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Fall, Snow and other things
Getting settled into a new place comes in different phases. First there's the get the boxes out of here phase. Then there's the organize closets phase. For the first few weeks, all you want to do is be home—unpacking, organizing, and feeling settled. Then you start to want to venture out to new places. You find a few places using Google maps or by driving around and start to decide which places you like, how the people are in this new place, and resetting expectations of daily life. Then the routine is found again. You find that you don't have to look up directions or addresses for certain places any more (and that sometimes you didn't think you needed them but really did). And after all the dailiness is settled, you realize that you miss people more than you thought you would. No, I didn't hang out with people every weekend but having the opportunity to do so means a lot. A big night out has now become going to see a movie and maybe to dinner with the “just the two of us.” Moving to a new place is all about putting yourself out there and I have not done a very good job of this so far. But the past week has proven to me that even if its “just the two of us,” that getting out of the house leads to new discoveries and less loneliness.
Saturday we awoke to snow covering everything. It wasn't deep but it was enough to hide the green of grass and the grey of roofs. Most of it melted by afternoon, which is good since its still October! More snow is predicted for this week. In Chicago, I loved the snow. I loved to watch the first snowfall. The way it covered the yards and houses of Ravenswood. It always felt magical. This snow does not feel magical. Maybe it wasn't enough to feel like real snow, or maybe I just wasn't ready for it yet. I know one thing, it’s going to be a long Winter (or Fall-Winter). Although the snow didn't help, the day ended up being magical. We drove to the small town of Red Wing, MN. The trip along the Mississippi was full of changing trees and beautiful views of the river and cliffs.
The town happened to be having a street art fair downtown. It was a little too cold to look for long so we tucked into a cute pub and warmed up before hitting the road back. The town was cute and I know we will visit it again. Maybe next time we will even hit the Red Wing Shoe Museum.
Today, we ventured into the city to try out a new place for brunch. I was never much of a brunch person before, but it seems like a good way to see different neighborhoods. The place had a bit of a wait, but it was really good. BTW, when did I get so old and square? Why was I in denial so long that the skinny jeans would take over? I have a couple of pairs now and find that NONE of my shoes look right with them. This weekend we have dinner planned with a couple of new people and a meet-up group on Saturday.