From the desk of Kristy Hamilton
2977 Wild Cherry
Lane
Colorado Springs, CO 80920-1489
719-277-7080
KristyLHamilton@aol.com
August 18, 2003
To our family and friends miles away,
We miss you and think of you often. I have wanted to write this family update for a couple of weeks, but have found myriad of other tasks that had to be done first, and our new internet service has only recently been working. I’ll give you the Hamilton update in category form, but understand that life doesn’t happen this way.
Health at 7000
feet
I start here because although we have been in excellent health, altitude sickness has
affected my pace significantly. I arrived four days early to close on the house and
do cleaning and painting projects. Lots of energy until about the one week point,
and then I crashed, becoming very lethargic with headaches and stomach aches, despite
plenty of sleep and naps. I’m slowly adjusting. I seemed to be more
affected by the change than Eric and the kids. Ethan was at the top of Pike’s
Peak as a volunteer for the Marathon on Aug. 16, and returned with altitude
sickness. That was over 14,000 feet, though. Eric is slowly getting used to
running uphill at this altitude.
The Scenery:
It’s a blast! I am so affected by the beauty and majesty of the mountains and the
changing weather. It changes every few minutes (even more so than on the east coast,
which had been a surprise for me after years in the Midwest). We eat out on our deck
every night, and watch the distant (or nearby) rain and lightning formations across the
mountain range, before our eyes. Then there is the mountain experience. I have
never seen anything like it. We spent a day checking out Breckenridge and Vail, and
were all amazed at the views and the experience itself. Now I want to retreat to the
mountains often, but need to wait patiently as we get settled in. There’s
something about having been there and knowing what’s there that puts life in
perspective for me several times a day.
The move:
Must we go here? As many of you know, moving out of Virginia was a horrible
experience. After the bad and late packers, and “no movers” experience, we
received many of our belongings in pretty tough shape. Fortunately, though, our
antique furniture and glass pieces and computer equipment arrived with no apparent
damage. Moving everything in was not great, but it was definitely more normal and
professional than getting moved out.
School
situation:
School for the girls began on August 6th, even a week earlier than it did
for the boys. Unhappily for us, due to overcrowding our girls were waitlisted for
the neighborhood school and sent to an overflow school. We were unhappy about
that! And that school opened earlier than the neighborhood school (even though it is
in the same district). But the girls each had energetic and caring teachers who love
both the students and the school itself. A week later, when space opened up for both
of them at the neighborhood school, we made the hard choice of keeping them at the
overflow school. The school is one of the Edison Project schools, and the program is
more classical in nature, 40 minutes longer each day (and no short Mondays), and four days
added on to the year. They love their teachers, and we are delighted with the
curriculum as well. The Edison Project has had difficulties in a number of cities
but this school is doing very well.
Zachary is in the neighborhood school, where he too loves his teacher (the fact that she is gorgeous may have something to do with this). Spanish is integrated into the programs at these elementary schools, but there is no orchestra, which for the Hamilton children is a real bummer. Therefore, Zachary and Ethan have each auditioned and been invited to be a part of the Colorado Springs Youth Orchestra. They have two hour practices every Thursday, and will attend a two day camp in a couple of weeks.
Ethan is a part of the Challenger Middle School. It is different from the GT Center he attended in Herndon – the similar program here is oversubscribed, but they have placed him in Geometry and he likes his other classes so far. He walks to school, and is making some friends as are his siblings. Of course they are all just acquaintances right now, and they miss their real friends back in Virginia, as do I.
Settling
in:
Here’s my catch all category. We are slowly creating a home environment,
and are blessed by this wonderful home. Of course I want to decorate it!
I’m Kristy, after all. I truthfully don’t look forward to doing the work,
as much as finishing it and seeing the results. The kids are each eager for me to
create their rooms more fully as well. I wish I was a more patient and content
person with the way things are. I’m always itching to do something/s, and to
finally relaxing at the same time.
It feels very strange (exciting and scary too at times) to not have a clue which way my career will go in these coming weeks and years. Will I be teaching, counseling, and/or decorating homes? I want to do it all, that is after having a good amount of time to relax, scrapbook, and read. I have lots of ideas in my mind, but nothing at my fingertips.
I’m doing the “beginning of the year mom thing”, setting up for lessons and Scouts, morning and homework routines, trying not to over commit (doing well in that area), and balancing my limited time between classrooms and PTA or other opportunities.
We’ve checked out some different churches, and are finding a wealth of options. I compare every place to Cedar Run Church, for they have my heart. It’s funny how people are just people until you get to know them, and then it’s like you see their hearts each time you look at them. And when we sing the same songs in other congregations, I am brought back to what I know. We miss our church friends in Virginia so much. My desire is to again sing on the music ministry team, and in some cases that doesn’t look very likely (based on the seeming lack of need there), but God knows the desire of my heart. I just hope I don’t need to wait 40 years like Moses did (wouldn’t have much of a voice left by then I suspect).
I get lonely in between my busy-ness. We are only slowly getting to know our new neighborhood. In our minds, no place could compare with our Fair Oaks friends (for you are more than neighbors).
Eric is beginning to get into his research work at the Air Force Academy, and is very impressed with cadets and the respect and hard work they display. We will be working out at the sports center at the Academy, and Ethan has been invited to spend time in some of the flight simulators etc. There are parachutists and gliders out every morning and they are fun to watch against the mountain side. It’s a fascinating place. We will be sponsoring (and learning from) one cadet through a special Air Force program. Eric is getting involved in the AFA InterVarsity Chapter and may become its faculty sponsor. I look forward to spending time with coworkers of Eric’s and seeing him interested in his research and teaching again. He’s an ideas man, always looking for growth and progress. I think he is a very good fit for this work.
We look forward to visitors, and to seeing you whenever we can!
Love,
Kristy (and Eric)
Click to see any of these pictures. The first is on a playset in our backyard with Pike's Peak in the background. The second is the whole family in front of the house. The third picture is Ethan at 14,110 feet at the rocky top of Pike's Peak, way above the tree line, as a volunteer staff member (with his dad) for the Marathon and Ascent there on August 16.
