Finding Our Home

So...we made it! We made it to Louisville! After four years of dreaming, a wedding, and beginning our careers (and leaving them)...WE MADE IT.

It was a long shot and it was terrifying. And I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Six months after our wedding, we found ourselves purchasing our first home...before we even lived in Louisville! It was a crazy (and somewhat reckless) decision. But, it was also something we could only get away with then. We took advantage of our situation (young, no children, ability to start over) and jumped in head first.

Finding the most adorable house in the world helped, too. :) 

I fall more in love with our home every day.

Our First Encounter

This post was originally written in June of 2011. Rather than retell the story, I decided to copy it from my tumblr. I love reading about how I felt when I dreamed of living here.  Little did I know, we would be purchasing a home in our dream city just 6 short months later. After having lived here now for 6 months (if you're a math person you'll catch a gap in there--I'll explain later), I can honestly say I feel the same way. I still love this city and wake up every morning so excited that we're here.

About 3 years ago, Adam and I wanted to take a vacation.  However, we were on a very tight budget, so our options were limited.  Adam suggested we go to Louisville because neither of us had ever been and because it was the only feasible thing he could come up with.  So, we budgeted our trip and made plans to see all the great things that Louisville had to offer (Macaroni Grill was on this list.  Don’t judge us.).  We had no idea what we would find. 

We thoroughly enjoyed our trips to the distilleries.  Bourbon chocolates quickly became something we craved often.  The zoo was great.  I took pictures of everything (literally).  And, we eventually made our way to 4th Street.  We loved 4th Street.  Good food, tons of bars, and a really sweet bowling alley (I don’t think it is there anymore).  We thought this was it.  I remember waiting in line at Howl At The Moon (chain) and a guy in front of me turned around and asked Adam and I what we were drinking.  Next thing we knew, this guy has purchased our drinks and apologized to us for having to wait.  We had waited 5 minutes.  We were sold.  Now, it may have had to do with the drinking involved, but in that moment we were sure that Louisville was the place for us.  Ridiculous, right?

It wasn’t until Adam started researching the city that we discovered the real reason we love Louisville.  We began planning another trip to the city, and Adam wanted to know what pizza Louisville had to offer.  He posted on a forum and within a day had many replies.  Most people agreed that we needed to try Wick’s.  So, on our next trip out there, we set the GPS to take us to Wick’s.  This is when we discovered Bardstown Road. Not only was Wick’s amazing (and a reason for many future trips to Louisville) but we found an area dedicated to everything we love: music, art, books, antiques, coffee.  It was all there. Not to mention some of the friendliest people you will ever encounter.

I cannot wait to move to Louisville.  Until then, thanks to that guy for the free drinks.

A New Adventure

Some of you may be wondering why I chose to title my blog Longing For Louisville. That is, of course, assuming anyone is reading this blog. If you know me, you know that I currently live in Louisville, Kentucky. However, it wasn't so long ago that I was longing to be here. Like, seriously crazy about it. I lost sleep over it. This city is a dream come true for me and my husband. We visited once on a whim (over 4 years ago) and haven't stopped thinking about it since.

Adam and I on our first trip to Louisville in 2008.

During those 4 years of longing, I started a tumblr. My tumblr was my first experience with any form of blogging, unless you count those annoying MySpace surveys that everyone used to fill out (everyone did that, right?) to kill time between classes in college. Adam still likes to remind me of things I shared on those surveys (what is with his crazy memory??). Anyway, my tumblr is more of a photoblog where I reblog photos taken by other people and occasionally share a few of my own. I titled my tumblr Longing For Louisville because at the time I very much was. While I could choose to just continue blogging there, I decided that I needed a new format and a fresh start for what I am hoping to accomplish. I love my tumblr and will continue to occasionally post there as well, but this will be my space for writing (okay, some photos too--I'm a very visual person). So, here goes -- welcome to my blog!