The Boston Blur.

That’s what life in Boston is turning into.

I was terrible and should have posted more over my long winter break; but alas you’re away from home for four months and don’t know when you’ll be back again––so instead of passing bored moments with blog updates or scheduling time to write, you find yourself just constantly being with people. Annoying your family with closeness. Strategically scheduling friend time to catch up.

The month that I was home was weird, wonderful and relaxed. And long. Very long.

Immediately after I got home there was a wedding and parties; family dinners and the immediate holidays.

Panthers game with my Winston-Salem ladies.

Wedding with my AOII alumnaes.

It’s funny how holidays are so different in this mid-20s phase of life. You don’t have kids for there to be that same Christmas magic. You’re no longer a kid so it carries a different connotation of happiness. And all of siblings are in a similar comfortable place of contentment with just . . .spending time. No more racing each other to the living room on Christmas Day. No more spending the full day playing incessantly with a new toy (well, maybe sometimes). But it’s just different. It’s so much less pressure. And so much more relaxed it seems. I loved it. This is a pretty cool time in life with my family. We just get to appreciate the time together.

LIttle brother + Me.

The weeks that I was home passed in hang outs and work outs, basically. Running. The gym. Sitting on the couch. Shopping with mom. Eating out with friends. It was really a rinse and repeat of my life four months ago.

Eerily it seemed almost that I could just close my eyes and slip back into my old life.

But yet. I couldn’t. Boston wasn’t a dream. And Boston was going to be returned to. Instead it just felt like I was living this parallel life that no one knew anything about.

Four weeks at home.

The hardest part was probably being away from ole’ Andy. The new(ish) boyfriend and I had been together for two months when we left for our respective Christmas breaks almost 3,000 miles apart. Three time zones. We went through our third month marker while we were apart and it was just so strange to bridge that much space for such a long period of time when you’re so early into a relationship.

But it was good. The best part? Andy, total sweetheart that he is, volunteered without me asking to fly to North Carolina to ride with me back to Boston since I was taking my car on the return.

That meant he got to see my North Carolina.

And he got to meet my family. And my friends.

And now, sure he still knows who I am, but he knows a lot more about why I am.

Favorite things all in one place.

Pretty awesome that he gets to see all that and we’re only (almost) four months in.

The weeks since our two-day, 15-hour return drive to Boston have been full of watching football (RIP Panthers), getting back into a work schedule (mama needs money), readjusting to a new class schedule (SO MUCH FILMING) and having reunions with friends in the area.

Last weekend we took a short road trip to Providence, RI (hello first new state of 2014) to see our friend Jeanna’s boyfriend play hockey with the Providence Bruins. Fast forward two days later and we’re getting together to watch him play on television with the Boston Bruins.

That’s not Zach fighting. But nice that Zach scored…the Bruins won…AND there was a fight.

Rob, Rox, Andy + Me at Doyle’s.

A Sam Adams Brewery tour. A winter storm.

That was pretty cool in the last two weeks, as well.

With all of this fun though, I’m still starting to feel the pressure that this program is only a year and a half long––and I’m already working on two-thirds finished. I have my first thesis meeting next week and I really need to get rolling on internship applications.

I’m going to continue to try to be better about posting : ) Maybe THAT should have been my NYR.