Update

Once again Becky has been the ultimate blogger by keeping the Barney blog alive and kicking! Thank you Becky for your efforts and keep up the hard work, some day we'll look back at this and laugh!

2009 has been a very fast and furious year with lots of change and activity happening here in the Pacific North West. Boyd Coffe Coffee has turned out to be a pleasent surprise to me. The coffee industry is awesome and it has intrigiued me in many ways. Unfortunately my pallet has grown and I have become quite the coffee snob, Starbucks mmm not so good anymore and our coffee in all honestly is far superior.

My job keeps me very, very busy and I use every tool in my tool box to manage and lead my team day in and day out. I have people that range from 3 years with the company to 30 years. Each person is oddly unique yet each individual adds tremendous value to our efforts.

A week ago to the day a very disguinshed gentleman with white hair walked off the street and into my office. He had been crying and looked very upset. My "can I help you" soul from Deb asked if I could help him. He looked at me and simply wanted to know if we were hiring. My heart literally sank. Here was a man clearly struggling to find a job in a challenging economy and trying anything he could to find a job to no doubt support his family, humbling to no end. Unfortunatley I had no openings but I would have hired him on the spot given the chance.

It made me appreciate even more ALL I have and thank God that I have the life I have. Despite all my challenges and struggles I am a lucky man to have a job, friends and the love of a tremendous family. I have a beautiful apartment, nice clothes and the ability to wake up each and every day with the opportunitty to make my dreams come true.

Even now I wake up some days and giggle, what in God's name I am doing in Seattle WA? HOW did I end up here with all I have? I still turn a corner and see the snow covered mountains when the clouds are gone and lose my breath. Running along the ocean with ferries passing by going to Alaska and Vancouver never ceases to amaze me. Who gets to see bald eagles cruising the sky effortlessly spreading there wings while on a ride for work? Some days I feel like one of those eagles, soaring at the top of the world.

If i could do one thing today it would be to show everyone back East who I am now, the temendous place I live and the fascinating things I do. I don't really think you all back there know the impact that this journey has had on me. To some degree I don't even know and I can't see the change, but I know it is failry big.

Thank you again Beck for starting this and keeping it going. It gives us all who read it a window to many worlds, worlds that stretch from Watertown NY to Philadelphia PA to Seattle Wa. I love and miss you all very much! Cheers!