One year ago we were still living in Colorado and waiting to find out if Rick had gotten the job here in New Jersey. We really didn’t know quite what the future had in store for us. Our plans were to sell our house in Ft. Collins and semi-retire to our mountain cabin. We had already installed satellite internet service and had contracted with a company to build a garage in the spring. If we had moved to the cabin we would be pretty snowed in right now under about 4 feet of snow! Instead, this year finds us comfortably settled in New Jersey with unseasonably warm temperatures.

One day we will live out our dream of spending a few years at the cabin. But for now we are just enjoying the newest chapter in our lives.

From the time we found out in early January that we really were moving, to house-hunting in mid-February, to our move in mid-April, the first part of last year is just a blur of packing and planning. It all happened so fast, and before we knew it we were here. It was a good year. My only regrets are the loss of two dogs, Milli and Bode, and the fact that our house is still not sold.

We love living here. Rick loves his new job and I love the small town atmosphere. And how many people can say that bears are daily visitors to their yard? Just this morning while the dogs were out I heard frantic barking. I looked out the window to see two black forms running away from our fence. For a moment I thought the dogs had somehow gotten out. No…it was the cubs…wait…there goes Ursa right behind them. Ho hum, just the bears.

People are friendly and welcoming. Why do people in the Midwest and West think that Easterners are cold and unfriendly? I don’t know how many times we heard that when we told people we were moving East. Not true at all! In fact, we’ve found people to be so much more friendly than in Colorado.

In the year ahead I would like to see us finding a sitter or kennel for the dogs so that we can take more small trips. I would like our house to sell SOON! We want to do some small things to our house here, such as add a decent closet, change the kitchen countertops, maintain all the decks, and rip out carpeting and tile and put in wood floors instead. We can’t go ahead with any of that until we are free of our other house. I would like to expand on my knitting skills and learn the Tarot better. I feel the urge to do something creative, but as yet I don’t know exactly what.

This blog is something I didn’t plan on. It just happened. Blogging has added new dimensions to my life, as well as many new blogger friends. Thank you all for your support! Reading your blogs have made me think, reflect, and take note of many things. So thank you all for your blogs! I wish blogs had existed back when we lived in Europe. So much to write about then. I still have some old newsletters that we sent out to family and friends when we lived in France and I’ve thought about resurrecting them here. What do you think? It would be something different anyway and make me scrounge for past photos to scan in. No digital images back in the early 90s! I could take you on a European tour! Anyone interested in joining me?