I woke up in disbelief yesterday, realizing when I looked at the calendar that we’ve been in our new home for one year. It seems impossible. Honestly, the year has flown by at record-breaking speed. Even now, as I reflect on it, it’s all a bit of a blur. But despite the fuzzy edges there are definitely moments that stand out to me – highs and lows – proving this year was anything but a dream.

The Move
From the very beginning I was onboard – a career opportunity for John that would mean moving to a new Midwestern city – but being onboard didn’t make the move any less traumatic. I sold it to friends and family like the adventure I believed it would be but I didn’t take into account all the gut wrenching emotions that would be at play as I prepared to say goodbye. For me, my composure eventually cracked when I stepped out onto my driveway and saw the giant moving van sitting at the curb, 25 years of my life, being stuffed into its back end. Believe me, I know we are not our stuff, but seeing pieces of my life strapped down and headed for new horizons was a scene I will never forget, both poignant and incredibly bittersweet.

The Purge

Speaking of stuff, did we ever purge! I can’t tell you how freeing it felt letting go of so much. We vowed to keep things simple in our new place and so far that’s just what we’ve done. When we moved we gave away all of our dishes, glasses and cups. One year later we’re enjoying getting by with two mismatched place settings and lots of empty drawers and cabinets. We used to have umpteen junk drawers. Not any more. We have no junk to fill them with and I love it!

The New House
Reno-work on our new house is finally winding down. It definitely has not been without its challenges but in the end I have to say it was all worth it. The house is lighter and brighter and probably my best project to date. I’m nearly ready to unveil our new kitchen, just waiting on the backsplash and light fixtures. Looking forward to sharing it with you soon!

The Dog

Without a doubt the low point of the year was almost losing our sweet pug, Bella. Shortly after we moved she got very ill after being boarded at what was supposed to have been a highly regarded kennel. All the details aren’t important. The only thing that matters to us is that Bella recovered after three months and is her feisty self again. Needless to say we will never even consider boarding her again.

The Perfect 10

The absolute highpoint of the year came this past July when John and I celebrated our tenth anniversary back where it all began, in Southern California. We had an incredible time eating, drinking and being married (ha! I know that was awful but I couldn’t resist.) Seriously, we had such a great time and even went back and stood in the same spot where we had taken our vows, which was really special. Katherine came out and joined in the celebration putting the cherry on top of an incredible trip.

The Lesson Learned

We spend a lot of our time traveling back home to Chicago, which means we’re in the car a lot. Like, a real lot. I guess what I’ve realized is that no matter where you travel, or in our case get transplanted to because of business, there truly is no place like home.

What’s Next?

We’re not traveling this weekend so I think it’s probably time to start digging in and working on getting settled. October is by far my favorite month of the year. Both Katherine and John have birthdays which  means there’s definitely lot’s of celebrating on tap as well as a major ND/USC tailgate.
How is October stacking up for you? Any fun plans this month?