Extreme Community Makeover

Thanks to Confluence Ministries in Denver, our church - Fellowship Denver - was able to work with the neighborhoods along West Colfax to spruce up some yards and alleyways. Let me tell you, it is hard work to clean up an alleyway!

I was lucky enough to be a part of a great group of people - Emily, Hunter, Jonathan, Mark, Tom, another Jonathan, Patrick, and then many more were part of the Alley Clean Up Crew - you all ROCK! I was really grateful to spend time with H; he leads our worship most Sundays and it was great to get to know him as a person. I am very blessed to have found a church that focuses on our relationship with Jesus and then our role in our community. As I meet more people and learn more about the church, I am excited to build relationships within the community and grow as a Christian with this awesome body of believers!!

Belle was the star of the day - almost 90 years old (this September). We cleaned up her yard, gutters and painted her railings on her porch. I enjoyed being on the roof of the house, cleaning gutters and cleaning out overgrown branches. All the work my Mom had me doing in her gardens prepared me to clean out Belle's rose gardens. She has great rose bushes but they were definitely in need of some care. She was such a sweet old lady; all her family is coming in this September to celebrate her birthday. She was so adorable, hanging out with us outside and making cute jokes. 90 and still a firecracker.

Fellowship Denver definitely is starting to grow on me...

p.s. I got a tattoo...

leading wherever you choose....

As I prepare for my summer trip, I am thinking about all the wonderful pieces of Denver that I will miss this summer. Weird, I usually love to leave the city for vacations. But I never want to leave Denver. There are always 10 things to do in a day.

Nevertheless, I am STOKED for this trip. I studied abroad in Santiago in 2005. Ever since I left, I have wanted to return. Luckily, my friend Liza mentioned a South American adventure and that was all I needed. She barely finished her thought and I was on board for 35 days of traveling through 3 (maybe 4) countries this July.

Why do I love the memory of South America so much?

I learned patience and I learned humility from the people of Santiago. I also saw the value of family life and taking care of each other with no questions asked. My host family took me in and I was instantly a daughter, sister, cousin and niece.

There was no clock in our house and I distinctly remember Day 1 and freaking out because I didn't know the time. By the time I left Chile (no pun intended :) I was living on South American time. No time. Take the moment and live in it and allow life to move you like waves move in the ocean. I still don't wear a watch. My sister is the planner and she is punctual and likes to plan based on time. I think she gets frustrated with me because I don't see time like she does. love you Ash

One more thing. The Andes mountains remind me of how small I am in this world. Sure, the Rockies are big. But the Andes engulf you and protect you. They stand majestically like the guards at Buckingham Palace - fierce and picture-perfect.

Look for photo uploads and stories of bus trips, great eats and new friends.

weekend adventures

it is only fair to say that Denver is the best city I've lived in. Thus far. There might be a city sometime in the future that aligns just as well with my lifestyle, but for this moment, Denver hits any criteria I would consider important.

Ashley is in town this weekend - still here, as I sit at school administering final exams - and we hit this city up for everything it's worth.

Friday was First Friday, where art galleries open their doors and their hearts to the public for free, usually with some bubbly at a small table in the back. Ashley and I checked out some great artists. One of them really caught my eye. John Fielder is a photographer here in Colorado. His prints make me feel like I am standing in the midst of the snow, on top of the mountain or right next to the aspens. I can feel the fresh mountain air. Now if I only had an extra $4,000 to buy and mount a gorgeous photo in my rental house.

We also discovered Tribe Tattoo. More on that topic later...

We went to the People's Fair in downtown Denver where artists from all over Colorado and a few out-of-towners set up shop and sell their goodies. Ashley was amazed at the number of people in tattoos and the quantity of pet dogs accompanying their owners. If you want to live in Denver, you've got to ride a bike or own a dog. Or both. I've got the single speed/fixie for now. If you need a dog-sitter, I'll gladly offer my services.

We went to Lola where my lovely friend Charles is the sous chef and man, he can COOK. I love Lola for so many reasons: the downtown view of Denver, the bar is gorgeous, the open kitchen and the tequila. Oh, the tequila is marvelous. Such a good pairing with my flavorful ceviche and seared tuna. Head to the Highlands if you are in Denver and want to experience the BEST restaurant in this town!

We hiked the Flat Irons on Sunday. Check out the webcam! In true Colorado summer fashion, there were drops of sparkling rain along there was only 1 lonely grey cloud amongst the crystal blue sky. The Flatirons were stunning and the hike was a breath of fresh air.

To finalize the weekend, we started summer with Jazz in the Park. In City Park there is free jazz each Sunday from 6-8pm. If you are a Denver resident and haven't gone, get over there on Sundays! We made red and white sangria and had people over from Fellowship and other friends. I made some great new friends this weekend. Gotta love Denver and its amazing people. I am so blessed to be around great people. We had quite a good time; the sangria bowls were pretty much licked clean.

Summer - how I love thee :)

MIchigan Adventures

Memorial Day weekend has its significance but this year was more powerful than any other year. My Grandpa Karnowski passed away this year and he was a humble, quiet man who was devoted to his family and his very close friends. He was still serving a major role in an organization until the day he died. He was a war vet - WWII Navy - and this year the Memorial Day festivities celebrated his service. There were 5 families that were honored at this year's Memorial Day service and 2 of them were family friends of my dad growing up. The fighter jets flew over our memorial just as my own Grandma was receiving a plaque honoring her soldier.

We also celebrated the wedding of our close family friend - a cousin without sharing DNA - you know who those people are - and it was 90 degrees at an outdoor wedding. It was GORGEOUS! Morgan and Pat were both radiant and looked so happy together. What a great wedding!

In one weekend, we celebrated with newlyweds and also celebrated the honor and service of my late grandpa.

Family is everything :)