After a long day I walked in the door of my apartment and thought "finally, I'm home". And then it hit me: wow, I consider this my home now. During years of 6-month plans, I always had the underlying understanding that the place where I slept was temporary. Now, for the first time in a long time, I am rooted. A big part of this feeling comes from our apartment. At first I wasn't even interested in looking at the place (the rent was too high), but Lauren convinced me to at least give it a chance. We both fell in love with it right away. Currently, the furnishing is sparce. This is primarily because we both like to shop at IKEA and the nearest store is located in Houston. "We'll go next weekend" has been our mantra for the past two months. In the photo, our apartment is located in the upper left.
Another big part of New Orleans becoming home has been our friends. We have been very fortunate to meet some really great people in such a short time. Megan and Amy are sisters from Seattle, WA. Lauren knew them from back home and remained friends with them even after they moved down here a couple of years ago. We stayed at their place for a bit when we first moved. It was the perfect start to our time here. Megan showed us the sights and we would chill and play board games at night. Interesting people on their own, they also form a dynamic duo.
Devin is a friend of mine from work. He is a recent transplant from South Carolina who is great at getting the most out of his experience here. It seems every time I talk with him he is at a Gumbo festival, Gospel performance, or some typically New Orleanian event. In this photo, Devin is showing off his "red beans and rice" Halloween costume.
We also are lucky enough to have become friends with the other people in our building. Our landlord, Jack, is an architect by trade. He has been very nice in introducing us to his friends and making us feel welcome here. Our neighbor Brooke is a lawyer here who has two dogs, Lucky and Brady, that we watch sometimes and are both really fond of. She and Lauren often go on morning runs while I am still sound asleep. We had an impromptu dinner party the other night and all our friends showed up. Literally. In the picture are (seated left to right): Brooke, Lauren, Jack, Devin, Megan, and Amy.
After a long day I walked in the door of my apartment and thought "finally, I'm home". And then it hit me: wow, I consider this my home now. During years of 6-month plans, I always had the underlying understanding that the place where I slept was temporary. Now, for the first time in a long time, I am rooted. A big part of this feeling comes from our apartment. At first I wasn't even interested in looking at the place (the rent was too high), but Lauren convinced me to at least give it a chance. We both fell in love with it right away. Currently, the furnishing is sparce. This is primarily because we both like to shop at IKEA and the nearest store is located in Houston. "We'll go next weekend" has been our mantra for the past two months. In the photo, our apartment is located in the upper left. 
Another big part of New Orleans becoming home has been our friends. We have been very fortunate to meet some really great people in such a short time. Megan and Amy are sisters from Seattle, WA. Lauren knew them from back home and remained friends with them even after they moved down here a couple of years ago. We stayed at their place for a bit when we first moved. It was the perfect start to our time here. Megan showed us the sights and we would chill and play board games at night. Interesting people on their own, they also form a dynamic duo. 
Devin is a friend of mine from work. He is a recent transplant from South Carolina who is great at getting the most out of his experience here. It seems every time I talk with him he is at a Gumbo festival, Gospel performance, or some typically New Orleanian event. In this photo, Devin is showing off his "red beans and rice" Halloween costume. 
We also are lucky enough to have become friends with the other people in our building. Our landlord, Jack, is an architect by trade. He has been very nice in introducing us to his friends and making us feel welcome here. Our neighbor Brooke is a lawyer here who has two dogs, Lucky and Brady, that we watch sometimes and are both really fond of. She and Lauren often go on morning runs while I am still sound asleep. We had an impromptu dinner party the other night and all our friends showed up. Literally. In the picture are (seated left to right): Brooke, Lauren, Jack, Devin, Megan, and Amy.
