David's Mountain Biking Trip

Today David went mountain biking with his biking friends, Brian and Jeromy. They went to Kenosha Pass and biked 26 miles. He was gone all day! We got snow last night up in the mountains, so it made for some really great pictures. In case you can't tell, David is the one wearing tights! :)

Saturday

Saturday morning we got up early and participated in "Hands for Hope" day in Denver. Hope Communities, Inc. is a non-profit in downtown Denver committed to economic justice efforts. They have remodeled apartments, homes, etc and provide affordable housing options for low-income families. (Check out their website! www.hopecommunities.org) Anyway, we ended up working at the elementary school a few blocks from our house. It was pretty funny to see everyone working there (double locking their car doors) and we were like, "uh, we live down the street." :) We love our neighborhood and it was neat to do "community service" for our neighbors.

Saturday night we met Eric and Amy at Dave and Buster's. David and I thought we'd get our picture taken at the photo booth, but it turned out to be a "Gene Machine." It took our pictures individually and then "mutated" our pictures to show us what our child would look like...



Let's hope the "Gene Machine" is wrong... :) (We had a good laugh)

Here's a picture of Eric and Amy. They are great!

Health Insurance for Children

This week Congress will vote on the reauthorization of the SCHIP bill. (State Child Health Insurance Program) SCHIP provides health insurance for low-income children who don't qualify for federal aid. The bill being proposed will only cover roughly 1/3 of children currently uninsured, but it is a step in the right direction.

I am urging you to go to the Children's Defense website at www.childrensdefense.org. There is a link on the homepage that will allow you to send an email to your congress members. (For us Kansans, Senator Sam Brownback will need the most convincing...) The website makes it easy so that all you have to do is fill out your personal information.

As a former teacher, I know how important health insurance is. I had a student last year named Iveth, and Iveth came to me one morning complaining of a tooth ache. I told her there was nothing I could do and sent her to her seat. After lunch, I saw her crying at her desk and when I asked her what was wrong, she pointed to her tooth. When I had her open her mouth and show me her tooth, I saw that her two back molars were completely rotted out. This is not right... and it's not fair...

Weekend fun

Friday night we hung out with Matt, a fellow Iliff student, and his wife Lorissa. They invited us to a coffee shop near their house that was serving free coffee/drinks and showing a movie in the coffee shop. They are a very sweet couple. We had such a good time! (And didn't spend any money!)

Saturday morning we took the puppies hiking at Elk Meadow. (David goes there a lot to mountain bike.)






We went to church at Park Hill again this morning. Eric and Amy (both Iliff students...Amy is the girl I knew in KC...) met us at church and we went to IHOP afterward.

DESPITE the fact it sounds like we are always doing fun and exciting things, this is how I spend MOST of my time...



While I read and do homework, David entertains himself by working on his bike and playing with his new helmet light...



This is what Zoe does while I study...



And here's Midas...




It's good times at the Baker house! :)

God is unbelievable...

I cannot believe how good God has been to us...
We are so grateful that David is starting his job October 1st. Neither one of us dreamed it would be almost 2 months before he started working. We were counting on my stipend to help us pay our October bills...the Financial Aid office had told me it would take about 7 days from the day I registered, but when I went to the Business Office yesterday the lady told me it wouldn't get cut until September 28th which meant it wouldn't be in my mail box until October 1st. My heart was heavy last night...
And then today I got the mail and there was a check from Wells Fargo Mortgage with a refund check for $909.83. Unbelieveable!!! I cannot believe how "provided" for and blessed we feel. Every time I start to wonder and doubt and lose faith, God miraculously provides.
I don't normally refer to scripture, but I've been doing about 8 bajillion hours of Hebrew Bible and I can't help but think of God's covenant with Abraham. Over and over and over and over God promises to bless Abraham so that he may be a blessing. I pray this is true for David and me. We have been so blessed and I pray that we will be a blessing to others.

David's job

David has accepted a job with Denver Health. (A hospital in Denver known for providing Level 1 and 2 care to the uninsured...) He will be working as a "Health Technician" and will be on the 8th floor, a Med/Surgery floor. Mostly, he will be doing patient care, working alongside the Registered Nurse. The only tricky thing is that it is a night shift position so he will be working 7PM-7AM three nights a week. He has the option of picking up a fourth shift, which would help our budget but... I am a little nervous about what this will do to our schedule (as far as seeing each other!) and I am not crazy about being home alone three nights a week. Please pray for us during this transition! The good news...we will both have GOOD health insurance! :)

My head is spinning!

Even though I had a full day of classes last Thursday, today felt different because we were discussing the reading (which was A LOT) we had been assigned. By the time David picked me up, my head was spinning! My first class is small and mostly discussion, but both of my afternoon classes are lecture classes and there is SO much new information. I'm over over overwhelmed but the amount of information I don't know! I secretly write down words the professor says in class so that I can later look them up... why don't they offer tutors in seminary? :)

Mom :)

My mom flew in for the weekend and it was SO nice to have her here. We picked her up Friday morning and took her to Iliff. She got the FULL tour since Iliff was open! Saturday we drove to Boulder and Estes Park. This morning she went to church with us and then we had lunch downtown. I was sad to see her go...it is hard to be away from people we love! :(

Orientation

I didn't sleep last night because I was so excited! I was wide awake at 2AM, but David said it was too early to get ready for school. My mom always took my picture on the first day of school, so David took a picture of me on my first day of graduate school. My mom also used to make me hold up the number of fingers that corresponded to the grade I was entering....so last night when I was talking to her she said, "You could hold up a cross and flame!" :)




Anyway, orientation was LONG but good. I am registered for classes! I am taking Hebrew Bible, World Religions, Women & Religion, and a Justice and Peace class on homelessness. I can't believe how many books I had to buy for only 14 hours! All my classes are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays so I am hoping to work a few hours each week on campus.

:)

I couldn't think of a good title for today's blog. We had a good day! This morning we went to Park Hill United Methodist Church and I think we may have found a home away from home. It is a unique congregation because it is half African-American and half white. The pastor is an African-American male and the associate pastor is a white female! It is very close to our apartment, the people were VERY friendly, and I am anxious to worship in a diverse congregation.

After church we headed downtown to the ESPN zone to watch the Chief's game. I was nervous about being a Chiefs fan in Denver, but there were a lot of fellow fans and a couple of them invited us to sit at a table with them. Too bad the Chiefs lost! :(

Later, David went with me to an event at Regis University. Anna Baltzer, a Jewish American, was speaking about her experience in the Occupied Palestinian territories. I had heard Anna speak before, and she was equally impressive the second time. I would encourage ALL to check out her website www.AnnaInTheMiddleEast.com or read her book "Witness in Palestine." I talked to her afterward and asked for a picture. I told her I'm not interested in meeting rock stars, but I would love to get a picture with someone who so passinately works for justice!


Tonight was also the dinner at President Trickett's house (the president of Iliff). All first-year students and their families were invited. David and I hadn't been there very long when I thought I saw someone I knew. Sure enough, there was a girl I had known from district youth events in high school! She and her husband are both starting seminary so not only do I have a friend in seminary, but David and I have a couple to hang out with!

Tomorrow is Orientation so I'm sure I will post again... :)
Love and miss you all!

More company!

Rachel and her boyfriend, Andy, were in town for a concert at Red Rocks so we had lunch with them at Wynkoop Brewery downtown. They are a great couple and we really enjoyed being with them!

Patty's curtains

Patty made us curtains for the living room and bedroom. They look great and I can't believe how quickly she made them! Thanks, Patty! :)

Gee Gee and Pau Pau

Gee Gee and Pau Pau (Bob and Sally) stopped in Denver yesterday on their way to Moab. It was so good to see them and visit with them! We have missed our family! We had "Happy Hour" at our apartment (they always come prepared!) and then they took us to dinner at PF Chang's. It was a good time!

A Taste of Colorado

This morning we went to the Denver Art Museum. It is free to Colorado residents the first Saturday of every month and, evidently, we are Colorado residents! :)
There was a festival in Civic Center Park so we headed over there after the museum. I thought it was free, but only ADMISSION was free. Oh well, we enjoyed some BBQ and live jazz!

can you believe it?