Snow Days

It's been Michigan weather here lately, cold and even some snowy days. It's interesting how much the snow doesn't bother me as much because I know it won't last for very long. When it snows here, people react much differently then people in Michigan. Anything under 6 inches doesn't hardly even faze us in Michigan, that's just life from November to April. Here, everything shut down! K-mart closed, Bed Bath and Beyond closed - at like 4 in the afternoon! It takes a HUGE storm in Michigan to close down everything early like that. So last week Thursday, in came a blizzard and everyone holed up in their homes. I trekked over to Corb's house where we all huddled together making food, playing games and enjoying the warmth of inside and friendship and some laughs from The Office at night. It was a great snow day and I rather like how everything closes down here and you get an excuse to act like a little kid again.

My days over the past 2 weeks have been filled with learning a new job as I got hired in the fine china department and as a bridal consultant part-time at Bed, Bath and Beyond - further to be called from this point forward BBB. :) I have learned about pillows and gussets and Wedgwood and Cuisinart and humidifers and cashiering on a complicated system and customer service and greeting EVERYONE! So much so that when I walk out to my car on my lunch break, I almost feel compelled to greet people that are getting out of their cars! It's a problem. :) I like it though, it's fun work, it's busy and it's getting out of the house and making some money!

I've also enjoyed watching the moods of the mountains. I'm inspired to capture some pictures as the look changes with snow and the lighting of the day - a blog to come I'm sure! Maybe even a coffee table book someday. Wouldn't that be a great name for a coffee table book?? "The Many Moods of the Mountains". Hmm.... maybe someday.

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Swimming

I just finished reading a book this morning called The Last Summer (of you and me) by Ann Brashares. She's one of my favorite authors because of her insight and beautiful descriptions of life that seem to strip away all that should matter to what really matters. Spoiler alert: One of the characters in the book, Riley, passes away suddenly in the end of the book and while I was not actual friends with her, I mourn the loss of her character. In tribute to Riley who loved to the water:

"People left a lot of things behind when they went in the water. Their clothes, their stuff, their make-up, their fixed-up hair, their voices, their hearing, their sight - at least as they normally experience them. Some people lost their individuality in the water, but Riley always felt most herself. Water was supposed to symbolize renewal, she knew, but when Riley swam - pared down, alone and unreachable - she felt a deeper sense of who she already was. The ocean was the best place, of course. That was what she loved most. It was a feeling of freedom like no other, and yet a feeling of communion with all the other places and creatures the water touched. The repetitive motions of her limbs was a meditation, the stretch of her muscles a narcotic. She heard her breathe and even her heart. She gradually lost the awareness of the few other people beyond the glass. The regular things couldn't follow you here. You could escape the demands of the world. Even the demands you imposed on yourself seemed to recede and reorient underwater. You couldn't hear and you couldn't talk. Your ears were full, but it was quiet."

I love this description of something so freeing and what she loves. It begs the question, what in life makes me feel this way? What in life makes YOU feel this way?

This book describes a world where people summered at a beach house on the east coast. They describe the easy, simple way of life, where people walk in and out of each other's houses without knocking and no one wears shoes. It revealed a desire in me that I've always known was there but never fully actualized until recently: that I feel most myself and most free when I'm in a place where material stuff, money and image don't matter. I think I live in the wrong country. :) I am sure that is why missions appeals to me, living in Africa, because people don't value you based on what you look like, how much money is in your bank, what car you drive or what your house looks like. Camp is the same way, it is simple and beautiful and there is deep fellowship found in each of these places because pretense and expectations are stripped away and what's left is real and raw and beautiful. And I love that and I want to try and live that way - againsts the current. There is a stream that runs right behind my house and I picture myself make-up less with my hair in a pony tail and bare-feet, walking up the river, against the flow of water and yet loving the feel of the water as it flows past my bare shins and through my toes.

I'm on a 30 minute break from Bed, Bath and Beyond (for all the reasons above, I struggle to be in an environment where money and things matter) so I have to go before I'm late.

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Sugar Coated

Denver. I am so aware of how blessed I am, I am currently going through a season in my life that is filled with new everything. It's like when you first go to college and you meet new friends, find new hang-out places, decorate your space, and enjoy the exciting experiences of living somewhere new. I love that I get to do that again by moving here to Denver. I get to do crazy-fun things and explore a new city! My spirit soars when I think about my future here and all the potential of what could happen. But I won't sugar coat it either, I love being here and it is one of the best decisions I've ever made, but it's not all fun and games.

The reality is:

I crave the community, genuine worship and convicting messages found at Crossroads. My heart aches for the freedom and family back in Grand Rapids.

I miss the happenings of friends as they rejoice and weep through life's ups and downs and I cannot rejoice with them or weep with them like I could if I was there when I could hug them and look in the face and pray with them.

It is oftentimes exhausting to always be meeting new people and trying to strike up conversations and relationships from brief meetings at church or at a restaurant. I miss the burning flames of friendships at home and am tired of the energy it takes to pour out and ask questions and listen - all things required in the beginning of friendships. Ahh... to have that comfortable silence and understanding found in friends back home.

I never know what the weather is going to be like here, at least at home I knew for sure it was going to be cloudy and cold! (smile)

There are lonely moments and long days filled with getting up out of bed, unsure of how I am going to fill my unemployed time productively and efficiently and cheaply.


I love my life here in Denver, and I am so blessed to have a great place to live, to have great friends with whom I can share life with to ease the loneliness, and to have found a job that I will enjoy. I am so blessed to live so close to the mountains and have the opportunity to pursue the things I am so passionate about. But I won't sugar coat it... it's hard sometimes to be here and to be away from family and friends.

Miss you Michigan friends.









Totally unrelated, here are some pics of my March adventures:



Annie and I on St. Patrick's Day:





The Green girls...


@ Red Rocks


Red Rocks, a natural amphitheater


The Front Range


Corbett and I on the drive home from camping




Climbing up a hill/mountain to get a better view

What a work-out!
At the top - it was well worth the climb!!

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Homesick?

Home: The place where something is discovered, founded, developed, or promoted; a source.

Home: An environment offering security and happiness.

Home: A valued place regarded as a refuge or place of origin.

Home: The place, such as a country or town, where one was born or has lived for a long period.

Home, it has so many definitions and connotations. It can get so confusing when referring to home, is it the place where you currently reside? Is it the place where you were born? Or maybe the place you have lived the longest? Is it where your parents live or is it your childhood home? In some ways I think the answer is yes to all of them, but I also am hesitant to use the word home for so many places for fear of losing the value of home. It's similar to how the word "love" in my opinion is overused, I cautiously declare that home means all of these things, because I think that home is one of those subjective terms, it is different for each person. That was a postmodern sentence, but I think it's true. What does home mean to you?

My mom asked me this morning if I was homesick at all. How can I be homesick, when I feel like I am home? When I drove back from the airport in February to Holland, MI after coming out to visit Denver, my heart literally felt as though I was driving the wrong direction and I was tempted to turn around and head west. I even remember telling my mom to just send my stuff out here so I didn't have to return to get it. There's a peace here that is deep and real and not just an emotion. It allows me to be who I am exactly where I am.

Journal Entry:
"The first few days here felt so foreign and overwhelming. I did not fit and it felt awkward. I am discovering as time goes on, that I can be true to who I am in the midst of the foreign and I find myself settling my spirit, making my own space in Denver. Now instead of the unknown being intimidating and threatening, it bolsters my confidence and gives me a pencil to draw out the lines and structures of who I am. I am challenged to define who I am each day as I make decisions. I feel free to make changes to those lines from who I've been in the past because there is no precedent, no well-worn path that you inevitably walk because it makes the most sense and it's the easiest. It's a beautiful, scary, adventurous thing, and I love it."

No, mom, I'm not homesick.

I'm home.

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Mountains

It seems strange to me that during my regular, everyday activities the mountains are there, looking beautiful and photogenic... always. I find this urge to capture them on film everytime I see them, even though they will be there day after day and they always look beautiful. I am not used to having something as beautiful and majestic as the mountains so regular in my life. I like it.

I decided to do a word-study on "mountain" in the Bible and see what God has to say about the mountains and here are my findings:


Psalms 46:2-10

"Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging....
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts...
Be still, and know that I am God."


Isaiah 54:10
"Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,"
says the LORD, who has compassion on you. "


Kate's insight: It seems that God laughs at the mountains almost and at us for admiring them so much, they are small and insignificant compared to His great power and love. I stand in awe of them, how much more so should I stand in awe of the God who created them?




Isaiah 55:12
"You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands."

Kate's Insight: Even the mountains obey Him and creation will rejoice with us.




Psalms 36:6

"Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the great deep. "

Kate's insight: He is SO great and holy and righteous and we are so blessed to be considered His children!




Psalms 90:2
"Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God."

Kate's Insight: That God is eternal and forever and always and infinite. Even as big as the mountains are solid and stable, and seemingly eternal, God is bigger and more powerful then these beautiful huge mounds of dirt.



Each time I see the mountains, I am awed by the beauty of His creation and feel so blessed to be in a city where I can see them everyday. But even more so, I am simply awed that he reveals to me who He is through the mountains as I drive to go pick up groceries, go to church, or meet a friend for coffee.

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My Photo Documentary of my 1200 mile journey to Denver

March 2nd, 2009

1st Task after sorting through all my boxes and choosing what to bring now and what to bring later and what to throw away was to pack my car.

I needed to fit all of this:




Into this:


Oh Dear!!!





I DID IT!!!
(with room to spare I proudly add!)






On my way with my tear-stained face and adventurous spirit:







A Colorado plate only 20 miles from home!! I played the license plate game to keep me semi-occupied and found 37 states! Colorado was my first one:



I had to stop every few hours just to get out of the car, stretch my legs, breathe fresh air and change up the scenery. Which means I kept passing the same slow cars again and again. Including this truck that's hard to miss with those huge tires, I passed it at least 3 times... eventually I thought of us as friends.




I stopped in DesMoines (a very cool city from what I saw!) and crashed with my generous Uncle David, Aunt Jo, and family. This is me, exhausted from my first day of driving and trying hard to have a positive attitude about the 11 more hours to be spent behind the wheel the next day.


On the road again early the next morning with a full tank of gas and a Starbucks in my hand!

Ahh... Nebraska... the good life? My experience there does not agree with that statement...


I saw these crazy birds all congregating on this lake by the highway, thousands of them - hard to see in the picture:




I needed to include a picture of the road... and farmlands... I felt as if I was on one of those cartoons where the same tree and rock get passed a dozen times





My first Denver sign - a monumental moment! 292 miles to go!






I was on route 80 for 850 miles of the 1200 mile trip! I was SO EXCITED to get on a different highway, it felt... different. :/







WELCOME TO COLORFUL COLORADO!!! I was so excited to reach my new homestate...






t was 75 degrees when I reached Colorado... (proof)


So I rolled my window down and donned my sunglasses as I entered the sunny state:






You can see the mountains in the distance - here I come!!!



Welcome to DENVER!!!!





My street: Iliff Place...




The sunset over the mountains as I pulled onto my street. I savored the moment and colors.







Out all my stuff came...



After a few days, I finally felt all settled in.




My Aunt Irma's house:






"Toto - I don't think we're in Kansas anymore":

Exploring downtown Denver and feeling like a tourist taking pictures even though I'm a "local".





The Denver Public Library (where I am posting this blog!), 7 floors of books, wireless internet, and great views: pretty darn close to Heaven!








A late-night adventure to Look-out Mountain overlooking the city of Denver - it was beautiful, not anywhere near capture in these photographs:

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In 5 words:

I really want to wait until I can upload my pictures on here and share my photo documentary of my 1200 mile journey here. I like things to be organized chronologically and so this is a little irritating to me that it's going to be out of order on the blog. But it may be a week before I can post those pics, so I will have to live with it. I definitely have some beaver in me (if you have no idea what I'm talking about, don't worry about it!)

I recently read a friend's blog where she described her day in 5 words and I like that, so I'm going to steal her idea:

overwhelming
refreshing
awed of God's creation
hungry
tired

I am overwhelmed with all the emotions that comes with having no routine or normalcy. I don't adjust to change well, so this is overwhelming for me.

I was refreshed this morning as I sank into God's Word and allowed His promises to wash over my Spirit and bring me peace, despite my circumstances staying the same. Praise God that we can have joy, peace and contentment wherever we are!

I am awed by God's creation, the blue sky, sunlight shining in my room in the morning, the mountains towering over the city and making the Denver skyline seem minuscule to God's creation. I think of one of the last sermon's I heard at Crossroads when Pastor Rod was talking about the city and our buildings. He used them as a metaphor for what our priorities are as we try to "make a name for ourselves" in this world. We as a human race have a desire to build tall buildings, just as they did with the Tower of Babel. However we were not created on this earth to make a name for ourself, to glorify our name, but instead to bring His name glory. The mountains towering are a constant reminder of that!

I am hungry, I left the house at 11:30 (3 hours ago) and haven't eaten lunch yet so my stomach is growling.

I am tired. I am fighting a cold leaving me coughing and feeling achy. I am still trying to bounce back after spending over 18 hours in a car over a period of two days. I am adjusting to the thin air of the Mile High city and also throw in a two-hour time change, leaves me feeling fuzzy and sleepy.

Pics to come soon! :)

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