Once Upon a Time--Before I was a Mom. . .

Before I was a mom, I was a girl--a sassy, silly girl who found herself in some ridiculously, inane circumstances. Usually this girl was accompanied by some zany friends who would encourage such foolhardy behavior. The motto for our pack was anything for a laugh(with in reason) for example going through the drive-in backwards and ordering with a southern accent at the pick up window, pretending the entire time that we were from Texas and didn't understand that we were doing anything wrong (to all my friends from Tx, I apologize) You see, this girl and her girl friends didn't seem to mind making themselves look horrifyingly ridiculous for a laugh(But then again, isn't laughing healthy, and doesn't it burn calories?) Too all of this was done while being completely sober.

Yes, before I was a mom, I was carefree, fun and some would even say, funny although Mitchell would argue that point. Those were simple fun-loving days where we had no concerns but what to do on a Saturday night. I had the chance to revisit those times when my childhood friend from Chicago, Brenda Kay and her daughter Brianna, came to visit to share their joy and lighten my load.

Friday we wanted to have a girls day, so I took the girls out of school early and we had plans of taking them into LA. to go to the LACMA. The girls were adverse to the idea and in real, almost tweener girl fashion, began chanting Shopping - shopping - shopping in the back seat of the car. Of course, being in mom mode, I reminded that shopping - shopping - shopping is not any fun when the funds - funds - funds are low. At this point, Brenda breaks in and reminds me of the girl I was before I was a mom. . .

Most of the time, these bouts of silliness were done unaccompanied by an adult, (They would have ruined our fun for sure) but sometimes, this girl's mother was involved. One such time Brenda and I went with my mom to affluent Oakbrook. She took us into Neiman Marcus, or as we like to call it "Needless Markup" to try on furs. From there we decided to try to find the most outrageous ensemble we could find. We would then model our outfits to determine the winner.

A good memory and one that I almost forgot had Brenda not reminded me. Brenda posed the idea to the girls--did they want to do some silly shopping? A resounding YES.

And so our girls day began. . .Brianna, Lily and Emma outside of Nordstroms

First things first, Brenda had to lay down the rules of engagement #1 You have to be sneaky and not let the employees know you are goofing off. #2 The clothes you pick out must NOT match and must look hideous. #3 When you are dressed in your outfit, you must be fierce with your poses and be proud of your ugly self. #4 Good sportsmanship is a must! always compliment others on their ugly choices. No jealousy of ugly outfits is permitted.

Brenda setting the ground rules for the girls.

The girls were eager to get started. We escorted them up to the children's section in Nordstrom and let them have at it. As they shopped, Brenda and I found our own unique pieces to add to their creations.

Our First Model, Energetic Emmalique:

Emmalique striking a pose

Emmalique with attitude. Get over it baby!

Pouty Emmalique work it girl!

Our Second Model Beautiful Breezy:

Breezy headshot

Oh Breezy the Beautiful

Sweetest girl

Our Third Model Lovely Lilli-ana-rama

love those baby blues Lili-ana-rama

Lili-ana-rama strike it rich! Go girl friend!

Lili-ana-rama is Deliberately Dazzling.

The girls had so much fun dressing and posing. Here is a shot of the three of them together.
Lili-ana-rama, Emmalique, Breezy: truly professionals.

Brenda was a wonderful fashion coach. Here she is coaching Emma on a pose.
Our silly shopping was quite an adventure. It wore some of us out:

After our silly shopping at Nordstrom, we needed some sustenance, so where else would two moms and three girls go but for chocolate. Sees gives out a piece just for showing up, then we got a piece just so we could show up to get our free piece. . . if you know what I mean.The girls wanted to go and try on some party dresses, so after the chocolate was wiped off of our hands and faces, we headed over to get dressy!
And of course we need to try on the shoes to match the dress.

After a good meal we had about an hour before the movie started. We sat wondering how we could spend our hour and then my ever creative, joyful friend Brenda suggested that we go to the church parking lot to dance and sing in front of the headlights of our car (throw back to our youth) So here we are grooving to funk tunes.










After about a half hour, we figured that we better get to the movie theater. We all climbed back into the car. We noticed the automatic door wasn't working very well and that the head lights were flickering.

"What if the battery is dead," my ever creative, fortune teller friend said.

I cranked the key, click, clickkity. . .that was it.

"No, no, no. let me try this one more time." crank the key, click. . . nothing.

You guessed it. It was! We sat in the parking lot praying that the battery would charge itself up again (literally, we did pray.) As we sat silently hoping that the next turn of the key would fire up the motor, we saw some hooded tall figures begin walking toward us. We had seen them wander from the other side of the building and sit on the steps of the chapel earlier. They probably were looking for a little entertainment and saw it in our silly dancing styles (there is the fisherman, where you cast an imaginary line to your partner and reel them in, or the cowgirl who lassos the partner, and pulls them in, and then of course we did a little soul train.) Now they were walking to our car. Embarrassing! They were from Cucamonga ward they offered to give us a jump. They seemed to be enjoying our situation but were happy to help us, thank goodness. We sat a few minutes until the jumper cables arrived. They arrived in a Big Gold Escalade with tinted windows and a gangsta bass beat. They hooked us up, started our engine, coached us to keep it running for alittle while and then vanished into the night air. After saying thankyou to your gracious heros, and watching them leave, we decided we had enough fun for one night and went home.

So if you want to have a guaranteed great time with your girls, if you want to enjoy the joys of shopping without the bill, if you want your daughters to tell you that was the best girls day
ever . . . give silly shopping a try. It was a memory that will keep. Too if your really lucky, your daughter will tell everyone in primary about the dancing in the head lights incident and how our prayers were answered by some gangstas in a gold escalade with a bass beat. (A little embarrassing but that's the way it is.)

Thanks Brenda for coming and creating so much joy. I love you.

The Changing of The Light Revisited

Mitch needed a ride to work again. . .

So up, up, up I went to where the pavement ends and the earth begins.
and this time I took my camera.

I have been wanting to capture the light since that evening when I needed an hour to myself.



I think I captured it--the changing of the light.

First Day of School

Os, Wills, Ems, Lils on the first day of school

Our little Os is in preschool and very happy to get back to the grind. His little broken leg did not stop him from getting around. He is a trooper on his crutches and can keep up with all the kids. He loves his teacher and his friends. He can write spell and write his name and count to 20. Smart boy

Our Wills is in the first grade and we all know what that means. . . school all day long. However, he is very happy and loving the best teacher in the whole wide world. She motivates by the treasure table and he loves getting his timberwolf bucks. He tries very hard. He got an "O" on his poem today and was very proud. He always wants to do his best.



Emma entered the third grade which means TIMES TABLE!!! She is proud to have passed her twos and is almost passing her threes. She is a very good reader and speller. She is always prepared for school and is self motivated. This year she is competing in the book challenge. She has already read the first book Charlottes Web.



Lily is in the fifth grade and is one of the big kids on campus. This year, Lily Rules. It is her last year at the school. This year Lily wants to try out for basketball and track(only fifth graders get to compete. she has been keeping up her grades and has been trying very hard to improve her lap times in PE.


Finally, I have my Mitch: King of the Mountain Mitch. Mitchy the Kid, my Me Mitch, Mitchmiester, Honorable Mitchy Son started college this year and seems to be enjoying it. He says that there are less distractions in college, but he likes high school better (probably because there are more distractions. . .) However, he is doing well in class and even stood up to some people in his sociology class that were complaining about our American culture stating that how can you all complain about something and not see yourselves as part of the problem?, inciting a"Good point Mitchell," from his professor. He is working 16 - 20 hours a week and likes his job. We are proud of our boy who has become a man.

Too he is voting this year . . . ARE YOU?

Lil' Lucy

Children have the most amazing power of persuasion. . . I mean, don't they?. . . is it just mine? Or is it that I am a big push over? I will tell you the story and let you be the judge.

I think it was about the first of August that one little Ems decided. . .

"Mom, I want my own, pet, one that is only mine. I don't want to have to share it with anyone else."
"So you want a pet huh? I understand, but Ems we already have two pets that need to be cared for and loved. Let's take care of our own pets."

Well, I thought that I handled that well. I didn't stutter. I spoke plainly. I felt I listened, validated and then gave an answer that was direct. Score one for MOM!

The next day.

"Mom, guess what I am thinking about?. . ."

"What's that Ems?"

"My new pet. I know what I want. . .," a long pause, "don't you want to know what I want?"

"What pet do you want Ems?"

"I want a hamster. Casey and Lindsay say that it is only $10 for the hamster and only $20 for the cage. I am going to buy a hamster with my allowance. I am going to save up and buy the hamster myself." I was stunned. She could buy the hamster by herself? That just about takes me out of the loop. I found myself scrambling for something to say--some form of rebuttal.

Ah Ha!

"Well, Emma, if you want to buy your own hamster, you will have to take care of it entirely. That is a lot of responsibility. You need to prove that you can take care of your current pets before you will be able to have permission to purchase one on your own." Phew! That was a close one, I am sure it bought me some time.

"Okay mom. I can take care of Kiki Lila! I will feed her and give her water every day. And if I do that can I get a hamster?" At this point Emma's enthusiasm is building and she is speaking in high pitched shrieks while jumping up and down shaking her hands.

"Emma, now calm down, don't get too excited. I have to see that you can be a good pet owner, all on your own. You have to show me that you are responsible. By the way you will also have to change the kitty litter every day."

"WHAT? the kitty litter. Moooommmmmmm, that's GROSS!"

"Emma, you will have to change the hamsters cage etc, so you must do this to show that you are mature enough for all that responsibility."

"Okay, I will do it!" She said it with confidence and determination. She'll do it? She wasn't discouraged? It's not that I wanted her to fail, I just didn't really want to have another pet!

Score one for Ems

Emma went right to work taking care of our Kiki Lila. She fed her and gave her water every day. She changed the kitty litter every day and she did all this WITHOUT BEING ASKED!

All the while, each day, every day, many times through out the day, Emma would approach me and say, . . .

"Hey Mom, do you know what would make me happy?"
"What Emma?"
"If I got a hamster!"

"Hey mom, I got an idea,"
"What's that Ems?
"Let's go to Petsmart and look at hamsters"

"Hey Mom, I have something important to tell you,"
"Really Emma? is it about school?"
"No, it's that I want a hamster."

"Mom, can I tell you something?"
"Does it have to do with a hamster?"
"No,"
"What is it Emma?"
"Can I get a bonus on my allowance so that I can buy a hamster."

"Mom, if I can get a hamster, I will wash the dishes every night forever!" Looking back now, maybe I should have taken her up on that one.

"Mom I have a great idea for a birthday gift for daddy!"
"What Emma?
"Let's get him a hamster and I will take care of it for him!"

These are just a few of the tactics that she used on me INCESSANTLY. I was finally glad when school started so that I could have a reprieve from her hammering rapid fire hamsters messages into my consciousness. However, I was very impressed with her work ethic. She did everything she was supposed to do and she did it well.

While putting Emma to bed, the lights were off and I was kissing her good night, Emma wrapped her arms around my neck and whispered, Mom, it would make me so happy if I could have a hamster. It would make my dreams come true."

"Ems, I must admit, you are proving to be very responsible. I will talk to dad and we shall see. There is no guarantee however. I am not saying we will get one tomorrow, but we will talk about it."

"Thank you mom. I love you."
"I love you too."

I thought that the talk to dad tactic would buy me at least a few more months, but Emma went right to the source herself and began working on him. Before I knew it, he was checking out cages on craigs list. Daddys have a hard time saying no to their little girls.


Score one for Ems

A week later, Lil Lucy was a part of our family

So, are all kids this persuasive, is it just my kids, or is RICHARD a big pushover! HA!

The Changing of The Light

Do you ever need to get away, get out of the house, vamoose? A few days ago I needed a little quiet time. I don't get much of that with seven people living under the same roof, and four of them under the age of 10. Our house is very lively and full of joy most of the time (I am blessed with very happy children). But sometimes, when you need some time to think, time to reflect, a little quiet is nice. So a few days a go, when Mitchell needed a ride to work, I volunteered and got in the car and headed north in our town up, up, up to where the pavement ends and the earth begins. It was silent there but for the song of birds. the humming of the electrical lines and the wispy breeze cutting through the grasses. It was just what I needed. I took some reading material, bottle of water and sat up on top of my car gazed at the valley below. I took a few deep breaths and began to relax and ponder. That's when I noticed it: The changing of the light. It was about 6:00pm and the shadows were long. The sun was slowly melting into the west and casting its amber light on us. The light had changed and fall was approaching. The rose light of summer was fading.

It left me with a happy feeling. I love fall, although we don't really get to experience it here in Southern CA, I mean a true fall where the trees change color and then shed their leaves. That is one thing I miss from my childhood living in Chicago. Fall meant cooler weather, wearing sweaters, and a reprieve from the humidity of the summer; fall meant red, yellow and orange leaves littering the streets of downtown Downers Grove where we would parade our homecoming floats; fall meant apple picking and fresh apple cider; fall meant the changing of the light. It happened in Chicago too, although the shadows didn't seem to be as long as they are here, but the amber light always signaled the new season. I always welcome the change.

After watching the sun disappear into the earth and seeing the steely blue hues of dusk envelop me, I turned east again and saw the moon. It was immense. The silver-blue orb stood watch over our valley. It was beautiful and I had to take it in for a few more moments. I felt peaceful and grateful for that hour. The keeper of the night stood silently still in the sky as I got down into the drivers seat, turned on my head lights and headed south, down, down, down and back home.

Red Rock Canyon NV

Not every thing that happens in Vegas should stay in Vegas. Some of it must be shared!

So, you know how people flock to Vegas, I mean in the thousands. They drive up that lonely highway that really isn't lonely because of the traffic congestion, it just seems so lonely and desolate, any way, so you know what I am talking about? People love that place. It is actually a destination that people travel to--on purpose--I never understood that. Really. Vegas was a stop on the way to Utah where you fill up with gas and get your last In N Out (until the last 10 years or so where we would hold out for St George in order to eat at Cafe Rio.) So Vegas was never a place that I had any desire to go to experience.
Emma, Lily and I before the hike

When I was a kid, Uncle Chuck, who was really not my uncle but a very good friend of the family, took me to Vegas with his family in his Winnebago. I remember pulling up to the Circus Circus parking lot (where else would he go with a Winnebago full of kids) and getting out to have the time of my life. He gave each of us kids a roll of quarters--Ten Bucks! that was a heck of a lot of money back in 1976--to spend on the games and shows that were a part of the "Circus Circus" experience. I got in there, with my roll of quarters in my hand, scanned the place, followed the other Fick kids around, watched them play some video games and in the end probably only spent a dollar of my money in order to watch the gorilla woman transform from woman to gorilla and back to woman again. A frighteningly, cheesy show. Anyway, nothing in Vegas was really worth me breaking into that roll of quarters. I still feel that way as an adult.

However, last year, my adventurous friend from Chicago, , Brenda K. moved to Las Vegas with her very talented and artistic husband Cameron and their two precocious and very imaginative children Jesse and Brianna. Brenda K. has been wanting me to come out there for a while. She has been coaxing me with tales of Lake Mead, Mount Charleston, and all other beautiful places that can be found in and around Vegas. Vegas beautiful? I know she wanted me to come but I was not foolish. If she thinks that I am going to go out there for the beauty, she has another think coming. I mean I would definitely go out for her, but not the beauty. Well Brenda K. proved me wrong, again. While there for the holiday, we went on a hike to Red Rock Canyon, a beautiful canyon of, you guessed it, red rocks that explode out of a hillside west of Las Vegas.

We decided to go on Sunday afternoon and we were surprised to experience tolerable temperatures with a comfortable breeze that continued to cool us off along the hike. The hike was easy and there were some great rocks and boulders to climb on as well as amazing rock formations to view.

Along the way we made a few pit stops to fuel up on water and fig newtons. We always stopped at the most scenic spots to enjoy the view the sky or the rocks. The kids loved the long shadows and were often caught watching them in the rocks in front of them. We wanted to take a picture of them but we had to be patient because the sun kept disappearing behind the clouds. Cameron wanted to move on but Brenda K. stood her ground and in the end we're glad because it was worth the shot

Right at about mid way through the hike, we spied a lone pine jetting out of the red rock. Just the contrast of the color was deserving of our attention. There it stood straight, at attention, bearing the burden of the wind. We marveled at how it choked it's way out of the stony ground and then flourished. We wanted to be near it, to see it up close and feel it. After taking pictures by it, we sat and enjoyed the time to reflect and to listen to the wind moan and wail as it rushed through the pines boughs. The tree would not bend to the wind. It stood straight.

After a time, we headed back down the canyon. We retraced our steps part of the way and then took another path home. On the way up we hiked up on the top of the rock, traversing the boulders. On the way back down we went to the bottom of the canyon and walked in the red sand. The kids were fascinated by it and wanted to take some home.

On the way back, Jesse kept running ahead to find places to sit and meditate until we caught up. It was fun playing "where's Jesse" as we would come around a bend and locate him in his meditative pose on or at the foot some rock formation. All the girls would then run as fast as they could to join him in his meditative poses.

Right at the end of the hike, when our cars was in sight, we saw a bevy of quail crossing the path. There were maybe thirty to forty of them running across the path in single file. Amazing. I love this picture of Cameron and Brenda K. They were spying the quail when I was photographing the kids and I took this shot, I wasn't able to capture the quail but I think I did a great job capturing the beauty of this couple. I sure love you guys

So Brenda K., you were right, the region surrounding Vegas can be beautiful. We had a great time and can't wait to come back.