Out on the open water

It's been one year since I've arrived in the valley.  wow.  I realized, through my great recordkeeping on my iCal, that it was almost exactly 2 years ago that I decided I need to leave Chicago.  I remember going out to brunch with a large group after church and I sat there thinking "Oh my goodness, I am bored out of my mind... if I don't leave soon, will I ever be able to??"  I can't remember what we were talking about or even where we were, but it gave me the revelation that this is not the place or life for me.

While I'm not changing the world, it's good to know that I'm doing some good for at least one community.  And, that even my free time isn't so selfish.  It's all about community.  It has been a good year, hard, but good.  The San Luis Valley really is a beautiful place (even if it doesn't look like it!) that is filled with people who are often ignored by others, but supported in this community.  I love that I already know about half the people out here and work often bumps into personal life.

Since it's the end of one year for me, that means it's the end and beginning of another term!  Ben left last week, he was a great member of the house, he will be missed!  We have two new volunteers with us now: Asha and Sarah.  Asha came in the beginning of July, she's from Indiana and went to Grinnel College in Iowa, and she's working at Tu Casa (support for women in abusive relationships).  Sarah came at the end of July, she's from Fresno, CA, and went to UC Berkley, she's working at PALS (a program for at risk youth, where Chloe worked).  I think it's going to be a good year.

That also means... a year till I try to move back to Seattle!!

Photos from the last few weeks...

Like a bee rushing to a bowl of honey

Last week was World Breastfeeding Week!  I don't know if you know, but breastfeeding support, education, and advocacy are some of my passions.  We here in the valley participated in "The Big Latch On" on Saturday Aug 6 at 10:30am, joining women around the world.  We had a decent turnout for the valley- 9 people latching on and others standing in support!  I'm part of the breastfeeding coalition that put the even together.

As someone who doesn't have kids, I'm a big fan of the surgeon general's report about how much of the discontinuation of breastfeeding is from lack of support outside the home.  While I can't relate personally to the trails and struggles (or the joys and connection), I know the benefits and have seen enough barriers to want to speak out we should tear down these walls and support women who breastfeed.  My ultimate goal is to see breastfeeding as normal.  I wrote this article for the "Valley Courier" last week and I was a little annoyed by the headline that they gave "Breastfeeding is natural," while this is true, it also puts it into the hippy category that it shouldn't be.  So, here are my thoughts that I shared with the entire valley...

Breastfeeding happens. Breastfeeding is normal. We are all part of the breastfeeding community, directly or indirectly. We all need to support each other to make breastfeeding the norm for all babies. While mom to mom and provider to mom support is so important, the support that women get outside the home and clinic can have just as much of an impact. It is not mothers alone that make breastfeeding possible, but the community (friends, family, work, neighbors) that can sustain the continuation of breastfeeding.

I’m not the typical breastfeeding advocate and that’s a good thing. I don’t have kids and I don’t even remember my experience as a breastfed baby (although I am proud that I was breastfed). However, I believe people have the right to all the information regarding health and to carry out the decisions that they make based on this information.

If we make women uncomfortable and add extra barriers to breastfeeding in public, the woman has a lower chance of continuing to feed her baby the nutrients it needs to grow and be healthy. This can look different for everyone. Just as you might need to pick up a snack when you’re unexpectedly hungry in the afternoon, a baby might need to eat randomly during the day. Every mom will have different levels of comfort with what they want to do in public, but every mom should have the opportunity to feed her child as needed.

Ultimately, it is my goal to see breastfeeding as so normal in everyday life that no one makes it a big deal when breastfeeding happens. I don’t mean to downplay the significance and beauty of breastfeeding, but I want to celebrate the normalcy of the breastfeeding mom. She’s not alone, she’s not trying something new and different, but she’s in a community that supports babies and a healthy start to life for everyone.

And, wherever you see this sign, you know that breastfeeding is supported!

Everybody cheer!!

One thing that I feel like sums up my life out here is "I'm head cheerleader for the volunteer's softball team that has never won a game."  I actually love that we never win, but we probably have more fun than any other team out there- we definitely have the loudest cheerleaders!  I love cheering things like "Yeah, you got out, it's cool."  What's interesting is that you see small town life in it's prime.  Some of these teams are made up of guys who were pretty good by Valley standards in high school and softball season is kind of what they live for.  Most people are nice enough, but some are kind of jerks.  I try to remember what this means to them and not yell about how everyone on our team has a college degree.  But, that's a whole other topic...  Otherwise, people we play can be pretty cool.  Baseball and softball are not my favorite sports, definitely to play and really I don't love watching it, but I love cheering and yelling random things.  Honestly, they play twice a week, but I usually only go to one (and I avoid the 9:30 games, it's too late for me and I'm so wound up after games that it's hard to get to sleep).  I wish I was ok with team sports, but I hate the pressure (even though no one cares at all on this team).  Also, I hate that everyone is watching you as you bat, ugh...

To honor our friend, Chloe, we are the DreamWeavers.  Chloe's last name is Weaver and her favorite quote is "Dream Big."  We have crazy bright orange t-shirts, her favorite color.  I like to yell "Weave me a dream... or a basket!"

Here are some highlights of my nights at the ball game

Our trademark?  A team tunnel at the end of the game!  It is so fun to yell for everyone as they go through.  They add on the end and we end up with a big tunnel, so fun!

Join our insect nation!

Oh 4th of July, I always have mixed feelings... but maybe that will be another post at another time.

It was a busy weekend, so I didn't have to think about it too much.  (I did miss yelling "America, F*ck  YEAH!").  Lots of movement happened: a friend moved in down the street (yay!), two friends left the Valley (sad), and a new volunteer moved in with us (so far, so good...).  This meant for lots of community meals!  Oh, I ate soooo much, but a lot of it was from our garden- so fun!  We served a Taco Salad as a main dish for 10 people with lettuce and spinach from the garden.  I made a great Chard Cheese Bake with a lb of rainbow chard and some onions from the garden.  We spent one evening out at a friend's house in Alamosa Canyon, AKA middle of nowhere, it was great!  Of course, no small town celebration of America is complete without a holiday parade.  This one has nothing on Bainbridge, but this also pretty much the same one for the many parades in town.

Ok, I do need to say a few, just a few, things about patriotism...  Another thing I love about the Mennonites?  They don't say the Pledge of Allegiance or sing the National Anthem, because they can't "pledge allegiance" to anything but God and our nation isn't just the US, it's the world.  I love it.  And really what does it mean to be patriotic anyway?

Big City Train

I was blessed to have my parents coming in and out of the valley for a few months.  Not only was it good to show them around this place I love, but it was great to have a few weekends here and there where I didn't have to spend much of my own money!  Hehe...

First, we met in Denver for the Nightingale Gala.  This was a wonderful night, at times a little times a little overwhelming.

Watch out for my medallions, my diamonds are reckless,
feels like a midget is hanging from my necklace
- Ludacris 'Stand Up' 

After this, they travelled around New Mexico for a bit.  For a few weekends, they came up to Alamosa to spend time here.  We did a few hikes, went some small town festivals, making family dinners, camping, and eating out!  I'm glad I enjoy my parents!

Being a volunteer makes it difficult to get home.  I don't know if you know, but I'm pretty good at working with what I've got.  Since my parents were coming down, I asked kindly if they could give me a ride home and they said yes!  While it sounded fine at the beginning, we were starting to get nervous about how much time we've been spending together.  Luckily, all went well and we actually had a nice time!

A fun part was that we were able to stop in Moab to visit my friends Sarah and Silas.  And, we stayed a night in the Willamette Valley with my friend Mari.  It was sooooo wonderful to see such special people in my life!  We also stayed a night in Durango and Boise.  These were two pretty cool places- I think Boise is going to be the next Portland!  

Not only am I thankful for the help in getting home, but thankful for the actual getting there along the way!

Casper... International Dog of Mystery!

Let me introduce you to my new friend

Such a good weekend!

This is why I love living out here. I get a little taste of country life and get to enjoy the beautiful outdoors. On Saturday night, my friends had a chicken they wanted to cook. Easy enough, right? Oh wait, she's still alive now. A bunch of us went over to their house to observe, and help out, a humane slaughter (oh, that's just such a harsh word) of this chicken. I had the chance to hold her legs. It was interesting, the whole thing, really. We then boiled it, plucked it, and gutted it. The next night a few people made a chicken stew for dinner. The chicken was not so tender, but the whole meal was delicious. Here's to country living!

So one reason I moved out here was to snowboard again. A bunch of us went up to Wolf Creek on Sunday and spent the day boarding. Oh man, it was glorious! Sun shining, beautiful mountains everywhere, and, the best part, NO LINES! Seriously, this was incredible. I was mainly with a few girls who I think are a little more experienced than me, but it made me a little more adventurous, which is a good thing. Afterward, we stopped at a little bar/restaurant on the way home and had some good local beer and I was loving life! And, I get to go on Wednesday as well. Oh man...

Sorry if the pictures gross you out.

Here are some photos from my time another day, but it's always pretty here!

Assessing my life

I thought I'd share what my "normal life" is looking these days, so we can all be on the same page (and so this isn't just a place where I share my "deep" thoughts, oh goodness).

I work Monday through Thursday from 7:30 to 4:30 and now have a 35 minute commute! Oh, it makes life so much more simple. Most evenings, I have stuff going. On Mondays, we are starting to have family dinners again. Tuesday, or every other Tuesday, is knit night. Generally, I try to have Wednesday as my night "off". Thursday is church at our house, which has been so good for me to learn to be more open to hosting without so much of the responsibility of this-is-my-party sort of feel. Now, Fridays are my favorite day of the week. I'm the only one who has them off in the house. This is my time to myself that I cherish, I don't know what I would do without them. A few of my friends and I have started having brunch on Saturday mornings. This is so good for me as I have missed this from my "past life". The best part? I get a coffee, an egg, and a pancake for a grand total of $3 at my coffee shop! Things aren't super scheduled around here for the weekends, so it's sort of see-what-happens. Things that could happen: a hike, dinner with random people, helping out with an event, game night, brew pub, work around the house, some fun little local festival, and possibly an excursion to one of the small cute towns around the valley.

The weather has been weird here. On Tuesday morning it was -23 when I left the house, but I was able to go for a run outside in a tank top yesterday! It gets really cold at night, but it's pretty much sunny everyday so it warms up during the day. It snows every so often, but we should have had more snow by now according to locals. The local ski place gets the most snow in all of Colorado- can't wait to check it out!

It's too real now

So, I've had my little Seattle Christmas vacation (and didn't a take a single picture, I'm an idiot) and I'm back in the swing of things. It's funny how this is normal life now. I feel as though I'm getting into the thick of it now. The honeymoon phase is over. My ideals and perceptions are being challenged as reality sets in. Why, again, am I here? What am I really doing here? It's weird when "social justice work" just becomes.... well, work.

I need to be reminded of my purpose here. I need something to keep me interested. I need to set priorities. I want to keep learning. I want to take more photos. I want to get to know people.

The good news is that I'm glad to be back. Even though I wanted to stay longer in Seattle and wish the valley was 4 hours away from Seattle, not Denver. The good news is that things are happening here. Even though some of them are hard and not fun, I will learn; and others are great and exciting!

I'm realizing I take things for granted. And, that I used to take things for granted that are not a part of my life now. To remind myself, to take something for granted means that I act as though it'll always be available to me and I'm not grateful that it is there at all.

I'll be honest, I hate not making money. It's not just that I don't make "much" money, it's that I don't make any whatsoever. Whatever I have in bank right now is what I will have for the next year and a half, it's not getting replenished any time soon. However, I do take that little money I have in the bank for granted. It is a luxury to be able to be a volunteer, a fact I always find interesting.

I would say that I take my friends and family for granted, for this I'm sorry. Have you ever been around people that don't really reference "my friend"? I have and I'm noticing it more. I don't know where I would be without these great people in my life who really know me. We are called to love the friendless, which is hard because there is usually a "reason" they are friendless.

I take my church experience for granted. It hasn't always been the best experience, but I'm thankful it hasn't been the worst. This home church with half Mennonites, half everything else, is really challenging my ideas on what church is. Things that I think make up a church service aren't what others need. This is making me think about what really is important to church and what I want to see. We have all been shaped by our past experiences and have to allow for new experiences to continue to shape us.

All this to say, I'm looking forward to the new year of my now normal life here in the valley. I just pray I take advantage of it and don't miss opportunities.

But in the back of my mind...

Of course this is an intense time here at the house and really all of Alamosa will feel this as well. However, I had just finished this post when I got the news and as this is a blog to keep up with me, I want you to know what I was thinking before our little world was turned upside down. This was finished around 2:30 pm yesterday.

Ok, I'll be honest here (oh, have I not been?), sometimes I get nervous about 2 years here. So far, things have been fine and mostly I'm excited about what is going on here, but 2 years?? A lot happens in that amount time, but then again what's 2 years?

One of the biggest (and superficial) things I think is "Am I really going to go to bed before midnight every night for 2 years??". Oh gosh. It may not seem like a big deal, but I like to stay out late, I like to go out on the town, I looooove to dance for hours. Granted, this wasn't every weekend in Chicago, but it was enough to where it makes me sad to think it's not going to happen much during this time.

Then, of course, there are the finances of this endeaver. As I have mentioned, I'm pretty much not making any money. For those who know this part of me, I love to save, it's so fun! I've already decided to start saving $10 a month out of my $50, wow. I also know it can be an issue for me and I need to let go of that and not worry. Whatev, right? I want to be responsible and a good steward of what God has given me. Also, I want to change my attitudes and thoughts about money. I want to share gifts from God, I don't want to be a burden to others.

I think about friends around the country and world and miss them. I probably won't see you too much in these next few years, please don't forget about me! Travel is another thing I am going to miss, but it is also refreshing to be planting a life here to grow (awww....). It's interesting to be focusing and committing to a community, this comes with it's pleasures and challenges.

My music life will suffer through these years, I can feel it already. For the past few years, I have enjoyed buying tons of CDs (yes, actual CDs, as I am a big supporter of the creative process for the album as a whole). This was wonderful to fall back in love with music and learn more about it. I don't really have access to different music out here (although I'm loving Pandora lately), so I'm going to start soliciting people for mix CDs- if you want to help out this cause, let me know!

All that to say, my life is freeing here and simple. I have more time and interest in things that really matter. I'm seeing more problems in the world, but also trying to work on solutions (well, right now, I'm focusing on just the valley... but watch out, world!). With all this time, I give myself time not think about things and have fun! On that note, here are some photos from the past few weeks:

A lovely fall evening on my street

We travelled to Rocky Ford, CO, for a Mennonite Relief sale. This was a nice glimpse into the Mennonite world. There was food and crafts on sale and a live auction (one for random stuff and one for just quilts). The first item sold every year is a loaf of bread made by someone in the community (it's nothing special). This year, it sold for $1700 and then sliced up and sold for $400-500 a slice! The quilts sell in the thousands and are often redonated to be sold again. This where Mennonites shine- they are known to be thrifty (or stingy), but will give freely to those who really need it. All the proceeds from this sale went to Mennonite Central Committee- the other Mennonite mission group, hehe. [Updated: We stayed here on Friday night before the sale and Chloe's whole family (mom, dad, brother and sister) stayed in a hotel together, what a seemingly small blessing turned into a great gift from God]

I had my first visitor this weekend! My dear friend Betsy came into town for a few days of fun and laughter. We watched our favorite movie "Singles", went to the Dunes (these were so impressive to me), bought her halloween costume for $0.95, saw my new house (eek!), enjoyed the local brewery, went to a little get together with some friends here, and enjoy a morning at my coffee shop. All in all, a great weekend and I was so happy to share this valley that I'm falling in love with!

Homegirl here to represent

Ok, some of these are overdue.

Last weekend, I went to Taos, New Mexico, with my housemates. We spent the day roaming around this cute little artist (read: touristy... who else is really going to support the artists, sorry guys) town. We met up with some of the people from that 'church' I told you about. Actually, this was an outing for the church. There was a past MVS couple who were staying in these houses outside of Taos called "Earthships". Yes, really, that's the name of this environmentally friendly housing community in the desert of New Mexico. It was interesting, to say the least, to see these house made in the side of dirt. There was pretty a purpose for everything in the house. I enjoyed our dinner there.

The next day, I went on a drive with a few friends through the Alamosa and Conejos Canyons in the San Juan Mountains to see the changing of the Aspen tree colors. Wow, this was beautiful (and made me realize I want a nicer camera to capture these beautiful things). I thoroughly enjoyed this. That night we had a "Labest Fest" with some of the La Puente volunteers in Alamosa. This is a Senegalese dish that is eaten communally with your left hand!

Tonight I had the chance to go to a demolition derby. Now, I'm not from 'round these parts, so I thought this was monster cars. I need to get my hickish past times straight! This is like adult bumper cars, but pretty fun to watch. We went south of La Jara to an even smaller town, Manassa. One of my favorite things was that there is an Amish community in this town, so you would be watching these cars ram into each other, then look up at the road and see a horse and buggy go by- that was pretty rad. I do have updates for life out here that I will be sharing soon.