6 Days: Let the Panicing Commence

In six days, our movers will be here (and in Norcross, but mostly here). This move is an interesting display of Jordan and I's divergent personality traits. I am a self-described uber-planner (others have used the terms "anal-retentive" and "Hitler"); having every detail planned out is the best way for me to deal with such a life changing event. I have packed our crystal and stemware, all of my school books, all of our pleasure books, all of our DVDs, and all of Jordan's games. I have almost finished packing my clothes, our linens (bedroom and bathroom) and our dishes. I have still to tackle the kitchen, the office, the bathroom and our framed pictures. After a bubble wrap run and a couple of afternoons of non-stop packing, I think this task will be easily completed.

In contrast to me, Jordan feels most relaxed when he is improvising. Jordan has yet to pack his clothes and all of our electronics (a task that I do not envy, but I am sure he did not envy me when I was packing dishes and crystal either!) Jordan's approach stressing me out; it has been a good "marriage lesson" to let him pack in his time, but I have had to learn to leave him to this and trust that he will do what he is supposed to do (even if he is still packing when the movers arrive)! Maybe one day, our personalities will converge to a more central position on the planning-improvising spectrum, but for now, we continue to be polar opposites!

At this stage, we are facing all of the usual doubts: why are we doing this? Is it really worth it? Why don't we just get jobs in Atlanta and stay here! Whenever we have this conversation (which is multiple times a day), we come to the conclusion that we are only going to be in Pittsburgh five or six years, we can always leave if we HATE it, but that we think we are really going to like it. I think this is normal for life changing events.

Outside of packing, we will have a very busy week (why did I choose to move during my birthday week?!). This started on Friday, when we had to pick up my contacts and Jordan's glasses from Costco, I had my final haircut at Van Michael with Julie (she has been cutting my hair since before Jordan and I started dating -- highly recommend her to anyone looking for a new stylist!), we saw Harry Potter (FAIL: worst of the movies thus far) with my mum and sister, and had dinner at Thai Spice with my mum, dad and sister.

Yesterday, I was having trouble sleeping (I woke up at 5:15). I decided to go to the gym in Norcross, because I had some errands to do up there. I ran on the Elliptical for 30 mins, and then went to my parents house for a shower. Then my mum and I took a Pilate's class (love it!) and got pedicures. Immediately following this, I went car shopping with my dad and Derek (Jordan and I need to decide exactly what we want, and then Derek will find the best deal for us -- he is an awesome person and friend who love to help out his friends in any way he can). We spent a lot of time at a Honda dealership, and have narrowed down our choices to a Civic, an Accord and CRV. After car shopping, I drove back to Midtown where Jordan and I almost immediately got back in the car and drove to Covington to visit with Vicky and Henry, Uncle Gary and Aunt Eleanor, and Mema. In addition, Jordan wanted to give me my birthday present early so that I could use it and so that we could return it if it was not what I wanted. I LOVE it! It is a pink work out set: Pilate's Ring, Body Ball, Resistance Bands, Weights, and a DVD!

Today, we will likely just pack.

Tomorrow, Jordan has a meeting with his Master's Project Adviser (they are working on getting his project ready for publication). While he is there I will (you will never guess) pack.

Tuesday, my mum is coming over for the afternoon to help me pack the kitchen; this will be a great help! In the evening, we have our last meeting with our Community Group from Buckhead Church. We will miss this group; it has been a great experience for us, and we hope to join another small group when we are in Pittsburgh.

Wednesday, I am hoping that we will be able to test drive cars; now that I have narrowed down what I like, it is Jordan's turn to look. In addition, our i-Phones (birthday presents from each of our parents) should arrive either Wednesday or Thursday, we will have to go to AT&T in order to get them set up properly.

Thursday is my birthday! I am not sure what we will do, but I refuse to pack on this day! I would love to go to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens and see the Henry Moore exhibit; his work was always a great influence on my own. That evening, we will go to dinner with my family. I have not decided where yet (perhaps Grace?), but I think everyone is going to be there (excluding, maybe, Pam -- who is nuts and taking a TON of hours this summer!)

Friday, we have nothing specific planned for the day, but Vicky and Henry are taking us to dinner for my birthday. Once again, I am not sure where, but they LOVE McCormick and Schmick's, so that could be a fun option.

Six days -- so short, but so much already planned! Hopefully, we will be packed on time, but only time will tell!!!

13 Days: Bubble Wrap Crisis

Today, I woke up later than planned (noon) and simply could not go to the gym. Instead, I spent the afternoon packing. I have now paced: my school books, our china, some crystal, my winter clothes, our kitchen linens, our pleasure books, our dvd's Jordan's xBox games, our extra towels, and our extra bed linens. I have now run out of bubble wrap, which squashes my hopes of packing my decorative plates. I guess I need to pack our extra blankets and throws and then make decision on which clothing items I will actually need (and not just want) over the next two weeks. By next Sunday, I hope to have packed all of our dishes, and be living off of paper plates and solo cups. Once I get more bubble wrap, I will start on our dishes and then move to packing all of our pictures.

Other than packing, we need to sort out our insurance situation and work on selling our car; my dad is letting us use his Envoy when we are in Pittsburgh -- we are really thankful for this!

My big goal: have sufficient packing complete so that I do not have to pack on my birthday (July 23 -- 2 days before our move)!

21 Days: Happy 4th

Packing at the Patton household is still going slow. I have received my dishpacks and another set of boxes, only to find that they are MUCH cheaper at Costco! Knowing that I did not buy enough initially (I have lofty goals of packing quickly and only purchasing boxes as needed), I did invest in another pack at Costco -- I may actually have enough to complete this move! I was disappointed with my dishpacks... no dividers for my stemware. However, we did find another solution (yes, at Costco, again); we are picking up wine crates from Costco and using those as stemware containers (which will subsequently go into the dishpacks. We are still in need of AT LEAST 3 more wine crates -- keep buying that wine, mum! Thus far, I have packed our crystal flutes, and all of my china (that is not saying much -- I have yet to complete my china set) -- best to start early with things that we do not use often. Next, I am going to get working on books and winter clothing -- I just need some more packing tape first (yes, my packing set from Costco did contain these, that box was heavy, however, and it is still sitting in the back of our car!

In other news, we are enjoying not having classes/work (okay, I am still teaching at Kaplan, but 2.5 hours/week is not taxing)! We have been able to take a couple of trips (which I posted about earlier), enjoy visits from out of town guests (mum's friend Beverly, who was like a second mother to me growing up, was in town for about 10 days), hang out with old friends, attend our awesome small group more regularly, be more diligent about going to the gym and just generally get more quality time together. Tonight, we are going to hang out with Henry (one of Jordan's oldest friends) and his wife, Dana for the 4th. They are a really great couple, and only wish that we could spend more time with them! Why do we have to work? This is the perfect life... except for the looming move!!!

26 Days: May the packing commence...

Jordan and I have finally come to an agreement with our land lord over the lease agreement, we have received our boxes, but for some reason, we have got no motivation to pack -- after purchasing bubble wrap today, Jordan has been enjoying playing Fallout 3 and I have invested the afternoon in watching an NCIS marathon (could I have at least procrastinated at the gym?!?!?!)! Last week, I took a few hours to weed through two drawers (that is, two of six plus a wardrobe...), but I could not bring myself to throw anything out (not even t-shirts -- how many of you have ever seen me in a t-shirt, even at the gym?); instead, I have created a "half-way-house" of clothes -- I will have to make a decision at some point, but I am loath to do so at this point! I need to finish going through my drawers and start packing things that are not essential (china, winter clothes, etc.) All in all, we have the foundation of a move, but very little in the way of execution -- if I learned anything from the recent Banta move, it was "start packing early"... here goes nothing...

Counting Down: 32 Days

It has been over a month since my last update! Since my last post, Jordan and I have been to Hilton Head with his family, we have been house hunting in Pittsburgh and have been to Destin with my mum, dad and sister!

During our trip to Pittsburgh, Jordan and I narrowed our housing selection down to two houses. If we could combine elements of the two houses, then we would have found the perfect living space. The one that we decided to go with was the largest of the properties that we viewed; we are looking forward to having the space, but this also means that our furniture will not be sufficient AND it will require more cleaning (perhaps I should ask for a Roomba for my birthday!!!) The landlord pays for water and sewage (which is standard in Pittsburgh), the property includes a washer and drier (in the unfinished basement), and we are allowed pets (if and when we choose to get one). On the bad side, it is certainly not the most attractive house that we viewed (exterior) and there is very little storage space. We are currently in the contract negotiation stage of renting this house (Thanks to Kristen, Jordan's sister for all of her help in this process!), and I hope to be able to report the successful completion of this process in the next few days!

We have so much to do between now and moving. Believe it or not, Jordan and I are both still working on our Master's Thesis/Project -- while no longer for a grade, we must push on and get these work published! When not working on our move, you can find us preparing book proposals and coding data :) ah, life in the academy!!

And so it begins...

One of the most nerve racking things about moving to Pittsburgh is the fact that we do not know the city. There are always questions as to where we should try and live, what banks exist (from our brief visit in April, it is clear that Wachovia -- our bank -- is does not!), etc. etc. etc. I have been in touch with some future classmates, as has Jordan, and we have received some very detailed and helpful information.

So far, we have narrowed down our living options to a few reputable management companies and their properties that are located in the right parts of town. We will visit each of these when we go to Pittsburgh in June (a trip that I just booked this morning). Hopefully, after this visit -- June 7 to June 9 -- we will understand the lay of the land a little better and we will have selected an apartment. I have been working on getting moving quotes and I have my choices narrowed down to two companies. In addition, we would like a more reliable car before we move away -- Jordan is spending his post-Master's time researching just the right car.

There is so much to do between now and late July that I have decided to end my employment with Banta Immigration Law earlier than planned. My last day will be May 29. It will certainly be strange, as I have spent 24 of the past 36 months working here. Truthfully, both the company and I have been lucky with our arangement -- when they needed an extra body they could call me and when I needed employment I could call them. Perhaps it is best for both parties that this crutch will be removed :)

Jordan and I are headed to Savannah/Hilton Head for Memorial Weekend. Jordan's Mema turns 80 this month, so the first port-of-call is Savannah, where there will be a big family celebration. Then we will be in Hilton Head with Jordan's immediate family until Monday (I have to work on Tuesday).

Have a safe and relaxing Memorial Weekend!

Love,

Sarah

Patton Family Update

If you have found your way here, you have likely already seen this email! For those of you who have not, here is an update on our lives over the past year:

Dear Family, Friends and Colleagues:

While I am certainly owe many of you individual emails and phone calls, I wanted to take a moment to update everyone en masse on Jordan and I's PhD decisions.

We have had a very busy academic year. I spent last summer writing a grant to establish a European Union Center of Excellence (EUCE) at Georgia Tech with four other women. We were thrilled to be selected as grant recipients, and were charged with the monumental task of realizing our three-year event schedule. To see what the EUCE has become and to learn more about past and upcoming events, please visit www.euce.gatech.edu. Over the Fall semester, I had the privilege of serving as the Center's first Graduate Research Assistant, which provided me with invaluable tools for my future career path. In addition, I returned to work at Banta Immigration Law as a Case Coordinator (Part Time July to January, Full Time February to July). I have continued to teach for Kaplan on a part time basis. Academically, I completed my coursework in December and my Thesis (Normative Power Europe: Europe's New Neighborhood and Energy Policies) in February. Jordan spent the last academic year working primarily on his masters project (a qualitative investigation of deviant behaviour on Wikipedia) as well as completing his coursework. We both graduate on May 1st at the Georgia Dome (Jordan will receive a Master of Science in Human-Computer Interaction and I in International Affairs).

We have, however, had the opportunity to travel and spend time with family throughout the past year. Since my last "state of the family" email (June 2008, I believe) we have been to the beach with my family (July 2008), I have been to Scotland (October 2008), we went on a cruise with my entire family (March 2009), and we have visited Pittsburgh (March 2009). Upcoming, we are going to London and Aberdeen in May (with BA tickets that I won -- yes won -- in a Christmas raffle -- our graduation gift a la British Airways!) and we will head to Savannah and Hilton Head with Jordan's family to celebrate his Mema's 80th Birthday (also in May).

Compounding our workload over the academic year was the monumental task of applying to PhD programs. We essentially made a list of the programs to which each of us wished to apply and filled out applications for those that happened to have a corresponding program. In the end, I applied to 16 programs and Jordan to 11. A short deviation and a word to the wise: those considering graduate school in the near future, beware. On the whole, we have been told that the economic climate has encouraged more applicants than normal AND that the academic programs can afford to accept fewer students than general. While this scenario certainly affected our applications, we are pleased to announce that we will both be attending our top choice programs in the fall of 2009. It is fair to say that Jordan had two favorite programs (Carnegie Mellon University and the University of California at Irvine), each had its strengths and either would have been a great fit: he received acceptances and generous funding packages to both, among other offers. Each of these programs have a strong focus on Online Communities, and specifically on Jordan's subject of interest -- Online Games. Among my offers was an opportunity to study at one of the strongest EU programs in the US and another to study at one of the top pure political science programs in the country (The University of Pittsburgh and Georgetown University). That being said, in August 2009, we will move to Pittsburgh where I will matriculate to the PhD Program in Political Science at the University of Pittsburgh, specifically, I will study Comparative Politics and International Relations with a geographical focus on the European Union. I am looking forward to being involved with the EUCE at Pittsburgh. Jordan will matriculate to the PhD program in Human-Computer Interaction at Carnegie Mellon University, focusing on Massively Multi-Player Online Games. If you are interested in following our journey and acclimation to Pittsburgh, please visit our blog at sarah.jordanpatton.com (I am not sure this is running yet -- hopefully it will be on the go once Jordan's exams are over!)

Jordan and I really appreciate all of your support throughout the past year; many of you have helped us personally and professionally and we look forward to sharing our future and academic journey with you.

With Love,

Sarah