Winter break ended for the both of us. Cindy is back at work and Jake started Winter Quarter! Break has been refreshing, but now it’s time to get back into our routines (both new and old).

It’s kind of nice to go back to work and school, respectively. It means consistency. During break, we were sleeping in and going to bed SUPER late. We didn’t shower for days in a row if we didn’t have a reason to leave the house. (gross, but we know we’ve all done it). We were eating our meals at the kitchen counter and, most of the time, we were eating junk. Now that we’re back to old routines, we’re showering everyday (thank goodness) and eating healthier meals.

We’re also getting back into our running routine. We’re at the 16 mile mark in our endurance training for the LA Marathon. It’s pretty crazy to think about the fact that 9 miles used to be so hard for us. And as we add miles, what used to be hard gets easier and easier.

Some new routines for us–

Jake is focusing on building momentum again on his projects and research ideas. He’s also getting accustomed to his new class and TA schedule. Cindy is focusing on keeping with her skincare routine as well as drinking enough water daily. Such drastic differences in our priorities.

One thing we’re both working on this year is our personal friendships. It has been challenging for the both of us to make time for our own individual friends. We tend to hang out with our friends as a couple. And we often see free time as “us” time. But personal friendships are important relationships to have outside of marriage, and we’re learning to balance our time so that we’re including time for our own friends.

Anyway, those are just some thoughts on our old and new routines.