Week 206-207: Hometrip to Chicago

Oct 13

In weeks 206-207 of our expat journey, we took a major step toward returning home by traveling to Illinois to search for our future home. After living abroad for four years, the idea of settling down again felt exciting yet overwhelming. We toured nine different houses over three days all while juggling jet lag and the emotional weight of this huge life transition. After much consideration, we made a decision and picked one that felt like the perfect fit. However, it’s still not officially official, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed for smooth transactions over the next few weeks. Also, having our families with us for the house hunt was such a comfort. Their excitement and involvement made the experience even more meaningful.

One of the most eventful parts of this trip was flying with our cat from Austria to Chicago. I’ll be writing a separate post soon detailing the logistics of traveling internationally with a cat, including some handy tips we learned along the way. Thankfully, my parents were able to take him back to Kentucky, where he’ll stay until Thanksgiving when we make our permanent move.

*Denzel taking a snooze on the way to the airport*

After days of non-stop viewings and paperwork, we decided to treat ourselves to a night in Chicago. We went to see Mr. Ballen, a former Navy Seal turned YouTube sensation, who is now touring with his live storytelling performances. Imagine a theater full of people, popcorn in hand, listening to him as he recounts five incredible, spine-tingling stories. It was a much-needed break from the chaos of house hunting! It was also cool to be back in a city we called home for 4 years. Eric hadn’t been in the city since 2018…