Home Sweet Home

We are officially westsiders now. We have bid a fond farewell to Norwood, to our apartment, to Mr. Squirrel.

The movers got the van packed up in 2.5 hours and unpacked in one. Impressive, considering it was well over 95 degrees out, and after taking just one load down the stairs I looked like I had just stepped out of a sauna.

We spent all day Friday and Saturday unpacking. Her room is done, the kitchen is done and the office is done.

We have had our first home-ownership snag ~ our garage door broke, with the new car inside, and we can't get it fixed until tomorrow.

We have quite a bit to go, but due to an unfortunate video phone date with Sean Phelan, productivity came to screeching halt today.

But we'll discuss that lapse in judgment later...

On Friday while we were unloading the truck our next door neighbor and his two young sons came over and offered to help. We thanked them profusely, but were just about done. It was such a kind gesture and the kind of thing that I think we are going to have to get used to. Last weekend the neighbors who live behind us brought us over cupcakes. Yesterday the neighbors down the street brought over a tray of sandwiches. Pretty much every car that heads down our street will spot us outside, honk and wave. Rumor has it there is a neighborhood phone tree, email distribution list and calendar of events, including everything from block parties to cornhole tournaments to golf outings.

This is a far cry from when I first moved to Chicago, and LU staff instructed us not to leave our car unattended or accept help from any of the locals. Quite different from when we moved to Albany Park and our building was graffitied.

It feels great here...the yard makes me want to garden (I figure, I knit. Why not garden? I said that to Andy and his reply was the pseudo mini-van would have more fitting for me. Jerk.). The patio begs for cookouts and glasses of wine. Addison is settling in wonderfullly, she loves crawling all over the great room and kitchen. As her pictures show, she enjoys peeking out the back door, she likes pulling herself up on window sills and peering outside at the birdies and flowers. Even the cat feels at home, and has not stayed in hiding like she usually does after a move.

We are home.

I am reminding myself that this is a work in progress and our house forever, so I haven't hung every picture or arranged every little thing "just so" ... we'll be here for the next 30 years, I've got time.