A new header. A lake walk. 18 random facts of CO

Like the new header??

Simply the Stott's needed a fresh updated look.

And one that represents our new journey...
Now onto

A few fun random facts about Colorado, my neighborhood, my ward....in no select order.

1. No one has cats here. Coyotes will eat them. Yup, coyotes. We have seen 2 cats (yes two..ours and neighbors) in the entire 500 plus homes.. coyotes come out at dusk and dawn. They will eat the little kitties.


2. Bunnies are EVERYWHERE. Hundreds of bunnies. They live in our yards, the fields, the open parks, your backyards...they build little holes in your berms and live. Yesterday when I went running I counted over 25 bunnies in a one mile radius. That brings me to my number 3...


3. There are NO flowers . I couldn't figure it out but noticed the first day here. The reason: bunnies EAT everything....the flowers, your gardens, certain plants....etc. My neighbor is now planting their 3rd attempt at a front yard. The bunnies have eaten their first two!



4. Yards are immaculate. Everyone has beautiful landscaping. It is part of the HOA covenant. YOU must keep your yard nice, or big fines. Everyone has big trees and bushes, rock hills and then wood chips. (you must get approval for trampolines, play sets, and fences...funny huh?!)

5. No privacy fences allowed. Yup we all see everything. It gives the wide open space feel. We all have fences, but they are open. They are super expensive (made of cement) and glad ours was installed. Chicken wire lines them to keep the bunnies (and dogs and coyotes) OUT.


6. People love to be outside here. Lots of bikers, joggers and dog walkers. Almost everyone has a fire pit in their backyard. People stay outside most of the night with the fire going. It's a really nice feeling.



7. People are incredibly friendly. Everyone looks you in the eye and says hello. They introduce themselves and shake your hand. Most introduce their doggies as a child. haha. They ask how many kids you have, names and ages...very sweet.

8. Majority of folks are not from Colorado. Most are "transplants" who have come for jobs or who really love CO. My neighbors are from: Jersey, Kansas, N.Y, Utah, Arizona, and California. They all say they will never move from here... they love it.

9. There are now 18 kids in my circle. My neighbors are so kind. The first day here, they asked my kids names and invited them over for games. They played kickball and their new favorite game is " Pickle." Last night they played till dusk!


10. We are in LOVE with our neighborhood Rec center. It is mile down the street and only used by our neighborhood. It is a 32,000 square feet of pools (with water slide and kid area, lap lanes) indoor basketball courts, huge workout center, party rooms, football rooms, kid themed rooms, tennis courts...it is AMAZING. It is free of use with our HOA fee. We love it and it was a BIG reason we bought here. We have already been to the pool many times!

11. My ward is amazing. Before sacrament even started, the Primary Pres came up to me and said, "You are the new family from Utah right? We have been waiting for you to come." She told me where each kid goes to class and made us feel right at home. Then after the meeting, a child came up to Jake and Ash and Aus and said, "follow me, I will take you to class." My kids were so happy about it and said, "see ya mom!" and off they went. (as a mom I was so excited. It was such a comfort.

(btw, in our immediate neighborhood (out of the 500 ish homes,) there are 9 LDS families. So much different from Utah for sure but so good for my kids to experience non-members as well.. Our ward covers a 10-12 mile radius...)
12. Sunday I felt like I was home. Going to church was so comforting. The feeling is always the same and I love that about being a member of this church. I can't even count how many members came up to RY and I and introduced themselves. They asked us are names, how many kids we have, where we live. They all said welcome to the ward. We were blown away with the kindness.

13. We drive 6 miles to Church. My closest Target is 5 miles, closest gas station is 3 miles. The kids schools are 6 miles either direction. WIDE open space is part of the Colorado plan. You will see Target and shops all together and then just farmland. Old barns dot the back roads. I LOVE IT!

14. In our ward there are 11 dentists (wowsies), doctors, and lots of financial advisers..(business/ investments). It's a well educated group and we are somewhat intimidated (ok, not intimidated but maybe a bit! surprised at all the same careers! :) I met 4 cute girls at the pool (who are members) and all 3 of their hubby's are dentists working for the same company. You make double or triple what you would in Utah. They love it here.

15. The housing market is higher. Homes run $80,000 to 100,000 more. To build a new home is very costly and you get no finished basements or backyards. We feel so blessed to find this home with a finished basement and a ($40,000 landscaped) backyard! It all worked out so well, we sold ours in 2 days and bought this on our second day out here. LOVE IT



16. Cost of living is HIGH! Property taxes are double, to register our 2 cars cost almost $1000. Kids camps, preschools, sports teams are outrageously high. At least double or triple in cost. Ry and I are surprised at how high the "cost of living" is. (thus as my friend, Michele, pointed out on her comment...number 17...)

17. Schools are beautiful and new!!! They have so many programs for the kids. I went out to the Elementary and Junior High for a tour and I was blown away. Both schools are under 4 years old. Everything is new and has a big open feel. There are sports programs (basketball, volleyball, football, track cross-country, music, orchestra, drama...(IN JUNIOR HIGH!?!) My kids have so many opportunities here! The teachers are amazing and the test scores are some highest in the state.

18. The weather is fabulous. Sun, sun, and sun. They boast 300 days of sun in Denver. So far, it seems true. And if a storm blows in, it blows right out. It doesn't linger like Salt Lake weather!!

The Stott family is doing great.

We miss family so much but we are happy with our new life in CO.

People have been so friendly, the kids are meeting other kids, life is pretty good for the first week.

I will start my Thrillin Thursdays here

(alone with no sissies and cousins...sad!)

and we decided to name it Denver Days.

Once a week, we will venture out and explore Colorado.

Today, we went to a man made lake and hiked around it.

The kids had fun with just each other and their mama! Here we go....

We want to go see what Co is all about!

LOVE and MISS u all! xo

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