Oh man it’s been a long time since I updated here. We’ve had a very busy and eventful summer to say the least. Honestly, I don’t even know where to begin so I’m just going to put it bluntly… we sold our home and moved to Colorado.
Yup, we are now in Colorado.
Mind. Blown. Trust me, we are just as shocked as you are. It’s been a long and overwhelming summer to say the least.
So, where do I even begin? Well, in about May Ben got a job transfer to the North West Denver area (and I’m not talking about Kanye and Kim’s daughter here). We were surprised at this turn of events, but after the shock wore off, we were thrilled! We have said for years that once the kids are grown we are leaving Texas and moving to Boulder. And now this opportunity just fell in our laps. How could we not be excited? We immediately booked airline tickets to Denver to check it out.
We knew right away we would live in Boulder (we ended up in a ‘burb of Boulder, but keep reading). It’s close to Ben’s new offices, and we love Boulder.
We spent part of the weekend in Boulder playing, visiting friends, and driving through neighborhoods. I just can’t get enough of the mountains and the flatirons!
We even drove up Flagstaff Road to the Sunshine Amphitheater for a view overlooking Boulder. Breathtaking! The cool weather up there was pretty great too.
After playing all day in Boulder we drove around some suburbs and decided we wanted to live in Boulder County, but not smack dab in the center of Boulder.
Our new neighborhood
We found a small community we really love. Here we are at the top of our new neighborhood with the mountains in the distance. Colorado is a beautiful state.
Fast forward to today… Our Texas house is sold. The new owners have moved in. I will give you more details about selling our house in another post. For now I’m trying to keep this one short enough. I will say quickly though, that I didn’t blog about selling our house until now because I wanted to make sure the sale went through first.
We are living in a hotel. We found a house that we are in the process of buying, but we don’t close for another 11 days, so for now we are chilling in an extended stay hotel. We have been enjoying the beautiful Colorado weather, exploring, and taking tons of long walks.
Everything we own is being stored in a POD, except we did pull a small uhaul trailer from Texas to Colorado with some essentials and our bikes. We’ve been riding the plethora of bike paths to get familiar with our new neighborhood.
The kids are enrolled in school, which started last Friday. We now have an 8th and 6th grader!
I know this is a lot to take in. I’m still trying to process it all myself. Now that the kids are back to school I will have a lot more free time again to start updating the blog. Summers are always hard for me where blogging is concerned, and this last summer was no joke. Most days I felt like I barely had my head above water.
I will get another post out hopefully tomorrow with more info about selling the old house. If you have any questions you’d like me to address, leave them in the comments section.
Oh, one more thing, as far as the blog is concerned… you guys know I’ve struggled with this blog off and on over the past few years. I’ve been conflicted with what I want out of it, and what direction I’d like for it to go. I love blogging about my house, and now that we are moving into a new (to us) house again, I will most definitely take you guys along for the ride. However, I want more than just a blog about my house. After a year or more of thought, I plan to move forward as a DIY and home decor blogger, but also with more lifestyle mixed in. Now that I’m in a state I’ve never lived in we plan on doing a lot of exploring and adventures, and I’m going to be blogging about that more. Hopefully you’ll enjoy those additional posts as well.
xoxo
Thanks so much for following along. I hope you continue to enjoy the ride.
Wow! Sounds like you have had an adventure filled summer! Can’t wait to see what happens next.
P.S. So glad you’re back, I love your fresh and honest blog posts!!
Dollie, thank you so much for the support! Our summer has been nuts. I am shocked I am still alive – lol. I have loads to update you guys with, and now that school has started I should have the time. yay!
what an adventure!!!
Ain’t that the truth! Never say you are never moving ever again, because life will throw a big fat curve ball at you! I am still shocked we are in Co now. I assumed we’d be in Tx forever.
Congratulations on your big move! My family moved to Colorado from Ohio last summer – just south of Denver. Our oldest started her freshman year at University of Colorado (CU Boulder), we moved her into her dorm last week – what an awesome college town. You are going to LOVE this state and feel like you are on a permanent vacation. Cheers to you and your family on your exciting adventure!!
Mary, I won’t lie, I am hoping my kids go to CU Boulder when they graduate high school. It’s so close to us and seems like a great school. So far we absolutely love it here. I wish I’d moved years ago!
Welcome to Colorado! Im a long time blog lurker and I live in Louisville with my husband and stepson. Feel free to reach out if you need help, advice, dinner recommendations, or a pal!
Jessie, we are almost neighbors 😉 How old is your stepson? We’d love some new friends and are totally open to meeting for dinner or something.
Wow! Congrats! I hope you update with everything y’all discover in Boulder. I live in Austin and have Boulder on my mind in a few years. Not sure I can take anymore heat and Colorado is gorgeous. Good luck!
Katie, We loved Austin, and from what we can tell, Boulder is a much smaller, very similar version of Austin, so we feel right at home. You are right though, the weather here is amazing! Of course, I haven’t lived through a winter yet so I might not be so positive come February!
Yay! I’ve been in the west suburbs of Denver since 1999 after marrying a native – I love the state and can’t imagine living anywhere else!
Can’t wait to see the new house and follow your projects.
Susan, we probably live pretty close to each other. We are between Boulder and Denver. I am so excited about this new house – even more than I was when we moved into our last one.
Congratulations on your BIG move! I couldn’t be more excited for you! I LOVE Colorado! And Boulder is beautiful! I’m so excited to see what adventures you’ll take in this amazing state. I’m coming along for the ride…
Kerry, so glad to have you along for the ride! So far we also love Colorado. I can see myself never leaving again now that I’m here.
Holy cow! Colorado is beautiful; what a wonderful place to move to. Good luck with settling in! In your post about selling your house, I’d be curious (although I’d understand if you don’t want to talk about money details) if you were able to recoup the kitchen remodeling costs in the house sale?
Jocelyn, thank you so much for your sweet comment. I will address your question more in my next post, but for a quick answer, I think we lost money on the renovation, but we did the renovation assuming it was our forever home. In hindsight if we knew we would move after 2 years, we would have maybe done some cheaper finishes. All in all we almost broke even though so it was still worth it and I don’t regret it.
How wonderful for you and your family! We just returned from a two week vacation in Colorado-Durango, Silverton, Ouray, Telluride, Breckenridge, Colorado Springs-and it was amazing! We are Texas born and raised, but now I’m ready to move to Colorado. The climate is wonderful and the scenery will never grow tiresome. Congratulations and I look forward to living (in Colorado) vicariously through you.
Dana, that is such a fun vacation! Last summer (2014) we headed to Colorado for the first time ever to take our son to scout camp near Colorado Springs. After my daughter and I dropped off my son Travis and my husband Ben, she and I toured Colorado Springs, Denver, and Boulder for a week. That was all it took to totally fall in love with the place. I’ve been obsessed since.
Yay! You were one of the first bloggers I followed, back when the soap pump was new ;). So happy to have you in Colorado. You will love it, it never grows old! I am in Brighton if you ever need anything. I tried blogging and decided to concentrate on my Etsy. I do love when you post though. Hope all goes smooth getting in the new house.
Tracey, awesome! I haven’t been to Brighton yet (except for driving through to go to the airport) but I hear it is an amazing city. Thanks for offering to help. I’m sure I will be reaching out soon!
Congrats on the move! I’m excited to see wha you do with your new Colorado home!
Me too! As soon as we close I will blog all about it! I am very excited about this new house.
Congrats Allison! Such an exciting journey ahead for your family. I’ve visited Boulder many times and absolutely love that city. Good luck with everything and can’t wait to read about your adventures!
Wow!!! We were just in Denver over the 4th of July for my daughter’s softball tournament. Stayed in downtown Denver at the Marriott – smack dab with the homeless people and businessmen because our coach waited too long to make reservations. But it was kinda fun to check out the city. Smallish compared to our Seattle, but we really enjoyed walking around the 16th Street Mall. The water park was….kinda skeevy. But. One day the girls had off, and we went on a tour of UCBoulder. Fell. In. Love. Looking forward to the chronicles of your new home!
Kirsten, that is interesting about downtown Denver. Honestly, we haven’t even been downtown yet! In fact, we’ve only driven through Denver to get to the airport. lol. We sure love the Boulder area though!!
Wow! Seems like you just got your kitchen done! Happy for you all and happy you will still be blogging. You were the very first blog I ever found so you are my rock. Hoping the house closing goes without a hitch for you and looking forward to leaning about your new projects and adventures.
Karen, don’t remind me! We weren’t planning on ever moving again, so I put so much time, energy, and money into my kitchen and home. I swear I just finished the renovation. I think I cried and hugged every cabinet and appliance when I found out we were moving. I’m being optimistic though – now I will have a brand new (to me!) house and kitchen to renovate. 🙂
Wow! Congrats on the move! We were in the Broomfield area for a wedding in June and we loved it there! It’s so green and beautiful! I’m excited to see the new house and hear more about Colorado!
Sam, how fun! We are staying in Broomfield because that’s where the hotel is. It’s a great little city! I’m so excited to learn more about Colorado too!
Welcome! Colorado is having such a growth spurt lately it’s hard for us natives to keep up! I look forward to reading your blog and recognizing places that I may know. 🙂
Kristi, you are a real native? You are the first one I’ve met! Haha Seriously, everyone I’ve met has moved to Colorado from somewhere else. Seems like a great melting pot. Hopefully I’ll learn the ropes soon so the natives aren’t annoyed that “another” out of stater has moved in. 😉
I really, truly am! I’m the only native I know who was never been skiing. Yeah, we get a little protective of our state, don’t we? Learn to drive in the snow and no one will be the wiser. Seriously though let me know if you have any questions about the metro area and I’m glad to help you.
So freaken excited for you!! Guess I’ll have to come visit you in Colorado now 😉 HUGS! p.s. Totally jelly, I would give just about anything to move out of Missouri. LOL.
Kelly, you know you are always welcome to come stay with me! I’d love for you to come to Colorado. We’ll have a basement and a guest bedroom so you will have plenty of room here.
It’s wouefrdnl to have you on our side, haha!
Phew! It was very quiet and I was getting nervous we’d get the “I’m leaving the blogger world” post. Thankfully it’s just a massive update with great news and more blog times to come. Looking forward to more hilarity as you update about selling your house (hope those reno’s made that easier) and seeing your new house too. I enjoy your writing so much I can’t wait to hear about whatever you choose to blog for us. Yay!
Nora, awe, you are so sweet. I’m still here! I’ve considered quitting before, but I’ve decided if I get that urge ever I just need to take a break until I feel like blogging again. I’d be so sad if I ever totally quit my blog. Oh man I will try to be funny in my future posts, but now I have pressure! lol Honestly, I can’t wait to start blogging about stuff other than renovating. As much as I love blogging about my house, I have been wanting to branch out.
Congrats on the big move and exciting new adventure!!
Shannon, thanks so much! We are thrilled to live an outdoor lifestyle now!
Wow, that is exciting news! I keep thinking about how hard it would have been to leave that brand new, gorgeous kitchen you put in to your Texas house, lol. I’m excited to follow your adventures in Colorado and with a new house. I have to say, everyone I have ever met that has lived in Colorado has only had good things to say about it.
Tara, it was very hard! Seriously. I have cried many tears over moving from Texas, my friends, my home, and my brand new custom kitchen. But we are in Colorado now and I’m so happy to be here!
Wow! Sounds like an amazing opportunity! It looks beautiful there.
Thanks Sharla, we sure lucked out with Ben’s job. The stars aligned and I know we are meant to be here.
I just moved to CO this summer — It’s AMAZING!!! I can’t wait to read about your family’s adventures here!
Brittany, that is awesome! Where did you move from? Almost everyone I’ve met here has moved to CO from somewhere else.
Congrats!! In my own personal opinion, bloggers should blog about whatever the heck they want to blog about. After all, it’s YOUR blog. I look forward to reading about your adventures in CO!
Jenna, me too! I have been blogging about one topic for 5 years, so it’s going to take some adjustment to get used to new topics, but I am excited to try.
Hi Allison,
Congrats on the next adventure – exciting times!
I am curious…you just recently did a kitchen reno in TX. Were you able to get your investment back in the sale? Wondering how long it would take to recoup a large-scale project like that.
Christina
Christina, I think it really depends where you live and what the market is like. In some more stagnant areas you won’t be able to recoup your investment so quickly. Even in Austin, where prices are going up rapidly, we were barely able to break even on our kitchen, but we did lose money in the end because of having to pay the realtor fees. Had we done a more budget friendly kitchen we probably would have been fine but we did this kitchen with the idea we were never moving, so we put a lot more customization and money into it. If we had held onto the house for 5 years instead of 2, we probably would have made some money on it, but basically I’d say we broke even, which we are still grateful about.
Congrats on the move and on selling your house so quickly!
I too just moved and am renovating a house in Texas- we’ve been in it 11 days. Was just thinking about you as I refilled my Basic H bottles. So glad to hear all is well and that you will continue to blog. You are also my first blogger I ever followed. Enjoy Colorado!!!
Julie, have fun renovating! We are going to do some smaller updates to the house over the next year or two, and then eventually this new house will get a brand new kitchen and bathrooms too. Also, the basement is only 75% complete, so eventually we will be adding a bathroom and finishing out that space as well.
Ooo, lucky! Boulder is beautiful! I’m so jealous – all those great running trails and the mountains … sigh!
The running trails are one of the main reasons we are so excited to be here. We have always tried to be an outdoor family, but in Austin it is just so so hot and honestly, riding your bike or running in 95 degree weather just isn’t fun. I’ve gone walking every day since I got here last week. I can’t get enough of the trails either!
Congratulations! Very happy for you and honestly, happy for myself and all of your followers as we will have some more of your blogs to look forward to.
You are so sweet. Thank you. I start to think that blogging is on its way out and people don’t care anymore, and then I receive comments like yours that keep me going. <3
You will love Boulder! My parents have lived in Longmont for just over 20 years. We visited in April and spent one night at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park where the Shining was filmed. It’s haunted.
Can’t wait for you to get settled and start exploring, inspiring and blogging.
Ooh, I can’t wait to get up to Estes Park. I haven’t seen the Shining because I refuse to see scary movies (I’m a huge baby), but I might consider watching it now. 😉
Whoa! Shocking post of-the-day award winner!!! I’m excited to see more of your fantastic blogging and decorating skills!
Becky, seriously, you and me both. We are still shocked and daily say we feel like any day now we will have to go back “home” to Texas. It hasn’t fully set in that this is our new life. It all happened so fast.
Thanks for the update! I’ve missed you! How exciting, and Boulder is beautiful. It looks like a great adventure – try to get to Vail for a side-trip – I fell in love when we visited (in June! – I can only imagine how magical it is in winter.) I’m looking forward to the future of your blog.
Hopefully we will make it to Vail this year to ski (we both love to snowboard), but if not Vail this winter, we will definitely be taking a weekend trip up there in the spring or summer. So far we love Boulder and are thrilled to be here.
I am so glad you are back, I enjoy your posts! Congratulations on the move, can’t wait to see the new place once you close!
I can’t wait to show you guys the new place! I am itching to get in there and take all the “before” photos after the current owners move out. So exciting!
I know that neighborhood! I grew up in Boulder (Pine Brook Hills area) and went to CU. My husband went to the Air Force Academy and our oldest daughter now goes to CSU. Boulder has grown up so much since I lived there, but the natural beauty is one of a kind. Enjoy all your adventures there. I look forward to reading about your family and your new home while you make it your own. Enjoy!
Brooke, yay, thank you!
That is exciting and shocking! I check your blog regularly and I’m so excited you’ve decided to continue with it and even more excited that you [almost] have a new home to share with us! For right now, I’m super jealous of the cool weather you’re enjoying but we can talk about that again in the Spring when I’m happy to be in FL while the rest of the country is still frozen. 😉
I have wondered about the “identity” of my blog for a while now and seeing you write it makes me realize something. I’m basically a lifestyle blogger. Good to know there’s a category where I actually fit in 🙂
Welcome back to blogland and congratulations on the move!
Ashley, yes, I’m sure come April or May I will be cursing the snow!
Glad you figured out where you blog fits in. I’ve always struggled with what type of blog I have. I usually tell people I’m a DIY and home decor blogger but I’m not a decorator, I just like updating my house? Yes, seriously, that is what I say. I guess I’ll start saying Lifestyle blogger with a DIY and home decor focus? So confusing!
WOW! I was really looking forward to seeing all the changes you made in your new Texas house, but now it will be fun to read about about another new house and your Colorado adventures.
You and me both. I was really bummed that we had to sell and move. But I am excited to start another new house.
Congratulations on the move to your dream-life! Both of my kids moved to Colorado after finishing college and lived in Rifle, then Edwards. We got the chance to visit and it was absolutely beautiful. I couldn’t imagine waking up to the view we had every morning and not being mesmerized by the scenery. I hope it’s all you’ve dreamed!
So far I can’t get enough of the view. I don’t think seeing mountains every day will ever get old.
How absolutely wonderful! I have read your blog forever, watched the children grow, the evolution of home decor and changes in addresses. I lived your new cabinetry, the video tour, etc. So very excited for you and your family. Wishing you & yours continued happiness, interesting adventures, continued good health, and a love-filled new home.
Have fun & can’t wait for the next chapters of your new life!
All the best!
Thank you so much for following along for so long. Here’s to 5 more years!
I hopped on IG the other day and saw your news and was so shocked that you moved! Congrats on the new adventure. I can’t offer any advice on Colorado, as the most I’ve seen of the state, is the inside of the Denver Airport for about an hour {but if you ever head to Ohio, I can tell you lots lol}. Your pictures of the mountains are gorgeous. I can’t wait to read more of your posts. You’ve been one of my favorite bloggers. And if we’re being honest here, some of my most favorite posts of yours have been the ones about your family and your health. So I really look forward to seeing more of your “keepin’ it real” posts lol. I’ve been in the same boat with blogging this last year and have been in a funk, to the point I almost didn’t renew my web hosting last month, but I know one day I’ll be back. Thanks for always being true to yourself in your posts.
Amber, <3 Thank you. I'll try to keep it even more real in the future!
WOW!!! Congrats on your move. I actually had checked your blog a few weeks ago and saw that you had been MIA for a little while and wondered if you moved. How weird is that! I was thinking the last time you were gone that long was when you moved to the country house maybe…. Anyway, we live in KS, But we LOVE Colorado! 1st time going there was for family vaca in June of this yr. We loved it so much that when my husband and I had the opportunity to go someplace for a week getaway for our 20th anniversary, we headed back to Colorado! We just returned 2 weeks ago. In June we stayed in Estes for a week ( beautiful) and then closer to Denver for a few days. In Aug, we stayed near Winterpark Area ( also Gorgeous!) There is lots of Mountain biking near winter park if you are looking for a place to check out. In fact, I think we are headed back to that area next summer, Our boys REALLY want to do some REAL down hill mountain biking. I can not wait to see Colorado updates on your blog! And when you get a chance, head to Rocky Mountain National Park. It is So beautiful this time of yr. The snow is all melted. Once the snow covers the mountains, they look different. Better, But different. Good Luck to you!
So many great tips! I’m going to copy all of these so I don’t forget!
Congratulations on your husbands new job opportunity and to your new family adventure. I’m glad to hear that you will still be blogging. I have so enjoyed all your home improvement projects and now we will have new DIY’s to follow. YIPPEE!!
Congratulations, what an amazing opportunity for your family! Looking forward to keeping up
with your family and your new home as well as learning more about the beautiful state you have moved to through your blog!
Hi,
What extended stay hotel did you stay in? I am in the process of planning a move for June 2017. I know its been a bit; but did you see any major differences from Texas ? We are excited about the move…
This is amazing to read. My husband and I are debating moving from Texas to Colorado and reading your family’s adventure is really inspiring and endearing. Excited to read more!
Congrats on moving to Colorado. I am a native Texan and made the move to Colorado myself back in 2012. My family and I could not be happier. We live in Evergreen, CO which is just 15 minutes West of Denver up in the mountains. I can honestly say that moving to Evergreen greatly improved my quality of life. The weather and lifestyle is amazing. In Evergreen we have deer, elk, moose, bald eagles, fox, trout and a variety of other wildlife. Evergreen Lake is in the middle of town and there are 7+ open space parks within a few minutes drive. If you are seriously considering moving to Denver, check out Evergreen. I am a real estate agent with Keller Williams so if you are looking to move to the Denver area please feel free to reach out to me. I would be glad to answer any of your questions. http://denvermountainhomes.com – 303-218-6926
Sounds like you had a great move! I think it is always important to use moving blankets to keep things dent free for such a long haul.
Yay, another Texas family who thinks they’ve discovered Colorado and has to move here now too. Just…ugh.
Thanks Matt! Yes, unfortunately for you, my husbands company RELOCATED all their employees to Denver. We were FORCED to move here. We appreciate the warm welcome.
“We just moved here from Texas” is a Coloradan’s least favorite phrase.
And vice versa from a Texan. LOL. I used to get so annoyed with all the new people moving into Texas. I can relate. We are happy here though!
Hi Allison! I found your blog tonight because my family is considering moving to Colorado. If and when we do, my daughter will be entering 9th grade and my son, 7th grade. When your kids started school did they like it right away? How are the schools there? We currently live in the Bay Area of California and it is WAY TOO expensive! We can’t afford to live here anymore. Any tips or suggestions for me would be greatly appreciated!
Bree
We moved when our kids started 8th and 6th grade. They both made friends quickly but at the same time seemed to struggle a little. I will say that our kids adjusted to the move much quicker than I did! If you’d like more personal info about Colorado, send me an email and I’ll be happy to help!
We’re also thinking about moving to the Austin, Texas area. Which is better for families?
Bree
Move back to Texas.
Say what you want but Colorado isn’t Colorado anymore. Everyone got on social media and decided to move here. Boulder is just the east annex of the Bay Area now. The vibe is gone. Traffic and home prices are through the roof. I grew up in Broomfield. Now my little town is just another suburb. Don’t know what anyone moving here is looking for. But I’ll tell you it its much harder and more expensive to find. Wait til the honeymoon is over.
I’m thinking of moving from the Dallas area to Colorado (Denver area). I get a lot out of reading about other people’s experiences and learning how different CO is from TX.