Winter Break started with a road trip home. I split the 9 hour trip into two days, staying over night about halfway in Bristol. While I'm usually a fan of driving straight through without stopping (except to fill up for gas), I really enjoyed the luxury of staying in a hotel, as well as waking up and only having half the trip left.
The night I got home was also the 11th annual Christmas party with the girls. We continued the tradition with a sleepover, only this time there was an adorable baby to cuddle with when we woke up in the morning. Hard to believe it's been 11 years, 3 weddings (another coming up), 1 baby, 5 cities and 2 continents. I wouldn't have missed our party for the world.
After a few quiet days at home with my parents, the house filled up with my grandparents, Amanda, and her boyfriend. Christmas came and went fast this year, and as always, Mom outdid herself. See proof below.
We spent Christmas night at our neighbors' house in our pajamas, my favorite way to end the holiday. Before heading back to Nashville, the whole family swung down to North Carolina to spend time with more family, where one of my favorite pictures from the week was taken:
I loved being home for the holidays, and as always it was tough to leave. But knowing that I still had a week of vacation ahead of me in Nashville made it a little easier.
For the next week, my friends and I tried new restaurants, went to see a movie (American Hustle), stayed out late, watched various sports events (on TV and live!) and went shopping for our respective homes. I felt more relaxed than I could ever remember on a break, and I know it's because I had time to simply be in my own space and enjoy life in Nashville. I felt like a real person! I loved getting to do "normal" things like go to a coffee shop in the morning or the gym in the early afternoon (although I'd imagine that isn't actually normal for most people).
This was also the first New Years that I've ever actually been "out". AR, AB and I bought tickets to see the same 90's cover band we saw on Halloween, after exchanging Christmas gifts and feasting on delicious Thai food. I definitely had to drink some coffee before we went out to ensure that I wouldn't lose any steam before midnight, and it worked like a charm. We had a blast at the concert, and topped off the celebration with a sleepover and brunch at a cool Midtown restaurant the next day.
The rest of break was split between lesson planning, organizing and cleaning my condo, trying new recipes, and running errands, reading books, and enjoying the time off.
The icing on the cake was an extra work day for teachers when the "polar vortex" made its home in Nashville. Because of the "dangerously low" temperatures and our building's lack of a heating system, school was canceled for kids the Tuesday they were supposed to come back, so it was a short week and a great way to ease ourselves back into a routine. This also meant I was able to get all my work done before the weekend and enjoy one last stress-free weekend before it got real again.
This week has been a bit of an adjustment, and I'm incredibly exhausted, but I'm also happy. Coming up: a post about my New Year's resolutions, a work update, and eventually, a recap of a road trip to Atlanta (happening this weekend!). Stay tuned.
