…Chicago!

News! News! News!

When we moved to New Orleans in 2009, we planned to stay 3-5 years–unless something compelling changed our minds. Nothing did. We enjoyed much of our NOLA experience, but neither of us ever fully acclimated to the Big Easy, we arrived in the midst of a wave of other Northern Carpetbaggers/Outsiders swamping the city, and we were always too far away from our Home Triangle of Northern Michigan, Southern Michigan and Chicago.  About two years ago we started to look at opportunities closer to home, but nothing was quite right and so we stayed. This past winter, in the midst of work dramas for both of us and our dog Zoey’s illness, Terry started looking at opportunities in Ann Arbor and Chicago. However, the nasty winter the Midwest experienced kept a lot of business on hold and so it wasn’t until April that the opportunity in Chicago started to look like a viable possibility. He didn’t interview until May, but then everything ramped up triple time. Terry got the job in Chicago and gave notice to his old one, so when I finished my school year June 6th, we were able to take a week long vacation before he started his new gig on June 16th.

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Needless to say, the past month has been a whirlwind! While Terry started his job, I found us a new place to live. I scored a nice large apartment in Hyde Park, around the corner from the President, in a very diverse community that has lots of restaurants within walking distance and is close to Lake Michigan. I then headed back to NOLA to pack up our place and visit friends, a doctor or two and the vet (because Zoey is still hanging in there with us!!!! :-)).

Terry joined me in New Orleans for the weekend of the 4th to help with the move. After 5 years of living in one place, we sure had a lot of stuff to sort through and pack! Insane. We each have too many interests! 🙂 Terry drove the U-Haul truck to Chicago and I drove our FJ Cruiser, towing a trailer, all packed with stuff. We had movers on both ends who loaded the truck/trailer and unloaded both–thank goodness!!!!!

My parents and Barb came into town the weekend after the 4th to help unpack and work on projects. Our new apartment hadn’t been rented in a year and so there was some unfinished business that needed to be taken care of. Sooooooo grateful that they were able to make it!!!!!

Guess who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in May?

Last week was all about unpacking and letting repair men in to our place to take care of issues with plumbing, the locks, a ceiling fan, the dishwasher and the washing machine. I was exhausted and so ready to make a quick run up to the Cottage on Lake Charlevoix this past weekend–and so we did! 🙂 I am so grateful to be close to Michigan again, but able to live in Chicago!!

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