This is my little sister, not in a biological sense, but blood could not make us any closer. We met when she was only 14 and I was 17. Since then, we have often been confused as sisters. We immediately took a liking to one another and have been inseparable since. She has been through more hardships than a person that young should have to endure. I have been there with her through almost every one. Holding her while we cry together, giving her a ride whenever she needed, offering advice or help whenever I could, and doing whatever I could to help her through a rough journey. In describing our relationship, it sounds very one-sided but this is not true at all. I have learned so much from Heather. She really has had an influence on the person I am today. 

Feeling homesick, I came home on very short notice. Sadly, my dad was unable to get off work. My parents had come to Colorado to visit me just two weeks before my trip home so the point of this trip home was really to see my friends. Of course, this didn't mean I would just ignore my parents. Since my dad had to work, I decided to visit him there. He had just taken a new job as the director of the ER and it delighted me to see that his charm had not failed him. He is the most likable person I have ever met, and I could see that his new staff had accepted him with little problem. My dad taught me how to be a compassionate leader, how to love my friends and how to love my enemies. I owe so much to him and I remind myself of this everyday. I am so lucky to have my biggest role model as my father. 

Don't get me wrong here, I love CO. But there is something special about the countryside. I love taking a car ride right around sunset out in the country. The air is sweet, the sky is filled with brilliant orange and yellow colors, and nothing but fields upon fields fill your eyes. In front of you lies a long two lane road and behind you is the path you have chosen to take. Living in Denver, I realized what a luxury the barren country is. Back in the day, I took this for granted and often remarked, "I hate this boring place." But now sometimes, I find myself in my car  around sunset, driving away from civilization for no good reason.

Feeling homesick is an emotion that is only multiplied under stress. I was in week 7 of this quarter and I was stressed to the max. In a frenzy, I called my mom and asked her to get me home tomorrow. I could either make the 17 hour drive or the 2 and a half hour flight home, I chose the flight. I was home by friday evening and back into my wonderful friends loving arms not soon after that. I spent every second of my time home with loved ones and I came back to CO with a much lower stress level and completely recharged. I am so blessed to have the means to go home when I really need to. I needed to see my house, my parents, my bed, my dogs, and most of all, my old friends in order reestablish sanity in my mind. I am so lucky to know such wonderful people.

I spent another beautiful day at Wash park. It still amazes me that the weather is so beautiful towards the end of October. I love this picture because I can see the reflection of the sky in the water. It almost appears as if there are two worlds. The world that we can plainly see and the world that we perceive. The reminds me of the the two sides of the brain. The seeing part and the feeling part of the brain and the shore line is the corpus callosum or the part where the two sides meet. These two worlds are connected through this part. 

Cultural paper 1

Denver Art Museum

            As a class, we visited the Denver Art Museum. What a wonderful place this is. There is a refreshing mix between ancient and contemporary art. This being my first trip to the museum, I was completely in awe. Never before had I seen such magnificent works of beauty and stylish pieces of contemporary art.  I was lucky enough to walk through the museum with one of my friends in the class, Jenna. She is an art history major.  We walked through the museum and talked about all the pieces of art. It was an amazing experience to be able to discuss the different piece with someone who has extensive knowledge of the collection. We were able to look at each piece up close and from a far and talk about the differences in what we saw in the different places. We contemplated the meaning behind each panting and the attitude of each image. By doing this, I was able to gain a better perspective on how to critique and analyze artwork. Before this, I simply looked a painting and if it was aesthetically pleasing, I liked it. But now, I am able to definitively have a position and generate a true emotion beyond liking or not liking. My eyes have been opened to a whole new world of art. I consider myself to be the luckiest person in our class that day due to my time with Jenna. She really helped me realize the art of personal expression through painting. I now realize that each painting is a unique description of the painter’s feelings at that time.  The art museum proved to be a very cultural, learning, and developing event. My eyes were truly opened at this place. I loved the museum and fully plan to visit again with Jenna in the near future. 

I LOVE DU HOCKEY. I know you guys have it in you to be better. We were smashed by Boston College but don't let that break your spirit. With practice and determination, we can be the best. Maybe not as good as BC but still really freaking good. COME ON DU