The apartment hunt has begun! I've so far looked at 8 apartments and although they have all had their special attributes (for example: smelling like dirty feet and marijuana), none of them have truly spoken to me. I'm waiting for that instant feeling of being home and knowing that this is the absolute place you want to be.
On one viewing I took Melisa and Zai with me. The place was disgusting. It smelled so bad in the halls when we walked in and I immediately had to stop making eye contact with my cousin because I knew I was on the verge of hysterical laughing. To make it worse we walked into this very blue apartment. It must have been the sale paint of the week and Melisa being her positive self made a point to say how blue it was. Zai at 5 was also wildly impressed he would walk into a room and say "oh, you have a kitchen. Oh, you have your own bedroom, Oh, you have a green sink!" I was ready to bust and had to hold the tears of laughter welling up in my eyes while trying to fight back the nausea growing in my stomach from the stench of the place. We finally emerged into the fresh air thank full to put it behind us.
Despite not having apartment I have found a town that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Every time I walk through it I get goosebumps and have that rush of butterflies in my stomach. Its so friendly and cozy. Maybe I'll throw a cot in the back of my mini-van, park it downtown and call it a day......
Quit job, left friends, sold car. West ward bound like the early settlers with few belongings and no money....its yet another exciting adventure with the Dalhaus.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Fire in the hole....neighborhood!
Oh say can you see.....every other neighbor shooting off fourth of July fireworks? One might actually think its legal in this state! I was invited to Jay and Melisa's friends for some early 4th celebration and we lit off the firework "family pack". I didn't know there was such a thing. Its a fun way to introduce your kids to playing with fire while only mildly scalding them. As we were sending sparks all over the road, other fireworks were going off all around and some of them looked like they would light roofs on fire. After we ran out of pyrotechnics, Melisa, Zai and I walked back to the house and fireworks lit up the sky around us from every direction. When we rounded the corner we could even see them over the city in the distance, so pretty sparkling over the array of Denver lights. Arriving home I settled into the back yard with Denver (my cousins Maltese) on my lap and had a private showing from the neighbors house behind. Tomorrow, we'll go watch the official....and legal ones. Big plans for the morning too! We are hitting a 9am 4th of July parade and then its too Arvada to find me a home!!
Girl Gone Denver
Arrived in Denver Friday evening around 10pm. Surprisingly we pushed through and made the drive in only 3 days, 8 hours on the first, 15 hours on the second and 13 on the last. The days went relatively quickly and the time seemed to fly by. I think this was mostly due to the fact that I was playing improv games, singing along to the radio and answering trivia and "would you rather" questions with my second cousins. Torey who is fifteen road with me day one which gave us the opportunity for some girl time and loud pop music. We played the name game for about an hour and talked about life, careers and school. That night we stayed at Melisa's families house in Pennsylvania and her brother and sister-in-law came over with a delicious spaghetti dinner. I was able to refresh in the pool and cool off from the hot PA air. Day two, I had the privilege of riding with my cousin Jay and not having to drive at all, as he took the whole 15 hour shift. It was great having quality time with him as we haven't spent much time together in the last 20 years or so. Regardless, it felt like time hadn't passed at all and we were kids again hanging out on the holidays. That night we stayed in the La Quinta hotel. Now, funny story, having spent the last year battling bed bugs spreading in the shelter program, I'm a little paranoid about staying in road hotels which I expressed to my cousins. I gave them a condensed bed bug training and told them that I would be thoroughly inspecting my room. Jay was laughing at me and telling me that I don't need to worry. I looked over my room that night and I must say it was one of the cleanest rooms I've stayed in and I slept very soundly. The next morning there was a loud knock on my door and my cousin is standing there with a picture on his phone of a beetle that had bit him as soon as he crawled into bed. They had apparently had to change rooms and my cousin had bagged everything they own in trash bags so as not to bring anything with them. Being the compassionate cousin I am, I said " I told you so" and then laughed hysterically. Truth be told, I don't think it was a bed bug but oh the irony... Day three I was able to have my 12 year old cousin Noah with me who is my fellow improv comedian. We filled the drive with playing questions only, and the alphabet game and then later he was able to download trivia, and brainteaser apps off my phone where we answered some serious life questions like "would you rather eat maggots or take a bath in monkey dung". After dinner, Jay and Melisa took my van and I drove the Kia with the three kids, Tory, Noah and Isaiah who is 5. We tried playing the song game but "Anti Tonya" as they call me couldn't seem to remember words. Zai however showed us all up with his angelic voice singing his rap version of "I cant tell her that I like her". Too cute!
After two hours, we swapped again and Jay and I drove together the final leg into Denver as the sun set behind the mountains filling the sky with an array of colors.
When we arrived home, Zai carried one of my bags to my room and gingerly setting it down, turned to me and said "See Auntie Tonya, now your home.". It brought tears to my eyes. He's just the sweetest kid.
Its now Sunday and I just figured that out. I woke up this morning and thought it odd that the family was attending church on a Saturday. I guess I lost a day somewhere in Kansas, which incidentally is the flattest, windiest and hottest place I have ever been. I really can't understand why Dorothy wanted to go back there! Last night I was invited to a friend's dinner with Melisa and Jay and it was rejuvenating sitting on the back deck chatting with the girls while the men went to the study for serious manly type conversation, that we teased them about later (my cousin swore there was no cigar smoking). By the end of the night I had the whole family playing questions only which was very entertaining as the family we were visiting has 4 teenagers of their own.
Tomorrow Melisa is taking me to Arvada to see if that's where I'll look for a place to live though they've made if more then clear that they are happy to have me here. I feel so lucky to have such wonderful and loving cousins! As much as I love spending time with them, I can't help but feel anxious to get out of transition and settle into a place of my own.
Happy 4th Friends!
After two hours, we swapped again and Jay and I drove together the final leg into Denver as the sun set behind the mountains filling the sky with an array of colors.
When we arrived home, Zai carried one of my bags to my room and gingerly setting it down, turned to me and said "See Auntie Tonya, now your home.". It brought tears to my eyes. He's just the sweetest kid.
Its now Sunday and I just figured that out. I woke up this morning and thought it odd that the family was attending church on a Saturday. I guess I lost a day somewhere in Kansas, which incidentally is the flattest, windiest and hottest place I have ever been. I really can't understand why Dorothy wanted to go back there! Last night I was invited to a friend's dinner with Melisa and Jay and it was rejuvenating sitting on the back deck chatting with the girls while the men went to the study for serious manly type conversation, that we teased them about later (my cousin swore there was no cigar smoking). By the end of the night I had the whole family playing questions only which was very entertaining as the family we were visiting has 4 teenagers of their own.
Tomorrow Melisa is taking me to Arvada to see if that's where I'll look for a place to live though they've made if more then clear that they are happy to have me here. I feel so lucky to have such wonderful and loving cousins! As much as I love spending time with them, I can't help but feel anxious to get out of transition and settle into a place of my own.
Happy 4th Friends!
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