2007 is winding to a close, and 2008 is about to begin. In Colorado Springs, that will be marked by the annual fireworks display atop Pikes Peak, put on by the Adaman Club, who climb up every year in the cold to entertain those of us who stay up late enough to watch.
There are a few highlights for 2007 here.
1. The roads got better, substantially. The Cosmix project, a major I25 freeway upgrade, is now complete. Time for the next round, but this was a biggy, and it feels pretty good driving I25 downtown from Briargate these days. The Woodmen / Powers interchange is a biggy as well, and while not yet complete, is already helping, especially the north /south flow on Powers.
2. The commercial expansion continues, and many new big box retailers have either already opened new stores this year, or are about to, including such names Costco, Target, JC Penny, Walmart and more. This makes the shopping choices, convenience and usually prices, better for all of us.
3. The Rockies making it into the World Series was a big regional boost, and while they did get swept, they put on a great show at the end of the season.

There are also a few things we'd like to forget about here:
1. The tragic shootings at New Life Church. After the painful events at the church of late 2006 (the senior pastor was fired in disgrace), this was a personal tragedy for a very faithful family, and a shock to the church and city as a whole.
2. The real estate market has been in the tank, down almost 20% from last year, and substantially more when compared with 2005, our peak year.
3. The Broncos also tanked, with only the 2nd losing season under Mike Shanahan

In 2008 we are looking forward to:
1. The safe return of thousands of troops to Fort Carson, and hopefully a major draw down of the over all force deployed in Iraq
2. Continued commercial expansion, with the opening of our first Costco and hopefully the new theater and entertainment complex at Voyager and Interquest
3. The beginning of the residential real estate recovery!

Happy New Year Everybody!

The snow storm we had been expecting never really materialized, and drifted off the to northeast without doing much here. Not that we couldn't use the moisture, but it is kind of nice not to have snow shovelling on my "to do" list today. The Palmer Divide, which is a ridge that runs east west on the northern border of El Paso County is a little famous as dividing line that diverts storms to the east, and it happened again. Usually when this happens we get a pretty large disparity of weather, with Monument and Black Forest getting a bunch of snow, and city areas of Colorado Springs getting little or none.

The new lending restrictions are starting to get annoying. I have 2 closings "hanging fire" that were delayed as a result of the tighter lending restrictions. For one, more documentation was required. The other, more down payment. Both were a little on the unusual side, but not weird deals by any stretch. A year ago, both homeowners would have been decorating their homes already.

Our white Christmas wasn't a big deal, but todays forecast is for a more substantial bit of the white stuff.
After hosting 3 parties (and attending a bunch as well) and have almost 30 people for dinner last night, a quiet and restful day watching the snow fall is sounding kind of good. It was really nice having so much family around this year. Many families start making Christmas in Colorado a habit once part of the family gets here, but my family is almost all here now, so the challenge is more who will host which part of the celebration!

The new Chilis at Union and Powers (behind the new Target) is finally open! Actually it opened 2 weeks ago, but we finally got to eat there yesterday. We love Chilis, because they always have something for everybody, they are reasonably priced, and the food is consistently good. This one also has a great view out the front, though I did not have my camera at the ready to share it with everyone.
Merry Christmas!

Yesterday's little snow storm was such a Colorado thing. Sunny in the early part of the day, the snow started around 2, and was done by around 10, with gorgeous sunny skies again this morning, and only an inch or so of light powder. Perfect lead in for Christmas! We don't actually get white Christmases that often. Last year was a big exception, with 3 big storms kind of back to back. For some reason, it can be cold and sunny, but right around Christmas Day we just don't get snow that much. The mountains continue to get theirs though, and I am looking forward to a chance to get up and see how it is!

Today's photo is my daughter Heather and I up at Copper Mountain last March.

Fort Carson just keeps getting bigger. The latest announcement (yesterday) is that a new brigade (just under 5,000 troops) will be posted here, bringing the planned headcount up to 30,000 within the next 5 years. Now keep in mind that we have been waiting for a couple of years already for the last contingent that was announced to arrive (they aren't really here yet), so this is great news, but for later. When they do arrive, it will be mostly through the Colorado Springs Airport and/or Peterson Air Force Base (they share the runways), and todays photo is the view from the airport that they will likely be seeing, taken last Saturday morning as we waited for a flight.

We just returned from the funeral of the Rachel and Stephanie Works, who were killed in the shootings at New Life Church on December 9. It was an amazing experience to hear of the impact 2 young girls had already had in their short lives. One of the girls had especially asked for us to remember Phillipians 4:6-7, which was read at the service and I will repeat here:

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

About 4,000 people or so were there to support the family. The Works Family Fund at New Life (www.newlifechurch.org) has been set up for financial support for the family (David Works was also wounded, and was only released from the hospital yesterday). Many thanks for the outpouring of support for all of us here during these trying times. I have received a number of calls and emails personally, in addition to churches and individuals that have been praying for us and otherwise offering their support.

There's no place like home. But after 16 years here in Colorado Springs, homes is here, not where I was born, or where my parents live, or siblings, or old friends. Not that I don't enjoy visiting. We just returned from weekend jaunt back to Michigan, and while it was fun, we had great visits, renewed relationships, etc, it isn't home. It felt really good to get back to our blue skies, mountain vistas, warmer weather, drier streets, and our own kids we don't see enough of!
We flew out of the Springs this time through Chicago, and while it took longer due to delays at O'Hare, it was pretty nice being 30 minutes from home when we walked off the plane. As convenient as DIA can be for non-stops, the short drive is really nice.

Last night was the our "family meeting" at New Life Church, in the wake of the shootings on December 9. I have to say, I was proud of our church family. Despite the shock and grief that goes with such tragedy, the room was filled with people, hope, and courage. Pastor Brady Boyd summed it all up with his statement that "we will not be governed by fear", and his reading of Psalm 27:1-6 was so appropriate, I am including it here:

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh, [fn1]
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.

4 One thing I ask of the Lord,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the Lord.

We deliberately chose the east entrance of the church, where the shootings took place, to enter the church. This was in part because that is my most frequent area to park anyway, but last night it was also to confront the situation. The staff had done a marvelous job of repairs, and other than some new glass that still was taped off, you'd never know it had happened.

Todays photo is of a new listing that I took in Briargate this week. It is a great house with over 4,000 sf, central air, stucco, a view, and only $340,000, and while normally I don't post every house I list on this space (should I?), I thought some of you might be interested in this one. Click Here for Details on this house We also have a Visual Tour for this one that shows off the interior pretty well: Click Here for the Visual Tour See the remnants of our snow from the weekend? It's already melted off quite a it, but it makes for a nice Christmas feel to things!

The financial markets always surprise me. Because almost all major news is "discounted" in the markets before it happens (translation: bets are placed), when actual news happens like todays rate cut, the market seems to "flip out" if it doesn't match their bets (translation: lot of people were betting the Fed would cut rates by 1/2 % instead of the actual 1/4% they chose). No matter how you slice it, lower rates are good for real estate, so I'm happy. Well, almost. Mortgage rates actually jumped since last week back into the low 6's, apparently because some folks felt it would be better to own stocks than bonds when rates might be falling. Argh.
I'm not going to devote a lot of space to the morbid details of the tragedy we just experienced at New Life Church, but I have to say I was SOO proud of Jeanne Assam the security guard, and her brave action. Larry Bourbonnais also acted fearlessly, and between them saved a lot of lives. I know it sounds weird to have armed guards at church, but in the this day and age, it is the prudent thing to do, and virtually all large public gatherings have them. I for one, am reassured that our church leaders had that foresight. Tomorrow night we have a congregational gathering, and hopefully this will be a time for mourning and healing as well.

December 9 will live as a new day in infamy. Yesterday a lone gunman attacked out church after the 2nd morning service had let out. Although one of our security guards shot and killed him, it was only after he had killed one and wounded several people. One them died last night, the others are expected to make a full recovery.

Our son Daniel was in the building when this all happened, and we are very grateful to the staff that rushed through the buildings to evacuate everyone. He seems to be handling it all very well, and has made contact with his many close friends who were also on site at the time.

Little is known about the person who did this or why. I'm sure that as the facts unfold, we'll all have a better understanding of the situation. I am convinced that even this will not weaken our resolve as a church, as a community, and as a family, to live our lives without fear, to continue to be faithful in service to God and our fellow man, and not let tragedy define us.

We were not at the 2nd service because we had attended the early service. I had the opportunity to be working with some out of town clients on Saturday and again on Sunday. Todays photo was taken of one of the houses we viewed on Sunday in Black Forest. While I did not get a Pikes Peak shot yesterday, it was such a spectacularly beautiful day in the forest that I had to at least get a picture of the house and trees in the fresh snow.

The weather was kind of typical winter storm, with a little freezing drizzle and fog at the beginning to make it interesting. Many of our snow storms end as this one did, with incredible blue skies and a fairy land of light snow on the trees afterward. More snow is expected tonight and tomorrow, and the ski resorts are finally really getting their due.

Today is December 7, the day that lives in infamy. Pearl Harbor is a long way from Colorado Springs, and the 2 aren't really all that connected, except for perhaps the strong military ties. This year we had the incredible opportunity for our 25th wedding anniversary to visit Oahu, and see the Pearl Harbor Memorial. It was an incredibly moving experience, and I was slightly ashamed I had waited so long to see it. My father and one of his brothers served in the Marines in WWII, Dad on Okinawa and his brother Bill on Iwo Jima, and they rarely spoke of the horrors of it. Bill passed away last Christmas as the "greatest generation" slips one by one into memory. If you get a chance, see the PBS documentary by Ken Burns released this year, called simply The War.

The top photo is on the memorial over the Arizona itself. The 2nd one is of the Arizona Memorial, right, and the battleship Missouri, left, the beginning and end of the war in the Pacific, symbolically at rest in Pearl Harbor.

We went to see the Tran-Siberian Orchestra last night at the Colorado Springs World Arena. It was amazing! Our kids all chipped in for a great evening of dinner and a concert for our Christmas gift. The World Arena is really a great venue, big enough for a show like this, but small enough to feel like you actually saw it. TSO puts on an amazing show (the lights and pyrotechnics are almost as great as the music), well worth seeing. We followed the concert with dinner at Sonterra, and it was fantastic as well. The food was delicious, and the service excellent. Every time we have dinner downtown, we ask ourselves why we don't do it more often, it was really a nice evening.
While on the subject of local cultural events, I really should mention the Pikes Peak Center . My wife and her mother really enjoyed seeing the Nutcracker performed there a couple of weeks ago, and it is a great and more intimate setting than the World Arena. The Colorado Springs Philharmonic Orchestra calls it home, and they offer a wonderful range of performances.

After highs close to 70 degrees yesterday, 50 will feel cool today, but after all, it is December, and we really need some cool weather and precipitation these days.
I'm hoping the 5.75% interest rate will stick around longer than the warm weather, but that is not likely given how the stock market has come back today. There seems to be this theme that if more people have jobs, then we get higher interest rates. I won't complain, but is it too much to ask for low interest rates, low unemployment, AND low gas prices??? I know, of course it is, but I had to ask :-)
The new overpass at Woodmen and Powers is finally carrying cars. It will be a while before that project is completely finished, but just that little bit should help quite a bit, and will improve traffic flow for the neighborhoods east of there like Cumbres Vista, Banning Lewis Ranch, and the whole Falcon area, not to mention speeding up the flow those heading north and south on Powers to shop, see a movie, catch an airplane, etc. I'm sure the new Villa Sport recreation complex and the new Penrose Hospital won't be complaining when that is done either.
Speaking of Villa Sport, tomorrow is the opening, and WOW, is that place going to be nice! It really looks like an affordable version of the Flying Horse Club, and at a very strategic location. I have a closing later this month in Cumbres Vista, and the builder is including a 1 year membership. I think the clients are going to LOVE that one!

The monthly real estate statistics reports for Colorado Springs are out from the Pikes Peak Association of Realtors, here is a quick summary (comparisons are with November 06):
Single Family Sales, down 17.7% at 667 units
Average Price, down 3.9% at $252,074
Median Price (1/2 above, 1/2 below), down 3.5% at $207,500
Active Inventory, up 10.5% at 5,967

No doubt we are still in a real estate recession, but these numbers are not awful, all things considered, for a few reasons:
1. The median price is actually up slightly from last month, and virtually identical to November of 2005
2. The average days on market for homes that actually sold was only 96, and for El Paso County sales it was only 92.
3. The ratio of selling price to list price was 96.9%, and for some more popular areas such as Briargate and the East area, this was still over 98%.

With interest rates now into the 5's, we are beginning to get positioned for recovery. While this may last a little longer, the builders are not feeding the problem by building a lot of spec homes, and with a few tweaks from the government on FHA refinancing and rate adjustment caps on ARMs, this time will likely be remembered as the time "I should have bought".

Pikes Peak must have gotten at least a little snow off this last storm, it looked mighty fine yesterday from the parking lot at New Life Church, so I snapped this one before going in. It is hard to believe we are expected to be in the upper 50's and low 60's again for much of the week, this is December after all.

Yesterday was the unofficial end of the season for the Broncos. While not mathematically out of it, they are for all intents and purposes, out of playoff contention. 4 turnovers? Yikes!

I now have a serious urge to play hooky and go skiing. I like a minimum of 25 inches of base, and Breckenridge finally has it. It might have to wait a few more days because, after all, there is work to do, but it won't be long now.

Yesterday's paper showed that we are now at 3.9% unemployment in the Springs. That is a great number, and will hopefully fuel the housing market again.

Our wacky weather did it again. After ominous forecasts, "the big storm" tracked north and we ended up with almost 60 degrees and sunny. Fortunately the mountains really did get dumped on, and while I wish Summit County (where I like to ski) had gotten more, it definitely caught up some of the resorts at least.