officially in week two

Hello everyone,

So, we're in week two of "the DeJong's do Colorado." We really love it. On Christmas eve I was talking to my cousin who lives in CA. She and her husband are from AZ and then moved to FL then CA. She said that once you leave your home state there's a sense of "I can't imagine going back." I thought, NO, I'll always feel like I could go back to AZ, I would never feel like that. Well, I was wrong. I understand what people are talking about. Even after just a week and a half here, I feel that feeling of not really wanting to go back to AZ. Not that I don't love it there, but there's a feeling of "I've been there, done that, what's next."

I've been an exploring fool. I've been to Golden, Louisville, Boulder, Westminster, Arvada, DT Arvada, 5 Parks, Broomfield, DT Denver, Brighton, Wheat Ridge, Thornton. I love just getting in my car and going. I think there's no such thing as "getting lost." There have definately been times when I was thinking, where the heck am I.. but I just kept moving until I found a street that I recgonized. I sort of feel sometimes like Crocodile Dundee because the only way I could tell what direction I was going was by the sun. I kept saying, the sun sets in the west, the sun sets in the west. Driving here is totally different that AZ. You CAN NOT get lost in AZ because the whole valley is on a grid. In colorado streets wind and then suddenly stop and then suddenly turn into a highway. It's wierd, but kind of fun to navigate. Speaking of navigation. This weekend we bought a GPS (Garmin.) We spent about 2 hours in Best Buy going through nearly every GPS system. We finally settled on the Garmin something something. I never remember the name and numbers, like the garmin 540i or whatever. All I know is it's really cool and really helpful.

Well we decided not to buy for a year and just rent. We really think we know what area we want to buy in and right now is an EXCELLENT time to buy in CO, but since we're leasing our house in AZ that means no money on hand for a down payment. I'm really glad we're waiting, although part of me just wants to be settled. I think we're going to rent a house. 1)because then we'll have a garage, which I think is essential in the winters and 2) more overall space. It's crazy too because it's virtually for the same price as an apartment. I'm also looking for a job, which I HATE. I seriously think job hunting is like poking sticks in your eyes. I hate having to sell myself. I just want to be like, I'm great and you should hire me. I'm not a great interviewer but I'm a great employee and I'm smart, so it's frustrating, but I'll just keep plugging away.

OK, so here are some pictures of Golden CO. It's a really cute town just west of Denver right up against the mountains. There's a cute downtown with shops and stuff.