The Good Life

Where have you been all my life, Durham??  I LOVE IT HERE.  The last few days have been so good.  I was in Houston all last week, which was exhausting but necessary for my job.  It's always good to see friends and family there, but coming home to Durham is the best.  It's like slipping away to this quiet, cozy little corner of the world where everything is a little bit simpler.  Who would have ever thought I'd be a small town girl?  The weather is beautiful right now, and the trees are breathtaking.  In Texas, the leaves change from green to dead, so this is a new experience for me.  My iPhone camera doesn't do it justice.  There are really no billboards here on the highway - just forests.  So even driving to Target, I see the most breathtaking colors on the trees that I just have to praise God in my car.  I've been praising God a lot lately for simple things - for my house which I love, for my husband who is doing so well in school, for my job which I adore, for my flexible schedule which has literally changed my life, for my friends here in Durham that God has blessed me with so richly, for the scenery, for the smell of fall, for apple cider, for my Bible study, for our church, for my sweet puppy I get to love on all day, and for this awesome town he brought us to.  Even my run today felt good - light and cool.  These are some pictures I snapped as I ran.

Many of you know that in the past I have NOT been an outdoor person.  Give me a Tempurpedic bed and a bubble bath and a glass of wine, and NO outdoors, thankyouverymuch.  However, I must say my position has changed somewhat (slash a lot).  Cool weather, nice scenery, and no mosquitoes sweetens the deal quite a bit!  I haven't worked out in a gym since July, and I find myself finding more opportunities to be outside.  For example, it's been my dream since moving here to get a fire pit.  This weekend, it became a reality!  We hosted a football and chili party on Saturday (sadly, no pictures. oops.)  For the occasion, we splurged for a $50 fire pit from Target.  Best.$50.Ever.  It's not fancy, but it does the job.  I am now obsessed with it.  We put it in the middle of our backyard surrounded by our oh-so-comfy (seriously!) plastic Adirondack chairs from Home Depot.  We throw two self-starting logs in the pit and light 'er up.  It is SO NICE.  That thing is so warm that even if it's in the 40s, you're toasty.  On Sunday, we cracked open a bottle of wine I bought on my Virginia winery trip with my sister.  We enjoyed a bottle of 2008 Cabernet from Pollak Vineyards - so good!  We sat by the fire and talked for like 2 hours.  Simple and wonderful.  Our neighbors came out to chat for a bit and said they thought we were on a date on the Bachelorette!  Mom, dad, and Julia are coming this weekend, and I can hardly wait to show them around.  The fire pit is waiting, y'all!