Going with the wind...: First few days

Well, we made it! What an experience! I would not necessarily recommend anyone repeat it...27 and a half hours in the car, following a U-Haul pulling a car, with two cats inside. Don’t get me wrong, I loved having them with me, and we came to an understanding - no meowing and pacing = no pill. By Day 3 they got it, and no pills were given out :) Seriously though, they did great, and so did we for what it was - a very long journey across 6 states, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and finally Illinois.

We got a flat tire on the trailer on the first night - which I honestly think was a sign we needed to stop, because we were both exhausted - thank you God for unanswered prayers! The U-Haul rep got somebody out to the hotel pronto, and other than stopping earlier than we thought by about an hour, we had no other delays from it, and thankfully no other problems.

When we finally did make it to the condo - our new home - we were very nervous about what we’d find - I kept reminding myself to have low expectations, and not be disappointed if it did not match up - after all how many crazies are out there that would rent an apartment sight unseen? I can say that we were both blown away when we opened the door - and got to see if for the first time. It is bigger than we expected, about the same size in the master bedroom, living and dining room area. Much smaller bathroom (and of course only one of them :(.) Much smaller kitchen, but still very functional. And the walls are not white, which I was dreading, but instead a nice gray, with white trim. And the view says it all - it really is beautiful. Right now I get to sit at my desk in the “dining room” - and can see through the living room right out into Lincoln Park and Lake Michigan. Everyone who helped us get moved in, the movers, Comcast - all kept mentioning the view. We can’t wait to share it with our loved ones when they come visit! (Hint…)

So far we’ve enjoyed walking around the corner to a great little breakfast restaurant, walking around the corner to the Treasure Island grocery store, and to the Lincoln Park farmers market - where yesterday we were able to buy fish, meat, eggs, milk, tons of fresh vegetables and fruits, and beautiful flowers. I am in love with our location! We’ve mostly just been busy with getting things set up, which is taking more time than I would have thought for a 1000 square foot apartment, but it turns out it’s harder when you can’t put stuff away because you have no where to put it. So we’ll be journeying out to Schaumburg today to IKEA! I can’t wait! I’ve only been once, and Drew’s never been so that will be fun.

It’s been quite an adjustment process going from our cozy three bedroom home with tons of privacy, to a one bedroom apartment, where our windows always have something happening outside! I couldn’t sleep the first night we were here because of the orange glow coming from the street lamps, and I looked out the window, to our left there is another condo building, and most of the lights were off, except for a couple, and one caught my eye! I couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman, but they were frantically dancing as if to an aerobic video, or a dance wii game - I’m not sure, but it was hilarious nonetheless, and taught me a big lesson on Day 1 - always shut the blinds :)

Here are some photos from the adventure: