So I have big news.  I am going to be moving out in a month!  Today, Dean, and my mom, and I looked at my relative’s townhouse.  Dean had not seen it, but my mom and I have because it used to be a place for family gatherings.  Hopefully, now it can be again.

It’s in Lombard, just north of the Target by Yorktown Mall, by 22^nd and Meyers (Fairview). 

            It’s roughly 1,700ft with the main floor and a full basement.  Right now it has a master bedroom and two spare bedrooms, but we will probably turn one of the bed rooms into a computer and art room.  Since this is a townhouse of a relative who died, we can keep whatever furniture we want.  It’s part of a Homeowner’s Association, so there are some rules that we have to follow and pay a fee for every month, but the fee does include for shoveling, salt, and lawn care.

            Dean and I are just so excited because now we can finally be on our own.  Living with my parents has been very nice and we know that we appreciate the opportunity.  We need to move out so that we can actually be a couple living together rather than me living with my folks and Dean living with our family.

            So we sign the lease on November 2^nd.  We might be able to start moving our stuff over there sooner.  My relatives are going to have the place touched up and some small repairs made so if those are done sooner than expected we can move in.

            I hope that we can get settled quickly so that we can start setting up for Christmas and New Years.  We might even have Christmas at our new house!  I am mega-stoked about that.

 So this dream happened this morning. 

    So while we’re waiting we go to the aquarium in another wing.  We look at sea cucumbers, sea stars, and a manta ray and sea star in the same tank.  I go off and see the dolphin but the water is running low so they pick it up and move it to another tank. 

    So here is where it gets a bit dreamlike and weird.   So I go and see the dolphin and get to walk up on the platform where the trainers stand and direct the dolphins.  There is also a water balloon elephant.  It’s a tiny elephant that’s the size of a watermelon, sparkly clear turquoise, and has a balloon-like exoskeleton and liquid inside.  It’s the cutest thing ever and I play with it but something happens and a bit of its trunk falls off.  It gets scared and runs away, into the crowd.  I jump out of the tank and chase after it.

    I got outside in a neighborhood I’ve never seen but kinda like mine.  I lose the elephant but come up to this huge, gothic-style house with lots of tiers in the yard that go up to it.  KimFromCalifornia comes out and invites me inside.  I say no thanks and she takes me to the narwhal tank at the aquarium and says that every year they cut off the horn and the new one that comes out is very sharp.  Then I see the water balloon elephant in the tank.  I jump in, avoid being speared by the narwhal, and rescue the elephant.  I return him and then KimFromCA gives me some segments of narwhal horn.  But it’s made of fibers pressed together and you can run your fingers over the fibers and sparkly dust jumps out.  I take the segments and go see Dean and Jeff and we run into Lester from North.  He joins us and he has a mullet.  I see Sue and Sil, my aunt and uncle, as we go into the theater, give hugs then go. 

    Then I woke up.  I felt very satisfied.  I ran over the dream again after that.  I was surprised how much it worked out, how much I remembered, and how long it was.

Man, I totally wish that a water balloon elephant was real.