Dogs and More Dogs

Friday night, I decided to volunteer at Rescue Denver for their Rescue Runway event. It was one of the coolest fundraisers I've ever been to. It wasn't ritzy, which I'm not a fan of nor was it lame. Being a dog lover helps at these events (obviously) since the whole point of organizations such as this one is to help pets get adopted in this case dogs.

They were all adorable. I wanted to take every single one of them home. Meet and Greets started out the night where everyone could see the dogs and the VIP could pet and get to know them. Volunteers also got this privilege. There was a kissing booth, which I personally thought was genius! A french bulldog with the cutest ears was in there when I walked up.

To end the night, they had a fashion show. Students from the Art Institute of Denver designed the clothes on the models and dogs. It was a unique idea and the whole night went splendidly. Overall, it was a lot of fun and I'm glad I let my selfishness/generosity win out over whether or not I should volunteer for this organization's event. Meaning, I was homesick for my dog Buddy which is the top reason why I decided to volunteer. The other reason was to help out a worthy organization.

As far as I know, there were two dogs that got adopted that night. One of the people in charge said that many sign the adoption papers later when they are prepared to take the dog home. Such a fun way to spend a Friday night!

  

My Obsession

Those who know me well, understand that I have quite a few obsessions. One of them being -- STAR WARS! The Denver Art Museum has had an exhibit since January called the Power of Costume - featuring Star Wars. It was so neat to read about how they came up with the different pieces of clothing and then why they chose certain materials for each character.

The coolest thing we saw was the cooling system under Chewbacca's costume. That wasn't even made until the prequel. The first three movies (4 - 6) the man wearing it suffered greatly under many pounds of yak hair - that's what they used to make his costume. So cool!

Even though I've seen the Star Wars movies a thousand times, it didn't occur to me that C3PO was a costume. Not sure why. Maybe because I knew that R2D2 wasn't a costume - it was remote controlled. The man wearing that, hated it! It was so unnatural for him and I could see why. In all the movies, he could only move so fast and remember to move like a robot. On top of being out in the desert for a lot of it -- made it worse I'm sure just like the man inside Chewbacca.

Sometimes we watch movies and just don't think about what the actors are going through. I'm guilty of that too. Since volunteering at WIN-TV, I have become more aware of camera angles and room panning -- things like that. The characters though, I don't really think about it nor their clothing/costumes. I can clearly see why Star Wars was and is such a phenomenon. Everyone, from the director to the actors did such a fantastic job making the movies believable.

Sara Covic

Friday night, I went to the Rocky Mountain Deaf School in Denver and met my first Deaf author! I have never been so excited in my life. It's just like meeting someone of color whom I look up to. I still wish I could meet Michelle Kwan or Derrick Coleman, but who knows if I'll ever get that chance. That night, I met someone who inspired me to the core.

Those who know me have seen my passion for writing. It is something I enjoy doing in my free time as well as in the classroom. My mind is always coming up with a new plot. I can never seem to focus on one story -- it's always multiple. I asked Sara two questions, "Why do you like to write?" and "What advice do you have for beginning writers?" I've only been published a handful of times and none of them as awesome as the book she wrote that won many awards titled, "Girl at War." Hearing how she came up with this book, the process and the many hurdles she had to overcome, I became inspired and driven to continue writing no matter what.

Sometimes as a writer we can feel dejected and lonely because it is quite a lonesome career. Sending out your work and getting a thumbs down is not anyone's favorite moment. However, we artists are used to that. We have to push through the thousands of rejections in order to get that one solid YES! Being Deaf is hard enough living and working in the hearing world, but to also have to constantly see the words, "We regret..." at the top of many emails and letters can be overwhelming.

She told me to never stop reading, imagining or writing everything and anything. I hope I stay the course and never let others tell me "I can't."

She ended with, "The world needs your stories, The world needs more Deaf stories." Her words couldn't be closer to the truth. There are so many people in this world both hearing and Deaf that could use our stories. It just might help them find who they are and learn what the Deaf community really is about -- not just the Hollywood version. Writing is a part of me like the skin on my bones. I. Will. Not. Stop.

Prayers Answered

Do you feel like sometimes your prayers are stuck in the clouds? Or maybe they somehow flew over God's head? The last couple months have been draining between work issues, finding a church and meeting potential friends. While I can enjoy time alone, I'm not a fan of spending most of my weekends by myself. We were created to want companionship, hence the reason why God created Eve. A couple weeks ago, things all of sudden seemed to turn around.

Berean Bible Church is a place that is filled with loving people and truth with grace. This past Saturday, I went to Friendsgiving at the pastor's house (women only). It was great getting to know the people whom had introduced themselves to me in church as well as new ones I hadn't officially met yet. They were all so welcoming and wanting to introduce me to people who had the same passions or interests that I do. While there aren't many people my age, I've found the ones that are married and in their 30s to be quite fun to talk with. (Most of people at BBC are married or are grandparents). Without my parents around, it's nice to know individuals who have a desire to be Christlike.

A few weeks ago, I went to a women's potluck and craft night with some Deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing interpreters. I thoroughly enjoyed being able to spend time using ASL, creativity and eating! Three of my favorite things! We made Valentine's Day hearts to put on our doors as you can see below. As some of you can imagine, it's kind of difficult to sign and do a craft at the same time. So only two people actually FINISHED the craft that night. I got mine done the next day and it's now proudly hanging on the apartment door. (The second picture has the felt left over, so if you want to make one, let me know!)

There are days where I'm standing at the bus stop praying, "Lord, I wish I had a car!! I'm freezing!" About a month ago, I met a girl who went to Ithaca College! Then I found out she was there for two of the four years I was there. Then she told me that she's from Massachusetts. She moved to Denver about a year after graduating in 2011. Both of us feel like we've seen each other around since (another fun fact) we both were a part of ALANA, the multicultural organization at IC. If I had a car, I never would have met her! So thank you Lord for not giving me a car!!

Sometimes, it's when we are down on our knees day after day, we realize he has been listening all along. I finally know without a shadow of doubt, Denver where He wants me.

My First Hockey Game!

This past Thursday was a night full of screaming, punching and puck slapping. Yes, I went to a hockey game. Now before your jaw drops and you ask, "Ruth willingly went to a hockey game! WHY?" Let me explain.

Reading Partners received free tickets to a number of games as a present from the people who run the Pepsi Center. They volunteer for us once a year as tutors and this was their gift to us this Christmas. Our whole team could pick from a bunch of games (basketball, hockey and lacrosse) in the next couple months. So, since a college friend of mine tried to get me to see a hockey game senior year but failed (mainly because of lack of funds in our bank accounts at the time), I thought why not see a hockey game at least once in my life plus, not have to pay for it. If I hate it, no harm no foul. So that was my line of thinking.

I invited my one friend, Devyn, to go with me and we had a blast. Though I have to say watching two hockey players get into a fight wasn't exactly a highlight. I kept wondering the whole time why the refs took so long to break it up. They were basically keeping the other players from jumping into it. But according to the guy sitting next to us, it's all a part of the game. The other thing I didn't appreciate was the extremely loud horn that blew when our team, the "Avalanche" scored. If I think something is loud, IT'S LOUD!

Overall, it was a fun night and I'm glad we went. It kind of felt like watching a show on ice some of the time. I still don't understand this sport, but I'm glad Devyn was able to explain some things. (Her brother is a hockey enthusiast).

(btw the tickets we got were worth $110 each).

Denver Glamour

Exhaustion rules my body right now as I'm sitting on the couch writing this post. Whew! Christmas shopping is 3/4 done. YES! I should feel elated but my bones and my muscles are incredibly tired, however, not too tired to write. :D

Going to the Christkindl Market today was on the top of my to-do list this morning. While the items were pricey, it was a neat little village they set up. The idea is that it's a market one would find in Germany this time of year. They celebrate Christmas just like we do with the emphasis on Christ or in their words, the Christ kind. It's a fascinating story, which you can read here.

The market Denver set up downtown was quaint and filled with delicious smells. As soon as I saw it, I was glad I found out about this a month ago. I wish I were rich as most items were above $15 and the one I really wanted was $80. As an AmeriCorps member, that just wasn't going to work. When I am CEO, YES! However, I did get to have a cinnamon German pretzel! So good! Those who know of my addiction to cinnamon are probably laughing. I don't care. I LOVE CINNAMON!

The market is on the corner of the infamous 16th Street Mall and the city outdid themselves decorating as you can see below. I love my new city and I can't wait to continue exploring!

Free? Did you just say free?

Who doesn't get all excited when the word free is spelled out!? This Saturday was what Denver calls, First Saturday, where many museums throughout the city are free to enjoy after 5 pm. My friend Paige and I went and we had a blast. Unfortunately, there were just too many museums to see and both of us had never been to any of them. That night we picked the Art Museum, Denver Museum of Nature and Science as well as the Botanic Gardens. Next time we will try different ones.

I love the fact that we both were so excited to see animals at the Nature and Science Museum. They had a wide variety of exhibits and while some animals were cool, others were rather displeasing to look at. There were rocks/gems, space ships, "real" Mars mud, dinosaurs and at the end of the special exhibit, Extreme Mammals, we took a picture.

Crazy hilarious! Below are some more pictures of our night on the town!