The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

OK, OK, I know that I have been absent for a while, however it's not that I haven't been busy people... anyway... oh, how I have missed you Blog!  As they say, it's good to be back.

So, since having moved here to Georgia, it has been a roller coaster ride to say the least.  I went through an intense two week period of unpacking, updating, decorating, shopping, and just trying to get the place livable, and now I am pretty burned out.  The remaining boxes that keep staring me down, let alone the ones looming in the garage, will just have to wait until I get the rest of my life back on track.

With that being said, I wanted to share some of my initial observations so far...  let's just say, it's been interesting....

The Good:

• That bright yellow thing in the sky- I hear it's called the Sun- I get to see it every day. No more "grainy" (that would be gray and rainy) Michigan weather.
• With the sun, comes warmth.  Right now, it is awesome.  Come August, I am betting not so much, but I choose not to acknowledge that now.
• How kind everyone is... I had polite written in there, but that just does not do it justice.  People are genuinely nice.  They want to help you.  They let you into their lane when you want to merge- willingly. They smile at you - for no reason. It's freaking me out just a little.
• In relation to the above- people here are happy- I think it's a combination of all of the above.
• The ability to drive with the windows down all the time
• The radio station Dave FM- it's as if someone took my Ipod, put it on shuffle, and pressed play.  Awesome.
• The creek and "woods" next to the house.  The girls played in it every day that they were here... they came out scratched up, muddy and smiling… and loved every minute of it.
• Speaking of kids, have to mention the neighborhood- it’s a swarm of children.  There were kids here every day playing with the girls, and an instant set of friends is not so bad.
• Speaking of the neighborhood, it's great.  You just feel safe, like people here have your back, and again, they all wave hello.  Can't wait for the pool to open- That's right... a neighborhood pool that I get to enjoy and someone else takes care of- can you say heaven?!?!
• My backyard.  The house sits on a lot that is angled just right so that I never get direct sun. I have never had a fence before, and I have to say I love it.  Sitting on the patio, drinking a cold beer, just listening to the birds... I exhale... it's pretty darn perfect.
• The recreation- while I have not been able to check it out in abundance (yet) but there is so much to DO here- family activities, sporting events, and tons of great trails to hike- can you say Appalachian Trail?  Can't wait to check that out!
• Cost of living.  It's less.  Enough said.

Here is what I will classify as "The Bad"-

• The language barrier.  Yes, there is a southern way of speaking, and right now it is all gibberish.  No, I don't know how far away a "stroke" is.
• The pace.  Let's just say people here are not in a hurry. Face it, I walk fast, I talk fast, I drive fast... I am sure at some point I will adapt to this way of life and it will be good for me, but right now, let's pick up the pace people!
• House Guests- otherwise known as Bugs.  They are huge.  No, I’m serious- as big as your head huge. And they dive at you and are ugly and scary and ugh! The wasp nest that was in the gutters, the spiders, beetles and centipedes- all both dead and alive- that I found in the house as it sat empty for a while completely gave me the chills. And even now they still seem to be everywhere.  I swear they feed those suckers Miracle Grow or something…
• All that yellow stuff- otherwise known as tree pollen.  While it doesn't last long, it coats everything, and having a white car does not help matters
• The occasional thunderstorm.  This is not your momma’s thunderstorm, unless you grew up here, and then it is. They are so much more intense here- the lightning seems to stretch across the sky for as far as you can see, and the thunder is so deep and rumbling that you swear it’s right over you.  Which sometimes it is, and then it makes all the windows shake.
• The southern food- see, and you thought I would put it up under the "Good".  But that is the problem- it's too good.  And all these biscuits and gravy are not helping the waistline... and I still have not been able to find the right gym.
• Non-Existent Instant Set of Friends for me- while the kids are having an easy time, for me, not so much.  I am struggling to meet friends, and am really missing that.  I don't work in an office, and then put travel on top of that... how do you meet other cool moms that like to drink beer and watch hockey, all while discussing the importance of organic milk and dark chocolate?
• Speaking of hockey, finding people that understand what icing is proving difficult. Very difficult. 
• That everything is new.  Every store, every street, every shop.  It's crazy and confusing, and therefore there is no "quick trips" anywhere. Need to get the oil changed?  Have to Google a place, plug it into the Garmin, and hope it all works out.  
• Grocery shopping- again with the "don't know where anything is yet", and all of your favorite brands are nowhere to be found.  You also see large amounts of Pimento Cheese spread down here.  I don’t even want to know what that is.
• Speaking of Grocery Stores, there is a place here called Publix.  It's like Kroger or Farmer Jack's to all my Michigan brethren, all except for one thing- THEY WALK YOUR GROCERY CART TO YOUR CAR! And they even unload your bags INTO the car.  Its so frickin' weird.  I just want to yell "Stop touching my stuff!" however that would not be very southern of me.....

And now, for the Ugly...

• Yep, that would be my hair.  As a naturally curly red-head, this humidity is already proving to be my nemesis; that evil thing that looms outside- invisible, just waiting to strike- and it's not even summer yet.  I have a feeling that no matter how many straight irons I arm myself with it's going to come down to a battle of wills in the end... will I go back to curly?  Will I cut it?  Will I stay in the house until the fall?  Ahhhhh.... It remains to be seen…  

Until then, I need to put on my flip-flops, sit outside, and enjoy the sun for a while…