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Don't hate me; I'm slow at this blogging thing.
I know, it's already February and I promised updates a looooong time ago. Sorry, friends.
Now I pretty much forget most of the details of Christmas break except that it was relaxing and fun and so so needed. I appreciated being home more than I ever thought I would. Not that I didn't expect to miss home/family/friends, but I didn't expect to find such a sense of contentment the entire break. It was as if I could finally take a deep breath and unwind.

Travis and I celebrated our one-year anniversary in FL over the break. We went out to my parents' beach place on Indian Rocks and went out for an expensive dinner and such; we had decided back in November not to exchange Christmas gifts, just anniversary ones, since they're so close. Trav got me the watch I mentioned in an earlier post and I got him a bass amp so that he can practice at home.
We did kinda break our "no Christmas presents" rule as we bought a Wii right before Thanksgiving. Honestly, it's been one of the best presents ever because it's something we both like and it's an activity rather than a thing. We have a big picture window in our living room in Durham and I like to keep the blinds up during the day to let the natural light in. I bet our neighbors think we're crazy cause you can definitely see us standing in our living room playing Wii golf or tennis on many an occasion.

Speaking of, life in Durham is, well, life. I feel like we've settled into the rhythm of life here; of the weekdays and weekends and what we do on holidays and our favorite restaurants and stores and etc. It sounds silly, but it's a sort of comfort to know that you have a regular doctor or mechanic or favorite breakfast place (Elmo's) or coffeeshop (Broad Street Cafe) or dog groomer or even where the nearest Starbuck's is (pretty far, actually). I actually know my way around school now. I can ride the bus and not have to pay attention to every stop. I have been to Duke's bookstore, gym, clinic, chapel, library(ies), and more. As exciting as new is, settled can also be a welcomed change. We're not Durham, or North Carolina experts, not by far. We've still got plenty of exploring and learning to do. We still get lost when we drive somewhere new and are (somehow) still finding more and more fabulous local eateries, but all in all, I feel a sense of greater peace than I have in at least six months.

It's good to go home, good to come home, and good to be home, even if that means home is in 2 different places.