MMXI

Austin and I returned from Up North to sunny skies and mild temperatures but we each have a mild cold. Given our lack of groceries, we ventured out for lunch on New Year's Eve for our favorite hot and sour soup and tofu dishes. My fortune said "Look ahead for a new beginning" which I am taking to mean my spring semester as a Ph.D. Candidate taking on my dissertation proposal defense. Austin's said "You have an active mind and a keen imagination. Apply your ideas." That is an apt description for him given all his projects from creating the perfect cider to coding a wine list for our iPhones.


We had a quiet NYE in since we weren't feeling the greatest and had just returned home from our trip. We made homemade macaroni and cheese, made a fire, and I finished a book I couldn't put down (Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafón) while Austin read and played some of his new games.


Today we're still taking it easy. I'm taking down Xmas decorations and doing some laundry from the trip. Austin is checking in on a few things from work while fielding Stinky's occasional admonishments about our absence. We're soon going to make a few appetizers to watch the Rose Bowl (our Longhorns didn't have a great season but we're happy to cheer for the Badgers). It will be another quiet night here but hopefully we'll be feeling well for Monday when Austin returns to work and I am also going to be working on my projects (diss proposal, conference proposals, and book review). We had a great visit with our families but we're happy to be home and kicking off 2011 in Texas with our own little family.