Why We Are In Pagosa Springs, Colorado

For some time now, my father-in-law, Carl, has been wanting to move to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, ever since he brought his family through here on a family vacation. Around the time that my wife Aimee and I met in 1993, he started building his first spec (as in speculation) home in Pagosa Springs. Since then, he has built and sold at least one per year, with his next-to-final project being two duplexes (four rental units) on a 3-acre parcel that he currently owns and has 100% rented. He also owns a townhome in the Fairfield area that he is renting out but also has up for sale.

He himself lived in Tucson, Arizona, for over thirty years. More real estate speculation on his part and he relocated to Show Low, Arizona for about two years. He purchased ten acres, split it 5 ways, and bought and refurbished previously-owned double-wide mobile homes to place on each. This was merely temporary, as he found buyers for each, even the one he and his wife were living in.

Having sold off his holdings in Show Low and Tucson, he completed his final project: a single-family home on 3 acres in Pagosa Springs for himself and his wife Carol. This home has 2800 square feet of living space (4 bedrooms plus office, large kitchen and family room, living room, dining room, three bathrooms) plus a huge garage and a 900 square foot recreation room.

But then he had a vision. He invited his daughter and son-in-law to move to Colorado into this home rent-free. He and his wife would convert the recreation room into a studio apartment so that he could have his children and his children's children living with him. His desire was to fulfill Psalm 17:17,18 --

17 O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.

18 Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.

I admit that I did not leap at the opportunity when he first presented it. After all, I liked the big city of Phoenix, AZ. All my immediate family lived in Phoenix. My job was in Phoenix. My church families were in Phoenix. Pagosa seemed so remote (10 hour drive) and small.

Then in September of 2006, we decided to vacation in Pagosa Springs over Labor Day. My family had such a good time, my wife asked if I could work remotely from a local coffee shop that provided free wireless internet access. I thought, why not? So I found that I could be productive without being in the office physically. We spent the remainder of the week with me working every day from the coffee shop.

As the rest of the year progressed, so did the house. Decisions regarding the house now depended on whether we moved or not. This prompted us to give it more thought. Considering my father-in-law's intentions and the stronger vision for family that God was planting in me, we made the decision in November and got the ball rolling for moving to Colorado.

One major step was what to do with our house in Glendale. God provided us that even before we spoke a word of prayer. Aimee had become friends with Shawna Preston who was once our horse ferrier. It came up that we decided to move and were considering renting out our house rather than sell it (the market went haywire in Phoenix and the value of our house doubled). Shawna volunteered on the spot to be our renter. They had been renting a house and paying a horse boarding place for a combined amount that exceeded our desired rent, so we were both happy with the arrangement.

Another major step was my job. I informed my managers in November of 2006 that I was moving my family to Colorado in May of the following year, but would like to continue working for Honeywell as a full-time teleworker. My immediate manager remembered that I was productive and stayed in good communication with him and the team during my week in September and his manager above him gave me references to people he knew (and turned out that I knew, also) who were full-time teleworkers for Honeywell. So I had the full support of my management to make the move and keep the job. We laid out the future schedule and identified the last week in March of 2007 as another trial run where I would actually work out of my new office in the new home.

Then the fun began -- packing, eliminating, fixing up the house for the renters, re-landscaping the backyard with a better horse setup. Then came the multiple trips back and forth, some with U-haul trailers full of stuff, some with horse trailer full of stuff and animals! Then the official move by the moving company, who took the majority of our stuff. Turned out they couldn't fit everything, so we made an emergency turn-around trip with stuff they didn't take.

Finally, my wife and kids packed up the Suburban and horse trailer with their last load and left me to finish out one more week of work before I headed up with a fully packed Volvo station wagon.

We've made several trips back to Phoenix for work, family, and other reasons, but we're pretty much settled in. As the summer flew by, we recognized we needed a barn for hay storage and for getting animals out of the weather. The barn was completed just about the middle of December, complete with doors just about the time we got our first big snow.

Living here has been quite the learning experience, no doubt about it. Talk about "Where's your joy?" God has provided for our needs over and over, but more often than not, we find ourselves ungrateful. Quite like the Israelites, actually. God wants us to learn contentment, selflessness, holiness, and joy.