the beginning

Well, I'm here with lots to do, but just ain't up to anything more than sitting right now.  Thought I'd put my adventure to "print" and share (if only with myself) the ins, outs, ups and downs of leaving all that is near and dear to me. 

This all started with a conversation, or rather an idea that fell out of my mouth and was heard before I could stuff it back in.  Maybe subconciously I had been itching for a change.  I simply stated that it would be beneficial for our company to have someone with plant experience (as in manufacturing plant) work at the Division office, and vice versa.  I have no doubt that as the idea was forming, it was intended to be me that was the "plant experience".  At any rate, the upside was that the person who heard it agreed, and had the power to make it happen.  The downside is as of yet to be determined.

So that is, in a nutshell, how I got here - the big city, the windy big city, the currently noisy windy big city (sirens to be heard below).  My decision to live "downtown" vs. some place with a less lengthy and traffic-laden drive to the office was based on the whole adventure concept.  How the hell could I justify moving to Chicago, and not living IN Chicago?  What's the fun in a 30-minute train ride in order to experience anything in the city?  Why not just walk out the front door and have it at your fingertips?

Now I've leased a condo with the view you see above - literally walking distance to most anything (if you're not opposed to walking a few city blocks).  I could have paid much, MUCH less to live someplace less handy or nice or safe or roomy, but if you're going to adventure, adventure all the way....right?  I've moved most of my belongings, leaving my prized kitchen cabinets and the house I worked and sweated and bled to fix up, leaving my kitty cat who was just starting to warm up to me, leaving my newly planted special variety dogwood, my long-desired redbuds, and my beautiful pampered Japanese maple, along with the rest of the hard work I put into landscaping that place.  But more difficult, leaving my family - my kids, who are everything to me and who, if either had said "don't do it" would have been the reason to stay; their chosen mates, who I also love dearly because they love my kids dearly and because they are both beautiful, talented people who are actually deserving of my offspring; and my neice who is my practice granddaughter and a complete joy to be with and who I can't wait to share the city with; and nephew who excels at everything he does and will graduate high school while I'm here and hopefully will be playing some sort of sport at some great university when I return;  and brothers and sisters-in-law, who are rooted in the town where we grew up and who keep me rooted there also.  Not to mention surrogate kids, friends, co-workers, who I love and will miss.  But what is a great adventure without some sacrifice?  Thus begins the new life of old Lynn, party of one, lost in transplantation, dixie chick and the city...the adventure of a lifetime.