Full Circle

Have you gotten tired of our big announcements?

We've made so many over the last three years...

We avoided foreclosure!
 
We're leaving L.A. and moving to Chicago!

We're moving to an island!
 
We're having a baby!

We're leaving the island and moving back to Chicago!

Well, it's time for another one.

Ready?

We're leaving Chicago and moving back to L.A.!

I know.

We must sound totally certifiable.

For the fourth time in less than three years.
For the second time in Malcolm's 21 month life span.

Almost three years after losing our house and leaving L.A., we are moving back again.

I know!

Yes. We really are moving back to Los Angeles.

And yes, perhaps we are mad.

Perhaps.

But I promise there is a method to our madness.

We wouldn't leave my family if there weren't a really

really

really

really good reason.

Dropped right into Bob's lap, completely out of the blue, is the opportunity for him to do the same work he's been doing for double the income working for 20th Century Fox.

When does that ever happen?

When does that happen in this kind of economy?

It doesn't. Well, not often. Not every day, that's for sure.

Way to go, Bob! Way to continually create opportunities for our family for being so awesome at what you do. 

Here's how it went down.

On the day we were flying to L.A. to visit friends and family and see one of my plays in The Car Plays: San Diego, Bob got a call from a headhunter. This headhunter is someone he hasn't spoken to in ten years. TEN. YEARS. And she just happened to call him on the day we were going to L.A. about a job in L.A.

We said no.

No way.

We are not moving.

We're not leaving Chicago. Not leaving my family. Not putting everyone through that.

We're happy here.

We hate moving.

We're not doing it.

But then...

A few days later...

Bob thought about it.

He ran the numbers. Then came to me and said, "I can't believe I would just turn down this much money without even giving it some thought."

So we gave it some thought. We saw that we could be out of debt in a year and a half with this kind of salary bump. We saw the opportunity to actually start saving for Malcolm's future. We saw the future we've been trying to create...

A future free from debt.

And it just fell in our lap.

Yes, it would have been better if this opportunity had been in Chicago.

It would have been a total no-brainer.

But the universe doesn't work like that.

I mean, we did move all the way to an island that was pretty much in Canada without ever having seen it just for the opportunity to live rent-free. And let's be honest, for the adventure. We are not shy of adventure.

But we've gotten cozy here. We love Chicago. We love our life. We love, as I like to say, our little corner of the universe. And though we've begun to make a habit of it, we really do hate moving.

Yet, we're still living pay check to pay check. We're still carrying our IRS debt, our student loans and our debt to the Franchise Tax Board in California. We're still a very long way off from zero debt. From ever even thinking about owning a house again.

Stay and be happy as we are? Life is good here. Yes, we go pay check to pay check. But, let's be honest, we have a fabulous life.

Or

Embrace the opportunity and possibilities and return to L.A. Complete the circle.

We talked about quality of life. We wanted to make sure we were not just following the money and ignoring quality of life. Is it better to go pay check to pay check slowly chipping away at our debt for years and years on end as long as we get to see my family on a weekly basis? Or is it better to eradicate our debt quickly but see my family only on a monthly or bi-monthly basis?

Moving back to L.A. doesn't mean Malcolm won't be around family. Bob's dad is there. So, he'll have the opportunity to get to know his Grandpa Jim.

My brother is in San Diego... only a 2 hour drive away. So Malcolm will have the chance to get to see more of Reverend Godfather Tommy Dubs.

Bob has two sisters in California. One lives up the coast in San Luis Obispo and the other is in Sacramento. So Malcolm will have more time with his Auntie Chelsey and Auntie Shana.

We're trying to rent a 3-bedroom or at least a large enough 2-bedroom to allow for guests to be comfy. We want guests.

To everyone in Chicago- friends and family alike-- I say this: PLEASE VISIT US.
AND...

WE WILL BE BACK EARLY AND OFTEN.

We are budgeting for travel to and from Chi-town.

If we could, we'd be bi-"coastal." Yes, Lake Michigan is considered a coast. At least in this scenario.

After considering everything it really came down to an offer that we couldn't refuse.

When we were offered the incredible opportunity to housesit on San Juan Island, we obviously didn't have Malcolm to consider. But... if we hadn't gone, who knows how long we would have delayed before having Malcolm.

We had to consider many of the same concerns. And different ones too. One thing I wrote at that time resonates today.

In my blog post announcing our big decision to move to the island and be caretakers for two years, I wrote: I WILL NOT ALLOW MY FEAR TO PAINT THIS WINDOW SHUT.

My fears range from concern that I won't be as happy there to just being afraid to reinvent my life again. To uproot again.

But here's the thing. It doesn't have to be forever.

And...

We can always come back.

(seems to be our mantra)

We know how fortunate we are to have this opportunity. And we know that some people will disagree with our choice to relocate. It has not been easy. We have so many mixed emotions. There have been tears.

We'll miss so much.

We always do. Every time we move we miss what we've left behind. We've missed our life in L.A., we've longed for aspects of our life on the island. And now in going back to L.A. we'll miss our fabulous Chicago life. The list of what we'll miss is too long. So we're trying not to focus on that and instead just stay in action. Moving forward. Focus on the positive aspects of our move. How we're having yet another adventure.

What makes it easier is that we're going to a place we know where we have a community. We don't have to start completely over again.

If we took only one lesson from all of these moves it is to truly appreciate every little thing in the moment. Don't fall into the trap of "there's plenty of time for that." Because there's not. That's an illusion.

Moving again.

Does it get easier each time?

No. You'd think it would. But, for some reason it just doesn't. Probably because of this whole aging thing. The desire to plant roots. Especially as parents.

As our friend Porter said when I told her the news: "We are a more global generation."

Sometimes I think life would be easier if you never knew anything even existed outside your little world.

Then I slap myself. And remember how many amazing adventures life has given me and how I love being "global."

But change isn't easy. And we are no different than anyone else. We still have the same fears about change.

We worry. We fret. We stress.

And somehow we act in the face of all of that.

By remembering what we're committed to. By getting that it's not supposed to be easy. It's not even supposed to be hard. It just is. It is the way it is. And if you want things. Like financial freedom. It's more than likely going to be uncomfortable in the 'going for it.'

I'm so clear that status quo is so much easier. But apparently that's just not who we are.

This move is our chance to take every lesson we've learned through marital crisis and foreclosure and short sale and bankruptcy.... this is our chance to take all of that and be free. No longer burdened by debt. No longer stressed about how we'll save for our son's future. And live a created life.

The universe opened the window.

All we have to do is step through.

Or allow our fear to paint it shut.

But we made a commitment to each other... to be bigger than our fear. To grab opportunities. So... we will not allow our fear to pain this window shut.

Which is why we are moving.

Back to L.A.

Just shy of three years after losing the house.

The latest Walker adventure.
As my mom says, the only constant with us is change.
I hope to settle down one day. I do.
But for now... let the whirlwind begin.

Again.

The details

-Bob's new job is with 20th Century Fox

-He starts the first week of May

-We are looking for an apartment in Culver City. Why Culver City? Because it's a great community that is really close to Bob's job. We plan on remaining a one-car family, so a short commute is really essential. We need something that is dog friendly, kid friendly and visitor friendly. We know we've been spoiled by this apartment and by Andrew- our landlord. But we're hoping to find something similar. Tall ceilings. Lots of light. A yard. 

-We're also looking for awesome people to take over our apartment in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on Chicago's north side. If you're interested, write me at loveinthetimeofforeclosure@gmail.com for details and pics.

What do you think? Are we insane? Or would we be insane not to go?

Would you sell out your house in order to save it from foreclosure?

Here's the thing. I don't like the look of it either. I'm talking about those Bank of America ads on the Wabash Avenue bridge houses in Chicago. Have you seen them? Yeah, they're not pretty.

Our new mayor, Rahm Emanuel, signed a 30-day lease with Bank of America for that space, according to the Chicago Tribune. Why? To raise money, of course. Chicago needs it. Bad. And nobody likes this idea. Nobody.

But... I wonder...

Would you do the same thing if you could to save your house in foreclosure?

Would you, if you could, lease the roof of your house to Bank of America? Wells Fargo? Pepsi Cola? What about the front of your house? Would you wrap your whole house like a car in an Exxon Mobile banner?

No?

What if it was temporary and it meant you could pay off your mortgage?

Yeah. That's what I thought. You'd do it, right? Your neighbors would hate you for it. But you'd do it. And maybe they'd hate you a little less knowing that you just saved their property value by avoiding foreclosure.

I'd do it. Totally. To save our house? Heck yeah.

Actually, according to Bob that's not true.

I was telling him about how I was going to write this blog post and ask people if they would sell ad space on their houses if it meant they could save their homes from foreclosure. Here's how that conversation went:

BOB: We talked about that.

ME: We did?

BOB: Yeah. I totally wanted to do that.

ME: You did?

BOB: Yes.

STEPH: You wanted to sell ad space on our house?

BOB: Yes. I wanted to call Bank of America and see if we could lease them our roof space for a banner or something but you were totally against it.

ME: I don't remember that.

BOB: Well... probably because you didn't want to do it.

So, there you go. I apparently didn't even want to investigate the possibility of selling ad space on our roof to save our house. Funny how short the memory is. Bob was Mayor Daley floating the idea and I was the general public railing passionately against it even though it could possibly save our house.

Though I don't remember it, I can imagine that I was horrified by the thought of a Bank of America banner wrapping our house. But wouldn't I have at least wanted to try? Thinking about it now, I assume that I would have completely gone for it because, well, anything to save the house, right? Apparently not anything. And why not?

Everyone is railing against our new mayor calling this leasing of city property for ad space a huge mistake. And I get it. It is a slippery slope. No one likes to be marketed 24-7. And our architecture is so precious to us. We Chicagoans are extremely proud of our architecture. We don't want to taint it with obnoxious banners and corporate logos. We don't want to completely sell out, no matter how terrible things are.

Mayor Emanuel plans to bring in $25 million for the city through this sort of advertising. And if he's right, if it works, would it be worth it? I don't know. Feel free to chime in. Please. That kind of money could save a lot of jobs and programs, right? So it could be worth it?


And I'll ask again, if you could sell ad space on your house to save it, would you? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

For more information about the new ads downtown Chicago, check out these links:

Dear Mayor: Don't cheapen our public spaces - Chicago Tribune

Emanuel's ad quest for dollars not as easy as it sounds - Chicago Tribune

(The photos are courtesy of Bob Walker. Thanks for braving the cold on your lunch break, honey!)

A little country in the city

Fisherman Bob and his Salmon sidekick

When we moved to the island, I had a hard time with the extreme rural and remote conditions. I missed take-out. Driving over 45 miles per hour. And ambient light.

I missed being warm. Other people. Noise. Stores that stay open past five. And the energy of the city.

At the same time, I loved living among farms and farm stores. Chickens and eagles. Cows and sheep. Our request to "live in nature" had been answered by the universe. We'd been longing for this. Green all around. Fresh air. Surrounded by water. Simplicity. Peace. Quiet.

The room to just.... aaaaaaahhhhhh....

My Farm Life Fantasy
I had grand visions of us eating fish that we caught ourselves, raising chickens and growing our own food.

We didn't have a boat or fishing poles. Or friends with boats or fishing gear. Or the money to buy/rent anything required to catch your own fish. So that didn't happen.

Though there was a small chicken coop on the property, raising chickens also required money. And time. And a lot of clean up. And there was the matter of the two eagles that made the two evergreens next to the house their hunting perch. And the fact that I was pregnant and couldn't conceive of carrying a baby and raising chickens at the same time. So that was out.

What about the vegetable garden? Well, I blame that one on laziness on my part. In my defense, I was pregnant. And I had a lot of yard work that challenged me without the task of maintaining a vegetable garden. It would have been all on me since Bob was commuting to San Francisco for work. So... no home grown veggies.

City Mouse/Country Mouse
When we moved back to Chicago... well, it didn't take long for me to start missing the country. Am I never happy? Always wanting what I don't have?! I actually missed the quiet, the darkness, the lack of conveniences. I missed the mountains, hiking trails, farms and country lifestyle. And the people. Of course. We had finally started making friends just before we left.

My complicated relationship with the island is well-documented on both my blogs. Here and here. Loving it and hating it. Craving nature, missing the city. I am at once both the city mouse and the country mouse.

But back to the chickens, fish and garden.

Wednesday night, all three of these things came to fruition in Chicago.

In the big city.

I grilled a big ol salmon that Bob caught fresh that very morning. I served the salmon with tomatoes from our community vegetable garden. And six baby chicks arrived in our backyard.

I'll explain.

The Landlord
First... we have an amazing landlord.

His name is Andrew Gardner and he is a high school friend of our dear friend Cece Tio. And he's an amazing guy. We adore him. He's been so helpful and understanding from the very beginning.

Just like any landlord, Andrew asked for a credit check when we applied for the apartment. Well, I knew we wouldn't pass. So I told him. I explained the situation. I directed him to the blog hoping he might read it and choose to take a chance on us. And he did. And we've been so grateful ever since.

The Garden

Malcolm enjoys a fresh tomato

Andrew is living up to his last name. This garden is unbelievable. I planted a variety of cherry tomatoes, arugula, butter lettuce and rosemary. The rest is Andrew. Here's what's growing in the garden:

Tomatoes
Lettuce
Kale
Kohlrabi
Eggplant
Onions
Red Cabbage
Green Beans
Ghost Peppers
Cantelope
Cucumber
Tomatillos
Cauliflower
Corn

As if that weren't enough, every day I'm surprised to discover something else that Andrew planted that has just started to grow.

Malcolm loves eating tomatoes right out of the garden. As soon as I pick one, he opens his mouth wide and leans in for a bite. He eats them like apples.

The Chickens

Malcolm meets the baby chicks for the first time!

One day I was talking to Andrew and the subject of backyard chickens came up. I don't remember how. Andrew said something about how we should do that. We talked about how cool it would be to have fresh eggs and Andrew mentioned that the fertilizer would do wonders for the garden.

I thought it was a cool idea. But just that. An idea. Nothing more.

Then Andrew ordered a book. Backyard Chickens for Dummies... or something like that. And I thought, hmmm... maybe he's actually going to do this.

Then he started to construct the chicken coop and I thought, "Yeah. He really seems to be going through with this."

Emily, the barista and former owner of the coffee shop down the street asked me one morning, "How do you feel about Andrew having chickens in your back yard? Are you excited?"  And I said something like, "Yeah. But it doesn't seem real."

Then Andrew told us that Malcolm could name one of the chicks. Of course, that meant that Bob and I were naming the chick. We turned to Facebook for suggestions. Bob came up with Terri Hatcher. My grade school friend, Nate, came up with a popular one- Yolko Ono. But it was my Aunt Marlene who suggested the winner: Chick Norris. (We then considered the variation Cluck Norris.)

But it wasn't until the baby chicks actually arrived (in a container slightly larger than a Happy Meal box) that it became real. Andrew really is raising chickens in our backyard! And they are here!

And yes. It is legal to raise chickens in your backyard in Chicago. Here's a Sun Times article on that subject: Raising chickens legal in Chicago, and people are crowing about it.

The Fish
On Wednesday Bob woke up at 2 AM, drove up to Kenosha, Wisconsin with some friends, got in a boat and caught us some dinner. A big Lake Michigan salmon. The trip was arranged by his pal John and they couldn't have ordered up a more perfect day to spend on Lake Michigan fishing. Apparently Bob had the first catch of the day and it took him twenty minutes to reel it in.

I was relieved that the fish arrived home already gutted, scaled and filleted. All I had to do was figure out how to use the charcoal grill. Yes. Figure it out. I'm not kidding. I've never done it before.

I'd seen our neighbors using the chimney to light it. So I just went online and found myself some easy to follow instructions about the chimney and how to use indirect heat on a charcoal grill. It was so easy. I don't know why I make these things out to be such a hassle.

My mom and Tom gave us some cedar planks and our landlord, Andrew gave us his dad's marinade recipe. The recipe involved brown sugar, honey, butter, soy sauce, olive oil and ginger. I normally just prepare salmon with lemon in the oven. Really simple. But I thought we'd try something new. And it was delicious.

There's truly something about catching your own dinner. Or having a husband who catches it for you. It tasted so good.

As we sat in the back yard enjoying the fish that was caught that day by Bob, tomatoes grown in our garden and listening to the baby chicks chirping away, I thought about how fortunate we are. And how funny life is. I guess this is my way of having a little country in the city. The best of both worlds.

It's so easy (if you have a landlord like Andrew.)

P.S. He prefers to be called "slumlord".

Imagine this foreclosure story

Imagine you’re 75-years-old.

You live in New York State with your spouse and together you have a daughter in Chicago and a son in Connecticut.

Imagine you and your spouse are tucked into bed, sleeping peacefully at 9:45 PM when you’re startled awake by banging at your door.

What goes through your mind? Someone’s been hurt. Right?

Imagine that the person banging on the door is the Sheriff. But he’s not there to deliver news of any accident. He’s there to serve you foreclosure papers.

Not your foreclosure papers. Your daughter in Chicago. The Sheriff is there to serve you with her foreclosure papers.

At 9:45 PM.

Now imagine you’re the brother in Connecticut. Same story. Sheriff serves you with your sister’s foreclosure papers.

And now imagine you’re the sister.

You’re in Chicago and you're in foreclosure. Fighting to save your home. You've been served with the papers... and have just found out that your parents in New York and your brother in Connecticut were also served with your papers.

You’re in HUD-Approved Mortgage Counseling. You’re researching your options. Navigating the labyrinth of foreclosure.

You’ve already been through hell. With a brain tumor. You lost your job when you used up all of your medical leave only to have your property taxes double in the last two years.

Your $1260 mortgage ballooned to $2300. None of this was expected. But it happened. And now not only are you having to deal with the fear and intimidation that accompanies the possibility of losing your home, but your parents and brother are too.

You try to talk to Wells Fargo but they tell you to communicate with their foreclosure attorney who never picks up the phone.

You try to keep it together.

Your husband grew up in communist Czechoslovakia. He escaped his country -- he left there to come here for a better life. He came here with nothing, got his green card, did everything exactly as he was supposed to -- worked hard, paid taxes, pursued the "American Dream" -- and now is back at square one. He wonders if he made the right decision. But he knows he did. Because he met you.


Now imagine that this story is true.

Because it is. This is a true story from a Love in the Time of Foreclosure reader.

Her name is Trish and she gave me permission to share her story with all of you.

What really touched me is how much she and her husband have been through and how they are still trying to create a positive outcome. They don't know what that will be at this point. Their story doesn't have an ending yet.

I was also completely surprised by the fact that her brother and parents were served with her foreclosure papers. I've never heard of that. As Trish wrote to me, she's never experienced such intimidation tactics before. No. I wouldn't think so. It makes me wonder... how much of this is going on that we don't know about.

Has anyone else out there fighting foreclosure been the victim of the bank's intimidation tactics?

The other mystery is that because she is in HUD-Approved Mortgage counseling, Wells Fargo is not allowed to pursue legal action against her for 90 days. Yet they served her entire family with foreclosure papers. This seems to be a case of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing.

And it makes me angry.

This is what I want to say...

Trish,

As I wrote to you before, you're not alone. Keep focusing on the positives in your life. I'm glad you have each other. Because that's how you'll get through this... together.  Good luck. And please keep us posted. As our story has made a difference for you, now yours will make a difference for someone else. Thank you for having the courage to share.


Best,


Steph

The night before the big storm

Pretty much the only thing on our minds here in Chicago tonight is snow. Snow. Snow. Apparently we're about to be hit by a storm that rivals the blizzard of 1967. People are stocking up and hunkering down. I'm hoping for a snow day on Wednesday so that we can all be home together.

My theory about winter is if you have to endure the cold, there may as well be lots of pretty snow. I love snow. Because to me snow always suggests play. Yes, I know it also suggests hassle. And possibly disaster. But I'm thinking like a kid here. And all I can see is snowball fights, snow men, snow angels, pretty snowflakes and people coming together.

So here's hoping for a lovely snowfall full of play and wonder and hassle and disaster-free.

Now, on a completely separate note. I was recently interviewed by my friend and fellow playwright Sara Israel for the Blog at Boston Court as the first in a series called "From the desk of" where Sara takes a look at writers' writing spaces.

We talk about my physical writing space as well as a bit of my process and the new play I'm working on. There are a few pictures too. I love the one of my writing space where you can see both Malcolm and Pablo. Check it out here.

Okay, Malcolm's crying. Gotta run!

LITTOF on "Design Your Life"

This summer I discovered the wonderful blog Makeunder My Life - Designing a life with intention by Chicago jewelry designer, Jess Constable. You might remember my post about her Weekly Exfoliations where she passes on or repurposes at least one item a week from her life that she no longer needs, uses or loves. Her spirit inspired me right away. And I had the pleasure of meeting her at a gathering for Chicago bloggers called ChiBLOGo.

All of this is to say that when Jess asked me to do this week's Design Your Life post, I was thrilled! What is the Design Your Life series?

Design Your Life
Every Thursday guest bloggers from all walks of life share their intentions and tangible, actionable ways they design their life accordingly.


You can read my 'Design Your Life' post on Jess' blog here:
Design Your Life: Steph in the time of foreclosure

If you like it, leave a comment (I'd love to hear what you think of my intentions for life) or share it with a friend, please. Thank you!!

(Shopping tip for the holidays: If you're looking for jewelry for anyone on your list, be sure to check out Jess' jewelry line Jess LC. It's beautiful and really well-priced. Seriously, check it out.)

Big blog news: LITTOF is moving to ChicagoNow

Hello LITTOF Readers!

Happy Friday.... and loooong weekend. Woo hoo!

Big blog news. Guess what? Love in the Time of Foreclosure is going to be a part of the new site ChicagoNow.com!

What does this mean? We have a new address. Here:

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/love-in-time-of-foreclosure/

Please take a look. Do you like the new banner? I hope so!

Over the next several days we will be migrating all of the LITTOF archives and comments over to the new location. It should be all done by the middle of next week.

Please note that I will not be writing any new posts here on the blogger site. They will all be over at ChicagoNow. So please join us!

It's a new adventure.

A priceless reminder to just be happy from a Zen Master

So I fully intended to do a Friday “Links in the Time of Foreclosure” blog post to stick to my new and self-imposed structure for the blog, but I got sidetracked with the post about the Release of Lien and ran out of time to do the ‘links’ post.

It was a busy week as I started a new project (thankfully) and am commuting from Barrington to Chicago every day. Which is easy with the express train, but definitely an adjustment.

Anyway, the one link I found worth sharing with you was to an article I read in the New York Times on the “Happy Days Blog.” Today is Sunday. It’s beginning to look like rain. The trees are swaying in the breeze and I’m still thinking about this article.

“For the Time Being” by Norman Fischer – Happy Days Blog [The New York Times]

Norman Fischer is a senior Zen Buddhist priest and poet. And what he wrote for The New York Times about happiness speaks so powerfully to our experience. It’s like he’s in my head! Well, he is a Zen Master. He writes about happiness and the human experience. I was especially taken by this passage:

“We want enjoyment, we want to avoid pain and discomfort. But it is impossible that things will always work out, impossible to avoid pain and discomfort. So to be happy, with a happiness that doesn’t blow away with every wind, we need to be able to make use of what happens to us — all of it — whether we find ourselves at the top of a mountain or at the bottom of the sea.”

Somehow knowing this helps. Knowing that it’s impossible to avoid pain and discomfort is a good thing. The goal isn’t to avoid it, but to learn from it. Perhaps? And accept it when it comes along. Pain & discomfort... hardship doesn’t have to take the place of happiness when it does appear. They can live side by side.

And by the way, to me pain has nothing to do with suffering. There's pain and then there's your reaction to it. Ever see someone who is completely calm after having just broken a bone? I broke my arm skiing in college and I still remember this eerie calm that came over me. Yes, it hurt. Yes, it was painful... but I was determined to get through it. Or little kids that fall and whack their heads and get back up and keep playing? To me, they are choosing FUN and PLAY instead of suffering. Their head might throb, but playing is more important to them. (I'm not a parent, so parents... feel free to disagree. Or agree. Either. Both.)

That’s what I’ve learned through all of this. I’ve experienced it first hand and sometimes I still forget. And I get stuck thinking that there's somewhere to get to. Like this:

Once we're on the island, we'll be happy.
Once we're out of debt, we can breathe.
Once we're dead, we can sleep.

We used to say, "Once we sell the house, things will be normal again." But what is normal? To me, Norman is saying that pain and discomfort are normal. That this is it. Truly. I've complained about being in a constant state of transition and how challenging it is. What if life is a constant state of transition?

"...to be happy, with a happiness that doesn’t blow away with every wind," Norman writes, "we need to be able to make use of what happens to us — all of it — whether we find ourselves at the top of a mountain or at the bottom of the sea.”

Whether we find ourselves in the house of our dreams or in someone else's dream home... Put like that it seems so silly that we would suffer a minute over our situation. One thing that is so clear to me is that we have truly been using what happens to us... all of it.

It’s wonderful to be reminded. And we're with Norman on this. We’ve found that it is possible to experience both love and happiness in the time of foreclosure.

That discovery is worth more than the dream house and all of our possessions combined.

For the rest of Norman’s poignant article in the New York Times, click here. Go read it and then come back here and comment. I'd love (as always) to hear what YOU think!

photo credit: courtesy of Katherine of Chicago

Blame it on Foreclosure

Foreclosure is a four letter word. Not only to people losing their homes to foreclosure, but also to big giant power companies like Commonwealth Edison.

ComEd provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers in Northern Illinois and
according to Crain's Chicago Business, this year for the first time in 56 years, they are losing customers.

Why? What's the explanation? Foreclosure. Yep. At least that's ComEd's theory.

ComEd loses customers for the first time in 56 years.

ComEd CEO Frank Clark said Friday that the number of the utility’s customers has fallen by 17,000 this year. ComEd has 3.8 million customers in its northern Illinois service territory.

“This is the first time we’ve ever seen it,” he said during an analysts’ call for ComEd parent Exelon Corp. “It is an unusual event.”

He said he wasn’t sure what caused the falloff, theorizing that people losing their homes to foreclosure are moving in with friends or family.

I suppose it makes sense. People lose their homes to foreclosure, then move in with family and therefore cancel their ComEd service. Can ComEd blame us? No. Because we were customers of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. And now we're not. What are their numbers this year? I wonder.

Monday: Everything Must Go (including us)

Bob and I just had a lunch pow wow over noodles about everything we need to accomplish this week.

ITEM NUMBER 1: Sell Everything.

No problem. That's totally easy. You know what would be easier? Donating everything. Hmmm... we did consider that. But we have this big debt we're chiseling away at... chipping away at everything that isn't a work of art. Shedding, chipping, stripping it all away. What's left? The simple life. Each other and peace of mind.

Bob said, "I'm already there. I already feel a lightness even though I know we have this massive debt. Because I'm not afraid anymore. The fear is gone."

Ahhhhhhhh. Thank you, Bob. Perspective. We keep giving it back to each other. Passing it back and forth and in our best moments, sharing it.

But I digress. How are we selling everything? A combination of Craigslist and a big ol' estate sale. When? This weekend. June 13th & 14th.

ITEM NUMBER 2: Plan our departure.

It's official. We're leaving L.A. On June 19th. Or 20th. Well, we have to figure out if we're leaving the evening of the 19th or the morning of the 20th. We were going to stay until we closed on the house (which is June 27,) but then we realized that once we sell all of our furniture including lighting, plates, dishes, utensils, bedding, etc. we would essentially have to camp out in our house. And if we're going to be camping, we'd much rather camp out on the beach or somewhere in Oregon (where I've never been) or in some fabulous place. Not our house. That's just depressing.

So... we are having our big estate sale this weekend and hopefully selling everything. We'll use the rest of next week to handle the rest. Then we will pack up our car with only the bare essentials and head out on an adventure.

The start of a new life. New because we have a new mantra: Less is more.

ITEM NUMBER 3: Work, work, work.

Bob is working very hard on a deadline this week. I'm handling everything house-related so that he can focus on work. But, I'm also scoping out job opportunities and writing as much as possible. Oh... and working out. Yes, Bob and I have joined forces in the fitness arena and have begun to work out every day. It's not easy, but it sure feels great to be working out again! With everything going on we have to get up at 5 to get a workout in, but it's worth it. (I lost 2 pounds last week! Woo!)

We do know where we're headed. To Chicago. We plan to be there until November. Why? Well, we'll be living with my family until we can figure out where to live in the city. I want a view of the lake. Is this too much to ask? Possibly. Though Bob works from home and can technically live anywhere, there's actually a lot going on in Chicago with his company. So that's good. And for me. Well, I love Chicago in the summer. Being near family will be so great. And old friends I haven't seen in so long. Wrigley Field. Chicago theatre. I'm excited. I already have one job lead. I'm workin' it.

So now you're mostly caught up.

I wish I were more coherent today. More insightful. I just want to say that I've been getting wonderful feedback from readers as well as fantastic suggestions. I hear you. Please keep writing in as I take all of your suggestions to heart.

I've got all kinds of stuff marinating in my head. My goal is to continue to reflect on our experience as we're experiencing it and share it as openly as possible... while trying to understand it all at the same time.

The other night I asked Bob why does he think we're happier now than we were before. We've been talking about that a lot. And I'm working on getting to the heart of that in a specific way. We both agree that it's not just one thing. But that we are and continue to be happier than ever before.

Like this bed? Live in L.A. and want to buy it? E-mail us at: loveinthetimeofforeclosure@gmail.com



UPDATE: Apartment Therapy LA blogged about the sale. They've got tons of pictures up there. We're slowly stripping away the anonymity (or ripping it off like a band-aid) and it's a bit scary. But it is what it is.

Their post is very nice. Thanks, Apartment Therapy! Check it out:

Silver Ridge House Tour Residence Everything Goes Sale - Apartment Therapy