First impressions.

Our first month in Colorado has been a good one as we settle into our new digs. We've made some interesting observations with this transition.

Hot or cold? The #1 comment we get asked is "How do you like the snow and cold weather?" Truth is ... we love it! We used to think we would take the heat over the cold any day, but perhaps those ultra hot AZ summers burned that preference out of us. Now we just bundle up and off we go!

Merry Christmas to you. Colorado Springs is known to be a pretty conservative Christian city. As a result, everyone says "Merry Christmas" ... store clerks, waitresses, you name it. The politically correct cousin "Happy Holidays" is definitely less heard this time of year.

Well-Schooled. The schools in Colorado (particularly the district in which we live) get rave reviews. Glad to know this will help our boys follow in Dad's footsteps with going to Stanford.

Where is...? We live far north of the heart of the city of Colorado Springs in an area that is still developing. This means we have to do more exploring, internet searching, and asking to find the basic "necessities" ... like Target, Walgreens, and other stores that were literally every 3 miles in Phoenix.

Pack your lunch ... and snowgear. When Luke heads to school on snowy days, he has to pack a few extra items for recess. His school requests that they also bring snowpants and boots -- and of course the coat, hat, & mittens -- so they can play outside. That makes for one stuffed backpack!

Closed on Mondays. We live near several smaller towns where most businesses are closed on Mondays. Better get that errand running done Tuesday through Saturday. They are closed Sundays, too.