It's time already...

...For a blog update. Also, because I'm into choices, I might have titled this one, "The First Day of the Rest of His Life...Darin Gets His iPhone". (stay tuned to the end of the post for some of his first iPhone photos.  They're worth hanging on for.)

But really, the first title encompasses that news as well, it was time already.

We moved into our house in Chapel Hill

Here's the one interior shot only barely ready for a close-up.

We arrived here in Chapel Hill on July 9th, exactly two weeks later on July 23rd our first shipment from Korea arrived.  On the 13th our stuff that had been in storage for two years arrived, so we started sleeping at the house.  But that was a full 10 days on air mattresses before our beds arrived.  To say we were ready to move out of hotels, is mostly an understatement:

 (Thanks to the Major for this sweet window into my reality!  I know, Sleeping Beauty wishes she could look this good when she is sleeping.)

One good part about living in hotels, and waiting forever for our kitchen stuff to arrive, meant we kept eating out.  And really, that would be tragic too, if Chapel Hill wasn't "America's Foodiest Small Town."  We are out to prove it's a title that is warranted.  We're doing our best to hit up every local establishment that has generated a buzz...  

Darin had heard about Elmo's Diner, so one rare morning when we were up and ready for breakfast when it was still breakfast time, we went over to check it out.  Henry was delighted to order the traditional biscuits and gravy for breakfast.  Darin and I were excited to try grits without having to order it for ourselves.

Mostly I'm still confused by grits.  Are they good, or are they gross?  I'm still deciding.  But Henry gives two thumbs up to true Southern buiscuits and gravy.

The fact that we were there on the morning when breakfast Chilaquiles were the morning special felt prophetic to me.  Though I'm sometimes torn when I answer the question "where are you from (as in where did I grow up)".  Do I say California, do I say Maryland?  But when it comes to food I am a Californian at heart and if Mexican food can be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it's considered the most delicious sort of day!  I'm still dreaming about Elmo's Chilaquiles!!

The first night after our stuff arrived, Aunts Rachel and Christine arrived too!  We were so excited to welcome our first house guests.

And the best thing about their 2am arrival was that it gave us plenty of time to at least unpack the kitchen boxes before our house guests arrived!  Nothing like a little motivation to bust out the vaccum for the first time either.  It worked beautifully. 

The weekend went by too quickly.  But they are only four hours away.  We'll do it again very soon I hope.  Next time I'll even put sheets on their beds.

Their arrival also gave us an excuse to go check out Mama Dip's, which instantly became endeared to all of us when a side of Mac and Cheese was listed under the available "vegetables" you could choose.  Only in the South!

In conclusion their fried chicken and chicken fried steaks were everything you could hope for.  Their Red Velvet Cake was tremendous.  The Coconut Custard Cream pie left me wishing I had ordered the Red Velvet Cake.

And yeah, if you're wondering if all we do in Chapel Hill is go out to eat, let me assure you it's not.  We also swim (which deserve a few photos because it's so beautiful, but we don't have any), go to the mall, and occasionally visit botanical gardens, this time it was to Duke's prized gardens:

I hope this picture properly conveys how excited the children were to be at a botanical garden, instead of at the pool.

P.S.  Here are the promised iPhone photos.  And if you don't think I'm embarrassed that they are more photos about us going out to eat, then you don't know me very well.  But I'm not embarrassed that Darin and I jump at the chance to go out on a steamy date to Franklin St., or about how I hope this is only the first of many times that we bring home treats from Sugarland. 

That's the mosaic built into the cement on the ground as you walk into the shop.  So, so cute!