Denver Botanic Gardens Chihuly Exhibit

I came to Denver this weekend once again. I was supposed to come in early June but I couldn't secure a place or person to care for Ches and Stan. I got off work on Friday around 2pm and headed to the Eastern Slope. Friday night I spent time with Mom and Dad and we just chatted and watched some TV. Yesterday we went to see the Chihuly exhibt at the DBG. We had seen the exhibit when we went to Arizona at the Desert Botanical Gardens so I was excited to see the difference between the two installations (see my March postings for pictures from that exhibit to compare!).

Yesterday afternoon I met my friend Amanda, who I haven't seen since her wedding last August. We had a great time catching up and I realized how much I miss her. We made promises to keep in touch better. I then met the family for dinner at La Loma and then met Meg, Amy and Susan at The Village Cork for a night of "girl talk." Today is a much more chill day. I am hanging out with Mom and we are getting ready for a little family BBQ this afternoon. We are going to take a trip to the cemetery and then Robert will come over later. I am planning to meet my friend Kristin tonight so we can talk about her upcoming trip to visit me over the 4th of July. I will head back to Denver tomorrow after meeting up with my friend Jen in the morning. 

When I have come to Denver in the past I would pack in so many visits to friends that it often felt like a whirlwind. So, this time I chose to see people I haven't seen in a while (with the exception of Meg, of course!) and also plan for lots of down time. It has been relaxing and nice to have a change of scenery!

Two really great weekends

The past two weekends have been really wonderful. I think a huge part of this is that I haven't had to go to work on Mondays because of my  new schedule. So the weekend is extra long. Last weekend, the Pellegrino's came to visit. Meg, V and the kids had never been this side of Glenwood before, and Meg's  bucket list included a trip to Telluride. They all stayed at my house-my bedroom is pretty big and has its own bathroom, so that was their travel headquarters. The boys and I slept in the guest room. We had so much fun! They came in last Sunday afternoon. They enjoyed seeing the house and then we went into town. We painted pottery, played putt putt golf, and ate dinner at Colorado Boy Pizza. The highlight of Sunday though was our spur of the moment trip to the Orvis "clothing optional" hot springs in Ridgeway. We got there later in the evening and promised the kids that all of us would wear our bathing, not birthday, suits. It is a really nice hot springs, with an indoor pool as well as smaller outdoor, hot pools surrounded by beautiful landscaping.

Monday we headed to Telluride. When we got to town, the four of them hiked to Bridal Veil Falls. I stayed behind, as I am not in shape to keep up with kids and two fit adults on a moderately difficult trail. After that we ate a picnic lunch in Town Park, went into town for ice cream and souvenirs, and then they took the Gondola up to the top of the mountain. I am not really a fan of heights so I wandered around town for a bit. That night we ate turkey tacos, drank some wine, and the kids relaxed in front of the TV and Meg, Vince and I had insightful conversation. They left on Tuesday, and it took me a few days to recover. I missed them and loved having them visit. The kids were so well behaved, patient, loving...just good kids...the whole time. And Ches and Stan were excellent furry companions, being patient when the kids petted and played with them.

This past weekend was the Montrose Botanical Society's garden tour. I became a member the minute I heard we had a botanical society and a botanic gardens in town. It is small but well maintained and very pretty. I volunteered to sell tickets being stationed at the botanic gardens. There were five homes on the tour, and each home was unique. That day, they had musicians playing at different homes, and also plein air artists painting at various locations. The Thursday before, all the volunteers and home owners on the tour got a preview. It was super fun to meet new people and see these garden gems around town.

Today is Monday, and it felt so good to not wake up and have to think about going to work. I am headed to Ridgeway for a walk along the river trail, and then to Ouray to the hot springs. I think I am going to really like this part-time gig!

Visitors!

I love it that the weather is warm enough to start having some visitors. Last weekend, Mom and Dad came. They came last Thursday night and when I was working on Friday they went to Ouray. Saturday we drove to Telluride and enjoyed a nice picnic lunch at Town Park and meandering around downtown. We ate two excellent meals out and one great meal at home.

Robert came this past Friday for Memorial Weekend. We ate at Ted Nelson’s Steakhouse, one of the best restaurants in town! Yesterday we did all sorts of stuff. We went to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison and enjoyed the views. We took CHes and Stan on a small adventure at a local partk. We went to some stores in Montrose and to the Horsefly Brewing Company. We topped the day off with a great dinner at Amelia’s Hacienda. He and I were both pretty tired last night and the boys and I slept until almost 7 which pretty much never happens...

Here are some pictures from our morning at the Black Canyon. I also can't help putting in an updated photo of C&S!

A Fine and Delicate Balance

The past two weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind. It all started right after I had gotten back from my vacation. I was already feeling overwhelmed before my vacation as our patient census has been growing for months. My caseload was growing steadily and before I left on vacation it hovered around 43 patients, which, in my mind, is not only overwhelming to me but also unfair to the individual patient who gets 1/43 of my attention.  When I got back I learned the other social worker’s mom had passed on and I had to take care of all social work needs for 86 patients and their families while she went out of town. I remember calling mom one night and breaking down into tears, saying what a mistake I had made taking this job and that I was so stressed and overwhelmed all the time. It was the first time I had really voiced this and getting this weight off my shoulders would prove to be life changing.

That week, I created pro and con lists for staying at/leaving the job. My lists for leaving grew steadily longer than staying. I realized that I have the power to create my own reality. Since I took this job, my life has revolved a lot around the job and not so much around actually enjoying life. I have no children to have to send to college, or unmanageable debts at this time…and I realized there was no reason to stay in a stressful job. So, last Tuesday I gave my notice during my supervising session with my mentor/other office social worker.

Maybe it was because I brought light on the “elephant in the room” (the fact that our census was growing but our social work team was not), or because they actually like me as an employee and didn’t want to lose me, that all hell broke loose. The new director cornered me in my office for 45 minutes asking me to give her a chance to make changes to make things better. My Grand Junction supervisor called to invite me to dinner that night. I went and voiced my concerns. She offered me incentives to stay, none of which actually would cure what seemed to be irrecoverable burnout. The next day, the new director said in a staff meeting that they are looking to hire a part-time and full-time social worker because “Melanie is trying to figure out what to do with her life.” Irritated as I was that she made me sound like an 18 year old, it opened the conversation to all the staff about how important self-care is in a job like this and that everyone needs to take measures to not allow burnout to get the best of them. It was an important conversation as well because the director acknowledged the growing census has put a huge strain on the staff resources of the office and that this was going to change. I was so happy to be a part of change in our office to make the work more equitable.

My Grand Junction supervisor offered me the part-time social work position. I realized this was exactly what I was hoping for; after all, I love the actual work I do with patients and families. I accepted it quickly, knowing this would be the answer to my self-care needs in this line of work. Not only will I be able to be a part of the hospice movement, which I treasure, I can really enjoy my life and do things that are meaningful to me without letting work become the priority.

My supervisor offered that I take this week off to “heal my spirit” and I obliged. I spent a nice long weekend in Denver for Easter, seeing friends I haven’t seen since Thanksgiving and being with the family. Tuesday I did some around the house things; yesterday I drove to Telluride; today I have a massage scheduled; and tomorrow I plan to go to the Orvis Hot Springs. Each morning I have taken Chester for a long walk to try to get a little healthier and plan to continue morning walks through the summer while it is lighter earlier. Although I am full-time until the end of May, I know there is an end in sight toward a better work/life balance. This week off is giving me a taste of just how pampering this new schedule will be to my body, soul, and spirit.

Speaking of Telluride, I went yesterday because I had never been and some friends plan to visit this summer and want to go there. I figured now that I have some time I should check it out…and I am glad I did! The drive to Telluride is stunning, and it is only April! I look forward to seeing the landscape when everything is in bloom, especially the Aspen trees. It is a super cute town, and has that artsy-hippie-yuppie feel to it. While a little crowded for my taste, even on the off-season, I think it will be a fun destination with my visitors. I was pleased to see that in Telluride Chester finally found his calling and decided to pursue his passion for food!

Speaking of Chester and Stanley, I thought I would post two updated photos of the handsome boys. Ahem...senior citizens, I mean, as they both turned 12 recently!