A New Job

I spent most of August and September getting us settled into the new house, Jack settled at school and taking care of all the busy work that establishing residency in a new state requires.

Before I knew it, it was October.  My promise to myself to start the job hunt immediately upon arrival in Fort Collins was already 2 months behind.  There were lots of advantages to working from home, an opportunity that I will forever be grateful for, but with each passing week it was becoming more clear (from both parties) that come March GCSAA and I would be parting ways as planned.  I was down to 5 months and started to panic.

I kept an eye out for any posted openings.  I scoured the Internet every day for leads and of course I polished off my resume, reached out to references, updated my profile on linked in and became active on job search engines.  But that didn't seem like enough.  I also did tons of research and came up with a list of 15-20 local businesses with ties to the event planning industry that I wanted to reach out to in order to start developing a network.  After all, I knew absolutely no one.  That list included event production companies, private event planners, hotels, golf courses, event centers, city offices, and the like.  I prepared a cover letter and planned to start at the top of list and essentially cold call them all and see if it went anywhere.

On Tuesday, October 13 the Fort Collins Coloradoan published an article about a planned 5 million dollar expansion at the Fort Collins Country Club.  It seemed like a perfect opening, so the next morning I sent an email to the General Manager and introduced myself.  Scott called me back within the hour.

As it turned out their Event Coordinator was retiring and they were in the process of searching for a replacement.  In fact, while the position had been advertised, they were so far along in the process the job posting had been taken down.  Having just started my search, I never saw the posting and had no idea they were hiring.  When the GM called me on Wednesday he said they had 3 final interviews scheduled for that Friday.  If I could be there, he wanted to talk.

I figured if nothing else it was going to be a great opportunity to polish off my interview skills and really get into the swing of the job hunt.  I didn't have much time to prepare and was at a bit of a disadvantage because I didn't even know what it was I was "applying" for.  I went to the meeting with as many questions for them as they had for me.  I felt good about our time together, but wasn't convinced it was a perfect fit.  The things that were holding me back were the hours (nights and weekends - particularly during the wedding season - would be a must) and the sales component of the job, which I wasn't sure was a good fit for me personally or my skill set.  After much discussion Drew & I both agreed that despite some of my concerns, it was an excellent opportunity to get my foot in the door in the community, make some contacts, and have the security of a local job.  Not to mention the fact that it is barely a half mile from our house.  By the end of the weekend I was trying to stay relatively cool about the whole thing, but had convinced myself I really wanted the job.

Scott called again Monday morning.  The club is managed by a management company out of Atlanta.  One of their executives was going to be in town Wednesday and he wanted me to come back.  I had a second interview.

This time, I had a much better idea what the club was looking for.  I also knew that the candidate list was shrinking and that I had a real chance at getting this job.  I came to the second interview much more prepared.  Our meeting lasted over 2 hours.

I couldn't wait to tell Drew about the interview so he stopped by the house late that afternoon to check in.  I was in the middle of telling him everything that had happened when my phone rang.  Scott was calling to ask me to check my e-mail as a formal job offer had just been sent.  6 days after cold calling the Country Club.

It's been pretty much a whirl wind since.  I accepted the position the next day (after running some numbers and sleeping on the decision).  Then I submitted my resignation (for the second time in a year) to GCSAA.  I had 2 business trips coming up that I had to see through and did my very best to leave things in the best shape for my replacement in Kansas as I could.  I was also dropping by the club whenever I had a free minute to spend some training time with my predecessor before she left.  Two weeks later I started full time at the club - right in the midst of the holiday season and the single busiest revenue month for banquet sales of the year.  Talk about trial by fire!

The dust has settled now and I'm approaching 2 months since I joined the Fort Collins Country Club as Event Sales Director.  The verdict:  I love it.  There are growing pains and there are challenges of course, but after operating on autopilot for so long, it's been a really welcomed change for me to have to operate outside my comfort zone a bit.  We are a small staff and each of us has a lot of freedom to get the job done, but also a lot of accountability.  I've been doing a ton of networking (both with our club members and within the community) and am more and more comfortable every day.  Most importantly, the people I work with are fabulous.  Of course, there are also some perks to working at the Country Club, especially when you are a family of avid golfers (like the chef prepared free lunch every day and full access to the golf course, to name a few!)

I don't know if this experience was simply a stroke of luck, all about the timing, or if some sort of higher power was guiding me through.  In any case, I think we'll keep riding this wave as long as it will hold us!

Busy Making Memories

While browsing one of my favorite blogs recently, Adventures in Babywearing, something Stephanie wrote really struck a cord with me.  

She said, "I think in the past what I've written was true, but writing about it shined up my life, what really happened. At the time it made me feel better, less crazy, happier. Saved me. I don't know how long this will last, but it seems I've arrived at a spot of time where the days move easier without the need to write myself a lifeline."

I totally get it.  And I think I've reached a similar spot in my own blogging.  At least for the time being.  There was a time when writing was therapeutic for me.  Then it became more like a journal - simply a place to record the memories.  I absolutely cherish the annual books I've printed from this blog and I know their importance to me will only grow as the years go by.  For that reason alone I will not give up on it.  But recently blogging has taken a backseat to...well, living.

This is my view as I sit at my computer.

I know you can't read all the entries on the calendar, but you can see that nearly every day has something.  And this is our household activities only - work commitments are elsewhere.  Our lives are so full - in more ways than one - that I'm doing my very best to just take it all in and enjoy the ride.

By no means is this goodbye to The Elser 411.  There are still many stories to tell and memories to capture.  But my focus has shifted.  

To making memories instead of writing about them. 

Closing Day

Eek...I can't believe it's been 3 weeks since my last post.  Time flies when you're moving into a new house!

In the last batch of pictures I shared we had walls and a few bathroom fixtures inside, but not much more.  We were two weeks from closing and I didn't go back to the house until our final walk through on August 1.  It was hard to stay away, but I was so busy getting everything ready for the move the time flew.  Logistically there was a lot to work through: packing, moving trucks to reserve (and village covenants that limited their access to the neighborhood), hired help to schedule, loading and unloading, walk through with the builder and closing.  To add a layer of planning, Jackson's school was closed for teacher in-service on our closing day (yay Aunt Nikki for planning a fun-filled day with Jack at the water park, bowling alley and movie theater while Drew & I were occupied).  And, of course, being 90 miles away every trip required 1.5 - 2 hours of drive time each way.  The entire process needed to be a well-oiled machine and I had it choreographed down to the minute.

Our walk through on August 1 was fabulous.  The house looked great and we were so excited to finally be homeowners again the next day.

Unfortunately, even the best laid plans often go awry.

The first snag came Thursday afternoon.  We were expecting to get the final closing statement from the lender so that we could pick up a cashiers check for the proper amount and have that item checked off the list before closing day (we're still banking at our Kansas bank and there are only 2 branches in the Denver metro area - not exactly a quick trip).  Those numbers never came.  Not a huge deal, but Friday's to do list got a bit longer.

The first item of business Friday morning was picking up the Penske at 8 am.  We had exactly 4 hours to pick up the truck and fill it with load #1 before needing to head to the bank and then the title company for closing.  Except it wasn't ready.  An hour delay turned into two hours by which point our blood was boiling and my perfectly planned schedule was history.  Several angry phone calls later we had a truck (and a significant discount).  Somehow, Mom, Dad, Drew & I managed to load all of our furniture on the truck in about an hour.  I dashed off to the bank (the numbers had come through first thing that morning) while Drew finished loading and we met at the title company 2 hours later.  Where we learned that the Certificate of Occupancy had not yet been issued.  Turned out they were waiting on a city engineer to approve the sidewalks in front of the house.  After signing all of the loan documents and going over the warranties with the builder we sat in the conference room of the title company with our Realtor for an hour waiting for the Certificate of Occupancy to come through. Thank goodness it did.  Just as we were getting ready to head to the house...our house...we remembered that the title company was to reimburse us our $1,000 escrow deposit.  Except they had no record of that.  Several more minutes of scrambling...and waiting...resolved the issue and finally we were headed out the door, check and house keys in hand!

We went straight to the house but had no plans of moving anything Friday evening.  We had hired help on Saturday morning and planned on bringing 2 truck loads from Castle Rock to Fort Collins while Jackson spent the day and overnight with Nana & Papa, giving us a chance to get things somewhat put together before throwing Jack into the mix.  

Walking through that door was such a relief.  We were exhausted from all of the emotions of the day - the packing, the loading, the excitement and the waiting, waiting, waiting through one snafu after another.  I knew it was going to happen (I even told Cortney so earlier that day) but I couldn't hold back the tears.  We had finally reached the moment that was put into motion nearly 9 months ago when Drew dusted off his resume.  I could hardly believe it.  Once the tears slowed, we cracked open a beer and toasted to new beginnings.

The straw that broke the camel's back happened on the way back to Castle Rock.  We had picked up a pizza off the interstate and were 5-10 minutes from Mom & Dad's house when we got caught up in some mysterious police barricade.  Once again...we waited.  Eventually we were forced to travel about 20 miles out of our way and finally got back to the house 40 minutes late with cold pizza.

Thinking back now, the series of events that day almost sound comical.  Except it wasn't.

Although, despite being frustrated and exhausted, we went to bed happy.  The next morning we were headed home!

Here are the "before" pictures that I snapped on Friday afternoon just after we took possession.

Home Sweet Home

Kitchen

I've been dreaming about this pantry!

Gas stove.  My other favorite part about the kitchen.

Living/Dining area.

Entry

View of the main floor

TV Room

Upstairs hallway to laundry and all bedrooms.

Laundry room.  So excited for a room instead of a closet and love that it's on the same floor as the bedrooms.

Master. 

Master Bath.  Walk-in closet to the left, toilet nook straight ahead, soaker tub and walk-in shower to the right. 

3 car tandem garage.  Drew's favorite part of the house!

Despite planning to do all of the moving on Saturday without Jack, we decided to bring him along for one of the trips.  He was so excited to see the house and really wanted to be part of the process. I'm so glad we did.  Here's the little guy headed back to his room for the first time.  He insisted on bringing his Jayhawk pillow - his first item in the new house.

 

Here we are just over a week later and things look quite a bit different.  In fact, dare I say, it feels like home. I'll be sure to share the progress as we get each room closer and closer to done.  In the meantime, we're enjoying a more normal schedule as Jack gets settled into his school routine, I'm back at work and Drew gets 3 hours of his life back each day instead of spending them stuck on I-25!

If you would have told me last Fall that this is where we would be I'm not sure I would have believed you.  But we did it.  And we couldn't be happier!

Not-So-Wordless Wednesday

I've got a running list of things to blog about (it's currently 5 deep) but apparently little motivation to actually put words - and pictures - to screen.

For the first time in weeks we have no plans this weekend.  Well, no plans meaning we aren't celebrating a holiday or attending a birthday party, bbq, festival or other activity.  There are other plans such as painting Jack's bed, running errands, hitting the pool and catching up around the house, but nothing big to speak of.

Next week, on the other hand, is going to be jam packed with work, a visit with a colleague who's in town for a conference, swimming lessons, mani/pedi appointments, an afternoon with my cousins who are visiting from Minnesota, packing for a weekend in Kansas and boarding the dog.  We hit the road Friday and I absolutely can't wait to see our dear friends the Stoddards and the whole entire Elser clan.  We'll even be in Lawrence for a day and have a play date planned for Jack (he's going to flip his lid when he finds out his precious friend Ruby will be there), a quick visit with my bestie Laura and a meal or two at our favorite spots in the old stomping ground.

When we get home, it will be July.  The month we've been waiting for.  The month that is our newly projected closing date.  The month we think hope - oh how we hope - remains moving month!

More to come, but because it's one of my new favorites, I leave you with:

Yes, he chose this all himself.  Yes, he got his hair cut later that day.  No, Drew, he does not look like a Chippendale dancer.

Colorado Living

One thing is for certain about living in Colorado - there is no shortage of things to do!

Here's a peek at a some of what we've been up to lately.

Boys Day at the Ballpark
While I was traveling back to Kansas to attend a few meetings, pick up our car and say some final goodbyes, Drew and his friend Jeff treated their mini-me's (it's scary how much these little guys are like their Daddies!) to a day at the ballpark where Brody & Jack enjoyed their first Rockies game.

Those boys have become instant buddies.  In fact, Jackson was furious with Drew for making him go home and leave Brody (who had fallen sound asleep on the drive home).  Jack too nodded off eventually; however, still managed to wake up every few minutes to declare that Drew was mean, breaking his heart and is no longer his best friend. 

Thankfully, Drew's back in his good graces now.

Spring Canyon Park
Our realtor drove Drew & I through Spring Canyon Park on our very first visit to Ft. Collins back in January.  I've been anxious to take Jack ever since.  As expected, he was a big fan.

It's the single largest piece of playground equipment I've ever seen.

 

Of course, the rock slide is always a big hit.



And being nestled right along the bottom of the foothills makes for some superb views.

There are all sorts of other amenities such as picnic shelters, modern bathroom facilities, a 2+ acre dog park and seemingly endless bike/walking trails. 

Of course, it's also a prime location for all sorts of community events.  Such as...

Fort Collins Kites in the Park Festival
It's a 90 mile drive from Castle Rock to Fort Collins so I really debated making the trek up north for the Kites in the Park Festival last Sunday, but I'm so glad we did!  It was a picture perfect day and we had a lovely time with our friends the Meyers and O'Briens.

This is our crew.

 

Jaime is holding her girls Riley and Reagan.  Next is Brody and Gavin.  Their mom Mary is not pictured, but she and Jaime are sisters.  Then there's Jack, of course. 

 

The festival included all the usual food vendors (kettle corn, funnel cakes, hot dogs, snow cones, etc.), music, kite flying contests and raffles.  Here are Jack & Brody decorating their own kites.



Then we just hung out with a few thousand others and enjoyed the beautiful day and the colorful view.  (That's Mary below holding baby Gavin.)

There were many reasons we wanted to move to Colorado.  A career change was at the top of that list.  As was being closer to family.  But another driving force was the desire for a lifestyle change as well.  A more active lifestyle.  The opportunity to spend more time together as a couple (because now we have a bigger support system near by), as a family (because Colorado has so much to offer) and with friends (a groove we never really found in Lawrence).  I'm not sure if it's because we're making more of an effort or if we're just in a better state of mind these days, but something is working.

Colorado is treating us right and we couldn't be happier!

America the Beautiful

There's something about the mountains.

It's hard to describe the sense of peace and serenity they provoke.  Nature's reminder that we're really quite small in this big world.

I hope I never get used to their beauty.

Never take it for granted.

And never lose the feeling of joy and contentment they bring.

Pictures taken at Daniel's Park - less than 1 mile from Mom & Dad's house.  I need to hone my camera skills.  I'm not doing the mountains justice.

Getting Along

I keep thinking I'll have all sorts of free time since it's just Jackson and I at home.  Time to dive into a few TV shows I've been wanting to watch, read a book, organize all of our digital photos and blog more regularly.  Yet, as I write, 2-weeks have passed since my last post, the photos remain unorganized, books are unopened and memory is filling up on the DVR and iPad.  Oops! 

The fact is, there are no breaks when you're all by yourself.  Not even a quick 5 minute breather to gather your wits.  So while I might not be physically tired, come bedtime I'm usually pretty mentally spent.

But I have to say, we're getting along really well.

For one thing, FaceTime is the greatest invention ever.  Mega props to Steve Jobs (may he rest in peace) and all of the iPeople at Apple who made that happen.  It makes such a difference to be able to see Drew every day, especially for Jack who has never been a fan of talking on the phone.  We FaceTime every single evening before bed and more than that on weekends.  Jack knows that at any time he can "FaceTime Daddy" and share a story, silly outfit, crazy dance move or any other antics of the moment.  It's instant gratification and it absolutely rocks.  I can't imagine being separated like this without it.

We also stay pretty busy.  The weekdays go fast by the time we get home from school/work and go through the motions of the evening routine.  Since the weekends can get a little long, we've made sure to fill them up with activities (baking, crafts, errands, trips to Laugh out Loud, play dates, etc.) and stay occupied.  We've had some fun occasions too like Cousin Attia's second birthday last weekend (I need to share pictures) and an afternoon at my friend Laura's today during an open house followed by a late afternoon showing.

I couldn't be more proud of Jackson.  He's been such a big helper, remains in good spirits and is an all around really great kid.  In fact, over the past week we've made some major strides in the bedtime battle that I couldn't be more excited about.  It's worthy of a blog post of its own so I'll give you the skinny on that soon - I'll try not to wait 2 weeks this time.

And so we continue to plug along, keep our fingers crossed that the end is in sight and look forward to all the wonderful things that await us!

Here and Gone

He made it.  Just in time for a quick 48-hour visit before having to rush to the airport in the 12-hour window of calm before the second winter storm in 5 days, The Blizzard of Oz as some have named it, arrives in Kansas.

Gosh it was good to have Drew home.  Although, weird in some ways too.  He has no vehicle here.  He has very few clothes here.  He was in close touch with Denver and Ft. Collins all weekend as he monitored the weather at his "home".  Basically, he is a visitor in the house he owns - which is odd.  But that aside, it was absolutely fantastic.  I think we all (Drew, Heidi, Jackson & Ruby) relaxed - really relaxed - for the first time in weeks.  Things finally felt normal.  Comfortable.  Safe.  Complete.

We didn't do much.  Piddled away an afternoon while our realtor held an open house.  Feasted on a few of Drew's favorite meals (Auntie Em's deli, Paisano's, french toast, homemade enchiladas).  Played games.  Played in the snow and shoveled the rest of the driveway, patio and deck (with a foot on the ground and another foot in the forecast, we needed to make some room).  We slept in late, watched cartoons and the Oscars and we snuggled.  It was perfect.

It's funny how even a short visit can rejuvenate you.  Give you strength.  Like filling your lungs with enough air to lift you through another couple of weeks.

Until it's time to say goodbye. 

Despite happening more frequently, it sure hasn't gotten easier.  In fact, maybe even the contrary.  When you know what you're missing, it's harder to let it go.  That said, if there is a silver lining to the situation we find ourselves in, it is how much it has reinforced my love for this man.  For our family.  Absence really does make the heart grow fonder.  I no longer take it for granted and I appreciate every single moment - no matter how small or fleeting.  I'm certain the same is true for Drew.

As with everything, time heals all wounds and it doesn't take long to fall back into the routine (school, work, dinner, dishes, bath, games, books, facetime, bed, repeat) and get our groove back.  We'll all soldier on and before long this period of time will just be a small blip on the radar.

I can't wait for that day.

And Now We Wait

This is the part I've been dreading.

Things have been such a whirlwind since Drew accepted his new job in Colorado.  Once we got through the Christmas/New Year holidays every week was accounted for.  We spent 10 days getting the house painted, cleaned, and de-cluttered for listing.  Then we packed Drew's necessities and sent him off to Colorado.  Jack & I had a week home alone, during which I was preparing for a 10-day business trip followed by a 5-day visit to Colorado.  Gram came to town to watch Jack.  Then Drew drove to Kansas to close up the house, get Ruby to the kennel and take Jack back to Colorado with him.  I joined them a few days later and after 16 days all three of us were finally together again. 

Our time in Colorado was fantastic and only reaffirmed our decision.  There is no question we are moving to the right place at the right time.

Then Jack & I had to leave.

Things are going remarkably well.  Jack has not been difficult at all.  His behavior has not changed and he doesn't seem to be too confused or overly concerned about Drew's absence.  We FaceTime every single day and I know that helps tremendously.  It's a bit lonely here.  And eerily quiet.  But we're staying busy and getting along fine.

It's the unknown that's driving me crazy.

Sure, the last month was a bit of chaos at times, but at least I knew what was coming.  There were items that needed to be checked off a list.  Things to stay focused on.  Now...we just wait.

The house has been on the market for 30 days.  We've had lots of showings, a couple of 2nd showings and all good feedback.  We're told activity in town is starting to pick up and inventory is on the low side - all good indicators from a seller's perspective.  But still no offers.

I'm doing my best to keep a positive attitude.  I truly believe the timing will all come together as it's meant to.  In fact, I feel guilty for feeling even a little sorry for ourselves.  Especially when people we love and care about are facing much more trying times as we speak.

If only I could peek into a crystal ball.  Should I be packing more boxes or will that just inconvenience us as we continue to live here for the forseeable future?  Do we keep buying plane tickets between Kansas and Colorado every two weeks or will a one-way ticket finally suffice?  Should I be moving full steam ahead on job prospects for myself or will that just get us in a bigger bind should a job in Colorado manifest before the house sells in Kansas?  I'm just not sure what to do with myself. 

I guess the only choice is to stay the course, cross our fingers and keep our eye on the prize.

It's a helluva prize.

And so we'll wait.

What's in Store for 2013

It's been pretty uneventful here on The Elser 411, but our real lives have been anything but over the last three months or so.

I hated keeping secrets, but it was complicated.  At first it was just an idea - there wasn't much to tell.  Then, as things progressed, we needed to keep it close to the vest.  There was a very specific order that had to be followed as this plan was put into motion.  Slowly the news was released.  Finally there are no more secrets.

We are moving to Fort Collins, Colorado.

It started just beforeThanksgiving when Drew decided to dust off his resume and test the waters.  Anyone who knows him well could see that the stress was getting to him.  He was turning into a shell of his old self.  Something had to change.  But never in a million years did we expect that in the course of one month those phone interviews would turn into a day trip to Denver for some face-to-face time and a job offer that seemed almost too good to be true.  I'm a believer in following the signs and in this case we were shown a lighted path!

So here's what we've been up to.

• December 20th Drew accepted a position with Emerald Isle Landscaping to open their 4th branch in Fort Collins (they currently have branches in Colorado Springs, South Denver and North Denver).  He will be building it from the ground up. 
• December 29th the three of us made a quick trip to Colorado (conveniently disguised as a belated Christmas celebration with my family) to finalize the deal and visit Fort Collins in person. 
• January 5th we selected a realtor (after our first attempt nearly scared us to death about the state of the market and value of our home).  We spent the next 10 days cleaning closets, painting walls and shampooing carpets as we prepared our house for the market. 
• January 7th Drew resigned from First Management, Inc.
• January 9th I notified GCSAA that sometime in the coming months I would be leaving for Fort Collins.
• January 16th a for sale sign went in the yard.
• Yesterday Drew flew to Colorado to start his new job while Jackson, Ruby & I stay behind to sell the house.

And now we wait.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a tiny bit scared.  We built a great life here.  We have all the "stuff" that makes you comfortable:  the 13-year careers with one company, the house, the country club, the school, the community we know and love.  We're trading all of that for a whole lot of unknowns.  But I've learned through this process that sometime being comfortable just isn't enough.  So we'll suffer through some time apart, ride the roller coaster of selling our house and cross all of the other bridges (new jobs, new school, new house...new everything) as we come to them - our motto since we started this journey.

Despite the occasional overwhelming moments, we couldn't be more excited about this opportunity.  For the first time in my adult life, I will be close (about 90 miles) to my family.  We still have 1 1/2 years before Jackson starts Kindergarten so his disruptions are minimal.  We both have an opportunity to rejuvenate our careers after pretty much reaching a plateau.  And we are moving to the land of perfect weather (four seasons without the extremes in either direction and 360 days of sunshine a year), endless outdoor activities, professional sports in every genre, a quick drive to Denver and all the city has to offer, and breathtaking scenery.


Here is the view as you exit I-25 toward Ft. Collins.  It was a horribly overcast morning with flurries in the area.  On a clear day the foothills are picture perfect.  The tree line in front of the mountains is the city.  So, so pretty.

That is what's in store for us in 2013.  Some ups and downs no doubt, but one heck of an adventure along the way!