Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

You know that overwhelming feeling when your life takes a dramatic and unexpected turn? I wasn’t really familiar with that feeling until recently. Not to say that my life hasn’t taken dramatic turns before, because it has. It’s the unexpected part that’s really new to me.

Over the course of 3 days, the Hubbster was asked to interview for a new job, interviewed for it, and was hired. But this job isn’t in our lovely transplant city of DC, where we planned on staying for the next few years. It’s in sweet home Chicago.

When he told me, I didn’t have the reaction I thought I would. Not even close. Neither did the Hubbster. We both assumed that if we had the opportunity to move home, I would be on the first plane out and he would be much more reluctant to leave DC. Surprise! It was actually reversed.

I started screaming in my head over and over again “I’m not ready to go home! I’m not ready to leave DC!” and didn’t do a very good job of hiding the utter panic on my face. The Hubbster had a similar look. But he was disappointed in my disappointment, not in the concept of leaving. Just proves that you never know for sure how you’ll react to something like this.

I went through an interesting process of accepting our new circumstances. First there was the panic, which was only increased when he said that he definitely wanted to take it if he got it. Seeing my panic and being the ridiculously sweet Hubbster that he is, he said that he wouldn’t make any decision I wasn’t happy with. Then came the guilt. If he wants to go and I want to stay, what makes my desire more important than his? Then came the knowledge that I would be okay with it. Not actually being okay with it part. Just the knowing that once the shock wore off I would see that it was the right call. Now I’m not only okay with it, but I’m really really excited to return to the Windy City. Fun fact: It’s actually called the “Windy City” for its blowhard politicians, not actual wind. See? Wasn’t that fun?

Anyway, I’m on the happy train now, heading West.

Well, we won’t actually be heading West until November, but “I’ll be boarding a happy train in November, heading West” didn’t have as good of a ring to it.

In the meantime, I’m busy looking at apartments, which (even though nothing we look at will be available in November) is super awesome because we’ll be paying about $500 less in rent without even trying. And we’ll be living in the heart of Chicago instead of on the outskirts of DC, aka Virginia, aka the hell hole they call the Commonwealth. We’ll also be within walking distance of the lake and Wrigley Field if we want to be. Which we do want to be. Why wouldn’t we want to be?

Sadly it doesn’t usually say that. The sad part of being a Cubs fan.

I really do love Chicago. Yep. I’m excited.

Though I have no idea what I want to do job-wise. Like, zero idea. I always figured when I moved on from my current job I would work on the hill or something, and that’s not really a commutable option from Chicago. I blame my parents. They told me I could succeed at anything, and that’s really too many choices. They should’ve funneled me into something very specific, like plumbing or aeronautics.

I’ll be happy to take job suggestions, because all I can think of right now is unemployed blogger, but the Hubbster insists that I have a source of income. Fascist.

He’s not really a fascist. That was harsh. Sorry, Hubbster. I love you 🙂

This would also be a good time for Starbucks to enter the picture and offer to pay me $100k a year to write about their various coffee products. Alright, I’ll settle for $50k and free coffee. Way to play, Starbucks, you drive a hard bargain.