Category Archives: Daily Musings

The Annoying Side of Moving

Posted in Daily Musings, Liz's Life, Moving by

So far of all the details involved with our move, subleasing our apartment here in Chicago has been the most nightmarish. We’ve had a hard time finding renters and the process has been frustrating to deal with.

Here’s the story.

After about two weeks listing the unit on Craiglist, we got a call for a showing with a couple who already live in our building. They came and really liked the unit, but must have known we were getting a little desperate because they made a lot of requests outside the parameters of the lease.

They wanted to move in on Dec. 15, not Dec. 1. They wanted a reduced rent rate during our sublease period (four months) before resigning with our landlord. They wanted our landlord to put in a break clause that lets them get out of the lease at any time with one months notice and an extra months rents. It was getting to be a bit much, but we didn’t have any other interested parties.

That night I got a message from someone else asking if the unit was still available because she was moving to Chicago. I immediately responded and even went home on my lunch break to take and upload extra pictures to send her.

She responded that she wanted to see the unit the following week when she was in town, so I told the other couple that we had another party interested that would meet all our terms. They agreed to hang tight until we showed it to her.

Well, that showing was supposed to be on Wednesday around 4pm. I got up in the morning and thoroughly cleaned, came home from work early and freed up my whole night (which isn’t easy to do when you’re moving across the country and have a million things to get done) to conduct the showing.

And….the girl never showed up. Not a call, not an email. Just radio silence.

I’m trying in my head to give her the benefit of the doubt- there are a lot of things that could have happened to make her neglect to show or call, right? Grrrr.

Anyway, once I realized we were being stood up, I contacted the original couple to let them know the place was theirs. Nothing is that easy though and they told us that they would need to “discuss” it as they may want to explore other options now.

I really hope this ends sometime soon!

On a brighter note- we’re having a going away party this Saturday at Zella’s (where we met!) – 1983 North Clybourn Avenue at 8:00 pm. If you’re around, please come join us!

Lots To Do, Lots To Do

Posted in Daily Musings, Liz's Life, Moving by

Thank you everyone for your kind words of support regarding our decision to move to Lake Tahoe! It means a lot to us.

Ever since deciding to move we’ve been scrambling to get things ready. Man, there is a TON to think about when moving across the country.

We’ve had to

– Sublease our current apartment

– Find a new place to live

– Buy a car, get car insurance

– Find a job for Luke

– Resign our current jobs

– Change banks

– Forward our mail

– Pack; move

– Handle about 50 million other things

Just typing this is making me break out into a nervous sweat. Ahhhhh! SO. MUCH. TO. DO!

Luckily I have a good partner-in-crime and incredible families who are bending over backwards to help us out.

I just keep telling myself:

“In a few weeks you’ll be living in one of the most beautiful places in the US and will be able to ski every week.”

Deep breaths….

Any tips on dealing with the stress a MAJOR to-do list can bring?

Moving…The Back Story

Posted in Daily Musings, Liz's Life, Moving by

So now that the cat’s out of the bag on where we’re moving (Lake Tahoe for those just joining us), I wanted to share the details on how we got to this point.

For awhile Luke and I have been discussing our desire to try a different lifestyle from the city hustle & bustle. We wanted to make a change for a few reasons…

– Luke is from a really small town and was starting to feel claustrophobic living in a big city

– Living in Chicago without cars, we both had to sacrifice our hobbies like playing sports, being outdoors etc

– We wanted a slower pace of life where we feel part of a community

– Life in Chicago is slowly changing. Many of our friends are moving away and the fun going-out dynamic isn’t as appealing to us anymore

In a nutshell, we were ready for something new. Not that we were desperate to get out of Chicago, but we had an itch to explore.

We agreed that we’d keep our eyes open for amazing career opportunities for either of us in locations we’d like to live.

A few months ago, I was looking online and came across Vail Resorts – the owners of six major ski resorts like Breckenridge, Vail and Beavercreek. They happened to have a job open for an “Online Marketing Manager,” which was a perfect mix of my PR and digital experience, at their Heavenly resort in Lake Tahoe.

Luke and I have been to ski at Heavenly twice before and fell in love with all the natural beauty and small-town feel.

Things happened really fast. Three weeks after applying, Luke and I were flying to Lake Tahoe so I could meet my future colleagues and check out the city. After spending a day with the crew there, I knew it was a great fit. Everyone is incredibly friendly, welcoming and smart!

We had a big decision to make…and it had to be done fast with ski season quickly approaching.

The biggest issue weighing on our minds was what Luke would do for a job? He has a great job here in Chicago, and unfortunately is not able to keep doing it remotely. We hemmed and hawed for about a week, going back and forth about what was the smartest move.

On one hand it was really risky to move somewhere new without jobs lined up for us BOTH. We also were scared about living somewhere we know no one- leaving all our friends and family behind. It was one thing to dream about doing it, it was another to actually do it!

On the other hand, this is a tremendous opportunity for me, and it would take us to a location where we could have the outdoorsy lifestyle we both want. My sister and a few good friends live in San Francisco, which is four hours away too, so we wouldn’t be completely alone.

This was NOT an easy decision. We actually decided at one point to stay in Chicago. There were just so many unknowns and we were scared.

About 30 minutes after deciding to stay, we both realized it wasn’t the right choice for us. We were both totally gutted about the thought of passing this opportunity up. We felt in our hearts that we had to try it or else we’d always wonder.

Plus, we felt like if we ever wanted to leave Chicago for a new city, it was now or never. We don’t have kids, we don’t have a mortgage – we’re in a position to make a major move and not have it be a huge hassle. Waiting another year or two, might be too late.

So we decided to jump in with both feet and not let our lives be ruled by the fear of all those “what ifs?” There’s been a lot of worry and anxiety, but overall we’re really excited to tackle this next stage of our lives.

Things have started to fall into place too. Luke already has several potential job opportunities he is pursuing, we found a great deal on a car to buy and we secured this gorgeous townhouse in the lovely Incline Village to rent for a steal.

Our friends, family and colleagues have all been very supportive and helpful – putting us in touch with people they know from the area, showing excitement about our news and promising to keep in touch – which we appreciate immensely.

We’re going to miss everyone in Chicago a lot, but are hopeful we’ll have many visitors (ski discounts!).

So that’s the story folks! I’ll be blogging along the way as we tackle this challenge….thanks for sticking with me!

Five Seconds of Your Time Today, Please

Posted in Daily Musings, Liz's Life by

Can you guys pitch in and do me a favor today?

My friend and colleague Lauren needs your support in a big way. In December, Lauren was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. She’s been kicking cancer’s butt since then all while keeping a smile on her face.

Now we need YOUR help! Lauren is in the final rounds of a contest that would give her $10,000 to help off set her medical bills!

Our other co-worker, Michelle recently ran the marathon to help benefit Lauren. She entered her fundraising effort in The Classy Awards, an online voting awards program.

They won the Chicago chapter and now are in third place for the national contest and $10,000!

All you have to do to help is visit http://www.stayclassy.org/classy-awards/, scroll down to “Most Successful Fundraising by an Individual or Group” and vote for “Running 26 Miles to Help LC Beat Cancer.”

Don’t forget to hit SUBMIT at the top of the page once you’ve selected them! Voting ends tomorrow– so don’t wait!

Lauren is a HUGE inspiration to everyone who meets her. With our help, we can surely move her into first place!

Thanks guys and leave questions in the comments section.