We moved!

So in my last post (let’s not talk about how long ago that was…), I mentioned that things were a little crazy. Part of that was because we bought a condo and moved in at the beginning of July!

Our old apartment was in Old Town, and while we loved the neighborhood (LOVED!), we decided we needed more space and a place that would work better for us a little further down the road.

So now we’re in Lakeview, just a little north of where we lived before. We’ve been exploring the neighborhood, and really like it so far. It’s weird, but it’s exactly the kind of area I always imagined having a family–cute row houses and shaded sidewalks peppered with neighborhood restaurants and watering holes. Plus, there are dogs, pregnant women and people with strollers everywhere, so I have a feeling we’re going to fit in.

The condo itself is also pretty fantastic, at least compared to our old place. We have an in-unit washer and dryer! And it doesn’t require quarters! It’s amazing. Also (and this is the best part), we have THREE outdoor spaces–a big deck and two smaller balconies off the bedrooms. For someone like me who craves fresh air, it’s heaven.

The only thing is, we’re unpacking–still. So the place is kind of a mess right now. But, I took a few photos to give you a sneak peek…

IMG_0249 IMG_0279 IMG_0280  IMG_0276 IMG_0275 IMG_0271  photo(2) photo(4) photo photo(1) photo(3)I’ll post more when we get the place together. But honestly, I’d rather relax on my new deck than unpack boxes. So don’t expect that to happen for awhile…

Check out our new digs

As you know, Will and I moved all of our stuff to a new apartment in Chicago at the beginning of this month, and I have been unpacking ever since.

Well it looks as though I might finally be done! Almost. I still have a few bags/boxes that I threw in the closet and haven’t dealt with yet. But their contents are not of high importance to my everyday life, so guess what? They’re going to stay in the closet for awhile.

Also, I haven’t touched Will’s “Man Room.” Yes, Will has a Man Room. Aren’t I a good wife? He doesn’t even live here yet, and I already have an entire room of our apartment dedicated to his gender. Currently, it is filled with piles of law books, sporting equipment and various gaming consoles. So trash, basically. And I’m not touching it.

Anyway, the point of this post is that our apartment is finally starting to look like a home, and I wanted to share it with you! When you  spend hours upon hours of your life moving, hanging and organizing stuff you kind of want to show off the final product.

So without further ado…

Here’s the living room!

That’s Gatsby on the couch, not an erect Beanie Baby or creepy porcelain figurine. He’s all, “Oh heeey, what’s going on? You’re photographing me in my natural habitat? If I had known, I would have straightened up a bit and put on my red velvet smoking jacket. I guess you’ll just have to settle for me looking debonair, relaxing on the couch with my perfect posture. Thank God I used Crest White Strips last night. Can I offer you an aperitif?”

So you see that Gatsby has certainly made himself at home.

As an interesting side note, I have some photos of what the apartment looked like when the tenants before us lived here. Here’s their version of the living room (Please excuse the photo quality. It’s bad when cameras get wet. Now you know why.) :

What do you think? I do love their coffee table. And the huge mirror. And the pink chair. Will would throw a major hissy if I ever suggested buying a pink chair. Gatsby, on the other hand, would appreciate the nice pop of color it brings to the room.

Here’s another view of OUR living room:

Gatsy: “Oh hey wait, now you’re taking a picture from another angle? I just happened to be heading up to the top of the couch. I guess I’ll allow one more photograph. See how I cross my legs in front of me like a true gentleman?”

And here’s the old living room from the same angle:

They had a lot of plants. And a bird! These people were cultured.

And here are some photos of other rooms in the apartment that looked presentable at the time when I was walking around with my camera:

Dining room

Gatsby's dining room

Bathroom

Bedroom

Oh, suddenly Gatsby’s turned shy.

So that’s the tour of our new place! There’s another bathroom, an office area, and of course the Man Room, but those parts aren’t suitable for public viewing yet.

Hopefully sometime this spring, we’ll have a housewarming party, and if I know you and am comfortable welcoming you to our place of residence, you might be invited!

Happy day-before-Friday!

If you need me, I’ll be in my new kitchen deciding where to put this crock pot I’ve never used.

Last week was a bit crazy.

Long story short, we packed up our St. Louis apartment, loaded everything into a Uhaul truck in the middle of a tornado (yes, a real tornado, not a figurative tornado of activity or emotions), drove to Chicago on New Year’s Eve, fell asleep before midnight, and moved into our new place in Chicago on New Years Day.

And now I am unpacking. FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.

Seriously, I think the boxes are somehow multiplying.

Throughout all of this, two things crossed my mind:

1. I really wish I was more of a minimalist.

2. I really hope we love this new apartment because as of right now, I never ever want to move again in my life ever.

So, while I’m trying to make progress and hoping I don’t lose Gatsby under an avalanche of boxes, I will be continuing my holiday blog hiatus for the rest of this week.

Happy 2011 and Bachelor premier week, everyone!!

I’ll be back.

Movin’ on up

Tomorrow is moving day!

I’m packing up the Stratus (and Will’s Honda) and moving on up to Chicago from St. Louis. I’ve been packing my stuff since Monday and am only about 1/4 of the way done. So today might suck a little.

As much as I’d love to keep procrastinating, I really don’t have much time, so I’ll provide you with some of my thoughts on this whole moving situation in the form of a numbered list. (I love lists. Oh, you want proof? Check it: here, here, here, and here.)

1. Everything about moving to Chicago is exciting and great, nay – GREAT!, except that Will and Gatsby can’t come with me right away. Major sad face. Will has to finish up his job in St. Louis (and subsequently find a new one in Chicago), so I’ll be husbandless and dogless and traveling back and forth between Chicago and St. Louis for the next month and a half. I’m officially in a long distance relationship. Ew. Thank God it will be holiday season or I might be seeking a subscription for Xanax right about now.

2. I’m moving in with my parents for the next month and a half. This is good because my parents love to spend time with me and do things for me (I’m spoiled). This is bad because my parents love to spend time with me and do things for me (I’m not 10 years old anymore). We’ll see how it goes. My major concern? I may need to cut down on some of the TV shows I watch because their DVR is full of crime dramas and weird Sci-Fi shows that my dad loves but I’ve never even heard of. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills might have to be put on hold. Oh man, now I really might need that Xanax…

3. I’m so excited to start my new job! SO excited. I’ll be working as an editor/copywriter for an ad agency downtown. Waaaaayyy cooler than working on nursing textbooks at a publishing company in the middle of nowhere across the street from a landfill.

4. I’m a bit nervous to start my new job. Mostly because I’ll probably have to take a bus from the train station to get there, and I don’t think I’ve ever ridden a bus in Chicago before. I’ve taken the El pretty much everywhere you can take it, but the bus and I have yet to be acquainted. I think I’m going to go downtown on Friday and ride it somewhere. For practice. I’m serious.

5. Ooh, here’s another thing I’m really excited about: I know people in Chicago! A lot of people! We have friends and family out the wazoo up there. If you want to hang out with me, you better get on the schedule now – my social calendar is filling up! (Actually, no. It’s not. The only plans I have so far is to see a play. With my parents.) But still. I’ll miss my friends in St. Louis and the family we have there, but it will be nice to be have a wide variety of friends hang out with. I tire of people easily. (That’s not true either – I just wanted to say that. It’s delightfully snobby.)

6. I got STUCK in a heavy winter coat at Nordstrom Rack the other day. Wait- this is related. I decided that I need to get one of those massive puffy down coats that make you feel like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters because people actually need to wear those things in Chicago. I’m cold just thinking about it. Anyway, I was out shopping and decided to try on an especially puffy and warm one last weekend. I hastily zipped it all the way up to my chin, checked myself out in the mirror, yelled out “Hey everyone, come see how good I look!” (ok, no, I didn’t do that), and when I went to remove the coat, the unthinkable happened. The zipper got stuck! Like MAJORLY stuck. As panic set in, I yanked, and twisted and pulled with all my might, but to no avail. I WAS TRAPPED IN A GIGANTIC FURNACE OF A COAT IN THE MIDDLE OF A CROWDED STORE ON A BALMY 75-DEGREE DAY!! More panicking. Once I became certain that I was in the beginning stages of heat stroke, I ran up to the nearest employee and pleaded for her help. Long story short, she couldn’t get it, her manager couldn’t get it, and I was rushed to the alterations department where they had to literally cut the coat open to free me from its hellish, sweaty grip. I’m still a little traumatized by the situation. And I now have an intense appreciation for buttons.

7. Packing is the worst. Just the worst. If you’ve ever moved, I’m sure I don’t need to elaborate on this.

8. Even though I’ve been wanting to move back to Chicago pretty much since I decided to move to St. Louis, I’m actually going to miss this cute little city. It’s got some things going for it. There are 8 things in particular that I am especially going to miss, as evidenced by my recent Girls Guide post. (I love lists and shameless plugs!)

So those are my thoughts on moving at the moment. I think they can best be summed up with these words: Excited! Husbandless! Xanax! So excited! Nervous! HOT!

Moving day is tomorrow. My first day at the new job is Monday. I’ll let you know how it goes…