A new state means new adventures

Hello from a new state. A new state means new adventures. We have been mostly just unpacking boxes and realizing we need new furniture like a couch for instance. Um... really about the couch. Oh well, in time. Still, we have made time here and there to see a little bit more of town, besides our house and backyard. Oh, did I mention we have an actual backyard now?!

The moving crew came to Indiana and helped load up that big old Uhaul and then they even followed us to Illinois to help us unload. A big family means lots of love and muscle. Thanks guys and gals!!!

They moved stuff through thunderstorms, a flooded driveway, and no AC!!! Bravo!!  We did see a rainbow on the way to Illinois, so does the mean good luck on our new stage of life? I hope so.


Let's see. Things about our new house. There is no central air. Something we didn't really realize until it was really hot in the house. There are a few window units in the basement we can install, but after two hot days it has been really cool actually. I am wearing jeans right now and a little cardigan. There are these awesome skylights in the, we will call it the kid's room or tv room or some such thing, but it has been raining and we noticed there is a little drip drip happening. Not a lot and we just stick a pan underneath and that is that. We had super bad flooding and it only dripped a little so not worried. One thing to be worried about or at least cautious of is the flooding that occurs in our driveway when it rains. I walked through it two days ago and it was past my ankles. It pools but then it does drain away to the storm sewer. Our landlords and their maintenance guy know about it, but it seems that it isn't an easy thing to fix so maybe best to avoid driveway when it rains heavily. So those are the uh-ohs we have come across while settling in. It isn't all bad news because we have an awesome view of this pond, which also has a walking path.

We have a nice big backyard with a nice big patio. It came with a little table and chairs for us to use immediately- awesome.

We went into town to get a library card and sign up for summer reading-a must for the kids. The library is located next to Lilacia Park. The town of Lombard is nicknamed the Lilac Village because of the lilacs, they do smell really great. So we were able to check both of those things off our list.

Then after the library/park visit we went to the old-timey Dairy Queen. It was great. Blizzards are always a win.

Then home again to hang a few things up and unpack clothes from suitcases. Unpacking and organizing when you have little kids making a mess isn't great. Meg has already found a marker and written on the door. Luke decided to lock the bathroom door and close it when no one was in there. I had to get a paper clip out and unlock it. The toilet downstairs was running, and that noise drives me bonkers, so I decided to fix it myself and I did. Thank you very much You Tube. The stupid whistling arrow came out again and once again Tigran went MIA. We checked the gates and they were all locked, we checked the doors and they were all closed, but still no dog. Finally, we found him. It is a tight squeeze, I don't even know how he got in there.

Pete has been having a few adjustment issues as well. I guess riding the Metra isn't as straightforward as he thought. He had one day where he actually went into downtown Chicago and ended up having to take the L to work from there. There have been other adjustment issues that come with just getting used to a new work environment, but here's hoping everything gets smoother from here on out.

Today we went to the public school to register Jack and Luke. It is within walking distance so public school it is. It is a lot bigger than their old school--so it might take some adjusting.

I suppose more getting used to the city is in order for the near future as well as getting an Illinois driver's license so I can stop carrying our lease around with me as proof of residency. Still, we are well on our way to calling this place home.