Feeling like a Grown-up

I just got back from a great week in Tennessee.  It was nice to go back and see my friends and family.  I worked at Camp ENRGY, a camp for kids with disabilities.  The purpose of the camp is to expose kids with disabilities to various activities in hopes that they will find something that they want to continue with.  I taught a session on Golf and a second session on Geocaching.  It was a lot of fun to work with the kids and my friends at MTSU again.

The rest of the week, I spent time hanging out at the pool with Austin and spending a lot of time relaxing.  He and I had a romantic dinner at Olive Garden on my last night in TN.  It pretty cool to go on dates with your spouse.  During the week, Austin and I got new phones...smart phones to be exact.  I have always been the one to get the free phone with the new plan, but we decided to upgrade.  After years of pinching pennies and washing out Ziploc bags, it felt very grown-up and non-college student to spend a little extra money to get something new and fun.  Maybe there is something to this "Be a grown-up and have a real job" thing as opposed to being a perpetual student.  :)

Let me know if you need my new phone number.  In my quest to become Coloradan, I change my number to a GJ phone number.

Becoming an official Coloradoan

So much had happened since I last wrote.  Let me try to summarize it:

• I attended a beautiful wedding outside of Denver that happened at sunset with an incredible view of the mountains.  God sure does like weddings.
• I spent a great week with my Dad exploring lots of trails and climbing mountains around the area.
• I participated in the ritual of waiting in line for 3.5 hours at the local DMV to get my Colorado license. 
• I then went to the revenue office and officially became a Colorado resident (Coloradoan?).
• I unpacked more boxes and moved the ones I'm saving for Austin to unpack to the outside perimeter of the walls.
• I ordered a new couch and loveseat (thanks to the generosity of my parents) and am waiting for their arrival.
• I found a great local church that really touched my spirit and have begin to meet new people through some local Bible studies.

I'm starting to feel more at home here after living here for about 3 weeks.  Annabelle and I take nightly runs or walks around the neighborhood and down to Main street.  I can confidently leave town without my city map and not get lost.  I am spending more time at the office preparing for classes and everything is starting to sink in that this is real.  Thanks for all the prayers during this transition.

An exciting weekend

I had the privilege of hosting my Dad this weekend in Grand Junction.  We did a lot of exploring around the area, got a few things done at the house, and spent a lot of great quality time together.  We hiked the Colorado National Monument which gets to about 6,000 feet.  We biked around the city and the Colorado river.  And then drove the scenic byway on the Grand Mesa and did a few hikes around. Enjoy the pictures.

Hiking at the National Monument.  We did the Devil's Kitchen, Otto's Trail, and lots of smaller views and such.



Dad shimming around a rock at Devil's Kitchen.



There were a lot of great trees and gnarly wood all around the park.

The cook ovens.  Amazing what the erosion of water and wind can do (along with God's helping hand as well).

This is how the trails were marked, by stacked rocks.  No trees to put orange blazes on here like in the ozarks.

A view of many of the spirals at the Monument park.

A beautiful mountain stream. 



Hiking at the Grand Mesa.  Annabelle got to join in on the fun.



My beautiful Colorado dog!  Annabelle loved exploring all of the lakes and wildlife.



Snow!  In July!!  I guess that is what happens at over 10,000 feet.



View from the top. You can see all the way to Utah.  Incredible!

So does beef raised at 10,000 feet taste different?  Because the block the highway just the same.

We went out on the rock.  Incredible views.

So, who is ready to come visit me and go hiking in these beautiful places?  Just let me know when you want to book your stay at the Sharp Hostel.

The little things count

Though I am a long way from unpacking, it is the little things that count in making me feel at home:

• I play CD's in my stereo while unpacking.
• I put a rug on my living room floor.  (There are no couches, but there is a rug)
• I created a workspace/office area.  It is temporary, but it is a place to sit and contemplate life.
• I unpacked my tea and teakettle and can have a cup of hot tea at night.  
• I put cushions on my outside patio furniture to feel more cozy when sitting in the back yard.

 The sea of boxes

 The living room

My temporary office.  Eventually it will go where the sea of boxes is.

Tonight I am going to go to the Farmer's Market downtown and buy some fresh food.  I also plan to mow the yard tonight or tomorrow morning.  That will definitely make me feel at home!

Sitting in a sea of boxes

Well the truck successfully arrived this morning, was unloaded, and then was driven away leaving me in a sea of boxes.  The entire family room is filled with rows and rows of boxes that I am slowly working my way through and dispersing throughout the house.  Thankfully most things are marked and I am able to find what I need without too much hassle.  I'm still not sure what we will put in the basement.  In the meantime, I am just throwing all of the empty boxes down the stairs.  I guess it is kind of a stress reliever.  :)

Getting through the list

Things to do when you move to a new town:

1.      Find a house to live in

2.      Find the closest Wal-Mart  (I am an Arkansas girl after all)

3.      Explore a 6 block radius around your house. (My radius includes the downtown area, one of the main strips, a grocery store, a park, a daycare, a carwash, and many houses.)

4.      Find out how to turn on the air. (I have an evaporated cooler instead of an air conditioner.  I had to get a lesson from the landlady to learn how to use it.)

5.      Figure out what time the automatic sprinklers come on at your own house so that you are not unloading your car when they turn on.

6.      Find the free internet spots since the cable company doesn’t have a free date to come to your house for over two weeks.

7.      Meet the neighbors.  (Ed and his yappy dog live two doors down, the Church of God is across the street…that is as far as I have gotten).

8.      Get a public library card and check out books on your new town.

9.      Get a book on local hiking trails and start working your way through them.

10.  Call the moving truck company frequently in hopes of getting your furniture delivered soon so that you won’t have to “camp out” anymore.

These are just some of the things that I have been doing since moving to Grand Junction.  Anything else I should be accomplishing?

The bookcliff mountains that boarder the east of GJ.

Annabelle on a hike.  She is quickly becoming a CO dog.

The Grand Colorado River.  It is very high and running very fast.

Hangers and Groceries

Well, I am all moved in…sort of.  I found a great 2 bedroom, 1 bath house in the downtown area.  It has a fenced in yard for Annabelle, a detached garage for Austin, and a large amount of built-in storage around the house for me.  It is right across the street from the park, 4 block from Main street, and 10 blocks from campus.  I brought enough stuff in my car to be able to move into a rental before my furniture arrives.  So I am camping out on a blow-up bed again.  Woohoo!  At least Annabelle likes me being so close to the floor.  J

As I was “moving in,” I realized that it is the small things that start to make a place feel like home.  I had packed a few hangers and was able to hang out some clothes in the closet.  This felt good after living out of my suitcase for the last 6 days.  I also bought a few groceries (not much, as I have no pans to cook anything on the stove/in the oven, and no microwave yet) and put those in the cabinets and frig.  So despite the 4+ empty rooms, it is actually starting to feel like home.

New address, new keys, new adventure

Yeah!  I made it to Grand Junction.  I found a house on my second day in town and signed the lease.  Praise God that it went so fast. It is a cute older home close to the downtown and easy biking distance to the office.  My cable and internet won't get turned on until July 12th so I am relying on free WiFi in different eateries.  Hopefully next week and I will get into my office and get my computer privileges going.  I also hope to post pictures soon to share with you as well.  In the mean time, I am just exploring the town, helping my dog adjust, and meeting lots of new people.  Hooray for my new adventure!