Friday Five: My Husband Loses a Bet

(This guest post courtesy of my husband, per the terms of our football bet.)

Usually, I only bet on a sure thing. Like the sun comes up in the East, all clocks rotate clockwise, or the Cubs will never make another World Series appearance in my lifetime. But when my alma matter, the University of Northern Colorado Bears, was scheduled to play the CSU Rams, my lovely wife’s alma matter, I had to go against my gambling rules.

I always enjoy watching the Rams play. I have been watching them play at Hughes Stadium for over 30 years, since I was my eldest son’s age. Even though I didn’t particularly enjoy watching my Bears get beat, it was still a great day with my family.

I am not a Fort Collins, or even a Colorado native. I have lived here since I was 11 years old. So for the Friday Five, and to fulfill the obligation for my poor gambling decision, I am going to list the top 5 reasons Fort Collins is the best place to live.

Number 5: The Weather. Being born in Illinois and having lived in The Netherlands for 3 years, I had never seen the sun for so many days a year as when we moved here. The 300 days of sunshine here are incredible, and something I do not take for granted.

Number 4: The Parks. When our boys were very young, and even now, it is a great problem to have when you have to decide which of the ‘cool’ parks you want to go to. We even came up with their own names, different from their proper names. This is a great town for kids.

Number 3: The Local Restaurants. I am not completely opposed to a chain once and a while, but I love to support the local economy. As we get older and meet more people, we know quite a few local business owners, and I’d much rather support them. Our boys also love supporting our local restaurants, which is great.

Number 2: The People. I have met many life-long friends in Fort Collins. One very close friend I met the first month I was here and another very close friend I met in college. He was going to CSU, but I don’t hold that against him. We have neighbors who are great friends, great people. I also have met a lot of great people at work, and in the community in general. I could go with more specifics, but the people of Fort Collins are what make Fort Collins a great place to live.

And finally, the reason I love Fort Collins, why it is the best place to live, and why it will always have a special place in my heart.

Number 1: I met, fell in love with, and married the girl of my dreams who is a Fort Collins Native, and we are fortunate enough to have two amazing boys to raise in this great city! My wife is an amazing personm and I am lucky to have her and my boys in my life.

I would also like to say how much fun being part of this blog has been for the past 13 months and how proud I am of Jenny for seeing her 52 week challenge through to completion.