Thanks!

We returned last night from a wonderful few days in snowy Frisco, where we relaxed with some good friends ...and, of course, over-ate a large amount of delicious food. What a great way to spend Thanksgiving...unwinding in a winter wonderland, away from work and the hustle and bustle of daily living. I felt like the world stopped for a few days and I was finally able to catch my breath.

Many of the hours in Frisco were spent painting. I was invited by my aunt Kathy to be in an art show at her gallery in December (Ice Cube Gallery, Denver, CO). For the Christmas show this year, each member of the gallery will present one piece of art and each also invited one friend or family member to present a piece with them. The show goes up in a couple of weeks and I've very excited to be showing a piece of art in a bonafide gallery. First time for that... how fun! I'll post a picture of my painting when it is finished.

Also, we found a small 1 BR apartment in the Cherry Creek neighborhood (4 miles from my job) and we'll be moving in a couple of weeks. It is a short term rental (we're taking over a guy's lease which gave us a great rate for the neighborhood). We're going to miss my aunt tremendously and will probably be hanging out in Arvada often. I am, however, looking forward to being nearer to work and to having our stuff out of storage. Fingers crossed that we'll sell our place by March and be able to settle somewhere a bit more permanently soon.

I was meditating at church this morning about how many things there are in my life to be thankful for. It is easy to let Thanksgiving go by without taking the time to pause and reflect on the many blessings I overlook every day. Megan gently reminded me a couple of weeks ago that when I'm stressed out I often forget to remember to articulate the things in my life that are positive...and there are so many (the first being my wise and loving wife).

Over the past couple of weeks I have reconnected with two friends from the past (one from high school, and one from my time in San Francisco), which has been a huge gain towards feeling 'settled' in Denver. Our friends Julie and Maclain have been a source of constant support and laughter. I am daily grateful for the amazing people I work with. Of course, one of the biggest blessings of living in Denver is that we have so much family around us (and the generosity of parents who let us use their mountain home for R&R). I'm also very thankful for Maclain Looper's chocolate blueberry bread pudding with amaretto cream sauce. That was a highlight of the weekend.

And right this second I'm extremely grateful that I can start this week rested and a little more at ease, even if my pants are slightly tighter around the waist.

Transitions

I'm finding it hard to discipline myself to sit down and write. I have had several ideas for blog topics over the past couple of weeks, but by the time I have time, pretty much all I have the energy for is sleep.

Transitions are HARD. They are for me at least. Living in a new city, driving everywhere after 12 years of relying on public transportation, working a new job (one that has proven to be extremely challenging) and waiting for our NYC apt to sell so that we can 'settle' somewhere a bit more permanently....all these things seem to be taking their toll. I'll admit that lately poor Megan gets to spend most weekends with Oscar the Grouch.

But I am grateful for the silver linings. Our gracious host, my aunt Kathy, has saved us a lot of money and provided some INCREDIBLE meals...not to mention a lot of laughs. To not have been forced to find a temporary apartment on top of all of the other transitions with this move was a remarkable blessing. And even though I do still have weekly doubts about my career path, I realize how huge of a deal it was to have snagged a well paying job, where I get to work with really cool people, while still living in New York. I also have some incredibly supportive in-laws... who more than showed their grit when they helped us unpack our moving truck, and then pack and unpack it again when we realized the advertising for our rental facility had stretched the truth (aka misrepresented) the size of the storage unit we rented and we needed to upgrade it. They have also been gracious hosts and have allowed us to stay in their gorgeous Frisco mountain house over several weekends.

So it isn't all bad. But it is hard. Denver is not home to me yet. It may not be for awhile. I don't miss New York City, but I do miss the life and routine that seemed to 'work' there without much effort. The truth is I am working far more hours in a more stressful job for far less pay. I'm still learning the ropes at KIPP, without much guidance. Many days I feel like I'm treading water, as though my new life is defined solely by daily stress levels. But I know this is all part of transition. And I know that pain is a part of growth. Fortunately, I have also discovered that taking a deep breath while looking at the mountains helps one gain perspective tremendously.

I also gain perspective when I think about another unit in our family. Surely the transition we're undergoing is minuscule to that of my brother and sister in law, who welcomed our adorable new niece Molly into the world this summer. They're experiencing a whole new set of transitions of their own...and I am so amazed at how well they seem to be doing! We can't wait to see them all at Christmas.

I'm going to need to toughen up before we get serious about parenthood.

C*O*L*O*R*A*D*O !!!!!

As promised to Megan (Mills), Schwabe, and whoever else was participating in the conversation (I can't remember with 100% accuracy as I was a wee bit drunk at the time), I am officially relaunching my blog. Thoughts on the new format??

Just in case you were wondering, I love the Rocky Mountains. I also love bright yellow aspen trees when their stark white bark contrasts with a clear blue sky. And don't get me started on the Colorado sunsets. Yes. These are are a few of the wonderful new things in my life that have replaced Harlem's garbage filled gutters, NYC rats, and eardrum bursting subway screeching noises. I'm going to try and attach pictures to make you jealous (first time to post pics):




Not bad, right? OK, ok, I'll admit I miss Jake, Corinne, Jon, and my friends tremendously. I miss All Angel's Church. I miss the magic and charm of the Big Apple (well, not quite yet on that third one, but I'm sure I will soon).



And if I'm truly honest I have to admit that Colorado isn't all roses. I've replaced the crowded subway cars with a long-ish morning commute. And I haven't driven regularly since I was in high school. And heavy traffic scares me. (although 'heavy' is relative -- are we talking NYC heavy or Mumbai heavy? Because Denver traffic is neither. And I should mention that I get to drive our fun little prius.)

Well, driving everywhere is the only bad thing I can think of right now so perhaps Colorado IS mostly roses. Or at least aspens.



Now that I'm sitting down to write I am realizing I have about a million things to process from the last 2 months: our AWESOME friends and family who helped us pack and load our big yellow moving truck, our drive across the country in said truck, my new job with KIPP Colorado (go see the documentary Waiting For Superman, which features a KIPP L.A. school), living close to family, the tremendous generosity of my Aunt Kathy, the additional weight I've gained from driving everywhere instead of walking. So many things. So I'll have to blog more frequently I suppose.



But for now, at least I'm starting. A new start. In a new state. With a new blog template. More to come. Good night, and I'll leave you with this:

Happy (late) Birthday, Schwabe!

Well, really, happy (late) birthday Boka. But I'll always think of you as Schwabe Boka, which I believe you and Geoff have both affirmed is OK.

At a birthday dinner last night, largely due to a significant amount of Sangria (it deserves a capital S,) I promised to dust off my blog. So here it is. Unfortunately I don't have any Pledge with me at work so it won't be the most profound post ever. However, I was inspired by the small crew together last night and how much my longest standing circle of NYC friends has changed since I first met them.

Who would have thought in 2001 that by 2010:
*Iott would live in L.A. but be doing business in NY
*Hale would be married, have a beautiful daughter, and be a television and movie star
*Haragan would be getting an MA in counseling in Tejas
*Schwabe, Radcliffe, O'Grady, Harvey, Buck, Wilkerson and many others would be married. Mostly due to Haven and eHarmony.
*Walla would have starred in just about every major production of Fiddler on the Roof and be settling in Bklyn
*Schwabe Boka would have cast some of the biggest shows on Broadway
*The Hunts would have a new baby
*I would be preparing to move to the mountains with the woman of my dreams
*And, even though he wasn't here in 2001, Gire would be in the Congo.

Wow.

What a privilege it has been to know and walk beside so many amazing, talented, loving, inspiring, and Godly folks. It has been a gift.

So Kate, thanks for giving ME a gift on your birthday.