Amid the chaos of last week, a friend of mine mentioned that she had two extra tickets to see Bruno Mars at Philips Arena.  Normally, I’d freak out at the idea of night plans on a “school night,” but I’m trying to be a bit less square these days, so against my better sleep judgment, we went on Thursday night.  It’s such an incredible life change to be in the city where the entertainment is abundant and dangerously close by.  The concert was only 4 miles away, and I felt ridiculous for even considering turning down the night.  Mid-dance move to “Treasure,” Nicholas leaned over and whispered, “we’re home, baby.”  He was grinning ear to ear, and for the millionth time since we moved back, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief.  I’m already finding myself getting lost in the stacks of essays and lesson planning that takes longer than it should, and Thursday night was a breath of fresh air and another reminder about the bigger picture.  I don’t have to have the perfect school year, and I certainly don’t need to stay in on a school night for fear of being tired when the alarm goes off at 5–it’s 5am–I’m going to be tired regardless.  With this in mind, we rode the Ferris Wheel after the concert ended and then cabbed it home.  I didn’t get to bed until well after midnight, and was slightly under prepared for one particular lesson on Friday; but in the big scheme of things, I’ll look back and remember the satisfaction of listening to great music beside Nicholas and the look on his face when he reminded me that “we’re home.”