Biggest Thanks of the Month Goes Too...

Yeah, this didn't start out as a competition, but sometimes there is just such a clear winner that it seems silly to go without making it official.

I am so super ridiculously thankful for Jackie Marchand.

And not just because she spent about 8 hours at our apartment today lending her truly remarkable organization talents to help us pack:

But also because she made sure I didn't trash anything that could be recycled or donated (and offered to make sure that happened), and loves AugDog and helped keep him calm and happy during the mayhem, and also because she is just generally an incredible rock star and I love her very much. She has been so so so helpful with this whole move business, so encouraging, and at the same time her sweet friendship makes leaving so damn hard.

I am thankful for all my dear friends, and for everyone who has helped or offerd to help, and for all of you who are still coming over or stopping by or have offered your spare room/couch during our transition. I'm thankful for Jessie, who will come over tomorrow and help with the last bits of exasperating packing. I'm thankful for Emily who stopped by to give me a farewell hug. I'm thankful for Katie and Ben and Roger who will bid us adieu tomorrow night. And for Torrey who offered to "switch cars for a day" if his SUV would help us in any way. Those of you who know Torrey know what a genuine sacrifice that would be ;)

Blast it, people, I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE YOU!

And still, I am thankful. For everything. To everything, there is a season, right?

And if I were naming "Runners Up" for this thankfulness roundup of a month, I would have to give a ribbon to dear old Rogers Park. Oh, Rogers Park, how I love you. I love that you have enabled me to be greener and healthier than I could ever have been in another neighborhood. How do you green me? Let me count the ways:

• In the RP, I can (And DO!) walk to the grocery store, including the option of a small biz local organic crunchygranola store.
• In the RP I can walk to both the Metra and the Red line, thus allowing me to leave my car all by its lonesome almost every day of the week.
• In the RP I can (and DO) walk to my dentist, the vet, a hardware store, my yoga class (when I go), my cell phone place, the bank, numerous food and drink options, a fro-yo place, a 7-11, a RedBox, a CVS pharmacy, and about a half dozen awesome friends.
• The RP farmers market was voted in the Top 10 small farmers markets in the US, and it convenes right outside our front door.
• In the RP I can WALK TO THE BEACH in under 10 minutes. That's right. The lake. I can walk to the lake with AugDog, or by myself for a moment of zen. The proximity to the lake makes me want to get out more and get some free and very green exercise.
• PLUS, the RP is pretty much an Urban Homesteader's dream 'hood. If I had been a little more motivated and/or had chosen to rent an apartment with even a teeny bit more natural light, I could have urban gardened up the wazoo. And there are all kinds of canning, crafting, and sprouting community groups I could have joined. I also happen to know that there are some backyard chickens up here, but I have never seen them with my own eyes.

Oh, it is hard to leave Rogers Park. I am so thankful for this neighborhood, and its diversity and ridiculousness. It has stretched me and forced me to take a long hard look at my bias and prejudice. It has confronted me AND comforted me with sprawling arms of racial, lifestyle, economic, and religious diversity. It has shared its wacky and enthralling public art with me. It has given me the change to become a "regular" somewhere. It has gotten me out and exploring and engaging. It has entertained me with its weirdness and impressed me with its open-mindedness. I am thankful for Rogers Park, in all her gritty, gregarious glory.

And as November wraps up, I also want to say how thankful I am for you blog readers. Thanks for your comments, on and off the official "comments" section. Thanks for sticking with me in this journey, and for your suggestions and encouragement. Only 3 more months to go! And then we'll have to see what's next. And I'm also thankful for that.