Settling Back In

We’ve been back in Portland for almost a month. A month that has seriously flown by.

I thought two weeks would be more than enough time to get settled before heading back to work. Oooh, how I laugh at myself now! Our first two weeks here were a whirlwind of of unpacking and then family event after family event with some friend time squeezed in here and there. Although it was wonderful to see everyone so quickly, it was totally exhausting.

During those exhausting two weeks, my mom, aunt, future MIL and SIL all went up to Seattle to do some wedding dress shopping! We went to three different shops, and ultimately I bought my incredible, perfect, oh-so-pretty dress from BHLDN! If you’re getting married soon, I highly recommend paying them a visit. It’s Anthropologie’s wedding dress line, so you know they’ve got a gorgeous selection. They only have a few shops in the US, but if you’re lucky enough to live by one, it’s worth a stop. She got my vision and taste pretty quickly and helped make things really perfect. Oh, and just so you know before going in, it’s pronounced “beholden”… not B-H-L-D-N. I felt a bit silly.

Immediately after this excitement, I headed back into work. I work for an incredible company that made a spot for me upon my return and they’ve made my transition back into the workforce so great. They are truly wonderful!

And in case you were wondering: I can confirm that 40 hours of traveling is a new kind of hell. I got maybe 6 hours of rough, interrupted sleep. Luckily our first two legs (a 9 hour flight and 15 hour flight) were on super fancy planes with TVs on every seat that had brand new movies, TV shows, and even video games. BUT. But. I was unlucky enough to have (insert expletives here) in front of me on both flights that leaned their seats all the way back. For the whole flight. MONSTERS. I seriously can’t understand how one person can be so inconsiderate and do that to someone else. Even when they were sitting upright they didn’t bring their seats back up. Flying for that long will make you hate other humans.

There were lots of tears upon my return, especially for my momma. I really, really, really missed her. We have a very close relationship and a year in which I only got to talk to her on the phone twice was super hard on me. I can’t tell you how great it is to be back into our routine of nails and lunch every other week.

Fiance and I went out for a late dinner with our families before getting some much needed sleep. The next day, I got to see my best friend and meet her little baby. She got pregnant and had a freaking baby during the year I was gone. Unbelievable.

During those first two weeks back, we met two new babies, two new dogs, and saw two new houses. A lot happens in a year.

Wonderful things about being home: my family being just 20 minutes away, PIZZA, having a car that I love to drive, PIZZA, a well-stocked grocery store, PIZZA, wonderful friends, Mexican food, a great job, a wider wardrobe selection, fantastic internet, the Cooking Channel, an incredibly comfy bed, and pizza. We really, really missed pizza.

Things that suck about being home: constant gray rain, expensive EVERYTHING, being really busy, and having more bills to pay.

Things I really miss about Cape Town: the weather, the beaches, the wildlife, Table Mountain, the wine, how alive the city always felt, learning new things constantly, and being able to devote so much time to bettering myself and working on this blog that I love.

I haven’t found a moment to shoot food and blog since we’ve been back, but I’ve got some new posts for you coming! I so appreciate your patience while I’m making this transition.