Well, I started my new job at TigerPlace this week and I love it! I was pretty nervous going into it because I had gotten used to staying at home and was afraid that I would not adjust well to going back to work full time. I also was concerned about how the people there would accept me. When you are replacing someone who was well-liked, you always wonder whether they will like you, or hold it against you that the other person left. However, all of those fears were for nothing. All of the staff and residents have been wonderful to me. They are a very friendly bunch and easy to talk to and get along with.
I can already tell that I am going to gain weight as my meals are free and Casey, Rhonda, and Alicia (the weekday cooks) are amazing! It is taking me a while to get used to the freedom I have at TigerPlace. Most anything I want to do, Chuck (my boss) tells me to go for it. If it works, great. If not, try something else. I am still working on getting all of the names of the residents down. We have 34 people living there along with 2 cats and 2 dogs. They have all been very patient with me. I am starting to figure out who the cantankerous ones are and who will come to almost everything we do.
We went on our first outing today. Five ladies came along for a tour of neighborhood yards and gardens. I was very impressed that we had that good of a turnout since everyone kept asking me if I was going to drive the big van (a 14 passenger handicap accessible van). I don't think they thought a "little girl" like me could drive it. I was very pleased that I completed the entire trip without hitting any curbs! While I feel that the first half of the trip was kind-of a bust (very few flowers and kind of boring), we ended up at the Shelter Gardens and that was a hit! Andrew came along with us and Katie, one of the girls I work with, came also to help out. I will have to try to find ways to get more of the people to come. If anyone knows of any interesting places to visit or eat around the area or in St. Louis, Jeff City, or Kansas City (or places similar in distance), please let me know as I am always looking for new ideas.
Next week is the first week that I really have anything planned, so hopefully it will go well.
Slow Cooker Troubleshooting
1 year ago
6 comments:
I'm glad it went so well -- and I'm glad you didn't hit any curbs! :) Here are a few things Alex and I thought of that might be fun:
- Forest Park and the zoo in St. Louis. I think there's a botanical garden there, too.
- The Plaza shopping district in Kansas City. There are lots of nice restaurants there, and it's a good spot for walking around.
- The State Fair in Sedalia (it might be a bit hot, though).
- Antiquing in the smaller towns around Columbia.
- Central Dairy in Jeff City. (for Ice Cream!)
- Festivals! Hermann has Maifest and Oktoberfest; Hartsburg does the pumpkin festival; and I think there's an apple festival toward KC in September.
- A Missouri BBQ tour. (We miss Missouri BBQ so much.)
I hope some of those are helpful!
Thanks Nichole! I will definitely look into these. I had thought about the zoo and botanical garden. Hopefully I will be able to engage them. It will be fun trying!
Tiff
Have you thought about some of the many historical sites around mid-Missouri like the Bothwell mansion in Sedalia. Don't know what physical limitations you are dealing with
St. Charles would be a fun outing with lots of antique and cute little shops.
Also, the A-frame at Les Bourgoeis in Rocheport would be a nice place to go, too (the restaurant is a little expensive but you could pack sack lunches and eat out over the river at the A-frame -- unless they would all want to order wine and that would make it complicated).
DO NOT go to the Pumpkin Festival in Hartsburg. We went one year and it was sooooooooo crowded that we never found a place to park after we had literally sat on the road in our car for almost an hour just to get inside the city limits. I can tell you more wonderful details later! Also up around Clark,MO I hear there is a very nice Amish community with some very nice stores to buy fresh breads and things like that.
I am so happy that you like your job and are being accepted into the fold! There is a book called "Exploring Columbia: Fun Things to Do in Central Missouri." You should check it out. Arrow Rock might interest some of the folks and maybe you could even get some to take in a show at the Lyceum Theatre.
Post a Comment