What just happened?

I'm ba-ack. We had a wonderful trip to Wisconsin and Minnesota for the holidays. Since it was our first time back since we moved, we were a little over-ambitious and wanted to be everywhere and see everyone. We drove over 3,300 miles in a week! Was it worth it? You bet.

We got to spend time with family

(Just one of our many wonderful ones)

 Catch up with amazing friends

And see "the homeland" in all its winter glory

Since we got back, I've been adjusting in several ways. For one, I've been so worn-out this week; I'm seriously still trying to catch up on sleep. When we got back to Austin, I was also hit with the realization that this truly is our "home." I've been trying to incorporate that word into my vocabulary since we moved here in an attempt to add a sense of permanency. I guess I really didn't understand it until we had to leave our friends and family again to go back to our apartment, jobs and life as we know it. It's not necessarily a good or bad thing...just a new step in life. Sometimes I wonder if we'll ever feel as comfortable here as we did in Wisconsin. But thoughts like that are like comparing apple to oranges. We both lived in Wisconsin nearly our entire lives; we've been here for six months. I suppose that, just like building a physical home, it's a brick-by-brick process. It's my hope that 2011 brings us continued blessings as we discover even more of our new home. 

Happy New Year! Here's a wonderfully luscious song that's perfect for any time of year. (If you haven't heard Fleet Foxes yet, I highly recommend them---one of my favorite bands of the last couple years.)