atlanta united fc

My First Year in the ATL

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One year ago, I moved from a mediocre metro area to a very prominent one. Most people would have looked at me and said, “What, are you crazy?” Nope. I knew exactly what I was doing.

Am I glad I did it? Of course! While I wish what happened in the first few months had went down differently (not a surprise to the reader) it’s all better now.

Do I have any regrets? Not a one. I mean, look at all the positive things that have happened in this last year. I have made some great friends over this year, too many to name. I am still making friends and hope to make lots more going forward.

I have also been witness to memories that I will treasure all of my days. My favorite team, Atlanta United, won the MLS Cup in 2018 capping a spectacular season. I am glad that I got to be there in person. I also saw some great moments in the 2019 season as well. While the 2019 season didn’t end how we wanted it to they still had a great season.

I also marched in the Atlanta Pride parade with Greg. That was an experience I will never forget and plan to do again next year!

What do I have to look forward to in the next year? Everything! The future is a very bright one for me and for Greg as well. I am in a great place right now and I finally feel confident that we are headed in the right direction. My only desire for the immediate future is to save up enough money to travel again. I am confident that will come in due time.

Oh, by the way, did I mention I am turning 40 years old next week? Eh, it’s nothing. Age is just a number.

It’s Gonna Be May

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As we approach Summer 2018, we are headed into interesting times in our lives. As I have said before, we have great plans and career goals this year. We shall see how it plays out over the next four or five months.

As one approaches this, however, you constantly are looking back on what you have achieved. I would say that in the last seven and a half years in my current position, I have achieved a lot. It’s too much to go into detail here, but suffice it to say that I am proud of myself. I have grown a lot in my area of expertise.

I am extremely proud of Greg. He is the best. I love him so much and I can’t say enough how proud I am to have him as my husband. He holds me up and keeps me going. Without him, I don’t know where I would be.

This is turning into a sappy post.

I’ll end it on a profound and high note then.

Go Atlanta United!

What a Weekend!

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Our four-day weekend was very eventful, to say the least.

Friday night, we went to the Plaza Theatre near Midtown to see a performance of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, called “Lips Down on Dixie”, that is unlike any you can experience in a lifetime.  The show is welcoming to LGBT people especially to give them a place to go and have a good time without the pressures of a club or bar.  Not only is the traditional heckling of the film going on during the film, but a variety of just wonderful people are up on stage in front of the screen performing the film as well in front of you.  There were also fun things before the movie to really get the crowd loose and turned on.  The hosts (named Nik [ironic, huh?] and Candace) had great chemistry.  It certainly is quite raucous and fun.  We had a great time and want to go be in that audience again.  If you’re ever in Atlanta and need something to do on a Friday night, go see this show, you’ll have a blast!

The highlight of Saturday was seeing my first soccer match in person.  This was an event I will cherish for a long time.  I said to myself, “I want to be a fan again!” after seeing Atlanta United FC in person.  I am rooting for them all the way.  Rain delayed the match a few minutes, but it didn’t hurt things.  I had such an awesome time.  I need more team colors before I go the next time. 🙂  They also beat Columbus Crew SC 3-1, in spectacular fashion.

Sunday, which was Father’s Day, we went to SunTrust Park, the new home of the Braves, to watch them take on the Miami Marlins.  The previous night, a friend of mine was there to watch them win in 10 innings on a walk-off hit.  They did it again on Sunday as well!  The experience was really mesmerizing.  I miss the Ted, but I think I will grow to like this place.

Let’s rewind a bit.  Thursday night as we were coming home from work to start packing, we noticed a very bad grinding noise coming from the car.  I determined very quickly that we were not going to drive the car all the way there and back.  I quickly got a reservation to rent a car from Enterprise the next morning and we drove that there and back.  It turned out to be the smartest move I could have made.

Monday, we took the car to the Hyundai dealership to have them look at it.  Turns out there was a lot going on in the front end and it was going to be well over $2,000 to repair it.  Given that the car is almost 10 years old, it would only be a matter of time before something else would probably go wrong with it as well.

As any smart person would probably deduce at this point, it was time to part ways with our car.  We surely hadn’t planned to do that.  I thank my lucky stars that we had a lot of money saved in the bank to where we were able to negotiate quickly, get a car loan and drive out in a new 2017 Hyundai Elantra in a matter of a few hours.  Check it out…

Pretty neat, huh?  While we weren’t planning on the prospect of having a car loan again so soon, everything will be OK.  It certainly beats sinking money into a car that was starting to slowly die a painful death.  I think, in the long run, that we did the absolute right thing in putting it out of its misery.

Note to self: Take more pictures!

We’re Back!

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Me and my husband are back in Atlanta for 3 days.  After what happened the last time here, I surely think that we won’t see anymore Interstate bridges burning on live television.  The traffic, on the other hand, is just as bad as always.  But… that’s Atlanta for you!

If we move down here, that is what we will have to get used to.

I will be sure to blog about our exciting venture tomorrow, as we go to our first MLS game!  Atlanta United FC vs. Columbus Crew SC.

Sunday, Father’s Day, we’ll be at the new SunTrust Park for the last of a 3-Game series between the Braves and the Miami Marlins.  Hopefully nobody will fall and hit the dirt racing against the Freeze this time!

 

Hop on the Bandwagon!

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I am confident in saying that I have never been a fan who jumps on the bandwagon.  I do tend to see it happen a lot.  I’m talking about those fans who start rooting for a team when, all of a sudden, they are in the spotlight playing on a sport’s biggest stage.  They can be very, very annoying, especially when one has been very devoted to a team’s cause throughout the course of a season.

What brought this thought on is, of course, the Nashville Predators winning the Western Conference in the NHL last night.  They are going to play in their first ever Stanley Cup Final in a few days.  I like hockey, I think it’s a great sport, and I’ll of course hope that they do well.   I’ve always liked them and always wanted to go to a game in Smashville (maybe one of these days.)

I’ve said in years past that I tend to just like watching a game, or a sport, from afar, not rooting for any team.  I’m starting to slowly change, with rooting for Atlanta United FC of Major League Soccer, in their inaugural season.  In fact, Greg and I are going to their game against the Columbus Crew on June 17th.  I am excited about that.

I’ve always been a closet Braves fan.  I guess I’ll be right at home if I get to move to Atlanta.

Never really cared for the Falcons or the Hawks.  (Apologies if that offends football or basketball fans, it’s just how I feel.)

To the original point:  I’d put myself in between a bandwagon fan and a true, loyal supporter.  I’d like to think I can root for any team that I choose to root for, but I recognize and respect someone else’s devotion that would far exceed anything I could ever contribute.

Know your place, sports fan!