Move to Colorado

It's been a bit of a wild ride the past couple weeks. Not a lot of time for blogging! Since my last post about the town home we found in Castle Rock, CO my family has packed, tossed, loaned, given or moved everything we own.

This past weekend, with the help of many family and friends, we filled a 26' U-Haul to the top. I was amazed that after taking over 10 truckloads of stuff to Goodwill, family, friends, and the dumpster we still had enough stuff to fill the truck! On Monday we started the trek from St. Michael, Minnesota to Castle Rock, Colorado. My parents were able to drive with us, and they took the wheel of the U-Haul. The family and I followed in the Town & Country.

The drive was uneventful, but good. We stayed a night in Lincoln, Nebraska and made the trip in about 15 hours of driving. In total about 950 miles, door-to-door. Dad & Mom had a little more excitement in the U-Haul I think. As smooth as U-Haul advertises their rides, the big truck was a bit of a shaker. Dad gave us a laugh after a fast food stop on the way. He said that due to the bouncing and shaking he didn't even have to chew his food! Mom was pretty convinced they were burning extra calories too.

Jonny & Andy took turns riding in the U-Haul with Grandma & Grandpa. It was funny seeing them up in the big truck...they enjoyed the bouncing around too!

We arrived in Castle Rock Tuesday evening. Some friends here came and helped us unload the truck - that was a great way to end the night! It was nice to be back out of the U-Haul. [Monday night I didn't get a great night's sleep...I kept having the thought, "What if someone steals the U-Haul? That's everything we own..." Wasn't real anxious about it, but strange to think about everything in a truck!]

We moved from a 3,600sf house to a 1,400sf town home and I couldn't be happier about it! I think the space fits us well and seeing everything come together has been encouraging. We're still in move-in chaos, but most of the cardboard box canyons have been removed. Now we're in the final stages of unpacking and putting away. Organizing will likely take a few more weeks, but it's nice to see everything fit!

This morning I woke up about 6:40 to take the dog out and was greeted by another beautiful sunrise. It's funny - to really appreciate the sunrise I've been looking west! Seeing the colors of the sun's reflection on the face of the mountains is breathtaking! It's a little different than what I'm used to in back in Minnesota.

As I write this post, the 5 of us (including Lincoln) are having breakfast together for the first time in our new place. Regardless of where we live, or what we attempt, it's wonderful to be with the people we love. For all that we left in Minnesota, we miss you! Come and visit already!