Have a safe night and remember to stop by Journey to enjoy all that is the Family Fall Festival! FREE rides FREE games FREE candy. For more info visit www.journeycom.org
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Happy Halloween!!
Here's My sweet duck, Riley and...well...let's just say Cameron has indefinitely changed his name to BOB! Can he build it? YEA!
Have a safe night and remember to stop by Journey to enjoy all that is the Family Fall Festival! FREE rides FREE games FREE candy. For more info visit www.journeycom.org
Have a safe night and remember to stop by Journey to enjoy all that is the Family Fall Festival! FREE rides FREE games FREE candy. For more info visit www.journeycom.org
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Proud Wife!
Tonight I was suddenly wakened from my sleep by the delightful "ring ring" of my cell phone receiving a text message. After I brought myself out of my sleepy stupor and into consciousness, I opened my phone and realized what I received was actually the following PICTURE message:
Hmmm...??
As I confusingly looked at the picture of the "bottled water isle" at Albertsons, my cell phone rang. Keep in mind, It's 1:30AM. It's Steve, calling to see if I received the picture of the "water isle". I told him that I did and then he asked "Doesn't it look good?"I looked at the picture again to reference what he wanted me to see. I told him that I thought it looked great! He then said "I just did all of that"! Playing into his proud moment, I responded with a sincere "Wow babe! That's a REALLY nice water isle!" I have to admit that at first I thought it was quite strange that Steve wanted to wake me up to show me what he was working on. Soon after that thought, I thanked God that Steve found something to be proud of while working his graveyard shift at Albertsons. While I still sit here confused and amused at Steve's "ART" tonight, I'm anxiously awaiting a picture of a masterpiece in the canned fruits and vegetables isle! Way to go honey! I've never seen a water isle look better!
Hmmm...??
As I confusingly looked at the picture of the "bottled water isle" at Albertsons, my cell phone rang. Keep in mind, It's 1:30AM. It's Steve, calling to see if I received the picture of the "water isle". I told him that I did and then he asked "Doesn't it look good?"I looked at the picture again to reference what he wanted me to see. I told him that I thought it looked great! He then said "I just did all of that"! Playing into his proud moment, I responded with a sincere "Wow babe! That's a REALLY nice water isle!" I have to admit that at first I thought it was quite strange that Steve wanted to wake me up to show me what he was working on. Soon after that thought, I thanked God that Steve found something to be proud of while working his graveyard shift at Albertsons. While I still sit here confused and amused at Steve's "ART" tonight, I'm anxiously awaiting a picture of a masterpiece in the canned fruits and vegetables isle! Way to go honey! I've never seen a water isle look better!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
It's all coming back to me now.
Since our schedules have been so extremely unpredictable and conflicting lately, we took advantage of a few hours we knew we'd have together last night. Steve doesn't usually get Saturday evenings off from work, but someone traded shifts with him, so we were able to enjoy a full day together without worrying about rushing home to get Steve to work on time!
So, Steve called his sister and made arrangements for Riley and I called my parents and made arrangements for Cameron and viola! (it's not usually that easy- trust me)We somehow magically made a "date night" opportunity appear! I really don't know how long it's been since the last time Steve and I spent a few hours alone together for the sole purpose of remembering how much we love each other. Since this occasion was rare and precious to us, we decided to make it memorable by going out for some of
THIS:
A little of THAT:
And topped it off with 5 episodes of THIS:
We got to sleep early enough to get 8 hours of Zzzz's in before we had to be at church today, and to top it all off...babysitting is COVERED through the morning!!
The only reason I took pictures of our date night was because I knew we were going to make it blog worthy...and it was!
It's so amazing how just a few hours spent alone without our offspring can put EVERYTHING back into perspective. I was able to remember how good of friends we are!
Earlier in the day, my mom told me she ran into someone I knew in high school. The girl asked if I was "still with Steve", when my mom told her I was and that we have two kids together, my old classmate told my mom that she remembered how completely obsessed I was with Steve back in my later years of high school. When my mom told me this, I was immediately reminded of the days I COULDN'T WAIT for the bell to ring, so I could RUSH over to my favorite teacher's classroom where she'd let me call Steve in between classes! I spent lots of class time writing notes to him and writing out timelines of how our life would be together when we'd eventually get married!
Tonight, I thought about those times. Even though our timeline looks a lot different than the one I drew in high school, I still love this man as much as I did back then and now since we've made a family, I love him even more. Tonight I realized that I really need to make more of an effort to see past the struggle of each day and love my husband regardless of the stressful circumstances life tosses at us.
In our new series at Journey, Ed talks about marriage. one thing he said this week really resonated with me in a sweet way. The point was that God is more interested in that we "Love the one we marry, than that we marry the one we love". As I made sense of this statement, I thought about how self centered our society is. Back in "the day" a woman was appointed a husband, and was expected to marry and love him. Though I'm glad times have changed and that I was able to pick my own partner for life, I still think there is importance in making sure that I'm putting MORE of my energy and heart into LOVING Steve, than making sure he's loving me the right way. So often I get caught up in selfish feelings of making sure Steve's putting me first, and caring for me in a way that I feel I should be cared for...when in really, I need to be way MORE focused on how I'm loving him! If we genuinely focused on loving our spouses instead of "navel gazing" I'm confident that we'd in turn receive more love from each other. It just makes sense!
Putting that learning into practice last night was so refreshing, and although our time alone is quickly coming to an end, I am already anticipating being reunited with our boys who we haven't seen since yesterday afternoon. The other 2 human beings that I need to focus on pouring more love into.
I'll definitely be referring back to this post in just a few hours when the week begins again, and things get hectic!
So, Steve called his sister and made arrangements for Riley and I called my parents and made arrangements for Cameron and viola! (it's not usually that easy- trust me)We somehow magically made a "date night" opportunity appear! I really don't know how long it's been since the last time Steve and I spent a few hours alone together for the sole purpose of remembering how much we love each other. Since this occasion was rare and precious to us, we decided to make it memorable by going out for some of
THIS:
A little of THAT:
And topped it off with 5 episodes of THIS:
We got to sleep early enough to get 8 hours of Zzzz's in before we had to be at church today, and to top it all off...babysitting is COVERED through the morning!!
The only reason I took pictures of our date night was because I knew we were going to make it blog worthy...and it was!
It's so amazing how just a few hours spent alone without our offspring can put EVERYTHING back into perspective. I was able to remember how good of friends we are!
Earlier in the day, my mom told me she ran into someone I knew in high school. The girl asked if I was "still with Steve", when my mom told her I was and that we have two kids together, my old classmate told my mom that she remembered how completely obsessed I was with Steve back in my later years of high school. When my mom told me this, I was immediately reminded of the days I COULDN'T WAIT for the bell to ring, so I could RUSH over to my favorite teacher's classroom where she'd let me call Steve in between classes! I spent lots of class time writing notes to him and writing out timelines of how our life would be together when we'd eventually get married!
Tonight, I thought about those times. Even though our timeline looks a lot different than the one I drew in high school, I still love this man as much as I did back then and now since we've made a family, I love him even more. Tonight I realized that I really need to make more of an effort to see past the struggle of each day and love my husband regardless of the stressful circumstances life tosses at us.
In our new series at Journey, Ed talks about marriage. one thing he said this week really resonated with me in a sweet way. The point was that God is more interested in that we "Love the one we marry, than that we marry the one we love". As I made sense of this statement, I thought about how self centered our society is. Back in "the day" a woman was appointed a husband, and was expected to marry and love him. Though I'm glad times have changed and that I was able to pick my own partner for life, I still think there is importance in making sure that I'm putting MORE of my energy and heart into LOVING Steve, than making sure he's loving me the right way. So often I get caught up in selfish feelings of making sure Steve's putting me first, and caring for me in a way that I feel I should be cared for...when in really, I need to be way MORE focused on how I'm loving him! If we genuinely focused on loving our spouses instead of "navel gazing" I'm confident that we'd in turn receive more love from each other. It just makes sense!
Putting that learning into practice last night was so refreshing, and although our time alone is quickly coming to an end, I am already anticipating being reunited with our boys who we haven't seen since yesterday afternoon. The other 2 human beings that I need to focus on pouring more love into.
I'll definitely be referring back to this post in just a few hours when the week begins again, and things get hectic!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Making Progress...
Last night after I put the boys to sleep, I thought of TWO huge milestones that were made just in the past week! In a book I read a month ago, I learned that I need to be conscious and aware of every moment, as not to miss any of them...so I decided the best way to celebrate the milestones I recognized yesterday would be to mention them here!
MILESTONE NUMBER 1
Cameron is 90% potty trained!! This means NO diapers in the daytime. Only a pullup at night. I was putting a diaper on him whenever we had to drive somewhere, but he's doing a great job of even being aware in the car. I am a very proud mommy. This was really none of my doing. I have been so incredibly inconsistent with Cameron in this area. About a week ago, Cameron told me he just didn't need his diaper anymore. I agreed that he didn't need it, and after almost 5 days, Cameron is well on his way to being an official "BIG BOY"! He's also very proud of himself!
MILESTONE NUMBER 2
Riley has officially transitioned to a forward facing car seat, and is walking. The car seat thing ... as small as it seems is sooo much more of a convenience. And the walking...well... not so much of a convenience for me, but a HUGE achievement for Riley boy! He's doing great!
I wouldn't go as far as to say life is easy and smooth sailing...but I can definitely tell you that we're making progress!
MILESTONE NUMBER 1
Cameron is 90% potty trained!! This means NO diapers in the daytime. Only a pullup at night. I was putting a diaper on him whenever we had to drive somewhere, but he's doing a great job of even being aware in the car. I am a very proud mommy. This was really none of my doing. I have been so incredibly inconsistent with Cameron in this area. About a week ago, Cameron told me he just didn't need his diaper anymore. I agreed that he didn't need it, and after almost 5 days, Cameron is well on his way to being an official "BIG BOY"! He's also very proud of himself!
MILESTONE NUMBER 2
Riley has officially transitioned to a forward facing car seat, and is walking. The car seat thing ... as small as it seems is sooo much more of a convenience. And the walking...well... not so much of a convenience for me, but a HUGE achievement for Riley boy! He's doing great!
I wouldn't go as far as to say life is easy and smooth sailing...but I can definitely tell you that we're making progress!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BECKY!
It's October 17 @ 12:05AM... and yes...officially BECKY'S birthday!
For the record...I'm really bad at remembering birthdays, but I've been anticipating this one for a long while. Through the past 4 years or so, Becky has become a very close friend of mine. It helps that we share a lot of the same interests and even hangups. As a friend, Becky has always loved me for who I am, and always finds a way to dig through my rough edges in attempts to know me at a deeper than surface level. And as I've tried to break through her layers of charisma, giddyness, and constant energy, I've found that these characteristics aren't any kind of facade hiding who she is. She just REALLY is all of these things. Since I've known her, Becky has always had an amazing outlook on life. A lot of this is I'm sure credited to her very optimistic husband. But besides optimism, this girl has incredible faith that HAS indeed moved mountains, not only in her life, but in the lives of others around her.
She has an uncanny sense of all things tech, and is a definite GOAL getter. There's not a goal she can set that she can't achieve. I really think the only reason she goes to the gym is to break her records from the previous day at the gym.
It's no lie that I get a kick out of watching Becky being "Becky" in certain situations. I think she knows exactly what to do to make me die laughing. And she doesn't seem to get too offended when I do laugh at her quirkiness! In fact, most of the time, I think she does it on purpose. I really wish I had a youtube video to post with all of my favorite "Becky moments".
Instead...
Here's a list of the top ten things I love about Becky. Enjoy.
10. She LOVES big parties and dressing up. I love telling her about bargains I find at the "Everything 5 dollars Store", and about how I hate my birthday. I can hear her almost vomiting now!
9. I love that she's taking guitar lessons from Tim. And...that he forgot to show up last week! Her strum is really coming along!
8. She sings High School Musical songs with so much passion that you'd think the movie was actually about her life.
7. The video/Picture montage - From Gregg
6. My favorite EVITE "You're invited to - Another Reason to Have A Party!"
5. The Trailer Stairs High Heel, Ringing Cell Phone, Chai Latte Stumble. Not so much a "favorite moment" but I'll never forget the sound. Glad you're ok, Beck.
4. Two Words - Hey Girl!
3. I love it when she uses the tech headsets at church during service to buzz me to ask if I miss her!
2. Threatening the runner on 1st base, acting like she's going to throw down and saying "Are you trying to taunt me? I WILL throw you out! Are you trying to taunt me?! huh? huh? TRY IT!!" All while wearing her pink and white reebok ball cap and her cut off knee length jean shorts. I was even scared!
1. 5 words: Becky's Heart at the Park
I love you, Becky. Thank you for being a great friend!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
For the record...I'm really bad at remembering birthdays, but I've been anticipating this one for a long while. Through the past 4 years or so, Becky has become a very close friend of mine. It helps that we share a lot of the same interests and even hangups. As a friend, Becky has always loved me for who I am, and always finds a way to dig through my rough edges in attempts to know me at a deeper than surface level. And as I've tried to break through her layers of charisma, giddyness, and constant energy, I've found that these characteristics aren't any kind of facade hiding who she is. She just REALLY is all of these things. Since I've known her, Becky has always had an amazing outlook on life. A lot of this is I'm sure credited to her very optimistic husband. But besides optimism, this girl has incredible faith that HAS indeed moved mountains, not only in her life, but in the lives of others around her.
She has an uncanny sense of all things tech, and is a definite GOAL getter. There's not a goal she can set that she can't achieve. I really think the only reason she goes to the gym is to break her records from the previous day at the gym.
It's no lie that I get a kick out of watching Becky being "Becky" in certain situations. I think she knows exactly what to do to make me die laughing. And she doesn't seem to get too offended when I do laugh at her quirkiness! In fact, most of the time, I think she does it on purpose. I really wish I had a youtube video to post with all of my favorite "Becky moments".
Instead...
Here's a list of the top ten things I love about Becky. Enjoy.
10. She LOVES big parties and dressing up. I love telling her about bargains I find at the "Everything 5 dollars Store", and about how I hate my birthday. I can hear her almost vomiting now!
9. I love that she's taking guitar lessons from Tim. And...that he forgot to show up last week! Her strum is really coming along!
8. She sings High School Musical songs with so much passion that you'd think the movie was actually about her life.
7. The video/Picture montage - From Gregg
6. My favorite EVITE "You're invited to - Another Reason to Have A Party!"
5. The Trailer Stairs High Heel, Ringing Cell Phone, Chai Latte Stumble. Not so much a "favorite moment" but I'll never forget the sound. Glad you're ok, Beck.
4. Two Words - Hey Girl!
3. I love it when she uses the tech headsets at church during service to buzz me to ask if I miss her!
2. Threatening the runner on 1st base, acting like she's going to throw down and saying "Are you trying to taunt me? I WILL throw you out! Are you trying to taunt me?! huh? huh? TRY IT!!" All while wearing her pink and white reebok ball cap and her cut off knee length jean shorts. I was even scared!
1. 5 words: Becky's Heart at the Park
I love you, Becky. Thank you for being a great friend!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Friday, October 12, 2007
Entry 431
In attempts to write some fresh music, as a discipline, I've been putting text from some of my journal entries to music. This has actually turned from a discipline to a totally joy and hobby. I'd love to be able to write one song per day, but finding time to even concentrate for 1 minute is near impossible with Steve gone so much. But whenever I do get a few moments to myself, you can bet I'll be messing around with my guitar and doing this:
Entry 431
"...I place my life in the hands of a savior. He faithfully pulls me through. I'll forever tell the story of 'the one they call Jesus'. I've fallen in love with you. Thank you, Lord that your love is eternal. Your love is ETERNAL. YOUR LOVE IS ETERNAL!!..."
Entry 431
"...I place my life in the hands of a savior. He faithfully pulls me through. I'll forever tell the story of 'the one they call Jesus'. I've fallen in love with you. Thank you, Lord that your love is eternal. Your love is ETERNAL. YOUR LOVE IS ETERNAL!!..."
Monday, October 8, 2007
What About Tomorrow?
Well, needless to say, my 3 year old boy is getting to be quite the chatter box. Whenever Cameron begins a sentence, I always anticipate what he's going to say. Usually it's something about his grandma, or his friend, Garrett's toys, or about how EXTREMELY hungry he is (don't feel bad for him, he eats all day long).
Anyway... in the past 3 or 4 weeks Cameron has introduced us to a constant concern he has. Whenever we go ANYWHERE or even just TELL him we're going somewhere, Cameron really wants to know what we're doing "next".
example:
ME: Cameron...Aren't you so excited that we're going to Oktoberfest?!?!
CAMERON: Yes mom, but after Oktoberfest where are we going?!
I'm serious...this happens EVERY TIME I take the boy ANYWHERE!
I usually tell him where we're going (which is usually home) but no matter where that place is, he starts crying. Balling. REALLY UPSET. I usually figure out a way to change the subject to make him stop crying. Sometimes it works but sometimes it doesn't. I've noticed that Cameron's craving for "what's next" has really been putting a damper on "what's now".
We went to Chuck-E-Cheese a few weeks ago and he spent almost the entire time upset after he asked me where we were going "after".
This behavior has started bothering me so badly that whenever he asks, I grab Cameron's face, tell him to look at me, and then I tell him that he won't have a happy day today if he's too busy worrying about what's going to happen next.
Today, as I was listening to the message at church, it wasn't until the 3rd time I heard it that God spoke to me directly! I, myself...the mom...CAMERON'S MOM, spend sooo much time worrying about tomorrow that I don't know if I'll ever be happy about today. Ed read a quote from Blaise Pascal and he mentioned that if we spend sooo much time worrying about our future and dreaming of "better days" then we'll be too busy looking and dreaming for those times, that we'll miss them completely. They might as well not exist!
Holy COW! Is that true or WHAT?!! For me it is. Live for NOW!! "NOW" is staring us in the face with SOOO much potential!
So, I really can't wait to share my learnings with my son! Or...just maybe... Cameron has known this concept all along, and God just used him to open Mommy's eyes today!! Wouldn't be the first time!
Here's a sweet video I found at my parents house of him singing in their front yard about 4 months ago.
Anyway... in the past 3 or 4 weeks Cameron has introduced us to a constant concern he has. Whenever we go ANYWHERE or even just TELL him we're going somewhere, Cameron really wants to know what we're doing "next".
example:
ME: Cameron...Aren't you so excited that we're going to Oktoberfest?!?!
CAMERON: Yes mom, but after Oktoberfest where are we going?!
I'm serious...this happens EVERY TIME I take the boy ANYWHERE!
I usually tell him where we're going (which is usually home) but no matter where that place is, he starts crying. Balling. REALLY UPSET. I usually figure out a way to change the subject to make him stop crying. Sometimes it works but sometimes it doesn't. I've noticed that Cameron's craving for "what's next" has really been putting a damper on "what's now".
We went to Chuck-E-Cheese a few weeks ago and he spent almost the entire time upset after he asked me where we were going "after".
This behavior has started bothering me so badly that whenever he asks, I grab Cameron's face, tell him to look at me, and then I tell him that he won't have a happy day today if he's too busy worrying about what's going to happen next.
Today, as I was listening to the message at church, it wasn't until the 3rd time I heard it that God spoke to me directly! I, myself...the mom...CAMERON'S MOM, spend sooo much time worrying about tomorrow that I don't know if I'll ever be happy about today. Ed read a quote from Blaise Pascal and he mentioned that if we spend sooo much time worrying about our future and dreaming of "better days" then we'll be too busy looking and dreaming for those times, that we'll miss them completely. They might as well not exist!
Holy COW! Is that true or WHAT?!! For me it is. Live for NOW!! "NOW" is staring us in the face with SOOO much potential!
So, I really can't wait to share my learnings with my son! Or...just maybe... Cameron has known this concept all along, and God just used him to open Mommy's eyes today!! Wouldn't be the first time!
Here's a sweet video I found at my parents house of him singing in their front yard about 4 months ago.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Storytime and LOVE!
This week I decided to take Cameron to the library for storytime and also to find some new books to read! Cameron was very excited about storytime and really wanted to know who was reading the story. So we sat down with the other 5 kids and their mom's and then entered "Miss Molly"! As soon as she sat down and introduced herself, Cameron felt the need to get up and stand right next to her and say "Hi Miss Molly, my name is Cameron!" She acknowledged him and then used the moment to let the rest of the kids introduce themselves to her. After she met all the kids, they sat in a circle, and Miss Molly started reading a story about an owl who was lost. The kids were all sitting politely listening...at which point Cameron...stands up again and says "I think the owl is saying 'I want my mommy!' Sometimes I miss my mommy, but my mommy is right there so I'm not scared of the library!" "Oh I'm glad you're not scared Cameron" Miss Molly says as she continues reading. At this point I just feel like cracking up because I've never seen Cameron so animated in front of people before...but I keep my cool and just hope he doesn't stand up and interrupt again. Miss Molly finished the first story and picked up the second...at which point...AGAIN...Cameron stood up and walked over to Miss Molly to tell her "I'm SOOOO happy you're here Miss Molly. You're my teacher and I am so happy!!!" Keep in mind...he's totally jumping up and down because he's so happy! After a couple of more stories and Cameron's "Sometimes at my grandmas house..." interruptions, it's time to leave. We got in the car to go home, and the boy started crying. A really quiet, sad, passionate cry. I asked him what was wrong...and well..yes...his next words were, and I quote "I miss Miss Molly sooo much, mom. She is sooo sweet. She's going to miss me so much." I told him that she will probably miss him and that we'll definitely go back and visit during story time next week. We went to a different library today for story time, but when Cameron didn't see Miss Molly he decided we should "go back home".
So we'll be patiently waiting for next Wednesday's story time at the El Cajon library. And I'm going to try my best to keep Cameron's mind off how much he misses his "teacher".
Just an FYI - I don't at all wonder where he got this crazy sudden passion for Miss Molly. My mom or anyone who knew me in high school would tell you that I always had pretty intense love for my teachers!!...from elementary school all the way through high school...I did my best to make my teachers know how much I valued them! It's actually really cool to identify that trait in Cameron. I can already sense his passion for people, and as over dramatic he can be, I really hope he keeps that characteristic as he gets older!
The AMAZING Miss Molly...yes camping socks over leggings and all!
So we'll be patiently waiting for next Wednesday's story time at the El Cajon library. And I'm going to try my best to keep Cameron's mind off how much he misses his "teacher".
Just an FYI - I don't at all wonder where he got this crazy sudden passion for Miss Molly. My mom or anyone who knew me in high school would tell you that I always had pretty intense love for my teachers!!...from elementary school all the way through high school...I did my best to make my teachers know how much I valued them! It's actually really cool to identify that trait in Cameron. I can already sense his passion for people, and as over dramatic he can be, I really hope he keeps that characteristic as he gets older!
The AMAZING Miss Molly...yes camping socks over leggings and all!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
La Mesa Train Depot
As we begin the season of Fall, my family is adjusting to a new season of life! Steve started working on the night crew at Albertsons about a month ago. He goes into work at 10PM at gets home at 7AM. Although it is nice to know he's making money while I'm sleeping, the mornings have been kind of complicated. By the time Steve gets home, he's ready for bed. He needs to sleep early because he also works during the day and early evenings at Journey. So when I hear my front door open at 7AM, the boys and I need to be up, dressed and ready to get out of the house. There's no way Steve could get any sleep with us in the house, so...almost every morning, I pack the kids in the car, and just kind of sit there until I figure out what to do. Sometimes it's nice enough outside at 7AM to go to the park...but sometimes it's too wet and cold still. I try to do things that don't cost money...sometimes that's hard.
This morning when Steve got home, I rushed out the door with Cameron. Riley isn't feeling great, so he stayed with daddy for a nap in his crib. I took Cameron to Cosmos, because I really needed coffee, and then we decided to walk up and down La Mesa BLVD. We walked by some neat antique shops and saw disney characters, we walked over the trolley tracks, walked by Camerons favorite hang out, The Yogurt Mill, and then headed back to the car. On our stroll back to the car, we saw that cool old La Mesa Train Depot...you know...it's the one you always pass by when you're on Spring Street. Well...Cameron LOVES trains...like...A LOT! So...since we had time to kill, we stopped by and checked it out. I never realized how much history there is...just a few blocks from my house. After taking a few pictures, Cameron and I came home to find some info on the La Mesa Train Depot. It was very interesting. Here are some really cool facts:
The La Mesa Depot Museum is La Mesa, California's oldest building in its original form and is the sole surviving San Diego and Cuyamaca Railway Station in existence. The building you see today on the corner of Spring Street and La Mesa Boulevard in downtown La Mesa has an colorful history.
In 1885 the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific Railroads extended service to San Diego. At that time, the locomotives burned coal and access to the wharf to load coal from ships was critical. The section of the San Diego and Cuyamaca Eastern Railway extending through La Mesa Springs was originally planned to join with the Santa Fe or Southern Pacific Railroads at Needles, but, due to the mountainous terrain, never got past Foster, just east of Lakeside. Transportation past that point to Julian was accomplished via stagecoach, at a price thirteen times that of railway travel.
It was in 1888 that the railway came to La Mesa Springs and in 1894 the original station in La Mesa was constructed, its first name being the Allison Station. In 1915, the small original building was moved across the tracks and expanded to its current size.
The railway served the residents of the area in a variety of ways and the station was truly the center of town to its people. The City of La Mesa and its environs certainly would not have progressed as far or as quickly without the help of the trains. Students used to commute to San Diego High School for their classes, the alternative being a one-hour ride in a buggy. The many lemon farmers appreciated and took advantage of both their proximity to a railroad and their access to the flume for irrigation. The flume had been constructed in 1887 and brought water down from Cuyamaca Lake.
In 1928, passenger service stopped on this section of the what was, by then, a branch line of the San Diego and Arizona Railway. Freight service continued, though several floods and the construction of Gillespie Field for air travel had shortened the end of the working line back to El Cajon by 1943. In 1954 Spring Street was widened and the La Mesa Depot building was sold to the Lakeside Chamber of Commerce for one dollar, to be used as part of a "western town." The city of Lakeside never used it, and shortly thereafter a woman by the name of Flossie Beadle purchased it and ran an antique store and museum out of the building. After she passed away, the structure was used as a worm farm and chicken coop over the years and fell into disrepair.
In 1974, the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association located and purchased the remains of the building, again for one dollar. In 1980-1981 the building was returned to its original site and, using money from a federal grant, was restored to its 1915 condition. Preservation was truly a labor of love for volunteers of the San Diego Railroad Museum, with help from members of the La Mesa Historical Society.
Today the Railroad Museum owns and maintains the building, and the City of La Mesa owns and maintains the grounds and land beneath it. The public is admitted free to the La Mesa Depot Museum for tours on weekend afternoons. Visitors can inspect the steam locomotive and string of freight cars on the nearby track and pass through the ticket/waiting area and view the telegrapher's station and a small exhibit area in the baggage room. This building and its past are a fascinating look at a bit of small-town railroading from yesteryear and its importance to the community it served.
Me and Cameron had a great time exploring this morning. Hopefully we can find something equally as fun and educational tomorrow!
Monday, October 1, 2007
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