High Colfax-Way Robbery

You may remember that I go to spin class in the morning before work a couple of times a week. Today was a spin class day.

It started out normal, some warm up music, a little Creedence Clearwater, Pink, Tina Turner, the usual. But somewhere around minute 27, things took a crazy turn. I heard a "twinkly sound" (I for some reason thought it was Christmas noise, like bells or something) and then the fellow-spinner by the door said, "The pot store was just broken into!" And sure enough, the lower portion of the glass door at the Dispensary across the street was broken and shards covered the ground. Hence, the "twinkly sound" that was actually glass breaking. Immediately, our instructor called 911. By minute 30, a gentleman walked out of the Dispensary and calmly picked up his bag, and went on his way. Soon, a cop car showed up and the eye-witness spinner talked to the officer. As they were talking, a few more cop cars arrived on the scene. Soon, the Spinner popped into say "They need me to identify a suspect!" So, she got in the back of the cop car and went with the officer.

At this point, we are all still spinning away, but not really sure how to take it all in! I mean, THAT. JUST. HAPPENED!! In the meantime, while the Spinner was identifying the suspect, our instructor told us about the time SHE rode in the back of a cop car. (It wasn't really her fault, I promise!) By the time class was over and we were in the middle of stretching, the Spinner came back and began filling out a police report. The cops had caught him (barely a block away), she identified him and he was headed to jail.

Yes, medical marijuana is legal in the state of Colorado, but you still have to have a doctor-prescribed prescription, you must enter the dispensary during business hours and you have to pay for it. I think our suspect of the day missed that memo.

WHAT?!?! How's THAT for a Friday morning? And to think, I almost didn't go to spin class this morning . . .

My Lunch

Because I think this is fascinating (and those of you that might still worry that we are starving on our limited budget), this is what I packed for lunch today:
-a banana for morning snack
-pasta w/ at least 5 different green veggies (leftover from St. Patty's lunch)
-green peppers
-apple
-peach yogurt
-a pear for afternoon snack

It is a lunch of veggies with a side of fruit and a side of veggies. What I packed today has nothing to do with fasting from meat for Lent; this has been a pretty typical lunch for me for a long time. I have this habit of serving veggies with a side of veggies and veggies on the side. Yesterday for snack I had a Naked Juice (juice made of a whole bunch of fruit and that's it) with a banana. I don't know what it is about this that amuses me so much, but it does. I don't do this on purpose, it just happens.

My fear about only eating salads as a vegetarian was valid only because that often seems like what I eat anyway. The fact that it was a fear was not valid because I often do this on purpose.

My apologies for this blog not being deep and insightful or even that entertaining. But, just like when training for a marathon, you have to have a couple bad runs in the mix so you fully appreciate the good runs. Consider this a means to help you fully appreciate my good blogs. :)

Gratitude all around . . .

Although Lent seems to be a season of sacrifice, I keep seeing signs of gratitude. The other day in staff meeting, we talked about planning for happiness. Yesterday in church, in a sermon on good stewardship, she emphasized gratitude as one of the seven steps. A co-worker keeps a gratitude journal. It's all around me! I'm taking it as a sign to jump on the gratitude bandwagon. So, in true Johanna-fashion, here's a list:
1. Bright, sunny days in the beginning of March.
2. The beginning of a Chaco Tan.
3. The ability to run. (Many of my clients today are physically not able to run. It reminded me how much of a privilege it is to be able to run.)
4. Brand new black and pink running shoes . . . for free!
5. A nice place to run around a lake with a mountain view!
6. A boyfriend that cooks (delicious!) supper for me and my housemates.
7. A puppy to snuggle with at night.
8. Long, warm sweaters that feel like a blanket you can wear. (And isn't a snuggie.)
9. Pumpkin waffles with real maple syrup.
10. Fair Trade Coffee.
11. Being able to call my mom.
12. Friends that visit from Kansas.
13. Mountains.
14. Climbing mountains.
15. Leftovers.
16. Fresh produce.
17. A place to call my own.
18. A warm shower.
19. Financial security. (Even though I make very little a month, I have financial security. This still amazes me how "safe" I feel in spite of not having money.)
20. Realistic dreams of going to grad school.

That's my list for now, but I betcha I'll have more. :)

A Celebration of Community

Brad and I have been going to First Mennonite Church pretty regularly since we moved here in September. We definitely started to build a sense of community there and even know people's names! This past Sunday, Brad was out of town for a race, and so I went to church by myself. I don't think about being alone until I walk in. For some reason, walking into church alone takes me back. It doesn't seem to matter that I've been going to that church for 6 months and recognize many people there. I just don't like going to church alone.

However, by the end of the first verse of the hymn, I no longer felt alone. I had instantly joined a community that ran much deeper than just the voices that mingled in the air. We were singing words and following a melody that had been written over 100 years prior. Generations of Mennonites had been singing that voice in many churches allover the US and probably world. By joining in the singing, I instantly joined a community that filled the deepest parts of my soul.

Even though the connection to community was instant, this took a long time to develop in my life. The only reason I felt the connection so clearly is because I have been Mennonite for years. My family has been Mennonite for generations upon generations. I've grown up singing these songs and have many of my own, distinct memories of singing hymns all around the world. They speak to me because I have treasured them. I have spent years developing values that have intricately woven my faith and the very songs we sing. Brad has only been attending a Mennonite church since September. My guess is that singing a hymn would not have created the same instant connection for him. It takes years and years to build community, especially one so easily accessed.

When I moved to Denver, I knew I would be living in community the instant I walked into the Wolff Den. From the moment I left O Little Town of Washington and my beautiful two-bedroom apartment, I would be living in community. I would now share a kitchen, meal times, responsibilities, decisions, stories, and life. But it wasn't an instant community. We had lots in common, (including a house, a very modest stipend and bus schedules to say the least), but we weren't instantly connected. It takes time to build true friendships and connections. And much to my chagrin, one cannot schedule or plan for it nor can you check it off a to-do list.

But without meaning it, today we celebrated community. We got a dozen donuts from Winchell's Donuts (a Denver staple) and took off for Red Rocks Amphitheater. Sarah led us in a Bible study and a check-in, but nothing was forced or even monumental. We spent the rest of the morning in amazement at the dedicated work-out-ers, soaking up the sun and marveling in the natural beauty of Red Rocks. After we returned, we got ready for our first (hopefully of many!) grilling night. We had hamburgers or lentil-chickpea burgers with all the fixin's, baked beans and coleslaw, pineapple, veggies, and chips and dip. We sat around the grill and enjoyed each others company long after our tummies were full. We found some marshmallows to toast, but mostly just basked in the warmth of community.

We didn't have a cake or balloons or party hats or anything to indicate a celebration. We didn't even mark in on the calendar. But today we celebrated in a pretty big way.

Herbivore Update

I've been a vegetarian for about 2 weeks and I have to say, I actually like it! In my last post, I shared some of my initial concerns or fears about this transition. I'd like to take a moment to follow up with those, thus far.

1. Won't I be hungry? Meat has a lot of protein and protein keeps you full. Without protein, I'll be hungry . . .
Goodness, no! Right after Lent began, the Wolff Pack Plus (we picked up a couple people along the way), headed to Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp. Because the cook there is so wonderful, there was a delicious vegetarian option at every meal. I sat down for dinner one night and looked at my overflowing tray. Salad, eggplant parmesan, pasta, cottage cheese, peaches and a cherry bar for dessert. The only reason I stopped with those options was because I ran out of room on my plate! The taco salad lunch the next day was the same way. The only thing I passed by was the taco meat, but once I started eating, I didn't even notice it was gone. I figured if I could eat that well at a "good old Mennonite buffet" as a vegetarian, I'll be just fine.

I've also read a lot of articles online and they all seem to be in cohorts about dispelling the myth about vegetarians lacking protein. As Americans, we are generally a little too obsessed about protein and consume way more than we need. As a Veg, as long as I consume a variety of whole grains (which I already did) and a mix of beans, lentils, potatoes, dairy, nuts (yeah peanut butter!) eggs, and non-meat alternatives, I'll be just fine. I haven't actually counted up my protein intake for a day, but I betcha I'm fine. Though I still can't shake the "3:30-I'm-starving" snack attack, I'm filling up quite nicely. (But not filling out! I've actually lost 3 pounds in the process. I'm not sure if it was cutting out meat or chocolate that gets credit for that, but still, I'm happy with it!)

2. I'll eat a lot of salad.
This one barely deserves a respone. I did that before. I like salad. I often crave it. Next question.

3. I will accidently order something at a restaurant that has meat.
Now, this one is true. I went to a Mexican restaurant and almost ordered a chile relleno before I realized that I had no idea what it was stuffed with. (Just cheese.) But even so, I found plenty of other options on the menu and finished my meal stuffed, once again!

I did run across another tricky dillemma that I hadn't anticipated. Before Lent began, Brad and I had signed up to be guests at a Progressive Dinner through church. I realized that I really didn't want to have to tell our hosts that I don't eat meat. Our wonderful hosts were all "good old Mennonite" cooks in which I can imagine meat is a staple. I hemmed and hawed and procrastinated until the day of the dinner and realized that I really couldn't tell them at that point. My option now was to either eat what was served or eat everything but the meat. I ended up going with the latter and it worked out just fine! Our appetizers were (delicious) and herbivorific. The main course was chicken, rice, salad and dinner rolls. I just passed the chicken onto the next person and still enjoyed a delicious meal. I did not want to offend my hosts in anyway, but I also wanted to stick to my meat-fast. It was just fine! Not a problem in the least! (I do have a hunch that there was chicken stock in the rice and a some anchovies in the salad dressing, but I'll celebrate my baby steps.)

4. I'll only eat beans.
I've definitely eaten more beans than before, but not an overwhelming amount. As previously mentioned, variety is the key to a healthy, balanced diet and I think I (and the whole house) have done a pretty good job with it! I purchased TVP (textured vegetable protein) after 4/5ths of the house declared their vegetarian allegiance and I actually wasn't the first one to get to it. Meg was craving tacos so she made TVP taco filling rather than taco meat. Even though she made almost twice as much as intended, it didn't last long at our house. I was excited to see my housemates branching out and trying something new! Once Easter is over, we may not ever eat TVP again, but hey, we tried it!

5. I'll have troubles, err, umm, "digesting" all the beans.
Ok, so this is a well-founded fear. However, I have discovered Bean-o. That is all I have to say about that.

6. I'll have to cook more.
Again, a bit of a ridiculous fear. I love to cook. I have had to cook a bit more than before as we all develop new staples. But we are quickly discovering new meat-less stand-bys and go-to meals. And not that my leftovers ever lasted long before, but they seem to go even quicker. I think we are all learning how to eat vegetarian so any kind of in-house leftovers are "safe" and easy to go to. There was an initial increase in cooking, but it's already mellowed out.

The first time I prepared a community meal as a vegetarian was a bit overwhelming to me. I've realized that in my mind, a main dish has meat. And it if doesn't have meat, it's a side dish. I scoured through a whole stack of vegetarian cookbooks that I picked up from the library and ended up with a menu of side dishes. I feared that I was serving vegetables with a side of veggies and a side of veggies. (To be fair, I did.) However, it was still a full meal and properly balanced. There was a good mix of veggies, protein, whole grains and dairy. The USDA would have approved. it wa sjust in my mind that the meal was incomplete. It is definitely taking some time to re-allign my thinking and definition of a main dish.

7. It'll be hard.
Oh bah. Every change is a struggle and every habit is hard to break. Of course it's hard. But it's also fun, surprisingly educational and very much delicious. :)

Lent in the Community

Hello Blog.

It's been a while . . . 3 months to be exact. Please don't feel too bad, you're not the only means of writing that I leave unattended for extended amounts of time. I pulled out my journal the other day and thought, "hmm, it's been a while." Please keep in mind that I take this journal everywhere . . . to camp for the summer, on retreats, on road trips, in my pile of "things that can't get lost" as I move 700 miles across country, etc. In spite of it's constant presence, the last time I actually wrote in it before last night was October. Of 2009. So you see, it's nothing personal about you, it's a personal character flaw of mine. My bad.

Rather than try to sum up the last 3 months in a paragraph, I'm just going to skip it and jump right into my current days and thoughts.

For Lent, we as a community wanted to practice the spiritual practice of fasting from a specific item. We wanted it to be something we could all do together that would bring us together (and not cause division or seperation), would raise awareness in our own lives about bigger social justice issues, and would be something we actually notice. We decided to give up coffee and chocolate unless it is officially Fair Trade. We also encouraged each other to choose something more personal to work on throughout the Lent Season. I decided to give up meat, aka be a vegetarian, for Lent as well.

To start Lent, we went through the kitchen and purged it of all chocolate and coffee items. We put them away, out of sight, for the season. I did the same in my office. Now, I'm the first to admit that I love coffee and that I really like chocolate. But I was still amazed at how much chocolate is in our house and my office! Everything from cereals to granola bars to baking items to drink mixes. I did the same in my office and my stash of 10 granola bars was suddenly down to 2. :( Chocolate has infilitrated a lot more of my life than I would have ever thought!

The first two mornings of Lent, aka mornings without coffee, were tough. I expected a headache, but beyond that, I couldn't focus. I'd read an email and get to the end and realize I had no idea what it said. I'd sit and stare at my long to-do list without knowing where to start. Yikes! But as the week went on, things got better. (I can't imagine that it has anything to do with the Diet Pepsi I started drinking . . .) On our Tuesday Community Day, we went to a coffee shop that serves all fair-trade. I was delighted by the taste and before I knew it, I'd had two cups and still couldn't concentrate, but for opposite reasons. It had only been a week, but that caffiene suddenly carried a stronger kick. It's amazing how quickly the body adjusts!

Giving up meat has also been realized as a bigger deal than I initially thought. But first, here were/are some of my concerns as I transition into a Vegetarian for Lent.
1. Won't I be hungry? Meat has a lot of protein and protein keeps you full. Without protein, I'll be hungry . . .
2. I'll eat a lot of salad.
3. I will accidently order something at a restaurant that has meat.
4. I'll only eat beans.
5. I'll have troubles, err, umm, "digesting" all the beans.
6. I'll have to cook more.
7. It'll be hard.

I hope to revisit each of these questions along the way and see how these concerns are realized. But until then . . .

Again, blog, I apologize for my absence, but please don't take it personally. I do hope that Lent will give me motivations to blog more often and frequently. And who knows, maybe this time it will stick!

Grocery Tips & Tidbits

One of my recent blogs caused quite a stir and I really didn’t mean to do that! The Wolff Pack is not poor and I’m sticking to that! I have heard from various people and sources that our ability to grocery shop within such a small budget is a bit of an anomaly compared to our peers in Denver and across the nation. I am in charge of grocery shopping for the Wolff Pack and it’s a responsibility I take great pride and pleasure in. However, I don’t think I do anything special so I am confused when people comment or think it’s anything out of the ordinary. I’m not entirely sure how I know how to grocery shop, but I blame it on my mother. She would take us with her to the store and I think I went pretty willingly. (Mom, if you’re reading this, just play along.) I know I got a good start by watching her grocery shop and I’ve also had the opportunity to put those lessons into practice over the last 4 years as I was responsible to feed myself every day. I think the best way to learn is to make all the mistakes for yourself. However, when you live on a $85 per month food budget, there isn’t much room for error. I’ve compiled some grocery guidelines, tips and practices that I follow, mostly for my fellow Dwellers across the U.S. If you (yes, YOU) have anymore to add to the list, please do so in the comments.

1. Read all the ads for the local grocery stores.
2. Make a list based on those ads.
3. Stick to that list!
4. Grocery shop regularly so that you know what an average, good and bad price is.
5. Comparison shop. The stores that include the “Price per ounce” right on the price tags are SO helpful. Use them!
6. Just because it’s on sale doesn’t mean it’s a good deal. (See #4)
7. Shop around. Don’t depend on one grocery store for all your groceries. Read all the ads, go where the sales are and don’t be afraid to try new places.
8. Don’t pay more than $1 a pound for produce. (Yes, this means you have to buy in season. And if you live in Florida, I imagine you are stinkin’ lucky because you have fresh stuff all the time!)
9. Don’t pay more than $3 a pound for meat.
10. Don’t buy the first thing you see. Check similar items and KNOW that it’s a good deal, don’t just assume.
11. You can either have convenient or cheap, not both. Learn how to do the work and save yourself a lot of money.
12. Buy things that are processed as little as possible. Processed often equals convenience, but it almost always equals “not as good for you” and higher price. One of the few exceptions is frozen fruits and veggies and sometimes canned fruits and veggies. But it usually only applies to those items that are not in season.
13. Learn how to cook. (I cannot emphasize this enough.)
14. Cook meals based on sales.
15. Eat leftovers.
    
16. Stock up on good deals and use your freezer.
17. A little discount is worth it. Though “10 cents off” might not like seem like great savings, it will add up over time. Plus, it’s a state of mind. If you start down the path of “it’s only 50 cents more”, that can quickly add up to spending $10 more than you need to in one shopping trip.
18. Buying in bulk is not always cheaper. Due to sales, sometimes two half gallons of milk are actually cheaper than one gallon of milk. Use that price per ounce feature and figure it out.
19. Just because it’s cheap, doesn’t mean it’s good for you. (Ok, so this isn’t price related, but it is one of my personal grocery guidelines.)
20. Know what basics you need and stock up when they are on sale.
21. Use your freezer! (And then remember to pull stuff out of it. I am still learning that lesson. When I moved out of my last apartment, I found stuff in my freezer that was several years old and totally unidentifiable. Gross.)
22. Learn how to scavenge food. (This is much easier as a volunteer.) I’ve been known to ask, “What happens to the leftovers?” on many occasions and it usually means the answer is, “You’re welcome to them!” It also means that sometimes you inherit giant pans of cheese, refried beans and rice. This is where the freezer comes in handy.
23. Learn to use a crock pot! They make very easy work of cheaper but more time consuming food products. Yes, it’s a lot easier to open a can of black beans, but for the same price, you could have bought a whole pound of dry black beans. (One pound of dry beans equals about 3 cans of beans.) By using your crock pot, you can cook an entire pound of beans at one time while you are at work, have what you need ready for supper and freeze the rest. You can also take advantage of cheaper but tougher cuts of meat. Put it in the crock pot with a yummy sauce and, tada! Delicious.
24. Don’t waste food. Use it or lose it. So either make only the exact amount you need or learn to eat leftovers.
25. When living as a community, communicate food hopes, dreams, goals, preferences and availability. One thing we have had to learn as a community is to label all the leftovers that go in the fridge so we don’t have “mystery meats” floating around and to communicate what we actually have around or want around. Food tends to go bad if left in the back and forgotten about. Also, people don’t eat the blackberries if they don’t know we have them!
26. Only open one thing at a time. (Yes, I realize I’ve digressed from grocery shopping, but it sort of applies, right?) Having 2 bags of identical chips open at the same time means that one is likely to go stale. Just don’t do it. Finish what is opened first before opening a new one. Having 5 choices at all times is a first world privilege, not a basic right.
27. Buy off brand. It’s ok, I promise.
28. Buy local and in season when possible. You can find some pretty amazing deals (and delicious deals!) at your local farmers market, if you know what you’re looking for.
29. Research your local grocery stores. Back in Iowa, there was an Amish-run salvage grocery store affectionately known as “Bent & Dent”. I’m not sure how they did it, but they had the non-perishable items for sale that grocery stores could not sell. I could find regular items for 10% of retail price. Cliff bars for $1.29 each? Yeah right! Try 10/$1! We found a place in Denver that operates as a similar business. The prices aren’t quite as great, but they are still better than the regular store.
30. Use coupons. (You’ll note that this is the last one on the list. I’m not really a couponer. I tend to have better luck with sales and off brands. However, if I took more time, I’m sure coupons could save us even more money. Hmm, I’ll have to look into that.)

Yikes. I did NOT mean to create “Johanna’s Top 30 Grocery Tips and Tidbits”. But that’s what I think about EVERYTIME I go grocery shopping. If you are just learning how to shop for yourself, pick one or two tips and get good at those. When they become second nature, add one or two more. You’ll learn quickly and save even faster! Happy Shopping!