Exactly three weeks ago an enormous truck pulled up to FNF to haul all of our belongings away. Our first house, that we’d poured our blood, sweat, tears, and love into, where the daily fluttering of our lives had resonated for a short three years, became once again an empty shell. I put the cats in their crates (much to their dismay and vocal objection), said goodbye to my wild micro-garden, my shining hardwood floors, my gorgeous German bathroom sink (the one that took over a year to find and place in the bathroom we tiled by hand), and the original 1953 bird and flower wallpaper in the kitchen. I said goodbye to the home I lived in and moved on. It was time for the next new breath of life to fill the walls of the tiny house on Francisco Ave and I knew it would be well cared for.

We originally moved to Chicago in 2005 after my husband was accepted into an MFA program in the area. All signs pointed to The Windy City – it was the time and place for us. We thought we’d never leave. Then life took us in a different direction and we followed.

I’ve compiled a list of Chicago memories in a stream-of-consciousness format…. the building blocks of experiences, one leading to the next, bringing us to this moment in time. Some you’ll remember and some you won’t. I hope I never forget any of them. So, here are my Chicago stories.

New to the City. Moving into the Wayne apartment by the Morse Red Line. Fascinated with the Morse Market. Not knowing where or what anything was. Relishing the familiarity of Pizza Hut and Target.

My job interview at Mars Gallery. Riding the Green Line to the West Loop every day. The view of the city from the bridge between the Ashland platforms.

Our first christmas. The little rosemary tree in the pot.
Adopting Elvis from the shelter and the major cat drama that followed.
The Professor’s birthday party. 30+ people in our 1 bdrm apartment in the middle of winter. The Katamari Cake.

The Heartland Cafe.
Morseland.
The grubby Sheridan Movie Theater.
The beach.
Dog poop EVERYWHERE.
Terry the building manager.
My neighbor and friend Sumi, a fellow animal lover.
Meeting Brittany.
The Wana connection.
Judy, Vintage Catalogs, Abrakadoodle, and F***-S***-Art.
Watching project runway on Eastlake Terrace. Falling on my ass on Eastlake Terrace.
The Naked Guy who actually turned out to be very nice but did not believe in curtains.

The Professor’s MFA.
Drinking Manhattans.

Moving to the Oakley apartment.
Living in the densely populated, gritty, mayhem of Little India.
Food.
Smells.
Lights.
Honking. Taxis.
Crazy drivers.
Overfilled dumpsters.

DONOVAN!!!! and his whole family upstairs. Especially Anthony and Uncle Dennis.
Our neighbors Hannah, Brendan, Rachel, and Drew. Brian from Pakistan who prayed with me when I was having a rough time.
“Elvis is 3 but he looks like he’s 4.”
“What inspired you to get a cat?”
Alfredo – the kid who kept insisting my cat’s name was Garfield.
Mexican Independence Day and children’s birthday parties.

Our first Real Christmas Tree – purchased in a parking lot in Rogers Park.
Our first Real Fake Christmas Tree.
Going to Vega Estates. Art Galleries and Show Openings.
Carey’s and drunk crying.
Nips Ahoy and the Avon Walk.

Working at NUL – my first “real” job. Real Benefits.
Real Buddies.
The Ed Weber connection.
The lush campus.
The slide library (and The Girl with The Hair!)
Pumpkin movies.
What Would Don Williams Do?

Artillery Punch.

Planning our wedding. Garfield Park.
Iris, my wonderful dress designer. A few mini wedding meltdowns.
Making fllower arrangements in the kitchen with the bridesmaids.
Bach parties.

Volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Chicago. Watching my Little Sister grow up.

House Shopping. The small raised ranch we named FNF.
Working on the house. WORK WORK WORK WORK WORK. more work.
The Break In. The worst day of my life.
Bathroom Remodeling.

The Professor’s 30th Birthday.
My 30th Birthday.

My garden. Learning to grow food. The Tomato Rescue Society.
The Great Hellebore Heist of 2011.
Fires in the Fire Pit. Maple Syrup.
Skunks.

Hydrangeas. Peonies. Tulips. Geraniums. Chrysanthemums. and Larkspur.
Gooseberry pie. Currant jam. Mole sauce. and Grilled Pizza.
Patio dinners for two.

Family Christmases.
Friends and 4th of July cookouts. Flying my flag.
Laying in the grass and watching fireworks.
Trips to Dairy Star.
The Blizzard of 2011. Shoveling. Exploring. Whiskey and Bean Stew (with a poached egg)
Appealing property taxes in “Crook” County.
New Years Eves with Nick Drake.
Family slumber parties. Building Snowmen.
Blowing Insulation.

Raspberry pancakes.
Dirty Martinis.

Fat Tuesday Paczki runs at dawn. Voting at dawn.
The Money Shot Lounge (it’s not what it sounds like).
The Drunken Pig. Hubs. and Pita Kabob.
Korean Barbeque. IHOP. The coffee shops that kept closing down.
Colombian rainforest discoteca.

Spending every Tuesday night with the Mice. Reading stories. Kitchen Dance Parties.
Make believe. Making crafts.

Knitting. Lots of Knitting. Lakeview SnB. Learning to knit socks.
Starting my own SnB at Metropolis.
The Heartland splitting checks/dog-eating-a-steak fiasco.
Cocktails. Dancing. Morseland.
Starting BnScraftmachine with my best friends.
Sweaters. Neck warmers. Socks. Countless baby items. Scarves. Hats.
A stuffed mouse and a mustache. 74 unfinished projects.

The Professor’s Career Change. Living Alone during the week.
Girl nights. Dinner parties. and more slumber parties.
Going to the Green Mill in an ice storm.

The Basement Flood.
Elvis running away.
Tending to the elderly neighbors.
The Stray cat operation. TNR.
The river path. The squirrel rescue and sharing my water bottle with a homeless man.
My ebay projector and Backyard Cinema.

Staging the house and selling FNF. My Chicago Bucket List.
Our going away party.
My best Chicago friends helping me pack up my house.

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I hope I didn’t miss anything.
And now it’s time to make (as the Mice call them) Indiana Stories!