becoming home

it's been two weeks since we moved to the new place, and i still find everything to feel very new. i'm definitely establishing a routine in this house, but i haven't yet gotten to the point where i take it for granted. i still notice the flow from one room to another; i still think about where things should go and how each room looks. however i think this transitional stage is a really nice one, in which taher and i appreciate the space so much more than we ever will again. and pretty soon we'll just take it for granted that this is our home, and stop noticing it.

in the meantime, the people we know are definitely helping us make this place a home. taher threw me a surprise bday party last night, and put a lot of work into making everything go perfectly. and having our friends and family sitting on every surface and in every corner, having familiar faces fill all the spaces of this house at one time, was a wonderful feeling.

i know why they call them housewarming parties now. certainly, the house took on a new level of home to me, having people fill it like that. the very day we moved in, we had friends over, and even that night i felt like this could be home much more quickly if people kept filling it like this. last night was an extension of that feeling.

thanks, everyone, for coming over. thanks, taher, for pretty much everything :) and hey, everyone, drop in anytime!

good day

i don't have much to post about today, but i will for the sake of seeing "August 21, 2007" etched in the header for posterity.

i feel like this year has brought about so much change, but when i think about it, there have been others like it- in 2004 i went from being unmarried and living in mount prospect to being married and living in bangkok, thailand. that would count as a big change. but this year, for some reason, i feel that taher and i have had our lives switch into a totally different mode.

a mode i'm liking more and more as we settle into our house. and as the baby's kicks become strong enough to actually interrupt our conversations, the reality of a newborn coming into our lives becomes a reality i am getting more and more excited for, also.

good birthday so far.

halfway there but already home

two weeks ago, taher and i closed on our new home. since the moment we put those keys on our keyrings, we've both been incredibly excited about this step we've taken. we've had countless conversations about paint colors and bookshelves and decor. these past few months have certainly been a time of change in our lives.

this last week, as moving day draws closer, we've begun packing. you don't realize just how much stuff you have until you begin to pack it into boxes. it's been overwhelming and i shudder to think of ever moving again.

today, there are only three days left before we move out of the city and into our lovely chosen suburb of choice. and it strikes me that in all the flurry of moving and the excitement of having an entire home to furnish our way, i've forgotten that i'm leaving the city! perhaps forever? obviously i'll find myself downtown to visit, hopefully often. but i won't live here anymore.

the city has been a backdrop to many of my favorite memories. i'm not worried; i know there are infinite memories still waiting to be created as we settle into our new home. but it still feels very strange to leave...