Denver: "You picked a good year to move here"

When people find out that I’m still relatively new to Denver, the typical response is, “Well, you picked a good year to move here!”

They’re referring, of course, to the ski conditions. And they’re not wrong.

Colorado has had a wonderful snow year, especially compared to the last couple of years.  I bought a ski pass at the beginning of the season (the Epic Pass, for those who care about the Epic/Icon rivalry) and was able to make really good use of it thanks to some ski-minded friends who were willing to drive me back and forth to the mountains in their 4WDs.

You probably know that I’m not the biggest fan of cold weather. Even with good gear, I’m still usually cold.  I LIKE skiing, but I’m really more of a hiker. When people hear this, they usually say something along the lines of, “You’re not safe from snow until Mother’s Day.”

True to form, a few days before Mother’s Day, a snow storm came through. It knocked blossoms off the trees and left frost-bitten tulips and wilted daffodils in its wake. Okay, fine. Moving on.

Except it snowed again this week.  Mother’s Day came and went and it’s officially the end of May. Local school kids will be out for the summer at the end of the week. What?!  We only got a couple of inches of snow here in Denver but the ski resorts got so much fresh powder that one of the resorts (which had already extended its season until Memorial Day) now says it will stay open into June. A resort in Aspen that already closed for the season is even RE-opening for the holiday weekend to take advantage of the excellent conditions.

Even if I wasn’t working every day this weekend, I just don’t think I could bring myself to don my ski boots again this season.

Turning down a power day, you say? That doesn’t sound very Colorado.

But keep in mind, this was my first full winter in 4 years.  While I’ve never been the biggest fan of the cold, California and Hawaii spoiled me, for sure. I’m ready to pack my winter wardrobe away, put on some shorts, and plan a picnic in the park with friends.

Here’s to warmer days on the way!

Denver: Homeowner!

While things have been very quiet on Blog front, life in the real world has been quite the opposite:
On January 11th, I bought my first house!

 It is a brand new townhouse- so new, in fact, that it wasn't technically finished until the 12th.
It has lots of stairs, so any spraining or breaking of knees, ankles or hips is strictly forbidden while I'm living here. It gets lots of lovely natural light and has an attached garage, a guest bedroom, and even a partial view of the mountains! My dad made sure to point out that I'll probably lose my partial mountain view by the time the development is fully finished, but I'm enjoying while I can.

My new place is also just a mile from my work! Once all this snow stops falling, I'll be able ride my bike... at least sometimes!

My across-the-street neighbors consist of a smoke shop and a handful of semi-scuzzy auto repair shops. Yes, the area is a little transitional still- but that's part of what made the price right. And there's some good upward potential: the whole block across from me has been purchased and is scheduled for demolition at some point in the future. The auto shops will one day be replaced by tasteful commercial development- hopefully while I'm still living here! The other good news is that my fellow townhouse neighbors seem really nice.  A couple of them even helped me haul in my new sofa last week.

My dad drove out from South Carolina with his big Suburban to help me move (who needs movers when you can just do a dozen runs in a Suburban?) and to bring over those of my possessions that I deemed non-necessary for  'life on the road' way back when I set off to be a travel occupational therapist. Now that I'm reacquainted with some of my pillows, artwork, linens, and lamps and I've purchased a guest room bed and the aforementioned new sofa- I think my days of moving sans moving professionals are probably over.  Hopefully that next move is still quite some distance in the future.

Once we got everything moved into the townhouse, my dad went to work doing a bunch of super helpful things like installing an electric garage door opener (did you know they don't come standard in new builds anymore?), putting up wooden blinds, hanging curtain rods, and installing a security system.  Thanks, Dad! More recently, my mom flew out to help me decorate and organize and generally make the place feel more 'homey.' Getting organized and staying organized is not my strong suit, so I was extremely appreciative of her help too.

In case you weren't sure, buying and furnishing a new place- even when you're being fairly frugal about it- is expensive. I've been putting in 6-day work weeks two times a month since I got to Denver to help shore up my finances in anticipation. There are fees associated with everything- from titles, to inspections, to insurance. And I really didn't realize how expensive appliances are until I started looking, but I can now say I've purchased my first fridge and washer and dryer, too.

It's all exciting and sometimes overwhelming and definitely very 'adult.'
I hope my guest room will be put to excellent use by all of you in the coming years so I can finally start returning some of the favors that so many of you have graciously bestowed upon me.