Why Denver is Home

When I was nine years old, my parents asked me and my sister if we wanted to move to Colorado. In my nine-year-old mind this sounded great! Like an adventure! I don't believe it had occurred to me that this meant a new life, new school, new everything - and me and 'new' just don't get along well!

So we moved, and although there is so much I could say about how I felt about Colorado (Fort Collins in fact), perspective really can change with time. When I was a senior in high school my plan was to get OUT of Colorado at all costs. College was my "get out of Colorado free" pass and I was cashing that boy in! In the end I attended Colorado State University - in Fort Collins. Later, Babe and I thought we would relocate our little family to Delaware for a job opportunity he had after graduation. It was Denver or Delaware. Needless to say we've been in the Denver area since late 2002 and see no signs of that changing.

Babe's job requires him to travel big cities like Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta, and even New York City from time to time. It would make a lot of sense for us to relocate to L.A. especially, for his work. But nothing about raising our babies in L.A. or, the latest 'offer' Miami, is appealing to me. Sure there are plenty of plusses, but the minuses outweigh them - for our family - heavily.

Denver, for us, is home for many reasons. And sometimes I get so annoyed with the mundane, same ol', that I dismiss the good about Denver. Today I'm feeling good about home sweet home so I'd better get it in writing NOW!

1. There is nothing like the first heavy mountain snow. I prefer to view it from afar, but this is what Colorado is all about! Snow-capped mountains.

2. Our kids attend a quality school and...get this...we don't even have to PAY for it! Sounds crazy to those in L.A. or NYC I'm sure.

3. When it snows, the sun will inevitably melt it away within the next couple of days so we get to avoid that ugly dirty snow.

4. 300+ days of sun. For me, 'nuff said. This is the kind of sun that can make or break the day's temperature - 55 here is NOTHING like it is most places. It's like a spring day :)

5. Our kids have friends who are from every ethnicity imaginable. And that's just how, I think, it should be.

6. It is very clean here. Maybe that's why things are a bit pricier than some other areas, but when I think of Denver I don't picture it with a layer of dust the way I do some other cities. I like clean.

7. I love telling people I live in Denver so I can tell them they have some big misconceptions about the area. Yes, Black people live here. And No, we don't endure 10 feet of snow at a time in the winter. Oh, and no, we don't live in the mountains - Denver is a city, the mountains are the mountains.

8. And as of late, we have a basketball team that is ballin' out of CONTROL! Who doesn't love those bragging rights? If I wasn't a fan before (I loved Melo, not the Nuggets), I find myself very proud of those Nuggets - let's just hope management doesn't totally dismantle the team!

9. It's one of few cities I feel comfortable driving in because we actually have SPACE on our highways. One false move in some cities and you'll have side-swiped the car next to you! What is THAT?

10. Last, but not least, Colorado is where all-things wonderful have happened in my life: We have family here, I met and married Babe here, and both of my babies were born here. It's where we've made our life! What's not to love?