We are finally back in Beirut after 6 weeks in the U.S. We arrived last night after an uneventful set of flights. I’m settling into the boring process of cleaning our dusty apartment, getting over jet lag, re-stocking the fridge, etc. Right now I am brewing my favorite coffee, Oaxacan from Curra’s. The sun seems to be coming out after a long thunderstorm last night, and life is fine.

Being back in the States (NYC, Texas, Maryland, Rhode Island, then back to NY) was a really good time. Our families and friends are so fantastic. The wedding itself was a lot of fun, with friends traveling in to Austin from all over. Our families really pitched in and helped make it all work. We got to spend Christmas with Ethan’s family, which meant being woken by 3 little kids on Christmas morning. We spent several relaxing days in Rhode Island with Ethan’s parents. We also met one month-old Milo (lovely) and saw not-quite-3 year-old Cooper, who is fond of loudly singing “Copacabana”. We spent New Years in Brooklyn with many of our best friends.

Being back in New York was interesting, I think I miss it more than I realized. I was well aware that I missed friends, but I was reminded that New York is truly special. The food, the pace, the mixing of cultures, feeling anonymous yet a part of it all…what I felt was nothing new, but I had mistakenly thought that I was over it.

And with that, a quick photo montage ..


Reunited pals


Ethan and I went swimming in paper bathing suits provided by the hotel…


Hitched


Dinner with my brothers


Texas Bike