Lowry

I love it here. In Lowry. Here's why.

• My condo is tiny, but all that I need. East side facing, the sunrises are sublime. The sky is vast and the property is quiet. 
• I walk outside and there is something new to explore. Did you know about the Westerly Creek Dam? It is less than a quarter of a mile away. A very nice walking trail, high enough to have views both East and West. And, the other day I went on a walk and ended up in this little green space that had the Lowry Little Free Library in it. There is the Great Lawn Park with a few miles of walking trails, and the Highline trail just on the other side of Alameda. Lots of places to explore, find solitude, and also find people enjoying the day.
• The grocery store is 5 mins away, within walking distance if need be. 
• I feel like Lowry is a cocoon. I go into the wild world of the Denver Metro area, I come into Lowry knowing that all will be well and easy and comforting.
• My neighbors are nice and care for the property well; But I don't have to socialize if I don't feel like it. And until I get my own dog, everyone has one so I get to say "hi" to four leggeds often.
• Colorado Free University is nearby as is the Swallow Hill Lowry Branch. Also, The Soiled Dove Underground is close for live music if I am so moved. 
• The Schlessman Library branch is amazing! Just a few blocks away, it is open 7 days a week. Computers are always available and there is a good, busy community vibe to it.
• Lowry has history. I am quite a pacifist, but the military history is of note. The Wings Over the Rockies Museum highlights this history, and also my strange fascination with aircraft even though flying makes me anxious. This museum means so much to me, as Mike and I had wonderful times there (with Max in tow, once, when he was four, and then with me when he was probably seven). 
• It is the perfect balance of solitude and social. Not as social as the Clarkson house, not as silent as the Montrose country home, but the perfect in-between.

Culinary Experiences

My friend Kristin introduced me to a group of fun ladies to spend one Saturday a month eating at a creative, unique, or new restaurant. Last month we ate at Sushi Train off Hampden, where they use a little train to send your sushi orders if you are sitting at the bar. It was a tad kitchy but fun, and the all you can eat menu did not disappoint.

This month, it was my turn to pick and I chose for us to visit Work & Class, which we did last night. Talk about a really great dining experience! It is a small restaurant, with big flavors, excellent service, and not too expensive prices. There were 6 of us, and the wait was going to be almost 2 hours, but we luckily found this little empty table in the corner of the heated patio which was offered to us. We shared  a few appetizers, chose 3 meat dishes for the table, had a few delicious sides and topped it off with a shared chocolate bread pudding. It wasn't too much food where I walked away feeling sickly stuffed, but it was enough that we all got tastes of everything. My faves were the New Jersey Ernie's Meatballs, the red chile braised pork with homemade corn tortillas, and the Brussels sprouts side dish. It was a fun night, and I look forward to the next place where we will explore, which is TBD!

My first 10 before 40 completed, revised just a tad

It is probably good that I use my blog space to report on my “10 before 40” progress. Today I completed one of these goals by attending “A Life That Works” at Mile Hi Church, a half-day retreat and workshop. It wasn’t exactly what I was planning to do, as I love full weekend retreats away with lots of quiet time, meditation and communing with others. However, now that I am in my own place, and without income as of yet, I decided to abbreviate this goal just a bit.

Today’s workshop covered two books and how they relate-Stephen Covey’s “First Things First” and Steven Pressfield’s “The War of Art”. Both of these look at what gets in the way of achieving dreams and goals in different ways. Covey’s book looks at time management and that we have, in our society, made our priorities not about what is important but what seems urgent…and most urgent things are not really that important. Importance is based on “self-care” practices, developing meaningful relationships, making meaning in a career, doing things that are empowering and creative, and having fun. Pressfield’s book looks at how resistance is the enemy to living a creative and fulfilling life and it manifests in a variety of ways. These two together when studied have allowed me to better understand what is important to me-for example family, friends, being creative, having new adventures, being in nature, volunteering at Agape, etc-and how to make these priorities rather than things that are just time wasters, like too many excuses, too much television, being “too busy”. Then, once the list of important things is elaborated on and understood, I can look at what is keeping me from fully diving into these things, most specifically spending time being creative and trying to achieve other dreams around life-work balance.

The day was held in the small chapel at Mile Hi Church and Dr. Roger, Sr Minister, facilitated. There was some meditation, lots of time to write from the heart, a few opportunities for sharing, and walking away feeling really inspired!

Not sure what is next on the “10 before 40” list, kinda hoping it will be along the job lines, where I have to remember not to just take a job out of fear, but pursuing work that will be meaningful.  In the meantime, maybe will I will try to perfectly roast a chicken!

The whirlwind is less whirlwindy now

I unpacked the last boxes the other day and got my cable and Internet today. The moving whirlwind is now officially almost over, with the exception of a few small things that need to get fixed. The toilet runs continually and the dishwasher leaks from the bottom. However, I am in that space where the toilet flushes just fine and hand washing dishes isn't so bad, so I will wait a bit to get these things fixed.

Next on the list is the job thing. I have been volunteering at the hospice where I interned my last year in social work school. I have been doing bereavement support calls and will run a grief group in February and March. Some of the staff have given me hope that I could work there part time/as needed, so I am going to wait and see if that pans out. I was also offered "relief staff" at the DV shelter I worked at/interned for my first year. However, I am afraid to accept that position until I have this other thing worked out. Plus, I want to look at other part time options, as I don't know if sitting in a women's shelter all day is the best thing for me. I have a vision of myself working someplace with a lot of energy and connecting with all different people, but I am not sure what that is. So....I am just going to give myself some time and feel things out.

In the meantime, the gray days are lifting and we had some sun today. Last week I felt "heavy" and tired with the gray days, when the sun is back in my life I feel better. And now that the whirlwind feels less whirlwindy, I am hoping that my days will continue to be sunny ones.

Settling in

This last week I spent most of my time unpacking. I have one more large project to go, which is going through my office supplies, art supplies, and other miscellaneous things and putting those away. The condo doesn't have a ton of storage space, but it has this little nook in the kitchen where my computer goes along with cabinets to store various paperwork-ey things. Once that is done, most everything will have been put away.

I am settling in, though not sleeping as well as I would like. I like to think I am resilient when it comes to change, but I do need time to process change. The other day I slept almost until 9am! Obviously my body needs to rest after all the changes in the past 3 months, so I can't fault it for that.

My favorite part of my condo is my little desk/book nook complete with a small gallery wall of pictures. I made all the collages which flank my beloved "Fleurs" painting and my books are piled on either side of the desk. Some may think it looks a tad cluttered, but for me this condo is my sacred space filled with everything I love. It is a warm hug when I come in from the outside.

I don't have cable or Internet yet, but Comcast has a complimentary one hour a day hot spot that I have been logging into. Cable should be here next week, and then I can start watching my shows again...Food Network, HGTV, and of course my Lifetime movies. I have christened the place with dinners made for friends, last night with a new friend Nancy from that one job I was at for a month, and tonight the Schultz clan will be here. Mom and I have already had cups of tea sitting at the island. Very soon we will have taco night here so that Robert and Dad can also see how the decorating shaped up.

Speaking of sleep, I think a nap is in order in my cozy bedroom. Nancy stayed until almost midnight...we had a great time getting to know each other better, gossiping about life, and even tried to take pictures in the dark to see if there were any phantom spirit orbs noticeable in the picture just in case there are spirits living around here. We didn't capture anything, but it was sure an interesting thing to try!