Our move to the Chicago land area comes at a very appropriate time. Out with the old and in with the new, as some people like to say about the New Year.
During the waning days of 2009, we shed ourselves of burdens old and embarked on yet a new adventure with a little lighter debt load. It had been a hard three years, culminating with the sale of our home in Vancouver, WA and starting over in a new city in a home we are renting. It is like going back in time, circa 1970's except we have a lot more stuff than back then. Two weeks after moving in, there are still boxes in almost every room that have not been unpacked. My heart sank when, while trying to get the desk in the upstairs office, Sam whipped out the circular saw and cut off 2 inches of the desk feet so it would fit through the door. The movers were stunned and I lost my last piece of nice furniture.
There is no more just letting the dogs out the door when they need to go out, they must wait until we put our coats on, put their leashes on and grab the poop bag. I have to live with the landlord's choices for curtains and blinds, the small shower stall where if I want water on my back, I am kissing the tile on the wall. (Imagine how Sam feels.) It's a lot like a phone booth.
But really we are quite fortunate to have found a spacious place that will take the dogs and is not a horrible commute for Sam. All this in the name of becoming debt-free.
We are fortunate in many ways, as Sam is employed, we are both relatively healthy, and we are much closer to family and friends. Things are more familiar here, but more expensive. There is a 10% sales tax, car licenses are double what they were in Washington State, you must pay to travel the roadways, and here, unlike Washington, there is a State Income tax.
The very fact that we can drive to Kalamazoo in three hours, makes it all worth it to me. Being able to watch my grand kids as they develop into young adults is priceless.
Starting over at this stage in our life is not what I had envisioned, but with it comes the opportunity to right some of our financial wrongs, spend more time with friends and family, and reduce the amount of yard work and snow removal, as it is done for us.
Happy New Year everyone. Here's to a year that brings jobs, and some new found prosperity to us all.
1 comment:
She's back!!!! Great writings as usual. Don't be so hard on yourself, let go, let God work on ya'.
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