Chi-Town. It's Really Happening.

.  Gosh, can you believe it?!  Because Robbie and I are both still in a tornado of craziness, so I don't really think we've had enough time to even process this life-altering occurrence.  But busy or not, we're ecstatic for the move to Chicago and can't wait to see what this grand city has in store for us.

But let's back it up a bit and give you another update on what's been going on with our move.

Over the July 4th weekend, Robbie and I flew up to Chicago to search for a place to live.  We knew we wanted to be downtown but as for the area, not quite sure.  All we knew for sure was that the area had to be dog friendly [or as dog friendly as you can get in the city].  We also decided that we would rent for a year or so before diving into a long term purchase.  If you haven't read my previous posts, this turn around has been quick to say the very least, so we're trying to be smart about this and not rush into anything.  Proud of us?

In front of my new work building!

Our weekend started out chaotic and hair-pulling stressful a bit stressful but like champs, Robbie and I got it together.  After realizing that our supposed "realtor" ditched out on us Friday morning and therefore we wouldn't be seeing any places, Robbie and I conjured up a plan of renting Divvy bikes and literally biked around all of Chicago!  Along the way, we pointed out buildings we liked, Googled addresses, and called more leasing agents than I care to attempt to count.  Fortunately we were able to set up two viewings that day, both places very nice but so completely different.

At the end of the day, we were frustrated, tired, starving, and couldn't have gone back and forth on our options any more than we did.  I'll be honest, it was tad deflating.  But in all optimism, we had one more day in Chicago and an appointment set up with the Apartment People.  They were our only hope.

I'll be honest [yet again], we had about 0-1% hope of finding anything with this company.  For whatever reason [maybe the fact that the previous realtor went MIA], we were too skeptical but went in with a glimmer of hope.

The agent assigned to us, Bobby, was what you would expect from a Chicago-an realtor.  A bit loud, a bit aggressive, but he did seem genuine in finding us a place we would love.  We went through our criteria of what we needed in a place, searched through our limited options [due to the whole dog thing], and Bobby set up three viewings for us.  He was bummed that there wasn't much out there for us, but I think he tried to not let on to that point too much.

But the good Lord was with us that day and the first place we visited ended up being our dream apartment.  And we knew it the second we stepped into the keyless elevator.

Our new home!

500 Lake Shore Drive Apartments in Streeterville is a brand new building [it just opened up 9 weeks ago] in the heart of the hoppin' Chicago scenery with Navy Pier [literally] across the street, shopping [shopping, shopping] all but a couple of blocks away, and too many places for you to eat.  I could describe our apartment in detail but it would never do it justice.  The view, the aesthetics, and the ammenities are all things you must see in person to really appreciate.  But I will tell you that the kitchen is gorgeous, the entire place has hardwood floors, our view is quite beautiful, and best of all?  Beyond dog friendly building.  So you can bet that our children pups will be pampered to the nines.  Lucky devils.

  So whether we're ready or not, Robbie is taking me up to Chicago TODAY for our move-in to the new place tomorrow morning.  I don't start my job until July 22, so fortunately we'll have most of the week to get things settled as much as we can before he heads back for a bachelor party weekend in the Ozarks.

Our Penske truck is locked and loaded, so wish us luck on our long drive!  Love you guys!