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Well, hello, there, babes!
I am currently writing this from the converted basement of our new home in the Chicago suburb of Tinley Park. And to answer the question I’m sure is on your mind right now, yes, it is quite chilly! I’m actually adjusting well to the weather, although if you check back in a couple months, I’ll probably be singing a different tune!

Packing and Saying Goodbye to Redlands, CA

From the packing to the transport, to the unloading, I wanted to share our journey of how we got to this place. ICYMI, Mark and I decided at the end of July that we wanted to start a new adventure by moving cross county from Redlands, CA to the Chicago area. He got a terrific job offer out here, and it was just too good to pass up. We were NEVER going to be able to afford a house in Southern California, and he was pretty unhappy at his old job, and it just made so much sense. He also had to start two weeks after accepting the position, so I was by myself during that time to begin packing up all of the non-essentials. I did have a great friend come by for a few hours to help me with the kitchen, and she had the idea to donate all of our extra food and supplies to a local shelter.

It’s not until you have to put all of your belongings into boxes that you truly see how much crap you own. O.M.G. After much research, we decided to go with U-Boxes from U-Haul to transport all of our belongings. No way we could have managed driving (and parking!) a semi with two dogs, and we also didn’t have a landing spot for our stuff once we got there, more on that later. The room calculator on their website said we’d need 3 boxes, but we went with 4 to be safe. We ended up having to call the night before in an attempt to get 2 more boxes, for a total of 6, and we still ended up having to leave a bunch of stuff that wouldn’t fit in our garage. So a head’s up, order more than you think you’ll need! They will take back any boxes you don’t use at no additional charge.

This is where things got a little sticky… I had hoped that some of my friends would come through to help me pack leading up to the days before we left. I posted on Facebook, sent out text messages, and nothing. After helping many friends move, I figured I would get the same offer back, but no. One even said that she had wanted to come over for drinks, but realized I was probably busy packing, so never mind. Still a little bitter about that, but what are you going to do? My mother, estranged sister, sister’s boyfriend, and my coworker Darla, (who was coming over to pick up a grill she’d bought from us), were the lifesavers that made it possible. We couldn’t fit my wooden bench, dining table and chairs, or coat rack in the boxes, so my mom took those. We couldn’t fit the washer and dryer, so we donated them to a family in need.

Road trip, woohoo!

Now, on to the fun stuff… Our epic road trip! It’s really damn expensive to ship cars and dogs, so we decided to make the most of it and drive! All-in, it was about 30 hours on the road, with stops in Moab, Denver, and Des Moines.
We left Redlands about two hours later than intended, and hit a bit of traffic on our way through Vegas. We stopped in Baker for food, which is where I chipped off a piece of my tooth while eating nachos from Taco Bell. Welcome to the land of no health insurance, as it’s still missing ? We almost fell asleep before getting to Moab, and had to pull over at a rest stop to nap for 20 minutes. Mark said he was seeing tracers, and I was having trouble keeping my head up. Not the safest conditions on those super dark and windy roads! We got to our cabin at about 1 AM, and knocked out hard.

The next morning, we had a great breakfast in town, and then spent a couple of hours exploring Arches National Park. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I’m so glad that Mark and I got to share it together. Another full day of driving and we ended up dining at this incredible little restaurant in Aspen, where I had the best chicken pot pie of my life. Seriously, I’m ruined for them now. Our hotel in Denver was at the Motel 6, and perhaps the only time I felt unsafe during our trip. We witnessed vagrants walking around the parking lot, and a couple of guys selling drugs right outside the check-in office.

It’s odd with knowing how dog-friendly Denver is supposed to be that we had SO much difficulty finding a place to eat the next morning. Mark grabbed a coffee and we got on the road, while I snacked on pretzels to hold me over. This day was kind of a blur, because TBH, the roads out there were SOOOOO boring. Once you’re out of the city and beyond the gorgeous mountains, it’s just hours of nothing on either side of the highway, and we’d only pull off for gas, grub, and puppy pee stops. We landed again pretty late in Des Moines, also at a Motel 6, but this one felt like a completely different experience than Denver. Clean, comfortable, and no shady characters in the parking lot.

Arriving in Chicago

The last day, we were both just over it. Mostly Mark, because he had to drive the entire stretch, as I don’t drive stick shift. Such a good guy. We crossed over a bridge, and all of a sudden, we were in Chicago! My excitement came flooding back, and everything was new and ready to be explored. Since we didn’t want to move twice (into and out of an apartment), we stayed with minimal belongings at the Red Roof Inn in Monee. It was mostly OK, except for a couple of raucous wedding parties, and a blood-curdling scream that woke us at 2 AM. For the price though, it actually was less expensive than renting a place.

We house-shopped for about a week, and saw some VERY rural properties, and some gorgeous, huge houses in communities close to the hotel, but far from the city. Feeling a little less than inspired, we spent a weekend going around to other neighborhoods to see if any of them would spark something. We wanted a small-town, but not too small-town, vibe, and a reasonable distance to Mark’s work and the city. I definitely still wanted to be able to attend events, and that just wouldn’t happen without a car living in Monee.

Frankfort was where we wanted to be initially, but the housing costs were astronomical! Tinley Park was right next door, infinitely charming, and with a vibrant downtown area. Once we found our house, we kind of just knew it. We put in an offer the night after viewing the property. Between the completely upgraded kitchen and the ginormous backyard, it had so many positives and a place we saw ourselves being comfortable and happy. I can’t wait to share how I’ve decorated it! Still a few weeks away from that point!!

So while I was sitting in the hotel room, planning our big move-in, I flashed back to the horrendous experience we had, trying to do it all by ourselves. I knew we would need professional help to get it all done in the two-day unloading window U-Haul was giving us. Hire-A-Helper had contacted me prior to our move, and I had thought, meh, we don’t need them. YES, WE DID. I used their site to browse by price all of the moving companies that were available on that day, and was able to schedule the week of our move-in. I loved that you could see reviews, the amount of times, if any, the company had been a no-show, and to read about multiple companies’ work ethics, all in the same place.

Mark, myself, and Mark’s dad, who had driven up from Columbus, spent about 6 hours unloading 2 of the boxes the night we got the keys and the next morning. I wanted to make sure that we didn’t go over the time window we paid for by doing some of it ourselves. After spending roughly $6,000 on gas, hotel stays, and the U-Boxes, we were pretty tapped out. I was able to secure Movemasters through Hire-A-Helper for the unloading, 2 movers for 2 hours for $224. They showed up about a half hour early, with 3 movers, and had the remaining boxes unloaded in under an hour and a half! They were all super professional, taking items with care to where we needed them to be, including all of our living room, my office and “closet room” down very steep stairs to the basement. Even after the items were all inside, they asked “What else can I do for you? Do you need anything else inside moved around?” I honestly think had we not touched anything in those other U-boxes, that they would have had everything unloaded in the time we allotted. I can’t recommend them highly enough.

So. Much. Stuff. These boxes are three deep!

If you’re moving soon, or know someone who is, feel free to use my link for Hire-A-Helper and receive $20 off your booking. They do all of the loading and unloading for you, and took a huge headache off of us settling in to our new place. We won’t be moving anytime soon, but I will definitely be working with them again when that time comes. Thanks for reading my post about From SoCal to Chicagoland – Our Big Move!

Have you ever made a cross-country move? What was your biggest struggle?