Eickhaus

Ever wondered? Or how to rejoice in a broken foot!

2011-10-02T20:39:00.004-06:00

Well, once again we are in recovery mode, and God is, as always, ever faithful!

On September 11, at about 6:30 in the evening, I took a big spill while walking the dog with Lori. We do not have sidewalks in our neighborhood, so we were walking along the gutter down a hill on Parkview. We came to s apot where the cement was cracked and had fallen about 2 inches. I mistepped and rolled my left foot, and I immediately knew it was broken. In a knee jerk reaction to the pain in my left foot, I shifted my weight and ended up going down on my right knee and elbow, tumbling into the busy street.
Almost before I had even stopped tumbling, two people driving by in a black Lexus SUV stopped an offered help. These angels/neighbors identified themselves as Charles and Zoe, as I recall, and they gave me a lift home, which was several blocks away.
I felt bad getting into their car with my bleeding right knee, but I could not walk on my left foot, so I was grateful they had come along. About an hour later, Lori was checking me in to Memorial Urgent Care, where they diagnoses a broken foot and a sprained right wrist and elbow.
God faithfulness did not end with providing me with caring support right from the moment of my fall, however. I have had terrific care all along from my friends at Skyway, my loving wife, my kids, and some good doctors. I ended up having to ave surgery to put in 5 screws to rebuild my foot. Now, three weeks later, I am able to walk on it, and have resumed my teaching duties both at school and church. I actually only took 3 days off school to deal with it for surgery and recovery.

Space Out like a Rocket Boy

2011-07-14T16:20:00.010-06:00

Last month, from June 16-20, I was priviledged to attend Teacher Space Academy in Huntsville, AL. I made a lot of new friends, including a couple from China, India and even one from England. I learned a bit about being a teacher in other countries adn cultures, and I learned a lot about teaching lessons about Space. We mourned the impending end of the Space Shuttle Program together, and I thought a lot about my Dad, a veteran of the aerospace industry, who would've loved hearing about every minute of my training. We were taught many things to stimulate our students interest (the Mars generation, we were told) in STEM ( Science, Technology, Engineering & Math. Days were long, beginning with a bus ride to breakfast at 7 a.m., and ending (most days) after 9 p.m. with a bus ride back to the Charger Village dorms at U of A. In between were hours of classes, simulations, and astronaut like training experiences. We even got to "crash" a helicopter into a lake and practice getting out of it from underwater to be rescued.
I got to meet Homer Hickam, a hero of mine (and my Dad's) and I got to meet several other space "celebrities". I even got to eat dinner with Mr. Hickam beneath a Saturn V Rocket in the US Space & Rocket Center.

20 years ago Mom went Home....

2011-06-08T20:38:00.010-06:00

My life changed in some profound ways 20 years ago this very night. There are images burned in my brain that I can never erase.
For one thing, it was a Saturday night. The movie City Slickers had just opened a night or two before. My buddy Tim and I went to see it as part of our dudes night out. I also asked him to be one of my groomsmen in my upcoming wedding that night.

I was living at home with my parents at that point, trying to afford and survive student teaching, and subbing to make a little money on the side when I could. I was about to start a new summer job the following Monday. But a lot of things were about to change.

When I arrived home that night, about midnight, the house was all lit up. My parents never stayed up that lae, I thought, so something must be wrong. I imediately thought of my Dad, who had suffered a heart attack 10 years earlier, and my own heart started pounding.

Then I got inside to find furniture pushed up against the wall, towels, needle caps, papers and other trash on the living room floor, and thought my worst fears were realized. As I ran into the kitchen to look at the corner of the table, a place we often leave notes, I was shocked to see my Dad's writing there. "Meet me at St. Jo's" it said.

I quickly locked the house up and headed to the hospital, which was less than 2 miles away, knowing it had to be my mom, and not my dad that had had some sort of medical crisis. I was at the hospital, parked and inside in less than 10 minutes.

As soon as I mentioned my parents names to the nurse at the desk, it hit me. Things were bad. They wouldn't tell me anything, just asked me to come to a room in the back.

There, a doctor and a chaplain asked me some questions, and then explained that my mom was in a coma. "How did this happen?" I asked. "Where's my dad?" They didn't answer me right away, but made me sit there a few minutes longer, and told me someone would be by to take me to them. They told me my mother was being transfered form the ER to the ICU. Soon,a nun came and took me into another part of the hospital.

There, I found my father, sitting with a police officer, who had been having a conversation and taking notes. I rushed over, and asked what happened. My Dad choked back tears, and said, "it's bad, son, I'm so sorry."

He then explained what had happened. My mother went to take a bath, as usual for her on a Saturday night in those days. Because of her epilepsy, they ahd always ahd an agreement to be sure the bathroom door remained unlocked. Dad, as he had for years would stick his head in every so often and make sure she was okay, and she always was. Except this night, about 9:00, he stuck his head in and found her face down in the tub. She was bleeding from her head, where she apprently hit it on the spigit. I can't even imagine how he managed to lived with that image the next 16 years, but he was tough, a farmboy and a marine.

So he called 9-1-1, pulled her from the tub, and began CPR. He ended up with 11 firemen, paramedics and two policemen in our living room working to revive her. After several mintues, they were able to get her heart beating, and they scooped her into an ambulance and rushed her to the nearest ER, which was St. Jo's. There, doctors worked to stabalize her.

Soon after that, we were allowed to see her. She looked so different, so small, lying there. Her forehead had been stitched up, and she had many tubes and wires attached to her body. It was obvious she was struggling to survive. A doctor came in and told us the latest test results were grim. Minimal brain function, brain swelling, and she couldn't breath on her own.

My Dad had called my grandmother, and she came with my mom's brother a few mintues later. I then called my fiance, Lori, who joined us within 30 minutes. After a coupel of hours sitting at her bedside we all went home, and tried to get some sleep. Lori came home with me and stayed with us through al this. Of course, I couldn't get any sleep, and was up by 6 in the morning. I called the hospital at 6:30, and asked how she was doing. They siad she was stable, and I said we'd be in later that morning. 30 minutes later, after my Dad had gotten up (he hadn't slept much either, of course) they called back and told us her condition was worsening. We got ourselves put together and were back at the hospital within 20 minutes. Lori began making phones calls for us, bringing my grandmother and uncle Lee back to the hospital, and summoning mom's pastor, as well as ours. the doctors told us at 8:00 am that she was howing signs of shutting down. he blood would clot in the tubes, her heartbeat was becoming irregular. Did we want to try a heart machine they asked.

Well, we knew where mom was going to be, and looking at her, it was obvious she wasn't in that poor body anymore. We prayed about it and quickly decided that we couldn't even try to keep her from heaven. We told the doctors no more machines, and no more heroic measures. Shortly after 9 that Sunday morning, with her pastor, our pastor, and a nun from the hospital all with us at her beside, her heart stopped, and she stepped into heaven completely healed from her seizures, which had plagued her all her life.

The Bank gets foreclosed....

2011-06-06T18:47:00.002-06:00

This is a sweet story about just deserts! About time B of A gets their due for being all loosey goosey with peoples' loans and money...fiscal conservative, all the way to the bank! Sucks the homeowners had to hire lawyers, though...they should get thousands for the stress and time involved in the experience of fighting the bank. ( Thanks to bro-in-law Loren for sharing this link.)

25 years ago

2010-07-05T15:42:00.002-06:00

Who knew? 25 years ago tonight I had my first date with a cute gal named Lori Rosser. Now, two and a half decades later, we have enjoyed 18 years of marriage and have two beautiful kids. We have a wonderful home, two great jobs, and are surrounded by loving cousins and many friends around town here in the shadow of Pikes Peak. We truly have been "blessed into the future".

My friend's new blog with a video you should see!

2010-06-03T19:24:00.001-06:00

Spring Break snow storm 2010

2010-03-24T10:11:00.011-06:00

It began about 8 last night with wind and snow, being called a "blizzard", but ended by midnight. We were left with about 8 inches of heavy, wet snow. I spent the better part of the morning shoveling the driveway and the deck, and my entrepreneur son is out earning money shoveling some of our older neighbors' driveways right now. The sun is finally coming out!

Charlie is not too sure what to make of it, though!

Pinewood Derby Day

2010-03-06T16:34:00.005-07:00

Pack 1 had their annual Pinewood Derby today! In four heats, Wesley's car placed 1st twice, then fourth, then second. He placed 2nd overall, and won a trophy ( not pictured here, due to technical dificulties!)

The competition was held at the local Daniels Motors Dealership, who generously donated their service bay. ( A very appropriate place to race cars!) Wes' car was called the Red Rider, and was a creation all his own!

Thirteen

2010-03-06T16:26:00.005-07:00

Are you superstitious? I'm not, but my daughter just turned 13 last month, and I have butterflies being the parent of an actual teenager...which she reminds us of every so often. She had a sleepover with 4 of her friends ( 3 "old" friends and 1 new one), and actually it was quite tame. Here she was opening gifts, and then another picture the next morning and with her friends.

Our 100th post...On a Cold Winter's Night

2009-12-10T18:57:00.004-07:00

Okay, well, it's not officially winter yet, but it is cold. About 0 out right now, and we have seen temperatures, with wind chill, down to -20 below zero in the last couple nights. Bhrrrr! It is not unusual to have a few days or even a week like that each winter, but it seems to have come early this year. The good news is the days get sunny and beautiful, like the ones pictured here.

So, when it is cold like that, we just build a fire and drink lots of hot chocolate!

Global warming?

2009-12-08T10:50:00.007-07:00

Not here! It began snowing Sunday, with a high of 20 degrees. Since then, it hasn't been out of the teens, and tonight it is supposed to be below zero! We have had over 10 inches of snow, and had school canceled today because of it. We have also had several deer and a fox go by several times today. This arctic blast is an unusual event, even in Colorado Springs. We may ahve a week like this each year, if at all. It rarely gets this cold, or stays cold or snowy more than a couple days here. But for now, it is definitely looking like a White Christmas!

Christmas is Coming Weekend

2009-12-08T10:38:00.006-07:00

Cousins at the Parade. Lori gets Wesley bundled up for his float ride on a very cold night - it was 32 degrees at start time, but at least no snow this year! The snow started the next day....

This past weekend, we rehearsed for Fellowship of the Rockies Live Nativity performance, and then were in two performances on Sunday morning, as the snow fell outside. Even cousin Lienna, who spent the weekend with us joined in the fun!

In between time, on Saturday night, we went to the annual Parade of Lights, where Wes rode on the Cub scout Pack's float, called "A Child's Wish". The scout pack had also been collecting gifts for kids who are at Memorial Hospital this Christmas.

Thanksgiving '09

2009-11-27T20:30:00.003-07:00

Another Thanksgiving has come, and gone. Once again this year, I am so thankful we have family nearby to share in special days like these. And this year, we added a couple new faces to the mix, thanks to the Hoffmanns ( and God, of course!) The day was spent in eating, playing Wii, eating, talking, more eating, walking the dog, playing games, eating pie, puzzles, and finally more eating.

Bye, Bye, Birdie

2009-11-07T18:17:00.006-07:00

Wesley has been taking a drama class as part of "Super Saturdays", a 6 week enrichment program for gifted kids hosted at UCCS each fall. Today we got to go watch his performance as Albert in a scene from "Bye, Bye, Birdie".

By the way, it is hard to believe he is about to enter "double digits" in just a couple days! Our "little boy" is not so little any more!

Time for a Hike

2009-11-07T16:33:00.003-07:00

So, what are Saturday's for? Chores? Housework? Family time? Relaxing? All of the above?

We decided to take a nice 90 minute hike up Captain Jack's Trail from Gold Camp road this afternoon, taking advantage of the sunny, warm fall day. We have had temperatures in the 60's and 70's this week, 10-20 degrees above normal for this time of year. We know the snow will come soon enough, and the chores will be waiting for us when we get home, but we decided today was a good day to get out as a family and get some exercise. (By the way, for our friends in California, the trailhead for this is just a ten minute drive from our house! ) We are blessed to be so close to outdoor getaways like this. Photo by Anna.

A Horse and His Girl

2009-11-07T16:22:00.007-07:00

Anna starts many of her Saturdays riding in the morning, either with a lesson or a "practice ride", as she did today. Of course, the horse (Desert Diamond or "DD" for short) is borrowed, not hers. But she sure treats him like her own, and he listens to her, most of the time, anyway.

Big fire 5 blocks up from us

2009-11-07T15:56:00.010-07:00

Last night shortly after dinner, after watching our dog being agitated and 5 minutes of continuous sirens and firetrucks going past, I went outside to the street and looked up the hill. The site was quite frightening for one who lives in the foothills. (Thankful we live in the "lower foothills, and it wasn't windy!) My view wasn't quite as clear as this picture from the Gazette, but I could tell that there was some serious trouble. Turns out a big house being built in a gated community no more than 1/2 mile from us burned down, and threatened to take the whole Stratton Forest/Skyway Heights neighborhood with it.

They evacuated 24 homes right away, and put several more on notice up the hill from us, and around this house. They set up our local high school as the command center, and used Gold Camp Elementary, just a couple blocks away from us, as their evacuation center until people were alowed back home about midnight.

Thankfully, everyone was fine. Less than an acre was lost, and the one 10,000 sq. ft. home, which was under construction, and nearly finished.

Two of the top photos are curteousy of our local new channels KKTV and the Gazette.

Those who go before us....

2009-11-01T13:25:00.008-07:00

During a week of illness with the swine flu last month, I "resurrected" my genealogy hobby. About that same time, I recieved an envelope from a distant cousin with dozens of photographs of our ancestors. Some were too good not to share...so here are a few...I may post more later.

This first one is Bessie Cagle, by her baby's grave. She was my great grandmother's sister. My great grandmother, by the way, died of the swine flu October 30, 1918! Unfortunately, I have no pictures of her.

The second photo is of Cyrus Worth Neff, my great-great grandfather. Anna decide it was kind of creepy, and wrote a Halloween story about it. My understanding from my distant Neff cousin was that family lore paints him as a "jack of all trades", but also not a very grandfatherly type man.

The three little girls are my great aunt Opal, my grandmother Mildred Geneva Neff (the baby, born Oct 7, 1915) and my great aunt Helen. They were the granddaughters of the man above. This was taken in Arkansas in 1915, according to the back.

They are all gone now, although my grandmother and her sister Opal both made it to 2002.

Halloween Costumes

2009-11-01T13:18:00.009-07:00

This year Anna went as "Happy Holidays", with a symbol representing each major holiday somewhere on her. And Wesley went as a Star Wars bounty hunter. He also had his friend Baxter along, which thrilled his sister immensely ( not!)

Halloween - Tricks and Treats

2009-11-01T12:42:00.007-07:00

This past week's weather made us wonder if Halloween was going to be bearable. We went from fall to winter really quickly, but then back again in a couple days, as we often do here in the fall. The first photo was taken last weekend, and the next one was taken this past Monday afternoon. We had snow off an on from Monday until Thursday, but got less than 6 inches here. Denver got up to 2 feet in some places. However, by yesterday, it was 60 and the snow had almost all melted away in time for going out trick or treating.

Excuse me...I've been distracted by a little place called "school."

2009-11-01T12:31:00.006-07:00

I've heard several complaints or concerns lately from a number of our out of state friends and relatives that they haven't seen any changes on our blog since summer. This is largely due to the fact that school started again in August, and being a "new" teacher to my school, Skyway Park Elementary. I have been putting in a lot of extra time and energy there. I also spend a lot more time on Facebook, and have posted several albums of pictures there. If I could figure out how to attach the albums here, I would.

However, I have not given up blogging. There will be pictures and notes posted here from time to time.

The Men in the White Suits Paid Us a Visit Today!

2009-07-25T14:50:00.006-06:00

We had a swarm of honeybees gather in our neighbor's tree just to the west of our house on Thursday. I called a parent we had last year at school who happens to be a beekeeper, and the local beekeeping association came and collected them. Actually, they sucked them right out of the tree with a modified shop vac. This way, the bees can go on making honey in a productive hive in a safer place, and no one got stung, which was the best part!

Photos all courtesy of Anna Eick

Pike Peak or Bust Rodeo Parade

2009-07-08T13:37:00.011-06:00

Yesterday evening Anna and I went to the Pikes Peak of Bust Rodeo Parade downtown, which kicks off...you guessed it...the Pikes Peak of Bust Rodeo, a major Colorado Springs summer tradition!
Wes & Lori didn't go because they were exhausted froma day at Cub Scout day camp.

And yes, even Elvis made an appearance, but MJ was no where to be seen!

Anna would like to ride in this parade someday!

Train Ride!

2009-06-28T10:16:00.004-06:00

First picture is Chimney Rock Fire lookout

The next is the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railway, pulled up the pass by a "double header"

We just got back from a week camping in our Coleman popup down along the Colorado/New Mexico Border. We even went for a train ride last week on the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad. We made an 11 minute video of our trip, too, but haven't been able to get it posted here. You can hear as the two steam engines work hard to pull us up the steep grade. ( One of these engines, #484, was repainted and used in the movie Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade!) Near the end of the video, you can watch as our train car became a "gospel train" as some new friends from Louisiana lead us in some old fashioned gospel songs. It was a lot of fun, and the first time we rode a train since we lost dad. (It was kind of our Father's day tradition to take him along with our kids and go ride a train each year.) He would have especially enjoyed this trip because of the scenery and the company. The people in the rail car we were riding in after lunch included a youth group and their leaders from a small Baptist church in northern Louisiana, who had come to Colorado on a missions trip, doing work on the Indian reservation. The rest of the people in that car, (except us) were from a somewhat charismatic church here in Colorado Springs. The last hour of the ride turned into a gospel sing along, with the pastor and some seniors from the Louisiana church (who were along as chaperones for their youth) leading us all in some good old fashioned gospel songs. It was quite memorable, and a lot of the music I recognized as stuff Dad loved. Photos of the trip are on my facebook page and I am posting the video here.

Breckenridge Getaway!

2009-06-18T22:31:00.007-06:00

A family at my school gave me a 2 day getaway to their cabin in Breckenridge as an end of the year gift. How could I say no?

We just got back from 2 beautiful days on the Blue River just south of Breckenridge, fishing, hiking, ghost town exploring and relaxing in the cabin.

This is the wreckage of a dredge in French Gulch, near the ghost town of Lincoln, CO, west of Breckenridge.

Anna's first catch!

2009-06-18T22:18:00.006-06:00

Last weekend, the kids and I went fishing with friends up to Manitou Lake, north of Woodland Park. This was part of a prize I had donated to the Broadmoor Parners in Education Auction, where I agreed to take two people fishing with my family. One of my colleagues, Carolyn Shaw, bought the trip with her husband in mind, but then ended up coming along, too.

We had a great time, but Anna had the best of all. She caught her first fish.

In fact, by the end of our two hours there, we had caught over 8 fish! I even caught one on my first cast that morning!

Rocky Mountain National Park

2009-06-02T21:27:00.012-06:00

So, what do you do after you've closed a school? Packed 50+ boxes and cleaned out a room you feel like you've lived in for at least the past decade?

Well, we decided we'd take a short vacation. Since M-I-L Becky was here for Anna's graduation, and since it was Cousin Joe's birthday, and since we all needed a break and a distraction from the long simmering grief of the school closing...we headed to the mountains! We rented a cabin at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park and visited RMNP!

Inside the cabin, of course, Lori was to be found in the kitchen....when not hiking, taking pictures of the elk or walking the dog.

Along Fall River Road, cousins Jen & Joe, Anna, David, Wes and G-Ma Becky, and again on top of Trail Ridge Road, May 24, 2009, which had just opened for the season.

My son's last day as a Cañon Chief

2009-06-02T21:14:00.003-06:00

Wes and his teacher, who retired this year as Cañon was closing and being "re-purposed".

Wes and his buddy, Carson on May 20, 2009, our last day with students at Cañon.

My Daughter's Promotion to Jr. High!

2009-06-02T20:54:00.008-06:00

One Giant Step for the Eick household...

A couple weeks ago, the inevitable event arrived. Anna has been promoted from 6th grader to CM Jr. Higher.
May 19, 2009

So serious....

Anna and friends celebrating the special occasion

Cañon Celebration

2009-05-03T21:13:00.008-06:00

This appeared in the kindergarten fence before sunrise early one morning during the last week Cañon was open....the sentiment was widely felt, and brought tears to many an eye...

On May 3, a celebration was held at our school, looking back on 55 years of history and memories. (Click on the title to see the news story about this event today.) I am just thankful I got to be part of the last 15 years there. I spent the afternoon catching up with former colleagues and students, showing off my children to some who hadn't seen us in years. As we went out to take a final picture, with perhaps 700 in attendance, the rain began to fall. It didn't seem to stop anyone from joining in, though. Even some teachers who were there when the school began were in attendance, and had terrific stories to share. My teaching teammate, Abby, who is an alumni herself, enjoyed spending the time catching up with teachers from her childhood. A good time was had by all, I believe, and now it is time to start packing up for our move on to whatever God has in store for me next, as I go from being a Canon Chief to become a Skyway Comet. Time to reach for the stars!

Also see http://www.gazette.com/articles/remembers-52912-canon-say.html for an article which ran in our local paper following the event. It has great pictures!

White Easter

2009-04-12T11:12:00.011-06:00

Yes, folks, it's true....you are more than twice as likely to see a white Easter here in Colorado Springs as you are to see a white Christmas! We had 4 inches of heavy wet white stuff just this morning! What a refreshing reminder of the beauty of Easter, and a much needed drink after an unusually dry winter.
Of course, it will probably all be melted by tomorrow afternoon, so we'll enjoy it as it comes!

PS 51:7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

PR 25:13 Like the coolness of snow at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the spirit of his masters.

ISA 1:18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD.
"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

Tanner (and Wesley) love to roll in the snow!

We almost had an Easter snowball fight after church....

Easter morning beside the house Wesley made snow angels today!

And later, the kids hunted for eggs in the basement! After a while, we will head to cousin Jen's for an Easter dinner with family.

video courtesy of Anna

Inspirational Family Heritage

2009-04-05T17:27:00.005-06:00

One of the other things we had the pleasure of doing while we were in Virginia was meeting with Lori's great-uncle Dois Rosser for lunch at ICM, a ministry he started after he "retired". What an inspiration! He also co-authored an inspirational testimonial book entitled The God Who Died on The Cross.
Grandpa Stan Trimble, Dois Rosser, me, Lori, Wes, Anna & Janice Allen ( Dois' daughter) at ICM, March 2009 , Hampton, Virginia

Spring Break 2009

2009-04-04T21:42:00.006-06:00

Well, we did it again. We had time off from school, so we took the kids...where else...to visit relatives and some place historic and educational!

We made plans back in January to fly to Virginia to see Lori's grandparents, whom we last saw at a Rosser family reunion in 2007. On the way there, we had a layover in Dallas just long enough to grab lunch with our good friends and old neighbors, the Morgans.

After arriving in Hampton later that night, we went to visit Lori's grandmother who is recuperating from pneumonia and getting physical therapy at a local care facility. She had a bad fall last September, and hasn't been walking without help since. They are hoping to get her back on her feet by Easter. We spent several days with her, and stayed with Lori's Grandpa, Stan, helping him with a few projects around the house.

While in Virginia, we also found time to visit our good friends the Jones', who live near D.C. So we spent one day actually in D.C. at the Smithsonian's American History Museum. On the way there, we stopped and spent a few hours with with some of Lori's cousins in Fredricksburg.

All in all, we had a terrific week packed with family time, and made some good memories.

Proud Moment

2009-03-18T21:47:00.009-06:00

While there are many things, (most things, in fact) that my kids do that make me proud, tonight was extra special. Tonight my son completed his second year as a cub scout and was promoted from Bear to Webelos, a major transition. He and seven other boys from his Den made this step tonight.

The Webelos is a two year level, from which he can graduate up to being a boy scout after fifth grade. This is already farther than I ever got, so I just a little proud! One of the great things in scouts is the parents involvement. As part of his ceremony, I got to paint his face with colors symbolic of becoming a webelos in the Pack.

Wes has done many accomplishments, and earned beads, pin, belt loops and patches over the last two years leading up to this point. He has grown in so many areas. Although some of these achievements he would have done on his own, or as part of our family activities or for school projects anyway, it was fun to see him apply them all cumulatively to a positive program like scouts. Yep, I am a proud dad!

MLK Day Hike

2009-01-19T19:27:00.006-07:00

Colorado is nothing if not a land of contrasts...today was no different. Since we had the day off, we spent most of it on projects that needed doing around the house. But then, the warm afternoon sunshine ( it was 60+ today!) prompted us to pack up the family and go over to Red Rocks Canyon, an old sandstone quarry and ranch turned open space,about 10 minutes drive from our house. We took a 3 mile hike that looped through parts of the canyon and over the hill to the other side. We had a blast, and wore the dog out, too!

First Snow of 2009

2009-01-04T16:44:00.011-07:00

What would my blog be without the occasional weather report? (Don't answer that!)

Anyway, we did not get much snow in December, except in the mountains, despite a few days of unbelievably cold air! And while Becky (or "G-Ma Beck the amazing Wii bowler"as she has come to be known around here) was here, she wished for snow, but none came. We had days in the 50's and sunny, until yesterday afternoon. She flew out at 0'dark thirty this morning with the snow flying! By noon today, we had 6 inches on the ground. We wish you could have stayed another day, Becky!

Christmas Passed...so quickly

2009-01-04T15:58:00.021-07:00

Christmas 2008 came and went so fast around here. Although we had two weeks off, and a visit from G-Ma Becky, it just didn't seem long enough. Below are some of the sights of Christmas day and the day after, when Becky arrived and we did the present opening all over again! Lori opening her new laundry room "wet mitten" sign.

Dad models his new faux suede jacket by the fire

Jen & Joe opening gifts, below

Wesley shows G-Ma Beck one of his inventions, a reading board and light he made for her, above.

Cousin Deb models wrapping ribbons, which can serve as hair ribbons, too! Who knew?

Wesley's Lego Creations, which he proudly built without help this year.

The best Christmas present ever!!!! Well, almost...

2008-12-24T15:20:00.007-07:00

With the exception of some minor landscape repairs, touching up paint and some stone trim beneath the front door, our garage project is finished!!! Merry Christmas to us!

Final dimensions, inside, are 24 X 22, which means...lots of room. Our trailer lives in here, along with a lot of my tools, and some things we inherited from my dad. This also means Lori can begin to reclaim her laundry/project room space in the basement, which has doubled as our garage type storeroom all this past year since Dad went Home. The top picture is today, Christmas Eve, and the bottom picture was taken three weeks ago. The inside is now finished and I moved my stuff into it the first couple days of my Christmas vacation from school. I only wish Dad could be here to share my joy in this "simple" project's completion.

I have been reminded by some recent car commercials about "best presents". While I am certain that nothing could ever top the present God gave us in sending His Only Son about 2000 years ago, I have been thinking a lot about my favorite Christmas presents which I have received over the last 40 years. There was, of course, my red tricycle, my big wheel, the WWII airplane with the fold up wings, the cards from my uncles that always included a $5 or even $10 bill, and the year I got a T.V. ( black and white, of course) from my grandparents, which made my parents a little put out. Then there was the year I got a blue Schwinn Beach Cruiser 5 speed, which my parents cleverly hid at an elderly neighbor's until Christmas morning. The neighbors called my Dad and asked him to come help fix something, which neighbors were always asking my handy father to do. He asked me to come along and help him. Well, when I walked in the door, and saw that bike sitting in the middle of their living room, I about fell over. That would probably be my "best childhood Christmas ever" moment.

And then there have been many Christmas' since, where I have enjoyed watching my children play with their new found presents, and enjoyed watching their grandparents watching and enjoying them just as much. It truly is a blessed season, with so much to give thanks for.

Reasons to be Thankful

2008-11-29T14:58:00.004-07:00

We have so many reasons to give thanks this year. We have two healthy, wonderful children, we both have jobs we love, we live a beautiful place, with wonderful neighbors, in a country where we enjoy many freedoms, comforts and safety. As if that wasn't enough, we have some terrific family close by to spend the holidays with, too.

After Thanksgiving dinner, it was decided we should take a family photo, so here it is! Pictured are Cousin Debbie and her husband Garth, Lori, myself, Wes, Anna, Cousin Jennifer and her husband, Joe. Missing from the picture was : the dog, the cat, and YOU! Wish you could have been here with us!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Garage rises from the driveway

2008-11-29T14:27:00.006-07:00

Yes - we really have a garage now. We have even parked in it overnight! There is still work to be done, obviously, but our contractor is confident it will all be finished and cleaned up before Christmas.

The siding and garage door were added this past week, as the pictures below show. We also added a new front door on Tuesday. As an afterthought, we designed and added a new mailbox to match the pillars.

The next design question will be whether or not we keep the shutters around the windows. Any thoughts?

The bricks on the corner we salvaged from the part of the front of the house which is now enclosed in the garage, so they match nicely. The beams are real, solid wood. They will be stained next week, and the stacked stone matching the bricks will be added to the pillars.

Many thanks to Matthew Hanks, of Peacemaker Sustainable Construction, our contractor and friend.

Garage progress continues

2008-11-11T20:09:00.012-07:00

Three weeks ago, we had a huge hole in the front yard, and our driveway was gone. Anna and Wes got to learn to drive the small excavator! Then, two weeks ago the foundation concrete was poured, and the driveway was poured on Halloween. This week the framing is underway. Hopefully, the garage will be done and ready to move stuff into before Christmas!

Veteran's Day

2008-11-11T19:11:00.010-07:00

We went to the Veteran's Day parade here on Saturday. They say it was one of the largest and most well attended in the country! Thank you to all our veteran's, including my uncles and my dad, for your service to our country! I am very proud to say I am related to several vets.

Retired Marines, Army, Air Force, Navy ROTC, and other local military groups participated along with dozens of high school bands, boy scouts and other clubs. Here are a few photos Anna took.

Fall fell hard this week in Colorado

2008-10-25T20:34:00.006-06:00

We had our first snow of the fall last Wednesday, so the leaves which had been turning for a month suddenly all turned, and many of them fell in our yard! That made for lots of fun!

Garage Project Deepens

2008-10-25T20:27:00.005-06:00

Snow on Wednesday morning covered the hill of dirt in our driveway, which had been dug out for our garage foundation to be poured.

We have had a 4 ft. deep trench in front of the door for about two weeks. It has been a challenge getting in and out, and getting the dog out for walks and such.

Today, they finally backfilled the hole and 4'-8' deep trenches that were dug two weeks ago for the footing and foundation of our new garage. Next week, they plan to pour us a new driveway and garage floor. Yea!

I Won't Forget, by Anna Eick

2008-10-18T15:26:00.005-06:00

Anna & her Grandpa "Sam", February 2007

It will have been a year next week since Dad aka "Grandpa Sam" Conrad Eick went Home to be with Our Father. A year ago this monday ( it was a Saturday, like today) we dropped in and had lunch with him. We had no idea it was the last time we'd see him this side of heaven.

This is a poem written by his granddaughter a few days after I discovered he had left us for his eternal home. She read it at his service and left a copy of it in his pocket when we laid him to rest, as a final token of how much we all would miss him.

I Won't Forget

by Anna Eick
10-25-2007

I won't forget your deep chuckles and my silly giggles;
I'll remember your strong hugs, and my small kisses.
I won't forget your wonderful stories, and how I loved them.
I'll remember your love for me,
and how proud I was that you were my grandpa;
But, most of all, I won't forget you, Grandpa.

Father's Day train Ride- Leadville - 2007

Finally!

2008-10-09T17:32:00.009-06:00

The Garage Project Finally got under way today. We had excavators here all day, and they will be here tomorrow to dig the new footings for the garage. We are relieved to finally have our permit!

Colorado Fall and a final year for Canon's Creek Club

2008-10-05T19:07:00.009-06:00

Fall has arrived in a big way in Colorado now that it is October. Some of the first snow has fallen in the high country, above 10,000 feet. It will not be long before we see our first snow here, no doubt.

This weekend I was away at camp (yeah!) with "my" Creek Club kids from school, leading a training retreat up at Bear Trap Ranch. BTR is a great Intervarsity camp about 10 miles from our school. Here are some fall pictures Anna took...

To see the "Keepers of the Creek" I get to train, click the link and it will take you to our creek club web page. http://schools.cmsd12.org/canon_elem/classrooms/Cheyenne_Creek_Club/news

The Garage...or Home Improvement Projects revisited.

2008-10-05T18:34:00.007-06:00

As many of you know, we bought a major fixer upper a little over a year ago. We have done several things to the house, including adding new windows and remodeling part of the basement.

The only thing really against this house was it's lack of a garage. In fact, my father kept asking me before we moved how will you live in a house without a garage. "You'll need a place for all my tools someday after I am gone," he said. I just said we'd build one some day. Famous last words, sort of...

Our latest project, this garage, has been a bit more tricky than anyone imagined. Although it should have been simple...just a slightly over sized 2 car garage replacing a small carport. In fact, we have been trying to build this 22' X 22' garage for the past seven months. We developed the plans last May, and started work in June. First we had to have the existing tiny ( 18 X18) carport demolished.

Being the practical and motivated people we are, we rushed to have that done in June. This was because we were going to be away, so it seemed an ideal time to do major demolition when no pets or kids were around.

When we returned from our trip, we were greeted with a call from our contractor and our architect saying that they had been told we would have to get a special variance to continue because even the existing carport, although over 40 years old, was in violation of city ordinances and was too close to the street and property lines. This call came the day our contractor took a bulldozer to our carport ( can you say "extreme home makeover?") and loaded the remains into a dumpster to be hauled away.

The carport, however, was demolished by then, so we had no sheltered space to park the cars for the entire summer, and no place to keep the trash out of sight from the bears which occasionally roam our foothills neighborhood. Of course, we thought we would be done with the project by the end of summer, right?

After many meetings between city planning officials , our architect, and us, we were finally told how we could apply for a variance ( for an extra $800 besides the regular permit fees) we had to post an official city planning sign in our yard for 10 days, notify the neighbors, get a soil study done, provide examples and pictures of other people's homes who had garages that were built closer to the street than the 35' setback, and have the entire lot resurveyed. After all that, and gathering signatures from our five closest neighbors saying they approved and wanted us to build this garage, we went to our third meeting with city planners in August. When we were showing them pictures and our architects justification for why we should be allowed to build a simple 2 car garage where the carport used to be, I happened to comment that ours was the only house on the block that didn't have a garage. "Oh, why didn't you say so?" was the reply. The planner said that based on that fact alone, besides all the evidence and reasoning we had brought, the pictures of other houses, and the letters from five neighbors, they would immediately recommend to the city council that we get the variance. In fact they said it could be basically rubber stamped through and we would have in a week or so.

So we got our contractor back on board. He lined up a terrific excavator to tear out the old concrete foundation and driveway and prepare things for the new garage footings. The day before that work was to begin, and after telling our contractor that our paperwork was in the "finished box" and he could pick it up anytime, the city decided that they were suddenly concerned about the garage being too close to the property line (10 feet) again! So the permits are held up once again, and now we are into October!

Our hopes of having a garage before the snow flies have been dashed! Whoever has been praying for us to have patience, please stop! Just pray for our sanity, and that we can do this project before we simply can't afford it any more...

Do You Really Believe That What You Believe is Really Real?

2008-09-27T21:17:00.007-06:00

Today, before the sun was up, we drove up to Focus on the Family. There we joined about 34,000 other people from around the country going through training to be small group leaders for the Truth Project. The seminar was video simulcast from here to over 100 other locations in North America, including one in PEI, one in Alaska, and one in the Bahamas. This was an exciting, inspirational and intriguing way to spend a Saturday. We can't wait to see what develops and what God does as we put our group together after the holidays.

Del Tackett, the primary instructor in the Truth Project series, is an amazing speaker. We thoroughly enjoyed his talks, and are excited to share the videos and lessons of the Truth Project with others in our family and community. Watch this website after Christmas for details!

Watch this video

2008-09-13T20:30:00.003-06:00

My bro-in-law sent this to me, and I found it so profound, I had to post it to.
Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG4fe9GlWS8 to view the video I am talking about.

The Dustbowl leads me to Cowboy Poetry

2008-09-08T19:33:00.008-06:00

As some of you know, Lori and I did a lot of reading about the Dustbowl this summer. Did you know thousands of people died because of it? Did you know cattle and horses died, too? Did you know it took place in Eastern Colorado, as well as the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma? And it was arguably the first obvious human caused natural disaster in the U.S.? The scars on the land still exist today in some parts of the Texas and Oklahoma panhandle, and the tumbling tumble weeds we sing about actually came to our country as an alien species precursor to this disaster.

As we drove back across the country after visiting Michigan, we crossed the Oklahoma panhandle, and even saw some of the places mentioned in the book. Lori took these photos there, too...

One of the books we read was called The Worst Hard Time, and was excellent. A friend of mine from school, Carolyn Shaw, had recommend it to me, and then Lori picked it up and read it first (Imagine that!) Then I got started on it.

Children of the Dustbowl was another good one we read, with the kids. Wesley is now reading Dust for Dinner in his third grade class at school. And my personal connection to it, through my family, is that my maternal grandparents left western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma in the early to mid 1930's to move to California. The suffered prejudice as "Okies", which you can read about in Children of the Dustbowl. The first two books are great personal histories, with a lot of oral history woven in, and are easy reads. (I am sure the third one is, too, since they are reading it in third grade!) Anyway, I have been inspired to learn more about this time in our nation's history ever since, and have discovered a love for cowboy poetry, too.

Here is one site of a Cowboy Poet which you might like. She writes a lot about the Dustbowl...
http://www.cowboypoetry.com/janemorton.htm

Turning to Face the Wind and Dad's Tractor are two of my favorites. Check it out!

And no, in case you were wondering, I haven't bought pointy toed boots, or even a Stetson hat. But I think I am a cowboy, or at least a country boy, somewhere in my heart! Yee-haw!

Lawn decorations

2008-09-07T14:31:00.004-06:00

Anna took these pictures today of some of our forest friends visiting our front and back yards.

McCain Rally

2008-09-07T14:12:00.009-06:00

We saw a chance to help our kids appreciate and understand the campaign and election process yesterday, when John McCain and Sarah Palin came to town. We waited in line for almost an hour to get in through security, and took our place on the tarmac at the airport with about 12,000 other people. It was sunny and warm ( actually, hot...whew!) and we waited from 11- 12:30 for the candidates to appear in the jet center hanger in front of us. When they finally did show up, 30 minutes late, we couldn't really even see them from where we were. However, the experience was inspiring, just to see that many people come together on short notice to support common values, express hopes and reaffirm beliefs. It was interesting to listen to people in line talk about what they were there for, and how, for many of them, adding Palin to the ticket swayed them to have hope for the leadership and future of our country again.

The airplane picture was taken before the rally began. The others were taken during the rally. You can see how far we were from the actually podium, and we thought we had gotten there fairly early. We learned others had been there since 6 a.m!

We know of course, that ultimately, what happens to America is not in the hands of its leaders or the people, but in God's hands. And we thank Him for that! And we pray for him to continue to bless and protect our nation for another generation.

Fair Weather

2008-09-07T13:54:00.008-06:00

Last weekend was beautiful here...so we went down to the State Fair in Pueblo . This has been an annual tradition for us almost every year since we moved to Colorado. We took Jen & Joe along again this year, and had a great time!

We rode rides, ate "fair food" and saw lots of animals and arts and crafts exhibits. And it wasn't too hot, either.

Here Joe watches as Anna & Lori go up on the Ferris Wheel.

They even talked me into going on some rides. Anna, Wes & I went on the "Arctic Blast" for starters, then moved on the "Scrambler."

We also saw lots of animals...everything from this prize winning Hereford bull to goats, rabbits and horses. And, of course, Anna took 100's of

pictures like these!

Last Hurrah! Wish you were here!

2008-08-09T12:45:00.012-06:00

Well, it is back to school time for me next week, and the kids the week after. So, we took our last camping trip of the summer, and went over to Mt. Princeton. We had planned to go to Rocky Mt. National Park and meet up with friends, but plans changed at the last minute, as they sometimes do. So we went somewhere closer to home and less likely to be crowded.

Above is the view of Mt. Princeton and Agnes Vaille falls from our campsite. Taken by Anna.

Agnes Vaille Falls, which was about 30 minute hike up from our campsite.

We discovered that the Mt. Princeton area along Chalk Creek is every bit as beautiful as RMNP. We were abel to enjoy the scenery, go 4X4ing and visited 3 ghost towns. We went to St. Elmo, Hancock and Romley. There were several old buildings and mining ruins to be seen, as well as beautiful scenery.

Here we are after setting up our trailer at Chalk Lake campground near Mt. Princeton.

This is one of the mines ruins near Hancock, taken by Anna. Below is the top of the school at St. Elmo. There were jsut too many more to share them all.

Chalk Lake, where we spent some time fishing and watching the beavers do their busy work.

Finally, we have had a bit of company this summer. Recently, we have had Lori's cousin Cynthia here visiting from Ventura. We have been having fun getting reaquainted and showing her around Colorado this week.

So, as summer draws to a close, we look forward to another school year. I will be in Monday to begin putting my room back together for another class. I wonder what our last year at Canon will bring? I'm sure you'll be able to read about it here next month!

Off the Road Again

2008-07-09T21:35:00.010-06:00

Kansas Sunset by Anna, 2008

Well, we finally finished our big road trips for the summer. We are back in Colorado to stay for a while.

The first was a "short' one, which took us to San Diego to visit friends and take the kids to the Wild Animal Park. That was fun! It include a lot of talk with the kids about Route 66 history, and a side trip to Two Guns, Arizona, a real :live" ghost town of sorts with a very sorted history. You can read about it at http://www.legendsofamerica.com/AZ-TwoGuns.html if you are interested.

Our second trip, which was longer, amounted to 4,000 miles camping through 7 states in 14 days. We spent 10 nights in our popup trailer, a Fleetwood Utah, which was quite comfortable.

Features of this trip included genealogy, a visit to the original site of the Eick farm where my' Dad grew up and where I visited many summers as a child. We visited several cemeteries as part of the genealogy adventures. ( Yes, I know...most parents take their kids to Disney World; I take mine to museums and cemeteries. But for the record, we have been to Disney World, too, in 2005.) Read on for the play by play of each day.

Our first night was spent at a campground in Paxico, KS. It was a beautiful place on an old farm, along a creek. What we didn't discover until after we had settled in was that on one side of the campground, behind bushes and a fence, were ( you guessed it!) railroad tracks. On the other side, up an embankment across the creek, was I-70! So not too much sleep that night! Oh, well. We were on vacation, at least, and finally getting to camp.

Our next night was at Rend Lake State Park in IL. That was quieter, although we were awakened about midnight by a raccoon who jumped on our folding cook table outside and acted like he wanted in our trailer.

The next day, we went to a little town named ANNA, and looked for evidence of my ancestors. My great-great grandparents Neff were married there, and lived there for a while. We visited the courthouse and found the actual records of their marriage. We also had fun taking pictures of our Anna in ANNA, IL.

We also spent that day driving to our good friends' ( the Vigils) house near Harrisburg, IL. We spent two relaxing days and nights with them, enjoying the country life. Wienie roasts, 4 wheeling through the farm fields, horses, catchign fireflies making new friends and so much more.

After that, it was time to move on to Michigan for a little family reunion. There we met several of my Dad's cousins, the only living family I know of on that side. And I found them in the last few years doing internet genealogy research, and discovered they were looking for me, too. That was kind of fun! We also visited the old family farm site, two museums in Troy and Rochester that held records of our family on the Lovell side ( my paternal grandma's family) and Lake Michigan. We camped three nights in Michigan.

Lake Michigan morning, Van Buren State Park.

After all that, we journeyed back through Springfield, IL to visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library, as well as his home there. Of course, we also went to the cemetery, where you can visit Lincoln's tomb, and we watched a civil war reenactment of a flag retirement ceremony.

Then it was on across Missouri into Arkansas, where my mother's side of the family had come from. We camped near Ft. Smith at the Trimble Lock along the Arkansas River, which was MUCH wider there than it is here in Colorado! Try as we might, we couldn't quite make it to Wesley, Arkansas, which was a little too far off our map to get to, especially pulling the trailer. That may have to come next summer!

A visit to a family cemetery in Winfield, Arkansas resulted in a lost watch and my wife having a close encounter with a large black wasp we will all not soon forget! (I may be apologizing for this for quite some time...) Later that day we went over the hill to Poteau, OK, where we met more "internet cousins." These were Neffs, and about the sweetest people you'd ever want to discover you are related to. Our meeting brought together two branches of the family that hadn't been in touch in about 50 years.

Finally, our trek led us back toward to my Uncle Lee's house in Mustang, OK, where we spent the 4th of July catching up with him, and enjoying watermelon and fireworks of all sorts. It was a memorable time!

Before we left OK, we also got to catch up with a former youth ministry "kid" who is now married and about to become a father. We had lunch with him and his beautiful bride.

Our last day was spent corssing the OK panhandle, seing several places from my new favorite book I had just finished, "The Worst Hard Time", which is about the dustbowl and it's effects on people in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and eastern Colorado. Lori took several photos there which point out how empty, lonely, and yet peaceful a palce that can be.

So, although it is great to see people and places, and to spend that "economic stimulus" money teaching our kids on a road trip across our wonderful, beautiful nation, it is also good to come home...

So, when are you all coming to Colorado?

Pets

2008-06-19T18:57:00.003-06:00

We are blessed to have pets, and have always had a cat, dog, bird, fish or some other living creature to keep us company and keep us entertained. And sometimes humble. They bring us comfort and laughter. They are easy to love.

We have had two cats, Sam & Charlie, for a while now, and added our "puppy" Tanner last year. They sit on our newspapers, try to lap water from our cups or milk from our cereal bowls in the morning, follow us around, sleep on (or beside) us at night, and are there to remind us to be gentle souls when things are frustrating. They have been great for teaching our kids about love and responsibility. And they are great when you need a warm, furry hug. And they listen calmly and without judgement. Now, if they could talk, that might be another matter...but they never have, so I will give the benefit of the doubt and trust that they truly believe everything we say.

Sam, one of the cats, had always been our "dog" before we actually had one. She loved people, and would roll over at almost anyone's feet for a belly rub. She loved to be with us, and would push her way into the middle of any gathering of people we had in our home. If one of us was sick, she would sleep with them, sometimes on them, as if to provide and extra warmth. And she wouldn't leave their side until they seemed normal again. When Becky visited each Christmas, she took naps with her on wintry afternoons. Every morning, as I read the Gazette and ate my cereal, she would wander over and sit just off my shoulder, as if reading the paper with me. If I put it down, she would sit in the middle of it. And then, whenever I put down my bowl, she was there to give it a final polishing.

Today, after 11 years of faithfully watching over us, sitting on our laps, sharing our breakfast, and just being someone who listens without judgement, our cat Sam had to be put to sleep. This petite black kitty, whom we had brought home from the Humane Society when Anna was just a baby, had not been doing her best for some time. The sleek black fur had lost its sheen, and she had lost about half her body weight in the last 6 months. A recent vet visit revealed she had failing kidneys, and was down to 5 lbs. She really was skin and bones. And she was clearly slipping away. In fact, the kids hadn't been able to get her to purr for the last couple days, and although she tried to be normal, it was clear she was uncomfortable. She couldn't even curl up to sleep for the past week, and hadn't been eating anything for several days.

When the end finally came, she just looked up at me and relaxed, almost as if to say thank you. But it is I who should really say "Thanks". Thank you, God for such a sweet pet for my kids, and for all of us. Breakfast will be a little lonely now without her hanging over my shoulder looking for the last dribble of milk in my bowl. Goodbye Sammy...you will be missed, for such is the price of love, even for our pets.

SO, What's New?

2008-06-19T18:27:00.004-06:00

I've had several people ask, and write recently about "what's new?"

Well, of course, school is out...yea! In fact, it has been out for four almost weeks already. We took a trip to California, took the kids to the San Diego Wild Animal Park, and spent time with friends and family. Then I led a week of Camp Invention see
http://waltpub.com/chey.pdf for a nice article about that, for as long as they leave it posted.

The extreme home makeover continues...we have gotten the windows all replaced, and the siding all done, but are waiting to pant it until the garage gets done. That was supposed to be done by the end of July, but...we are now in a 6 week variance process. We found out we have to get a variance to build our attached garage to replace the carport we had torn down while we were in CA. OOOpps! Wish we had known that before we agreed to have it demolished!!! Actually, we had the demolition done while on our California trip, because that was when the kids and us would be completely out of the way. The house does look quite different now, though.

Besides all that, we are planning another road trip, this one to IL, MI and OK. Mostly this one will be about seeing some relatives and old friends and visiting some family heritage sites. It was a trip we had planned last summer to include my dad, but alas....

Back on the school front, my school is closing, but not for another year. So, in the meantime, I will be teaching 5th grade there. The superintendent has given me assurances that I will be able to stay in fifth grade when I transfer, and that I might even be able to transfer into the school of my choice in our district. (We will only have 5 elementary schools to choose from in Cheyenne Mountain D-12 after Canon closes.) So, overall, that is good news.

Other than that, it's summer. We are spending time at the pool, with firends and cousins, and catching up on family projects around home. It is a good time to relax, recover and renew ourselves.

The Long Goodbye

2008-04-27T13:13:00.002-06:00

As most of my reader probably know by now, last Monday night, after another lengthy school board meeting, members read prepared statements on a motion to close our school. So now, after 10 weeks, it has become official. Cheyenne Mountains central elementary school, Canon, arguably the heart of flagship elementary of the district, is to close. It is to be closed at the end of next school year, after 55 years service to the neighborhood and community.

The staff, students, parents and alumni of Canon were all heartbroken at this news. The parents are left wondering if they should stay another year, or move their children to another school of their choice before they are all filed up. The non-probationary staff are wondering similar things about whether or not to take positions elsewhere should they become available. Or should we all wait until next year for the district to place us wherever they want us? The probationary teachers with less than two years experience so far in D-12, well, they are all going to need to move on, with a doubt.

New schools, new grade levels, new rooms, new ways of doing things...all pretty nerve racking to someone like me, who has been in one building for 14 years, and in one room for 8. But then, on the other hand, I have been pretty lucky. I have been blessed to be part of the Canon community all this time, and to have had my children attend school there. In fact, our friends and colleagues at Canon are like family. They have helped to raise my two kids, and many have been by my side from the time we moved here. They have become our family. From building our first house, to the birth of my children; from earning my Master's Degree, to the death of my in-laws and my own father, they have stood by us. From funny moments and award ceremonies to difficult parents, and challenging classes, these people in the Canon community have held us up and helped us celebrate and respected us as we mourned. It will be hard to leave a team and a place like this behind.

The questions is, how did a district like Cheyenne Mountain, top rated in the state and country, get to this place? Declining elementary enrollment alone did not get us here. State and local budget constraints alone did not get us here. Politics? Recession? State Funding Formulas? No, any single factor would not have hurt us so much. There remains to be seen what the outcome will be, or what factors history will blame for this dramatic change in our little school district.

In the meantime, there are 5 other elementary schools where I might land. However, I am not prepared to go anywhere, just yet. I want to see how this all ends, and be faithful to my school and the parents, many of whom have asked it I will be there next year for their children. I am waiting to see what God has in store, because I know His plans are far beyond what I can see or imagine right now.

Proud fisherman plays hooky with Dad

2008-04-20T20:23:00.005-06:00

My wife and daughter went away to spring retreat with Woodmen Valley Chapel. My son and I stayed home, and, you guessed it, played hooky. We decided some father-son time was needed. But we did something that I am convinced is just as "spiritual" as going to church. Something the Disciples did all the time...we went fishing! And Wes caught his first fish...ever! One genuine 10 inch rainbow trout. After fishing, we went up and picked up the girls from camp, and brother enjoyed telling sister all about his fish, just as she told him all about camp.
We all enjoyed sharing this fish for supper, since I didn't have the same luck as he did! Since it was such a beautiful day, I grilled it up right next to our burgers and dogs. MMM, good!

Life's Little Reminders

2008-04-04T21:34:00.006-06:00

Okay, so I turned 41 yesterday. No big deal. It's just a number, right? Well, maybe, but I had some things happen tonight that made me wonder how I ever got to be older than I ever imagined myself...
I went to Home Depot to buy paint for my new shed. While ordering my paint colors, I noticed another young lady there ordering 6 gallons. I made a comment to her about having a big project planned for the weekend. She told me she had just bought her first house, and was going to paint it before moving in. She laughed a bit about the fact that she had never really painted anything before, and I said that it is a pretty good place to start personalizing home improvement. You can't go too wrong with painting I said. Then she proceeded to ask me if I was a teacher (uh, oh!). As soon as I said yes, she asked if I was at Canon, and then told me she remembered me. Turns out she was in my first sixth grade class here back in 1994! She is now 25! Yikes!

If that wasn't bad enough, when I checked out and wrote a check, the clerk checked my I.D. Then she said "come on, that's not you!" I said, of course, that it was, but that it was a 14 year old picture. She laughed and then had the nerve ask how old I was, to which I said I had just turned 41. Turns out she just turned 19 a few days ago! Man, am I getting older by the minute! @^%$%$%#!!!@

Okay, but it's not so bad. At least now that I am 41, and have been teaching a while, I can afford paint and a shed of my own!

Have a wonderful weekend!

A very Happy Birthday

2008-04-03T21:21:00.005-06:00

Yes, it's true. Today I am now 41. Although there have been a couple moments today where I was saddened by the memory of who I don't have this birthday, I am rejoicing in what I do have. I am truly blessed. Praise God for his wonderful mercies.

Still no news on Canon, but read anyway.

2008-04-01T19:40:00.004-06:00

Well, sorry to keep everyone is suspense. I have meant to get something out all day regarding our school situation.
NO news yet...sort of...they have set a meeting now for the 21st. There was lots of discussion last night until 9:30. They have moved away from the original recommendations of the blue ribbon panel report, but still seem pretty set on closing us regardless of which other plans or parts of recommendations they put into place. I guess we wait a little longer. Waiting and not knowing for sure is the hardest thing, but I know God has it all in Hand. It would be easier, even if we were closing next year, to know, so we could prepare and plan. (Something everyone who knows me realizes I really like to do!)
Our school board has an annual tradition of meeting with each school's staff over lunch each year. Well, this year, they set the meeting with us for the morning, over a continental breakfast very early this Thursday! Ugh! We really feel like there is nothing to say to them, and that they have a predetermined agenda that has included closing our school for years. It is NOT how I want to spend any of my birthday, but oh, well. I guess I'll just have to be "grown up" about it!

See http://www.gazette.com/articles/school_34750___article.html/district_schools.html

Blue Ribbon Panel report http://www.cmsd12.org/blueribbon/default.html

Additional information from last night's meeting http://www.cmsd12.org/blueribbon/BOE_Pres_3-31-08.pdf

Can you believe Indy Jones is coming back???

2008-03-30T12:17:00.004-06:00

No where near as cool as Jesus' return, but, in the sort term, something many of us 80's kids have been waiting for, too. Can we really all be that old now?

He is Risen! and a visit from the Easter Fox

2008-03-23T09:33:00.011-06:00

He is Risen, Indeed! Easter Morning we woke up to six inches of the fluffy wet white stuff! It snow from about noon yesterday until about midnight last night, and the sun came out about nine Sunday morning. It is so beautiful, Lori had to take our Easter Lilly out into the snow for a quick picture! What a picturesque reminder that because He is risen, we can be "washed whiter than snow!"

In case any of you are worried about what happened to spring in Colorado???...well, this is it! Last week warm and sunny, with highs in the 60's, which melted all our snow from last weekend. I guess it was time for some more.

Of course, those of you who live here or have visited us know it is not uncommon to have storms like this happen well into April. The best part is that they are all short lived, and the snow usually melts in 2-3 days.

But that is not all we experienced this morning! Some of you have the Easter bunny visit...well, we caught a picture of the Easter Fox! Anna, our budding wildlife photographer, shot these pictures of the fox as he wander across our front yard and down the side yard. This was a few minutes after we saw him being chased up the street by a neighbor's corgi dog!

It is hard to tell against the snow, but the tip of his tail is white!

These foxes actually came to Colorado Springs aka "Little London", over a century ago. They were imported here and raised on fox farms for fur, and were used in traditional English fox hunts hosted on farms and north of town, in the Black Forest of Colorado.

We are going to hunt for eggs, and maybe go sledding! Then it will be time for our traditional Honeybaked Ham dinner at our house, with Lori's cousins. Have a blessed Easter, because He lives!

No News Is...well, who knows?

2008-03-16T19:25:00.003-06:00

We have had a lot of poeple write about what is happening with our school. So far, no new news. There has been an outpouring of support from literaly 100's of parents, community members and alumni. We wait for the board to announce acision about whether or not they will follow any of the ribbon panel recommendations. An answer is expected at the March 31 meeting.

Deer Friends visit on Tanner's sick day

2008-03-16T19:05:00.005-06:00

Another snowy Sunday has come, and almost gone. This one brought with it the deep, wet snow of spring. Considering it was almost 70 degrees a few days ago, it is not too hard to take this time. We had a herd of deer that settled in our back yard for most of the afternoon.

Besides that, today was pretty uneventful. In fact, this weekend has been one of the most relaxing int he past 4-5 months!

However, last night was full of a little unwanted excitment. Tanner, our 1 yr. old golden lab puppy was very, very sick. We came home from an evening with friends to discover he had been sick in his kennel. I'll spare you the graphic details, except to say it took an hour to clean up ( thank God he was in the crate!) , and he continued to have episodes of being violently ill all night, about every two hours. It was like having infants int he house all over again! Worried that he was dehydrating, Lori took him to the emergency vet clinic this morning. Our beloved friend, Dr. Bill happened to be on duty today, and we were blessed to have him treat and stabilize Tanner. Tanner seems a little better tonight, and is drinking and eating a bit and keeping it down.

We have layed low all day, keeping a roaring fire going since early this afternoon. The snow continues to pile up. And it is beautiful and peaceful, and we might just catch up on the sleep we lost last night, since we were able to take a nap in front of the fire today! Ahhh!

Now if we can just squeeze out a snow day, tomorrow!

Changes, changes

2008-02-16T15:35:00.003-07:00

It never fails that change happens. Of course, like most people, I prefer when I have chosen it, instead of it choosing me!

This past week, it was announced that the Cheyenne Mountain Blue Ribbon Panel is recommending closure for Canon Elementary, my school, where I have taught for 14 years. To matters even more personal, it is also the school my children have attending al their lives so far. They want to replace it with a parking lot and increased athletic space for the junior high, which sits across the street. The panel cites dropping district elementary enrollment ( although Canon's is up!), the age of the building 54 years ( anyone insulted?), asbestos in the walls, (been there all along!) and the fact that it sits beside Cheyenne Creek in an area labeled as a floodplain.

Needless to say, the news was heartbreaking. Canon is such a special place that we have several parents of children we teach who also attended there years ago. In fact, I currently have a child in my class who's grandmother was one of the first teachers. Besdies that, my teaching temamate, the other fifth grade teacher, attended Canon, nad was a third grader in the class where she now teaches everyday. It is a beautiful campus, dotted with ponderosa pine, scrub oak, and willows and cottonwoods in the riparian zone along the creek at the back of the school. Coming to the school in the fall and spring is like being at camp or in the mountains.

Besides 14 years as a teacher at this special place, I have spent the last 12 leading a group of 10, 11 and 12 year-old environmental scvience volunteers who form the Cheyenne Creek Conservation Club. It has been my greatest joy to watch kids learn about the creek and surrounding habitat, and learn about how this little stream's water connects them to the rest of the world!

So, you can see the ties are deep. I am simply not going to quietly allow this land to become a parking lot. There are so many things at stake! Please pray for us as we go to more board meetings on this subject. The next one is Wednesday, Feb. 20. A final decision is expected on March 31. Although they do not expect to close the school before 2010, this recommendation is already casuing a lot anxiety in kids, parents and teachers. Please pray also for us to have peace, and to keep doing what we do best.

I todl several parents this past week we can all either hold hands and go through this painful experience together, making the msot of the time we have left at Canon, or run away screaming. Which do you think will teach children a better lesson?

No, my job is not at stake. But my way of teaching and my son's educational future as I had envisioned it in a local neighborhood school may be.

And, if this change must come, I want to have a say in the future use and designs of this land, as well as the future for my children, my students, and others who will come our way for educational experiences in the future.

Snowy day

2008-01-06T12:58:00.000-07:00

Another snowy Sunday...we woke up to heavy, wet snow falling. We got about an inch and hour for three hours or more, so we decided to avoid risky driving and stay home from church. After the snow stopped about mid-morning, we got to play in it. This is some of the best snowball making snow we've had in weeks. ( By the way, yesterday was windy, and the day before it was in the 60's.) It is a nice consolation to my having to return to school tomorrow after two weeks of great family Christmas vacation time. Our long overdue holiday pictures will come to the blog soon, by the way. We were just so busy having fun, no time to blog...

Bears on Parade

2008-01-06T12:55:00.002-07:00

Our neighbor across the street gave us this picture last week, which they had taken from their driveway while we were away in California during Dad's funeral. Too bad we missed seeing it in person. Dad would have been tickled.

God, Where is your Favor?

2007-12-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

http://www.woodmenvalley.org/

What a week! Of course, you no doubt know about the YWAM and New Life Church shootings which rocked Colorado and Colorado Springs last Sunday. We have several friends who attend New Life, and our church sponsors several YWAM missionaries.

In the wake of it all, and in the midst of my own personal grieving over the loss of my Dad, I felt overwhelmed. I had no energy to even fathom that this could really have happened in my city. How on earth could we be living in a time, in America, no less, when random Christians would be killed at church just for being Christians??? I mean, I have just gotten used to the idea that I could be killed at school/work...now this?

Almost in answer to this question, (which I know many have asked this week) our pastor's sermon series on "Christmas shopping" seemed to provide a much needed reminder. Pastor Matt reminded us that, of course, God was not taken by surprise last week. And He is there with all those who are hurting. May God comfort those in the families who lost children, especially the family who lost two teenage daughters.

So, where is God's favor? Did I miss something? Has it changed?

Matt went on to lead us in reflecting on the fact that God's favor IS with men. Luke 2:14 says " Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rest."

He reminded us that our role is engaging with God's favor, and that we must remember to respond to His favor. (Eph. 2:8-9 & Romans 8:1-2) It is not and cannot be earned, but simply something we must accept. "there is an enormous difference between pleasing God and hoping to earn his favor. The latter simply cannot be done, but fortunately, the Father has already bestowed His favor on us.

God's role is one of redemption, but not exemption from the pains of this fallen world. We are blessed, because of His favor, to have redemption for our past ( Isaiah 1;27) , redemption for today, and redemption in the future, restoring us to a right and complete realtionship with Him. Ephesians 1:13-14, I Peter 4:12-13, and John 16:33 remind us of this.

So, as hard as this past week has been, I can say with confidence that God's favor is still with all mankind. And, no matter how hard the weeks ahead may be, I can rest in the knowledge that He is still for me. And, despite the hardships and pain, God will bring good from these circumstances. I just hope I have my eyes open (both my "heart eyes and my real ones!) so that I can see it!

May you have a peaceful week responding to the favor of God.

A beautiful snowy Saturday

2007-12-08T12:12:00.000-07:00

Today is a beautiful, snowy Saturday. It is the third time we've had snow this fall. Anna had eight concerts last week, and was going with the Cheyenne Mountain Celebration Singers (aka "honor choir") to the Air Force Academy this afternoon to sing the National Anthem before their basket ball game. However, we just got a call at noon that that has been canceled due to treacherous driving conditions. Last night they sang at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in 30 degree temperatures and freezing fog. We went along, and enjoyed the outdoor concert depsite the cold. We saw a few animals enjoying the winter conditions, too.

It has been six weeks since we last saw my Dad, and it was a beautiful sunny Saturday, the kind we describe as "the warm before a storm." We had our first snowfall the next day.

This past week, we moved several pieces of furniture from his house to ours, and I sold a couple of his shop tools to a friend. So, the practical work of sorting, cleaning up, and disposing of Dad's stuff is well under way. It still feels strange to do, but it is not as bad as a few weeks ago. I just put my head down and go on, knowing it is a necessary part of the grieving process.

We are praying we can get his house on the market at the right time, and before the market gets any softer. It is an ideal place for retirees, outdoor maintence free, and small enough to be cozy, yet with room to expand and do projects in the large unfinished basement. I'd like to get it sold before next summer, so I can wrap this probate process up. It is both mentally and emotionally exhausting!

We are aslo trying to get Christmas underway around here. I finally finished the annual letter I began at Thanksgiving. The kids began wrapping some little gifts today, and Lori and I agreed we'd get a tree and start decorating next weekend. So much we want to do, but so little time and energy.

Another Day

2007-11-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

This link page list dad's obituary in the Gazette, and a link to the on-line guest book set up this month in his memory. http://www.legacy.com/gazette/GB/GuestbookView.aspx?PersonId=96749191

So, it has been almost three weeks since Dad went Home to be with the Lord. Our time with him was too short, and yet, we had a 10 year gift, too. Many of our friends and family know the story of how he was in a coma in 1997 after bypass surgery, and wasn't expected to survive. God pulled him through and gave him back to us for a while longer. So, I guess I can't complain too much.

I have spent a lot of evenings this past week writing letters to his friends to explain, trying to cancel his magazine subscriptions, paying his bills, taking care of other estate related papers, and "muddling through".

Tonight was tough. We had a good cry as a family at dinner, when my daughter (always the deep thinker) took off on a tangent forma converstaion we were having and asked something along the lines of how we can trust a God who would take Grandpa from us. I took a lot of deep breaths, and I think we worked through it, with her ( and I) having a better understanding that Dad belonged to God inthe first place, and that God is hurting because we are. Death was not in his original plan, I am reminded....but then, I am also very aware, deep in my spirit, that Dad is not dead. He is truly more alive than any of us! And closer to God, our Father, who loves us even more than we can imagine. I feel HIS arms daily carrying me through my grief and the pain of separation and adjustment.

It occurred to me this week that, somehow, I have never had a major holiday away from my Dad. He was always there, even after I was married. Whether we were at his house, or we were dragging him along to my wife's extended family gatherings, Dad has always quietly been a part of evey holiday memory. (see archives of November 2006 for one example).

I want to thank all our extended family and many friends who have continued to lift us up in prayer and love on us as we go through this season of our lives. We hadn't planned on losing all our parents by the time we were 40! But, God is good, and I am learning to lean on Him and trust a little more each day.

Packed up his tent and went Home...II Corr. 5:4-8

2007-11-02T20:08:00.001-06:00

Many of my readers are already aware of this, but on a snowy evening, October 21, my Dad went to be with the Lord. I did not become aware of this until two days later, when he hadn't responded to an e-mail I had sent him the day before. Usually he responded very quickly, within hours, at least. So I drove across town to check on him, only to find he had he had probably passed away nearly48 hours earlier. That led to a long evening with sheriffs deputies, the coroner, and finally, the mortuary.

I am just now begin to see through the fog and the shock, and to realize all I have lost. And yet, all I have gained. There are many blessings I have gained in having a simple, yet wise and Godly father, who was also quite the prankster.

As we laid him to rest next to my mom this past week out in California, I was reminded of the love he had for me and my little family. His family.

For starters, dad always had a joke or a prank to pull. Sometimes it was stuffing paper into people's shoes, or sneaking up behind a coworker and blasting them with the air compressor. Or just a funny card or a forwarded e-mail joke. He loved to make people laugh, and he seemed to almost always be grining. I knew he was in a lot of pain sometimes, from a previous back injury, aching knees, hips or shoulders. But he never let that get in the way of making his grandchildren smile. They were his joy!

He was always providing for us, too. Whether it was working long hours in the southern CA aerospace industry to make sure I had new school clothes and there was money for Christmas presents, or setting aside part of his inheritance from his brother's farm to make sure I could afford college without debt, he did what needed to be done. Even when my wife and I needed a little more money to make a solid down payment on our first home, Dad was there, putting up some money we could pay back with no interest. And, of course, after we paid on it for a year or two, he forgave the debt.

Even with his final expenses, he wanted to be sure he paid his own way and was not a burden. Several years ago, he had set aside a few thousand in a CD in our names, so we could give him a decent burial. It was one of the more painful moments in my days when I cashed that in to do just that last week.

I am reminded, in all this, of our heavenly Father's love, who paid our debts for us. "For while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." ( Romans 5:8)

The night after dad had passed away, but before we knew about it, my son's Boys Devotional Bible had a story about a boy who was talking with his father about missing his grandfather who had passed away recently. Dad reminded the son that when we go out to go camping, we are excited and our tent is so new and fun to set up. The campground seems like a wonderful place. But, eventually, the tent gets dirty, and feels cramped. We get homesick. So , we pack up our tent, and go home. Then, he shared II Corinthians 5:4-8.

What a loving Father we have, who would give us such a story and verse the day before we knew we needed it! So, we can be sure of this...Dad packed up his tent, answering the Roll being called up 'Yonder, and he went Home. We will miss him for a long time, but we know that we are left with loving, happy memories, and a Heavenly Father who loves us more than we can imagine, and will help us see it through until it is tiem for us to pack up our tents!

Fall is almost over

2007-10-21T09:44:00.000-06:00

We have had the most beautiful fall here, and it has lasted a solid 6 weeks, which is a long time for any season to last in Colorado! But, alas, the snow has returned. And although it probably won't last more than 2 days before melting away, we have gotten 3 inches of it already this morning! It is beautiful. And, for his part, Tanner, our 8 month old "puppy", loves the snow!

As with all things "new" in our "new" house, we have been getting used to the different sounds from the wind, which blew very hard last night. Creaks and groans from the house are in different places than in the old one, so it makes us a little jumpy getting used to it. I must have woke up three or four times last night asking Lori, "what was that?", and "shall I go see?" After some of our early experienes with basement flooding, skunk invasions and such in the first weeks here, I am a little overprotective of our property, as you can imagine.

The basement remodel is coming along nicely. The bathroom is underway now, and we are about ready to start some painting.

Extreme Home Makeover...sort of

2007-10-05T21:35:00.000-06:00

Well, the saga with the "fixer upper" house continues. We have had a new roof put on, ripped out a weedy yard and overgrown bushes, repaired a walkway, repaired the cause of our flooding, had the sewer line replaced, demolished half the basement, and are now in the process of having the basement remodeled.

We have an excellent contractor, Matt, who also happens to be from our Home Care/Bible Study group. He framed some new walls this past week, and then Lori and I , and "cousin" Joe Abdo spent two nights putting up insulation after school.

Now it is ready for drywall. Hopefully it will be finished and ready for paint before the end of the month. Then, hopefully, carpet by Thanksgiving, courtesy of our insurance company. Remember the sewer line flooding we experienced in August? It took out a lot of carpet, which prompted us to say, why not just do the remodel while everything is torn apart anyway...

Here are a few pictures....

the first one is out front, before the projects began, in mid August. Wesley was standing on the brick walkway in front of the house.

This next one is the day in August when we tore out the old weeds, the very uneven walkway, and 30 bushes that were 4 ft. high. See the tractor! (They wouldn't let me drive it, though!) That made quick work of the bushes, roots and all.

This photo was shot the day after we installed 1750 sq. ft. of sodwith the help of Joey Callaway, a former student form 14 years ago turned landscaper and building manager....you can also see part of the new walkway we made with salvaged brick and flagstone from the old walkway.

On the right is the laundry room, looking through a wall we took out and toward the other area we domolished, which will soon be a new room on the other end of the laundry/storage area. This should add about 140 sq. ft of useable space for a project room/guest area.

This area is the same view, taken today!

And this one is from the other side of the new room, looking back toward the laundry area. Yes, it is a mess, but hopefully not too much longer!

2007-09-08T18:27:00.000-06:00

We have been up to our eyeballs in house stuff, lived through two kinds of flooding (three floods, actually) from heavy rain which filled our window well, and then poured in and flooded the basement, and then, almost two weeks ago, a sewer line backup into our laundry room, which did in the carpet in one room the hall. This was a similar area to what had been wet a few weeks earlier, so the sewer flood turned out to be sort of a blessing in disguise. State Farm is helping us out with repair costs for that one!
Unfortunately, we also discovered during this time that we need to replace our 45 year old sewer main, which involves digging up the front yard and into the street. However, more "blessing in disguise" there. We had planned to lay sod by September 1, but didn't quite get it scheduled on time, so at least we will not have to rip up the yard to dig the trench. Now we are hoping to get that done late next week, and then lay sod by the end of September, which is about as late as you dare to do it around Colorado if you want it to root.
So the dreamt of remodel of the basement, which we thought we'd do "someday" is now underway. At least, we will be able to remodel and update part of it. We spent 4+ hours today on demolition of some walls with the help of our good friends the Wilsons, and "cousin-in-law" Joe. We hope to have an updated version of about half the basement by Thanksgiving.

Hope some of you (especailly non-Coloradans) will come visit over the holidays or next spring to see how we are fixing this old place up! Pictures may be included in my next post. In the mean time, take care.

Almost there

2007-07-13T20:24:00.000-06:00

For the first time in 13 years, we will be moving. Only this time we have two kids, two cats and a dog! Whew!

One huge blessing in this process ( besides the obvious - a larger home in a better part of town - and our current home being under contract!) was that 10 of my colleagues turned out today to help us paint four rooms in our new house! That was a huge accomplishment. Thanks especially to Candace, the very creative teacher across the hall from me who organized it all. All we had to do was choose colors and buy the paint. We sort of cheated....we chose colors we already had in our "old" house!

Another blessing is that our Bible Study/Homecare group is organizing meals for us next week, so we don't have to stress while moving or unpacking.

We'll post again sometime after we are settled in to the "new" house.

Summer madness

2007-06-28T16:43:00.000-06:00

Summer came, and I barely noticed! I have been so busy with Camp Invention, helping hire a new principal for Canon, and then with projects around home, I have barely taken time to relax yet.

We have contracted to buy this "new" house in a neighborhood closer to my school. So, we packing and are selling our house and moving July 16. As many of you know, we have wanted to live closer to school for a long time, but the cost of the homes over in that BroAdmoor area has been prohibitive. However, due to a series of blessings and the current market downturn, we found a fixer upper we can actually afford which will give us a little more room on a much larger lot, and in a one of the best parts of town! God is good...all the time!

And now, the kids and I will have a 1.5 mile commute instead of a 9 mile commute, and Lori's commute will be shorter, too. We will have deer and bears in the yard, on a very quiet street. We have a wooded area behind the house, and over 1/3 acre lot. Lots of room for kids and Tanner ( who, by the way, is now 40 lbs.!)

Although our "new" house ( see picture above!) is actually 40 years old, it has character, and with a little TLC, some cosmetic improvements, and a lot of landscape work, should be as good as new by maybe 2010! Yes, I said A LOT of landscape work. Anyone have a week or two free later this summer or a weekend in the fall and want to help?

Please pray for finalizing the sale on our current house, and that closings on both ends will go smoothly. And pray that our new home will be place blessed with love and laughter, and used by God as a location of warmth and hospitality for all whom God brings into our lives.

This is the new kitchen in the "new" house. It was remodeled recently. The stairs in the foreground lead to our rec room in the walkout basement. there are also two bedrooms down there, as well as three on the main level.

Eickhaus announces new arrival!

2007-04-20T17:16:00.000-06:00

This is the newest "Eick", Tanner. He is a 10 week old Golden-lab mix. He actually slept for 5 hours the first night in our house...not bad...we are hoping to get to 6 within a week. The kids love him!

Spring Break

2007-04-08T15:58:00.000-06:00

For Spring Break, we traveled to CA to visit some friends, check up on some relatives, and do a bit of my Neff genealogy. The genealogy is part of an ambitious goal I have of putting together a book on my Neff ancestor's branches' sometime in the next year.

We began with a visit to our friends at Orfanatorio Emmanuel in Tijuana, Mexico. Then we tried to look up a Neff cousin in San Diego. Later we visited the mission in Capistrano, and went on to stay with our friend Linda in OC, who is more like and aunt to both of us. While there, we took the kids whale watching, visited my Great Aunt Mary Neff and her family, and went on to meet another Neff cousin, Marion Kautz. Then we visited Lori's step-Mom Becky up in LA.

Expecting

2007-04-08T15:53:00.000-06:00

Yes, it's true...although many thought it might never happen!

We are expecting a Golden Labrador puppy. The kids picked him out yesterday. He is due to join us in our home about April 20, when he turns 10 weeks old. We have decided to call him Tanner.

Birthday Ride... or Who Has Time for the Superbowl?

2007-02-04T16:20:00.000-07:00

Our little groundhog baby is into double digits this year! It finally warmed up here today. So, instead of having a "birthday party" she took two good friends and went for a trail ride in the Garden of the Gods. Mom went along to supervise, and they had a blast! Meanwhile, I took brother off to shop for a last minute gift he wanted to give her.

She has been celebrating all weekend, though. First with a dinner with the family, includng grandpa Sam, on her actual birthday, then with a special dinner out at a "fancy" restaurant with mom & dad. And, to top it all off, the fun today! Then, to end the celebrating, we are taking the cousins to celebrate with a dinner at Red Robin! Who has time for the superbowl? Besides, they'll just do it again next year, and it probably still won't be the one team that counts!

'Twas the Night after Christmas (or three)

2006-12-29T16:10:00.000-07:00

Here is our home last night with some of our Christmas lights, and the snow we got yesterday. It has continued to snow on and off today, and they are now calling it a blizzard (again!) That makes two weeks in a row we have had a significant snow event, and believe it or not, that is unusual for Colorado Springs. It is not expected to stop until late tomorrow. At least it is beautiful!

We made a run to the store yesterday for a few items ( and so did everyone else). Lori waited in line about 15 mintues just to buy some potoatoes so we could enjoy some warm ham and potato soup.

We have been enjoying time with "Grandma Becky", playing in the snow and drinking hot chocolate! Wesley is learning to knit from Becky, and he says she should be a teacher at a knitting school. Anna has been crafting too. Today the Christmas tree (inside) came down (for lack of being able to go out and go anyplace, and because it was way too dry!) , but it may be a while before the outside lights come down. Besides, they look nice in the snow!

David has been out shoveling, along with Lori, although we do not know why. ( Could it be to get out of the house for a moment?) The snow blows back over the driveway and sidewalks almost imeadiately after it is shoveled under the current conditions. Not too fun! But, the sun will come out ( tomorrow?) or the next day, and there will be great fun playing in the snow!

Christmas '06

2006-12-25T21:04:00.000-07:00

This was how we found them this morning!

We have had three beautiful days since the "holiday blizzard". Today was wonderful! The day began with opening stockings about 7 this morning. The kids got new bikes, a sled, books, nerf target games, videos and many, many other gifts.

Tracking Santa with NORAD...are you ready?

2006-12-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

Another important link to learn about Colorado Springs at Christmas is http://www.noradsanta.org/en/default.php
or
http://www.noradsanta.org/en/tracking.php

It is fun, and check out the "Things to Do" link for games, music and more...
this has been a part of our Christmas Eve traditions with our kids for the past 8 years. Lots of fun, and tha magic is still alive and well here....

Pikes Peak Camera

2006-12-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

Click on the link and see America's Mountain, as we do about 350 days out of the year. Of course, our view is more southern by a few miles, but it is awesome...
http://www.pikespeakcam.com/

CLOSED... the Gazette headline says it all

2006-12-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

The headline in the Gazette today says "Closed," which describes a lot of our city and state today. We will not even get mail, for the second day in a row. And although there are places where the snow is not deep, there are other places it has drifted 3-4 ft. deep, so travel is difficult. This is a very unusual storm situation for us, but it does seem to be getting better this afternoon...

After I shoveled my driveway and front porch, we went over to Dad's, and did the same thing there. Several of his neighbors were out, and we had a "shoveling party."

Today's pictures are from my dad's house on Rill Valley Way, about 1/2 mile from us....taken by Lori and Dad.

Second blizzard in a year!

2006-12-20T15:16:00.000-07:00

This is a view after lunch out in front of our house, after I tried shoveling some of the drifts. There is a lot of blowing and drifting. The snow is expected to continue through tonight.

Dreaming of a White Christmas...View from ( inside) Eickhaus

2006-12-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

Holiday craft time to fight cabin fever! O' Christmas Tree, O' Christmas Tree

Backyard views this morning

Winter is arriving with a fury. It has been snowing since about 7 a.m, schools are closed, and the wind is whiping the snow around. 6+ inches are expected by nightfall, and more is predicted for Saturday. We have drifts several inches deep already, in just 3 hours. I'm dreaming of a white Christmas!

The kids added that they are excited that Grandma Becky is coming in 6 days!

Our front yard "Christmas tree", a white fir we planted 9 years ago!

Thank you!

2006-11-24T09:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and a memorable holiday this year, to be sure.
As I reflect on what I have to be thankful for, the first that comes to mind is my family. The love, memories and bonds we share make each day sweeter.

Speaking of family, we had a dozen of us here for Thanksgiving dinner and an afternoon of fun. Lori's brother, Loren, and his family came in from Sacramento, and two of Lori's cousins ( who both live in Colorado Springs now) were here with their husbands. My dad, Conrad, was here, too. So, three generatins were represented.

After eating half of the 20 lbs. turkey Lori prepared, and more than enough trimmings, the adults settled into puzzles and movie watching. The kids colored turkeys for the annual Gazette contest, played outside, watch a move and spent time acting out mock commercials in Anna's room. It was a beautiful day, topped off with the annual cousins picture tradition. We sure missed those of our family who couldn't be here...but we had a wonderful crowd, anyway....maybe one of these years there can be poeple from both sides of the family here, and more people from "the parents" generation...

Anna and McKayla managed to stay out of the pictures all day...we'll add more of them later...

Now, time to get ready to Christmas shop! We are way behind this year...Ugh!

Postscript to Emma Crawford

2006-10-28T18:07:00.000-06:00

A couple very observant friends have already asked about the snow. Our weather here is truly incredible. The blizzard came Thursday, and by Saturday, the only snow to be found was on grassy areas and in the shade. Probably all of it will be gone by tomorrow!

Emma Crawford Day sets mood for Halloween

2006-10-28T17:05:00.000-06:00

This is a drag racermade from a coffin

Check out the Emma on this team...spooky

Yes, the Emma "Steve Irwin" Crawford on this casket team has a sting ray sticking out of his chest. And, the mohawk on the flamethrower dude on top of the hurse is real! Show off!

No one who knows me ever would be surprised at my sometimes dark, and even morbid sense of humor. And everyone who knows me knows that I love a good story. So this year, we finally went to local halloween festival, better known as the Emma Crawford Coffin Races and Festival in Manitou Springs. This is a place where morbid, and story come together in a fun, memorable, and yet somewhat dark fashion.... It is weird, macabre, morbid, and, yes, also fun.
Emma Crawford lived in Manitou Springs at the turn of the century. Sadly, young Emma died quite young, just before she was to marry Mr. Hildebrand, an engineer on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway. Emma was laid to rest on top of Red Mountain just above Manitou. After years of stormy weather on the granite mountain the rocks gave way and Emma's remains were washed down the side of Red Mountain right back into downtown Manitou Springs. Emma was later buried in the Manitou Springs Cemetery in an unmarked grave. But even after they buried her in the local Manitou cemetery, her coffin washed down onto the main street of town with the next major storm. Seems she didn't want to stay away!
In her memory, a festival, of sorts, began, and has grown into the annual weekend before Halloween tradition that draws thousands of ( some very interesting, to say the least) people for a parade and coffin races. Teams of coffin racers push a coffin with an "Emma" inside down the old streets of Manitou to win a trophy. This has been going on sice before we moved here, but it took us this long to actually make it to the event. Lori's cousin's husband Joe went along, too. We had a great time, and saw some memorable coffin teams. Check out the pictures at http://www.manitousprings.org/coffin_races.htm .

Grins

2006-10-26T10:31:00.000-06:00

Wesley lost 4 teeth in the last two weeks! He is going to be a natural as a vampire for Halloween.
Wonder if he'll have the new ones in time for Christmas???

Blizzard!!!!...or the wonderful world of weather...

2006-10-26T09:33:00.000-06:00

Looking to the west out the front of our house The patio and the apple tree...I've been shaking it off every hour, hoping not to lose branches!

As many of you ( especially those here in Colorado!) probably know, the weather in Colorado can provide a bit a of an adventure almost anytime. And this time, we got almost 24 hours warning that this was coming. It started rainign about 3 a.m. , and then snowing here about 6 a.m., and is not expected to stop before 6 p.m. And it is very windy. Schools, courts, buses, malls and most other businesses have closed for the day. A few neighborhoods have lost power due to branches overhanging powerlines. People are urged to stay indoors. Although it is not too cold, about 30 degrees F or so, the 50+ mph winds make it closer to zero, and the snow is often white out conditions. Thus, the term blizzard appropriately applies to our weather today up and down the front range from WY to NM.

We are staying inside, where it is warm and dry. I have been out to shovel, about 9 a.m., and already found 8-10 inches of snow, not including where it has drifted. Lori's cousins, Debbie & Garth, called at 10 a.m. to say they had lost power, but they're okay. Hoepfully they'll have it back before tonight. The adventure continues...

Dad's 70th Birthday!

2006-09-24T16:52:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we woke up to a beautiful cool crisp fall morning. This view of Pike's Peak covered in snow, (sort of a symbolic gesture, I believe, for the other important occasion we were going to celebrate) was taken by my dad from his driveway yesterday...My dad's 70th birthday was marked with a dinner at Cracker Barrel and a few small tokens. Those of you who know Dad or his story, know what a great milestone this was. A good time was had by young and old alike.

Horsing Around

2006-09-16T13:12:00.000-06:00

Today, I got to go to one of my daughter's riding lesson. It was the first one I had the chance to go to in several months. She has been learning to canter, among other things. As a bonus, today was a beautiful fall day to be out "horsing around" at the stables. It was truly theraputic for both the mind and the soul. Between the three dogs, two cats and half a dozen horses there on five acres, you can really feel a world away...

An update on the hand progress...I have been in physical theraphy three times a week for three weeks now...I still cannot make a fist, but I am making progress. I gained about 4 degrees in flexibility between my last two appointments, and was at 72 degrees. ( It is supposed to be 100-110) With a little luck and time, perhaps I will be back to normal by the end of October. Although some swelling remains, the pain is minimal now, except when I excerise it in PT or when the weather is getting ready to change, as it is today.

Labor Day Joys

2006-09-04T19:53:00.000-06:00

What a terrific weekend! Too bad they aren't all 3 days long!

We were able to enjoy the balloon glow last night, and woke up to the balloons overhead this morning. Each year, the balloon festival signals the true end of summer for those of us in Colorado Springs. And, each year, the balloons drift near our home, and the kids get up early to see them. One landed in the field just east of our home. Then we drove about a mile west to Venetucci's Farm to watch several of them land. It is so beautiful, and fun to watch!

Then we took the kids on a 30 minute road trip down to Happy Apple Farm in Penrose to pick our annual fall apple supply. The kids and Lori picked 16 lbs. of apples - four different varieties! So, I know I'll be packing an apple each in my lunch for the next several weeks!

Blue Ribbon Day

2006-08-26T17:15:00.000-06:00

Here are pictures of Anna's winning dollhouse with the blue ribbon!

We had a beautiful day at the fair in Pueblo. We spent a lot of time with the horses, sheep, pigs and other critters. Tons of fun!

Finger progress

2006-08-25T20:12:00.000-06:00

Good news! Thanks to lots of prayers and good care from the very moment of my accident, things are improving all over.
Had the hand looked at again today, and the hand orthopedist decided to go to a splint for the next month, with physical therapy twice a week until the end of September. It is a releif to get out of the cast, although I am still typing one handed.

Finally, the school year has gotten off to a great start, too! I have a fantastic class; perhaps the best I have in several years, and only 22 of them! Yea!