Happy New Year From John

This blog post, our final post of 2013, came to us from John in an audio email.  John is skilled at sending audio emails, which come with an attachment that allows the email recipient to hear John speaking.

Hello, How’s your holidays going?  This is John. I hope you have a good, happy New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. I know that 2014 is coming so I’m looking forward to it too, and I hope you are.

I just want to keep you up to date on what’s going on. I’ve already been working at In Clover, and I did the dog treat job putting the sticks on the tray, that’s what I’ve done.

I just want to send the message and wishing you a happy, safe, New Year of 2014, and I hope that your Christmas went well. Anyway, I just want to say hello, and have a good New Year, bye.

John working at In Clover, a Boulder company that
makes pet supplements.  

Happy Friday From John

This blog post came to us in an audio email from John, who is a resident at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder.

Happy Friday to you. I’m hoping that I’ll see the picture of myself with Kelsey. I hope that you’ll get it and put it on the screen. I was with Kelsey and we went to cooking class today. It was fun. I had Chinese food and I’m just telling you hi and remember to send that picture of me with Kelsey. I know that you are trying to, and I hope it comes. Hopefully you’ll remember it. 

 I’ll talk to you next time when I do the email. Have a good night and happy weekend. All right?

John and CORE/Labor Source instructor Kelsey at the
Coal Creek Bowling Center in Lafayette. John chose where to
take the photo, in front of the Christmas tree.

Robert Talks About His Dad

This blog post came to us today during an interview with Robert, at his request, at Imagine1's Foothills Group Home where Robert is a resident.

When I was a kid, my dad used to play Santa Claus. He came to the Senior Center with the big bag over his shoulder and he got out the bugle to play "We Wish You A Merry Christmas." He couldn't play it worth a darn but he tried to play it the best he could. Then he threw out candy to everyone. He had the whole Santa suit, with black riding boots he had for dirt bike riding. He would even color his beard white at Christmas time to look like Santa.

No one was supposed to know who he really was, but I knew it was him when I sat on his knee and he called me by name. I went along with it though.  

My dad wouldn't believe me now with this beard I have.  He was a good guy!

Robert with his girl friend Aneta.

Jessica Has A Cool, New Hat

This blog post came to us this week when Jessica stopped by to say hello. I noticed her hat and asked her where she got it. She said she received a catalog in the mail that you can order hats, sweatshirts, and other clothing that is made personalized with your name, so she bought herself this hat.  Pretty cool.  



Jessica with her personalized ball cap.

Mandy Plays Sorry With Youth Group Volunteers

This blog post came to us in an audio email from Mandy, who lives at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder. Mandy had tried to send an email to us on Sunday but it didn’t come through.  Her computer is already fixed and sending audio emails again.

All of the residents in Mandy’s home have access to an audio email system that allows them to keep in touch with their friends and families. The residents choose who they want to send an email to from a list of people they’ve selected to have on their computer, and they speak into their computer and an audio email is sent to the recipient. When the recipient replies, the computer program reads the email to the resident. The best part is it’s really easy.

Our thanks to Shannon Bundy, Assistant Site Supervisor at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome for sending us the photo.

Hi, It’s Mandy. I’m sorry I didn’t leave you this message on Sunday but my computer was not working. We had fun with a bunch of youth group kids. We played Sorry. I will talk to you soon and probably see you soon. Bye.

Mandy is in the fuchsia purple shirt on the right playing Sorry with some of
her housemates and a youth group that is volunteering at the home.

 

Donna Learns About The Pilgrims

This blog post, including the photo, came to us in an email from Chantelle Tweten, the Site Supervisor of the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome.  Last night we got a little more information from Donna in person at her home.

In the photo, Donna shows a work sheet that she completed that helped her to learn about the pilgrims and the Mayflower.  Some of the things Donna learned while studying about the pilgrims are that the pilgrims left England because the King wanted them to worship his way and they didn't agree. Also, the trip on the Mayflower was hard and many people got sick on the way. The ship arrived in the New World in 1620, and landed in what was to become the Plymouth Colony.

Donna asked to pass on her wishes for everyone with Imagine! to have a Happy Thanksgiving.

 

Happy Thanksgiving From John

This blog post came to us during a visit to the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome last week. John wanted to share some of his thoughts for the blog, so here they are.

I went to the Spaghetti Factory in Denver over the weekend. I had spaghetti and meatballs. It was great. Even the salad was good!

I am looking forward to Thanksgiving. I'm going to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade on TV because I've been to New York City. I went with my parents, and another time with Joan Handley. We saw a lot of neat things, like Times Square. Please wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving for me.

This is John at an FAC last year showing his temporary pirate tattoo.

 

SmartHome Residents Learn About States

This post came to us in a visit last night to the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome. Three of the residents are working on a project orchestrated by Claudette Moloney, one of the counselors at the home. The project involves them each choosing a state they wanted to research, and making posters with various information about those states. John chose New York, Rae chose California (where she was born), and Lana chose Oklahoma.

Below are some photos of the project. The posters include items such as the state bird, state flower, state motto, state capital, and a map of the state.  It seems like a safe bet that not many people know that the state muffin of New York is the "apple muffin," but thanks to John, now we know.



John with his New York state book where he got
a lot of his information from.



John's New York state poster.

Lana with her Oklahoma book. We learned that the
state bird is the scissor-tailed flycatcher, and it has a very long tail.

 

John Has A New Job At Celestial Seasonings

This blog post came to us in an audio email from John. John lives at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder, and all of the residents in that home have access to audio emails they can send and receive. The picture John is referring to is the photo below, of him and his housemate Lana that was recently taken at their house.  The residents are always appreciative when we send them emails that include photos that we have taken of them, and it's our pleasure to be able to pass those photos along to the residents.  Thanks for keeping in touch with us John, and we hope to hear more soon about your new job at Celestial Seasonings.  

Hi, This is John. I really want to thank you for the picture you sent. I hope you have a fun Friday tomorrow. I am working at Celestial Seasonings now, I want you to know that I have a new job. I will talk to you later on. Good night, bye bye.

John and Lana, housemates at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder.

Mandy, Shelly, And Shannon Treated To Lunch At Johnny Carino's

This blog post came to us in an audio email on Sunday from Mandy, who is a resident at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder. The residents at that home have access to an audio email system which allows them to easily send and receive audio emails so they can keep in touch with their friends and families.

The photo came to us in an email from Shannon Bundy, the Assistant Site Supervisor at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome. Shelly is a resident at the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont.

Shelly Pearson and I and Shannon Bundy went to lunch today at Johnny Carinos. I ate pizza and so did Shelly, and Shannon had a salad. Shannon had tea, I had a Coke, and so did Shelly. It was really good. Also, the table next to us bought us a $50 gift certificate which I thought was really cool so we didn’t have to really pay for our lunch except for the tip. It was really, really nice. I will talk to you soon, and when you get this message would you please put this in the blog? I hope to see you soon. Have a great day. Bye.

Mandy, on the left, and Shelly having lunch at Johnny Carino's
restaurant on Sunday, November 10th. Photo taken by Shannon Bundy.
 

Thank You Fall River Elementary School

Today's blog post is a photo of five of the residents at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder holding signs thanking Fall River Elementary School in Longmont for their donation of $494.11 to help pay for repairs to Imagine!'s flood damaged homes. The school held a "change drive" on November 1st and raised that much money. What amazing generosity.

Also pictured are Imagine! PR Director Fred Hobbs accepting the check from student council treasurer Mason while Principal Dr. Jennifer Guthals looks on. Fall River Elementary rocks!

From the left Mandy (holding a "Thank" sign), Donna ("You" sign), Lana
standing behind her (Lana wanted to wave), Rebecca ("Fall" sign), and John,
("River" sign).  Thank You Fall River.



Imagine!'s PR Director Fred Hobbs accepts checks
totalling $494.11 from student council treasurer Mason.


 

Imagine! Client's Dedication Recognized

This blog post came to us in an email from a community member, Geoff, who is familiar with Imagine! through his business, CaraSolva, which provides Imagine! with our MedSupport system.  
Both Geoff and the person he's describing gave us permission to share this email in a blog post. We appreciate Geoff taking the time to send this, and we also recognize the dedication of the Imagine! client (who prefers to fly under the radar and remain anonymous) for making sure he got to work on time and for inspiring Geoff.

Today I rode the bus (in fact two buses, the Jump westward on Arapahoe and the Skip north on Broadway) from our current house in Western Lafayette to the CaraSolva office on Broadway in Boulder close to the Hungry Toad.

There was an individual on the bus, to my right, a relatively big guy with a ball cap, who was chatting with another commuter.

At Arapahoe and Broadway we both get off the Jump and start the approximately quarter mile walk to the bus stop for the Skip. The Skip comes by us almost immediately and I think, screw that I’m not running through all these people for a quarter mile, with small probability of making the bus.

However, as soon as the Skip passes, the big guy with the ball cap, lights it up and starts sprinting through the crowd. I walk a few more steps, watching him thinking there’s no hope, but he starts to reduce the lead on the bus. So I start to run as well, think of myself as a fairly fit Boulder person, but the big guy is gaining on me, and he catches the bus. He gets on the bus and because he has delayed the bus, I make it as well.

We both get off the bus at Broadway and North, and I share with him that I was impressed by his run to catch the bus. He tells me he is pretty fit and used to play football. It is then I realize he is one of the Imagine! work crew on his way to clean The Hungry Toad. We talk briefly while crossing the road, about what a good job the cleaning crew does at the Hungry Toad, Imagine! and where he lives in Lafayette.

Thought I would share. It was a nice moment and this Imagine! client’s dedication to making his work on time (the Jump had been awful slow and late), and willingness to throw modesty to the wind, and sprint for the bus was refreshing and a motivation.

Geoff

The Hungry Toad Restaurant in Boulder has employed
Imagine! clients for more than 20 years.

Mandy Reads Her Poetry To Local Preschool

This blog post came to us in an email from Shannon Bundy, the Assistant Site Supervisor at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder. Mandy also read her poem "Cupcake Thief" to the preschool class, and you can see that on the June 25, 2013 post on this Imagine! Voices blog.

On Tuesday, Imagine! Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome resident Mandy visited the preschool class of Site Supervisor Chantelle’s daughter to read a special Halloween poem to the kids. Mandy wrote the poem herself. 

Mandy said, "The Halloween poem was for a preschool so I had to make it not scary but as entertaining as possible." 

Below is her poem and a photo of her reading the poem. Great work, Mandy! 

"On Halloween the children dress and go Trick or Treating. 

Some of the children see how much candy they can eat before they go to sleep. 

The children walk up and down Trick or Treat street. 

When they run out of candy the Children were not happy. 

Then all the children lined up on the sidewalk and people who work at Hammons candy factory would fill the top of this special electric truck that only came out on Halloween. 

Someone who worked at the factory would program it to go to their address and they would program it to go back to the candy factory."

Lindsey And Her Family Visit Montana

This blog post came to us in an email from Cindy Newell, the mother of Lindsey who receives support services from Imagine!. Thanks Cindy, Dwight, and Lindsey for sharing these photos and the story with us.

If you might be looking for any pictures of activities, we took Lindsey to Montana in September. Here are some of the pictures from the trip. This was a big deal, Lindsey hadn't been to see her extended family in Montana for over 7 years. 

She is helping make garlic bread in one picture, went for a walk to the lake by grandma's house, and there's a family picture with all her aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandpa. That group picture is not good, it was outdoors at night with not a good flash on the phone. But you can see that Lindsey was enjoying the moments. Heart warming!

Lindsey and her mom Cindy at the Montana border. 

Lindsey by the lake near grandma's house.

Lindsey helping to make garlic bread. 

Lindsey and her family.  Lindsey's dad Dwight is in the
black shirt on the far right. 

Lana's In The Halloween Spirit

This blog post came to us during a visit to the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder, Colorado.

The residents of the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome are getting in the Halloween spirit. Here’s a picture of Lana with a pumpkin she picked from staff member Claudette Moloney’s garden. The residents decided they’d paint it and decorate it rather than carve it. They said that will be less dangerous, easier, and more fun than carving it. We will share a photo of the decorated jack-o-lantern once it is finished.

John Enjoyed The Circus

This blog post came to us during a visit to the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome Monday night. John is talking about going to the circus earlier this month on October 5th.

It was really good. There were elephants, clowns, trapeze, and a girl inside a rocket who was shot off into a net. That was unbelievable. Even the juggling people did their thing, and the music was really cool. There was a circus band. It was a whole lot of fun. 

 The next Saturday I went to the IMAX. There was a movie about a furry animal that lives in a hole and digs. It's a little bit bigger than a rabbit, but I don't know its name. 

 I'm looking forward to Halloween. I'll make some cards with pumpkins, black cats, witches, and ghosts. 

My IP (Annual Planning Meeting) is next month, so it's time for me to think about what goals I want to have for next year. 

Bye for now.

John with his friend and housemate Lana. 

Government Shutdown Ends, Back To Work For David

This blog post came to us this morning in a phone call from David. He had been laid off the past two weeks from his job at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder due to the government shut down. David has worked at NIST for 37 years! 

"Did you hear the great news? I got a phone call from work this morning telling me I can go back to work next Tuesday. I'm really happy to be going back to work, but it should not have taken so long for them to settle this and I'm not happy about that." 

Just last week, during an interview with David as he worked on his story for Imagine!'s "50 Years 50 Stories" that have been posted weekly in Imagine! CEO Mark Emery's blog throughout 2013 in honor of Imagine!'s 50th anniversary, David made a somewhat profound but right on the money, sensible statement about the government shutdown and the impact it had on his life.

I don’t want unemployment, I want to work.  I don’t have time to just sit around.”  

Well David, we're glad you and thousands of others get to return to work next week, and we're proud of you for your tremendous work ethic.  

Rebecca Says Her New Walker Is More Safe

This blog post came to us during a visit to the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome where Rebecca lives. 

Rebecca was putting away the lunch she made for the following day and asked that her picture be taken with her new walker. The new walker has a support strap that goes around Rebecca’s waist, and she told us that the advantages of her new walker over her previous walker are that this one helps her to walk a little slower, provides better support, and is more safe for her than her previous walker.  

Gerald, Donna, And Twisted Pine Brews

This blog post came to us earlier this week during a visit to the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder. Imagine!'s 50th anniversary is in the home stretch, but it's nice to see there is still some Imagine! 50th anniversary beer floating around.

Pictured are Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome residents Gerald and Donna outside their home with some of the Imagine! 50th anniversary beer made by Twisted Pine Brewery, where Gerald is employed.

Gerald Buys Himself A New Phone

This blog post came to us Monday night during a visit to the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder. 

Pictured are Gerald and Donna with Gerald’s new phone that he bought just a few days ago. When asked if having a job at Twisted Pine Brewery and earning a pay check played a role in Gerald being able to purchase the phone, Gerald got a big grin on his face and replied, “Yeah.”

After this photo was taken, Donna asked the photographer if she could program his phone number into her and Gerald's cell phones.  The photographer sheepishly replied, "It's OK with me, but I don't know how to program phone numbers into cell phones."  Donna wryly smiled and stated, "I don't need you to do that for me, I know how to do that.  I just need your phone number."  

Now THAT is cool! 

  

Jessica Discusses The 9/11 Terrorist Attacks

This blog post came to us in a phone call from Jessica on September 11th, the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on our country. This blog post got postponed during the Colorado flood, but we still want to share Jessica’s thoughts with you about September 11th, 2001.

“Hi. I called to talk to you about today being the anniversary of the 9/11. I think it’s a tragedy it happened. I have a lot of family and friends back there in New York City, and it was too bad to be so far away. This morning at 8:46 I thought of the attacks, that’s when the first plane flew into one of the buildings. 

Today is kind of an interesting day: the rain and the clouds make it a dreary day and it kind of fits in with this being the anniversary of the attacks. I feel sorry for the state of New York that this happened. 

I wore my 9/11 hat today. It has the twin towers on the hat (pictured below), and says FDNY. I put firefighter and police pins on the hat, a flag, and ‘I Love NY’ and Yankee symbols too. I also have old pictures of the twin towers in books. I’ll bet that when the Broncos play the Giants in New York tomorrow night they’ll talk about 9/11. I saw some stuff on TV about 9/11 but it reaches a point where you don’t want to hear any more. It is depressing.

In this photo, Jessica is wearing her 9/11 Twin Towers hat. 

SmartHome Ladies Treated To Lunch

This blog post came to us in an email from Shannon Bundy, the Assistant Site Supervisor at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder.

This past Sunday I took all the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome ladies to lunch at BJs. We had a great time. Mandy got gluten free pizza, Rebecca got pizza, Donna got chicken fingers, Rae got pasta, and Lana got a chicken salad. This very nice gentleman sitting behind us bought us a 50 dollar gift card to help pay for the lunch! All the girls said thanks to the man, and Donna said, "There needs to be more people like that."

SmartHome Residents Make Zucchini Bread

These photos were taken Monday night at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder before the residents went to their computers to keep tabs on the Bronco game.  Some of the residents and staff member Claudette decided to make some zucchini bread using zucchini they grew in the SmartHome garden. Making the bread was quite the team effort as the photos show.

Staff member Claudette holds a measuring spoon while
Rebecca carefully fills the spoon with vanilla.

Gerald encourages Donna
while Donna stirs the zucchini bread batter. 

Staff member Claudette (left) holds the bowl while Rae (in white) helps
Gerald stir the batter, and Donna takes a short breather from reading
the recipe to the others. 

Rae admires the thick consistency of the batter while stirring it,
and Donna steadies the bowl for her.

From the left, staff member Claudette, Gerald, Rae, and Donna.
Claudette and Rae are helping Gerald stir the batter while
Donna reads the recipe and lets them know what will be
added next.

No TV, No Problem For SmartHome Residents

This blog post came to us during a visit to the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder last Monday night during the Denver Broncos versus Oakland Raiders football game. The residents have been without TV since the flood, but their computers are working and they took advantage of that to keep tabs on the Bronco game. The photos demonstrate that being without a TV has not dampened their spirits. We hope you enjoy the photos and captions below.

Before the football game, Gerald and Donna wanted their picture
taken by the donor plaque in their home. They celebrated their
fourth wedding anniversary this month. 

Lana is standing behind Donna and Gerald, all eyes focused on
the screen to see what was going to happen next.

Donna shouted, "WE ARE WINNING!  YEA!" 

At this point the score was Denver 10 and Oakland 0.
The score is displayed near the center of the screen with an orange background.
Below the score it gives where the ball is, what down it is, and how many yards
to go for a first down.

If you look closely you can see that the score had just changed
to Denver 17 and Oakland 0.  Go Broncos!

John Thanks SmartHome Flood Volunteers

This photo came to us last night during a visit to the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome. John wrote a thank you note to the people who came by to help clean up the basement of his home after it was damaged by four feet of water.

The note says, "Dear guys, T(h)anks for working in the basement in the SmartHome.

John's thank you note to the volunteers who came by to clean up
flood water from his home's basement. 

John Writes To Say He's Safe

This blog post came to us from John in an audio email. John is a resident at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder, which received significant damage in the basement (about four feet of water). John wrote to let us know that he and his housemates are safe.

Hey Gary, The water on the basement was downstairs after the heavy rain that fell. Iris Street got a bit of flood. I know it’s really crazy but right now the basement is fixing up so I just got to let you know what’s going on. I am home safely, so that’s the good thing. I wonder how your place is. I just want to say hello to you and I hope that you have a good day. 

 I got a little joke. How to you stop a skunk from smelling? You pinch its nose. 

 All right, bye.

This is Imagine! staff member Matt Barnert who was
one of many volunteers who showed up to help with
the flood damage at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome.
Good ole' Matty, covered in mud from head to toe and still smiling. 

Bob Writes About Nature

This blog post came to us in an email from Bob. He has been working on writing emails in a CORE/Labor Source class and this is the first email from Bob's own email address. Bob's email has already received a thorough reply from us about our experiences with nature and such.  Please note that Bob goes by both Bob and Robert, so if you follow his posts you'll see even him using both names.

Hello, It’s me Bob. Just wanted to fill you in on a few things that we haven’t talked about really lately…Nature – Deer, Antelope, and Turkeys. Let’s start out with deer. I talked to my aunt and my aunt said that she hasn’t seen any deer for a long time, but every now and then they come up to the front porch and look inside the house. For antelope, she only sees them once in a while, but that’s to be expected. For turkeys she talked to me and she looked outside the door and she was real surprised. Her yard was filled with turkeys and she couldn’t believe it so she filled me in on it. She said, “Boy those turkeys are ugly.” She hasn’t called back since, but we still keep in touch. On the deer, one day she came home and the left side of her field was filled with deer and she had to get those corralled up and get them to move on. So she has been kind of busy up in the mountains and she has had some excitement. Oh, by the way, my aunt lives up in Left Hand Canyon. Well, that’s kind of where I’m at. If you will please write back I would really appreciate that. Thanks.

Robert waving his flag as he prepared for the 4th of July holiday. 

Lana Was In Her First Parade On Labor Day

This blog post came to us last week during a conversation with Lana at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder. Lana had been asked if she had a good time being in the Louisville Labor Day Parade. Lana and three of her housemates (Gerald, Donna, and Rae) along with two SmartHome staff members (Alex and Phil) were in the parade helping to represent Imagine!, which was invited to be the Grand Marshal in recognition of Imagine!'s 50th anniversary this year.

"I had a good time in the parade. I’d never been in a parade before. I think it’s great that Rae (one of Lana’s housemates) walked the entire way (about one mile). It was fun giving out candy to all the kids.

Lana relaxing at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome. 

Out & About Summer Camp Receives Thanks

This blog post came to us as a thank you note from the parent of a child who attended Out & About’s Summer Camp this year. Along with the note, below, came a cake that is pictured below.  The cake was so delicious that we didn't get a picture of the whole cake in time. 

“I wanted to say how impressed I was with summer camp this year. It has always been a wonderful experience for Erin, but this year was something special. The staff was energetic, positive, and funny. Everyone was really on their game and it showed. The kids were great, too. Erin made some lasting friendships this year. Thank you so much for everything.”

We think the cake said,
"THANK YOU
FOR A GREAT
SUMMER CAMP
OUT & ABOUT."

It was a delicious cake!

Jessica Loves Her Yankees

This blog post came to us in a phone call from Jessica.

"I’ve begun saving $30 a month from my paycheck to go to New York City. It will take a while but that’s OK. 

My knee still bothers me some but other than that I’m good. Thanks for praying for me. I pray every day. 

I’ve been watching the Yankees on TV. That A-Rod is a show off and I think he should have a mark next to his name for using the PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs). Then there’s the pitcher Hughes. He blames his teammates for things. Why would you badmouth your teammates? 

I’m waiting to get my bobblehead of CC Sabathia. Last night he looked like a bobblehead when he was pitching, and I couldn’t stop laughing at that. I’m getting the bobblehead as part of the Yankees’ Fun Package. It  comes with two Jeters,  a Rivera, and the Sabathia.  Also a Yankees banner. They send you a welcome letter, membership card, pens, pencils, baseball cards, and a newsletter. 

Bye for now."

Jessica is a loyal Yankees fan. 

Mandy Sees "Wizard Of Oz" At Boulder Dinner Theatre

This blog post came to us today in an email from Shannon Bundy, who is the Assistant Site Supervisor at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder, where Mandy lives.

Mandy and I went on an outing to the Boulder Dinner Theatre last night and saw "The Wizard of Oz" musical! She had a great time! She liked how the actors and actresses served us dinner. She got to have a gluten free veg curry for dinner! She told me that she would like to go to more plays like this in the future.

Mandy at the Boulder Dinner Theatre Last Night,

Gerald Riding The 204 Bus

This blog post came to us in an email from Shannon Bundy, who is the Assistant Site Supervisor at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder.

 This is a photo of Gerald when I was taking him on an outing to have lunch on Pearl street. He loves the bus! Whenever he gets a chance he loves to have outings by taking the the 204 bus. He wants to take the bus to Denver at some point. We had lunch at Foolish Craig's Cafe and we got to stop by and say hi to the people at the place where he got his wedding rings made. 

Gerald on the 204 bus in Boulder.

Teylan Is Proud Of Her Crawfishing Skills

Today's blog post came to us in an email from Erika Alvis, Boulder CORE/Labor Source Coordinator. Thanks for sharing this Erika, and thanks to Andy for taking the time and effort to find and provide neat opportunities for the people in his class.

Attached is a picture of CORE/LS participant, Teylan, who is with the CORE/Labor Source Community Adventures in Nederland, Colorado, hiking and fishing for crawfish with a piece of string and a hot dog! All of the crawfish caught were immediately released, but as you can tell by the smile of Teylan’s face she is pretty proud of her crawfish fishin’ skills! 

 Andy Wagner is the instructor of the class and takes a great deal of time researching and planning fun activities that will accommodate all of the likes in the group! 

Neil Loves Art Class

This blog post came to us during a visit to a the CORE/Labor Source office in Longmont. Neil waved me into his class to see his art, and the photo was taken with my iPhone. Neil said he loves art class and that he plans to be in the Fringe Festival at Naropa University on Saturday, September 22nd as part of the CORE/Labor Source performance. Thanks for inviting us to see your most current artwork Neil.

Neil enjoying his CORE/Labor Source art class.

Chris Likes Motorcycles. However...

This blog post and photo came to us from Shannon Bundy, who is a Counselor at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder.

Chris chose to go to the Cherry Creek Mall in Denver with me and he bought a new watch. He saw this motorcycle on display and wanted me to take a picture of him in front of it.

Editor's Note: I just called Chris on the telephone to ask him if he'd ever ridden on the back of a motorcycle and he replied, "I've already been there and done that and I don't plan to ever do it again." 

Bob And Judy Charles SmartHome Garage Sale Photos

Today’s blog photos came to us in an email from Shannon Bundy, who is a Counselor at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder. Last weekend the residents at the home had a garage sale, and below are some photos from the garage sale.

Site Supervisor Chantelle Tweten told us that, "Collectively the consumers made $324.35 and raised $100.93 in donations.  They are planning to throw a party to celebrate the success!"
 

Gerald and Donna with some of the garage sale items.

Donna recruiting customers for the garage sale.

Princess Rebecca posing.