To grow is to change. To change is to be new. To be new is to be young again."
Today, this week, this change is the beginning of the rest of my life. I have successfully completed my first week at All For Kids, and it has been truly excellent! I cannot overstate how welcoming everyone is, how comfortable I feel in the clinic and as a therapist, and how excited I am to start my career here. :D Am I tired? Exhausted. Am I overwhelmed? Not as much as I thought I would be, but still yes. Can I do this? Absolutely! This is definitely where I am meant to be, and I am going to make the most out of it.
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Since beginning my new Alaskan life, my adventures have been deeeeeeeelightful! Details follow:
1) Driving up the hillside
Soon after Aunt Patty arrived to join me, we got busy with finding/buying all the necessities (details below), so we really needed a break to enjoy the beauty of our new home. We took a drive down O'Malley and kept on going up, up, and up the "hill" until we made it to the Upper O'Malley Trailhead at Chugach National Park. The views up there are INCREDIBLE. We could see the beautiful water of the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet, as well as the Sleeping Lady and Denali (known in the Lower 48 as Mt. McKinley) mountain ranges. People actually live all over the hillside and get to enjoy majestic views on a daily basis. New life goal!
2) Buying ALL the things!
If only you could have seen my shopping lists...it was a tad absurd, especially considering that my apartment is furnished. Big "buys": apartment and car leases. Worth it. I love my furnished, comfy, homey, wonderful apartment and my shiny new Subaru Outback (named Dr. Spencer Reid, of course)! Aunt Patty and I visited quite a few apartments, spent over 10 hours car shopping, and took multiple trips to Target, Costco, Fred Meyer (Kroger), and Carrs (Safeway) in order to accomplish our shopping goals. Countless hours and thousands of dollars later, we're settled and life is good.
3) Glen Alps and Potter's Marsh
Thanks be to Chris for taking us on our first little Alaskan adventure into the "wilderness." :D We explored a bit more of the hillside, got out of the car and walked on a path up one of the mountain peaks, and drove along the beautiful coastline. And as if that wasn't enough, I FOUND A TRAIN! I climbed on it and everything :)
4) Walk & Roll For Hope with AFK
One of my favorite events in AK to date was the Walk & Roll, which I attended with coworkers from AFK. The 5K walk led us along the cultural trail, which was scenic and hilly. It was such fun to bond with the girls (and Al) before getting busy at work on Monday! If I wasn't sure before I arrived, I knew after the walk that these people were my people and that I would be perfectly happy within my new community. AND there was FREE FOOD at the walk, which they tell me is typical of Anchorage walks! Seriously! I had a hot dog, a bag of popcorn, and a grilled cheese after the walk. A GRILLED CHEESE. I am still not over it, obviously.
5) Byron Glacier day trip
Beluga Point + Portage Glacier + Byron Glacier + Alyeska Resort + Girdwood Bake House
Pictures won't do it justice, but here are a few to tempt y'all. Such a fun trip with Chris, Rusty, and Patty!
Yes, that IS a BBC bagel, in case you Bloomingtonians were wondering. :) That bagel has been to quite a few unimaginably beautiful places in its short, yet stale, life. I think it ended up in the trash...but it's in a trash bag in Alaska, so that's pretty impressive to gloat about to other bagels in bread heaven!
Yet another of my personal goals: Climbing to the peak of the glacier behind me (photo above on the right)...it's going to happen, people, and it's going to be ridiculous! It's so funny to me to think that I am excited to climb snow-covered mountains, when I have always been the summer-loving, heat/sweat/humidity-relishing Midwesterner for most of my life. Seriously, if you know me well, think about it; I have always hated the cold, loved sunny, hot summers, and dreamed of living in hammocks on beaches anywhere but landlocked Indiana. And yet here I am in ALASKA, eager to climb glaciers, kayak in icy water, downhill and cross country ski, hike with snow shoes, and cruise around in a snow machine. I hope it's not a phase, but I really think it's an undiscovered passion I now have the opportunity to explore.
6) First week at All For Kids!
No words can truly describe and do justice to All For Kids. My coworkers are fantastic...friendly, welcoming, supportive, encouraging, entertaining, brilliant, motivated, hilarious, loving, and so much more. I started off day one with kiddos on my caseload, which was terrifying and exhilarating, but I was prepared well and felt comfortable asking for help if I needed. My first week had its ups and downs, of course, but my overall stress/anxiety level was significantly lower than I expected. My biggest concern always has been (and probably always will be) to be the best therapist I can be, because my clients deserve the absolute best. As a new therapist, I know that I am definitely not the most experienced, most educated, or most enlightened practitioner in the clinic, but what I do know is that I (with my skills and education) am better than nothing and, more than that, I care. I want to be the best I can be; I need to learn how to be excellent for my kids; and I will do my best everyday to learn and improve. I may not have all the answers today, and I dare say I won't have them in a week, a month, or a year; but my kiddos are going to have fun, they're going to learn with me, and a positive change (one way or another) will come. Insert motivational quote or sarcastic someecard here...
(Patty snapped a photo of me as I headed to work on my first day...
notice the multiple bags, arms full of goodies, and giant coffee mug.)
"To grow is to change. To change is to be new. To be new is to be young again."
I am learning to grow, change, and embrace my professional youth. Now is the time for adventures. Now is the time to push my limits, to test my boundaries, and to break the mold I have created for myself. I live and work in Alaska. This is the beginning of the rest of my life.
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