At Home in North Carolina!

We have made it safely to North Carolina (and we finally have the Internet again!) and are starting to feel settled in. We are really loving it here already! Some of our favorite things so far: the BBQ (James loves the ribs and I love the pulled pork sandwiches), how green and beautiful everything is, Southern hospitality (it's a real thing!), our new friends from our awesome ward, and getting ready to start school. Some things we are getting used to: the humidity (I use about half a can of hairspray to keep my hair from eating people, and even Hannah's hair curls up and fros out as soon as we step outside!) and the BUGS! James has hung the fly swatter from the door hinge and has killed many spiders, flying creatures, and even a lizard that have somehow made their way into the house! Anyway, we are missing everyone in Utah but think this will be a great home for a couple years.

To catch up, we survived the four day, 30-something hour drive out here. Hannah did amazingly well: she entertained herself, took great naps, and did a little complaining about the last 45 minutes of each day. Mom and Dad were lifesavers to drive the Honda out for us. It was nice for James, Hannah, and I to be able to ride together for the whole trip. We made a couple stops along the way, basically when Hannah needed to eat, but also made the time to visit our friends Kristin and Isaac in Denver, see the arch in St. Louis, and find some really great BBQ in Kansas City. We arrived in Durham to meet our moving van and immediately got all our stuff moved in. Our timing was perfect! Here are some photos of the trip:

Visiting Kris, Isaac, Jake, and James

We are going to have to watch out for Hannah--she loves to hold little boys' hands!James and Isaac are so much alike (except in looks!) that it's almost scary!

Playing on a hay bale in Kansas

Amazing BBQ in Kansas City (I really love taking pictures of food!) The Gateway to the West: The St. Louis Arch

Our new townhome in Durham:

The pond that gives the community its name:

As soon as we set Hannah down in North Carolina, this is what she did:

And now she is pulling herself up to stand on EVERYTHING! As soon as she touches the ground, she is crawling to find something to stand on, whether it's a chair, the dishwasher, or Mommy's legs! Once she's up, she loves to smack things.

This is also why Hannah is no longer a good napper. I lay her down for a nap and then just stands up and won't sleep--what do I do?!!!

James' parents came to visit us a couple days after we got here. We had a great time touring Duke campus, including the beautiful gardens and the famous Cameron Indoor basketball stadium (which is the size of a high school gym!), and visiting the ocean at Carolina Beach (near Wilmington).

James was so excited to be able to go inside the stadium! Best of all, Coach K is speaking to his class on Monday! Do you think the motivation behind choosing Duke was more than just their MBA program?!

We got caught in a 15-minute DOWNPOUR while we were at the Duke Gardens. Thankfully, we found a gazebo to wait out the quick storm, and afterward, the gardens were empty and the flowers were as beautiful as ever.

We had a blast at the beach. Hannah wasn't so sure that she liked the waves but really enjoyed the sand and warm water when we sat where the water would just cover her legs.