One year here

Rudy, the official greeter

Last year, on the Saturday following Thanksgiving, Lori and I arose early to begin a full day of activity that saw us pack up and leave our Grant Park home of the past 24 years and move into our new digs -- a modern, three-level townhouse in Irvington.

This year, on the Saturday following Thanksgiving, we arose early to prepare breakfast for our house guests -- Jordan and Jamie, and Jamie's parents and younger sister -- and then, after everyone hit the road, spent the middle of the day cleaning up and putting things back in their place. It was great to have everyone here for Thanksgiving Day and then have them spend two nights so we could eat, drink, laugh and play games together. (Who needs to be at the cabin on Orcas Island to have a memorable time?)

It was so fitting that we had everyone here for the holiday. If anything characterizes our first year in our new home, it is that we have really seized the opportunity to have friends and family visit. When you have a big kitchen, a main floor that's really conducive to conversation and a faux fireplace that heats up the room with the flick of a switch, it really gives you incentive to have people over.

natural light in bedroom

And, boy, have we. We had a housewarming event; a rooftop party for my work colleagues in the Editorial department; homeowner association meetings; poker games; girls' night out gatherings; birthday celebrations and much more. It feels good to be the hosts and return all the good vibes and generosity that people have offered over the years, and we look forward to doing more of the same.

I'm sure I'll write a separate post in the next couple of days about the differences between our old and new neighborhoods. For now, I just wanted to take note of how comfortable we've felt during this first year in our new home and what a good decision it was to downsize when we did.