Scruffy...

The life of a stuffed bear... I was sitting down in the living room this afternoon getting ready for work and I spied this guy looking at me. I have been in the room hundreds of times for years and never really noticed this bear just sitting around observing the scene. Imagine all he has seen. The birthday parties, family discussions, arguments, movies... heck, he has even seen Santa Claus and the Easter bunny.

It really made me think about what I do in my home and how I relate to my family...The kind of husband and father that I am. If this bear could talk he would have quite the stories I am sure. Some good ones and some not so good ones. It also made me think about our Lord and that He looks at all I do each day and quietly observes me and my walk. Imagine the stories He could tell....

Today I was reminded that I am a child of God and He is interested in the things I do. And thankfully He is like this little bear... He keeps it between me and Him.

Just a thought

weapher

Lego mania

Spending a rainy day playing with legos... remember when!

Red again

Have you ever wondered why it takes a freight train 12 hours to get from Portland to Seattle? Because the signals are frequently red. Unlike cars, trains can only go one at a time.

Cool Tree

Saw this tree and thought it was cool. I can only imagine the things this tree has gone through. Years of rain, sun, and wind. All it takes day in and day out it still remains strong...

Deja Vu

60 hours later i am stuck waiting for other trains in the exact same place. Some things never change.

Living large

Pizza anyone? Nothing like food to go. FYI... These are both my engineers pizzas. This is why i remain a conductor. I could never eat that much :)

Too Cute!

Was browsing through some pictures on my computer and ran into this one of Grayson. Since he is coming back home from camping tomorrow I figured I would post one of him... I especially like the chocolate around the corners of his mouth. Typical little boy.

Isnt it spring?

On my way to Seattle and we ran into some crazy weather along the way. This is Bucoda.

Another interesting shot

Thought this was interesting... Any guesses?

Spring break at beach.

NOT... I am waiting for 2 hours to get through Titlow, WA. Working hard of course.

Goofy Gray

Goofy Grayson... Here is a picture of Grayson being silly again. He came out of his bedroom dressed as a "blind old man". He is out of town for the week camping at the beach with Grandma and Grandpa Carey. I was looking through my pictures on my phone today while I was traveling to Seattle and thought I would share this one. I am sure he misses mom and dad as much as we miss him :)

Have a great day

weapher

Seattle Skyline

The Seattle skyline from terminal 5. We took our train to T5 today and while I was there I took this picture. Pretty gray day out and now it is pouring rain. I have been over there in the middle of the night and the view is awesome with the city light reflecting off the water. Nice day to be sight seeing in Seattle... too bad I am working.

Water Droplets

Walked past our tulips this morning and saw these water droplets on the leaves. Thought this would make an interesting shot...

Grayson playing with a flashlight

Eggs to Dye for

Grayson has his "Cirque Du Soleil" clown nose on dying eggs. He was able to go to the show last night with a friend and thoroughly enjoyed it. Now onto the eggs...

He arrived

The bunny arrived. Happy Easter. Thank you Jesus for this day to celebrate your resurection! He is risen...

Mark 16

The Resurrection

1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"

4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

6"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "

The Easter Bunny Cometh

Grayson and I walked Samson around Mt Tabor this afternoon and up at the top there were Easter eggs all over the place. Probably a thousand of them. It was quite fun to look at. We even saw the bunnies "hiding" them. Samson had fun too... he probably smelled every dog in the entire park. I am certainly glad that we don't meet people that way :)

I would have to say that taking a few days off and spending it enjoying life sure makes a big difference in one's outlook on things. I did spend 7 hours washing windows on Friday, but that didn't really seem like work since I was in town and got to make dinner and watch a movie rather than be alone in a hotel room. These past couple of days I have really enjoyed hanging out and I look forward to spending Easter with the family and going to Spring Mountain Bible Church.

Happy Easter to all!

weapher

August Rush movie review

OK, new blog feature I just started today. On occasion I am going to review a movie. I am not a professional reviewer nor do I want to be a spoiler so here goes. Lori, Grayson and I watched this movie last night.

Review: August Rush



This movie was great. It has a good mix of drama, romance, and intrigue.

"The story of a charismatic young Irish guitarist and a sheltered young cellist who have a chance encounter one magical night above New York's Washington Square, but are soon torn apart, leaving in their wake an infant, August Rush, orphaned by circumstance. Now performing on the streets of New York and cared for by a mysterious stranger, August uses his remarkable musical talent to seek the parents from whom he was separated at birth. Written by DeathtoGlitter "

The characters play their parts well and it touches on your heart strings a time or two throughout the movie.

You should see this movie.

Rating: 0-5

4.25

here is the trailer...

weapher

One Buff Dude

GDog went to Taekwondo today and sparred and now he thinks he can take dad... Bring it on little buddy!

Go forth young man

Why is it whenever I want to go to the right there is someone always telling me to go left? Do you ever feel like that? Which way is the right way? John 14:6... that is the right way.

Dead mans trail... for a reason

Went running on Mt. Tabor this morning. I would say that this is my favorite place in town to be. I ran the hills and really wore myself out. I am going to be home for a couple of days so I figured I would start it off on the right foot. (pun intended)

When I am running up here I really enjoy looking at people, watching dogs play, and seeking the peace of God. It is one of the few places left where one can just run and run and run. When I was a kid I would fly down this hill at top speed on my bmx bike and hope to not crash at the bottom. On occasion I still will ride my mountain bike down it, but today I just ran. It is kinda cool to think about the memories from when I was a kid of the times spent on this hill.

Things are so quiet at night

Hanging out in Eugene Red Lion still. They had a bad landslide a month ago on the tracks around the cascade summit so not many trains run out of Eugene right now. I have been here now for 22 hours, can't sleep so I went to 7-11 for a cup of coffee.

I certainly do enjoy the peace and quiet in the middle of the night. It as if the world is asleep and I am the only one roaming around.

Gourmet Breakfast

Where would the lonely traveler be without the Budget Gourmet for $1. I had the Lasagna Mozzarella Classic dinner for breakfast this morning... along with a cup of coffee my bill came to a whopping $2.39. And the box even says that the recipe is "chef inspired". Not really sure what that means.... probably means delicious! So good I had two... so the bill was actually $3.39.

Now thats Italian!

First non photo post

This is very funny. It is a video created by Nathan, a 13 year old friend of ours. It stars Lori, Keith, and Grayson. It doesn't start automatically so be sure to push the "PLAY" button...

check it out

Life as a cat

OK, so I don't offend any of you cat lovers, it has come to my attention after posting my "life as a dog" posting that some of you (well one of you) have thought about what life would be like as a cat. Personally I think life as a cat would be kinda disgusting. Licking my fur and puking it up, sitting in a box of sand or whatever to do my thing and being left outside to fend for myself. Not to mention the fact that most people hate cats...

Now not everyone believes this kind of life would be too bad. Stephanie Ann says, "all they(cats) do is eat, sleep and poop all day long...and they get to stay inside all day. Now that would be the life. I swear, nothing and nobody sleeps as much as a cat..wouldn't that be nice!"

So I guess life as a cat appeals to some... Doesn't make any sense to me :)

just a thought

weapher

Luck o' the Irish to ya

Grayson found a four leaf clover. Kinda cool thing to find on St. Patrick's day ay!

Waiting to go at Portland

Another day at the railroad. (night actually) I am going to eugene and will be back sometime Wednesday. I am going to call in sick for two days when i get in! I need a break.

Life as a dog

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you were a dog? I was getting ready for work today... (10 hours off) and I looked outside and actually for a brief moment wished I was a dog. I know I wouldn't live as long, but I think that not having to do anything but please my master would be awesome... Lori would probably like it too :)

The weirdest thing happened

As you can see here I was sleeping in my hotel in SeaTac this morning. I went to bed around 2:45 (see the clock) and while I was sleeping someone snuck into my room and shot a picture of me. I am still concerned about who would do such a thing... My biggest issue with it is that they turned on the light and I still remained asleep. Pretty crazy if you ask me. Thank goodness I was not harmed, nothing was taken from my room, and I just slept through the entire thing.

I am sure I will eventually catch whoever did this.

Rainbow

Not sure if it turned out... Waiting for my engineer to pick me up on Columbia blvd and there is rainbow in the background. Looked nice in real life.

Another Long Day

Rolling home after a long night. Looks like a126 hour work week... I need a new job!

Thought this was cool.

Its been awhile

Probably been 20 years since these have seen the main line. Times sure do change. Now they want unmanned trains... Kinda crazy!

Hope this is the right way...

Went to Centralia on a garbage train today and went for a nice long run after work since we only had to work 9 hours... Kinda like working part time really.

This is ridge trail at Seminary Hill Park east of downtown Centralia. Let's just say I got a bit muddy... It was fun though :) and I didn't get lost.

Who needs Starbucks

Who needs Starbucks when you can have a quality cup from a machine? Yum, yum.

Wait your turn!

Can you say "wait in line?" Sitting behind a grain train in Vancouver... Could be awhile!

Here's where I want to be today...

I am feeling very stuck in a rut today and have been for several weeks. I know where I wish I was and I see where I am and I haven't figured out how to get from where I am to where I want to be. This photo today pretty much represents where I want to be... Not necessarily on this exact peak per se, but just someplace different. Up high, doing what I love rather than down low, feeding off of the bottom like a carp in the Willamette river.

I don't know... just looking at a day like today and as I roll along the rails and see people with their families and walking dogs and running along the paths... I just wish sometimes my schedule was normal so I could do those things too... Alright... rant is over. I did right a poem today. Not the most uplifting but it came out of somewhere inside me... Guess everyday can't be a bowl of cherries.

weapher

here's the poem

stuck in a rut and you don't know why
doesn't really matter how hard you try
things stay the same no matter what you do
it all falls apart when the day is through
round in circles till the sun goes down
falling asleep on your face is a frown
wonder what to do when the dawn is near
start all over again till it all seems clear
but as the sun rolls round to the other side
you look at yourself and swallow your pride
stuck in a rut and you don't know why
then you ask yourself why should I try

Marble Soccer Anyone?

Grayson and I built a marble soccer table today with some plywood, rubber bands, and nails. We played a couple of ten minutes halves and he won one game and I won one... Two out of three next time G-dog!

Just thought it would be nice to have a little fun without the video games, computer, or TV...now time to get ready for work.

weapher

Kids...

Got the joy of spending 2 hours at the ER. Nick had a very painful ear infection. Now I am hanging out at Walgreens... I thought these days were supposed to be over. Thank God for good health insurance!

don't even know what to title it... so I won't

Heading home!

Me running

I have been asked many times, "weapher, what do you look like when you are running all over the countryside?"

Well, here is a sneak peak. Due to my great speed and agility this is a very rare photo , which was taken with special equipment and high speed film of me running today.

enjoy, there aren't many of these type of pictures around.

weapher

The view is nice

All things considered... I do have a nice view from my office window.

My office door!

This is the doorway to 12 hours of bliss each day. Dont you wish you could be so lucky?

My office

Here is a picture of my office. Pretty hi-tech eh!

More Signs of Spring

More signs of spring...

I would have to say that spring is my favorite time of the year. There is so much to anticipate and look forward to. The blossoming flowers, warmer weather, and the days begin to get longer.

Probably the best part of the new season is fantasy baseball. I signed up my fantasy baseball team today on cbssportsline.com and am looking forward to another awesome year!!!

That's what I'm talking about!

weapher

Way too much down time.

hanging out playing psp