“Settling” and “adventure” seem polar opposites. Yet we have
found settling in to a new home to be quite an adventure! Thus, here’s what
we’ve been up to since the last “installment.”
School
Shortly after we arrived, we visited the schools with whom
we had been in touch prior to our move. Our first stop was a small country school 15 minutes from our house (well,
after you trek down the hill so really 25 minutes from our house). Ben and Cat
met their teacher and we got the sense that this would be a good
fit for them.
On to the middle school! In our research, we had learned
that the Cortez Middle School had a 21st Century Learning program,
separate from the regular middle school program. We had applied for the program
but learned on our visit that the best we could hope for is to be put on a
waiting list as the program was full. We toured the school and thought the boys
should give it a try, even though Micah would not be able to continue with the
advanced math class he had started in Greeley.
Last stop – high school. The building had
been built only two years ago and we were soon impressed with the great
facility. We met David’s teachers and were equally impressed.
The next day was the first day of school after Christmas
break and everyone was dropped at their respective schools with lunches and a
few butterflies! They came home with happy impressions of their new schools –
except Joel and Micah. It was evident after that first day that this would not
be the best option for them. The next day they started homeschool via an online
program.
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| When the kitchen doubles as a science lab . . . |
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| Homeschool vocabulary lesson - define "inundated" |
It’s a couple months into the semester now and everyone
seems well-adjusted to their schools.
Home
Todd worked very hard to transform our home. The endeavor
included remediating and repairing walls and lots and lots of paint! The kids
and I helped a bit but with work for me and school for them, it fell mostly to
Todd. It is feeling very much like home now (pictures to follow).
Welcome, Flash!
Remember our treks up our road? 0.4 mile schlepping
groceries? Well, we bought a 4x4 pickup truck that allows us to get up to our
house. It’s prior owner had called it “Flash” and so we retained the name. It
has been such a blessing!
It’s Official!
On January 23, we closed on the property! Our realtor and
dear friend, Mike Smith, made the trek down for that special day. He got a good
“before picture” and has made plans to return with his wife this fall. Theirs
is our first official reservation. J
Church
We have found a church family at Cortez Church of the
Nazarene. They have embraced our bunch and we look forward to “doing life” with
them.
Neighbors
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We regularly see deer and eagles on our property and twice a
herd of elk have wandered through. Foxes, rabbits, ground squirrels, and lizards
are other residents we have seen in the neighborhood.
Plans Going Forward
Todd has been working hard to take care of a number of
details in moving forward with our BnB. We plan to have things up and running
this summer. Stay tuned for details!
