"Coming home to a place we'd never been before."

We reached the long-awaited departure date for our trip to Pueblo one week ago. Tuesday afternoon we left Blacksburg for Maryland, where we spent the night in Dave & Cindy's empty house.

That the house was empty represented a change in plans. About a week before we left, we learned that Dave would need bypass surgery, and would be in the hospital for the week that we were gone. It was alarming news! He has come through the surgery, which was Good Friday, very well, and is home now, recovering. But the children needed to find a new destination. Thankfully, because of the generosity of our dear friend Anne and of my beloved cousins, Leah & Matthew, we were able to find other arrangements for them.

Anne arrived at the house at 6am so that we could leave to catch our plane! While we were running around airports and hurtling through the air, she was driving our children to Williamsport in her car, and transferring them into Leah's borrowed van (thanks Uncle Doug!) where Miles and Adele were able to spend the rest of the week in Rochester, with Abby and Tai Tai. So many hands helped to make our trip possible. We're so grateful! As you will see, the few days in Colorado were very, very fruitful.

On the plane to Charlotte

Flying over Virginia. Seemed a little silly. We waved. 

Flying over Kansas. We watched Adventureland, uninterrupted. Miracle!

When we landed in Denver, this picture was waiting for us, instantly soothing whatever worries about the kids I might have had!

They had a blast with their cousins; didn't even miss us. 

We rented a car and began to drive- in increasingly intense snow! During the two hour drive from Denver to Pueblo, I marveled, first at the emptiness of the state (it was like the unloaded gray portion on a google map, in places), and then at the beauty.

Colorado Springs was breathtaking! It was like the mountains had been creeping silently up and suddenly loomed up to flank the town. The pictures I was able to get just couldn't quite capture the majesty.

Our first view of Pueblo was not from its most advantageous angle. Our hotel was located in the commercial district, and we were mainly looking at big box stores and restaurants when first we got off the highway. After checking in and freshening up, we went to our dinner appointment with John and Rachel Gardner, priests-in-charge at Ascension Episcopal. Someone had already done some networking on our behalf to introduce us. Get this: John and Rachel used to be priests in Martinsville, VA, only 2 hours from Blacksburg! How small is this world?!
Rachel gave us a tour of the church before we left for dinner.

It's very formal! and lovely. 

I especially liked the Christ the King window:

The kids are going to love the blue windows on the sides. I took a shot of this one because it contained John the Baptist (Adele's favorite):

I love the rood screen:

We got to see the Godly Play/ Children's Chapel room. I sent this picture to the kids:

Our dinner with John and Rachel was abundant with benefits. Not only did we meet some fun people, also parents, also Episcopalians, with whom we had a lot in common, but they were able to give us gales of information about the town, and about the experience of moving to it. They have only been in Pueblo for three years, so we got a newcomer's perspective as well. Sadly, John and Rachel will be moving this summer! They're at the end of their tenure as priests-in-charge. But they promised to meet up with us again when we move in. They're even sharing their favorite babysitters with us!

I can't think of a much warmer introduction to our new home than this dinner with our new friends. We had Mexican food. Mexican food in Pueblo is SO LIT.

Thursday morning began early. We were on Eastern Standard Time, so we were up at 5 local time, breakfasted and out the door by 8, and in this coffee shop by 8:15. Solar Roast Coffee is very hip and will definitely be a favorite.

On the way to the realtor, we caught another view of the Rockies. They're hard to photograph, but so gorgeous in the sunshine.

We saw four houses that morning. It's hard work! I joked with Jon, we don't have the luxury of going on multiple dates with these houses;. we had to have a define the relationship talk on date one. It was funny how quickly the houses arranged themselves in our minds, ranked by desirability. And it was not the ranking we'd given them from our pictures that we ended up fixing on. We visited one elementary school, and then decided, since it was still so early, to visit Jon's new workplace. 

Unfortunately, we ended up with a fairly cloudy first full day in Pueblo, which made it hard to fully appreciate the view from campus. It's the highest point in town, though, so the skies are huge and the mountains line the horizon. I know on a sunny day it will be breathtaking.

The Thunderwolf is our new mascot. Isn't he cool?!

The campus is very modern, so different from the atmosphere at Virginia Tech. There is a wideness and a freedom to this town, this part of the world. Everyone seemed very relaxed. I'll get used to the vibe; there's a lot to love. 

You can see the library above, with the fountain before it. Jon's office window has a fabulous view.

Speaking of libraries, this is the public library:

We have a smaller branch library in the neighborhood where we're going to be living, but this is the downtown one, only about 15 minutes away. I can't wait to explore & find out what they offer.

Dinner on Thursday was our chance to celebrate 10 years of marriage. Though really, the whole trip was that. Last year at this time I would not have believed we'd be on the verge of buying our first house. It's so meaningful to spend our 10th anniversary shopping for homes and getting to know our new adventure. We had a great talk in this restaurant, with no interruptions from kids or anyone else, and gazed out the river at the river while we ate some surprisingly good Italian food. 

The riverwalk is going to be a joy. The Arkansas flows smoothly through town; it reminds me of the Erie Canal.

Among the many things this trip did for me was to make the move seem real, make the town real. There will be a lot of challenges, but there will be so much that is solid to love. I am so looking forward to coming home to this town.