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!

Oktoberfest

CAD, Colorado Association of the Deaf, had a fundraiser Saturday that was off the hook. I haven't had that much fun in so long. I'm really glad I went. Marilyn, thank goodness, came too. She hosts the ASL Chat I've been going to. At first I thought I'd be going alone which wasn't thrilling to me but I didn't want to miss this. I have no idea how many deaf events happen in Denver.

Everything that is usually at Oktoberfests around the country ware there as well as a Deaf DJ, Nico DiMarco, and going with the theme, they had brats for dinner. They were actually very good, topped with sauerkraut. They also handed out some swag!!! Towards the end of the night we had a raffle! :D I've always loved raffles, I never win anything....actually I did once back in college. This time, no surprise, didn't win anything. The only thing I really wanted anyway was the Bluetooth speaker/cooler. Oh well. My former bosses from Aspen Camp were there and met some new people.  Overall, it was well worth supporting this great non-profit while having a blast.

Those of you who know these dances/songs: the Wobble, Electric Slide, Single Ladies, Y.M.C.A., This is How We Do It and so many others were played,danced to and translated in ASL by interpreters. It was an awesome time for hearing and deaf to come together and just let loose.

I can't wait till the next deaf event!!

Fall for Denver

Today was a gorgeous day. Even though, I didn't do what I really wanted to do today, I tried to make the most of it. Below are some pictures I took. People have told me that the East has more vibrant colors as well as variety during Fall. Whatever the differences, I still love the beauty He has chosen to bless us with each year. No wonder my Uncle Bill wanted us to send him leaves after he moved to San Francisco!

I love my neighborhood so much. I hope to stay around Wash Park; it has the best of everything! Falling for Denver, yes I am!

Mind....Blown

OMYGOODNESS! Some good times up here in Denver. I'm so glad I didn't give up on my job search in this city. I had thought about going back to CT (but seriously didn't want to) or trying a new city like Portland. My cousins want me to move to SF, but I don't know....I already know how expensive it is to live there.

A couple weeks ago, I went to my first Rockies game where while I was looking for my friend Kristin, a woman asked me if I needed tickets. Mind you, she wasn't one of those guys with pants halfway down their butts selling tickets for half price or anything else for that matter outside the stadium. I had never been to this part of Denver let alone to the baseball stadium here. She looked nice enough so I answered, "No, I'm looking for my friend." She then proceeded to tell me that some friends of hers never showed up and that she has some tickets. I looked up at her unsure if there was an ulterior motive at play. I asked her, "You don't need them?" She told me that she didn't want them to go to waste and if I could use them, she'd give them to me. I asked incredulously, "You sure?!" "Yea, take them." She hands me two tickets. Stunned, I said thanks and watched her walk away. When I met up with Kristin finally, I looked down at the tickets she gave me. They were season tickets. Neither one of us could believe it!

The game itself, we didn't see much of. However, we got to meet quite a few people, which was pretty much the point. Both of us are new to Denver so having a friend in the same boat is AWESOME! I'm so glad I met her and can go to events without having to psych myself up every time. Meeting people has always been a tough thing for me, but I've gradually gotten used to it and since in the end I want friends, real ones, I have to put myself out there.

This past Thursday was the weekly ASL chat I've been going to for the last few weeks. This time a girl who was blind came along with her two not-blind friends. She showed us how to write in braille. My jaw dropped. She told us she's still learning the language, but she can sign really well. She could see a few feet in front of her, but not too far. I had to keep reminding myself to lean forward. I wish I had gotten the chance to tell her about contact sign. She doesn't seem to know about that yet. I honestly have never had an in-depth conversation with someone who was blind before. At first, I had no idea how she was going to communicate since this was an ASL chat meaning no voice allowed; it wasn't until she mentioned how far she could see, I understood what i needed to do so that she could follow the conversation. I wonder if that's how people feel talking to me.

I thoroughly enjoy meeting new people. I look forward to seeing who else God brings into my life. While there are times where I'm like WHY GOD WHY!? Like when I miss the same bus twice or dealing with the aftermath of my car accident....still and the incompetent people working for the judicial system. However, I try to remember to thank Him for keeping me alive and the people in my life who make me smile.

Loving Denver Every Minute

Today was extremely eventful for I went to Master's Hands Bible Church this morning, which I've been trying to visit since I moved here. Met Pr. Otto whom some missionaries from Church of the Bible, where I grew up, met my parents who knew of this church. I feel like my life is the way it is because someone became friends with someone else. I wouldn't have been able to stay at the Wulf's house last year if they hadn't moved to CT years ago and befriended my mom. I wouldn't have known about Master's Hands if those missionaries didn't know my parents.

The church was nice, small, but it was great to meet some Deaf people. Everyone was over 50 which seems to be typical of good bible churches here. In Ithaca, I had no worries because it's a college-town. Here is a different story. My new friend from a Christian group I joined last week, Kristin, gave me a few names of churches to try. I don't want a mega-church because I feel lost in the sea of people quite easily and the sense of community isn't really there. Also, many (not all) mega-churches teach watered down Christianity; I just have to be careful.

This afternoon after a 20 minute change of clothes and eat lunch, I hoped on a bus to Coors Field where the Rockies baseball team was playing. Their field is HUGE! I don't think I've been in that big of a stadium before. The closest experience was when going to a Josh Groban concert in Boston. Kristin and I had such a hard time finding the group, the Christian Professionals/Social Denver Christians. It must have been a good half hour of searching before we found them. Part of the issue was that we didn't know them. We had met the leader of the Social Denver Christians last week and some other people, but they didn't come to the game. It was mostly the people from the Christian Professionals group. Regardless, it was a lot of fun getting to know more people and making new friends. Didn't watch a whole lot of the game, but the idea was to have fun and that's what I did! Overall, a great ending to the weekend!

To be honest, there is one flaw to Denver -- actually all cities -- which is the amount of times I have to walk by and hold my breath due to the smoke coming from white or brown cylinder items between their fingers. I get dizzy when I inhale second-hand smoke. Other than that, Denver is awesome! Come visit!