I have the 9th best job in America!

Best Jobs in America

This article outlines the best jobs in America and TR is #9!  It's nice to see that Recreation Therapy is getting some recognition! Plus, we're two jobs ahead of physical therapists :)  I must say though... our median pay is about half of most of the jobs in the top 10. 

Speaking of Rec Therapy... my boss Butch is retiring! His last day is December 28th, and then I will be the only Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist at Cottonwood.  I have some big changes that I want to make and can't wait to implement them :) I spoke to the Clinical Director and she is really excited about making some changes in TR department.  I don't think I'll be promoted for awhile, because we might not hire anyone to replace Butch's spot for awhile... but I don't know how that will look :)

"They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself."
~Andy Warhol

Sneak Peek

Well, it has become a tradition to dress up our animals for Halloween.  So far, we only have one costume, but it's a great one :)

  Baxter got right into character :)

 Barley became a little confused too. If you can't tell... he's a lion :)

Ronald McDonald Fundraiser

This is the third year that Cottonwood Tucson has set up a table at an annual Ronald McDonald fundraiser.  Restaurants from all over Tucson serve samples to people at an outdoor mall in Tucson. They also have free wine samples and LOTS of silent auction products and services.  I get free admission because we have a table there, but I think it costs $100 a ticket.

This year, Tommy's boss, Richard, did a special ice carving for the table. It is a large block of ice with fresh fish and seaweed frozen into it! And he put lights in it too.  It looked awesome! They served homemade ravioli, fresh-rolled sushi and a delicious crepe.  The event is also a great a marketing tool, but many times people think we are a restaurant rather than a treatment facility. 

 Richard putting on the finishing touches.

 Tommy's carving of a neighborhood pool.  See the diving board?

 Service begins.

Red Rock... Gotta love it!

Volleyball

This is our lovely volleyball team after a game a few weeks ago :) We are the Arctic Force and have penguins on our jerseys :) It's so nice to be playing again!

New look

I thought it was time for a new look... now that Willow is a wild woman, I figured we should change the picture too :)

"If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living."
~Gail Sheehy

We officially love Flagstaff!

Last weekend, Tommy, Barley, and I piled into the ol' Camry and trucked up to Flagstaff.  We went to a bluegrass festival, camped, climbed, drank good coffee and hung out with friends.  I completed a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) course in Flagstaff a few weeks prior, so we met up with some of my friends from the course.  It was perfect weather, though it was getting pretty cold at night.

The first night, we pulled into a recreation area north of Phoenix. Barley was really excited... so we didn't get much sleep in our 2 person tent with him.  He tossed and kicked all night.  The next day, we finished the drive to Flagstaff, took Barley to the dog park and then dropped him off at a doggie daycare so we could attend the bluegrass festival - Pickin in the Pines.  Afterward, he was exhausted and we slept really well that night.

The next day with went climbing at The Pit.  The rock was limestone and very different from what we were used to, but it was really fun to climb on! It had pockets in it, as you can see in the pictures.

                           Tommy climbing "Popeye"

                              Barley was so tired!                            

         
                                                        I'm trying to clip my chalk bag to Heather's harness :)

Enjoying the view

Our last day, we spent time in town and has some yummy coffee.  Flagstaff has a really great coffee shop scene.  Plus, there's some good food to accompany it too!  

So, after the trip, Tommy and I decided we will definitely be back soon! Especially before it gets too cold :) I think we'll probably have a summer home there in the future (a campsite...).

"Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher."

~William Wordsworth