Giddy up

Tomorrow I make the move to Montrose. I have truly enjoyed my time in Grand Junction, and having the free house to stay in transitionally has been awesome. But now it is time to start paying my own rent, water, and electricity once again. I didn't anticipate that it would be so hard to find a place to rent in the Montrose/Delta area until I had to find something in a matter of a week. It stressed me out at first (Thanks Mom, Dad, Meg and Liz for listening to my rants and raves) because the choices were limited and I felt a bit unsure of what to do. Then I was introduced to one property and fell in love. I am not sure what it is about it that I love so much, because it totally and completely different than what I am used to. But let's just say it stole my heart. It is a little house off Highway 90 in what is called the Spring Creek Mesa area. It is about 10 mins from Main Street in Montrose but the drive seems a lot longer because of the landscape. Horse farms, cattle farms, even a sheep farm are strewn on each side of the highway. The Cimarron Mountains can be viewed easily as can just plain pasture. The house is about 1400 square feet down a gravel driveway. It is on 3 acres fenced by barbed wire. The house itself is in good condition and has a rustic feel, but not run-down at all. It is clean and contemporary, spacious enough for me and the boys and guests of course! There is a garage, a work shed, and the views are amazing-the Cimarron Peaks, pastoral landscape with horses and cows, and I know the night sky will be fantastic. And, I think...I wasn't fully sure...but I think that a bluebird was sitting on the fence the day I looked at the house. And bluebirds to me are a good sign if you don't already know! I sadly forgot my camera today when I went to sign the lease and the Internet pictures are not coming up very well. So just close your eyes and imagine.

There are a few downsides. As of right now I don't get Internet through my provider, but I will be shopping around. So...by blog may not be updated very often. My cell phone doesn't work so I will have a landline come Monday...I will let you know the new number. The driveway to the house may be challenging in winter, and the drive to work that is now 30 minutes may be a lot longer with winter weather. But...these challenges aside, I am really looking forward to my new life, in my new house, with a new perspective on things. The boys can't wait for 3 acres of exploration. And I can't wait to look up at that starry night sky, as I do every so often, and remember that we are all blanketed under it together.

XO Mel

A little exploring

This weekend has been about exploration! Yesterday, I went to Montrose to look for a rental property. I found out Friday that I will be in  Grand Junction for another week, and then will start working in the Delta Montrose area. I found two hopeful properties that are totally different-one is small, a bit run down, and in the downtown area. The other is really nice by one of the golf courses, landscaped beautifully and pretty big-lots of room for guests! So, tomorrow I will make some calls and see which is available and when I can move in.

Today I drove to the Grand Mesa in the morning. It was a beautiful day to go, and the drive was very relaxing. The wildflowers were still pretty, though I can tell wildflower season is just about over.

In the afternoon I took the boys to the Monument. I love it there! I didn't realize just how beautiful it is. I paid for a week pass because there are few hiking trails I may try to get to at night this week. 

It felt good to get out and explore the area. I haven't had a weekend with nothing planned for a while, so it was nice to see some parts of this area I haven't explored. I think, too, I needed a little touch of nature. There is a lot of nature to be had in this part of the state, and I always need a little nature to clear my head.

Rain is a good sign

I went to Denver for the weekend to attend my friend Amanda's wedding. She had been married once before, so this wedding was more about the vows and being with family and friends than it was pomp and circumstance. Amanda is very creative and so the wedding felt like it came out of an Anthropologie catalog! Food was catered by a local food truck. Here is a picture of the table settings:

Amanda and Andy make a very attractive couple...

The officiator was a friend of Andy's and their altar was made up of two vintage doors with pom poms hanging down the middle. Unfortunately, though, about a quarter of a way through the ceremony it poured rain. I mean...POURED. We all had to move under the tarp but the show went on and they were married. I truly believe that if you can make it through a rainy wedding with a smile and grace then you can get through anything!

I stayed with Mom and Dad, got my hair cut, took a nap, and just relaxed over the weekend. I finished my time in Denver with my kindred bestie, Meg, with coffee at Starbucks. When I was driving home, I decided to take the long way and went over McClure Pass into Paonia, a darling little town...

I started getting fatigued on my way home, and took a nap before picking up Chester and Stan from their new kennel experience. I had been very concerned about how they would fit into their new boarding place, but it seemed as though they had a good time as evidenced by their sleepiness the next day!

Greetings from Chester and Stan!

Chester and Stanley wanted to have a video made, so here they are!

Chester found a new place to lay down. He has always loved to sleep under things-tables, chairs, whatever could make him feel safe and invisible...

Weekend

I had my second guest visit this weekend! My friend Heidi from the MSW program came up and is staying with me until this afternoon. She arrived Friday night and we chatted for a while. We had a nice dinner and kept chatting! Heidi slept in Saturday and so I had a few things to get done. We had a leisurely morning and then went downtown to shop. We probably went to almost every store! I bought some fun new shoes and a pretty scarf. She bought some clothes and gelato. We ate dinner at a nice Italian place downtown and talked more for 2 hours! Today we will head to my favorite Palisade farmer's market-it is a visitor's staple when they come here. Heidi will head back to Denver and I will get some laundry done. I need a little down time, too, before my work week starts. I had a great week last week-really busy with lots of shadowing options. This week I start classroom training so hopefully the schedule won't be as packed as it was shadowing people. I have enjoyed meeting the various colleagues I will work with in the organization. One social worker told me, "Everyone just loves you." And I responded, "Well, I love everyone, too!"