Livin' in a Small Town

This year we sold our first house.

We loved this house. We lived here for five years, brought two babies home, and made many happy memories. We were a young married couple when we bought this house, and had grown into a family of four, plus one large, energetic dog. It was time to look for something a little bigger.

The one thing we didn't want to lose was the yard.

Houses in the Loveland/Fort Collins area where we live don't often have yards of this size, and we had gotten pretty used to the space.

So when this house came on the market a day or so after ours went under contract, we acted quickly.

The pictures of our new house are from the listing, hence the time stamp and lack of toys in the yard.

This house added the square footage we wanted and actually increased our lot size. It was the very first house we saw and we knew it was our next home. (We went ahead and toured two more houses, but our mind was already on the offer we were going to be putting on this house. It felt just like we were on an episode of House Hunters.)

Large areas of grass all around the back.

A garden and separate fenced in dog run.

A big patio where the kids ride their bikes. Eventually we'll get some patio furniture or a table back there.

A large "wooded" area where Mike is building a playhouse for the girls.

The catch was that this house wasn't in Loveland or Fort Collins, but the small town of Windsor. I knew a little bit about Windsor because it's where I did my student teaching. I liked the school, but I didn't know anything else about the town.

We decided that small town living was for us, and by May we were moved in. This was one of the best decisions we've ever made.

Almost immediately we discovered that the location of our new house is perfect. We are right in the center of the town, and within walking distance of everything. Just behind our house is a bike trail that runs the length of the town. It is on open space with lots of ponds and gorgeous views. Between Mike and myself, we have put tons of miles on that trail already.

We are a couple blocks away from the library, which has excellent events and story times for the kids.

Not to mention, tiny computers to listen to stories and play games.

Windsor also has weekly concerts at a park right on Windsor Lake. Last night's concert also included the Taste of Windsor. Okay, I've been to Taste of's before, including the Taste of Chicago, and this one was laughably small. But the plus side is we didn't have to wait in line for anything, and the crowds weren't bad at all!

Great food!

And free games! Mike and the girls gear up for a sweet game of water tag.

Go get 'em!

Well played, you two.

Sophia got in on the action, too.

We are so happy to be living in this small town, and we definitely feel at home here. What a great place to raise a family!