As billy joel once said, "I'm movin out" doo doo doo doooooo dooo do do

As much as I can't believe I don't live in Chicago anymore, being here seems almost inevitable at this point, as if this was the natural course we were meant to travel, unbeknownst to us. Friendly reminder that six months ago to the day we drove into town for the very first time. Moving here full-time was never in the plans, building a tinyhouse we could weekend at somewhere on the SW coast of Michigan was. But once we heavily considered all the driving back and forth, and how the Sunday Blues loomed and hit heavier each time we visited costal towns to see where we could build, it became evident that weekending would only be a gap filler. Whether it was this year or three to five years from now, we would eventually want to stay here and never leave.

There's an incredibly mystical vibe surrounding the whole transition and our new location. Yesterday we packed up our lives, crossed two state lines and pulled up to our new, empty home for the first time. A clean slate. After the last three tumultuous years, a fresh start is exactly what we need.

I can't impress upon you enough how I never saw homeownership possible for us, we were dead-set on staying in the city and were trying to figure out how to steal enough gold bars or take on 4 side hustles each so we could buy a condo in Rogers Park to be closer to the lake and beach. Now we live on a peninsula, surrounded by a pristine river, bayou, great lake and miles and miles of beaches. It took the biggest leap of faith I've ever made, and quite honestly there were some days I didn't know if I had it in me to say goodbye to my first and deepest love, Chicago. But she'll always be waiting for me and I'll always carry her in my heart so it's not goodbye but see you later.

Likewise, I'm going to step away for a while to fully embrace being a first time homeowner. See ya after a while!