Weekend Accomplishments

Ufda, that was an exhausting weekend, but we got A TON done. I'm actually enjoying being at work today because it's like a vacation day compared to unpacking/organizing/cleaning/etc.

Here are some of the big accomplishments of the past weekend! I don't have many pictures but eventually I'll share some when we have some new furniture in place!

- The house is 100% unpacked, as I predicted it would be. We had all the boxes emptied by Saturday morning. The worst room to unpack was the kitchen. I loaded/unloaded the dishwasher 3 times on Friday afternoon since everything had to be washed since it was wrapped in newspaper for the move. I'm pleasantly surprised with how much room our kitchen has. It's hard to get a sense for the storage a home has until you move in and start to unpack!

- We (err mostly Phil) assembled a tv stand. Our old tv stand was a hand-me-down from a college friend and was in dire need of replacing. We decided to order one from Wayfair which meant we got to assemble it. We popped open a bottle of champagne from our realtor on Friday night and made a little bit of progress on it and finished it on Saturday. It was probably 1/3 of the cost of what an already-assembled tv stand would cost so it was worth the savings. I'm happy with how it turned out. There's plenty of room for Paul's books, some of his toys, our DVDs, and the dvd player/gaming system Phil has (but never uses - he got rid of one during the move but I couldn't get him to get rid of the other...).

- I did some cleaning around the house and we figured out what minor repairs needed to be done. The previous owners took care of the house pretty well but I think our consensus is that they weren't quite as fastidious as Phil and I are about cleaning/maintenance. We also learned that leaving a house vacant for 30 days isn't optimal. The sewer drain pipe in the basement must have dried out so we had the lovely aroma of sewer gas on Friday afternoon (it needs to stay wet to provide a seal so you don't smell sewer gas). But a good cleaning - which about made me vomit from the smell (it's not raw sewage - more so stuff that goes down your bathroom sink and tub, but still gross) - and running all the showers and faucets remedied that situation.

- I put up a Christmas wreath on our front door and hug a Christmas garland on our mantel. I love the garland. Our mantel decor needs some work as it looks unbalanced with the tall "Minnesota" sign on one end. I moved one of the 8x10 photos to the far right after taking this photo but it still needs some work. I'll defer to my college friends who are coming over in December. Home decor is NOT my thing! I could put the MN sign in the middle but I want to hang a holiday wreath (to be purchase) during the Christmas season and a large mirror during the rest of the year. I'll figure something out!

- My MIL came over on Sunday so we got a photo of her with Paul and ordered her Christmas cards. I was surprised Paul would sit with her as he hasn't been keen about sitting with anyone but Phil and me. I also made a 2020 photo calendar on Shutterfly (my habit of making albums of fave photos from each month made this a breeze!) and ordered one for us and one for my MIL for a Christmas gift.

- We also ordered a bunch of furniture - 2 night stands, 2 end tables, and 2 stools for our kitchen island. Moving close to the holidays has worked to our advantage as we got great prices on everything! We still need an ottoman for our living room and a chair for the fireplace/reading nook area of our bedroom, but those are things we need to order in person at a furniture store.

Those were the big things! We also fit in family walks on Saturday and Sunday. The weather was so beautiful (in the 40s which is warm for MN in November!) so we had to take advantage of it. I collapsed into bed sore and exhausted every night!

How was your weekend? 

This Old House

Today is moving day!!! It's an exciting day and a bittersweet day - all at the same time. I have waited for this day to come for years! I'm so excited about our new home and can't wait to make it "ours."

But we will be a little bit sad to say goodbye to our house. So many landmark moments happened in this home. We'll take those memories with us, but we will miss this house. The photos I am sharing below are from the listing so it doesn't quite look like it did with our stuff - truthfully, it looks better because our realtor has amazing taste! We will be gradually upgrading our furniture and decor in the new house and hopefully it will look a bit more like this in the end - it's good to have inspiration!

The house we moved out of was built in 1915 and it was the first home in this area. It was an original farm house that was part of an area called "Lyndale Farm" - so it was surrounded by farmland, which is hard to imagine. This house has seen so much history in the last 104 years. But we sure made a lot of history and formed many memories in the last 6 years. I'll share some below.

I'll never forget trying to get up these front steps after my hip surgery in 2016. You can't tell in this picture, but the landing of the front stairs is very small and the storm door opens one way while the front door opens the other way - so it's kind of an awkward entrance. Poor Phil had to carry me into the house (it was too small/awkward of a space to try using my crtucches) while trying not to bump my hip against anything and in that moment I thought I was going to throw up from the anesthesia. Oof, that was quite the day. I moved in with Phil on a Friday and had hip surgery the following Monday so we really had a trial by fire experience of living together. But you know what? It was totally fine. A lot of people talk about how difficult it is to move in with someone but I have to say it wasn't all that hard for us! I think it helps that we are both tidy people and are super practical. There were some disagreements over which dishes to keep and whether I have too much kitchen stuff but all in all, it was pretty smooth.We were also both older (35) when we moved in together - so I think we had a good idea of what battles to pick and how to let things go.

In this living room, we got engaged! We also had many, many conversations on this couch before getting engaged. Deep conversations about faith, priorities, family (both of origin and the family we would build together), what marriage means to us, etc. I'll never forget the time Phil prepared a list of questions about my beliefs as a Catholic. I think he must have had 20+ questions on that list and many of them were very difficult to answer because no one has asked me why I believed what I believed before. There were times I wanted to consult the Catholic catechism for help! It wasn't an attack on my beliefs - he just truly wanted to better understand what I believed, especially since we planned to raise our children Catholic.

This is also the living room where I spent countless hours rocking our sweet baby. And pumping. Oh my gosh, so many hours were spent pumping! It's also where Paul had so many firsts like rolling over, crawling and walking for the first time.

I also nursed my broken heart on this couch while recovering from my miscarriage with mindless tv shows to distract me from the physical and emotional pain. Not all memories made in this house are good ones - but that's life.

I prepared so many meals for our family in this kitchen. I mastered canning for the first time on my own in this kitchen, with several calls to my mom, the canning pro! We prepared a post-Thanksgiving day meal for my family in this kitchen as well as Paul's post-Baptism celebration.

Many meals were shared at this dining room table, like the celebrations mentioned above and smaller dinner parties. This is also where my "girls gone mild" bachelor party took place. I think we had 18 people around the table (it has 2 leaves so is quite large!). That was one of the most fun nights I've had in this house - there was so much laughter and the most amazing Mexican food.

Lastly, the backyard. We hosted parties and small gatherings in this space. Many meals were grilled out here and morning coffees were enjoyed on that deck. I spent a lot of time in that cozy hammock that is on the left in this picture. We discovered Paul's intense dislike of grass in this backyard- which had yet to go away at the end of the summer. Maybe 2020 will be the year he excepts the texture of grass!

So much happened in this old house. We'll miss her, but I know we'll love our new house as much if not more. What will happen in the next house? I have my hopes and dreams, like bringing a 2nd child home, sending our kids off to their first days of school, and celebrating milestone wedding anniversaries. Goodbye, old (1915) house, and hello to our new (1925) one!

A crazy week

The process of buying and selling a house is not for the faint of heart. Dang it is so much work, most of which has fallen on poor Phil since a lot of it required manual labor/heavy lifting. So he took on the physical work while I handled caring for Paul. That said, I know we are lucky to be able to buy a house before selling ours so we can declutter/move things to the new house!

We moved a lot of stuff out of our house on Saturday. This before and after picture doesn't do it justice but gives you an idea of how much got moved out. Not pictured is the office which was full of furniture from upstairs/other areas of the house - the office is now empty.

Our house will get staged this week, photos will be taken on Wednesday after the cleaners come through and it goes on the market on Thursday. We will head to the lake after work on Thursday and hope/pray that our house sells that weekend. If it doesn't, we'll allow showings up until 6:30pm on week nights and will either hang out with friends or at the new house until Paul's bedtime. I don't think anyone would want to see the house after 6:30 on a week night anyways since it's very dark at that point, especially after "falling back" this past weekend.

We've decided to replace the upstairs carpet in the new house so all the stuff we moved out of our current home is sitting in the living room of the new place. We meet with the carpet people on Thursday afternoon and hopefully the new carpet can be installed ASAP so we can empty out the living room before the big move.

So our current house feels empty/echoy and our new house feels like a hot mess. For a type-A person who craves order, this all makes me feel kind of "twitchy." But I am reminding myself that 2 weeks from Friday, we'll fully move into the new house and can get settled! I don't like to wish time away but I would like to go to bed and wake up on Thanksgiving when we are moved/settled into our new house. I say settled because we are the kind of people who unpack right away! Plus since we rented boxes for the move, we don't have the option to pile them up - they need to be emptied within a week of moving so they can be picked up by the company that provides them.

One fun positive is that we went shopping for a new guest bed/headboard for the guest room. It will be delivered at the new house on 11/16 so my parents can stay there the weekend of Thanksgiving. I'm so excited to have a dedicated guest room/bathroom as we have a lot of out of town family/friends. It was very hard to host people in our tiny current home but now we are set up well to host family!

So in short, send us allll the good vibes that our (adorable) house sells this weekend so we can focus on the move! I'm looking forward to a weekend of relaxation at the lake - especially for Phil as he has not relaxed much in the last 6 weeks! We'll get some extra sleep since my mom can help with Paul in the morning and we'll be well-fed by my mom! I'll talk to you on the other side of this week/weekend - hopefully I'll have good news to share next week!

The Next Big (Exciting) Change

Back when I did my virtual coffee date post in early March, I alluded to the fact that the winds of change were going to be blowing through my life again soon. It feels like change has been a constant part of my life over the last 4 years, some positive and some not so positive. Luckily, this next change is very positive as I will be moving in with Phil in May when my lease is up!

As I've shared this news with family and friends, many have asked if I am ready to give up my downtown lifestyle. While I have adored living in this condo building, the answer is - yes, I am ready. I'll miss the view and the convenience of living just over a mile from work but I'm ready to move to a house.

Luckily Phil lives in an area that is close to downtown (~5 miles). I can still walk to a grocery store and Starbucks, and he's in a great area for running and biking as his house is only a half mile from a creek I run by often and a mile from the chain of lakes that I love to run around. He also lives really close our friends, Courtney and Luke, which is a couple we spend a lot of time with; I envision lots of weekend trips to the Farmer's Market with Courtney! I'll also be able to get to work easily as there is an express bus which stops right in front of his house (talk about convenient!) and gets us downtown in about 20 minutes, which is how long it takes me to walk to work. Phil and I work the same hours so we'll be bus buddies, which is pretty cute.

After 12 years (!!!!) of living alone, it will certainly be an adjustment to live together. I know there will be a period of adjustment but I have more feelings of excitement than anxiety. I'm excited about this move and I know that it's the right thing for us to do at this time of our lives.

More than anything, though, this change feels surreal. I spent years watching most of my friends get married and merge lives with their husbands, but after years of dead end relationships and frustrating dating experiences, deep down inside of me I had accepted that it probably would not happen for me, and I was pretty OK with that. But now, it is happening and we are taking a giant step towards permanently entwining our lives, which leaves me with lots of "is this really happening?" thoughts and feelings.

In the midst of those surreal/"somebody pinch me" feelings, I feel excited. Excited to come home to Phil every single day and spend more time together. Excited to be greeted by Oscar each day when we return home. Excited to not have to compare schedules and figure out whose place we'll be at when we spend time together. Excited to not have to pack up groceries and kitchen gadgets and such when I cook dinner at his house. Excited to make changes to his house (which I love, by the way) to make it feel like ours. Excited to take over a little corner of his yard so I can experiment with gardening. Excited to move to a place where I can feel a sense of permanence as we have no plans to sell and move anytime soon. Excited to build a life with a man that I love so very much and am so compatible with.

Weekend Recap

Oh Monday...  you came way too fast.  I need another weekend to recover from my weekend...  Such is the plight of a someone that is half-way through moving.  Here's how I filled my weekend.

I took Friday off so I spent most of the day schlepping things from my unit on the 13th floor to my new unit on the 8th floor.  Thank God for elevators.  I managed to move 5 out of 6 of my book cases and all of my books.  My bedroom went from looking like this...

To looking like this.

I'm so glad that the property manager let me have the keys to my new unit early.  The movers come this Friday but it was nice to gradually move things down to the new place.

Mid-day, I took a break from schlepping boxes to pick up tickets to this show, which I'm so excited to go to!!

On Friday night, we went to a get-together at a college friend of Phil's.  We hadn't seen the couple that hosted for 6+ months, I think, so it was fun to catch up with them and see the other couples that we hang out with on a regular basis.

On Saturday morning I joined my club for a hilly long run.  The run is entitled "Potpourri of Hills" and is probably the most challenging long run route our club does.  I ran 11 miles and was definitely tired at the end!  I know Minnesota is less hilly than other parts of the country but those 11 miles felt tough!

On Saturday afternoon I went to a charity bowling event.  I bowled terribly so opted to only play 1 game.  I got to hang out with my friend Amanda and her family so it was a really fun afternoon.  On Saturday evening Phil came over and we did more packing/moving.  I was so over moving at this point, but Phil kept saying, "let's just do one more trip" over and over and over again.  We ended up moving most of my clothes and the contents of 3 closets.  We got quite a bit done and I was glad that he pushed me to move more than I thought we would that night.  By the time we called it quits, it was after 8 so I ordered GF pizza and we called it a night pretty early as we were both exhausted.

Sunday consisted of - you guessed it - more moving.  I unpacked the rest of my books and moved my patio furniture and some of my kitchen stuff. I wrapped up all of my moving tasks by 3 pm on Sunday because I just needed some time to just 'be'.  I was on my feet for much of Friday and Saturday so my legs were definitely feeling it by Sunday afternoon.  I had the best intentions to get a workout in or go to yoga but I decided to count the schlepping of boxes as a workout. 

My friend Amanda comes over tonight to help me pack up my kitchen.  Once that is done I think I will feel ready for the movers to come.  This week is going to be a bit hectic as I have a work dinner tomorrow night and book club on Wednesday night so I am glad I got so much done this weekend!  

Life is feeling a little chaotic/overwhelming right now.  Besides moving, I'm also coordinating a volunteer night for run club and then I go to Virginia for that hellaciously long presentation...   So I am going to take a little 2 week break from blogging.  I'll be back at the end of May with photos of my new home!

When was the last time you moved?  This is my 3rd move in 25 months - I am SO SICK OF MOVING (yes, ALL CAPS).  Moving 5 floors is easier than moving 1,000 miles, but it's still so much work.

Road Trip Recap!

I am writing this post from Minnesota!!  Yea!!  It is so good to be home.  We covered 1,187 miles over the course of about 20 hours, passing through 7 states.  Phew.  Amazingly, we never got bored.  We ate most of the snacks I bought, drank about 7 liters of water between the two of us, listened to the audio book I checked out from Cracker Barrel, and listened to my road trip playlist when traffic was too heavy for me to concentrate on a storyline.  And the hours really flew by.  The last 3 hours of the drive were a little stressful as we drove in pouring rain, but besides that it was a stress free trip and I had the best time with my mom!

Here are a couple of photos from our trip. 

Cheersing with our latte/coffee to Charlotte being in my past!

It's always interesting to see what gas stations sell...  I can say I have tried boiled peanuts and eating them once was enough for me...

The views during the first day of the drive were beautiful. I heart the mountains!

Louisville was our stop for the first night of the trip.  I thought their street lamp signs were cute!

We stayed at my brother's on the second night of our trip so I got to see my niece Anna (she can really rock the hat look!) and my nephew Kolin!

I got to see Kolin's recap of our spring break trip that he wrote for school.  I love how he spelled my name (Lesu) and other works like the Smoce Montens (Smoky Mountains).

I got to cuddle on the couch with Kolin at the end of the day.  I told him he is smiling like a muppet in this photo! 

It's so good to be back home.  As we got closer and closer to Minnesota, and the landscape shifted to the rolling farm fields and wooded bluffs, I found myself grinning ear to ear and feeling such a sense of peace.  I am glad I get a little bit of time to settle back in before starting my new job next Tuesday. 

Road Trip Planning: CLT > Louisville > Chicagoland > MINNEAPOLIS

Anyone who knows me well, knows I despise driving.  My extreme dislike of driving is one of the reasons I made the decision to live walking distance from work the last 3 years.  Not having to drive to get around is so liberating for me.  If I wasn't so bad at living far from my family, I'd love to live in a city where I wouldn't need to own a car, like New York.

All that said, I am actually looking forward to the 3-day road trip back to Minnesota.  I opted to fly down here and have my car shipped when I moved to Charlotte because with CFA studying I simply did NOT have time to spend 2-3 days driving.  But this time I have the time and it makes sense to drive back so I'll have access to my car right away and can load it up with enough clothes to last me the 2+ weeks I'll be without my belongings.

Luckily my mom offered to fly down to do the drive back with me which is a huge relief because driving 1,100+ miles alone would have sucked and I might have lost my mind in the process.  She flies in late Friday night and we will hit the road bright and early on Saturday morning. 

The last time I did a multi-day drive like this was when I came back from spending the summer in Steamboat Springs, CO in 2001.  Cross-country drives are not my things but I am bound and determined to make this as fun as 18+ hours in the car can be.  Here are some of the plans I've made to make the drive as fun as possible:

- Perspective.  First off, I am adjusting my perspective on the drive.  Instead of dreading 3 days of driving, I'm looking at it as a special opportunity to have my mom completely to myself.  When you grow up in a family with 5 kids, you do not get one parent to yourself much and certainly not for 3 days straight.  I'm going to savor this.

- Snacks.  We've got bottled water, trail mix, and popcorn and I am sure we will pick up a few things along the way.  It's been WARM down here so I had to pick things that would not melt or be messy in the car (i.e. no chocolate.  Womp womp).

- Tunes.  I ordered an FM transmitter for my car so that we could play music off of my iPhone and I've created a travel playlist with things that appeal to both of us, like The Beatles for my mom and The Civil Wars for me.  By the way, you should have seen the look the Target employee gave me when I asked where their FM transmitters were.  He couldn't believe my car didn't have a USB port.  That's one of the downsides of owning a car that was made in 2003 but oh well.  No car payment > owning a car with a USB port.  Luckily the FM transmitter I ordered off of amazon.com works really well.

- Conversation prompts.  I am sure my mom and I will have a lot to talk about on this drive home between the last year in Charlotte and my move home and such.  But in case we reach a point where neither of us has something interesting to say and she's tired of my music and we don't want to ride in silence, I am bringing along my book "If:  Questions for the Game of Life."  It's chock full of questions that are really interesting and thought provoking like, "If you could eliminate one day from your past so that you had never had to live through it, which day would you erase?" or "If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?"  

- Audio book.   Did you know that you can 'rent' books from Cracker Barrel?  The way it works is that you buy the book there and then you can return it at any Cracker Barrel location and they will just deduct $3.49 for each week you have the book.  If this wasn't a point to point trip, I'd use the library but clearly borrowing an audio book from the Charlotte library is not going to work so this is a good, inexpensive option.

- Maps.  I've got my trusty garmin, aka Ausralian Lee, to talk us through the drive home but I've printed off google maps as a back-up and of course we can use GPS on my phone as well but I want to limit my use of aps on my phone as I don't have unlimited data anymore. 

So there you have it!  Hopefully all of this preparation means we'll have a fun, issue-free trip home.  We'll be stopping in Louisville, KY the first night, my brother's in the Chicago area on the second night, and then on the third day we'll pull into my aunt and uncle's where I'll be living for about 2 weeks.  The first day of the drive is going to be beautiful as we'll drive through the Asheville area and pretty parts of Kentucky.  The next two days will be far less scenic but we have the reward of seeing my brother and his family on the second day and the ultimate reward of COMING HOME TO A CITY I LOVE (yes, ALL CAPS) and seeing my aunt and uncle (aka my St. Paul parents aka my Julia Child aunt and uncle) on the third day.

Do you like taking road trips?  What preparations do you make before a long road trip?  Am I forgetting anything?  Besides the preparations listed above, I also had an extensive tune-up done on my car which including replacing the front brakes (have I mentioned how I am bleeding money lately?).  Oh and I am happy to report that my trunk opens and closes OK despite the damage during during that accide.  Phew, such a relief!

Packing and Purging

While I seems like I am doing a whole lot of gallivanting around, I am also doing some moving related stuff...  When I moved down to Charlotte last spring, I was in the midst of CFA studying which meant I had very little time to really go through my things to prepare for the move.  I did get rid of a lot of duplicate kitchen items and I went through my closet but I did not have time go through my bins of things that I keep under my bed, for instance.

I will not actually be packing myself as my new employer gave me a lump sum relocation package that covers the cost of the moving company packing me.  I considered packing myself but since my belongings will be moved so many times (Charlotte apartment to the moving truck to storage then back into the moving truck and then into my Minneapolis apartment) I figured it was best to have things professionally packed - and insured.

While I am not packing myself, I am going through all of my belongings before my move.  It's actually been fun to go through my things.  When I moved down here, any move-related tasks were so depressing as I did not want to leave Minneapolis but this time around, it's fun and exciting to do move-related tasks and it's been fun to see what I find when going through my things.  Here are some of the random things I've found!

First up, I found a lot of stuff related to the trip to Europe that I took with one of my best friends back in 2004.  I had kept maps and plane tickets and such, thinking I'd make a scrapbook some day. Well, that never happened so I did toss some of that stuff but something I won't be tossing is this list of funny things that we said/did/experienced during the trip.  Brooke kept a page for each city and I laughed a lot reading about our experiences on that trip.  I actually ended up getting really sick on that trip and was on a lot of cold medications so was a bit looney so most of the funny things that were said were said by me...

I also came across a lot of mementos from my first marathon.  I didn't remember keeping a copy of the paper from the day after the race but think it's pretty cool that I did.  I also had the participant and spectator guides, my prayer bracelet that showed who I prayed for during every mile of the race, and my bib and finisher medal.  I am of course keeping all of this!  That first marathon was my slowest and hardest but there is something special about your first marathon!

I also found the care package that my sister sent me before the marathon.  That photo of us is crazy.  I look a little chubby in the photo and Abby's hair is so blond!  It cool to read the letter she wrote me.  I am also keeping this!

But - there were some things I came across where I thought - why in the world did I keep this?  Like this plaque from a pageant I did at age 4.  I actually remember doing this pageant and let me tell you - I was NOT happy to do it.  I think my mom has a picture of me scowling during it.  It was during the centennial of my hometown so they had us dress up in clothes that people would have worn at that time and I did NOT like my outfit.  Ha.  This plaque ended up in the trash.

I also came across notes from friends, cards with my late grandfather's writing in them, and other fun mementos from the past.  I got rid of a garbage bag full of stuff, so definitely purged quite a bit, but there are some things I just couldn't get rid of.

One thing I am not sure what to do with is my CFA notes...

I took well over a thousand pages of mostly illegible notes...  Part of me thinks I should lighten my load and toss them now...  another part thinks I should bring them back to MN and maybe burn them in a bonfire up at my parents' lake home...  decisions, decisions.  

When is the last time you went through your things?  I try to go through my closet 1-2 times a year to find clothes to donate, but I had not gone through my bins that are under my bed in many years!

Dream Come True

So on Friday, I mentioned that in the middle of my hike, I coordinated a big aspect of my move.  That big aspect was finding a condo to rent.  I am over-the-moon happy to announce that I was able to secure a unit in the building I lived in before moving to Charlotte!!!  I'm excited to tell you all about it and will be sprinkling in photos of my neighborhood along the way!

Lower St. Anthony Falls, September 2013

The rental market in Minneapolis is very active right now and the area I was looking to rent is highly sought after so I was really feeling stressed that I wouldn't find an apartment as fast as I was hoping.  Two units from my old building had come on the market as rentals but were snatched up before I had a chance to even talk to the landlord so I was starting to feel like it was unlikely I'd get a unit in that building.  Plus it's an owner-occupied building and the HOA really limits the # of units that can be rented, so I wasn't sure another one would become available... which is why I moved extremely fast when I saw a unit posted on craigslist on Wednesday morning.  When I got in touch with the leasing agent (in the middle of my hike) she had already heard from 4 other people who were very interested so I decided to act fast and ended up signing a lease sight unseen.

First Avenue Bridge, September 2013

Obviously renting an apartment having never seen it is not optimal, but it's the way it had to go.  I know the building so well so I felt comfortable renting it without seeing it.  Plus they are replacing all of the carpet and painting it before I move in so I know that I won't have any issues cosmetically.  Luckily a former coworker's daughter lives in the building so she went to see it on Thursday night and gave it two thumbs up and the leasing agent sent me a bunch of photos after showing it to her so I feel great about my decision to rent it.

Stone Arch Bride, September 2013

The funny thing is that the unit is actually on the same floor as my last unit, except this time I will have a river view which I am SUPER excited about.  I can't even tell you how excited I am to return to my old neighborhood.  I may be biased but I think it is one of the most beautiful areas of Minneapolis, and these photos sprinkled throughout this post that I took while walking through this neighborhood in September are proof of that!

Hennepin Avenue bridge with a view of the downtown skyline, September 2013.  My building is the brown one that is sort of the second from the left.

The last couple of weeks feel like a dream come true.  I've found way back to Minneapolis.  I'm excited about my new job.  I found an apartment I know I will love.  After having a string of shitty things happen to me in 2013, it's amazing to have a string of wonderful things happening to me in 2014. For the first time in a very long time, I can utter the words life is good.

It's finally starting to sink in that I am actually coming home!!!I'm closing out this post with the photo the leasing agent sent me of the view from my balcony!  I'm so in love with my new home!

MY VIEW FROM MY NEW HOME, April 2014

Checking In...

Greetings and Happy Wednesday, everyone.  I made it to Charlotte in one piece.  As expected, the goodbyes were really tough and I spent much of Sunday in tears...  But I am here and trying to embrace the April quote from my Erin Condren planner:

However - I am giving myself this week off from 'bloom where you are planted' because I think it's kind of impossible to be happy/optimistic in the midst of unpacking.

There have been some positive things since I arrived.  First off, the weather is beautiful!  The sun is shining and the temperatures are in the 70-80 degree range.  Meanwhile, there is a snow storm that is hitting Minneapolis and may drop 8+" of snow.  So I would definitely rather have this weather.  Secondly, a co-worker took me Target on Monday so I could buy some things that I couldn't pack in my suitcase, like a pillow.  Oh and by the way, I think it is awesome that Target sells wine.  Yes, this is making my list of positives.  Target is not allowed to sell alcohol in the states of Minnesota and North Dakota (and in other areas of the country I believe). Now I am not a big drinker at all, but I do enjoy the occasional glass of wine, so a box of wine may have made it in my cart.  Yes, I realize drinking boxed wine is super classy, but it's practical for a person like me that tends to just want one small glass.

There have been some not so positive things since I arrived, mostly related to moving in.  It went smoothly and the moving company was great to work with (side note:  I have never been called ma'am so many times in my life).  BUT - I totally underestimated how much I needed to downsize for this move.  I really thought I had gotten rid of enough stuff as I took several loads to goodwill and a car full of things to my parents.  Ha.  I did not even come close to downsizing enough.  I am bursting at the seams.  The lack of closet space is my biggest challenge as I only have one small closet in my bedroom that barely fits the clothes I own.  So yah.  Round 2 of downsizing will be happening. 

So that's where I am at right now.  I don't know that I have ever been so busy or overwhelmed.  Moving in the midst of CFA season is HORRID.  I'm so stressed from that as the review process is not going very well this year and I am not happy with how I am doing on my practice assessments.  And I'm stressed from the disaster that is my apartment.  I am hoping the moving company can return this weekend to pick up the boxes because that will really help reduce the look of clutter that makes me tweak out. 

I have a fairly quiet weekend ahead of me, so I am hoping to get lots of CFA studying done and some purging done.  And I am crossing my fingers that my car arrives soon so I can do another goodwill drop.

I hope you all have a great rest of the week.  Besides a guest post on Friday, I will probably be quiet around these parts for the next week or so as I try to get settled in.  When my place no longer looks like a total and complete disaster, I will share pictures. 

Thanks for the Memories

Well, the packing and removal of my belongings is complete, and it went very smoothly.  I don't really think I can find the words to do justice to the feelings I felt as I sat there and watched the movers box up my belongings and cart them away.  I am not going to sugar coat this experience.  At the end of the day as I walked around my empty apartment that I loved through-and-through, I felt as empty as it looked...  I knew it would be a hard day, but it was actually harder than I thought it would be.  But so it goes.

It is hard to believe my last weekend in Minneapolis has come.  For the most part this weekend came really fast - too fast, actually.  But in some ways, the last three months since I found out about this move has felt like one long goodbye.  I have tried to live in the moment as much as possible and have been fairly successful at doing this, but in the back of my mind, I was often thinking things like 'this is the last time I will do this,' 'this is the last time I will see this person before my move' etc etc.  I am really really sad to leave, but in some ways, I am ready for the move to be behind me as I am sort of tired of living in limbo.  I feel like I've metaphorically had one foot in Minneapolis and one foot in Charlotte for the past couple of months, so I am ready to have my feet firmly planted in one place.  Plus I am ready for the clock on my one year commitment to Charlotte to start ticking.

So much has happened in the last 10 years I've spent in Minneapolis.  I learned how to live on my own.  I had my heart broken and mended.  I got my MBA.  I started blogging and met this whole community of amazing people.  I became an aunt - 6 times!  I watched dear friends marry their soul mates.  I watched my sister marry her soul mate.  I became a faux-aunt to the children of friends.  I trained and ran my first marathon - and then two more.  I said goodbye to friends who moved onto new cities.  I met new friends.  I discovered my love for Paris and all things French.  I shared that love of France by starting the tradition of Julia Child Night with my aunt.  I passed the first two levels of the CFA. I bought a condo.  I became a landlord.  I figured out that I really am a city mouse.  I joined a running club and met a whole bunch of friends through that.  I tried different jobs and found the career path that was meant for me.  I figured out who I really am and what I value in a lifestyle.

The last 10 years had their fair share of difficult times.  But looking back, the good far outweighs the bad.  All of these experiences and memories have made me who I am today.  They are tucked away in my heart and I will carry them along on this journey I am taking.  10 years ago, I could not fathom moving across the country.  And certainly not alone.  But these things I will do.

On Sunday I will board my one-way flight to Charlotte.  There will undoubtedly be many tears shed, and while it's been a long goodbye, I really know in my heart that it's more of a 'see you later'.  It's a one way ticket, but I think of it more as an open-ended ticket.  I firmly believe there will be a return flight some day.  I don't know when and I don't really know where (Minneapolis?  Chicago?).  But, barring the highly unlikely scenario of me falling in love with the south, I feel confident that I will find my way back to the Midwest.

I know I have tough times ahead of me as I begin to adjust to my new home, but I also believe that, similar to the photo below, the clouds will part and the sun will shine through.  And, eventually, I will be ok.

See you later, Minnesota.  Thanks for the memories.

Practicing an Attitude of Gratitude

A couple of weeks ago on my day off from work, I met up with a good friend for lunch.  I had lunch with her shortly after I found out about my move, but we hadn't had a chance to meet up since, so we had lots to catch up on.  I think I held it together last time I saw her as the news of my move was so new and I was still working through my emotions.  Well, at this lunch, the reality of the move had started to set in and I was a bit of a total crying mess. Luckily this friend is a fellow crier so she didn't pass any judgment over the fact that I pretty much cried through our entire lunch - and luckily I was facing the wall of the restaurant so I had some privacy.

Nearly 10 weeks after finding out about this move, I continue to really struggle with it.  Maybe it's the fact that it's being forced on me (yes, I could have said no, but I really couldn't for financial reason).  Maybe it's the fact that I have no control over the timing.  Maybe it's the fact that I am already stressed to the max January-June due to CFA studying and just can't really handle another major life event.  Maybe it is the sum of all of these things.  Whatever the reason -no matter how many times I try to tell myself that it will all work out, that it will be ok, and that this next year won't be a dark phase of my life, I am just really struggling to believe it.

So after my friend listened to my litany of complaints about all the things happening related to the move, she gently recommended that I consider starting a gratitude journal.  She explained how she had kept a gratitude journal during a challenging time in her life and thought I might benefit from it as well.

And she is completely right.  I had received a couple of journals for my birthday, so I decided to make one of them a gratitude journal.

So each night, usually after I finish studying, I think back on the day and come up with 3 moments/things that I am grateful for.   I know that eventually this dark cloud that has been hanging over me will part and I will find it easier to focus on the good things in life - but for right now, it's a conscious exercise to focus on the good.  I am hoping that by focusing on the good things in life, it will help me move past the feelings of anger and resentment that I have been harboring lately.

I don't expect this gratitude journal to make a difference over night.  But hopefully with time, it will help me shift my attitude and become a little more of a "Tigger" and a little less of an "Eyore," as my former boss so succinctly put it in the card he gave me at my going away party.

Have you ever kept a gratitude journal?  Are you good about practicing an attitude of gratitude?  With the exception of difficult times in my life, I feel like I am pretty good at focusing on the positive in life.

It Was the Best of Times

Today marks the start of my final three weeks in Minneapolis.  It's hard to believe that just over 2 months ago, I found out about my relocation and now I am just weeks away from making the actual move...  I'm losing a couple of days this week due to a trip to Charlotte and then will be out of town for about a day for Easter, so it feels like I have even less time.  My calendar is filling up with lunches and I'm trying to see friends one last time before my move without making my schedule too intense.  All of this would be so much easier if I didn't have to find 18 hours a week to study for the CFA, but so it goes.

I did have a great opportunity to see a lot of friends and family this weekend, though, as my friends threw a going away party for me on Saturday night.  The wife of my previous boss was really good about taking pictures of everyone throughout the night so I can't wait to get those pictures from her!  In total, about 30 people came to the party and while I didn't get to spend as much time with each guest as I would have liked, it was still really awesome to have so many people in one place at the same time.

My friends surprised me with a "Minnesota Memories" scrapbook which I will be adding to when I get the photos from the party and they also gave each attendee a note card with an addressed envelope with my new mailing address so I will likely be getting quite a few notes in the mail after my move which will really brighten my day!  Additionally, I also received a 3-month "macaroon of the month" subscription! Clearly my friends know me well!

I am proud to say that I set aside the tears and sadness for a night and just soaked up the time with family and friends.  It really was the best of times and it was a good reminder of the many friendship my life has been blessed with over the last 10 years I've lived in Minneapolis.  The reprieve from those feelings of sadness was short-lived as the sadness returned yesterday as the finality of this move started to sink in a bit more, which I suppose is to be expected.

I hope to see some of these friends again before my move, but if that doesn't happen, at least I will have the memories of that evening to reflect back on over the months to come as I start this new chapter of my life in Charlotte.

On Downsizing

Well we are back from our apartment hunting trip to Charlotte.  The word that sums up my apartment hunting experience is downsizing. I knew going into this weekend that I would likely have to rent a smaller space as rent is really high in the area close to Charlotte's Uptown (even though this city is allegedly supposed to have a lower cost of living). So I am losing about 450 square feet so that my rent can decrease to a level that will allow me to save money for plane tickets home. From a net perspective I am actually not saving all that much because of the difference in the utilities I have to pay in Charlotte. But I am saving as much as I can while still living in a place I can be ok with calling home.

My head has been spinning since Saturday as I try to figure out how to get my possession to fit into my new space. Here are some things I am doing to prepare for my move to a smaller space:

- See you later, piano. Considering the fact that I am struggling to fit some small bookshelves in my new home, it was out of the question to try to bring my piano. Luckily my former boss is going to keep it for me while I am gone. He wants his kids to take lessons so it works well for them to take it off my hands. Plus I know they will take good care of it.

- Adios furniture. I put a loveseat and over-sized chair on Craigslist as they most definitely won't fit in the new place. Fingers crossed someone buys them so I can get that aspect of the move over with.

- Bah humbug. My Christmas decorations won't be making the move either. I got spoiled by having storage units the last 8 years that I have lived in privately owned condo buildings. Commercially owned buildings will only provide storage for a fee, and I don't think it's worth it for me to pay a fee just so I can have access to my Christmas tree (my tree/decorations wouldn't fit in the storage available in the unit). Plus I am not sure a tree would even fit in my apt. I know I will be coming home for Christmas so I will just soak up the Christmas decorations at my parents lake home.

- Climate considerations. I'm looking hard at my wardrobe and boxing up things to store at my parents. I'm asking myself: do I need 4 winter coats in this warmer climate? No. Do I need snowpants? Not a chance. Snow boots? Nope. I know it will get into the 20-30s so I will bring some coats but I don't need a closet full of winter coats in North Carolina.

But my 6 bookshelves? Those are coming with me. I have to draw the line somewhere! Fingers crossed they fit. If they don't I guess I will just sell them when I arrive in Charlotte.

So there you have it.  Sorry this isn't a 'I fell in love with Charlotte post.' I really was hoping to come back feeling better about this move, but such is life. It's a step forward for my career and I am sure I will find things I like about my new neighborhood once I settle in.

On a positive note, I did have a really good time with my mom and it was fun showing her the trading floor where I will work. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming so I think she feels better knowing I will work with some nice people. And in general, the people in Charlotte were extremely friendly. Way friendlier than people you would encounter in the Midwest honestly. So Charlotte has that going for it.

 At the end of the day, I am reminding myself that it's only a year and I can come back at the end of that year (assuming I find a job) if I am totally miserable.

Have you ever moved to a place that required you to significantly downsize?

Weekend Warrior

Happy Monday!  For those of you who were hit hard by a snow storm, I hope you are digging out!  It was crazy to see how much snow the Northeast got over the weekend.  I am SO glad that was not me as I am really over snow.  Luckily we just maybe got 4" yesterday?

I had a super productive, yet fun weekend.  On the productive side, I filed my taxes, studied for 11 hours, got caught up on ironing, ran 6 chilly miles outdoors, assembled and froze the lasagna that I'll make for my dinner party next weekend, and cleaned out/purged 2 closets!  On the fun side, I went out to dinner with a couple I hadn't seen in about a year, had fun at a game night at Phil's where I learned how to play a new game (Catan, it's a favorite game in his group of friends), caught up with Mandy on the phone, and ended the weekend with a video knitting night chat with Becky and Kyla!

Oy vey.  I almost get tired just typing that all out...  It was a fun, full weekend, but I can't say I felt all that relaxed and refreshed at the end.  Instead I feel sort of exhausted and spread thin as I moved from one thing to the next with very little downtime.  But I think I just have to accept that this is how life will be until after the move... or until after the CFA exam in June most likely.  I struggled with feeling overwhelmed and spread thin last year when studying for level II and those feelings are exacerbated this year since I now have to fit in pre-moving tasks and trying to see as many family and friends as I possibly can before I move in early April.

So in the mean time, I am trying to find time each day and each weekend to do something for myself, whether that is going for a run or spending an hour reading.  And I am reminding myself that this is a temporary phase and that life will return to normal soon (well, at least a new normal as I'll be in Charlotte when things slow down eventually).

I am also trying to not put too much pressure on myself to SEE EVERYONE and DO EVERYTHING I think I should before moving.  I have a limited amount of free time and I want to spend a significant amount of that free time with Phil before moving, which might mean saying no to some dinners or happy hours that I'd like to say yes to... 

What do you do when you start to feel overwhelmed?  Are you good at making time for yourself during the busiest seasons of your life?

Virtual Friday Coffee Date

Both Amber and Kelly did this lately (post idea via Jenna's blog), and I thought it was a fun way to catch up on what is new in their life, so I thought I'd play along! 

If we were having coffee this morning...

... I'd tell you that I feel really blessed to have so many people in my life that made me feel so special and loved on my birthday.  The number of emails, cards, texts, tweets, and facebook messages, as well as in person birthday celebration with Phil, friends, and family really made my day.

... I'd tell you that it's been a month since I found out about my relocation and that I am certain I have cried more tears in the last 30 days than I have in my any other month of my life, and that I wish that a) I wasn't a crier and b) tears were something that had an on/off switch as I have cried at some rather inopportune moments.

... I'd tell you that I am trying to fight the feelings of sadness by creating a virtual inspiration board with pictures of the things I want to do and the places I want to visit to help spark some positivity and excitement about the move!

... I'd shift from these heavier move-related topics and tell you I am looking forward to celebrating Valentine's Day with Phil next week, hosting a dinner party next Saturday, and spending a day with my nephews next Sunday!

... I'd tell you that I am really excited to register and start planning my trip to Chicago for the marathon!  I'll be running it with Amber, Anais, and Lauren, and Kelly will come spectate! And Nilsa lives there!  So there is lots to look forward to for that trip!  I may or may not already have my long runs scheduled in my planner.  ;)

Your turn!  If we were having coffee this morning, what would you tell me?

The Good Life

I'm giving you a bonus song to listen to as you read this post!  It's One Republic's newest hit, Good Life.  And it's totally the song of my summer!  I actually listen to it as I walk into work each day as it has such a peppy beat that I love!

Oh, this has gotta be the good life

This has gotta be the good life

This could really be the good life, good life

I say "oh, got this feeling that you can't fight"

Like this city is on fire tonight

This could really be the good life, a good, good life

I moved just over 2 weeks and I can honestly say it has been life changing.  It's more than the fact that I step out my door and have access to miles of beautiful running and biking trails.  It's more than trading in a long commute for a 20 minute walk.  It's more than having access to barbeque grills.  It's more than the fact that I can walk to a grocery store, farmer's market, restaruants, or church. 

It's the fact that for the first time in a very, very long time, I live in a neighborhood that is so "me". 

I'm surrounded by such beauty, so each walk in my neighborhood is a beautiful walk.  I live on the Mississippi, right by the St. Anthony Falls, which are breathtakingly beautiful.  When I talk walks in my neighborhood, I sometimes think - "Do I really live here?" 

Besides Paris, I have never been so enchanted by a neighborhood.

When you're happy like a fool

let it take you over

when everything is out

you gotta take it in

Hopelessly

I'm taking a mental of you now

'cause hopelessly

The hope is we have so much to feel good about

I worked really hard and went through some not-so-great times in the last couple of years to get to the place I am today - both literally and figuratively.  I am just oh so happy that things have really come together this year and that I have found a neighborhood where I feel I belong.

My words can't do it do it justice, though, so I will share a few pics.  I am sure I will be sharing more photos in the weeks to come, but this at least gives you an idea of why I have fallen head-over-heels in love with my neighborhood!

Standing by the Mighty Mississippi with my building behind me (it's the brown building to the left of me).  Please excuse the ridiculously low cut dress.  I usually wear it as a swimsuit cover up but it has been so hot/humid lately, I had to wear something some cool and comfortable.

Looking at the St. Anthony falls as I crossed the Stone Arch Bridge

The St. Anthony Falls with the Stone Arch Bridge in the background

I can't wait to show my place to others, especially my parents and siblings.  I have been so unhappy in my suburban condo for so long, it feel so good to say that I once again love where I live!

What is your favorite part about the area where you live?

Moved!

 Sunrise, there's a fire in the sky

Never been so happy

Never felt so high

And I think I might have found me my own kind of paradise

~ Lyrics from Knee Deep by Zac Brown Band

Greetings!  So the move is behind me and I now live in what I consider paradise!  :)

Many have asked if the move went smoothly.  I wouldn't exactly use those words.

I could tell you a story about how the management company agent (intermediary between the owner and I) forgot that we were meeting Friday morning and was thus very late.

I could tell you a story about my not-so-great experience with the moving company that I hired.  Specifically, I could tell a long story about how we arrived downtown at 4:40, which was a huge problem as they only allow you to move in until 5 pm.  There may have been tears.  And panicked, tearful "what am I going to do" phone calls to my parents and Becky, who is a moving expert as she worked for a moving company in college.  Luckily my tears softened the building manager and they allowed me to move in past the 5 pm deadline.  Let me be clear - I did not cry to induce this softening - I truly was at a loss as to what I was going to do since the moving elevator was booked all weekend...  I'm not the 'I will cry so I get my way' type...

But you know what - I am moved in and my tenant is moved in and at the end of the day, that is all that matters.  Can I tell you how excited I was when I discovered that Chipotle was still open at 9:45 when I was heading home from meeting my tenant?  I hadn't ate for about 10+ hours so was famished.  I almost wanted to hug the Chipotle employee. 

So now for some photos! 

Out with the old!

The beginning of the day on Friday...

The end of the day.  It was a bittersweet moment to sit on the floor of my empty condo while I waited for my tenant to arrive.  I do not love this condo, but it will always be my first home, and that makes it special.

In with the new!

First things first, this is the view from my patio!!  I heart this view - especially at night! 

The kitchen!  I have way more counter space (which are granite, be still my heart) and I have a pantry!

The living/dining room area needs a lot of work - and more furniture, but at least this gives you an idea of what it looks like.  I already bought flowers - at the farmer's market that I walked to!  The other flowers are from a friend that I had over for dinner.  Yep, I have already entertained dinner guest!

The living/dining room from a different point of view.

My bedroom - which is rather large!  There is a read nook on the left (which I love!!)



Here's a better picture of the reading nook.  Besides the patio, this is my favorite area of the house.  My friend Brooke arranged it for me and she did an amazing job!  I think I will be spending a lot of time in this cozy little nook!



So there you have it!  Words can not express how in love I am with my new home.  As I said to Mandy on Saturday night - I love my neighborhood so much, I want to marry it.  Besides Paris, I have never loved an area as much as I love the Mill City District of  Minneapolis!!   In the weeks to come, I'll be sharing pictures of my new neighborhood!

Oh and get this - the new church I'll be attending is Our Lady of Lourdes, which is also referred to as the French Catholic Church of Minneapolis!   

How was your weekend?  I hope my Canadian readers had a great Canada Day & that my American readers had a great 4th of July!  I am doing a lot of 'mark all as read' as I won't have internet access until the end of the week, so reading/commenting on blogs will be tough.