Moving to Naperville, Florida or Bosnia: Some of the big changes suburbanites made in 2021

After what was a traumatic 2020 for most people, this year has led some to re-evaluate priorities and seek new opportunities.

Here we tell the stories of suburbanites who made big changes in 2021.

A leap of faith

Jennifer Goebel had a good life before the COVID-19 pandemic.

She loved her job in marketing for luxury hotels and properties. She also loved her home in Fox Lake, where she fostered dogs and had backyard chickens. She was close to family.

Then came being furloughed in April 2020 and laid off in October 2020 due to the pandemic.

“I did a lot of soul searching that summer and sat by my pool in my backyard oasis I created in Fox Lake, and just figured out what I want to do with my life, what is important to me, how this pandemic made me think beyond my cushy lifestyle and how I would catapult into change and take the back half of my life and do something meaningful,” said Goebel, 35.

She decided to leave everything behind and move to Bosnia with her now-fiance, a native of that country, and her three rescue dogs.

Goebel visited Bosnia in July “to make sure I fell in love with the place as much as the photos” and moved Nov. 1.

Her life now is all about focusing on physical and mental health, she said.

Her fiance owns property and homes in the Bosnian countryside and near the capital, Sarajevo. “We are going to completely renovate the country homes and focus on a more self-sustainable lifestyle - gardening, having animals, etc.” she said. They also want to start an animal sanctuary for dogs, goats and more.

The Bosnian people are friendly and welcoming, and she gets by with the language after taking online classes since May 2020 and using a handheld language translator as a backup, she said.

She is part-owner in a new legal intake company started by her father, so she can work part-time remotely.

“I think if I had to find a job here it would be a different ballgame,” she said.

“Needless to say, this has been one heck of a ride and I am so excited for what is to come. I did not let the 2020 pandemic bring me down but accepted the changes and realized my journey is just beginning on a new path.”

Back to the suburbs

For Jade Grimms and her husband, the pandemic accelerated what had always been their plan to eventually move back to the suburbs to be closer to family.

Grimms is from Naperville and her husband is from Western Springs. The couple had lived for 12 years in a townhouse in Chicago's Roscoe Village neighborhood and had two children, now ages 3 and 5.

Grimms said she always knew she'd rather have her kids ride bikes in the leafy suburbs than heavily trafficked city streets.

When the pandemic prompted her and her husband to work full time from home, they felt the need for more space. Also, the spike in crime in Chicago became worrisome, Grimms said.

“We were anxious to get out of the city,” she said. “We listed our place knowing that the inventory in the suburbs was limited.”

The couple sold their townhouse and moved in November into a month-to-month rental apartment in Naperville, where they continue their search for a new home.

“We feel good,” she said. “It's a bit of a relief.”

A new focus

The pandemic forced Ryan Morrison, 52, of Warrenville to focus on what brings him the most joy: his faith, health, family, work and hobbies.

“What it really boils to is taking care of myself,” he said.

Morrison works as a headhunter who specializes in finance and accounting. He lost his job in September 2020 but was fortunate to start a new one the following month, he said.

In fact, 2021 has been the best year of his career, both in terms of finances and professional satisfaction, he said.

Working from home gave him more time with his family, which he thoroughly enjoys, he said. He started working out more and added outdoor activities - walking, biking, hiking - with his wife and two children.

“It's great for your body, but it's also great for your mind,” he said.

He also delved deeper into his Christian faith, which brought him comfort, he said.

“This time has been a trial for many and for me included. Navigating elements of fear, elements of the unknown, not being able to see as many people or travel ... ,” he said. “But my faith and how I interpret things in the world, that has brought me joy and an element of peace of mind.”

A new adventure

Mat and Janet Knupp, both 64, moved to Florida in January and have loved every minute of it.

Mat Knupp is a construction manager for Wendy's and was offered an all-expenses-paid move anywhere within two hours of Orlando, Florida.

The couple lived on 2.3 acres outside Elgin, so they had plenty of space to socialize with friends and family during the pandemic. But the market for the home rehab business they started in 2015 had dried up. And Janet Knupp, a business consultant who'd traveled the world for 20 years, suddenly had nowhere to go.

Basically, life became more boring during the pandemic, she said. The couple agreed they needed a new challenge and adventure. Plus, the rising cost of living and owning property in Illinois was an increasingly frustrating burden, she said.

So the Knupps, whose children live on the East Coast, decided to take a chance. They sold their home in Elgin and a rental place they owned in Streamwood, and they bought a home outside Clermont, Florida. Matt's 93-year-old mother-in-law also moved and now lives in her own apartment 20 minutes away.

They also ended up buying a second home in their neighborhood that they are now renting out to a suburban couple.

“Unbelievably, the first couple at the open house, looking to rent, (was) a young couple from the northwest Chicago suburbs. He is from Elgin and she is from Mount Prospect. They moved in and are now our 'Florida children,' and we are their 'Florida parents,'” Janet Knupp said.

The Knupps have embraced their new lifestyle, including joining a boat club and not minding the summer heat. “We love it here,” she said.

An awakening

The loneliness caused by limited family and social interactions during the pandemic exacerbated Karen Reedus' depression to the point that she had to call paramedics, twice, after having anxiety attacks.

Then, someone T-boned the 66-year-old Addison resident in a near-fatal car crash in December 2020. She got 30 stitches on her head and suffered a severe concussion, two broken bones in her neck and two broken vertebrae.

While undergoing a four-month recovery, Reedus decided it was time for serious changes. “I have four grandchildren and two daughters and a mom who lives in Addison, and I just wanted to be alive and well,” she said. “I realized how blessed I was and that I had the love of my friends and my family.”

Reedus suffered from Type 2 diabetes and became scared of dying prematurely if she didn't take care of herself, she said. After speaking with a nutritionist, she changed her eating habits: She quit her Pepsi addiction, stayed away from sweets and adopted a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet. She also has slowed down her eating, so she tastes and enjoys food more, she said.

As a result, her depression has receded, her blood glucose levels have dropped and she has lost 32 pounds. She can walk longer distances and take the stairs with ease.

Truly, she feels better than ever before, Reedus said.

“I believe that God had something to do with all of this,” she said. “This was a spiritual thing that was awakened, that told me, 'Karen you've got to take care of yourself. You have people that need you.'”