June 1st 2015 is when I'm moving almost across the entire United States to my new home. For the first few months, I will be living at the Aspen Camp of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing then afterwards exploring the rest of Colorado! This is a blog about my adventures.
This past week has been so much fun and I was able to knock some things off my Denver bucket list! It was really great to show my mom my new home and introduce her to those who have made an impact on my life. For me, since leaving my hometown I've grown closer to her. Growing up was hard and I felt like she and I never seemed to mesh well. I'm happy that we have gotten to the place where we are sad to see each other go when it's time to leave.
The aquarium was probably the highlight since I love animals! There was a shark tank which was a little unnerving..... However, the Parade of Lights was definitely a great time. The chill in the air was there but it was bearable. We enjoyed seeing all the neat floats and the high school/college bands dressed up in lights. The flutes in one of the bands all had candy canes for mouthpieces. SO COOL!
Even though I am not able to go home (again) for Thanksgiving or Christmas, I'm glad she was able to come out and have fun with me! It's during the holidays where I wish I didn't live so far on top of working in fast-food. Hopefully, I won't have to ever again after this. I miss home.
This year since I am working a part-time job in fast-food....again. Sigh. It was hard to figure out what/when/if I should do something this Halloween. A friend was having a party the Saturday before Halloween, but it was in Morrison which is a good half an hour south of me. I also had to work until 9 that Saturday.
Both my roommate and I wanted to dress up and go out but we didn't really know where to go until I looked up some events going on downtown that night. So, Friday night we decided to hit up a party hosted by Aimm a new dating app that is supposed to be launched soon. (I'm not into dating apps). So I came home that night and got dressed in my Effie Trinket outfit which was pretty good if I don't say so myself. Katie did help me with it -- not going to lie.
Katie dressed up as a mermaid and we went out and stormed the town. It was great though the party was a bit lame. It seemed like it was mostly employees and their friends even though it was posted on Facebook. Oh well. We met some interesting people and the costumes people came up with was awesome! We then headed to Viewhouse since they were having 6 days of Halloween and each night was a different theme. However, when we arrived there was a line at least 40 deep. There was no way we were going to hang around for who knows how long to get in. So we wandered the crowded, crazy streets of downtown Denver and wound up at an arcade bar type venue. I had no idea that Katie was into video games. We played Mario Kart for at least half an hour and she won every. single. time. I think the last time I played a video game was in high school and that was a racing game on our PS2 we had at home. Regardless, she had a great time!
We ran into these fine folks! One of these years, I want to be a part of a themed Halloween group. So awesome! Overall, it was a great night and I'm glad we decided to hit it up!
The month of September was a rough one for me so I won't spend much time discussing it.
My birthday was a ton of fun and I'm glad I threw a Bring Your Own Salsa party the following Saturday. My amazing friends showed up and my roommate was kind enough to light my candle for me on the cake. (My mom mailed me my cake again this year! So pumped!)
I had so much salsa leftover afterward though.....can't complain since it's a staple in my apartment for both Katie and me!
DNL stands for Denver Deaf Night Life. I've been going to their events once a month for the past three months and I have loved every single one. Each time, I meet new friends and have the chance to use my second language - the one I love best.
I think about these individuals and I smile. I never had this growing up. Having people understand me, truly understand. Growing up, I was surrounded by hearing people. Here, I'm surrounded by people like me. I love it! I look forward to each event and talking to my new friends. This is home.
While ASL is my second language, I'm excited to get better at it and eventually leave English behind. I'm so glad that I found this language and culture. It's been a blessing to me in so many ways. I never knew such happiness and acceptance existed.
Just walking into DNL this past weekend, many greeted me with hugs and were super excited to see me. There weren't many times I genuinely felt missed or appreciated in the hearing world. I do love the hearing friends that I have met over the years and I'm eternally grateful for the ones I met in elementary school. They carried me through some of the most difficult times.
I'm so glad DNL exists and I'm thrilled that Deaf Culture exists!
Side note: It snowed today. I'm not so thrilled about that....
There are so many events during the summer months in Denver that I absolutely love! It's like NYC, you can't just spend one year in Denver to experience it all. You have to stick around and explore! That is what I intend to do after my AmeriCorps service year is over. I still can't believe I have less than two weeks left. The time really did fly by.
Faith Day is such a day that I will look forward to every year. Who came up with it, I have no idea, but I was super pumped about going when I bought the tickets. Basically, the baseball team, the Rockies, had a game Sunday afternoon followed by a short worship set brought to us by the NEWSBOYS! I love this group and I hope they continue to make life changing and uplifting music.
I invited one of my best friends, Melody, and we had a blast. Though the sky decided to pour its contents onto us in the middle of the concert. BLAH! So we all had to dash for cover. The rain was so cold!! Melody had her daughter with her, Autumn, who had fallen asleep. I wish all kids could sleep through loud music. With everyone trying to seek shelter from the rain, Melody had a hard time getting the stroller up the stairs. Thank goodness they made it ok.
Between the game and listening to the Newsboys, it was a full day. Afterward, we went to Chipotle! Autumn decided it would be fun to run from us every five minutes. Kids. We both wound up chasing her. She's a funny kid. I've always enjoyed playing with her.
A great ending to a weekend. One of the things I love about Colorado rain is that it never lasts long. New England rain.....don't get me started.
So last weekend, on the 24th, I went to the TACO FESTIVAL! OMYGOODNESS! I WAS IN HEAVEN - SERIOUSLY!
When I walked in, I saw so many taco trucks (at least 30) all over. Every single type of taco imaginable. If you're a vegetarian, you can find something to eat for sure. If you are a meat lover, you fall in love all over again.
They also had a chihuahua races to raise money for a nonprofit that helps take care of them. I had no idea so many people didn't realize that these are animals and therefore need to be TAKEN CARE OF. That is the reason why there are charities and nonprofits specifically for Chihuahuas. SMH Apparently, when it became the "it" thing to own this type of dog, many people didn't take care of them but instead treated them as stuffed animals or accessories. So sad the world we live in.
On the bright side, the races were pretty cool, from what I could see anyway. The track was at hip level, so the only people who had a good view were those who got to the area half an hour before the races started. The crowd was huge!
At the festival, there was also music and a pool with these plastic balls you could roll around it (I have no idea what they are called). It looks like fun.
In terms of food, I had four tacos, a Faco and a caramel churro. As you can imagine, I was FULL by the time I left. Good thing, they only accept cash and that I'm a poor AmeriCorps member cause I probably would have tried to eat more. Now, you're probably wondering what in the world is a Faco.
Here it is, a Faco. Basically, a funnel cake taco! It's that the most awesome thing you've ever seen?? Say, Yes. It was so good. I'm so glad I waited in line for that. I spent hours walking around looking at menus trying to decide what I wanted and what was worth the wait. Next year, I will go to different take trucks and try theirs. There were just too many to try.
Overall, it was one of the best days of my life. Hands down. Anyone who knows me is probably cracking up right now. I can't wait till next year!!!
There was also a wrestling match.....Libre Wrestling....not my cup of tea.
