O!

So apparently Drew and I are suckers for moving because we are once again going to be packing up and moving all of our stuff in a few months. Unlike our last move, that relocated us just a mile to the northwest, this move is going to take us two states to the west.

That's right, we are moving to Drew's hometown of Omaha. The decision was a hard one and one that we talked about for a long time. Ultimately, it came down to what was best for the family unit as a whole, and I think moving closer to family, to a more family-friendly city, and to a less stress inducing job for Drew will be good for all of us.

I am excited for Jack to grow up near his cousins and one set of grandparents, although my heart breaks a little to know that he won't know regular Sunday dinners with his other set of grandparents like I did when I was growing up. However, we hope to get back to Mpls more often, since Omaha is a bit closer and a much easier drive than from Chicago. Plus we won't have to divide our trips between two hometowns now, since we will be already living in one.

The last two weekends we have traveled to Omaha in search of a house. We both fell in love with one that is literally a two minute drive from where Drew will be working. It is a gorgeous house with an incredible yard. My favorite feature right now is the window seat in the family room that looks out into the back yard. We have made an offer and they've accepted, so now we are just in the limbo period until we close at the end of January.

Leaving Chicago is going to be hard. We have had some incredible times here. We have a solid group of friends that we see all the time. Starting over from scratch in Omaha will be hard and a first for us. Since Chicago is such a great city, we have had the fortune of entertaining a lot of guests over the past four years we have lived here. Whether it is for a conference or a weekend get-away, people usually don't have a hard time finding a reason to come to Chicago. I fear that we will have fewer house guests once in Omaha. All the more reason for us to travel more, I guess.

It will also be sad to leave our house. I fell in love with this house the moment I saw it and have never regretted anything about it (nope, not even when we had water in our basement or the many months we had to pay two mortgages). It's the house we brought Jack home to and where he first smiled. It's where we bounced him to sleep and heard his first laugh. I know it's only been two years and that our next house will hold just as special memories and probably a whole ton more, but this home will always hold a special place in my heart.

But I am looking forward to this next chapter in our lives and am hoping for many future adventures!