My favorite New Castle memories

Today’s the day—we’ve packed up, sold our house (waiting for the buyers to close), and moving from small town Colorado to the city scene in Wisconsin. And I’m feeling just about every emotion that comes with it: stress, excitement, nervousness, anxiety, jitters, gratitude.

And there’s lots and lots of nostalgia and a little bit of sadness mixed in there, too.

New Castle has been our home since 2017. (Colorado has been my home since 2002, and Chad’s since he was born in 1994.)

To honor this place and what it has meant to us, here’s a list of some of our very favorite New Castle memories.

Our first private home

Ever since moving out of Gunnison, Chad and I experienced living with roommates. Even when we officially moved in together after 5 years of dating, we still signed a lease with two others.

When we moved to New Castle, it was the first place we truly called our own. It was a pretty neat experience and we loved our time living in a super cute townhouse and learning to exist and grow by ourselves.

Wedding planning

When I think of our wedding planning process, I think of it in two ways: first, spending weekends at my parents’ house in Grand Junction planning on Saturday and Sunday and watching Game of Thrones before heading back home for the weekend. Then second, spending the rest of the week in New Castle trying to fill in the pieces and create a new plan for the weekend in GJ.

It was just honestly a really fun time and though it often felt like a bunch of moving puzzle pieces, I will always cherish those memories and the exciting buzz around our upcoming big day.

Starting our careers

I’ll never forget when Chad accepted his first real job with SGM in January 2017 and all of the feelings toward picking up and moving to Glenwood Springs for it. Once we had the location, I also followed suit by securing a place to live, followed by a job—a position that didn’t actually exist, but I managed to create with a small PR firm. By the time July came around, we were so excited and nervous and anxious for our new lives to begin.

There was something so refreshing about gaining financial freedom and being able to actually save money rather than maintain a sparse college-level amount. It felt like we were really starting our adult lives.

Outdoor adventures

We have been lucky to live in such a beautiful place that is jam-packed with recreation opportunities. We really leaned into it for a bit, and got outside as much as possible, from daily walks around New Castle to early morning hikes to ski trips at our local mountain. I’ll never forget seeing the Maroon Bells, the fall colors in Snowmass, or getting up before sunrise to get a parking spot at Hanging Lake.

Blogging adventures

Even though it sometimes feels like I’ve always had a blog, Sunshine with Savannah was actually born in 2018. At the time, I was looking for a way to tap back into my creative roots and rediscover my passion for writing after feeling burned out in college (editor in chief of a newspaper, English writing major, writing side hustle, etc.).

Since creating this platform, I have done so much writing and exploring and friend-making. At my most enthusiastic point, I was reaching out to places asking for hosting and writing opportunities; this resulted in some amazing memories and travel experiences. I’m grateful for all of them, but a few have really stood out over the years:

• Sand Dunes Recreation – a free hot springs soak led to a weekend of sand dunes, a gorgeous greenhouse, and scenic camping.
• Strawberry Park Hot Springs – Chad and I got to experience a secluded and rare experience at Strawberry Park. Snow fell at the end of June and we had a private river view all to ourselves.
• Avalanche Ranch – Chad and I got to stay in a covered wagon and soak under the stars. It was incredible.
• Sunlight – two free tickets to Sunlight Mountain Resort truly changed our lives. It sparked a passion to rediscover skiing/snowboarding after a 10 year hiatus. All because I decided to reach out on a whim and offer some coverage from my blog.

I’ll always remember New Castle as the place I said yes. It has served as my launchpad, my muse, and my home base through the journey.

Buying a home

One of the biggest things we’ve ever done was buy our first home together. Our house on 628 Ginseng has been a game changer: we leveled up in so many ways after working so hard to save up. We had a bizarre and unprecedented time buying a home in March – May 2020 (note: the seller gave us our showing tour, rather than an agent, LOL), but it turned out to be one of the best decisions we ever made.

Not only was our house a realization that I love house design and the process of crafting a home, it also gave us opportunities to grow and thrive as a couple. It was an incredible and worthy challenge to slowly and thoughtfully update and cherish our home, and we love our neighbors. Leaving will be hard.

Getting a dog

And, thanks to buying a home, Chad and FINALLY got a dog—the curly, wild, cuddly, crazy light of our lives, Wally. Honestly, Wally is the best thing to come out of our time in New Castle. We have a feeling our Colorado pup will miss his roots but will embrace the adventure with us. 🙂

Family time

One of the best parts of living in New Castle, hands down, was being only an hour away from my parents. We had so many amazing times together, from day trips to weekend stays at their house that felt like a luxurious getaway (they are excellent hosts). They have the pool, yard, and coffee machine of my dreams, but most important are my parents. I will miss them so much. Leaving Grand Junction for the last time in a while was hard – I was crying like a baby as we drove away. However, I’m thankful for easy airport access and cheap flights for our new chapter.

Having my parents so close was also great for bigger family reunions. It was easy to access the home base when family visited, either from Iowa or Denver or India, and we loved every gathering.

It was also great to host, whenever we were able. I loved having guests at our house and showing them around our cute little town. Visits from friends were always so much fun, filled with lots of conversation and late nights, and we cherished every single mile driven for them to stay with us.

Neighbor time

I will always be so thankful to our neighbors on Ginseng Rd who not only welcomed us to the neighborhood, but invited us into their homes for weekend hangouts, cookouts, jam sessions, game nights, and holidays. They’ve turned into great friends and we will miss them.

Local treasures

The Roaring Fork Valley has so many amazing places and sights and I’ll always have such a soft spot for this area. Some favorites:

• Sunlight Mountain Resort – I’m so, so, so thankful that I got back into snowboarding.
• Glenwood Hot Springs Resort – so much fun, history, and love for my first-ever PR clients (back at my old job).
• Iron Mountain Hot Springs – one of my favorite hot springs to ever exist, I’ll miss taking our friends and family here and having so much fun and relaxation.
• Hanging Lake – I’ve got so much love for this gorgeous, one-of-a-kind gem. Glenwood Canyon, too.
• Rifle Falls – it’s been so great taking visitors here and exploring the falls.
• Lazy Bear – our favorite breakfast spot always felt like a treat on lazy weekends.
• Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park – we’ve spent a lot of time zipping down the Mountain Coaster.
• Up valley – though we didn’t spend as much time as we’d liked, having Snowmass, Carbondale, and Aspen so close was a treat.
• Casey Brewing and Blending – it was such a treat to have my very, very, very favorite brewery right in town. Sour beers, a great tour, and the best spot to spend an afternoon.
• Redstone Castle – one of the coolest pieces of history around, it was incredible to both spend the night and tour the Redstone Castle.

The birth of my business

Last, I’ll always remember New Castle and our house as the birthplace of my business, Sunshine Creatives. I worked my ass off from my bedroom and created something that I’m proud of and will continue to build for years to come.

In the end, I’m grateful to this place. I know I’ll miss it.

Until next time, New Castle. Love you always.