Colorado Rant:

I was asked today: Why do you love Colorado so much? There are other places in this country that have mountains and low humidity...why Colorado? After thinking a bit I answered simply: "Its my home". Throughout the day I thought about the question and my answer and many feelings surfaced. I then questioned myself..why do I love it? It's not easy to describe the reasons you love something nor the roots of the feelings that are associated with that love. When I was 11 yrs old, the year that Halley's Comet was in our night sky, I remember laying on my back in my front yard looking up. I saw the comet as many did that night but through the eyes of a child. I had no idea how important that night was going to be to me later in life. My memory was not just the comet that night but of a spectacular Colorado sunset earlier that evening. I can still smell the crisp air and remember that it was a bit chilly out. I remember looking at the stars and the comet for a long .. long .. long time. Probably longer than any one time since then, including my camping days. At that age I knew that I was in the place that I wanted to be. When I moved to Missouri in my teens I was rocked. Not only where my friends gone, but so to where the great sunsets...and the stars. Don't get me wrong. Missouri has its share of decent sunsets and if you get away from the lights I'm sure it has its starry sky moments. None of them have ever been close to the one that night. I still remember it. There where colors that shouldn't blend well swirling together like they belonged together...pinks and blues and yellows and reds. So vibrant and stunning. As the sun set behind the mountains I saw the first star appear...then another until I was surrounded by a million diamonds and one comet. I remember dad calling me in and me not wanting to go in. I went out several times that night...without my parents knowledge just to peek up at the sky to see the comet again...as if it where going to disappear like a plane flying through the night sky.

Why do I love Colorado? It's a part of me and I am a part of it. That night I took Colorado in and it became part of who I am. It truly is my home and I can't wait to make it my wife and my children's home as well. Colorado, for me, is not just a state but a state of mind, body and soul. I can't wait to share that with the ones closest to me. I hope I live to 2061 so I can see Halley's Comet one more time in my Colorado night sky surrounded by my loved ones. What a gift that would be.