Jessica Shares Her Bolder Boulder Experience

This blog post came to us in a phone call from Jessica yesterday. She wanted to share her experience walking the 6.2 miles long Bolder Boulder with this blog post. Thanks to Tim Nielsen, who is a Residential Counselor at Imagine!'s Garden Place PCA, for sending us the photos of Jessica. Here's what Jessica told us.

I made it the whole way. It was somewhat easy but I did get a blister on my left foot so I’m being careful when I walk. I had fun, and made it to the finish line. I like walking with people, getting my picture taken, seeing people who congratulate me, and as far as I know I’ll do the Bolder Boulder next year. 

I liked some of the music.  I like Elvis and the rock and roll music but I didn’t particularly care for all the music.   There were people handing out some marshmallows and some other things but I didn’t want to stop and mess up my time. 

 I'm one of the people who doesn’t like to be sprayed with water during the race, so I'd cross over to the other side of the street if people were spraying us.  I wore all my Yankee’s stuff, my hat, shirt sweatpants, and socks.  I was fully decked out in my Yankees stuff.  

There were a lot of people who passed me but I was happy with my time and I think I did better than last year. I liked that it wasn’t raining. 

Jessica gives a thumbs up as she finishes the Bolder Boulder.

Jessica waves during the Bolder Boulder.

The Purple Horse

This blog post was written last week by Donna during Imagine!'s Out & About department's Creative Expressions Class. The participants in the class were encouraged to write anything they wanted, it can be a poem, song, a true story, fiction, what they like, or anything they want to write about. Here is what Donna wrote.

Donna's Story About A Purple Horse 

Purple horse. I would like to buy it on my own. It will cost $500.00. I am saving my money to get it and my friends helped me bring it home and I found a place to have my purple horse boarded at the stables. She is tamed to ride in the mountains, Mustang Sally. She is sweet and friendly and she likes people riding her and they like her and they think she is a good horse and they want to ride her again sometime.  And after we take turns riding her I would take the tack off her and groom her and feed  and water her and put her back in the stables. And my friends went for a walk and we seen roses, beautiful red roses and we seen lots of beautiful birds after we went horseback riding and the birds sing a lot of songs, beautiful too.

Out & About Creative Expressions Class

Today's blog post came to us from John Halcomb, who is a participant in a Creative Expressions Class through Imagine!'s Out & About department. The class participants wrote blog posts for the Imagine! Voices blog and we'll be posting more of what the class members wrote during the class, so keep an eye out for more of these posts.

John's post is things he likes or likes to do:

• Acting. I like my part as Cruiser. (John was in Out & About's Centre Stage production, "The Menace in Venice" in February). Centre Stage rocks forever.
•  Friends.
• Burritos. I like the big burritos at Qdoba and Chipotle. 
• Fireworks.
• 4th of July: Proud to be an American.
• Sit on grass with friends. 
• I love the breeze.
• I like the birds chirping.
• Las Vegas. I saw Cirque du Soleil.

SmartHome Residents Serve On Advocacy Council

This photo below was taken just an hour ago, as Lana, Donna, and John were leaving their monthly Innovations Advocacy Council meeting. The housemates from the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder have been volunteering as members of the Innovations Advocacy Council for the past year.

Today's agenda included discussing the creation of a logo for the council, having a table at Imagine!'s Supported Living Services Provider Fair on May 29, and the Family Model for residential services, which as I understand it, is where the person receiving services from Imagine! continues to live at the home of their parent(s), and either the parent(s) become the provider or an outside provider comes to the house to deliver support services. The Family Model is a relatively new model for residential services, which include apartments, Personal Care Alternatives (PCAs), Companion Model, Host Homes, and Group Homes.

John, displaying his typical positive attitude, came out of the two hour meeting with a smile and when asked about the meeting, replied, "It's cool." John's enthusiasm made me wonder how many of us come out of a two hour meeting feeling like that! Well done John.

From the left: Lana, Donna, and John, housemates at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder.

Donna Says "Helping Others Can Be Fun"

Today's post came to us during visit to the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder last week.   Seven of the eight residents and I were sitting around the new, big, game table donated by Dr. Jeff Kupfer, who works with Imagine! Behavioral Health Services.  We were cutting out pictures from a recent softball game and talking about being helped and helping others.

Donna said:

It's nice to be helped once in a while, but it's also nice to help others.  If you don't enjoy helping others, your life can be miserable.  Helping others can be fun, and you've got to have a little fun.

Donna with a computer generated card she made for a friend.

CORE/Labor Source KGNU Class Performs "I Just Called"

This blog post came to us in an email from Kelly Faus, who is an Instructor in Imagine!s CORE/Labor Source department. One of the classes Kelly teaches is a music class that is held at KGNU radio station in Boulder, and the class recently finished another song, which is their take on Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called."

The musicians in the song are as follows:
--Vocals by Scott
--Organ Sound by Mandy
--Guitar Sounds by Frank
--Drum Sounds by Frank and Scott

Scott wanted to give it to his girlfriend as a gift.   The class will put all of their work into an album once they finish one more song!  They have previously recorded a cover of Derek and the Domino's "Layla" and "Mandy's Song," written by Mandy.

John Likes His Fruit

This blog post came to us during a visit to the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder. John was relaxing and eating an apple, and we proceeded to discuss healthy eating habits.

When asked what fruit is his favorite, John replied, "I like every fruit, whatever is around is good."

When asked if he'd rather have a snack of fruit, or a bag of chips, John put his hand on his chin and replied, "Well, sometimes I like a bag of potato chips, or even crackers, but I do like fruit, and we have to eat our fruit and vegetables if we want to be healthy." 

 

John enjoying a snack of an apple.

Bob Plays His First Softball Game

This blog post came to us today in an email from Stephanie Tilley, who is Imagine!’s Assistive Technology Lab facilitator. She had asked Bob if he'd like to write a blog post about playing his first softball game, which was on Saturday, April 26th at Martin Park in Boulder. 

The game included residents of the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder playing against the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont, and they invited Bob to play too.

Hi Gary, 

It’s me Bob. I just wanted to tell you about the SmartHome softball game I played in. It was my first time being able to play softball and I really enjoyed it. I didn’t even recognize you in the crowd. You surprised me a lot. They gave me a purple shirt and I joined the Longmont team. I got a home run and everyone cheered for me. I was real surprised about that. So I guess that’s probably about it. If you have any questions about that just give me a call. 

Thanks, 
Bob 

Bob, on the right, gives Rebecca room to come into 2nd base.

In this group photo taken after the game, Bob is on the far right in the purple shirt.

Working On Easter Had Meaning

This blog post came to us in an email. It was written by Donna Jo Warner who works at Foothills Group Home in Boulder. Donna wrote the following, describing the wonderful time she had working Easter Sunday and taking three residents to an Easter Sunday service at

Mt. Zion Lutheran Church in Boulder.

I had to work today but the best time was getting three of the residents dressed for church because it is a special day I told them. A dress and hose make one woman smile so bright she touched my heart because I knew she felt pretty. The two others in suit and tie told me they didn't know how to tie a tie. I told them that we could do it. Afterwards they kept asking me if they looked OK. Handsome I told them as they got out of the van into their wheelchairs to go inside. And to the bright-bright smiles when I picked them up after church. That made my day because they felt special.

Mandy's Insight On Being Thankful

This blog post came to us during a conversation with Mandy at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome where she is a resident.  We were discussing how all things considered, we have things pretty good.

You need to always be thankful to have what you have at that point in your life because you don't know when your life is going to end.  

Mandy, in the foreground with the coral colored pants, heads to first base during a softball game last Saturday. Abby, to Mandy's left, is an Imagine! volunteer from Alpha Kappa Psi, CU's coed professional business fraternity, and had just helped Mandy bat. Mandy's housemate Donna is in the background on Mandy's right, about to score a run from Mandy's hit.