Going West: Novel Edition

Right now, David and I are sitting in a local coffee shop in Steamboat Springs.  He has been catching up on emails and making connections like a good pastor while I have been making a grocery list and desperately trying to figure out just what I can grow here in a container garden with such a short and mild summer season (not much). We've been in Clark for a week and a half now and we are already catching onto local know-how like carefully strategizing our trips to Steamboat Springs to include grocery shopping, fueling up, and other errands.  We've learned that the "Open Range" signs mean cattle are free to roam anywhere they wish and a cashier at The Clark Store demonstrated the local hand gesture, the receipt of which will notify us when we've "made it."  For being over a thousand miles away from our midwest territory, we are feeling quite at home already.  Below, I've tried to summarize the chaotic, month-long blur that has been our experience of moving West (if you're anything like David you may prefer the Picture Book Edition).

The Preparations

The short season of preparation was marked by a very long to-do list, spending time with friends and family, and an utter dependence on the Lord.  Part of me would like to think that we were on top of things since we realized we were moving our lives to Colorado.  Truly, we did get a lot accomplished in the window from when we decided to pursue this opportunity in February to our moving at the end of April.  We wrote up support letters and tracked donations in a database.  David started this blog.  We checked the internet daily for good car options.  We spent a weekend in Chicago visiting family and doing a presentation.  We drove out in March to solidify housing.  We found someone to take on our apartment lease.  We ate as much YATS as we could.  Yet, as my brother once said when leaving two hours later than expected for a family vacation, "The Davis gene is very strong" and things did not truly get moving (literally) until a week before take off.  It was then I realized we weren't just shoving some essentials in a van to go to college for the year; we were moving every item we have accumulated from our marriage and our lives prior.

Added to the mix was a very stressful car search as nothing had turned up in our price range and parameters.  We spent a few solid days test driving promising cars only to learn from mechanics that they would be needing some hefty repairs.  As God's provision would have it, there was a car just minutes down the road from us that had what we were looking for.  Granted, the process of buying this car was dramatic in its own way and it does have some repair needs that we are aware of, but it was a full $2,000 less than a comparable car we had looked at.  We were thrilled to find this Subaru under $6,000 with lots of life left in it.

With the car purchase under wraps, we were finally able to move forward with a lot of the grunt work of moving.  My favorite job to give people was crumpling paper because the demand for it was high and my delegation capacities were low.  Even my 10 month old nephew, Grant, was able to contribute some crumpled paper with a side of slobber.  The car search had put us behind schedule, but only by a day, and ended up working beautifully as our small group and other friends came over on Sunday (April 28th) for a pizza dinner and to help us with the final push.  Before I had even finished my pizza, the guys began hauling out all the large furniture pieces to the trailer.  It was amazing how much progress was made in a few hours with 10+ people versus the two of us taking it on alone; it was a true picture of community.  The good-byes were very hard but we take comfort in knowing we will see them again relatively soon.

The Move

The following morning, April 29th, we did some last minute moving and cleaning before turning in our keys and setting off for Kansas City.  Our caravan included Dave in his 2001 Mitsubishi Mirage, my dad in his Dodge Dakota pulling his 14ft. utility trailer packed with our things, and me in the "new" car.  We made it to Kansas City without any issues (other than my dad discovering just how poor his gas mileage might be on this particular trip).  We had a great time visiting my sister Rebekah, bro-in-law Andrew, and niece Avery.  We also had some short, one-sided conversations with Baby Boy Jones, due in June.  We woke up to Bekah's amazing breakfast and the discouraging news that Denver was expecting snow just as we were to pass through.  After much consideration, we decided to at least try to make it to Denver and then wait the snow out.

The second leg through Kansas was, not surprisingly, uneventful.  My dad made it to Stratton, CO before turning in to a local motel there; he didn't want to be on the roads at night with possible rain/snow.  Dave and I made it to a Denver hotel and kept our eye on the weather the rest of the evening.  The weatherman must have patted himself on the back because when we woke up we saw the promised snow, product of Winterstorm Achilles.  We had gone from 70+ degrees in Kansas City to the lower 30's in Denver in the span of 24 hours.  A Colorado travel website confirmed that we shouldn't try to drive over any mountain passes that day and we didn't want to be too far away from my dad should his truck & trailer have issues. We decided to make the best of our unexpected day in downtown Denver and explored the city (mostly a warm, inviting Caribou).  My dad did some exploring of his own in the small town of Stratton, which was limited to his motel and a place called "Dairy Treat."

The following morning, May 2nd, we watched the road conditions like a hawk and continued on our way when all was clear.  We met my Dad in Idaho Springs, an old mining town west of Denver, for a lunch break.  When he came in he was running on sheer adrenaline after going over the first significant mountain inclines and declines with his truck & trailer.  Apparently, he had his pedal to the floor and was maxing out at about 40mph - but it was nothing a tuna melt couldn't temporarily fix.  I regretfully informed him we hadn't even crossed the main mountain passes yet.  Though the following passes were much higher, the roads were more gradual and the truck and trailer did exceptionally well.  When we all pulled into the driveway of our temporary home in Clark, both David and my dad looked like proud parents; my dad's modest V6 truck had carried a huge trailer of our things across the country and over mountains and David's car, well, made it without spontaneously combusting.  Our traveling saga officially ended to the sound of squawking sandhill cranes in the field nearby.

The Settling

We've spent the past week or so slowly unpacking (we haven't unpacked everything as this house may just be a temporary option) and tackling our "post-move" to-do list, which is strikingly similar in length to the "pre-move" to-do list.  Dave switched his phone service to Verizon so he could have what little bit of service is available up here, we set up a post office box at the Clark Store, and are going through the process of registering our car and getting new drivers licenses.  My dad stayed with us for four days before making the trek back to Indianapolis so he was able to do some exploring with us and had ample opportunity for his infamous food pics.  He and I were even able to go on a little kayaking tour down the Yampa River in Steamboat Springs where we learned how to maneuver white water kayaks and surf some small rapids.

The first Sunday we were here (May 5th) was an "off Sunday" for the church but there was a Annual Chili Cook-Off at the Hahn's Peak Roadhouse which we learned was a pretty big deal.  Long aisles of tables were dedicated to either "red" or "green" chili and the Moose Chili took first in the people's choice category.  We had our fill of chili and cornbread while visiting with church members and enjoying our first significant glimpse of the culture - an interesting hybrid of what David refers to as "Old West" and "New West."  Those attending included ranching families that have been around for generations as well as outdoor enthusiasts in their name brand technical clothing.

Following the chili cook-off, we met with the leaders of the church to become better acquainted and discuss the future of North Routt Community Church.  It was a really constructive time as lots of questions were asked and all expectations were brought to the floor.

The following Sunday/this past Sunday (May 12th), David and I attended our first service at NRCC, which was held in the local charter school.  It was everything we imagined it would be, in a great way!  It was a simple, unassuming yet beautiful space with lots of natural light and a stone fireplace. The worship was a basic set-up with a few acoustic guitar and song handouts.  The young kids would wander around quietly or play in the back of the room which was fondly reminiscent of my family's old "home church" days.  After the service we had another meeting with church leadership to go through the logistics of preparing for June 2nd - the day we have decided to start going weekly with church services (as opposed to the current every-other-week schedule).  We started to form teams (worship, hospitality, child care, etc.) to make sure we can make going every week a sustainable practice once we begin.

The Next Steps

Currently, David is facilitating a church cook-out for this coming "off" Sunday so we can continue to meet people and so the church can still have time set aside to fellowship.  He has met with a pastors cohort in Steamboat Springs and will be meeting with a pastor of the Rocky Mountain E-Free District this Thursday in Denver.  He is also working on his first sermon series.  As for me, I am assisting David with the church and biding my time until my orientation and training begins May 20th at the ranch.

We are so looking forward to what God has in store for this community and cannot wait to give you further updates!