A Post with Two Pictures

It was time to leave Colorado Springs and drive north to Ft. Collins.  As with all our stops, we were really excited about this one.  We were excited for some cool things near Ft. Collins, but the biggest draw to the area was the chance to stay with our friends, The Mols, in their new home!  

First we had to drive about 2.5 hours, but it ended up being closer to 3 because of traffic and a fuel stop.  Oh, and I don't have any pictures of the drive because I was driving.  Not the camper, the rental car.  It turned out to be cheaper to rent it in C. Springs and return it in Ft. Collins than to do 2 rentals.  So on this segment of the drive, the kids and I were in the rental car and Rob was alone in the camper. 

Maybe now would be a good time for a bit of back story.  John and Deb Mol are long time friends of the Schneider family, going back to when Rob's dad was in the Air Force and they lived in Dayton.  The two families lived across the street from each other, Rob even babysat their two oldest kids.  Eventually, the Air Force moved the Mols and the Schneiders left Dayton for Kentucky, but thanks to the miracle of the internet, the families have stayed in touch.  

I first met them in 2011 when we visited Germany, where the Mols were living while working as teachers at the Department of Defense school.  By the end of the 2017-2018 school year, both John and Deb were retired from teaching and they moved to Colorado.  

Upon arrival, we didn't really see Ft. Collins because our friends live north of the city in Laporte.  The area where they live is beautiful, with mountains in the distance and a lot of green space.  The house they built was a labor of love, and it fits into the landscape perfectly.  They shared lots of pictures of the building process, so I knew which house was their's before we were even in the neighborhood.

The Mols have two dogs, Weizen, whom we met in Germany, and a new puppy, Bruni.  Bruni was quite the welcoming committee with an enthusiastic puppy greeting!  The kids were a bit shy, but Rob and I were happy to jump into conversation with John and Deb.  Our first few hours were full of the kinds of chats held between friends who haven't seen each other for awhile.

​Eventually we had dinner and settled the kids to sleep in the basement.  We were taking a break from the camper and staying in the Mols' house.  When they designed the house, they made the whole basement into guest quarters, with a living room, full bathroom and two bedrooms.  It is a very nice set up!

A welcome beverage.

The sweet sleep of babes.