Lori and Dennis Haubert
We relocated from:
Denver. We have been in Columbia six months now.
What brought you to Columbia?
Lori: Our daughter got married about a year and a half ago and was living in Columbia with her husband, but when she got pregnant, they moved back to Denver to be closer to us. After she had the baby, she decided to be a stay-at-home mom, but they couldn’t do that in Denver with the economy, so they moved back to Columbia. I said to Dennis, “I am getting a job in Columbia, and I hope you’ll come along.”
What did you hear or know about Columbia before moving here?
Lori: I knew there was a college here, and that was just about it. But from my daughter, I had only heard good things.
What is your favorite thing about Columbia so far?
Lori: I like that it is smaller. You can go from one side of the city to the other in less than 30 minutes, and that’s if you stop for a beverage.
Dennis: But we haven’t explored downtown a whole lot.
Lori: I really like The District and how it has a schedule of events and things that are going on that you can participate in and go to without 4.2 million other people descending upon it as well.
What’s something you miss from your old home that Columbia is lacking?
Lori: A Super Target
Dennis: Costco, but one of the things I would say that I probably miss the most is real Mexican food. I can’t find green chili in this town to save my life. I ask people, “Do you have green chili?” and they are like, “What’s that?”
Lori: I am also a big scrapbooker, and they have a scrapbooking store in Colorado that you can go and use their workroom and equipment. There isn’t anything like that here; Michael’s is probably the closest to something like that.
What do you like most about where you live?
Dennis: It’s quiet.
Lori: It’s close to the highway and not too far from our sweet grandson. It almost feels like you’re out in the country by just how big the trees are. We mostly have evergreen trees in Colorado, so they’re green all year. Seeing so many sticks, it’s different. But the trees here look absolutely beautiful in the summer and fall, so I can’t wait to see them all bloom.
Are there any activities you would like to get involved with?
Lori: Well we are still looking for the right church, which I think is always the hardest thing to find because you need one that aligns with your beliefs but fits your personality.
Dennis: It’s been hard since we moved over the winter because we like to get out and ride the motorcycle.
Lori: I have checked into the Newcomers Club, and I would like to do that. I was totally born in the wrong decade. I am the person who likes to go out and talk over the fence and say, “Come over for coffee.” But there’s all the little towns that are close by that have the festivals here and there, which would be fun to check out.
What is your favorite restaurant so far?
Lori: I enjoy going to Ernie’s Café for breakfast.
Dennis: I don’t really have one yet.
I’m looking for a buddy to _____ with me.
Lori: To join some type of club, not necessarily a bowling league but something like Bunco. The Bunco games are full at the Newcomers Club, but they’ve got a group that goes to the movies, a group that goes walking. So some kind of group to be involved in because we don’t have any friends here yet. I want to put a sign in the front yard that says, “Need friends.”
Dennis: Well, I think some of that has to do with it being winter in our first months here and not yet getting plugged into a church.
Are there any “Columbiaisms” you’ve noticed?
Lori: It’s still weird to see people at the grocery store leave their purse in the cart and walk away from it to get something. You can’t do that in Colorado — someone will take it.
Dennis: People will leave their car running and get out and go to the bank. If you’re in Colorado, it would get stolen — you can’t do something like that there.
Lori: People are more trusting with their possessions here. It’s good to see.
What does the word CoMo mean to you?
Lori: Perry Como, the song guy who is 900 years old and sings Christmas songs. That’s the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of the word CoMo, but I am sure that’s a generational thing.
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