It's the simple things in life....

A funny thing happened while out on a hike the other day. I was walking along thinking about what a perfect day it was when a butterfly started fluttering along in front of me.

We were about 2 hours into our "Hey, lets stop here and see where that trail goes" hike when the little guy floated my way.

That day the temperature in the Gorge was roughly 74 degrees and there was a cool breeze heading down the mountain. Along the trail there was the constant sound of the nearby creek running downhill toward the Columbia River. Although, the best part was how the sun crept through the trees ahead of us and cast shadows upon mossy covered rocks , the well traveled trail, and the creek below. Sadly though, I found myself thinking about all the troubles at work and other random petty things that wouldn't stop swimming in my head amidst the beauty of it all.

That's when my little friend decided to pay me a visit.

The beauty of the scenery ahead of me made me stop for a moment to take it all in. As I stood there taking it all in the butterfly changed his flight plan and started fluttering toward me. I stood there watching him meander through the air carelessly heading my way. As I focused on that small creature all my troubles seemed to settle back in my mind and the petty issues seemed not to matter for a while.

Then he landed.

Tammy watched from nearby as the butterfly landed on my shoulder. I could not stop grinning, but I had to for the picture. While she took the picture a thought popped into my head so I thought I would share it with you.

"Take the chip from your shoulder and lay it to rest. Instead, replace it with a butterfly."

I'm delighted he stopped by to share that moment with me.

I've realized that with all Blogs there is a critical element that must be established in order to call it "My Blog". That element being the "Beginning". Now that we've established the foundation to what same may say is "a disappointing waste of time" while others cheer "it was truly wonderful" we can move on.
On March 27th of this year I celebrated my 34th birthday in Disneyland. While I walked through the parks with my wife, her mother, and my niece Sabrina, I found myself thinking of family. I thought back on the many times I've been to Disneyland and ll the wonderful times I've had strolling through the parks with my family and my wife's family.
While strolling along through Disney California I found the abundant sounds of pure joy, the smell of fresh foods, churros, chlorine, tanning oil, and eucalyptus trees intoxicating. It is hard to be bummed out at Disneyland, yet I found myself melancholy.
For a moment in Disney California I had that moment where everything was perfect. The sounds, the smells, the temperature, yet something was missing. I wanted to share that perfect moment with everyone in my live I value. At that moment I thought of all my family members past and present. In that wonderful minute in the sun I realized that while the years are ticking on there are people in my life that I care about that I love, miss, and wish I could spend more time with.
Upon returning from California I got busy at work again and the time ticked on as usual. Actually, "Ticked" doesn't seem to be the right word, how about "Stampeded". On Friday I remembered I had not checked my MSN email account in a long, long time. It seems that fate had similar thoughts as I have had lately. In my InBox there were several messages from someone I value in my life that I have not seen in years. My Aunt Sandy. I read the several jokes she sent and then cam upon the link to their Blog site. I have to say, a beautiful family indeed.
So here I am. I thought I would start a Blog of my own and try to share some of the special moments in time I have with you. I will try to be regular with my postings, but no guarantees. After all, time stampedes on and often times it's everything you can do to hang on.
- Randy