Welcome Home.

Oh, New Orleans. Welcome home. When I arrived Wednesday night after a 10-hour drive down I-55 watching the temperatures rise as my mileage increased, I was greeted by my family with hugs, a glass of wine, and friendly assistance as my siblings and dad quickly unloaded my car. I didn't quite realize how physically and emotionally exhausted I had become until I slept for close to 10 hours and awoke the next morning feeling a bit  more centered and grounded than I had the previous day. And less emotionally charged. I think the toll of all the goodbyes and the transition had impacted me more than I knew.

For my final day of FUNemployment Thursday (my how quickly the time went!), I spent the day filling out HR forms for my new job, working out with my sister, and doing a bit of organizing. We went to my Dad's fishing club, THC, that night for dinner and I crawled into bed early anxious and nervous for my first day at my new job. For all the anxiety I was having, Friday turned out to be A-OK. A morning full of new employee orientation, lunch with my supervisor at the 1834 Club, and an afternoon of diving into student staff recruitment left me wiped and longing for a few moments of quiet to look around the office, say hello to colleagues, and figure out my bearings. I guess there's time for that down the road. I spent my first evening after work at my grandparent's house visiting with them, enjoying boiled crab (the photo above), and soaking up my sister's final night at home.

And the weekend? Not too shabby. Catching up on TV from the week, Craigslist-ing, my uncle's spin class and coffee with him and my sister Saturday morning, a night out with a new friend at a party and Cooter Brown's for beer and burgers, and a Sunday viewing of The Impossible with Mom rounded out my first full weekend home. While I did get invited to a friend's work Super Bowl Party, I declined to have the evening to just BE and get ready for my first full week. Maybe not the smartest move when you're new and trying to meet people but I am hopeful for many more opportunities down the road. And I may try to get involved with the group of folks I met last night who are all connected through the Young Leadership Council (YLC) here in the city.  Potentially a group to get involved with!

Slow and steady wins the race. As I told Luke yesterday, patience is a virtue I am faking til I make and though I am nostalgic and longing/missing so much of my life in St. Louis, I am taking deep breaths and hopeful this new chapter in New Orleans was indeed the right move and will feel more like my life instead of a vacation from my life in due time. However, my heart did smile reading the Travel section of the paper this morning which featured an article on St. Louis! Oh, the lou...

Cheers.