Hurry up and wait!

I feel like we've been doing a lot of this "hurry up and wait" thing lately. Most recently, we were in the hospital waiting for my sweet little nephew to be born! And wait we did! Cher's labor was 22 agonizing hours long! She said every minute was worth it when she gave birth to precious little Allen on leap day. He was born at 9:54pm on February 29, 2012. He weighed 7lbs 10oz and he is just as perfect as babies can get. Both mom and baby are doing well, and I have been absolutely loving on him since he got here! Gotta get those kisses and cuddles in before we move!

Here is a photo of the sweet lil man!

On the very same day, in the very same hospital, we were waiting for Will's dad to have surgery for his kidney stones. Any type of surgery makes me nervous, especially those that involve general anesthesia! Thankfully, the surgery went well, and he is feeling so much relief.

Now we're doing the "hurry up and wait" as we wait to hear back from our potential landlord. On Friday, Will, Ellie, and I drove to Chicago to drop off Will's clinical paperwork and to drop off our application for the condo on that we absolutely love.

I don't think I blogged about it before, but it is definitely the place for us! Both of our jaws dropped when we saw this place which was a great sign, because Will had been a little hesitant at all of the other places we saw. Not here. He was loving it just as much as I was.

We had no idea we could afford a view like this! It is quite literally right on Lake Michigan in a gorgeous old building that was a swanky resort back in the 1920s and 30s. It's 900 square feet of space on the 11th floor with closets galore, and stunning views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline. The building also has a great laundry room, a bike room, and it feels very secure, as in you have to be buzzed into the building. It has a really friendly doorman too, which makes me feel a little spoiled! It doesn't have a gym, but the lake paths are steps from the front door, so I'll have to deal.

The gentleman that showed us the place said you can watch the fireworks at Navy Pier from the living room! How awesome is that?  We love it so much because it's so spacious, and it offers so many of the amenities that we were looking for, as well as breathtaking views, but without the cookie cutter, boring look of the new high rises.

We are supposed to hear back on our application by the middle of the week. So we're crossing our fingers that we get a big yes! If so, we move next Saturday! That's 6 days from now.

Until then...I am going be packing, doing homework, and spoiling my sweet little new nephew!

Scurrrrrrrrrrred!

If you read my last post, you probably gathered that I am both excited and nervous about the move we'll be making in 2.5 months. If you read even further back, you read about the things that irk me about moving to Chicago/Chicago in general. Today's post topic  = things I am afraid of. I'm not talking about spiders or drowning or 80s hairstyles, even though all those things legitimately do scare the shit out of me.

I am talking about fears that I have that somehow involve Chicago/moving into a big city. I want you all to know that while all of these may not be rational fears, they are fears nonetheless.

So, without further ado:

1. Getting lost. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am probably the most directionally challenged person on the face of the planet. I don't know road names. I am okay at best with landmarks. I am pretty sure I am going to be wandering around like an idiot when we first arrive in Chicago. I mean, I will definitely walk with purpose, but I am sure I will be walking in circles, because I will have no idea where the eff I am.

Will says I need a handheld GPS. And he's totally not joking.

*sigh* I am hoping that I will be able to figure things out within a decent amount of time after the move. I have already been studying the cta maps online. No joke.

It could be very dangerous getting lost in the wrong neighborhood. 

2. Not being able to make friends. I think I am a likable enough person. I have a handful of really close friends, and I have many acquaintances. My husband must like me; he married me after all. My cat likes me, occasionally. I just have this extreme fear that when we get into the city I won't be able to make friends. I can be really, really shy around people I don't know very well, and sometimes people mistake that shyness for bitchiness/creepiness.

Seriously. How do you approach people without looking like a total creeper? "Hi! I am new to the area and don't really know anyone. I have a husband, and a cat. I like food, baseball and consignment shops.Wanna be my friend?!"

*sigh* Creepy.

And how do you know WHO to try to be friends with in a city? How do you know you're not trying to cozy up with a murderer or rapist?

*le siiiiiiiiiiigh*

I am hoping that my new job will allow me to make some new friends in the city.

Speaking of jobs, that leads me to my next fear...

3. I won't be able to find a job in Chicago. I desperately hope that this is not true, my friends.

I know I complain about my current job. Well, I guess I haven't complained on this blog yet, but just ask Will. He will tell you that while I seriously try not to, in light of the current state of our economy, I often complain about my j-o-b. However, I have been working at the clinic for over 5 years. Come to think of it, I have worked steadily since I was 16 years old. I've always held a job.

That's more than a decade of gainful employment, folks. All that is going to come to a screeching halt when I hand in my resignation in about 6 weeks. I'm gonna say "so long "to a job I've held for more than 5 years. It's going to be weird.

While I know I'm not passionate about what I do, and I CERTAINLY CANNOT see myself doing it long term (hence the reason I am back in college),  it really is an okay job. It pays my bills. It allows me to purchase groceries, and pay for insurance; things of that nature. It has provided the means for me to take some freaking amazing vacations over the past few years. Even though I don't like my job, I am thankful for it. There are so many people who aren't able to provide for their families, and when I leave this job, I am afraid I might become one of them.

4. Starving to death. Okay, now I've said it. Luckily for Will and myself, this is a stupid, irrational fear. My parents, my siblings and my father in law would *never* let us starve to death, but you know, it goes along with my fear of not being able to find a job/pay bills/etc.

5. Being extremely overwhelmed. I am afraid I will be overwhelmed with the hustle and bustle of city life. I'm afraid I will not be able to adjust to the super fast lifestyle. I'm afraid I might look like a deer in the headlights when I see all that the city has to offer.

I've always thought it would be a wonderful experience to live in a big city for a few years while I'm young and have few responsibilities. Lucky me, I am getting the chance to give it a go! At the same time, I've always felt that city living is not a viable long term situation for me. Maybe I will change my mind. Who knows? I just hope I don't have a massive stroke from trying to handle the pace of city life.

6. Dealing with White Sox fans. This will surely be made worse by the fact that I will be a Cubs fan living on the South side. Nuff said.