Emotions have been all over the map during the first weeks back. One day it’s exciting, the next overwhelming and the next a bit sad.  Katie cries for no reason, happy or sad some days. We assume this what they call reverse culture shock but every day gets better and more familiar.

The matching cars!

In one week we were luckily to purchase 2 reliable cars. Funny enough, they are both white, have leather interior, are limited editions and are the same year! So, yes, we have matching cars. Zane got a white, 2000 Ford Explorer, with super low mileage.  Katie’s find was a white 2000 Subaru Outback, Rocky Mtn. Edition with double moon roofs. She finally got her Subaru again!

Equip with cell phones and unlimited apps we are now connected, more than we care to be! Interviews have started and the job search continues. Zane has been accepted into the substitute teaching pool in a couple school districts and is applying for full time positions. Katie is searching for a program planning or management job maybe in a remote setting and has some promising leads. She also is starting a contract position with NITA, her previous employer, tomorrow to help out in their Development department while looking for full time employment.

We thank Wendy and Kevin for housing us for our first week back. Their hospitality is appreciated more than they will ever know. Moving out was actually quite sad! If you didn’t know, we lived there for 5 months before we left the country, all our belongings have been stored there and we crashed there over the holidays. It truly has been a second home of ours. We love you guys!

Our belongings

Our tenants fulfilled their 2-year lease in our townhouse and having the mortgage covered for our time away was great. After a year of living out 2 backpacks to then see a whole U-Haul truck full of our belongings didn’t seem real. We were amazed at how much we still owned! Moving back in was surreal and felt so final as it is our last move. The first week back just felt like another stop along the trip. But after settling in, furniture deliveries and multiple trips to IKEA and Target we feel back at home…almost!

Trail running by the foothills

Double rainbows at Coors Field

Trail running has been on the daily agenda hitting up all of our favorite trails. Our lungs definitely need some time to adjust back to the elevation! Been running some hills and sprinting at the end of the runs to adjust quicker but it is so hard! Hiking and an overnight camping trip have made us remember quickly why we love this state.

Our most American experience has been eating hot dogs at Coors Field watching the Rockies. There was a mind-blowing double rainbow at the stadium that evening to make it extra special! Home-cooked meals, happy hours with friends, local beers on our back patio, and enjoying our most missed foods have made the transition pretty painless.

This weekend we head to California to give hugs to Zane’s family and celebrate our nephew’s 5^th birthday.  Let the travels continue!