Christel Blaylock has lived all over the world, but there is only one place she loves the most. ìI love Colorado,î she said. ìIt is my favorite place in the whole world.îBorn in Biedershausen, Germany, Blaylock spent most of her childhood running throughout the tiny village on the western border of Germany. ìIt was the best time of my life,î she said. ìMy mom could just let us run all day and never have to worry about anything.î Blaylockís father was the village teacher. ìAll eight classes in one school,î she said. ìIt was a two-story house ñ daddy taught the kids on the first floor, and we lived on the second floor.îWhen she was 11 years old, Blaylockís family moved to Wallhalben ñ another village in Germany ñ after her father accepted a teaching position at a larger school. Blaylock graduated in 1978 from high school and earned a degree from a German college before becoming a paralegal. After working in the law field for a while, Blaylock moved on and became an executive secretary for a large company in Germany. When the company moved, she stayed behind to remain close to family. In 1984, Blaylock began working for the United States Air Force in the housing department helping American families find housing outside of the base in Germany. ìI loved that job,î she said. ìIt was fun helping Americans.î Through her job Blaylock met her husband, Dennis. ìWe were engaged and married within the same year,î she said. The couple married Oct. 3, 1986.In January 1990, they moved from Germany to Fort Worth, Texas. ìI donít like it (Texas),î she said. ìI prayed every day that the Lord would close that base, and sure enough it closed.î While there, Blaylock made the best of it and worked for a company called Best Products. ìIt was a huge store,î she said. ìAnd I knew that being a foreigner I would have to work my way up.î She started in the jewelry department; and, after three weeks, was promoted to the bookkeeping department. ìYou have to work hard to move yourself up,î she said. After Best Products, Blaylock became a teller at Carswell Federal Credit Union. After three years in the United States, the couple returned to Germany and was stationed at Bitburg Air Force Base near the border of Germany and Luxembourg. Blaylock tried to get another job in the baseís housing department, but the base closed after 18 months. Dennisís next assignment took them to Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs.In November 1994, Blaylock returned to the banking industry and worked for Citadel Bank (now UMB). A year later, she became branch manager of the Citadel Bank in the Citadel Mall. At that time, Blaylock and her husband also decided to build a home in Falcon Hills.Meanwhile, the AFA promoted Dennis Blaylock to chief master sergeant. Although he had 27 years in the Air Force, he arranged for one last assignment in Germany. ìHe would love to buy a little apartment and go so many months out of the year to Germany, and I am so loving Colorado,î she said. ìHe loves Germany more than I do. This is home for me now. I love Colorado.î After three years at Spangdahlem Air Force Base, Dennis Blaylock retired from the Air Force in 2000, and he and his wife returned ìhomeî to Colorado.In 2002, Blaylock began working at The State Bank in Falcon. She had planned to work only part-time, but quickly moved into a full-time position. She worked at the bank shortly after it opened at the small caboose-shaped building. ìThey were not even open for a year when I came,î she said. ìWe did everything over there from post office to customer service.î Over the course of nine years, Blaylock said she loved meeting new people and building up the bankís clientele. She also enjoyed assisting in the move to its current building, where she served as the bankís customer service and public relations person. ìIt was the best job ever,î she said. ìI loved it. Helping to build the bank and helping customers and being with clients. I loved it. It was just fun.îIn 2011, Blaylock quit her job at The State Bank to stay at home and care for her in-laws. ìMy mother-in-law had a stroke, and I took care of them,î she said. Blaylock found it a challenge to keep busy while staying at home.Through her job at The State Bank, Blaylock had built a friendship with Michelle Barrette, owner/publisher of The New Falcon Herald. In February 2012, Barrette encouraged Blaylock to sell ads for the newspaper on a part-time basis. ìIt was just a lot of fun getting out again,î she said. After her mother-in-law passed away in April 2012, Blaylock went full-time with The New Falcon Herald. ìI just love working for Michelle,î she said. ìShe is an amazing lady.îWhen Blaylock is not working, she enjoys spending time with her kitty, Angel Marie, as well as her two stepdaughters ñ Jennifer and Melissa ñ and three grandchildren: Ashley, Allison and Carson. ìI donít believe in buying stuff for grandkids; I believe in setting memories,î she said. Blaylock said she and her grandkids share several traditions when the families come to Colorado to visit. ìWhen they come in, we always go to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo,î she said. ìAnd we always plant flowers. They say, ëOmi (the grandkids nickname for Blaylock), are we going to plant flowers?í Of course we do.îBlaylock also enjoys traveling and still returns to Germany to visit friends and family. She also has a long travel wish list that includes Canada, Alaska, Glacier National Park and possibly Australia and New Zealand. No matter her travels, Colorado is still her favorite place. She loves the outdoors ñ whether itís working in her flower garden or heading to the mountains. ìI love to hike, and we have ATVs and do a lot of ATV riding,î she said. ìI just love to go to the mountains.î
