Stop #3: Colorado Springs

Well our brakes are grinding.  And not like, “Oh we should get those looked at in the near future”, but more in the “oh dear lord what is that noise?  Are we going to make a crash landing upon arriving in Colorado Springs?”  So that is lovely.  First thing on our to do list is get the brakes looked at when we arrive.  Nothing like the stress of car issues when you are on a tight budget!

My brother, Kilian and his girlfriend, Alexa, who lives in Colorado Springs, arranged for us to attend a Sky Sox game, a minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox professional baseball team for Harry Potter night.  We rolled (tapping the brakes as little as possible) into town right in time for the 7th inning stretch. Better late than never.  It was absolutely the most comfortable temperature to watch a little baseball.  There was a slight breeze blowing as the sun sank down behind the mountains out past center field.  The kids loved all the fans dressed in Harry Potter costumes. Claire was convinced it was Halloween as so many people were dressed up.  The Sky Sox won the game and the night was capped off with an impressive fireworks display.  It really was a great start to our visit in Colorado Springs.

The next day, Sunday, there were no mechanic shops open to have the car checked out so we volunteered Kilian and Alexa to drive us around town.  Sunday’s may not be great days to get your car repaired but they sure are great days to check out open houses.  Levi spent the morning checking out a few homes and talking to realtors about what we would be looking to spend, what we would want in a  home, and what school districts the homes were located.  I took the little ones swimming in the best hotel pool we have played in so far.  It had an awesome waterslide that gave Claire and Henry lots of laughs and allowed them to yell and play all they wanted.

We spent the afternoon outdoors and went on a little hike in the Garden of the Gods.

Claire wanted to journal on our drive so she was sure to pack her pen and notepad.  She said she was going to look for anything living: animals, birds, or trees and draw them in her notebook.  It was an absolutely gorgeous Sunday so there were a lot of people with the same idea to get out and enjoy the scenery and weather.  Since no parking spots could be found, we made our way back to the visitors center and waited for a shuttle to give us a lift up the mountain.  It worked out better that we couldn’t  find a place to park as the kids loved the shuttle, Henry actually cried when we arrived at our drop off point and had to unbuckle and hop off.  We let the kids lead the way and stopped to climb small rocks, throw sticks, or take a drink of water whenever necessary.  It was a highlight watching the true rock climbers inch higher than I would ever even dream of climbing. We spent some time relaxing and openly wondering what really goes on in their minds to think that seems like a good idea?

That evening Kilian and Alexa took Levi to check out Centennial, where he recently interviewed for an amazing job. The trio hit up a local Italian restaurant and cruised around the area while they waited for their tee time at Top Golf.  Researching the area online we learned the cost of living was relatively high, especially knowing the pay he would receive for the position was nothing to get excited about.  For that reason, we chose not to stay there but to focus more on Colorado Springs.  Since we were so close we still wanted to do our due diligence and see what Centennial was all about though.

With “help” from Claire and Henry I finally tackled our ever growing laundry pile. It is truly amazing how much dirty laundry four people produce in a matter of days!

Monday morning at 7 a.m. Levi dropped our vehicle off for a much needed brake repair while I took the kids back to the pool for another run at the water slide.  The mechanic called and we were told we needed new brake pads and rotors but that we would be up and running again in just a few hours.

Alexa and Kilian were amazing hosts in Colorado Springs!!  They showed us wonderful areas for rentals or real estate that fit our budget, outdoor activities, yummy restaurants, filled us in on the excellent school districts, and of course were gracious chauffeurs during our time of need.

Colorado Springs checks so many things off our list of must have criteria.  I must say that I am glad we did not know the population (600k+) before checking the city out, because I honestly think Levi might have written it off as too large.  But we can both say that it did not feel like a huge city, it really did feel comfortable and like it could make a great home town!!