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Courtesy of ENUF Equity Network for Metro Denver - DPS School Board Community Forum Tuesday, May 22, 2018. DCIS at Fairmont. Equity Network United for Metro Denver held a DPS School Board Community Forum in the gym of DCIS at Fairmont. ENUF Metro Denver members were set to share the work they have been doing in connection with three major areas related to the Denver Public School system. In return, ENUF members were seeking a commitment from each Board member to continue working with the group on each issue. The two hour meeting began with appetizers and drinks paired with mingling as the Denver Board of Education members made their way to the event. Beginning with an overall introduction of ENUF, the members walked the audience through the forum schedule and breakdown of speaking with each School Board member. ENUF previously narrowed down a list of over 150 topics to three that would make up the focus of their efforts this winter and spring. Those topics were to be present

Photo by  MaxPixel You should travel to the island of Puerto Rico this summer for its unending beauty and need for tourism. This summer, the American territory of Puerto Rico offers a great opportunity to support many who are in great need. Puerto Rico is the land of rainforests and Courtesy of CIA Puerto Rico, an archipelago by geography, consists of its mainland and five other inhabitable, smaller land areas. The main island, home to the capital city of San Juan, is the most densely populated and offers the best in tourism. Traveling to Puerto Rico in 2018 brings options for less expensive rates with less populated tourist areas. In addition to the standard vacation options, volunteering experiences in Puerto Rico are highly engaging travel alternatives. Puerto Rico in June June offers some of the best weather on the island of Puerto Rico. You’ll find warm, breezy weather to accompany your beach adventures and citywide escapades. The crowds of tourists from the wi

AND    Two words that bring me instant joy.            Two objects that always lift the corners of my mouth.  Boobies are the most powerful asset on a human body. Boobies can stop time. Boobies can elicit tears, smiles, silence, whiplash. I will always hold boobies above Birkenstocks... but there's something joyous to be said about leather on the feet that cannot be denied. Top 5 Things to LOVE About Boobies 1. Looking at them. No matter the size or shape, boobies offer an incredible visual experience for all. 2. Visualizing them. When you're not around boobies, close your eyes and imagine a room filled with boobies. What an experience! 3. Feeling them.  4. Feeling them with your face.  5. Feeling them while participating in another activity. How Birkenstocks are JUST Like Boobies Birkenstocks come in a pair, like boobies, and feel good against your skin, like boobies.  Birkenstocks are made in a wide array of colors, shapes

Last night I had my first alcoholic beverage since I leaned into meditation. Unsettling. I am unsettled. Goenka and the Vipassana method of meditation reflect on the effects of alcohol. One of the precepts to heed is not to allow any intoxicant to enter and alter your body. This was an easy precept to follow while on retreat as there was no alcohol around, or time to even consider it. In the real world, I considered alcohol from the first day I re-entered the world. I have a complicated relationship with alcohol and have for many years. I struggle with understanding my connection to alcoholic family members and my own desires to imbibe. Many times I have decided to refrain from drinking alcohol, most often for sports training purposes. Lately, pre-retreat, wine has been my drink of choice and I enjoy glasses of this red grape essence regularly. The teachings of Vipassana put alcohol into another consideration category, one I have yet to fully explore. Refraining from drinking alcoh

He was right. Day 2 and day 6 were two of the hardest days. Two days when you’d want to flee, to leave the world you committed to. These days were hard, it’s true, but there were others. Day three, day five. Those days were particularly hard too. Living in noble silence for ten long days brought on hardship unlikely any other I have yet to experience.  Yet, it was not the silence that proved the greatest challenge for me. Being an introvert living in an extroverted world, I welcomed the silence wholeheartedly. The silence proved a fascination point over the next ten days. The physical and emotional aspects were considerably more challenging. I expected the latter, to a degree, but not the former. I found solace in the few moments of clarity and the many moments of intrigue.  Menomonie is a small midwestern town about one hour east of Minneapolis. Located in Wisconsin, it’s home to Stout University, over 13,000 college students, a former rice farming community, and a meditation

Tonight I went to the 'Outspoken Speaker Series'  led by artist Adrienne Norris (Adri). I learned of Adri from a friend, another local artist of a different medium, and am so grateful for the introduction. Adri is a portrait painter of a new kind. The kind of portrait painter who makes you look at all the other portraits and question--Why don't they do it like Adri? Or maybe the better question is--Where has Adri been all my life? Adri's mixed media portrayals opened my perspective in just the right way. Tonight I learned deep knowledge regarding women in connection with their LGBTQ histories. Adri taught me not only about the women whom she has painted, but also of the social context of the time periods in which they lived. She discussed women and the worlds they lived in dating back to the Victorian era. Adri's postcards (elements of her larger works) of Billie Holiday & Audre Lourde Tonight Adri reminded me that art is such a fluid form, that sto