Bike Ride

Clothing/equipment for 8:30 am bike ride: jeans. smartwool socks. tanktop. long-sleeved shirt. fleece zip up jacket. down vest. scarf. 1 pair gloves. 1 pair mittens to be worn over gloves. 1 fleece earband. 1 helmet.

As I left the house, there was frost on the grass and the raspberry bushes. As I quietly mourned the end of summer, I also enjoyed the beauty of the frost and the warmth of the morning sunshine.

Clothing/equipment for 2:45 pm bike ride: jeans. smartwool socks. tanktop. long-sleeved shirt. scarf.

Oh sunshine, how I love you. I needed an excuse to bike home on the beautiful Cherry creek bike trail, so I headed off to Vitamin Cottage for a bag of carrots. While fall colors are not so vibrant here, they are still amazing. The sun sparkling on the water of Cherry creek. The red creeping vines on the sides of the bike path. Brilliant yellow trees, some leaves edged in deep brown. The beautiful brown and yellow and green trees reflecting in the water of the S. Platte river. (As a side note, today I was 10 mins. early for work, so I walked around a 2 city block square and just noticed things. People with multiple dogs or serious briefcases. A shadow from sunshine on the ground. Veins of brown running through a bright yellow leaf as sunshine filtered through the branches.) It was glorious!

I LOVE living in this city with so many parks and well made bike trails. I love the plentiful sunshine and crisp temperatures. It's great. Sometimes, though, when I am driving through town at night and look up at the big buildings with twinkly lights I am awed and in slight disbelief that little me, in fact, lives here. It's only when I'm downtown and it's dark that this happens, really. I generally feel like I belong here, a woman from farm country, amongst the city scene. But I am awed at these giant buildings and the fact that I live in a capital city. It's an awesome feeling.

Day Off

Today started out quite nicely with breakfast at a local place called Dozens. No greasy spoon this establishment(which really is my favorite kind of breakfast place), nay, this one poured delicious coffee served with cream in a tiny carafe with raw sugar to add. I breakfasted on a green chile, tomato, and cheddar omelette, served with fried potatoes (surely with a hint of sour cream added), whole wheat english muffin with apple butter on the side, and a pineapple garnish. Delish. My breakfast companion, James, provided lovely company, as we sat in front of a sunny window and drank too many refills of rich coffee. Yeah, I'm a fan.

Now I am home, hearing stories of fully-employed housemates and potentially-employed housemates. I'm now sitting in the office in our house, next to a bright sunny window, listening to the accidentally perfect playlist I discovered on the computer in here. I don't know which housemate I have to thank for this, but I sure do love discovering awesome untitled playlists on this computer. What else is on my plate for the day? Having already researched possible wedding reception sites in the Goshen area, I'll be soon headed to the library to return books, then take a trip to Target to return the worst bike lock ever (WBLE for short). Then, this evening, my fellow educator, Erin G-wals and I will head off to Educator's Night at the Denver Museum of Science and Nature. We get to watch an IMAX film on Alaska for free! And visit the museum for free! I am such a science nerd...this is incredibly exciting to me. It's a good Monday, ya'll.

Hark! The town crier speaks:

Hear ye, hear ye!
Miss Emilinda is now gainfully employed!

Yes, it's true, folks. Yours truly has found gainful employment in the big bad world of Denver. I now have two part time jobs, and the details are still getting worked out as far as hours and scheduling go. I'll be working at the Butterfly Pavilion as an outreach presenter, giving talks on insects to people of all ages, preschool to sr. citizens. I'm really excited, since I really want to be an environmental educator. I'll also be working at Parsley, a little fresh sandwich/salad/juice/smoothie cafe' in the Golden Triangle neighborhood. This is also really exciting. They use organic/natural ingredients, the decor is all green inside, and the people seem really friendly.

That's all for now. It's a beautiful day, one of my last days unemployed, and I'd like to read in the hammock.

Rather than...

Rather than do any actual wedding planning...I'm reading a book about the ridiculousness of the wedding industry.

Rather than do more job searching...I went to a local coffee shop with James today and just talked for over an hour.

Rather than buy any produce...I'll just eat the tomatoes, raspberries, swiss chard, and zucchini in the garden that I didn't even have to plant.

Rather than hear Obama's acceptance speech at Invesco...I'll be doing Thursday Night Grilling at my house and hopefully finding somewhere to watch his speech on TV.

Rather than becoming part of the DNC craziness...I'll be sticking to my favorite places in my neighborhood: Huston Lake park and the Athmar Park branch of the DPL.

Rather than unpack...I'll continue to keep my stuff in boxes until we find more furniture.

Rather than stress out about my current unemployed status...I'll watch season 3 of The Office on DVD.

Rather than continue this blog post...I'll think about making something for dinner.

In which I am a mile high and you are not

I don't have anything profound to say, and I have only 9 minutes on this library computer to do so. I am now computer-less, bed-less, and job-less in Denver. It is a mile high. You are not.

Even though I am missing many things that make my life comfortable and livable, I am happy to be here. My house has an amazing backyard with raspberry bushes, twinkle lights, swiss chard and tomatoes in the garden, and hardwood floors. My neighborhood is full of Latino and Asian grocery stores and restaurants. I am looking for jobs and setting up house. And often, I have to remind myself that I live here now, that this is not some weird crazy vacation I signed up for.

Yesterday I was using our beautiful looks like it was ripped from the page of a home improvement magazine bathroom, and I realized that some day in the near future this will all feel normal and routine. Right now I desperately wish for a routine of some kind, but I think there is also something great about not having one. I am more aware of my surroundings and my feelings than normal, because I have nothing to do but pay attention. So, until I have a job and a routine, I will notice. That's about all I can do these days.

Me voy

I don't really have much to say, just had an urge to type. It's surprising and also not so much so that I have little to say, as the past two weeks have been a whirlwind of craziness. My brain is still in the midst of such a whirlwind: I leave my house in Goshen for good on Tuesday. Already one of our dear housemates has departed onto her own adventures in AK. I attended two weddings of very good college friends in as many weekends. Just today, I spent my last Sunday at yet another home in Goshen: Assembly Mennonite. And here I am, again typing in the GC computer lab (no more internets at The Spain), which makes me feel like a college student frantically typing up a last minute assignment.

Leaving is weird. Earlier in the summer, I considered making a list of all the places and things I'd want to do just "one last time" before moving. I'm glad I didn't make such a list because I surely wouldn't be able to complete it. I've made a multitude of lists these past few days: lists of things to pack, lists of items I need to find a home for, lists of people to call, lists of moving details to take care of. None of them are finished. And most of them will remain just slightly unfinished. Then there are the lists I have kept in my head, full of items that I should have done but didn't: kept in better touch with some of my profs, had one last quality catch up conversation with Alana before she left, quit work at the co-op earlier, etc.

As I walked down the hallway in our apartment this afternoon, still talking to Kimberly in her bedroom, the hallway echoed. It never used to echo, you see, because there were posters and beautiful fabric hanging up that buffered the sound. It's the little things like a newly echoey space or the wall decorations coming down that totally shock me into realizing that life as I currently know it is over. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade these intense, sometimes difficult, always rewarding and beautiful living experiences with people I love dearly for anything, but the sad truth is that it becomes very painful to leave when it is time.

It's time, though. Boxes are being packed. Plans are being made for new places. I will no longer laugh with my co-op coworkers or sing the tree song and drink coffee at Assembly. I won't read at the Brew or eat at County Seat or visit with friends at the farmer's market while buying produce. I don't know what I'll be doing, really, nor what any of The Spain will be doing. But, as my father would say, "The time has come, the walrus said, to speak of many things." So off I will go, (hopefully completely) packed up by Tuesday, filling one car with the combined possessions of James and myself, to a new adventure.

Did I mention that leaving makes me melancholy?

Storytime

Well, internet, I have been holding out on you. Ok, that's not true, b/c facebook has known since last Monday evening. But my faithful blog readers (all 4 of them) deserve to know the truth:

I am engaged! (this picture is proof, taken minutes after the actual event)

How did this happen? you might be asking yourself. Well, last Monday after work, I was surprised. I have yoga on Mondays, so I stay downtown, normally going to the Brew to read a book. On this particular Monday, James and I were meeting up to get wedding presents at 10 Thousand Villages for our friends who are getting married these next two weekends. After this, we walked over to the Brew. James declined to come inside with me, instead handing me a note in an envelope and biking away like a flash.

I opened the note, finding a memo proclaiming me a winner of free coffee at the Brew (in the form of a $5 bill in the memo). It then stated that I had to complete a task to get to the next step of the journey: find another note hidden for me in the Brew and follow the directions inside. I knew exactly where the note was hiding--in a drawer in a nearby table, and upon finding it, opened another envelope that contained a map of a small part of Goshen, with a red X labeled "meet me here after yoga" Unfortunately, I am a map-reading failure and definitely had to call James at this point to ask him to direct me to where I needed to go.

Then I had to go to yoga, still unsure if the actual proposal was coming, or if this was only one step of the process. Needless to say, my yoga poses were not very focused that evening. I then biked to the agreed location on the mill race, to find a picnic laid out--two glasses of wine, one chunk of free co-op cheese stolen from The Spain's refrigerator, and flower spread across a fitted bed sheet with a bunny print. Still not knowing what was going on, I remained my sarcastic and joky self until James was finally able to get serious:

J: So, we spent a lot of time together last week (@ 2 family reunions), and I thought it went really well. And I know that I want to be with you for a long time.
E: How long exactly?
J: Oh you know....for the rest of our lives! (pulls out the ring, which is still in the small plastic ziploc bag we got when we bought it) Will you....
E: Yes!
J: *rolls eyes b/c I have beat him to the question* will you....let me borrow your car tomorrow?
E: *nods head and waits impatiently*
J: Will you marry me?
E: YES!

So there you have it folks, the story in its full glory. Don't ask me about wedding dates or anything else, my brain is worried about moving to Denver right now. However, we are looking at late July/early August '09 when my brother returns from SST. The wedding will definitely be in Goshen, hopefully at Assembly. And now...back to thinking and planning this move to Denver that is happening next week.