It was peaceful watching the snow fall. The weatherman on the television said that we should get at least ten to twelve inches. The large amount forecast didn’t bother me in the least. Let it come down.

I grimaced, thinking of Christmas last year. We had been living in Florida, and a white Christmas was out of the question. It was nice to have returned to the west, away from all of the crazy, aged, sun bunnies in Aloha shirts and baggy shorts, or flowered muumuu dresses three sizes too large. Also, a palm tree with lights on it just doesn’t seem right for Christmas time.

I sipped my coffee and watched the big flakes come down. I was at peace with myself, sitting there in the chair, next to the fireplace and looking out the big bay window.

“Jim, are you awake?” I heard my wife call from the kitchen.

“Yes,” I answered, “just enjoying the quiet.”

I heard her laugh come sneaking out from the kitchen, followed shortly by her as well; coffee cup in hand.

“What’s so enjoyable?” she asked, sitting on the arm of my chair.

I put my free arm around her waist, “Oh, it’s just nice to have an honest-to-goodness snow for Christmas.”

I heard her hum, and then she slid down onto my lap.

“Yes, it will be nice to see the kids’ faces in the morning. It’s so much different here than Florida. You do realize they’ve never seen snow before we moved here.” She said, as she snuggled in.

I chuckled, “Well, the chances were pretty limited in Florida.”

Her only reply was a nod of the head.

We sat there for a while, enjoying the scene outside and the solitude of the moment. With three kids, the oldest being ten, this was something that was precious to us. In the quiet, while we sat there, I started thinking of the events that led up to us being here in Colorado.

I’d met June in college, at the University of Minnesota. She was a local, from St. Paul. She was the real blonde Norwegian type to a tee. Tall, long, straight blonde hair and just a bit on the stocky side. We met at the student union, and right off, we seemed to be comfortable with each other. We were married right after we graduated.

We were both engineers—my degree being in computer science and hers in mechanical engineering. After college, we both accepted positions with a space defense firm in Melbourne, Florida.

At first, Florida was nice, but after the kids came along, we found out it was a difficult place to raise children. First, the schools were not all that good, and I think both of us missed having four real seasons.

Fortunately for us, we were both good at managing our finances, and after twelve years in Florida, decided we’d had enough. With both of us pulling down a more than decent salary, we lived on what I made and banked the rest.

We’d also had enough of the daily grind of the rat race where we worked. After much discussion, we decided that we needed to change our lifestyle. Both of us wanted a more peaceful and less stressful place to live.

Of course, that meant finding a small town or city to live in. I was originally from just south of Craig, Colorado. It doesn’t get any more laid back than there.

My family had been ranching in Craig for three generations. I had two older brothers that loved the freedom of that lifestyle, and quite frankly, ranching didn’t interest me in the least. So, while they went to work on the ranch directly after high school, I’d gone off to college.

Our family had been back to visit my folks on several occasions. June and the kids loved the wide open spaces; especially my two sons, Jerry and Mike. With grandpa in the lead, they quickly found out that the fishing was great. Little Martha, being only five, really didn’t have much of an opinion. But, she had a ball playing with the two hounds my father kept around.

After a lot of discussion, we decided to see if the area around where I grew up was an option for a new home. June didn’t have much in the way of family left in Minnesota, so there was no sense in moving back there. Besides, if you think Colorado is cold, you will be in for a real shock if you ever experience Minnesota in the winter.

After a lot of searching and inquiry, we came to the realization that there really wasn’t much in the way of engineering jobs available in the area where my folks lived. Or, for that matter, there wasn’t anything really available anywhere in the area for engineers. But, what we did find was an acute shortage of science and math teachers in the Routt County School system.

I’d always entertained the idea of teaching. So, when I broached the idea of me going back and getting my teaching certificate, we talked it over and decided that June would stay home, if possible, and I’d try teaching.