Community Group

One of the things I appreciate most about Denver has been my involvement in my community group through City Pres Church this year. Our community group is 12-14 individuals who meet together weekly for Bible study and prayer, and once a month just get together for a "social" to eat and chat and hang out, getting to know one another better. The neat thing is that our groups are not formed based on age, demographic, or common interest, but rather on neighborhood. This is a loose association, since when people move they often stay in the same group (once you've gotten to know people for a year or two, you don't want to leave them!) but basically it is people who all live near each other. My group, for example, has a 23-year-old recently married couple, a couple with 2 kids, and a single guy in his upper 50's (or so... i've never asked). And all sorts in between, both single and married. This, I feel, gives me a sense of true community. I'm not just talking to these people because we are at the same place in life or because we have so much in common, but because we are brothers and sisters in Christ we work together, from our different backgrounds, Biblical knowledge levels, and current life situations to learn and grow together. We pray and we care for each other, and it ends up being not because we have to, but because we want to.

A few weeks ago my friend Katie Sytsema visited on one of our social nights. I had described the variety of the group to her, and she went expecting a bit of awkwardness, since we didn't come together because of commonalities we have. Her overwhelming impression was one of love and acceptance. Though we are not the same, we realize we all come together in the end for the same goal: to be in community with fellow Christians in a city where those can be hard to find sometimes :) No matter where life brings me, I will always have fond memories in my heart of the people I have gotten to know this past year in community group.

I was excited to fill this out...

Yup, I'm that much of a geek :)



but it's like becoming a part of history, right?

And I thought the Midwest had crazy weather

Yesterday, 60 degrees and sunny (i wore my chacos):


Today, 28 degrees and snowing heavily:


(this is a building across the street from my house - i wanted to compare views of the capitol, which is only 4 blocks from my house, but it's snowing so hard you can't see it today)

Carmen's Cafe

I discovered a new coffee shop yesterday, literally across the street from my apartment building. It has a fabulous front porch, perfect for soaking up the 60 degrees and sunshine we've been enjoying the past two days (i'm not yet able to believe that snow is in the forecast for tonight...) They've been open for two months I guess, and just introduced food to their menu yesterday. I chatted with the building owner today - there's talk of introducing a farmer's market and a concert series in the parking lot, and a BYOB club so they don't have to get a liquor license. They've already invested in a bocce ball set for enjoyment on the front lawn. I think I'm gonna like this place :) There's even a pot dispensary in the basement - tee hee :) just kidding mom and dad! (not about the marijuana, just about my enjoyment of it) The mansion (yes, mansion) it's located in is ENORMOUS and BEAUTIFUL. and yes, it does deserve all caps. It was built in 1887, and they just don't make houses like that anymore. it's almost too bad it's an office building now. It would be such an amazing place to live, if I could ever afford a place like that! I took pics:

The outside of the mansion -

Enjoying spring weather -

Step by Step

As one who now lives life without a car, I have discovered my preferred mode of transportation, particularly in the winter, is my feet. Don't get me wrong, the bus is fantastic. Staying warm for long distances and getting to read a good book while I travel? Yes please. And I still love my bicycle. I love the option to go faster and travel light. But when I climb a hill on foot, I don't get out of breath. And I do live at the top of Capitol Hill (my neighborhood gets it name for a reason!) When I walk, the cold wind does not whip at my face and my ears with bitter force, screaming at me to "be a normal person and get a car!" And when I carry my groceries by foot I do not fear the bags getting caught in the wheel spokes and turning me over into the path of a coming vehicle :)

Now walking everywhere is not always the most ideal form of transportation. Some places are just too far. Sometimes I just don't have time. Sometimes I need to purchase more than I can carry. And sometimes it's still just too cold outside. Walking takes effort and prior planning. I can't "quick run" to the store to pick up something I forgot, unless I'm willing to go to Tony's Market and pay a little more than I would at King Soopers. I am appreciative of my friends with cars who help me out when I need it, and appreciative of eGo CarShare, my "peace of mind" for when I just need to get somewhere with a car.

But some days, walking gives me the greatest joy. I notice the berries on the bush and the detail on the old historic building. I get to enjoy the early morning sunshine on my way to church. I feel fresh and alive rather than stuck in a steel trap rolling down the road, able to ignore the beauty and humanity that abounds on the sidewalks of town. And I never have to worry about downtown parking!

And sometimes, when I walk I take a new path and find neat gems, like this-

my newest time waster

www.mylifeisaverage.com

So funny. Love it.


Check it out.

Once every 6 months?

Well folks, life stays steady in Denver. Job is going well. A lot of new employees at the hotel, which makes things interesting...I've been getting involved in some of the training and taking more of a leadership role, since having been there for a year I have gained quite a bit of seniority!

Life has been teaching me a lot about relationships through the past year in Denver. Without the school relationships to build friendships from, I've been learning the value of making the most of small conversations, and planning coffee dates! I think I took all the "hanging out" time in college for granted. I am so grateful to have a church community to be connected with and to find friends through. I just can't imagine myself finding lasting friendships through the bar scene! I still have a lot to learn about what it means to build a true community, but we take baby steps, and that is how we learn. My current goals are to get beneath the surface level in every conversation by truly listening and asking relevant questions. I knew some friends at Calvin who were fabulous at that... I want to learn from their example!

I'm going to visit friends and family in the Midwest next weekend. Stoked to finally meet my brother's girlfriend! And to see my cousin in his high school production of Beauty and the Beast :)

I don't come on here very often anymore, but i got a new camera, and took lots of pictures the past few days :) a few of my favs:

State Capitol-
My favorite place, the Denver Public Library -



Me, the photog -


P.S. I'm gonna try to get back into this... let's see what happens...