August 18, 2019- On my dad's birthday, we drove our last long day from California and pulled into Louisville, Colorado. Brian drove the large Penske truck and towed his car. Ruth and I took turns driving the Honda with Iris and Sushi sitting wherever they wanted....safely. The weather was fine and warm. When we drove down South Boulder Road, there was a bicycle race going on. That was a little unnerving for Brian because there was only one lane open.
After we got into the rental house, we went out for Italian food. Then, we drove Ruth to her hotel in Denver because she planned to work before she flew back to CA the following day. Since the beds were still in the moving van, Iris and I got to sleep in a hotel room that Dad had reserved, just in case. It was going to be an early morning for Iris the next day; first day of middle school. Whoa!
The next morning, movers (or "goons") came before 9am and started unloading the truck. We had to quickly decide and inform them of where furniture and boxes would go; upstairs, garage, basement or ??
The ping-pong table couldn't be put in the basement, so it remained folded in the lower level of the rental house. What's strange is that we arranged the dinaing table in the lower level, so that the piano and living room furniture could be in the main level. By evening, we went to King Soopers to stock up on groceries and met our landlords- Neda and Mehdi. With a basement full of boxes and beds assembled, we slept in our first Colorado home in Louisville. Thank you, Lord!
By September, we had started accounts, signed up for utilities and renters' insurance, and hiked a few trails, including around Brainerd Lake. It seemed little by little, we were establishing ourselves as Colorado residents and having to let go of our CA ties. Our CA auto license plates and drivers' license plates are now souvenirs of our CA identity.
As we settled in the house, Iris had a steep learning curve for 6th grade in middle school. We have found the teachers, staff and people around town very friendly. Iris jumped right into studying. She continues her ice skating with the Flatirons Figure Skating Club at the YMCA Araphahoe Center (Carlston Arena), but not taking lessons as often. I found leads on a piano teacher, a flute teacher and a YoungLife group for middle schoolers called Wyldlife right in town. In between the unpacking, we tried to have fun, look for a home church and explore the area.
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| BVCC middle school group activity |
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| Rental house came with a trampoline. Fun! |
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| A real Labor Day parade down Main Street with other LMS students. |
Brian continued to learn a lot with on-the-job training at NI-AWR. On weekends, Dad tried to take us places that he remembered when he lived in Colorado in his youth. We drove to Loveland and Fort Collins. Then, stopped in Erie to have pizza; all in one day.
I (Cindy) spent time looking into volunteering, including community food share, parent organization and church community outreach.
We are close to Boulder city and nearby towns, like Lafayette and Superior. We shopped at a big Asian food store in Westminster/Broomfield and the large mall called Flatirons Crossing. I think you could spend a few days in that mall just to visit in each store.
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| Hot air balloon rides available in Longmont. Yeah! |
Iris and I have enjoyed geocaches locally, even on the way to school. It only takes 15 minutes (or less) to walk to LMS. That's a treat! There are trails to go on as well for walking Sushi. In a short drive, we can take Sushi to Waneka Lake in Lafayette for a pleasant walk. It's not as large as Spring Lake, but it's nice.
In October, Iris had this challenging science project for which she had to test 100 apples! She worked hard at it and was methodical about things. She's becoming a real scientific thinker. This may be a new passion for her.
On October 10th, our first snowfall came. It was fun to see the ground getting covered in white. Of course, Iris loved it and wanted to build a snowman as soon as she could. Even though we got winter tires on the CRV, I am still a little nervous driving while snow is falling or when roads aren't cleared of snow. Ice on the road is something to be cautious about, especially when driving at night. All this is new for me.
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| Iris's artistic talents! |
On October 18th, we were no longer owners of the house on Eastwood Drive. (sniff! sniff!). We are thankful that the house sold quickly, and we could go full speed ahead on house hunting. Unfortunately, Louisville houses in the size and quality that we want, are more expensive than we wanted to spend.
As we head into
November, there are still sunny days, but the high temperatures are definitively cooler. We are actively looking at open houses and trying to agree on a house to buy. Thankfully we have an experienced realtor, Peggy W., who is working with us. I have asked many people to pray for our house search and I am confident that God has a house for us. In the meantime, we wait and try to appreciate what other Coloradans enjoy.
How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty!
~Psalm 84:1
Preparing to sell a house took a lot of work. Brian worked tirelessly cleaning up the backyard, shoring up a retaining wall and packing up our house room by room. Iris and I were a bit in denial until the "green light" and job offer for Brian finally came in mid-July. Then, we scrambled to pack up the whole house and mange to take a family trip with relatives in Santa Barbara. Before we left our home on Eastwood, it looked clean and empty. 
It took about a week after the first open house to receive a genuine offer. Our realtor and friend Michelle K. did a wonderful job keeping us on track and pricing just right to sell quickly and cleanly. We still miss the nicely remodeled kitchen/dining area, as well as our neighborhood. 
