my amazing aunt and uncle.

so, until recently, i didn't really have much of a relationship with any of my family besides my immediate family and my grandparents. this weekend as i was house hunting, i got to stay in evanston with my aunt kathy and uncle chuck. i feel so lucky to have an aunt and uncle that i am getting to really know now. they are wonderful people and i am so excited that i get to live near such solid family members soon!

chuck spent both sat and sun with me and my realtor neringa. he was so patient! neringa says that normally people see 6-8 places and then are tired and quit for the day. we saw 15 each day! chuck dutifully went to each one and gave me his opinions. he was so helpful!

kathy was so wonderful and so nice. she gave me one of my nana's rings that she thought had also belonged to my great-grandmother as well. it's beautiful. so gorgeous! and then she gave me a vintage gucci purse that used to belong my nana as well. it's definitely been lovingly used - a lot, but i think that adds so much character!

the ring: (a little blurry, but you get the idea)


the gorgeous vintage gucci bag:



househunting:

the two days were definitely a whirlwind! we saw so many properties in so many areas. i really wanted to get a feel for what was available. on saturday, we saw so many properties. i can't even begin to remember all of them. but one did stand out: george street. it stood out so much that we even decided to go back and look at it again on sunday. on sunday, i found one that i really liked as well: fletcher street. it is just a few blocks from george street. and it turns out it is even closer to public transportation which i've learned is key. it's a great option, but it isn't george street. i lost george street to another buyer. while i was working on getting an offer together, the seller accepted one. dang! so back to the drawing board. do i go with the second option or do i continue to look? the second option is really amazing too! beautiful wood floors, amazing kitchen (though i'd prefer darker wood) with wine fridge and all viking/bosch appliances (that i don't know how to use yet). a bathroom with heated floors and a to die for shower and whirlpool tub. a great balcony/deck off the master too. and garage parking which is key for cold winters! and close to transportation. seriously, what am i even pondering?! anyways, the search came to a close and it was a long long weekend!