Week 4 in Atlanta

Apparently I am going to do a weekly blog of my life and experiences in moving to Atlanta. :-) Sounds fun! Ok, so moving forward, my friend from Orlando moved up without a problem and he starts work on Monday, that'll will be pretty cool. We worked together back at Microsoft. The tech world really is a small community and how your paths cross. Ok, let's move on to living accommodations, we are still in our apartment and honestly, the apartment itself is great. Nice bathroom, adequate kitchen, GREAT A/C, nice pool, and even a pool side grill. However, it is still apartment living, navigating in an out of a garage, people coming and going at all hours, no backyard for the dogs, random noises throughout the place (note on that though, the walls of the apartment are probably the best I have ever experienced for an apartment). So all of that being said, we put an offer on a house, got accepted, inspection had some issues, seller agreed to handle all of it. The process has been pretty uneventful with the exception of the amount of paperwork included. I am happy to say that I am a veteran (I wasn't happy at the time I became one though). Because of that I had to get additional paperwork from the government. And by all previous experiences, that would be an endeavor in itself, but they have improved their process and probably one of the best experiences I have ever had with the government and documentation. Special thanks to the Lousiana National Guard Records office, who had all the paperwork sent within 1 hour of my request (yes, 1 hour from me sending an email request). SSG Green who was exactly what you want when you ask for something, polite, helpful, informed, and efficient. Thank you for that! So now the process goes to the loan specialist, then the under writer, then the appraisal, then the closing, then... we move in! So keep us in your prayers, we are doing well.

Charlie has had a rough go of it initially. He had some ticks (dead due to his medication, but still present), then some skin allergies, but we found a vet near "our house" who helped it immensely and explained everything to us. Chattahoochee Animal Clinic, Dr Andy Morton. I suppose I should put something on Yelp, Kudzo, for all the recommendations I have here, but maybe in time. Charlie is feeling MUCH better and is back to himself now.

Work has been getting more and more exciting. I'm doing some pretty cool JavaScript code to tie into the MVC (actually, the MC, since the view is handle on the client now). Definitely glad I am working where I am... starting to create the culture I like, going to lunch with a crew, the area is getting louder and more interaction, we are feeding off of each other's code and excitement. Forgot how that felt for a while, special shout out to the eForms team at Vetafore... truly an amazing crew...

What else? Susie is doing great and very happy for her. She is pursuing a Graphic Design program at Emory and being the most amazing wife I could ask for. Taking care of the "boys", managing me and my random thoughts, and pursuing her own interest all at the same time. Not sure how she balances a lot of the stuff she does, but just glad she said "I Do". :-)

Hmm, other than that, not much is going on... oh wait... we did look for appliances... we will need a new fridge and washer/dryer for the house. That being said, WOW, there is a LOT of marketing out there to convince you to buy one product over another. We are going with the Samsung Washer/Dryer and for the kitchen, we are leaning toward Kitchenaid. But we went to Sears, HH Gregg, Best Buy, etc... open box products are the way to go... but due to the pending house purchase, we don't want to make any big purchases until after we close. It was quite a day for us walking around looking at all of that in a place we don't know, for a place we don't own yet. Kind of funny, but we were just gathering information... I'm more of a buyer rather than a shopper, I'll do MONTHS of research on a laptop online but when I hit a store, I'm not leaving until I get exactly what I want. I need to learn how to shop better, and Susie is pretty good at that. She'll actually need to touch/experience the appliance. The weight of the handle, the force needed to open it, the actual layout/design of it. Makes sense really, but being the engineer type, I need the specs and I'll tell you how big it is, what it weighs, and what the components of it are... but that doesn't define the "feeling" of the item. It really is fascinating how together she and I are truly the PERFECT compliment of each other. She worries about stuff I don't even think about and I stress over things that don't really matter to her. She focuses on the whole view of things and I wonder if the light in the fridge is LED or Incandescent. Writing that down actually made me laugh, but I actually do that. I know I'm a little nuts, but makes you understand why I'm so amazed by her. Let's move on to the food aspect of things... Cafe Intermezzo is definitely our new "home base" for food... Just a good little italian coffeehouse with a vast list of beverages for those that drink, but breakfast served all day... so yay! Shane's Rib Shack (although it is a chain, I know) is convenient and just nice to get good fast BBQ. Try that in Seattle? And if anyone mentions Dixie's BBQ, you need to come to Atlanta and experience some real stuff. However, Carolina Smoke in Country Village (Bothell) is pretty decent. But I am in the South now, so it doesn't really compare. Now, I am surprised that more people are not diabetic with the Sweet Tea consumption down here. It is often unlimited refills and it is SWEET. I do love my sweet tea, I really do... but it is not meant for daily consumption with every meal. Once a week is what I think I am going to cut down to... Water needs to be consumer more often, just due to the heat alone... plus it is better for you. What else? We have heard rumors of a good Sushi place Nagoya in Roswell. We have yet to experience it. People claim Ceviche is good on Canton street, it is ok... nothing amazing, but adequate. Now, Salt is an amazing place. We still want to try Inc. that is always busy and looks intriguing. All in all, they have some great food places here and we are working on experiencing them all over time. :-) Once we get into the house, we need to get back on our routine of Crossfit and Hot Yoga. We found a few places we will checkout.

Congratulations to Gabby Douglas for winning the gold. But the one who really deserves some recognition, Kayla Harrison for winning the FIRST EVER GOLD FOR USA IN JUDO. Check it out here: Kayla Harrison wins gold in Judo/

Thanks for stopping by, apparently I had a lot to say today... :-) Time to relax a little.