Coloradoversary #2
We’ve been here in Colorado for two years now, and this past year has been a good one.
The weather is still a bit dramatic and unpredictable, to put it mildly.
Approaching thunderstorm – July 4, 2006
Hailstorm – September 2006
Snow, snow, and more snow – all winter long
I’m getting accustomed to the wildlife – only made one panicked call to the neighbors this year when a coyote darted in front of my car and ran down into the gulch behind our houses.
Snake found in our garage one morning.
Somewhat disconcerting information found on a children’s coloring page at the bank.
Getting up close and personal with elk in Estes Park. Yes, that’s my husband and baby waving merrily in the background.
Still enjoying the trails, or at least I was until I got pregnant. I’m looking forward to having a child who will be a Colorado native (because apparently that is important to people around here).
Still haven’t gone skiing (although Kyle spent half a day boarding at Breck), but we’ve definitely enjoyed exploring such areas as Estes Park and Breckenridge – and we’ll continue exploring this fall (minus the gas guilt) in our Toyota Highlander Hybrid.
Demonstrator in Boulder – the sign says “Evil lurks in the Bush.” Maybe he and his girlfriend had a bad breakup.
The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, where The Shining was filmed.
Redrum
Clusters of gold aspens among the conifers
Happy family in Breckenridge
Breckenridge slopes as seen from our cabin
This post is technically late – our Coloradoversary was actually back in May – but it’s also quite timely in that I can finally announce two new writing endeavors that will add to my credibility as a transplanted Coloradan.
First, I’m the Colorado City Host for a new travel website called PickPackGo. PickPackGo is a vacation rental search site where you can find and book properties all over the US (with more locations coming worldwide). It’s just getting started, but there are already thousands of properties listed – with thorough descriptions and lots of pictures. My job is to answer questions from site users about Colorado, and I expect to be swamped by October! Thanks again to Mary Tsao for thinking of me for this cool opportunity.
Second, I’ve joined up with a group of Colorado bloggers to form the Mile High Mamas! We’re sponsored by the Denver Post and led by Amber of Crazy Blogging Canuck, whom I was thrilled to meet at BlogHer last month. Our ranks include Aimee of Greeblemonkey, Angela of Living Life in Beautiful Colorado, Annie of Anniethology, Catherine of On the Banks of the Rio Grande, Mary-Frances of Frequently Wrong But Never In Doubt, and Mitch of Mitch McDad’s World (okay, so he’s an honorary Mama). A few of us got together last night for a barbecue at Aimee’s house, and even though I wasn’t imbibing, Kyle still had to be the voice of reason and drag me away before I turned into a pumpkin.
(And then I had to exert some self-control at home and let Catherine go to bed instead of trying to entice her to stay up and talk. She is kind and lovely and I wish she didn’t live four hours away, but I’m thrilled to pieces that she made the trip and we finally got to meet. Plus, she brought me chocolate.)
We’re acclimating. I’m no longer struck at odd times by the realization that I live here, that our old apartment belongs to someone else, that my old job belongs to someone else. I don’t have that unsettling feeling of being untethered, unsure of where I belong. I don’t look around my house and hear the Talking Heads:
“And you may ask yourself
What is that beautiful house?
And you may ask yourself
Where does that highway go?
And you may ask yourself
Am I right? …am I wrong?
And you may tell yourself
My god!…what have I done?”
Instead, I marvel at the beauty around me and the niche I’ve carved out for myself and my family and feel comforted to know that it will be there tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that, and so on and so forth.
August 27th, 2007 at 6:16 am
Congrats on the MHM gig and happy Coloradoversary!
August 27th, 2007 at 6:28 am
Congrats Julie.
And I thought the only think people did in Colorado was ski and smoke pot.
pshaw.
August 27th, 2007 at 6:29 am
Great pictures! And wait till everyone sees the hot oh-la-la mamma photos I took of you last night! I am posting an example soon!
It was great to see you and meet two of the other Mile High Mamas!
And congrats on the PickPackGo thing! How exciting, and I want to hear more!
And lastly, congrats on 2 years on the Wild West!
August 27th, 2007 at 6:43 am
That was a nice paean to your adopted state.
But now I’m going to be singing that song all day. (And I do look around my house and say “what have I done?”)
August 27th, 2007 at 6:43 am
So jealous I didn’t get to be there! Maybe next time. (And here I didn’t even NEED to be at the other place I thought I had to be. Grrr…)
Congrats on your 2 years!!!
August 27th, 2007 at 6:51 am
As someone who has lived her nearly my whole life, but is not native, I don’t get the native thing either.
Need to go add all the local bloggers to my feed. Congrats on your new gig.
August 27th, 2007 at 7:22 am
I still get a little spooked that one of my children has a birth certificate that reads “New York, New York” and the other one … doesn’t. I’m glad you’ve found so much to love about Colorado (and I hope we can come visit you again very soon).
August 27th, 2007 at 8:33 am
woo hoo.
Hot Julie pic up.
Go look.
August 27th, 2007 at 8:58 am
oh! I used to build snow forts like that when I was a kid in Michigan. Fun.
Funny, I plan to write an ode to my residence on Wed. Enjoyed reading yours.
August 27th, 2007 at 10:04 am
Hey Mama,
Being a fellow Coloradoan (ok not completely native, but almost 13 years under my belt) I love reading your blog. If you ever need a contact in SW CO, you know who to call.
Peace out at 7500 ft.
-Hanna
August 27th, 2007 at 10:25 am
If I move to Colorado can I come to the mile high parties?
Pretty please?
August 27th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
But you still need to learn the difference between a bear and a cow.
August 27th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
love the pictures. being here in colorado myself, i can relate to the seasons and the wildlife. how long have you been here? (or did i miss that somewhere)
i’m looking forward to reading the new venture, mile high mamas. and good luck with your other project, too.
August 27th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
Those are great photos, especially the thunderstorm clouds, and the one of the four of you on the swing. I’m so glad you are now enjoying living there! Congrats on the new gig, too. I had the privilege of hanging out with Amber on the last night of BlogHer, there’s a great photo on my FLickr of her shoving a giant piece of fried dough in her mouth. And I’ve known Catherine for two years, she is awesome!
August 27th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
And the view there is gorgeous. That alone is worth the move, I’d think.
Happy anniversary of being in Colorado. Hope your time there continues to be full of good memories.
August 27th, 2007 at 6:29 pm
Those photos are great!
The photo of the elk with your miniature husband and daughter riding on top of them is hilarious! And what’s up with that HAIL!? Dang. I thought acorn season was tough on my car’s paintjob.
August 27th, 2007 at 7:14 pm
It’s funny when you look around and realize that “Home” is Here.
And you can never have too many tips for encountering mountain lions
August 27th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
What I would’ve given for the luxury to overstay my welcome a little. Nonetheless, I had a FABULOUS time, Julie. And yours has got to be the most comfortable guest bed I’ve ever slept on in my life!!
Thanks again. You and your family are sweet down to the bone.
August 27th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
congratulations on your new roots growing a tad further. and feeling like you are a part of it all…and wanting to be.
It’s funny, i used to work for the man who wrote and sung those words, and they always make me laugh.
and yes, I must go stay at the stanley!
August 27th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
oooh – congrats on the mile high mamas! (wait, what – *another* blog to add to the reader??) and I love the elk pic – something about people hanging out of the far side of wildlife …
August 28th, 2007 at 7:41 am
Lovely pics and as usual, they make me quite homesick. Happy Coloradoversary!!! I wish I could say that…
I look forward to the launch of MHM!
August 28th, 2007 at 7:42 am
You sound so happy and content. And it’s awesome that you’ve got such great new endeavors to keep you on your toes, both the writing and the new baby.
August 28th, 2007 at 10:06 am
Your altitude may be slightly higher than mine, but your wildlife is much the same.
Glad you’re finding happiness and peace and other bloggers where you are Julie!
Make sure Mitch keeps his hands to himself, eh?
LOL.
You hot momma you.
August 28th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
You don’t know how big I’m smiling, knowing that my fellow former city girl has found happiness in Colorado! I know exactly how you feel. Great post.
August 28th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
Mile High Mamas — sounds like fun! I love the picture of snow, snow, and more snow.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
“Evil lurks in the Bush.” Maybe he and his girlfriend had a bad breakup
I didn’t think it was possible to love you more then I already did!! Hahahahaaha!
August 30th, 2007 at 1:59 am
I’m going to Colorado twice (!!) next year. And I’m ridiculously excited and looking forward to the skiing.
Lovely homage to your ‘home’ state.
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