Life has been a whirlwind these days, but then again, whose life doesn’t feel that way? It’s kind of weird to think that 3 months ago, we were living in Southern California, sweating to the oldies, wearing shorts and sandals, and loading up a moving truck. And now we are here in Chicago, freezing our behinds off in the 12 degree weather, and essentially starting a new life. Might I add, my clothes are no good here. I need me a big ol’ puffy coat! My existing coat feels like a cardigan and my thin scarf feels like a piece of dental floss around my neck.
To be honest, I had a terrible, rough, and draining week. I bounced from being mad, to sad, to frustrated, to ungrateful. So this entry is actually kinda hard for me to write right now. But, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought I’d tell you how things have been going and what I truly am thankful for these days.
I’m thankful for…
1. The opportunity to pursue a dream:
I’ve been wanting the chance to build a brand, create an online cooking show, and work together with my husband for the past 3 years. I still can’t believe it’s finally happening now. So how is it working with your husband on a start-up and being with him 24/7 you ask? Well, we definitely get into our fights. We’re both creative people with different visions and tastes. Feelings get hurt, and miscommunication leads to arguments. But at the end of the day, we manage to get it together, incorporate both of our very different skill sets and viewpoints, and produce work we’re both proud of and love. We’re still working out the kinks, learning as we go, and forgetting about a social life. It’s definitely not easy building an “empire” from nothing, but we’re truly thankful for this chance.
2. Our Kickstarter backers:
No matter how I’m feeling, how slow our progress is going, how overwhelmed we might feel, or how hard the work is, our backers remind me that we are working towards something bigger than ourselves. It’s nice to remember that we have people who believed in us enough to support us even BEFORE they’ve seen the work we wanted to produce. Isn’t that crazy? Yeah, that humbles me to no end. I could go on and on about them.
3. Our new home:
Last week, we closed on a short sale condo and will hopefully be moving into it by Christmas. We’ve been waiting on it for months (while living with my in-laws), and for a while, it felt like it would never happen. Although I hadn’t really blogged about this or kept you in the loop about the details, while we were busy filming and re-doing this website, we were simultaneously running in circles signing papers, meeting with the HOA, meeting with a lawyer, meeting with a contractor, driving to Ikea, driving to Home Depot, and going to the bank like it was our job. We’re new to all of this, so it wasn’t a very fun process while we were trying to also concentrate on producing our new show. The place itself is in pretty bad shape. Nobody has lived in it for years and it needs a lot of work. We jokingly call it our “condemned” building. But luckily we hired a contractor and he has actually started tearing things down so it feels real now. I guess the only “downside” is that Bits & Pieces will have a new kitchen set soon and it won’t be as nice as the one we’re currently using now (which is my in-laws’ kitchen), but at least it will be mine!
4. I get to cook the Thanksgiving feast this year:
Joe is probably shocked reading this right now, because since I had such a bad week, I suddenly did not feel like cooking for Thanksgiving. But it’s too late because we already committed, and relatives will be coming over to my in-law’s house, and I promised to cook. But really, I am thankful for it because while living in CA on our own, we didn’t have a real Thanksgiving where I got to cook the food. I actually really love doing it. It feels like the food Superbowl to me, but it’s been years since I’ve been able to take on this role. Now that we’re in Chicago and actually have family here, it’s nice to be able to put a turkey in the oven again.
5. You. Yeah you.
Whether you’re a first time reader who came here by accident, or a long time one who knows me well by now, I’m just grateful that you took the time to read these words I wrote. I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving, and take a moment to think about the reasons you’re thankful too. Gobble Gobble!
