Dh wants to move in a few years. the boys want snow. i'm willing to go along, maybe.

tell me more. It all just looks cold. and forbidding. and not southern. and not warm.

maybe. I'd get to knit sweaters. we'd have a fireplace. I'd get to quilt. There's a zoo with polar bears. the denver public library is gorgeous.

wyoming- well, there's the green river, which is pretty.

help the person who once said " Austin or overseas." And really, really meant it. I married someone who never wants to go from the US>

ari

Well Colorado isn't all that cold. We have spurts here and there, but it is sunny most of the time. The snow doesn't stick around... which is nice. It can be 50 degrees on Monday and 5degrees on Tuesday, 60degrees, the next. So the weather varies.

I'm partial to both and you know why?

The Rocky Mountains, Baby!!

How about Vermont? ;) Beautiful, snowy, close to Boston and NYC yet a world away.

I'd go visit both before deciding. Very different cultures, different feelings to them.

Both are very spread out, as is most of the West. I think if you're scared of cold, Colorado is the way to go.

Do you want country? City? What kind of community do you want? What kind of amenities? Tell me more. :)

I'm in Denver and it is a really nice city. Lot of AP families :) I started an online AP board and it is really great.

We have more sunny days than San Diego! We have only had to shovel twice this winter and maybe only 4 times last winter. It melts off so soon!

Alot of areas of Colorado are greener then Wyoming. Many areas in Wyoming have such dry summers....things just don't grow, grass turns brown after a month of summer. But it is beautiful and wild. Some areas of Colorado are alot more liberal/open minded then most of Wyoming small towns. But this would depend greatly on town/area. Both states defiantly have beautiful ranch towns...but very old ideas about alot of things.

What sort of community are you looking for..rural? city? Etc...

I once had a history teacher who pointed out that CO and CA were very different because they were "settled" by people who came for the gold. That meant that they were diverse instead of being made up of pockets of people with the same background. So if crunchy is a factor, I'd chose CO.

Lizz, first off, that is such incredibly gorgeous, beautiful yarn. It looks like short stories caught in fiber. Tell me wonderful things about it. I'm all ears.

Me? I want to stay in Austin. But I only have one vote.

When I moved here, it was 90 ish, tops, a week in the middle of summer. Last summer, it was 98 degrees, at midnight, for at least a month. I had to keep the boys trapped inside. It was awful. It's not fair to them, to not be able to let them outside without fear of heatstroke. At nine, when it's dusk, is when people brought their kids to the park, last year. I want my kids to have a childhood in the sunshine, without fear.

I want a place that's liberal- ish, but I'm not sure how liberal that is- I live in Texas. I live in Austin, which is the only liberal part of the state, but it's still far more conservative than the rest of the country, I think. I'm not sure. My experience is New Orleans (liberal) Dallas (conservative) and Austin (chocolate and peanut butter). Denver is sounding good- I want to bring something to the party, not just take, ykwim?

The things I love about Austin:writers, nature, engineers ( love engineers- they create the world the artists play with) computers, an unpolluted river right through the center of town, a great university, art museums, intense bookstores, musicians, great churches of all stripes, the capitol is here- it's beautiful, and easy to visit. I've gone, not lobbying, just asking questions, and it's really great to be able to do that. It's this whole jewel of a city. I love the people. You have to choose to live here, and people work to make it special.

I don't want to leave, to be honest. But, I need to think about what works well for the kids. When I grew up, we went to "fish camp." And, with Katrina, and deaths and divorces, I'm not related to any fish camp owners anymore. DH didn't grow up like that, so he doesn't get it. He spent his summers in Wyoming. The Green River would be going home, for him. I don't know how to obtain for my children my best childhood moments, and I can't give them a good one, trapped inside, in Austin. Most people I know find a way to leave town during the summer- visitiing a farm, or the beach, or something.

It's a five year plan. We are roughing out the next five year plan, and that's what I'm enquiring about. Don't laugh- they work. I've been pregnant or nursing the whole last five years- b/c that was the plan. The new plan will be in writing, probably by my birthday.

Thank you so much for answering. Denver is sounding viable.

I'm afraid of being in a cloudy, overcast, rainy place. I have a hard enough time, when it gets that way, here.

This sounds so pathetic. Austin really works for me. It doesn't work as well for my kids. We have to find a good place, and I need to be careful. so, big thank yous for replying.

ari

Hey Ari~

So nice of you to say that. You should write poetry eh?!

So the yarns are called from left to right: Tropical Fish, Birthday Cake and Long Tom River. :p

I gotta tell you it's a good move to be where you and your children are happy. We moved to Eugene Oregon to raise our family. We have lived in many places and many states and I cannot live somewhere not beautiful, I just can't.

I lived in Yellowstone Park for 10 years of my life and this has greatly affected me for the rest of my life. Such a nice piece of Wyoming too by the way! Wyoming has lots of hotsprings, I believe Colorado has some too...the mountains make them it seems.

Blessings on your path.

See- I knew they had stories!!!

Are they wool?

I think what you've just said- beautiful, and good for all of us. I know I'm spoiled- beautiful is big for me. I am learning what it takes. I've been very spoiled- Dad was a music major, so I didn't have to worry about music, friends were in bands, so there was live music, nearly all the time. mom was an artist, so I didn't have to worry about art, brother was an artist, too, roommate, artist. Now, I mostly deal with Dh and his family, and, while they are kind, and sensible, and nice, and level headed, they aren't creators. It's really very strange to me.

I have creative pursuits, but they have been consumed, for a while. This is part of all the asking. I feel like an adolescent, asking around, and feeling out stuff.

Wool, you had to paint them with a brush, for the precision, right? art major?

Yes, a wool and mohair blend. Yes, they are painted. No I'm not and art major, and am just now begining to call myself an artist. But I have been crafting all my life. My partner who is truly an artist tells me I am an artist too. He says anytime your create it's art. I agree.

I believe art is as important or akin to religion. As is beautiful landscapes, making nice meals for our children, building a home, attending birthing women, grooving to good music...


How did this turn into an art talk? lol

Colorado or Wyoming? I have lived in both and am living in Colorado now. A few reasons, there is no work but the mines in Wyoming, the wind blows so hard that nothing can survive above ground except the sage brush, most of the south-western part is considered Badlands, they are old fashioned in the sense that anything new fangled (a term my sis uses all the time) has to go. I heard a story when I lived there of a man taking his wifes dog out and shooting it because he was mad at his wife! I know they aren't all like that, but if your not a hunter, you almost don't belong.

In Colorado, you have too many developers, but if you want country there is still some open space left. We do have a lot of sunny days, average over 300 sunny days a year, and the cold is not too bad. Mostly this Winter has been in the 30's and 40's, we had a cold spell, but it is Winter. There is also so much to do in Colorado. If you like sports we have 7 pro sports teams in Colorado, Broncos, Avalanche, Nuggets, Rapids, Mammoth, Rockies, and The Crush. There is lot's of exploring to be done in the Rocky Mtns, so many places to see. Colorado also has so many parks and trails, great for being outdoors all the time.

I love Colorado, and I've only ever considered giving it up for Alaska. I hope this helps make up your mind.

Yes, the sunshine part. The liberal, city part.

Dh has figured out where he has to be in his career, to move there. It should take three years. I have a class starting Monday. Then I have to (1) register and (2) prep test for two classes in the summer. Yikes.

I did an informational interview with a nurse, laying out my plans. She was very helpful, telling me what was realistic, and what was not. Also, what she had done. Veh, veh, useful.

Yikes.

It was 80 degrees today. We went to the bookstore, and there was a mom who had a 6 year old,a four year old, and a nine month old. She had the nine month old in a sling, and she had a knitty watch on. The kids sat around and read star wars books, and played together. I didn't get her name. I assume I'll run into her again, b/c I can, in this town. Is Denver like that?

ari