Where Am I?

Wow, where have I been? I almost forgot I had a blog. Seriously. It wasn't until this week, when I was introduced to what has to be the most hilarious, laugh till you cry and you almost pee your pants blog. That good. I had to comment. And I had to sign in. Oh wow, look at that. That's right. I have a blog.

So, where have I been? Well, to start out from where my last blog left off, we moved to Chicago. That was spring 2010. For the next four agonizing months, as we settled into the city and our new condo, I was looking for a job. Almost to the point of ANY job! I was contemplating retail again (I hate malls, department stores, etc.)!

In August, I started a new job that would eventually try to kill me, if not just steal my soul. I need a bath after thinking about it.

In October, we went on vacation. In Amsterdam! Van Gogh! Anne Frank! Canals! Ruptured appendix! So Amsterdam was followed by a nice little (8 day) hospital stay that included no appendectomy (yep - still got it), an NG tube, two IVs and a drainage port coming out of my butt cheek.

November and December I regained my health and we visited family back in Oklahoma for Christmas. Nice trip, but this also proved to us that 2.5 hours in a plane and 3 nights in a hotel just aren't worth it for Christmas. Our next trip home will not involve the chaos of a holiday.

In January, I started looking for a new job and actually applied for a job with the same company that my husband works for. Happy ending.

We met back up with the family in March for a week of skiing - I failed miserably at snowboarding during our last venture to the mountains and I must say, I LOVE SKIING! Now, I'm not great, but I love it. Love the mountains! My sister's boyfriend proposed to her on the mountain (yay!). Wonderful trip, the way family trips should be (for the most part).

I started my new job in May (working at the same company as John, but five floors apart). I love it, but I still have to remind myself that there is a world outside of non-profit (what - that's just crazy!).

We put our condo on the market in August and sold it exactly one month later (same as the house in Tulsa). Yes, we were very lucky, especially with the housing market still on the downside. We loved the place, but decided we wanted to make ourselves more mobile in the event that we decide to try another city (Denver is on the horizon).

So we're now living in a high rise near Michigan Ave. and have a sliver of a view of Lake Michigan. We sold our car, which I thought I would never do, but after we totaled up car payments, insurance, gas, and parking, we could save a ton of money. Besides, we walk for take the CTA almost everywhere and why waste that much money on a car that we drive maybe once per week?


Zipcar! So most major cities now have Zipcar, or some similar car - sharing service. It's amazing! I highly recommend everyone sell their car (unless you're in Tulsa where public transportation and pedestrian right-of-way are non-existant) and sign up for something like Zipcar. You pay $7 per hour that use the car, which is perfect if you typically use your car for grocery store or other shopping errands.

Where is the money going now? Travel! We are heading back to Keystone to spend the week with my sister, who recently moved to Denver with her fiance. We are planning a trip to Ireland in March or April, and then bachelor/bachelorette trip to Vegas this summer. Maybe throw in a trip in May for a graduation to see some of my favorite cheerleaders graduate - I really do miss those wonderful girls!

Still no kids, but that leads me to a direction for my blog, but I'm still brainstorming the best approach. We don't have kids for two reasons. One is health, the other is choice. Not everyone is OK with our choice to not reproduce. And we do have a few friends who have also made this choice and are also met with the same shock when proclaiming that they won't have kids (at least one couple is near giving in to the pressure). So moms have a ton of support from each other, but what about those that make the choice to not have kids, or can't? I need to find that voice and work on it. It can be a touchy subject. But it can also be hilarious (as in "You have to take that home with you, while I get to go home in peace and enjoy my evening").