make fun of the fact that you are weird.

The below picture is something we are supposed to be proud of? Why? I have friends and some family that really enjoy living in this area. Good for me and them, that they are good Christian people who probably do not spend a lot of time downtown....at night. Heck, in Portland the weirdo's are out in the day too. It is kind of like a circus all the time!

What do I think about the show? Well, I enjoy a good satire, so ya....this show is funny! However, I would definitely do something different with it, like keep it more clean, make it more family friendly. But, then again, we are living in the city that has more strip clubs per capita then any place in the world...how do you keep a show about Portland..."family friendly?" Probably not going to happen without hiding the true existence of what Portland really is...a hippy run, free love, strip club infested, din of thieves and crooks. I would make an Oregon Cheerleader joke about the below picture...but, I don't have to...Welcome to Portland, Oregon!!

Fathers Arms Ministries

2011-01-24T07:56:00.000-08:00

Well, a couple of months ago, my wife, Kate and I decided too start a non-profit to help others out in the world. It really was starting to bother me, that I was just living to live, and not living to the degree that God had placed me on this earth for. I know there are people out there who need my help, but what help should I give? What should my mission statement be? How will I get the money to help others to the degree that I want to help them? Will I be able to invest enough time to make it worth it?

All those questions seem to end when I started to realize that God knows everything we do here on earth, and the small details are taken care of by Him. So, in blind faith, Kate and I started Father's Arms Ministries. Who do we help? Those who need it! No body is excluded! There is no "target audience" or "group" that needs it more then the next. So...just as God's loving arms surround, comfort, care, and protect us, so do I also want to do for others. Now...funding is obviously a problem when it comes to buying things for those less fortunate, but my time is what I am having to give now.

We have not done very much to further this ministry, and it is something I am struggling with as a Christian man. I am having to transfer my way of thinking to God's way of thinking...which believe me, is nothing like mine! :) Please pray that God gives Kate and I direction as to what to do with out willingness. Also pray for the financial aspect of things. I would love to be able to give certain 'needed' items to those in need. We would appreciate your prayers as Kate and I both struggle to go where God calls us.

6 Month In...

2010-12-14T20:50:00.000-08:00

Well, Kate and I have been married for just over 6 months! What a fast six months it has been too! It just seems like we have been so busy with work, moving, and spending time with family that it doesn't seem like we have been married six months.

Here is what we have been up to....

Kate and I got tired of trying to look for a Bible Study that we felt comfortable going to, and instead started our own, young couples group. We called it Beaverton Christian Couples Group, being as we lived in Beaverton at the time. We started it when the warmer days were still around, and we would do activities like go the Ape Caves.

In September, I went to see Alyssa for her 7th Birthday! That was a lot of fun! I got to hang out with some old Air Force friends and college friends when I was there, also, so that was rather exciting. Right when I got back from Texas, Kate and I started moving into our new place, where we are currently residing. We were blessed to have found this place, as it is quite a bit bigger then the place we left!! We are truly enjoying all of this room.

I would love to load up some pictures of things that we have done, since I last posted, but...as at seems, my computer is not cooperating at the moment. Does anyone know what "cannot transfer or create file" mean when you try and move photos from a computer to a thumb drive? It sounds like it is self explanatory, but I am not sure why it is not letting me...maybe this is a Jesse question...? :)

Anyways...Kate just informed me that it was bedtime, and I guess it would be, now that I look at my watch. To sum up, Kate and I's jobs are going good, besides the usual complaints, we are loving being married, and enjoy spending lots of quality time with each other, and are looking forward to Christmas. OH! I started my own non-profit to help those less fortunate. We are starting small, and eventually I would like to do A LOT more for the community. This season, we will be buying and taking socks down to the homeless here in Portland with hopes of something a little more substantial in the future. If you would like to give to Father's Arms Ministries, that would be great!! Kate and I both have felt the real need to give this holiday season instead of receive, and if you would like to be a part of that, just give Kate or I a call! Anyways, may God bless you this Christmas season. I am going to try and get back into the blogging thing, as it is a great way for me to relate info to those we do not see very often. Love ya all, and have a great Christmas.

Marriage

2010-06-11T00:37:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is...June 11th, 2010. I am sitting up just a half hour past midnight waiting for my friends and family to arrive here in Bend, OR.

Kate and I wed in a little over a day and a half. Wow...I could not be happier. The stress has definitely become apparent with some involved with the wedding, but of course not me. Ok, maybe a little bit. That is normal though, right? Tomorrow is the bachelor party, and my best man, my brother Peter has planned a nice time at Detroit Lake. He has rented a wakeboarding boat and we are going to go wakeboarding and tubin'. I am looking forward to that.

Well, I am tired and not making very much sense, so I am going to sign off. If you want to know....all is really going good, though, and I am really looking forward to being married to Kate. :)

Alyssa, Engagement, and the Fall

2009-11-10T20:11:00.000-08:00

Well, for me, it has been a wonderful couple of months. I was able to pick my daughter up in Texas at the beginning of August. Her and I had a great road trip back to Oregon. Of course, I made it fun by stopping at water parks along the way, and filling her in on the all the road trip knowledge I had gained traveling almost every road between Oregon and Texas while Jake and I went back and forth to college at LeTourneau.

She was a great travel companion, and was the photographer for the trip. That started when I noticed she was not doing well with the idea of leaving her mother back in Texas, and she drove with me northward. So...I decided to giver her my camera to past the time. Well, it worked. She took over 2,000 photo's of things between Texas and Oregon. Of course all I had to do was to keep the batteries fresh, and delete a couple hundreds of pictures along the way to make sure she had enough room on the SD card to keep taking photo's. Here are a few of her photo's.

Wind Turbines in southern Col. Not too bad for a 6 year old taking a photo, huh?? :)

Alyssa took a lot of pictures of the back of my head...this is one of the one's I kept.

Alyssa and I picked flowers along the way. :)

Driving 5,000 miles in 4 days kinda wore her daddy out going through the Rockies.

When we arrived here in Oregon, our first stop was Suttle Lake, near Sisters, OR. All of my family was there, so everyone was happy to see Alyssa, as it had been a while since they had last seen here. Mostly her cousin's were very happy to see her....of course her Grammie and Pops were pretty darn excited too!

Ready to go swimming!!!

Kate had a lot of extra hands when she asked "who wants to help me build a fire?"

Alyssa being taught how to build a fire.

Alyssa's first hot dog over a campfire.

I couldn't resist putting this one in here. I am proud of this one.

Old logs make for wonderful photo's sometimes.

The "hiking crew"...minus me of course.

Of course...we had to stop and take some dam pictures. :)

Of course...Alyssa had to try an elephant ear...her first, and who better to introduce Alyssa to them....Kate. I think we had to go back for a second one. She loved them.

The three cousins, minus a fourth...Rachel. :(

Daddy and Alyssa, monkey'n around.

She loved the Polar Bears!

Strong men, soft hearts.

Kate, Alyssa and I had a beach road trip. This is one of the waterfalls along the way.

This being just one of my favorites.

This is probably THE FAVORITE!

We stopped in Tillamook before getting to Oceanside. This is the tunnel on the beach in Oceanside, OR.

Alyssa informed me that pirates are on beaches, and she is wearing a pirate shirt, being that it is striped. lol

Yay!! Tidal pools!! They do not have these in Texas.

This is Alyssa...I mean, the photo seemed to capture her personality.

Two hams at the ocean!!

Old man of the sea teaching what he knows about the ocean...took 5 minutes. :)

It was nice to have her old enough to where she wanted to sit and listen to me talk about life. This was a special time for the both of us, and Kate stood back and took photos.

I have some cuties in my life...I am a lucky man.

Well, all in all...we had a great time. Shortly after this, I made another trip down to Texas to drop Alyssa off in Texas. Although, on the drop off trip, Kate was able to come with me for some driving support. All together I put 10,000 miles on my car in a little over two weeks! By the grace of God...not one problem with the car. In fact, I was able to get 600 miles on one tank!! I was very impressed!!

The next big event is that as most of you know, I met Kate and the Singing Christmas Tree last year. Well, Kate and I are in that again this year, and I kind of wanted to ask her to marry me at the Singing Christmas Tree retreat in Cannon Beach, OR, which was were we first got to talk to each other. So...this year, I got down on one knee and asked her to be my wife. She said yes!! So...now we are busy trying to find a place to get married, and then pick a date! It has been hectic, but no matter how stressed I get, I am so proud to have Kate as my fiance, and I am looking forward to her being my wife.

Well, that about catches you all up with what I have been up to. Kate and I have the Singing Christmas Tree performaces coming up around Thanksgiving, and then comes Christmas, ect. So...I will try and write some more. I hope you enjoy the photos.

Alyssa's Trip To Oregon

2009-08-14T23:14:00.001-07:00

So, for the past two weeks, I have been blessed with the company of my daughter! That is right, after a long time of not being able to see her, she has come to Oregon. I was able to travel down to Texas to pick her up. Now...tomorrow night, I(along with Kate) will be traveling back down to Texas to return her to her mother. We have had so much fun. So much fun, that blogspot had actually slipped my mind.

Now, I am lying here in bed, the night before she goes home, and I am pondering all the wonderful things that we did, and what better way to do so, then to write it out. Plus, this way, my readers have something to read other then bad things that happen in the world today.

Two weekends ago, on the 30th of July, I left to go pick her up. I drove by myself down to Dallas, TX where I would be staying with my friend Victor. I had to wait a couple of days to pick her up. Luckily...God had other things in mind, and things worked out and were compromised enough to where I was traveling back with her Sunday afternoon instead of Monday. Which means, I was able to reach Oregon sooner, and that meant Alyssa had more time camping with my family at Suttle Lake. That was a lot of fun. Since the saying goes..."a picture is worth 1,000 words"....I will leave it at that, with this summary. We went to the lake, the beach and the zoo....these are those pictures. ;)

Kate and Alyssa cooking hot dogs over an open fire.

Daddy with his Squirmy(nickname for Alyssa). :)

An image I could not live without.

The three cousins....we are missig Rachel. :(

Uncle David, Auna, Daddy and Alyssa look at monkeys at the zoo.

Alyssa and I dressed like apes. lol

A waterfall off Hwy 6 towards Tillamook.

Alyssa took this photo of Kate and I....pretty darn good, huh?!! :)

Not too sound too presumptious...but these two got along together like peas and carrots. LOL

There is nothing like a Tillamook Chocalate Chip Mint ice cream to make you smile. :)

We finally arrive in Oceanside!! Time to take off our footwear and relax...or will we? :)

I was informed by one of my party that there could be buried pirate treasure in here...so look around. :)

Wow...as a father...I love this picture. Thanks Kate.

Another hole to crawl inside...looking for buried treasure of course! :P

Teaching her about the ways of the sea. :)

One of my favorite times on the beach were the 15 minutes we just sat and talked, about the waves, the birds...and then how thirsty we all were. LOL

The three of us at the Cape Mears light house. It was a lot of fun.

Overall, we had a great time. As a man, who is in love with a woman, and WAS concerned about his daughter meeting his girlfriend....things went wonderful. In fact...Kate alone had a slumber party with Alyssa, went shopping bby themselves, and had a great time getting to know each other the few days that I was called to work. I took over 400 pictures in two weeks, and I doubt I will be deleting very many of them, well.....at least not for a couple months anyways. LOL

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Have a great day!!

Top 20 at 30.

2009-05-20T22:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been here in Boardman now for a little while...over a month now. I am missing home and these 12 hour days, 7 days a week have caused me to go insane. Kate has come to see me three times now...which is really nice. Mostly because I get to see and hang out with someone I know and love, but also because she takes care of things for me during the day that I cannot do, because of the hours that I am working. I start work at 6am, and then I rarely get home before 6:30pm...and in this small town, places are closed by 5pm. So...it is nice to have her come and hang out with me after I get off work.

Well, the weather here is not too bad, although the wind is starting to get a little annoying. It has rained and I have had nice weather here also...but that is usually coupled with 50mph winds! :) I think we have had one day here that was nice with no wind at all.

My job is really boring. I check people in all day, and then check them out when they leave the secure area, making sure that they do not have anything in their pockets that they shouldn't. Yeah...really interesting right? lol Although, it is not hard, your mind can get real numb, really quick. I am definitely looking forward to coming back home and hang out with friends and family again.

Ok...now to the point of this blog. In a little over 13 hours, I will be turning 30 years old! Yep...no more 20's...I will be into my 30's? "Am I that old?", I seem to ask myself. Not that 30 years old is OLD by any means...but it kind of feels that way when I do not remember turning 25...let alone 29!

As I look back, I see a lot of mistakes that I have made along the way, and I also see a lot of triumphs and success. Here are the things that I remember above all else over these last 30 years....starting at the beginning.

1) When I was two I broke my leg. I was in a body cast for a while...and even though I was two...I seem to remember a lot of that time of my life.

2) Getting lost for my first time in Disneyland. Yep....another memory that seems to stick with me really well. lol

3) One night, I remember my parents letting me stay up and watch a late movie after everyone else went to bed. I know...doesn't seem that cool....but I remember I watched it on my parents old black and white tv, and that made it all that much better.

4) Hanging out with all the family at BBQ's and playing a made up game we called "Chase." Yep...with ALL my cousins involved, back when we all lived in the same town. :) Good times.

5) Being taught a lesson from Mr. Eakin in the church I grew up in, but did not learn the lesson until I was in college. "All people are important, and the small(young) one's are special...treat everyone with respect. This is something that I have always carried with me through life. Thank you Mr. Eakin for teaching me how to treat others, by giving me a living example.

6) My dad taking me fishing, by ourselves at Suttle Lake. The amount of fish we caught, and the lack of fish everyone around us was catching.

7) The day I caught my dad praying with his eyes open by himself. When I asked him if I could talk to God too, he sat me up on the piled up railroad ties, and we just sat there and looked at the sky. I remember thinking that God was in the clouds right above us. With the faith of a child, I remember feeling a little bit of fear and wonder that God was up in the clouds, and my dad could hear Him, but I couldn't.

8) My first bb gun!! What little boy doesn't remember this!? Plus...I have both my eyes, so no...I did not shoot my eye out! :)

9) The day I found out I had a bone disease...and the places I went with my crutches...ie..Mexico, a couple beach trips, camping, and a few other places.

10) The day I joined the Air Force, and the look on my dads face...a look that I had never seen before, that of pride, yet pain.

11) My first time I got my name put on an F-16...another shot of pride.

12) Flying a fighter jet at over twice the speed of sound, and pulling 9.2 g's!!! No roller coaster ride will ever compare.

13) Seeing my daughter born, and holding her for the first time. Alyssa, I love you, and no one will ever take you from me. You are daddy's little girl, and will always be my Squirmy!! Reading books to her every night as she fell asleep. The feeling she gave me when she said her first word..."chicken." :)

14) Going through a divorce, where the family I thought I had was ripped apart. The pain after that. Being homeless for a couple months, and not having the heart to tell family.

15) Coming home after getting out of the Air Force.

16) The day Alyssa told me that I was just not her daddy, but that I was her Superman. I will never forget sitting outside Justin Packs apartment in the pool when she called. Friends all left and went somewhere...and I stayed and cried.

17) The time where I felt God had saved me...from a place that I would not have been able to recover from...the day I left working on wind turbines and I came HOME.

18) The day I saw Kate. The way with one look she was able to erase every bad feeling about love I had built up from my past.

19) The struggle to get her to be my girlfriend, and the emotional pain and sacrifice I felt when I told her that I WOULD just be her friend if that it what she needed. Then, her telling me later that she wants nothing more then to be my girlfriend. (of course the extreme relief that I didn't have to JUST be a friend) LOL

20) Sitting on Kate's porch, the night I knew I truly loved her with all my heart.

Well, that about sums my life up in the last 30 years. I am sure there are plenty more events I am going to think of after I close this out. But, I have to get to bed. I still have to be at work at 6, up by 4:30....so I had better get to bed. For those of you who have been there these past 30 years...thank you. For it is you who has helped create the man I am today...hahaha....it's all your fault if I turned out weird. LOL For those of you who have not been in my life long....I am looking forward to the upcoming thirty years. May God bless you.

Boardman

2009-04-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

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..??

2009-04-22T14:27:00.001-07:00

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....

2009-04-19T12:38:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-17T15:39:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-11T08:41:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-11T01:11:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-04-11T00:32:00.000-07:00

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.