I am sure I’ve written about this before, but when Tony and I got together back in 2000, he hated Oak Park. Like hated it. It was too crowded, noisy, etc. If you grew up with it, I guess you just didn’t know any better, so when we moved on after we got married to find a place of our own, we kept driving farther, and farther, and farther from Oak Park. Back then it seemed like we were driving for hours, but now I am so used to having to drive 10-15 minutes to get just about anywhere. I live in an unincorporated area, there are no street lights or sidewalks and on an overcast night, it is literally pitch black. And it’s QUIET. So quiet that I have to sleep with a fan on otherwise it’s just too quiet. In fact when my Mom has slept over, she talks about how loud the birds are in the morning!
I’ve learned to love where I live though. I like that I live across the channel of the Fox River. I love that there are only six houses on my block. I love that I have a big back yard that I can burn stuff in my fire pit whenever I want. So now that I am working back in Chicago, it’s like I get the best of both worlds, City Mouse and Country Mouse! Hannah used to love that book when she was little.
So I go from here:
To here:
I’ve been eating breakfast so late lately, I had no appetite on the train ride in, even though I had an hour to kill. I got downtown early so I could eat my breakfast in the food court of the train station, even though I didn’t really want it, but didn’t want to have low blood sugar on my first day.
Gah. I was actually sitting next to a giant window, but it was super overcast and the overhead lighting was awful – 1/2 ounce Cabot cheese (1), 1.5 ounces Nicole’s Crack Granola (5) hard boiled egg (2) and a banana.
So one thing that has changed in the 15 years I’ve worked downtown. There are no more elevator buttons. You have to have a key card to swipe in the lobby that only lets you off on your office floor.
The view isn’t too shabby! Well, that’s the view from the reception area 
I ate lunch at my desk after some training before getting my walking shoes on.
Two ounces of Italian sausage (4) a cup of pasta (5) with baby cucs and fruit on the side.
I had to text this picture to Hannah and Jacob who LOVE Starbuck’s. Literally if I walk about 200 feet from the front of my building on the left about 200 feet is a Starbuck’s and if I just walk over the bridge about 300 feet there is another one! And I am sure they are equally busy.
And while I could pay $5 for a cup of coffee, I prefer the free coffee with this machine at my office. #flavaflav!
Later in the afternoon Jacob texted Hannah and me that he was making dinner. Sweet! He made an amazing chili – it was flavorful spicy but not too spicy for Hannah and while she can deal with ground beef in chili, the New York strip steak was cut into big chunks so she could steer clear of the beef. So good – thanks Jacob!
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With my crazy schedule of interviewing, working at The Chopping Block different hours, etc., it’s been a long time since I actually weighed in. And I figured what better time to see where I am at now that I am starting this new chapter in my life:
So while you may see that +7.7 and think WTF – the last time I weighed on my scale at home was August 24. And not that anyone cares, but when I started back at Weight Watchers meetings, my starting weight was 176.2, so I’ve basically gained .2 pounds in seven months. So I thought it quite ironic that when I got home from work I found this in my mailbox:
Biz. Inspire. I am not sure I’ve done much in the inspire department, but my sister and I are committed to finding a WW meeting to go to at lunch – just another way for us to spend time together!
So I survived my first day. I haven’t met my boss yet, so today will be interesting. THANK YOU for everyone who sent me texts, Instant messages, comments on the blog and Instagram – I have the best cheerleaders evah!
Oh, and did you hear that the Cubs won the World Series?! I didn’t turn the game on until the 6th inning but that was a great four innings of baseball – I even think Tony would have been happy for them!
Glad the first day went well and hope you soon settle in. Yes, it is a shame to go back to a ‘day job’ and not do full time ‘dream job’ but maybe something will come up sometime, keep your eyes open ?
WOAH! Big changes for you, Biz. Hope everything went well with the new boss! I’m still learning to navigate the waters with my admin team, both my director and deputy are attorneys. It’s a very new experience for me!
Hope meeting the boss went smoothly! Thinking of you! You inspire many of us!!!
Thanks Karen – it’s going to be fine – thanks for the virtual hugs and encouragement 😀
XOXO best of luck in this new chapter! I looks like we’re both going through major life changes!
Thanks Ashley! You reminded me that I haven’t popped back on your blog to see more engagement pics – just telling you, your major life change is a lot more fun than mine! 😀
Good luck in the new chapter Vat!!!!!! You’ll be great!!!!
Thanks Roz – I appreciate it! Tell Dennis I said hello! 😀 (and Neva – duh!)
That’s a weird elevator! Mine still has buttons. lol.
I work at 203 n Lasalle so about 0.8 mile walk between us. maybe we can meet for lunch halfway one day! Settle in and let me know.
I actually go to WW meetings at 120 s lasalle on Thurs afternoon, fyi!
WW ambassador?? I want to be that! How do you do that?
We are so close! Yep, we’ll definitely meet up – do you go to the 12:30 or 5:30 meeting on Thursdays?!
Weight Watchers started following me on Instagram because of my point friendly meals – you should be one more than me since you are down nearly 40 pounds this year!
I go to the 12:30 meeting with my coworker on Thursdays. Hope to see you for that or lunch or even part of a walk soon!
So I may have an overactive imagination but I am a little disturbed that your card only allows you to get off on a certain floor. I’m sure it is some kind of safety thing but… what if you want to visit someone on another floor or you are trying to escape from a hoard of zombies or just some creepy guy on the elevator?
So sweet of WW. You are a great inspiration, don’t ever doubt that!
It is a safety issue – if you want to meet me, you’d have to go through the main reception area on the ground floor. But we can get out through the stairwell in case of fire or emergency and I can just pick a floor I want to get off to since I have the key card. I know it’s weird!
Now I am going to think of zombies when I take the elevator up!
Well—it seems in many ways we have parellel lives. My background is in the law; I live 22 miles outside of NYC in a 125 yr old restored farmhouse sitting on 15 acres of land . Due to having close to the highest real estate taxes in the country, it is virtually unheard of to have more than 1/2 acre in this county. But we have lived here forever so here I will stay. Besides, I have no desire to relocate my chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, goats, pig, sheep, donkey, dogs and cow. ( Maybe I should have just gotten a cat !)
Hope your meeting with your new boss went well. It always helps to be content on the job if we don’t think the boss is an a-hole.
Isn’t that weird how similar our lives are?! I only have an acre lot, but I always thought it would be fun to have chickens.
My new boss is all business, which I’ll have to get used to because I am so personable – we’ll see!
The elevator thing is preplexing me – you mean, you can’t go visit a friend who’s working on a different floor? And you swipe your card to get on…everyone does, if there’s a huge group waiting at the lobby? I can’t wrap my mind around this! Such fancy-schmancy technology in the big city, LOL!
Hope your second day (and meeting with your boss) goes well! And I’ll bet now that you’re on a regular schedule, combined with getting to walk with Jenn and go to a WW meeting on the reg will result in seeing that scale drop. That is a nice necklace that WW sent you. 🙂
I took a picture of the process and it will be on the blog tomorrow – it makes more sense when you see it in action!
Yep, I keep thinking of all the positives of this moves and try not to cry that I am sitting at a desk again 🙁