Chicago - Part I

The scoop:

The Move - It went amazingly well.  It was supposed to rain the entire trip and other than a few drops, it was clear.  This was a miracle because we sort of had boxes and the bar stools to my table packed/strapped in the back of my Dad's truck a la The Beverly Hillbillies.  I was nervous at first and then realized that there wasn't anything I could do if it did rain so I decided to be thankful for every mile travelled that I did not rain. I prayed many prayers of Thanksgiving along the way! 

Side Note:  Although the trip went well (no car trouble, no tickets, no major mishaps, etc.), it was the looooooongest trip of my life.  At one point, I honestly thought Chicago must not exist. 

 The Apartment:  It is FANTASTIC!  We have the garden apartment in the building which means it is partially underground.  I was a tad worried about this because, as some of you know, I can be a bit claustrophobic. (Just ask Jerry or Jennifer about my encounter with the poor lady in a China Town shop in NYC!) Turns out the apartment has a ton of large windows with great light coming in, more storage space than we know what to do it and is ridiculously cute. I. Love. It.

Side Note:  You can hear the train, which can be rather loud at times.  No worries though. I'm already used to it.  Prepare yourself if you come visit though.  It can be quite alarming at first! :)

The Neighborhood: Heaven. The people are great and the houses/apartments are lovely.  There are trees and grass and a ton of things within walking distance (two train stops, two starbucks, whole foods market, GAP, restaurants, banks, cleaners, auto repair places, parks, doctor's office, vet,...should I go on???).  In addition, Wrigley Field is about 3/4 of a mile and the Lake is only a 1 1/2 miles.  Amazing!! 

The Roommate: Let's be real, I haven't had the best luck with roommates in the past (my first roommate in college gave me lice.  i'm not kidding!). However, my new roommate, Kristen, is fantastic.  She's good people, y'all.  

The Sophie: She's doing great! Who knew she would transition so easily?  My Mom & Dad are convinced she is a "Country Dog", well, I am here to tell you that she is now a "City Dog".  She loves to go on walks, loves the lake and I found out yesterday that she loves the dog park.  I even took her with me to Starbuck's yesterday morning where I tied her up outside while I ran inside to get my drink.  She even liked that and so did all the people walking in.  They all stopped to pet and talk to her. She loves the attention and I'm convinced she loves Chicago.  However, it might be a different story when January/February roll around.  Stay tuned. 

The Job Search:  Still on-going.  Still sending resumes and e-mails.  However, I freelanced yesterday and  will today as well with Sesame Street.  My friend, Mindy, who is a researcher for Sesame Street and also BFF with my roommate (we all went to the same college), has been in town visiting and working.  She needed some help with the study she is doing and asked if I'd like to help and I responded with a "Hells Yes!" :)  In addition to the experience and some extra cash, she also gave me an Oscar the Grouch eco bag!  Jealous??

The Friends: Now that I live in a city where I know absolutely no one, it is pretty interesting that the weekend that I move in, my friend, Mindy, and my friend, Lisa, were both in town.  Crazy, right??  Lisa was in town with her husband and baby and I had the pleasure of hanging out with them this past Saturday night.  It was lovely.  While I am on a mission to make new friends, it was great seeing old ones when I arrived.  

That's it for now.  I have so much to explore (I've barely even been out of my neighborhood!) and am so grateful for this new opportunity.

More to come soon.....