The Broadmoor Resort

Dad and I had out of town visitors and I didn't get my "real" post done so I thought I would share these pictures taken at the beautiful Broadmoor Resort. These were all taken on the grounds. Thanks to a friend of mine we were able to tour a few hotel rooms. They were amazing. Some of the rooms' standard rates were more than my monthly mortgage payment! I'll post those pictures on Wednesday :o)

Long Summer Update

Well, I’m back from hiatus, but I haven’t really blogged a whole lot other than pictures. When I scheduled my hiatus back in May I had no idea how important this time off was going to be for me.

About this time of year I usually write a post about how tired I am of the heat and how I detest the heat. I sometimes say things like “this is the summer of my discontent.” Really, though, every summer gets that way because I don’t like heat and I don’t tolerate it well at all.

The only thing about this summer that is different is that the heat started early and hit us with a vengeance. I have family who live in places that get much hotter than it usually gets here and they are always surprised that I don’t have A/C. I always tell them it’s because the weather rarely gets hot enough to really need it. This summer I longed for A/C like crazy.

The summer was tough for my city and my state. I’ve been on the outskirts of all that has happened and some say that we out here on the fringe weren’t really affected. I don’t believe that’s true. While not directly affected we feel the effects especially when it happens to friends and people we know. My heart has cried out over the things that have happened.

See, our summer started with a bad rain storm in early May. I’ve probably said this before, but this is a semi-arid state. We need moisture pretty much all the time. Rain like this doesn’t really help. The rain came in torrents in early May. Not for a long duration, but in buckets. So much rain that streets flooded and cars floated.

Not only was there rain, there was hail. Estimates to fix roofs and automobiles were in the millions.

Just weeks later I was at Dad’s on a Saturday when I saw a plume of smoke over the northwest part of the city. It was a forest fire burning in a canyon just outside the city limits. Being semi-arid forest fires are common. Still, we’ve never experienced one so close to the city.

Through the work of firefighters and other emergency crews the fire was kept at bay for three days. The Tuesday after the fire started an outflow wind whipped the fire up the canyon wall and it raced down the other side into the city.

People had already been evacuated and many were still in the process of leaving the area as the fire burned into populated areas. Pictures that afternoon showed a hideous orange-black horizon with long lines of cars making their way to safety. One family from my church was evacuating in that line of cars. The mom and daughter were in one car and dad was in another car. While trying to calm her daughter the mom was praying as she wondered if the fire would roar right over their car or whether they would die from suffocation.

My house is approximately 25 miles from where the fire entered the city and that night we had smoke and ash billowing over our part of the city also. I was glued to the TV and Facebook that night as pictures of homes burning were showed. Before the night was over 347 homes burned to the ground and 2 people died.

It was unlike anything this city has ever experienced. The community, though, came together and supported each other in a way I didn’t think possible. It made me proud to be a part of the city.

As the city began the recovery and rebuilding process the heat raged on. We get only a handful of days that get above 90 degrees in a normal summer and they come in late July or August. This year we had day upon day of 90 plus degree days starting in June and not ending until just a few weeks ago. I told my dad today, “Hard to believe that in the past 75-80 degree temperatures were hot for me and now when I see them in the forecast I rejoice for the cooler weather.”  Needless to say, this fall loving girl is just waiting for the cooler weather.

Just a week or so after the fire was contained and life moved on, the state woke up to the news that a man had walked into a crowded theater in a suburb of Denver and opened fire killing 12 people and injuring 58 others. Again, I was on the outskirts of this tragedy, but my heart broke for the families involved.

The saying goes that tragedy comes in threes and this summer proved that right. A few weeks after the shooting in Denver a local motorcycle police officer was responding to a call and was fatally injured in a traffic accident. The city reeled after yet another senseless tragedy.

In the midst of this hard summer there were some bright spots for me. In late June my siblings all came to town. Twelve of my fifteen immediate family members were all together at the same time. I love my family and enjoyed the chaos of having them all around.

Just days after the last of the family members left I flew off to visit my extended family in the heartland. Have I ever told you how much I love my family? It was a great vacation with aunts, uncles, and cousins.

This summer has a lot of people questioning and in pain. I try to cling to what I know is true and that is found in this verse.  “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13

In future posts I will give you some insight on my vacation and I will reveal to you how I ended up with a streak of green hair!

Fingerprint Friday - Family

Fingerprint Friday is the brainchild of Beki at The Rusted Chain. I love the idea of looking for God's fingerprint in our lives so I've decided to make this a regular post.

Fingerprint Friday is based on these words from the beautiful song by Steven Curtis Chapman:

I can see the fingerprints of god

When I look at you

I can see the fingerprints of god

And I know its true

You're a masterpiece

That all creation quietly applauds

And you're covered with the fingerprints of god

I see the fingerprint of God in my family. This my Uncle Big Al. I have a ton of aunts and uncles on both sides of the family. Each of them are so unique and fun to be around. I love my family.



Fingerprint Friday

Fingerprint Friday is the brainchild of Beki at The Rusted Chain. I love the idea of looking for God's fingerprint in our lives so I've decided to make this a regular post.

Fingerprint Friday is based on these words from the beautiful song by Steven Curtis Chapman:

I can see the fingerprints of god

When I look at you

I can see the fingerprints of god

And I know its true

You're a masterpiece

That all creation quietly applauds

And you're covered with the fingerprints of god

This week my fingerprint is my mom. I look back on my relationship with my mom and I see how God planned our lives perfectly in making me her daughter and the way she and my dad raised me.

Mom passed away in 2007 so this will be our 5th Mother's Day without her here to celebrate. There's a line in the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan movie You've Got Mail where Meg's character says, "I missing my mother so much it hurts to breath." Even after five years I have those moments. Thankfully, I have many happy memories to get me through.

My mother was the most amazing woman and I am so very grateful for every minute I had with her.

It's Time to Get Your Merry On - Repost

Today in honor of the holiday season I am posting a little blurb I wrote for the local newspaper in 2006. The picture isn't the greatest, but since it is what the story is all about I decided to go ahead and post it.

I always thought the ornaments were old fashioned and wondered why we kept them on our tree year after year. If it were my tree, I would buy more fashionable ornaments. I was young and didn’t see the value in those old ornaments. Today there are only two ornaments remaining from the set. They now appear priceless in my opinion. Every year I look for those ornaments on the tree. They tell a story of family and love and many wonderful Christmas memories.

Christmas 1960 my parents were young and newlywed. Having just embarked on their journey, they had none of the traditional Christmas items. They walked five blocks with the snow lightly falling to the store to purchase ornaments for their first tree. I can imagine my parents holding hands and enjoying the snow. In my imagination they are planning Christmases to come. They have no idea what the future holds but they face it together.

Every year for the last forty-six these ornaments have graced our tree. They have traveled to six states and two foreign countries. They have seen hard years and years of plenty. There they hung as four children were born and raised. They have seen a daughter-in-law, two sons-in-law and six grandchildren join the family. If these ornaments could talk, they would tell many stories. The most amazing story would be the love of two people tying their family together for generations to come. Truly, the value of these ornaments has increased over the years. Someday they will break but the bond of the family will last forever.

A Daughter's Tribute

Four years have flown by
And yet they crawl
It seems just yesterday
I held your hand and sang to you

I miss you so much more
Than I can find words inside me
To express the feelings
You gave me life and filled it with love

I think of you every day and I pray
That each day the world sees more of you
In me because you were everything to me
And I am proud to be your daughter

The words don’t rhyme and the meter
Is off in this little verse of mine
But the love that flows with these words
Will never end

Doris Fickas
My Mommy
1942 - 2007

Don't Cut Down that Tree

In the yard of the farmhouse that my grandfather grew up in stood a pear tree for more than 100 years. Over the years people have wanted to chop it down for one reason or another. Grandpa always said, "No."

The morning that Grandpa died a storm blew through the area and that old tree was uprooted. Kind of ironic.

Seventy Years

Seventy years ago today my grandma and grandpa walked down the aisle and said “I do.” And for the last seventy years they did, for better and worse, in good times and bad, and through sickness and health.


As you may know from reading my blog in the last few weeks my grandpa recently passed away. Today is bittersweet. It’s a testament to lasting love and devotion. To the end my grandpa was worried about his sweet bride and that she would be okay when he was gone. I’ve written about him, so I’d like to tell you about my grandma.

For as long as I can remember Grandma’s been a spitfire. She’s a tiny little thing but her spirit and determination make up for what she lacks in size. Every time we visited I remember her energy and enthusiasm. She’s quite the dynamo.

Their family is large. She gave birth to and raised (with Grandpa’s help) thirteen children. I can’t imagine how she did it since I have trouble keeping up with myself and my kitty cat. One thing that I am always impressed by is how she can keep the kids in line, even now that they are grown and the boys grew bigger than her.

I watch how the kids have come around her and Grandpa during these last two tough months and I know that this speaks to what kind of parents they were. These kids love their parents and sacrifice to be there for them. That is what family is all about and they learned that in large part from Grandma.

Grandma and Grandpa always put out a garden and she would can and make jam and do things in the kitchen that I don’t even know about. She makes a mean strawberry freezer jam and in my opinion nothing Smuckers or Welch’s makes come close. Having a meal at their house is all about every day food that is amazing because it comes from their garden. Oh, the tomatoes! I dislike eating grocery store tomatoes because they just don’t come close.

Quilting is something she enjoys and excels at doing. Her stitching is perfect and if you didn’t know better you might think it was machine done. I’ve admired her quilts for years and knew that if I asked her she would make one for me, but didn’t want to burden her. A few years ago when I visited she brought out a quilt and gave it to me. She said she had to make it for me because as my godmother she never gave me anything. That, of course, isn’t true because I remember birthday cards and other gifts through the years. She made it just for me and it is beautiful, all creamy white with scalloped edges and hearts and daisies quilted on it.

One of my favorite memories will always be from my visit in 2008. The last day I was there I had the whole day free and that afternoon went down to the farm house. Grandma and Grandpa were watching TV and she was peeling and quartering apples to freeze for pies. I sat next to her that afternoon and helped her until my fingers hurt from holding the paring knife and were stained from the apples. It was a priceless afternoon.

I’ve said it before and it is said with sincerity, I am proud to be part of this family. Grandma is definitely one of my favorite people in the whole world. My heart aches for her today as she remembers the years she and Grandpa shared. I pray that the happy memories of so many years will comfort her.

Circle of Life

A great man passed away on Wednesday. You won’t see his name on the Internet (anyplace other than this blog, that is) or hear about him on the national news. Still, this man left an indelible mark on this world.


Grandpa slipped into eternity after spending 94 years on this earth. He lived a long and full life. I wrote about him on his 94th birthday and shared some of the wisdom he imparted.

Ours is a large family and Grandpa has been a dignified but humble patriarch. His journey here has ended, but his legacy lives on.

Just a few weeks ago my cousin gave birth to the newest little family member. In a few more weeks another cousin will bring another child into our family. And, later this year a 3rd baby will arrive. These wee babes will only know their great grandfather through the stories we tell, but they will continue his legacy.

The journey Grandpa started years ago is far from over. We all continue to live it out. The sheer size of our family ensures that his life will influence others for generations to come. This is, as they say, the circle of life. As painful as it is to lose a wonderful man we know that the great things he stood for live on in the family.



Rest in peace, Grandpa. I’ll be seeing you again in eternity

It Blossomed into a Beautiful Thing: The story of a prince among men

Once upon a time in a magical land known as Southern Indiana there was a boy who fell in love with a girl. They married young and though life was hard, their love blossomed into a beautiful thing.


Shortly after, a baby girl was born and then a boy and another boy and another boy and another girl and another girl and another boy and another boy and another girl and another girl and another boy and another girl and another boy. Yep, you counted right – 13 in all, six girls and seven boys. They all lived happily together in a little house.

The man worked hard for nigh on 70 years to guide the family. The family prospered and grew.

Spouses were added and then a baby boy was born and then another baby boy and then a baby girl. Soon there were almost too many grandbabies to count.

Before the grandbabies were done being born more spouses were added. Then a baby girl was born. And soon more great-grandbabies came.

Over the years the family tree has grown strong and beautiful. The branches are full of leaves and the new buds continue.

The years have brought change but some things remain constant. That boy still loves that girl and it’s still a beautiful thing.

That boy is my grandpa and the girl is my grandma. This year they celebrate 70 years of marriage. I am so blessed to be a part of what my brother calls a rather large and wonderful family.

Grandpa will turn 94 years young next week. He is still the strong and true patriarch of the family.

From the start he worked hard. That included time in the Army during World War II, working for the highway department, and running the family farm. Possibly the hardest and definitely the most important job he has had was raising a family of 13 children.

As a child growing up I knew Grandpa mainly as a farmer, but I never really knew how hard he worked at that. Farming can be tough work. Grandpa has never shied away from hard work. When visiting the farm I would look at the fields of corn and not realize how much sweat equity those stalks represented for Grandpa. He was able to coax and nurture until the land produced its bounty.

I often tell people that even though I am a city girl farming blood runs through my veins. I do believe the life gets inside a person and takes root. Even after Grandpa “retired” and turned the farm over to my uncles he continued to head out to the fields each day. When his health problems began to slow him down he still got outdoors as much as possible. When I was home last year I was told that earlier in the day Grandpa had taken Uncle Allen out to the garden. He walked the rows of watermelons and tapped them with his cane. “This one’s ready, but leave that one; it’s not quite done yet.” Allen would pick the melons Grandpa indicated and put them in a wheelbarrow. It was just like Grandpa to do that.

Grandpa isn’t the most boisterous of people. He tells a good story, though. As I write this I can hear his unique timbre as he would tell stories of days gone by. I love the sound of his voice and that hasn’t changed over the years.

He is a man who is loved by many. One of my favorite pictures of Grandpa hangs in the kitchen/dining area of the farm house. In the picture Grandpa is sitting in his recliner and a bunch of grandkids are sitting in his lap and on the arms of the chair. The smiles on the faces of those kids and the smile that lights Grandpa’s face tell a story of a man who loves and is loved.

People are drawn to him because of that smile and his sweet, gentle nature. Not just family, mind you, but most everyone he meets. Grandpa was hospitalized this week and the report I got this morning was that the nurses are all sweet on him and are making sure he is well cared for. As my sister said, “How could they not be drawn to him?” As much as he nurtured the land and the crops, he has done the same with the people he meets.

Grandpa truly is an amazing man. I am blessed to be a part of the family he has created. As his birthday comes next week I am grateful that we have had him with us for so many years.

Happy Birthday (a little early) Grandpa! I love you!



PS – Grandma is amazing in her own right and someday soon I will tell you about the dynamo she is and how incredible it has been to grow up as her granddaughter!

Thankful for Dad

Well, here we are at the end of November 2010. One month ends and another begins. This has been a month of busyness, holidays, and family. It has been a month of remembering the many blessings God has bestowed on me.


Tomorrow starts the Christmas month. The month ahead promises more busyness and definitely more holidays. Family for Christmas this year will be just me and Dad and the animals. No out of town visitors and no trips to visit family are planned. This year will be a mix of old traditions and some new ones borne of it being just the two of us. While it makes me a little sad that our celebrations will be smaller this year, I am thankful for this time with Dad.

One thing I have always appreciated (as an adult anyway) are my parents. Except for the years I lived in the Great Northwest in the 90’s I have always lived close to Mom and Dad. I love being able to just pop over to the house and spend time with Dad. I don’t get to do enough of that, but certainly more than when I was out on the edge of the world.

Have I ever told you about how grateful I am for my Dad? I don’t think I have done a proper Dad thankfulness post this month. Daddy has always been my hero. As a little girl I believed he could do anything. As an adult I know that he would do anything for his family. He has been there through the trials of my life when I needed a handyman or a computer repairman or a sounding board. He has supported and loved me in a way that only Dad’s can.

Yes, my Daddy is definitely a keeper and for that I am very thankful!

Planning Turkey Dinners

It's finally Thanksgiving week! I'm excited that my sister and her family are coming for a visit. While talking about Thanksgiving dinner Dad suggested Honey Baked Ham which does more than just ham. I said if he wanted a real turkey dinner I would be happy to cook. Turns out he would like some real turkey and dressing so I am playing the hostess on Thursday and cooking up the bird.

Despite the fact that I have been an adult for over two decades, I have cooked very few full turkey dinners. So I'm having to do some pre-planning and research to make sure I get everything right. Luckily, I have a little "voice" from the past to help me along the way. Back in 1990 when my youngest sister was first married Mom wrote a long letter to her in October with details about how to fix a turkey and dressing! My sister was gracious enough to forward me a scanned copy of the letter.

The letter is a great tool for me as I plan my meal. It is also a beautiful reminder of the special person my mother was and I am so grateful to have a copy as part of my cookbook repertoire.Written in her hand writing it causes me to hear echoes of her sweet voice as I read through it.

Today I am thankful for the amazing woman who I am blessed to call Mom and for the little bits of history she left behind.

Sunday Thankfulness

So, I forgot to post yesterday. It wasn't that I didn't have anything to be thankful for 'cause I did. I spent the morning at my dad's house helping to get ready for a visit from my sister and her family. It's been a year since I have seen them and I am super excited they are coming. Then Dad and I did our typical Saturday night thing with church and dinner. I am so very thankful for my family.

Last week I posted about my printer spitting out random pieces which frustrated me, but I was able to find a good printer that will allow me to print not only from my desk top computer but also my laptop computer so I am thankful for new technology.

Friday night I spent the evening with three of my friends. We call ourselves a secret society and while I am not going to divulge any secret society secrets, I am going to tell you about these friends. You see the three of them are amazing, intelligent, beautiful women who have fabulous jobs; jobs that in one way or another touch the lives of thousands of people. They are dedicated to their jobs and give up much in their lives in order to do what needs to be done. Sometimes in pursuit of perfection for others they give up too much and forget to take care of themselves. So, they decided it was time to reclaim their lives. They knew that if they didn't they wouldn't have the strength needed to carry on their work for others. So they began to take time for themselves to remember that while work is important, life is important also.

Earlier this fall they invited me to join them on a life reclamation trip to Wyoming. Having quit my job earlier this year in an attempt to reclaim my own life and pursue my dream, the trip was just what I needed. And after that trip we decided that we needed to have a time at least once a month to get together to just enjoy life and each other's company. The society was formed one beautiful, chilly night under the stars. Da goils and I are now society girls ;-)

Today, two of these friends and I are going to see the newest Harry Potter film. It promises to be an afternoon of magic, mystery, and possibly a little mayhem.

Woohoo!! I am so thankful for friends and family!

Sisterly Love

Today I am thankful that God has given me two amazing sisters. I love my sisters like crazy. They are so very different and yet so much alike and they enrich my life in so many ways.

Christina is sweet and quiet. She makes me laugh with her subtle sense of humor. I admire the way she takes what life hands her and keeps on going. She has two sons; one 14 and the other 7. She was such a girlie girl growing up that I imagined her having little girls to dress up and do their hair. But she has these two incredible, energetic boys and so she learns to fish and skeet shoot and all the other things that boys do.
She once was the sister who wanted to borrow my sweaters and who the boys in high school wanted to get close to me so they could get a date with her. Then she grew up into this beautiful woman who is someone I would choose as my friend if she hadn't been a built-in friend called a sister.

Teresa is the baby of the family. She is spicy and strong. She was sometimes a bratty little sister...all the siblings were bratty, weren't they at one time? Today she is witty, beautiful, intelligent and such a good friend to me. Her strength through the years has been insurmountable. She takes life by the horns and wrestles it to the ground. Her two kids are as different as night and day yet she is there for both of them. I love that she is in a new phase of her life and that she is embracing it with gusto. Her new found verve as a stay-at-home mom makes me tired sometimes but impresses me at the same time. When she rattles off the different types of spiced pumpkin seeds she made or the homemade coffee syrups she created I just have to smile.

Having sisters is definitely one of the best parts of my life. Thank you, God, for blessing me so richly with these two fantastic sisters!

Dinner with Daddy

Today is Saturday. That means it is time for church and dinner with Dad. This is a tradition that started while Mom was still alive and my sister and her family still lived nearby.

Now it's just me and Daddy, but that's okay because it's our time to reconnect.  I am thankful for this time with my dad.

Thanksgiving Month Again!

Can you believe that it is November 1st already!?! Can I be a little clichéd and say, “Time Flies?” Well, it just does.


So, since it is November again I thought it was time to do another Attitude of Gratitude Month. Last November I blogged each day about something for which I was grateful. It gave me an opportunity to appreciate the little details that make life what it is. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget to enjoy life. Tuning my mind to those little gifts throughout my world helps me to rise above the drudgery. It makes my heart sing and puts a smile on my face.

And, now without further ado:

Today I am grateful for the peaceful walk through the cemetery yesterday when I visited my mom’s grave. Yesterday was the third anniversary of her death and while her death left a huge hole in my life I am grateful that she is once again healthy and happy in heaven. During the walk I came upon five deer who were just lounging in the grass among the graves under a bunch of trees. They looked at me and I at them and I took a couple pictures on my cell phone, then went on my way. It’s moments like these that make me smile.

What Exactly Does Fluctuating Cognition Mean!?!

A friend I met through Facebook posted this article on his page today. I felt it did a good job of describing the types of cognitive problems Lewy patients have and how they are different from Alzheimer's.

Mental Help Web Site



I didn't have a chance to write a post last night so I was glad that I saw this article. Last night after having dinner with my dad, brother and sister-in-law in celebration of Mom and Dad's anniversary we went back to Dad's house. We let his little terrier mix dog out into the fenced back yard to "do his business." He was attacked by a Husky wolf mix dog that lives down the street who had jumped the fence and was in our yard. Scamp has bruising and gashes on both sides of his body near his front legs. As I write this he is at the vet undergoing surgery to repair the wounds. I just didn't have a lot of energy left after that to come home and write a post.

50 Years

The dreams became reality. The kids ran through the house leaving their finger prints on the walls, windows, and his and her hearts. There were diapers, moves, lost teeth, bills to be paid, school plays and teenage drama. Through it all they stood by each other’s side. For better, for worse.


Worse came in 2007 just after they celebrated 47 years of marriage. Lewy Body Dementia took her much too young. But Lewy couldn’t negate all those years of better. It couldn’t drown out all the years of love and laughter. Lewy couldn’t conquer the legacy of love that was started the day.

Today we commemorate 50 years since Mom and Daddy said “I do.” It’s bittersweet that Mom isn’t here to celebrate with us, but we know she’s looking down from heaven on the family their love built and smiling. We are celebrating the love they shared and the love that Daddy still has for his beautiful bride.

I love you Daddy! And I love you, Angel Mommy!

Oh My!

Chaos erupted in the background. I could hear the dog barking and the boys screaming even over the phone. My sister paused for a brief moment; said, “oh my,” and came right back to the conversation. I was amazed at how easily she was able to stay focused on our call. I, however, was somewhat distracted by the events happening around her. Since she has two boys ages 12 and 5 she seems to be able to roll with the punches and not get too overwhelmed by the exuberance and excitement.


Tonight in church we were surrounded by families with young children. The two boys on the end of our pew were noisy and active. The three children in front of us were in constant motion. Somewhere behind us was a child who cried throughout most of the service. The moms seemed adept at dealing with the children while still focusing on the service. My 13 year old niece leaned over and said, “I am not hearing much of the service with all the noise and activity.” I had to agree with her.

As Christians we are faced with similar circumstances. The noise and activity of the world is a constant. It seems there is no quiet anymore with 24 hour TV and radio. We are constantly bombarded by the chaos that this world offers.

Sometimes it is hard to filter out the cacophony and listen for what is important. We find ourselves distracted and focusing on whatever is the loudest. God doesn’t often yell louder than the world. He is a still, small voice in the chaos, but He is there waiting for us to come back to the conversation.

What we need to do is learn how to say, “Oh my” and get back to the conversation. We need to learn to filter out the boisterous world.

A Weekend in Pictures