We’re at about 2 hours to go before our departure from Chicago. Can’t believe it — we’ve lived here for nearly a decade. What started out as a crazy idea 20 months ago is now happening. We get to live in a van! It’s all come together … we sold our condo, saved some funds, sold our boat, got rid of everything we could, put the rest of our stuff [...]
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We can’t keep this pace up. Since Saturday, we’ve been enjoying our last dinners in Chicago. My goodness. Saturday, we had our last* dinner with our friends Mark and Kathi. It was our last gelato-themed dinner with Gelato Vero. It was our last dinner at Kathi’s coach house (they’re moving). But it wasn’t our last dinner with our good friends. Then Sunday, we were in the mood for Thai. We [...]
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Some journeys start at the bottom — you play tee ball growing up, then graduate to baseball, maybe playing in college, then the minors before finally going pro and hitting the majors. Other times you start at the top. You hit your high-note early and spend the rest of your life chasing that early peak. This is one of those. We’re starting at the top, and we’ll work our way [...]
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Sure, Rahm’s got the big gig, but I’m gunning to be mayor of the Black Rock Pub on Foursquare. We’ll see. Probably need to go there tomorrow. And maybe the next day too. And if I could just stop quick today … Then I’ll extend my reign to the Tavern in the Adirondacks and the Rough Rider Saloon in the Grand Canyon. There will be no stopping my power!!!1! photo credit: [...]
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We leave October 1st. We can’t wait. First we say goodbye to Chicago and head to Wisconsin for the weekend to see our nephew. Then it’s off to Binghamton, New York for Lisa’s brother’s wedding. Then back to Wisconsin for my cousin’s wedding. It’s a lot of criss-crossing, but it’s going to be great — we’ll be free. After that, we’re taking the long way to Bourbon country — first [...]
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I’m going to Black Rock Pub every night after work this week. Always wanted to have a bar to stop at on the way home. Now I have one. And I have an ulterior motive: Goose Island Green Line. It’s my favorite beer and you can only get it on draft and in Chicago. Sure, they didn’t have any tonight, but I’ve got high hopes for tomorrow — just in [...]
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The last big domino just fell: the van. We bought one. We’ll introduce you shortly. We can now leave Chicago. The preparations feel nearly constant. We had to take a break this weekend after wrapping up the van sale and just sit on a couch and relax for a bit. Moving continuously, winding down our jobs, selling our condo, buying a car, purchasing auto insurance, finding a car loan, web [...]
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This morning we woke up in Roscoe Village. Tonight we’re in Lincoln Square with Roscoe the cat. He’ll probably sleep under the bed. That’s where he’s been all night. He’s not a fan of us invading his space. Neither is Cookie. She’s barely left the bedroom. Not sure how this is going to work, but we’re cat sitting while my brother is in China and we need a place to [...]
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And just like that … we’re homeless. It’s wonderful. Boy, real estate ownership isn’t exactly a cakewalk. We learned some important, expensive lessons. photo credit: cdsessums | You can’t leave. Your home needs to appreciate by (at least) 10% for you to break even Yep, 10% — maybe closer to 8% in some cases. And by “break even” I mean get the money you put in when buying your home [...]
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It’s here: closing day. Our muscles are tired, our storage closet is full, our wonderful friends are letting us crash at their place. Life is good right now, and it’s going to get better in a few hours. More to come later. It’s tough to keep a blog up-to-date while working a full-time job and packing and moving boxes every evening. Phew. That part’s over. Thank goodness. If everything goes [...]
Read moreWe sold, donated, and stored our possessions; quit our jobs; bought a van; and are driving around North America. We'll wander around, see what's happening, and write about it here.
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