Important stuff first:
-My feet are back on the treadmill
-Family is healthy
-My job is still awesome AND I got a raise.
-Oh, and we moved to Illinois.
True story! About a month after I started my job, Josh found a listing for a position he was interested in the Chicago area. It was going to be a great move for him, but it would mean that I would have to leave my beloved cushy desk job and awesome bosses in Jacksonville. He nailed the interview and that was that, we were destined to become residents of the Chicago metro area (or Chicagoland as they call it here). As luck would have it, my company had two offices in the area. On a whim, I emailed the GM to see if they needed an extra brain in the office. After a few anxious days, I got a response back saying they desperately needed someone as soon as possible. SCORE! My Jacksonville bosses were even nice enough to call and give me a good recommendation to my new GM and district manager. (and if either of you are reading this, by chance, I don't think I could ever thank you guys enough!)
In the in-between time, we were able to make a trip to Chicago to scout out potential apartments. One thing we learned was not to trust apartment rental websites. After having to cross off complexes that were advertised as pet friendly or ones that lacked in-unit washers and dryers, I started to get a little discouraged. You may not keep up with apartment costs in major cities, take a gander- they are certainly not cheap. I worried that we wouldn't be able to afford a place that had everything we needed.
We must have paid some good deeds forward at some point, because our last day and last stop was perfect for us. We both really felt it was the right place, but we needed to crunch some numbers and make sure. Queue the spreadsheet of apartment justice! I broke down all the costs and rated them by commute distance. Lo, the one we liked the best was the best value overall. Even though Geddy owes us $20 a month rent, he makes up for it by doing tricks for treats, wearing bow ties and being cute in general.
During my time off, I jumped in the car and drove home to visit with family. About three days in, Josh got a call from the moving company saying they could be there to pick up our stuff that week. (Did I neglect to mention that Josh's company paid for the relocation and we only had to pack one suitcase each? Cause, yeah, that was awesome.) He finished out his work week and they came to get our stuff that Thursday, Josh hopped a plane Friday night and made it up to WV for a few days and we drove from there to Chicago.
When we're not scouting out Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar (we live in Aurora), we've spent the past couple weeks unpacking and getting our apartment cozied up. Did I also neglect to mention that we live 20 minutes from IKEA? Because that is also tremendously awesome. I persuaded Josh to get rid of some old furniture to make room for a new desk and TV stand. Our spare bedroom/hangout zen den is coming together nicely. It really feels like my old apartment and I think it's quickly becoming one of my favorite spots in our place, aside from the kitchen.
I've also got the ball rolling with a few bigwigs to maybe possibly move up a rank (aka salary), since I'm all ready covering those responsibilities at present, but I don't want to jinx anything. I've also set a lofty goal for myself that I intend to reach by the end of the year (if not sooner). I find my inner zen by reading a saying: "The water a cow drinks becomes milk. The water a snake drinks becomes poison. What do the things you touch become?" Goals are always attainable if you keep your focus. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
