The Siberian American: Cheers to 26

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Cheers to 26

Today, I turn 26. I loved being 25. It was an exciting year for us: Christopher finally graduated medical school, and we went on some great trips—our fall foliage cruise, New Year’s Caribbean cruise, and California road trip.


This year was also really difficult—Christopher traveled all over the country from October to February, and we spent months wondering where we would be living. The initial results were shocking, and we had to adjust to many changes in a short time.

The biggest lesson I learned this year is to let go. I am a huge planner, so it was difficult to have no control over my life. At first I occupied the waiting time by looking up neighborhoods in our top five choices, but eventually, I had to just stop. All of the what ifs were driving me crazy. Honestly, once I started viewing this move as a big adventure, things got so much easier. Though I miss my friends, my family, and my job, I quickly fell in love with Chicago and truly feel like this is where we’re supposed to be this year.

So cheers to 26! I can’t wait to see what adventures this year will bring.