Never underestimate how life can take you to a completely different place in the blink of an eye.

Six months ago from today the year was ending in some sort of a bang (quite literally at some point) and we were drained, exhausted and running on empty.

At this stage all I wanted was to see the end of 2013 and start a new year. I had lost direction, purpose, drive, plans!

2014 had to be better. Much better. I felt it in my guts. Without fail by February we were given the opportunity to totally change our life and relocate to Chicago. The shock was followed by a frenetic dance. The excitement the prospect of a different life brought was second to none.

For the last few months nothing else has occupied my mind like this has.

I have grown lists longer than my arm. I am constantly adding to them and dealing with a new form of paperwork, a new appointment, a new person to inform or account to close every. single. day.
Somehow this has removed the emotional upheaval from the equation. However it came back to bite me in the bum this week.

We currently are in Chicago to visit the area and talk about emotional upheaval! In the last few days I have varied between “how cool is this place” to “I want to go HOME in England and never come back!”. Right now this is more “we can and we will do this and it will be great”.

We are ever so grateful to have the loveliest, most generous family here helping us settling. Friends who have done it before and who are giving us the most amazing practical and emotional support.

So yes, we can do this and we will do this. It will be great and it is a fresh start we needed. There will be tears, there will be a lot of people missed, there will be awkward and some stressful situations but in the end it will make sense and that’s all I want to take from this experience for now because I really need to keep ticking things off this list!