Tienes un pedazo de mi corazón

Argentina, tienes un pedazo de mi corazón. You have a piece of my heart.

Argentina had long been on the top of my travel list, for no real good reason, except perhaps I loved the mystery of it, Malbec is my favorite wine, and Patagonia always seemed like an unattainable dream.

When my best friend Kelly and I started brainstorming our first trip together and we both named Argentina at the top of our lists ... we decided to make it happen.

Trying to sum up a travel experience in words is like trying to capture a magnificent sunset on camera. While it never seems to do justice to the real situation, it's something you must try to encapsulate.

Our trip to Argentina was the perfect combination of adventure and city, of modern and culture, of solo and social. It is a perfect country. The people are genuine, the landscape breathtaking, the energy indescribable. To me, it was perfect.

We began our trip in Buenos Aires for a few days to take-in the city before continuing onto Ushuaia, the southern-most city in the world, for several days where we walked with penguins and stood at the gateway to the journey to Antartica. From there, El Calafate, El Chalten - hiking the trail toward Fitz Roy, trekking the Perito Moreno Glacier, and camping at the Adventure Domes without wifi or electricity for two nights. Then returning to Buenos Aires, to enjoy the markets, take runs throughout Palermo, master the Subte subway lines, enjoy wine, bread and olive oil on the patio of our air bnb overlooking the city, and stay out until long past dawn.

When we left BA, I cried. When we landed in Denver, I cried again. No part of it was a sadness to be home. I wanted to see my dogs, my friends, my family. But there is something about traveling that awakens the soul.

When you travel, you are open to experiences and find the positive in all you see - you laugh things off. You find yourself sitting with strangers and meeting incredible people who become friends, talking to people very different than you - and yet finding that in many ways they are so much the same. That we are all so much the same.

Each time I travel, I gain fresh perspective, I open myself to the world - without even realizing I'm doing it. I find that I debunk a stereotype I might entertain, I find a new part of myself I didn't know existed, and I come back to reality with increased intention for how I live my life.

Perhaps what I hope to hold from this trip, is to live more like I travel. To adventure and to find the beauty in each day, to be open to and to find positivity in all experiences - to laugh things off.

To find myself sitting with strangers and meeting incredible people who become friends. To push myself to be a better version of myself by being open.

Argentina, you have a piece of my heart. And you have changed me.

Denver, I am home for now, and ready live here in the same manner that I travel.

Ambos tienen un pedazo de mi corazón. You both have a piece of my heart.

Voices behind the Denver Voice

You can see the Denver Voice on nearly every street corner in downtown Denver.

It's a small newspaper in the hands of people that many normally overlook, but this small thing is making big change. The paper's mission is "to facilitate a dialogue addressing the roots of homelessness by telling stories of people whose lives are impacted by poverty and homelessness and to offer economic, educational and empowerment opportunities for the impoverished community."

However, it is much more than that.

The Denver Voice is Joe. It's Michael, and many more like them.

Joe is a Denver Voice vendor that stands at 17th and California. Joe is a sweet older man with small glasses that has been homeless for 15 years. He tells me business is a slow and that I am the first person to talk to him all day. We've talked before, and after a bit I offered him some candy - his face lights up and he tells me he has a sweet tooth and loves anything chocolate, as he takes a few Snickers, Reese's and Almond Joy.

Just a block away, Michael is selling the Denver Voice at 16th and California, he tells me I am the first person to buy a paper from him that day. Michael is dressed in a button-up shirt and a sweater with a jacket, a good-looking man. We chat for a bit and he tells me that he went to Princeton, but did Cocaine for 20 years and it finally caught up with him and had taken his life from him. He sought help and for the last five years he's been working to get his life back.

Both of these men are faces of homelessness, but also the faces of hope.

Each Denver Voice is a suggested donation of $2 and gives the vendor an opportunity to have an income. The vendors are held to a code of responsibility and purchase the Voice for 50-cents, then they can make $1.50 on each paper when they sell them.

In 2011, there were 479 vendors and 305 new vendors, and the Voice gave each of those people a chance to support themselves.

They are working downtown just like everyone else and each paper they sell gives them a chance at a better life. Next time you walk by a Denver Voice vendor, say hello, think about buying a paper and maybe ask how their day is going.

You never know who you'll meet and what you caring will mean to them.

Looking for a bit of magic for Tinker Bell

The following article is a guest post on the Doggie Avenger Blog, written by a fellow Doggie Avenger, Erin Rist.
 
 
If you have ever had the pleasure of owning a Great Dane then you know how they bury themselves deep into your heart. They are beautiful, majestic dogs who are incredibly sensitive, embody the spirit of "man's best friend" and have an extraordinary way of communicating with you that no other breed can match.
 
Great Danes are well known as "Gentle Giants" and depending on their build and gender they can weigh anywhere from 90-200lbs. They often don't realize their own size. They bump into things and think they can fit on your lap. One my Danes loves to sit on my lap!
 
They are surprisingly sweet with other dogs and are careful not to be reckless around small dogs and children. Great Danes are the true definition of couch potatoes and spend most of their time being lazy. And they are the best cuddle buddies, mostly because their size makes them 100% huggable.
 
As someone who is owned by two Great Danes herself I have a soft spot for them and can't bear to see a Dane suffering.
 
Currently at the MaxFund sits lovable 6-year-old Tinker Bell the Great Dane. Tinker Bell was surrendered by her owner who slapped her across the face in front of MaxFund staff just before she released Tinker Bell into the next chapter of her life. It doesn't take an expert to see that this was not the first time Tinker Bell was abused. I have met Tinker Bell myself and you can see the abuse on her through her eyes and it has even burned into her heart. She seems sad and looks defeated. It is truly heart breaking to look at her.
 

But, through all of that, within minutes of meeting Tinker Bell she came over to me and gave me a soft kiss on my cheek. She is truly the example of looking forward despite the cards she has been dealt so far.
 
Tinker Bell has been at the MaxFund for almost two entire months. While the staff there cares and provides for her to the best of their abilities it is still especially hard on a Great Dane to live their life in a cold, kennel without the comforts of a home and without knowing what their future holds. Great Danes are dogs meant to be right next to their people whether that is underfoot, on the couch or snuggled up in bed. The lonely, cold and isolated experience of any shelter is never good for any dog but for a Dane it can be devastating.
 
I implore anyone who has just read these words to get up and do something! Let's get her out of the MaxFund and into her forever home; let's help Tinker Bell get to her perfect tomorrow.
 
How can you do this?

·         Consider adopting Tinker Bell from the MaxFund.

·         Spread the word. Re-post this information to your own personal blog, your Facebook wall, post a link to it from your Twitter handle, email your friends, family and anyone you know who may be able to provide any opportunities to Tinker Bell.

·         Send your good vibes, warm thoughts and prayers Tinker Bell's way.

 
Tinker Bell deserves all of the help we can lend her. If you have the heart take the time to do anything you can to help her out. Everything counts, big and small.


If you'd like to find out more about Tinker Bell, please visit www.MaxFund.org.