This month, I wrestled with some homesickness. I never thought I would consider California my home since we only lived there for a short while, but I guess somewhere between the Polar Vortex, and endless mounds of snow, I started longing for the things of “home.”
We knew it would be hard to say goodbye to friends, familiarity, our church, the beaches, and the beautiful weather. We knew adjusting to a new city, producing our online cooking show, and learning to work full time together would take effort, sacrifice, and some penny pinching. We knew it wouldn’t be easy.
Ever since we moved to Chicago, there were good moments, but serious hardships too. But the dust has settled on the chaotic craziness we’ve been enduring over the past few months, and I’m finally getting a chance to be still and reflect.
I’m sitting here in our new home, eating clementines, and watching the snow fall silently outside my office window. I can’t help but think about how far we’ve come and how different our lives have become in just a few months.
Last time, I shared with you some “BEFORE” pictures of our condo. When Joe and I first saw it, it was hard to imagine living there. It was dirty, the carpet was stained, the kitchen was outdated, the water in the toilets had turned black, and the whole place smelled like fish.
Oh, but that’s not all.
After signing our papers, and becoming first-time home owners, we sat down at Starbucks to have a meeting with the HOA.
They surprised us by telling us that we had some major problems to deal with and almost everything had to be repaired, replaced, installed, or removed for one reason or another. And we only had 30 days to fix it before our final inspection, or we couldn’t move in at all. NICE.
Yes, we were completely overwhelmed and caught off guard by the news, but we had to do what we had to do. So we hired a contractor and he got to work right away, basically tearing down the place. And Joe and I spent our days running around fetching supplies, and applying for permits.
But in many ways, watching the demolition of our condo was almost like watching the demolition of our previous life in California. It would’ve be easier to hang on to it and not do a thing to change it, but we knew we had to, in order to make improvements.
So even though it didn’t seem like it at first, the surprise problems that came with the condo were a blessing in disguise, just like moving here to Chicago was. The problems forced us to come up with a new plan, and break down what was already existing, in order to build something else.
The demolition process of our condo was quick and easy, but clearing out the rubble, fixing the problems, and working towards building it up again was hard. And that’s exactly how life has been lately. I think we’re both going through some growing pains. It’s still an on-going process, because adjusting to a new life takes time. But things are getting better.
Okay, there are days where I do still long for palm trees, the beach, and my friends, but living in the Midwest is not so bad. It’s actually kind of quaint, we have some family here, which is why we moved here in the first place, and the people we’ve met are nice. I know it will take more time to feel completely settled and comfortable, but I’m at least accepting that this is my home, and this is my new life. But most of all, we’re thankful to be getting a chance to pursue a long time dream, pick up the rubble in our lives, and work towards building something better.
You can see our “BEFORE” pictures HERE.
