Moving to a New Home

A cyber-home that is.

After two years of blogging here, I'm pleased to announce my updated website with integrated blog (woohoo!). All the content stored here ... is now also over there. (And will also look great once I do a few formatting fixes post by post on 230 posts!)

One great thing about the new platform is the search feature. If you liked the series of posts on vacations, road trips, gardening, transformations, or football in the fall ... you can type in search words and get all the relevant posts easily.

My new address? http://www.candeefick.com/  I can wait to see you over there!

Vacations - Revisiting History

When compiling my list for this summer's virtual vacation tour, I had two other types of locations in mind. Historic battlefields, landmarks, and colonial villages. And family reunions. (Granted, some family reunions have their own inherent battlefields, but let's just assume we can all get along!)

We own a timeshare and have exchanged it the last five years for a week in Branson, Missouri. But, every year, I thumb through the resort directory to see where else we could travel (assuming airfare for five wasn't an issue and there was stuff for the kids to do once we got there.) Personally, I would love to visit New England or Williamsburg, Virginia. I know others enjoy seeing Civil War battlefields or the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. Places bursting with historical significance. Where events occurred that changed the path of our country.

On the other hand, multi-generational family gatherings are also full of history. It's nice to see all the distant cousins and catch up on all the news (er, gossip). But the rich treasure lies in listening to the stories of the oldest ones there. What was life like when they were growing up? What were their dreams? What tragedies are woven in the fabric of their lives? What quirks have they passed on to their children? What unusual jobs did they have? (Can you imagine my surprise to learn one relative had served food to Japanese prisoners during WWII?)

Revisiting history is a journey back in time to remember the past, to honor the legacy of those who lived before us, and to learn the lessons they would teach.

What about you? What interesting jobs have your ancestors held? What historical place would you most like to see?

Vacations - Solitary Places

Ask some people where they would choose to go on vacation and you'd hear all about a fishing trip. Not exactly my first choice (or even the top ten) because I don't like touching fish, smelling fish, cleaning fish, or eating fish. Baiting hooks with worms or salmon eggs isn't exactly on my favorite list of things to do either!

However, if you take fish and bait out of a fishing trip, what does that leave? Hours spent sitting in a quiet (and often scenic) location. Maybe the excuse to sit in a solitary place is as much a part of the whole experience as actually reeling in the big one. (After all, it's called fishing, not catching!)

So, since this is a summer of virtual vacations, I'm headed to a solitary place to sit for awhile. To stop the frantic pace of life and get away from the deadlines, computer, television, and phone. To let stress wash away and troubles sink to the bottom. To let the true priorities of my life bob to the surface. To meditate on truth and contemplate the future. To sort through options while a gentle breeze brushes my face.

And if I never catch a thing, the experience will have been worth it.

What about you? Do you like fishing? What would you think about while on a fishing trip?

Celebrating Freedom

We interrupt this summer's virtual vacation tour in order to spend time with the family. I can guarantee there will be grilling done today and fireworks tonight.

And somewhere in between, I'm pausing to remember where we've been as a country (in bondage to a foreign power) and the price paid by those who saw beyond themselves to declare our independence.

Happy 4th of July!

How to be Successful

"Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day." ~Jim Rohn

Since I've never heard anyone say they wanted to fail or to grow up to be an underachiever, I'm assuming that we would all like to be successful. However, if that's the case, then why do so many of us fall short?

Because wishing and being are two different things. And the dreaded "D" word, discipline, is the key ingredient.

I'd like to succeed in dropping a few pounds and getting into shape. But that means dragging myself out of bed in the morning and lacing up my running shoes. Pushing for an extra lap or two. Saying no to the french fry craving and saying yes to a salad. Success takes discipline in the little things repeated daily.

I'd like to build our family's financial stability. That takes discipline to cut back on spending, to find bargains, to pay down debts, and to set aside money into savings.

I'd like to earn enough money from my books to pay for my kids' tuition at their private school. Well, that too takes discipline. Discipline to write consistently, to read voraciously, to learn all I can about the industry, to submit to critique groups, to query agents, to meet editors at conferences, to network with other writers and potential readers, to build a "tribe" of followers, to develop unique ideas, to promote my work, and to do it all over and over on a daily basis.

How much do I want to succeed? It'll show up in how disciplined I become.

What about you? Where do you want to be successful? What simple disciplines done daily will get you there?

Vacations - The Amusement Park

What do professional athletes say after winning the Super Bowl? I'm going to Disneyland! Well, not really. After all this is a virtual vacation blog tour. But this week we're headed to the amusement park.

What do places like Disney, Six Flags, Silver Dollar City, or the traveling rides camped out in the vacant lot have in common? Wild rides and funnel cake. Ferris wheels, bumper cars, roller coasters, and spin-until-you're-sick mechanical contraptions. Popcorn, frozen lemonade, hot dogs, and cones of rainbow-colored ice shavings.

A place where adrenaline rules and nutrition is optional. A place to step out of our comfort zones and push back the boundaries of our fear. A place to create memories, earn bragging rights, and experience the stories that will fuel the family lore for years to come.

Stories like: Remember, dear brother, the time you bribed me with the promised of a funnel cake if I'd strap in to a seven-story tall hydraulic swing that launched us into the air, upside down (both frontwards and backwards) before screaming (literally) back toward the earth? A ride that made me lose all desire for funnel cake and gave me a headache? A ride that made the next one seem like child's play?

Yep, that's the extreme change of pace found only at the amusement park.

What about you? What is your favorite amusement park memory? Favorite ride? Favorite food?

Don't Look Back

If I had to pick my favorite fiction genre to read, romantic suspense would be near the top of the list. Because I really enjoy the mixture of a good love story and a mystery to solve.

This week's fiction focus is on Don't Look Back (Revell, 2010) by Lynette Eason. It's book two in a series, but I didn't feel like I had to have read the first book in order to understand this one.

Jamie Cash is a forensic anthropologist (meaning she studies bones for clues and reconstructs faces to help identify victims). Twelve years ago, she survived a brutal attack and is working to rebuild her life and ability to trust again. However, her attacker is back and taunting her from afar. Now, she must face her fear to help solve the crimes as she identifies other victims.

In this fast paced novel full of twists, turns, tension, and a touch of romance, Jamie displays a life transformed by the pain she experienced. She finds an inner strength honed through the fire of suffering and is able to offer comfort to other victims and their families.

The title advises not to look back - implying that she shouldn't dwell on the past, but instead move forward. Yet, by looking back, she is able to recall significant clues and gain the strength to face evil once again.

What about you? Have you grown stronger after going through pain? Do you look back at that time or look ahead? Should we do both? Why or why not?