How are my boots these days?

It has been a little over three months now since we made our move to the Greenhorn Valley. I think it is time for another look at myself and my family and the changes I see.

I have lived almost all of my life in very hot places. Growing up in Pensacola, I was accustomed to 90% humidity, and living in Texas for eleven years I was pretty sure I knew what it would feel like walking into an oven. I have ALWAYS had central air conditioning and was a little nervous as summer approached here. We have no ac at all. We do, however, have an enormous amount of wind and an adobe house. We also live far away enough from the main bear spots that we are able to leave our windows open. The breeze is great and we have been amazingly comfortable. Last week was hot here (89 degrees), and I went to the library with the kids and to church for a ladies' Bible study. Both places had air conditioning, and I was freezing!!!

I have always used lotion pretty liberally. I now live in a place with 4% humidity and lots of wind. My skin is alligator-like. We have used two giant bottles of Cetaphil lotion from Sams in these three months. On the upside, our hair is dry so we don't shower or shampoo nearly as often as we did before. Most folks here are not very "dolled-up" on a daily basis. I have found that make-up is only applied for my trips to Pueblo and for church.

When we first arrived, parking at the elementary school in the parent parking and walking up to the office doors caused me to pant like a dog and to not even be able to talk. Now I am able to hike up trails and while I still feel it, I can talk and breathe. We are at about 6700 feet at our house. I have even learned to look for high altitude directions on the things I bake.

We have become a part of a church here and are feeling like it is home. There is a love of Christ that is evident there and a mentality that church activities are not to consume your week. If you spend all week in the church building, how will you have time to be a part of the community and have time to teach your kids about faith at home? I like it.

People here have been genuinely friendly. I have been amazed at the willingness to accept new folks and to take time out of their own lives to spend time with us. I have lots of people I would already call friends and am meeting more all the time. I see the same folks everywhere! They are at school, the community baseball games, church, the gymkhana (horse-riding), the pool, the grocery store, the library, and the diner. A small community is a different animal than the big city! I love seeing someone I know just about everywhere I go.

My hopes of how things would be three months after moving, have been far exceeded. Despite the water trials, the rattlesnakes, mice, and the wind, we are loving it here and are feeling settled. It has been a long three months, but three months full of new things and new friends.

My boots are not as new as they were. They are very dusty and pretty worn. They are a part of my everyday here. They are becoming more and more comfortable.

2 Corinthians 1:3 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort..."