Avalanche Vicktem: 2009

Sunday, September 27, 2009

And the Broncos win again!

Denver Broncos logo, originally uploaded by N i c o_.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

My Mafia Wars Facebook Look

Mia é fogo!, originally uploaded by ***MADAME MIX***.

check out my fan page at
http://www.artist.to/treasuresinheaven

or follow me @2QTsInHeaven

Sunday, September 13, 2009

You won't believe this but yes, there's actually an amusing story behind my avalanche
"vicktimization."

After we lost Abigail, I sought after every bit of medical information I could find on annovulation, pcos, ovulation monitoring, etc. I joined a TTC group with several other grieiving moms. They too had lost their babies in the late stages of what otherwise seemed to be normal pregnancies.

In the midst of our grieving, we all had such a hard time getting pregnant again. It added to the sorrows, and we all wondered if we'd ever know the joy of having another baby or not. In my attempts to be encouraging, I used to tell everyone that once we had the first one of us get pregnant, then an avalanche of pregnancies was sure to follow.

I tried to perk the gals up by telling them to be preparing themselves with survival tools like ski parka & sleeping bags for camping out at the doctor's office--not to mention tools like post trama manuals, medical equipment & dopplers, and plenty of prenatal worry packs.

While the waiting and TTC process seemed beyond trecherous, I just knew that once we had the first pregnancy, then we'd have a bunch more follow along. And that's exactly what happened.

Anne was the very first rainbow baby conceived within our group. And sure enough, but an avalanche of pregnancies followed. And while we were all so excited about the pregnancy avalanche, none of us ever spoke about the very real fact that avalanches kill people.

Sure enough when all was said and done, I was caught up yet again in the devastating impact of nature's forces. And like Abigail before her, Anne too ended up in a baby funeral. I had no idea that the human condition could know pain
more powerful than an avalanche;
more powerful than an earthquake;
more powerful than a tidal wave;
more powerful than a tornado or hurricane.
I had no idea...

After Anne died, I half-heartedly joked with my avalanche friends about how I sort of got "Sony Bono'd" -- poor guy was killed in a ski accident that nobody saw coming (old guy on skis heading for a tree--it's a no-brainer). It's sad to say, but the reality is that I was our group's old guy on skis heading for a tree.

So there's that.
Then during the course of our harsh & violent journey down the mountain, my health, marriage & business have taken some very hard knocks. Life has sort of been like we've been thrust down the rocky jagged mountain of baby death--twice. I'm still not sure we'll overcome many of the wounds the avalanche has inflicted upon our hearts, minds & bodies (and oh my goodness, how my body struggles to overcome all that afflicts it--I could write a book).

Ironically, I vividly remember an avalanche class that Brian took back in college. On a frosty cold weekend in the spring of 1988, I attended a class field trip with Brian & his class. We studied all manner of geographic measurements and such. I learned so much about weather and avalanche patterns on that weekend outing high up into Rocky Mountain avalanche territory. Little did I know how deeply that class would come back to touch me.

To be certain, an avalanche is a force of nature not to be reckoned with. And I kid you not when I say that our family has taken quite the avalanche's beating since the the new century began.

Two girls in the ground. And then there's our firstborn--our only living child; our ice hockey, homeschool boy - born in Denver back in the old days. He also went with us to that frosty field trip to the mountains the winter he was two--Note to self: must scan pix from old days. I pine for those avalanche days instead.

Heck, I pine for the days my other avalanche friends have now. They are in the swing of raising young children, while I'm in the throws of menopause & illhealth; retirement & mourning. My homeschool days with my son are done. It intensifies that my wonderful sparkly Anne is fixin' to be four. Her babyhood is gone, and sometimes the missing her can make me swoon.

The aftermath of the avalanche has exposed what an incredibly frozen tundra the plight of barrenness has been (maybe that's why Ben played hockey all those years growing up, or why I love Denver and the Av's (even though they suck this year), and why I've come to love the winter best of all).

I guess looking back, it all seems like a crafty preparation for our later & greater losses in life. and goodness knows we've survived some pretty frosty blizzards in our 46+ years...

No, there's no getting around the fact that I'm a full-fledged avalanche vicktem trying to dig out of the thick icy layers that have tried to bury me alive.

Fortunately, I have the Light of the Lord to guide my way and keep me warm. I have the cloak of Christ to clothe me. I have the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the sword of the Spirit, and the shoes of His peace. I am equipt with His all-sufficient grace, and His love carries me through the bruises, battery & brokenness that the forces of nature have inflicted upon me.

Yes, I am an avalanche vicktem. But I have survived to tell the incredible & amazing tale!

avalanche-1.jpg picture by vickienadine

Invesco and Pepsi Center

Invesco and Pepsi Center, originally uploaded by davedlg.

cool

Gardens in Downtown Denver

Gardens in Downtown Denver, originally uploaded by stvpett.

Denver has some of the most wonderful parks & beautifully landscaped hiways & byways.

Tattered Cover

Tattered Cover, originally uploaded by b.keelerfoster.

man-o-man do I love this place, or what?! This TC wasn't there when I lived in the Big D. It was serious Lo-Do and it was still mostly train tracks & warehouse docks. As you can see, they've obviously cleaned that area up so astonishingly! I love how they converted that huge ugly warehouse into this gorgeous historical fixture. Back in my Denver days, I was going to grad school when they finally finished rennovating Tivoli--that was as far as Downtown went. When we were back in town last, I was amazed at how fabulously Lo-Do has continued to be rennovated. Metro State is DH's alma mater, and so much has changed since we trolled that campus...

bleading heart

bleading heart, originally uploaded by Heff45.

what a great shot, eh? I take no credit for it, so please follow the upload links to give props to the fotog. Just had to say, I love my Denver flickr friends ♥

My Old Hood

Gold Dome, originally uploaded by b.keelerfoster.

I must have walked a million miles when I lived & worked on Capitol Hill. What fond memories I have of my post graduate years ♥

Robinson House

Robinson House, originally uploaded by Jeffrey Beall.

ROBINSON HOUSE
3435 Albion St.
National Register 2/12/2003, 5DV.8271

"The 1890 Robinson House embodies the defining characteristics of the Queen Anne style in residential construction. The avoidance of flat exterior wall surfaces and the presence of an asymmetrical facade are typical. Roof lines are complex, exterior walls are made of more than one type of material, decorative porches are present, window shapes and sizes vary. In the Robinson House, a two-story house with attic, distinctive characteristics include a prominent front gable, patterned masonry exterior walls with several belt courses of brick and stone, recessed first and second story porches in the facade with spindlework porch supports, decorative balustrades and brackets."--Description from the Colorado Historical Society Website.

denver 4, originally uploaded by Heff45.

denver 2, originally uploaded by Heff45.

Invesco Field, Denver

2009 Denver Daytime 264, originally uploaded by TVGuy.

very nice shot!

Denver Bronco's Invesco Field

2009 Invesco July 035, originally uploaded by TVGuy.

I've not been to Denver since the new stadium was finished. I have to say that even though the new arena is fabulous, I sorta miss Big Mac. I saw Fleetwood Mac there back in the day. I saw a CO Rockies game at the old Mile High Stadium before they got Coors Field built. Things just haven't been the same in Denver ever since they moved Elitches. Goodness, I'm aging myself...

Monday, June 1, 2009

Go Penguins!

NHL_Lidstrom_051209_0201w, originally uploaded by CASTOCKPIX.com.

12 May 2009: Stanley Cup Logo on the ice with Detroit Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom skating over it with a puck before the Anaheim Ducks 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings in game six of the NHL Western Conference Semifinals at the Honda Center in California. ©ShellyCastellano/THN

DSC07352, originally uploaded by Tim Shahan.

NHL Hockey
Martin Biron (43)
Philadelphia Flyers @ Washington Capitols
Verizon Center
October 03, 2008
Tim Shahan

Bruins - Leafs

Bruins Leafs 12-07-2006 DSC00081, originally uploaded by Tim Shahan.

NHL Hockey
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Boston Bruins
Tim Thomas
TD Banknorth Garden
December 07, 2006
Tim Shahan

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Le Chazelet (Hautes-Alpes)

Le Chazelet (Hautes-Alpes), originally uploaded by Titi92 (en petites vacances).

Monday, March 30, 2009

Rocky Mountain High

Zebulon Pike's Peak, originally uploaded by twbeebout.

What a beautiful shot of Pike's Peak -- On this melancholy Monday, I'm processing a lot of wistful, watercolored memories. Among the top five of my most valued things I long for are the frosty spring snows that have fallen over Denver the last few days.

Bring Denver Boone Back!

Bring Denver Boone Back!, originally uploaded by otdrafting.

University of Denver is going through an identity crisis. Changing from Denver Boone to a Golden Eagle several years ago. What does an eagle have to do about being a Pioneer? What is so offensive about Boone? Not to mention that he is one of two university logos that Walt Disney designed.

Tivoli

Tivoli, originally uploaded by otdrafting.

omgosh I used to love this place. We'd stop in there after classes at Metro State. There was an artist who had a little booth, and he'd do charcoal portraits really cheap. I had one done of Ben when he wasn't barely two--it's one of my most treasured possessions, and it was only $10. Back in the day it was a great place for oddball shopping and student-priced cafe's. Ahhhh the good old days...

abandoned house.

abandoned house., originally uploaded by steviemcgillicuttie.

this looks an awful lot like the house that's next door to where my brother in law used to live. It was a major drug house back then.

Great Blue Heron on a Snowy Day

Great Blue Heron on a Snowy Day, originally uploaded by craighalp.

this was shared in my Denver Flickr group; don't know what part of town it's taken in, but my guess is somewhere near the Platt River. It's a beautiful shot!

Home Sick

EXP00006, originally uploaded by DavoPic.

Castle Marne B&B

Castle Marne B&B, originally uploaded by DavoPic.

I love the neighborhood where this mansion is located. With all the recent snowfall that Denver's had the last several days, I guess I'm missing Denver quite a lot...