Spring 2016 (Settle in, it's a long one.)
Selling a house is really just a horrible, terrible, soul sucking experience and this was our third house in four years on the market. I couldn't believe we were going through this again.
Prairie Meadow Dr. hit the market in April 2016. Since it was only a year old, there really wasn't much I needed to do to prepare it for market except declutter. Every time we move, I get rid of more crap...I love it!
My goal was to make it to Illinois before the Fall 2016 school year started. It was really important for me that Jack start Kindergarten at the same time as his peers.
Our realtor was very optimistic the house would be under contract within the week. I said three weeks. It took 11.
Upon reflection, two and half months isn't bad, I just wasn't mentally prepared for it to take that long.
I knew our time in Colorado was limited and I was determined to make the most of the time left. I made a bucket list of all the things I wanted to do with the boys. Our date nights became a walk down memory lane. Each time we would visit an area of the metro area we had lived, places we had frequented and homes we had shared.
In the spring/summer of 2016 we did a lot of traveling. Fortunately, I love traveling with my boys. The memories we make are worth the headache of traveling with children In addition to three trips back to Illinois, we went on all the adventures outlined below. Yes, it is generally exhausting. Packing for four people requires a lot time and consideration on my part and most of the time I feel like I need a vacation after our "vacation." However, as the boys have gotten older it HAS gotten easier and I know it will continue to do so.
For Mother's Day, we spent the weekend at Devil's Thumb Ranch in Tabernash. We stayed in a cabin and it was the first time we had the boys sleep together...much to my surprise it was a success. The weather was less than perfection but we stayed warm in their hot tub while the snow fell around us and followed it with a "refreshing" dip in the outdoor-semi heated pool. We went for a few little hikes and just enjoyed the slow pace. I cherish the time we get to spend in the mountains.
Saying goodbye to the boys' school was really hard...on me. I had been so fortunate to find MCHD and the four years Jack was there were awesome. The teachers were wonderful and truly loved and cared about our boys. When we were having hard times at home with Jack, they reassured me that he was thriving at school and his dickish behavior was saved for me at home...which was a relief! We all made some really good friends within our school community and our last day brought many tears...from me.
One of my bucket list items was a long overdue visit to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs. We decided to make a weekend of it and stayed at Cheyenne Mountain Resort. The zoo itself was awesome. By far the coolest part was the giraffe exhibit which they are known for. I think I may have enjoyed it more than the boys! The zoo winds its way up and then down the side of a mountain and you can finish the day with a chair lift ride over the whole zoo. It was a long day but definitely a weekend I hope to repeat someday.
I dread when the school year ends and I know the boys will be home full time but by the end of the summer we have found our groove and I am sad to see a new year begin. This summer I wanted to do our favorites, the zoo and science museum, but we also branched out. A few of my favorites were taking the new train system, the Light Rail, from our neighborhood to downtown. One of my favorite spots in Denver is Union Station and in the summer they have fountains out front for the kids to play in. So we brought towels and a change of clothes and let them go nuts.
We also went to the Denver Botanical Garden. Which I now wish we would have visited more often. They were hosting Chihuly Glass exhibit around the gardens and it was really beautiful. The boys found a giant hill and rolled down the whole thing, repeatedly. Long ago, I let go of trying to dress them nicely or in expensive clothes. They are rough and they are messy. They are they very definition of little boys.
Fourth of July, we did something we haven't done in a very long time and something we had never even attempted before with our kids....we went camping. I did a lot of camping in Central Illinois and mountain camping is very different. The threat of large wild animals is very real and it gets cold, especially at night. But man, it's beautiful. The boys did awesome. Leo and I ended up sleeping on the ground most of the first night due to an unforeseen hole in our aero bed, J's beloved sleeping bag met a surprising and unfortunate demise, we were hit with some rain and by the end of the trip the boys were out of clean, dry clothes but overall I'd say it was a success. Camping is one of those experience that you need to go in with need zero expectations and just roll with the punches.
The week after our house went under contract, we left for vacation in Georgia. While the idea of having a regular vacation spot is appealing, I love trying new places for our family trips. I had always wanted to visit Savannah but also knew that it was better for the boys if we were on the beach. Fortunately, just outside of Savannah, there are several little islands. We settled on Tybee Island. The Blair family joined us for part of the week and my mother in law and her sister came for a few days as well.
Savannah was a beautiful town. The moss covered trees and parks were not like anything I'd ever seen. It was very much the old, Southern charm you see in the movies. Tybee on the other hand was your run of the mill tourist town and while I enjoyed our time spent there, it's not somewhere I'd return to. Nonetheless, a vacation together is time and money well spent.
I recently found this note on my phone that I had written our last day there:
This is what I want. For one week of the year. To buy junk food, over indulge my children and watch them play...free and unfiltered and wild on the beach for hours on end. My skin at the end of the day is covered in a salty film. My body tired from the air and sun and cocktails. My heart, full. Bursting actually.
As the sun sets behind us and the people slowly clear from the beach, we continue to play.
Their energy seems endless but I know as soon as we set off their little bodies will crash and burn. I love the quiet moments before the inevitable battle. But their pure joy makes it worth it and I feel alive and at peace.
I love going to baseball games...the energy, the atmosphere, it's always exciting. We have been going to Rockies games since I moved to Denver after a few years I knew that my heart and life would always be in Colorado so I hung up my Cubs gear and put on purple. We were so fortunate that J's company was part owner of the Rockies and therefore always had incredible seats right behind the dugouts.
This was the first time we had taken both boys to a game and we were fortunate enough to get tickets to one of the games that fell near the Fourth of July. The Rockies lost but we had front row seats to one of the most spectacular fireworks shows I have ever seen. I, of course, cried. It was such a great experience and made my heart swell for my adopted city.
Saying goodbye is hard and we did it a lot. I wish I would have been better at getting pictures with everyone but chances are I was crying and didn't even think about it. But we did get to spend one more wonderful day with two great friends and their families. I met Jen and Lisa when we were all pregnant with our first babies. Between the three of us, there were eight new little people and they all got along so well. I cherish our time with these families.
And of course, we couldn't leave Denver without Jack saying goodbye to his first best friend. Jack and Trenton had been at MCHD together since the beginning. These two meatball were like to storms colliding. They were both wild and had big personalities and often times our playdates would explode after 45 minutes because of butting heads. But they loved each other.
On July 15, the semi pulled up in front of our house the packing commenced. We/I lucked out on this move, as everything was being paid for by J's company...right down to the packing. I, alone, had packed every move we had made in the last 11 years so it was weird to have someone else pack up our belongings but I quickly let go of the reigns and enjoyed the reprieve. It only took them two full days and then they drove off with all of the "things" that make up our life.
We signed our side of the closing docs a day early and hit the road in the afternoon of July 18 and arrived in Illinois late the next day.
When I moved to Colorado, I drove myself (and my future mother in law) out in a UHaul pulling my car behind. I was 21 years old. I had no clue who I was or where my life was going. I was scared. I was excited. I was crazy. I was brave. But it is a choice I will never regret. I am so much better for the time I spent there.
It was almost exactly 11 years later when, with a UHaul in tow, my time in Colorado came to a close. I was scared. I was excited. I
felt crazy. And with my car full of people I didn't have when I moved out, I knew I could be brave as long as we were together.
(My Colorado farewell on Facebook.)
Yesterday, I said good bye to my life in Colorado.
When I drove my Uhaul out 11 years ago I didn't know who I was or where my life was going. But through the years, I fell in love, graduated college, got married, welcomed my babies, made endless memories and met some great friends. I may have been born and raised in Illinois but I grew up in Colorado.
I know this next chapter is going to be a great opportunity for J and our family but it's going to be a challenge for a while. However, these are the things in life that make us stronger, better...and I'm up for the challenge as long as I have my three boys by my side.
My heart will always be deeply rooted in Colorado and I want to say thank you to all of the people that played a roll in my time there. You have all taught me something over the years and I am forever grateful.
Lindsey
