Visit

Mom and Dad are wrapping up their visit today. We are going to go to the Palisade Farmer's Market so they can pick up some peaches and cherries. I need to grab some peaches, too, and some veggies. I wouldn't mind picking up some peach wine again as well!

They came Friday night and met me at the house after work. We had dinner at Fiesta Guadalajara and then took a walk by the care center. We also Skyped with Robert which was fun because I finally had Internet at in the evening. Yesterday Dad drove us to some parts of town I haven't been-to the mall and the shopping around it. We went to the Western Botanical Gardens-they have reciprocity with the Denver Botanic Gardens so we got in for free! It is a small but lovely little oasis. We had lunch at the house and rested a bit, then headed downtown. We checked out the train station because they may take the train up sometime. The downtown area is super cute and there are a ton of cute stores. One in particular is an antique shop that had everything I love...I got pangs of wishing I could decorate a house! All in due time...and now I know where to shop when I have my own place! We had dinner at The Olive Garden and then I did some laundry at their hotel. It has been really nice having them here and I look forward to future visits.

Good morning

I slept a good 7 hours last night and felt good enough to get up early. It looks as though the internet fairies got to work last night and now I can be online. Morning has always been my favorite time of day, especially in the summer when it is the only time of day that is cool and quiet. I have easily fallen into morning ritual, something I haven't done in a while because of the unpredictable school/internship schedule. Since being in Junction, the boys and I get up around 5:30. I have coffee, they eat breakfast. We take a nice walk in the neighborhood, and then I go for a walk/jog. Come home, eat breakfast, listen to the news, and get ready for the day. Ritual is so comforting in times of change-it brings stability and predictability as the change settles in and becomes the new normal.

The house faces West and so every morning I get an amazing view of the sunrise. Lately, the moon has been hanging around a little later than normal. A part of the morning walk includes a stroll through the hospice care center's garden, with or without the boys. I wanted to share this little piece of beauty so you can see how lucky I am to have such beauty with which I can face my day. I used to have my neighbor's gardens to look at as the boys and I set off for our morning walk...this is the next best thing!

The interior of the hospice is just as lovely as the exterior. It is styled in the old bungalow-mission style with lots of dark wood and stained glass windows. Each of the 13 patient rooms are huge with their own balconies. The chaplain I shadowed the other day told me this story. They had an old cowboy on service and he was at the care center, close to dying and his family couldn't care for him anymore. One of his last wishes was to have his horse come to the care center so he could say goodbye. He was on the lower level so he had access to the grass. Well, they brought the horse, unloaded him in the parking lot, and brought him to the man's patio! Yes, I shed a little tear, too, when I heard that story.

On another note, Mom and Dad come Friday! Yay! I can't wait to show them the house and the hospice. I still have exploring to do so I am hoping we can do that together. I haven't been to the part of town with the mall, Petsmart, and Sprouts so I need to venture that way. One nice thing about shadowing and riding along with folks is that I get to see parts of the area I haven't seen before.

K.I.T.

Well, friends, it looks like my internet connection is down. Since it is through the hospice I have to call them to troubleshoot. I think this is going to happen from time to time, so don't give up on me...I will try to Keep In Touch as best I can! Right now I am at the library-I got my Grand Junction library card and thought I would log in to the computer while I am here. I wanted to post pictures from my walk this morning of the flower path around the hospice. It is a lovely way to start the day, walking through the gardens and looking at the beautiful flowers. Well, I will save that for another post. I do, however, want to say that I LOVE MY JOB. Seriously. I love it. The organization is one of a kind fabulous and the people are above and beyond kind, professional, and fun. I have spent the past three days shadowing and riding along with social workers, chaplains, nurses, and such. I have met the most inspiring patients-humble, vulnerable, appreciative, and open. Considering this is day 3 of training, I expect it only to get better from here. I will write more, once the computer is accessible again, or once I come back to the library. In the meantime, keep checking the blog!

Postcard

I awoke today from a night of deep, peaceful sleep. I have been lacking in that the past few weeks, so it  was certainly welcome! The boys and I went for a nice long walk while it was still cool. Today was Palisade's farmer's market day...every Sunday from 10am-2pm. I got there right at opening, as I have been anticipating this ever since I new I was moving to Grand Junction! I love farmer's markets, and this one felt really local. I bought a number of items-peaches, heirloom tomatoes, lavender lotion, and two kinds of interesting wine-Apricot/Honey and Peach. It should be interesting poured over ice to bring refreshment for this hot weather! Then I drove the Palisade scenic byway through the orchards and farms. The weather was perfect and it was leisurely and enjoyable.

Here is a video of the farmer's market...there were lots of produce vendors, as well as weavings, jewelry, lotions, and of course wine!

Along the scenic byway, my favorite part is the bright green against the brown of the landscape.

What I really enjoyed as well were all the little fruit stands and small markets that dotted the landscape. 

Tomorrow is my first day of work. I am really looking forward to starting and knowing what the job will entail on a day to day basis. This afternoon I may take the boys to a park, and then lay low and get ready for tomorrow. I have been looking forward to "the rut" again-working Mon-Fri and having weekends off. Hopefully my schedule will be somewhat predictable!

Here

I think I surpassed the amount of stress my body, mind and soul can handle...but the boys and I moved into our place in Grand Junction yesterday! Let me back up, and explain a little of the stress. I had a "perfect" vision of how everything would turn out, but nothing turned out as I had planned-except for the fact that the moving company I used kicked butt and we moved everything to storage in 2 hours. Little things went wrong...like, I didn't know the buyers were having all these inspections done the day that I was moving out of the house. I wanted to have one last good cry before I locked up, and I was so stressed out that I barely cleaned, let alone shed a tear. But the good news is that they came back with their inspection objection and the things I was going to have done-new roof and floors-was pretty much all they asked for! So, this morning I signed the E-contract and now we just have to wait on the appraisal.

I won't lament about all the other little things that didn't go quite my way. But the things that did made everything so much easier. My family was very supportive and my parents made me a delicious breakfast before I left and packed me a yummy lunch. Meg was there for me when I dialed her number, heard her voice, and started to cry. Neither of the boys got sick in the car, and we took about 5 hours to get here. So, though the things that didn't go right cause the stress, the things that did go right helped even it out!

We left early in the morning to avoid the tunnel blasting that was scheduled for the morning. We stopped in Georgetown, then Dillon, then Vail, and then Glenwood Canyon. I was tired of stopping and getting out of the car, getting back in, etc. so we high tailed it to Grand Junction. Dillon, though, was beautiful and provided a peaceful reminder of how I am looking forward to "slowing down" in a smaller town.

We got to Grand Junction and to the house where we will be living. We were greeted by two people who manage the house, and they both loved Chester and Stanley! They were really nice and welcoming and the house is perfect for us. I had to meet with the HR guy so I did that, and after I was so exhausted that I ran to Safeway, picked up some frozen food, nuked it at home, and ate. I talked to Mom and Jessica and the boys and I crashed out around 8pm or so. We woke up early and I got on the task of unpacking and we walked around the neighborhood. Today I am going real grocery shopping, am going to open my PO box, will drive a bit around to get to know the area, and then eat at a local Mexican restaurant. I do foresee, however, an early bed time tonight as well. The boys are acclimating really great! They aren't anxious at all. I think they know that they aren't going back to 1063.

Here are some videos/pics of the house!

This is the front of the house. It is a little "pre-fab" looking. But it has a driveway!!

This is the view of the hospice care center from my driveway! I just have to walk up the walkway for my training...what a commute! It is a really beautiful place, though I haven't had a tour of the entire building. Next to it is a restaurant where the proceeds benefit the hospice, and where I can buy my lunch there when I am training.

This is a little tour of the house. I really like it, despite its lack of charm and "pre-fab" feeling. It is the perfect size for the boys and I. It has an "open concept" and it also has a master bedroom, bath and walk in closet! The little things in life sure do make it more enjoyable.

And this is Chester and Stanley's new backyard! They are thrilled to have some space. The only downside is I have to check for poop now, instead of just picking it up off the astroturf. It is worth it for the boys to be happy.

A new blog!

Hello friends and family,

I decided it was about time to start a new blog. You can access my old one http://mel-outsidelookingin.blogspot.com still, but I think it is appropriate to start something new as my new adventure awaits!

I will be leaving on Friday for the Western Slope. Grand Junction, to be more specific, for the next 6 weeks. The boys and I will be staying in Grand Junction until mid-September where we hope to find something more rental-permanent for a while.

The good news is today I heard that the couple I am selling my house to want my dining room set, bedroom set, and couch. That takes a load off. Why, you may ask? I have boxes upon boxes of meaningful items. I am okay with a card table for my dining room and a bed on the floor for a while-easier for Ches and Stan to navigate. It is strange going from luxury-if you could call what I had before as luxury-to necessity for a while. Perhaps I will start a new design movement...Luxury to necessity!

Tomorrow I have good friends coming over to say goodbye and eat some grub. Kids will run amok and I won't have to worry about anything getting broken because it is packed away.

XO Mel