Good, good, good or good?

Good is life & life is good.
I know - it doesn't make any sense and I'm not sure that I would be pleased if it did.

Did you know: there are 45 definitions for the word GOOD in the dictionary. How is that possible you say. I myself am not quite sure. Could you imagine understanding the difference and applying that to the word every time you used it?

I can't.

In the past two weeks, I have seen 3 different movies in the theaters. Marley & Me, New In Town & InkHeart. They have all had good parts in them. And I don't feel bad about seeing them since, after adding the three prices up, I've only spent $11. CRAZY, yes? Yes, considering that I spent $10 on one of them alone, and a mere $ .50 on each of the other two. Oh, and before that, I saw a movie in February: Paul Blart: Mall Cop. I'm not even ashamed to say that I liked it a little bit...

I enjoy $ .50 movies! I don't even mind the fact that they are a little bit older.

Growing up, we rarely went to see movies in the theater.

We waited until they came out on DVD so we could rent them.

I like seeing movies in theater.

I also like writing in small type.

Life is treating me well right now. There are definitely times when I like to complain - mostly about the lack of car, but honestly I've got it good here.

Not gonna lie.

Last night was one of my most eventful nights since I've been here.

And by eventful I mean where I've done the most different things

and that I've stayed up the latest.

I went with Ashley & Candace to what I like to refer to as SAG

Single's Awareness Group.

Which it wasn't by any means.
Well, I guess that it did kind of make me aware that I am single,

but not in a depressing kind of way.

This was actually a young adult night put on by the worship pastor of Providence

Who also happens to be from Michigan.

We had a good chat about that.

and Minnesotan accents, don't-cha-know.

After that, I left rather hurriedly because we

[Pearson, Crystal, Isaiah, Isaiah's friend, myself and SeaBrooke]

were going to go to Red Rocks and hang out a lil.

SeaBrooke & Isaiah both drove and we wound up racing.

SeaBrooke, Crystal & I won, of course.

I would never ride in a losing car.

And I made a new friend in SeaBrooke

I enjoy new friends!

So much!

Well Red Rocks was FREEZING! but it was lots of fun.

Pearson brought her guitar and Isaiah's friend, Will, played it for us a bit.

He's good at guitar which was nice.

Singing in the Ampitheater was fantastic!

The sound was amazing.

As was the view of the city of Denver from there.

Which I wish I would have gotten a picture of. :[

After we left Red Rocks, we raced to The Shoppe -

a sweet Cereal Bar/Cupcake Shoppe.

It's greatness in the making, of that I am sure :D

We were there until closing - which is 2 am!

I am going out on a limb to say that this was the longest I have stayed up since I've been in Denver.

It's kind of AMAZING mixed with SAD and DISAPPOINTING.

I have been through all of those little emotions.

But you do what you can, I reckon.

So, yes. That was my night.

It was good [advantageous; satisfactory for the purpose]

Life is still beautiful...

...even when we mistake it for being ugly and nasty.

I think there is something about looking past what seems to be to strive for a glimpse of what is really just hidden most of the time.

I was riding the bus home on Wednesday [I had to work the midday shift, instead of the regular late afternoon shift] and I was reminded of how good people still are. We had rounded the corner and as we were doing so and heading to the next stop, people in the triangle were making oversized give-me-your-attention motions. They were letting the bus driver know that the man wheeling across the way in his wheelchair (wc) was headed to our stop to get on.

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure that a man wheeling a wc is fast, but not super fast. So, I looked over out the window and I see a younger homeless man jogging the guy in the wc to the bus stop. It was such an honestly nice gesture it brought a huge smile to my face!

The man was a really haggard looking fellow, old and a bit decrepid [it's the truth!] with this big white beard. He boarded the bus and flirted with the bus driver a little bit, who flirted right back, might I add ;) This man had the greatest spirit - he was just talking to all sorts of people on the bus and waving at a baby who was smiling and cooing right back at him. :o) I was very much surprised to see how loving and gentle this man was.

After he had gotten on, we made a little bit of small talk. He asked
me something but I didn't hear him so I say, "yeah" like in a questioning sort
of way.

He reiterated what he said and I actually heard him this time,
"Can I have a kiss?"
I kind of chuckled and shook my head while saying,
"No"
"I thought that was too easy," he replied.

It was one of the cutest things ever, I think. Soon after this, he got off to transfer to a different line to get to the airport. I do not know if this man was homeless or not. I wish that I would have asked him more questions and talked with him some more. He had on Western Michigan gloves and I really just wish I would have asked him about it. Maybe he was from Michigan and then we could have had a common bond - we do live in an all too entirely connected world :)

I keep hoping that one day I'll get to see him again, but I've never seen him before and I think it's not all too entirely possible, but God is good and it could happen.

I find that I see a lot of beauty on the bus. Granted, there is a lot of vulgarity too, but I am a firm believer that beauty, grace and goodness can outweigh any of the dirty and nasty things that life can sometimes throw at us. There are always way that people surprise me on the bus: the way they get up to let someone else sit in their seat; people who help secure the strollers that might come on the bus; the list really is endless. It just seems that every time I ride the bus, though it hasn't been much, I catch myself smiling a little bigger and feeling my heart expand a little f u r t h e r.

How is it that we serve such a GREAT God?

Recently I went to an all-staff meeting with DRM & they presented a chapter of a book entitled How to Keep it Once You've Got It; at least that was the name of the chapter. Basically it was saying that we need to ask God to do three (3) things with us every day when we wake up.

Stretch Me

• do the impossible - ask God to stretch me in new & humbling ways
• allow me to serve God to glorify Him
• [GLORIFICATION]

Ruin Me

• Break my heart
• God messed me up - he consumed me
• Get rid of the emotional shell - it's risky but worth it
• Feed the hurt - let it grow; God will provide for us
• [VULNERABILITY]

Heal Me

• Ask God to take me and make me new
• Learn to relax
• Stop giving into pleasure - even pleasing people
• [PLEASE GOD]

They went further and applied this to the the meaning of what we do at Denver Rescue Mission. Who we are and why we're here

:: We are an ambassador for Jesus Christ and a servant to the poor
:: Changing lives in the name of Christ
:: Meeting people at their spiritual & physical point of need
:: For those who are willing, we offer practical programs to provide productive & self-sufficient citizenship

6 goals:

.intentional outcome
.opportunity to know who God is and how He operates
.skills to live in community
.justice for all - same rules & policies for everyone
.good learning environment
&
.clear expectations

Proverbs 3:7, :13-14 & :27 (italics World English Bible, WEB, version) [Bible in Basic English, BBE, version]

x. 7 Don't be wise in your own eyes [Put no high value on your wisdom:]. Fear Yahweh [let the fear of the Lord be before you], and depart from evil [and keep yourself from evil].

x. 13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom [Happy is the man who makes discovery of wisdom], the man who gets understanding [and he who gets knowledge]. 14 For her good profit is better than getting silver [For trading in it is better than trading in silver], and her return is better than fine gold [and it's profit greater than bright gold].

x. Don't withold good from those to whom it is due [Do not keep back good from those who have a right to it], when it is in the power of your hand to do it [when it is in the power of your hand to do it].

God has called us to be faithful to Him!

A few hours at the zoo!

The penguins were perhaps my most favorite animals...

There were so many of them and they were just so cute.

We didn't get to see them swim, though and that was

a scotch disappointing!

We tried to get them to swim, though!;

To no avail...

Contrary to popular belief,

the humps in camels do not contain water

only fat to help them survive when they can't find food...

Lions, lions everywhere!

Well, maybe not so much.

I love the Rhino!

I nicknamed him Rippy the Rhino

- he was a grand fellow :)

Sea Lions @ the zoo.

They are so much fun & are busy little guys!

I like this picture of the girls :)

They were so into watching the elephants

It was cutesey!

There were 2 sloths in with the birds!

I thought it was pretty cool.

The elephants were covering themselves with dust - and I took a video of it. It's amazing how they maneuver, ps!

It was free day at the zoo on Tuesday and we take every free day we can get! It was good, it was a little on the packed side, but good nonetheless :) It was nice and sunny& I even got a titch of sunburn :D ALWAYS a good thing ;)

And the census states...

I was at Wells Fargo cashing my payroll check (thankfully, because I didn't have any cash for the bus ride back) and my teller looked at my drivers license and said, "Yay for Michigan."

This led me to believe that she was indeed from Michigan,

which turned out to be way right :)

I asked her where she was from and she said Kalamazoo

and I told her that I was from South Haven.

She also went on to say that went to South Haven

every summer

[go figure].

I asked her if how long she had been

here in Denver and whether she liked it.

She has been here for just over

4 months & said that it was

nice but people were different here.

And I knew

EXACTLY

what she meant!

We came to the conclusion that:::

...that it is the altitude that does things to these silly Colarodians [colla-rod-e-ens]. I would bet that nearly everytime I smile at a random stranger on the sidewalk, on the bus, or anywhere else for that matter [with the exception of Wal*Mart strangely enough] people either don't smile back, don't acknowledge my existence or look at me like I grew two separate heads. I don't really understand.


It's funny to be able to have this kind of conversation at a bank telller window. There was more, like how she had lived in ATL for the past 7 years for school and stuff. It's amazing the things you can learn when you talk to people :] What if everyone talked this much? Sheesh!

Grape vines && Bulletin Boards

This week has been interesting. We didn't have any school here on Monday because of President's Day so that was nice having a day off yet still being able to count it. My first week I worked 34 hours. The second: 39. This week I will have worked over 40 hours so I will have some time off in the next couple of weeks. It's crazy that I am already three weeks into this. It's good though. I am learning so much and really enjoying all of the time I am spending here.

Life at the crossing has been good, too. The only thing that has been kind of weird has been the fact that I haven't really gotten out and about much. The bus is kind of expensive - $2 one way and that doesn't include long transfers. But, there is not much I can do about it, so I just suck it up and deal. There is a walmart down the road so I walk to it at least once a week. It's good exercise and it's not a bad walk either. I would like to get out and explore downtown a little more, but I really just wish I had a car. I know that it would make everything SO much easier and allow me to be more mobile. I guess that one cannot look a gift horse in the mouth - I think that's what they say. ;)

But truly, that would be my biggest complaint being here right now is not going out so much. It might sound silly but I promise this is NOT something to be taken lightly. Haha; being an extrovert I need to get out and be around people and be able to LAUGH and have FUN. And for the most part, if I am at the crossing, I am either eating with the other interns or being a bum in my room watching cable tv or something silly like that.

I have been printing off biology stuff lately to start studying with. It's a very good thing - I am going to be taking the test sometime while I am here so studying now is key. I also found an online english class that work with the arbor and will transfer in time for me to for sure graduate on time! YAY!!

Well, I need to post on blackboard and get ready for the kiddies to come in, so it's goodbye time for me for now


Blessings

That's me, that's me... picture post!

Tomorrow will be my 2 full week being here, is that exiting or what?! I think so :D

Since Sunday I haven't really done much in the way of getting out and about. with the exception of going to the Children's Museum! It was so much fun and the kids REALLY enjoyed it!

Zach with the stuffed toy

that almost looks real!

It's like he's never

Seen a dog in his life;

the look on his face!

Zach the fireman!

At the Museum, the kids have all sorts of opportunities to dress up as different professions. They even had a working firetruck with lights and everything

Zach the choo-choo man & Bella the choo-choo fella ;)

Amy & eye

At the Children's museum to celebrate Valentines Day, they had a craft area where the kids could make all sorts of animals using hearts. This was T'sheila's [pronounced Chay-luh] lobster :)

These were some of the animals the kids could choose from::





This was part of the playhouse area. There is a huge ant hill that the kids can climb down in and crawl around then get out from one of the various exits. So fun! They also had all sorts of animal costumes for kids to wear. This is Zach the squirrel




A rare shot of all three of these rambunctious kids together! I love these three, they are so fun to be around :D

Always the exciting time! It was a great day for all of us!

The day that never ends!

Today was a very good daaayyyyy!

Ashley didn't need me to pick her up, instead she got a ride to the Crossing from her pastor from the prayer meeting. I was still up early, though. Then I went back to bed for a few hours :) It was good. I felt like I was back in exam mode, not getting a lot of sleep. I kind of miss it, but it's nice to be on a schedule now!

I went with three of the other interns to breakfast this morning at ihop, which happens to be just down the road. It was delicious food, but there was so much! There was a guy there making balloon animals. I don't know that this is a regular occurance but it was kind of fun to watch. The guy making them was a little creepy looking, and I know that it's mean to judge someone that way, but I still thought it. :-/

After the delicious food, we went back to the crossing and Candace & I put on our fake nails that we bought :) It was fun to be silly and girly for a little bit. I have decided that I do like wearing fake nails, but my fingers don't really like to wear them. It is also hard to do things with them on, like pulling up ones pants. I don't know, maybe it's just me malfunctioning. It's very plausible.

I got to go to the art museum today! A few of us interns went, we're becoming a fun little group sometimes. Sometimes they are not so fun and cause me to become bored. I need to be out doing things, and a lot of the time, I don't get to go out and be stimulated and then I get kind of cranky & restless.

The art museum was really good, I enjoyed it, the only bad part was my decision to wear heels there. Haha, but I will use any situation that lets me wear heels and run with it; figuratively of course :D I enjoy museums, but I like to go my own pace and look at things I want to look at. I don't like to wander around with big groups, I prefer to take it in and process it on my own. There were a lot of interesting pieces there. The one that struck me the most was a feminist piece, though it wasn't for the feminism side to it. It was a really amazing piece.

Isn't it interesting & fascinating? I am sure you can figure out what it is a representation of, but what I didn't know -and perhaps I'm the only one who didn't- that women who either didn't have money to do it, or where it was illegial, would perform their own aboriton. I cannot even fathom that!

There were also other good exhibits. Another one I liked had photos that were candidly real. It was pretty cool to see life as it is and not how peopel want to necessairly portray it, if that makes sense.

One other thing of importance that I did today was eat dinner. Amy, my super, invited a few of us over to her house to eat dinner. She made us beef fajitas and they were delicious! Mmmmmm. It was a good night. After eating dinner we watched 3:10 to Yuma, the new one with Christian Bale in it. I like that movie alot and makes me thing that a movie doesn't have to have a happy ending to make it a good movie.

The entirety of the day was spent with good people, good times & fun moments!