Hot Child(ren) in the City

I definitely have to say that Nick and I got REALLY lucky with our apartment in New York. When we first started looking at places in our price range we prepared ourselves for the shoebox we would soon call home. After finding a few places we liked online, I reached out to a broker who would be help us with the apartment search. He was very helpful. He educated us about the market and what to expect when applying. Looking back on it, Nick and I both agree that we provided enough paperwork and information about ourselves to the management company that we could have bought a house.

One weekend in December we flew to New York for the ultimate search. We got up bright and early on Saturday morning and met with the realtor. He suggested to us to wear comfy shoes and I am so glad we did! We walked up and down the Upper West & East sides of Manhattan. I lost count after the first 6 or 7 apartments... but I think we looked at almost 20 different places.

Towards the end of the day one of the last places we looked at was at 85th & 2nd. As soon as we walked in the door we knew this was it. Hardwood floors, big bedroom, 3 closets... and one GIGANTIC kitchen! It was awesome. But I'll let you see for yourself!

We are the green door in the middle, between a bakery and tequila bar

Our two windows, middle section to the left

OUR KITCHEN!!!

(PS in NY this is unbelievable)

Bathroom

Front door to the left, and a small area for a table (also unheard of in NY)

Long & narrow living room

Bedroom overlooking 2nd Ave

Fire escape

Bedroom closet space

Another view from the kitchen through the front of the house

View from the front windows/bedroom to the living room

We have been working hard to get our apartment set up these past two weeks. While Nick went to work everyday, I was able to unpack the items that we brought with us on the trip up. It wasn't much, but just enough to live on for the week before the rest of our stuff arrived. We got everything on Tuesday this week and just to give you an idea, here are some pictures of the mess.

A sea of boxes...

This was before they brought in the desk...

Nick and the mover putting together the bed

(while Nick got an education about the realty market in Long Island from the mover)

We are still in the midst of unpacking, but things are looking good. We have the furniture arranged and items are finding their way to their spots. We were fortunate that my Aunt Totty and cousin Lee came over on Tuesday to help me put away the kitchen items. It's been great to have them around. Once we have everything settled I'll share more pictures!

Manhattan Bound

Our trip from Atlanta to New York started on a Sunday. We left behind our good friends and family. After saying our goodbyes we cleaned the last bits of our apartment and left town.

Here are some shots of our old place:

Bedroom

Walk in Closet

Bathroom

Dining/Living Room

Outdoor Space

Living/Dining Room

Kitchen

View from front door to living room

That's us on the first floor

Once we hit the road we made our self comfortable in the Uhaul that we rented. (I underestimated the amount of stuff we had going with us, and it was cheaper to rent a truck than a car... go figure)

Maddy enjoyed the fine reading of Food Network Magazine

Nick drove

And I propped my feet up for a long ride

The first night we stopped in Roanoke to stay with Amy and Keith. We got there too late to see the girls but enjoyed spending time with my sister and brother-in-law.

On Monday we were off to Northern Virginia to stay with Elizabeth and John in their new place! Of course on the way we had to make a pit-stop:

JM I missed U! Yes I had to stop and show Nick my alma mater. I made sure to point out everything, even though I knew he was bored!

We arrived in Centreville just in time for dinner and had a great night hanging out with Elizabeth and John. I can't wait until they visit! Just a short bus ride away now :)

The next morning was the big day. We got on the road bright and early to beat traffic. What an amazing sunrise we witnessed.

At this point we were big city bound!

We arrived in the city around noon and unloaded. After a very stressful day... we were officially here. It's taken us a week to settle in but we are getting the hang of things now. Stay tuned for a post about our new place!

Christmas Time is Here!

This year we celebrate our first Christmas as husband and wife. Amongst the packing and stress with the upcoming move, we have found time to shop for our loved ones, decorate around the house and even make treats for everyone at our offices.

Even though we will only be in our current apartment until January 3rd, I knew it was important for us to still have our Christmas decorations up. Can you imagine one without? So I share with you a fully decorated (fake) tree with wrapped gifts below.

Unfortunately this baby will be coming down December 27, but at least we have the Christmas spirit!!

Also this year I came up with a new way to display and enjoy all the wonderful cards we get from family and friends! I vaguely remember seeing this idea in a magazine, but can't recall which one... either way now I know this is what I'll do in years to come! It's a space saver!!

As you can see I hung ribbons, each at different lengths, from my door and taped each card on a ribbon. This way we still enjoy the cards by seeing them everytime we walk out the door!

And as the days get colder, we now get to use our fabulous new quilt for our bed! It was made with love by Nick's mother and it's AWESOME. I can't explain how talented she is... but you can see it in the picture below. Thanks again Suzi!! We love it!

This year we are spending Christmas with my sister, brother-in-law and nieces in Roanoke, Virginia. Our parents and grandmother are making the trip out too! We can't wait to see everyone and enjoy some Edwards family traditions: roast beef, A Christmas Story, and viewing Christmas lights!

Merry Christmas everyone! Have a safe holiday!

Movin' and A Shakin'

WHOA... Talk about MIA. Sorry friends, but I DO have an explanation!!

I've been keeping a secret... I mean a BIG secret.

NICK AND I ARE MOVING TO NEW YORK CITY!

Okay there... I said it! WHEW!!! I can finally get back to blogging. I took a break because at the time the only thing I wanted to talk about was New York! I mean NEW YORK! The greatest city on Earth! But let me back up a bit and tell you the story:

A few months back Nick was browsing his favorite website, stackoverflow.com, when he saw an advertisement for a job opening. His initial reaction was "Hmm... that would be cool. Oh. The job is in New York. 'Hey Honey! Do you think I should apply for this job at Stackoverflow? The job is in Manhattan.'"

Of course I replied "Sure! Why not?" with my it's a long shot attitude. And I was right. He didn't get the job. He got a 'Thanks, but no thanks' response...

Fast forward a few months... They write him saying more opportunities have come available, is he still interested? He wrote back "Yes, I am still interested. I would have written sooner but I was outside painting my rocket" and attached an image of the actual rocket he was painting.

[ok you can chuckle at that... of course I did when I heard about it]

Still with the idea in my head thinking that it was a long shot... I supported Nick in this decision. So when they wrote back asking for an phone interview I was undoubtedly excited for him and he nailed the interview. The next day they wrote "Can you be up here next week for an interview?" I'm pretty sure at that point we stopped and stared at each other with the same thought... OMG.

So he went to New York the following Friday for the day... had 5 interviews back to back, then flew home that evening. All weekend we waited anxiously for their decision knowing that our life was on the verge of a VERY BIG change.

On Monday at 5pm he got his offer letter...

An offer letter!! Wow! Nick has been offered a very awesome job, in a fabulous city, with a great salary to boot! But then came the hard part. We had to make a life changing decision to stay or go.

This is kinda what it looked like:
Pros - New York, great salary, quicker way to save for a house, BIG step up for Nick's career, and we will still have family close by.
Cons - Leaving family and friends in Atlanta, MP leaving her awesome job :( , turning down a 2 bedroom apartment, selling our cars.

After careful consideration we finally decided this was an AMAZING opportunity and we couldn't pass it up. He officially accepted the position on that Wednesday.

Since then we've been busy preparing. It's not easy with the holidays smack dab in the middle, but we are making do with the situation. We officially leave Atlanta on January 3rd, and with an overnight stop in DC with Elizabeth and John (Yay!), we will be in New York on the 4th. Nick starts his new job on the 5th.

It's been hectic setting up all the details, and telling everyone we know... more to come on our awesome new apartment! (That's a whole other blog post) For now we are going to enjoy the holidays with our families while packing in our free time!

HOWL-O-WEENIE 2010!

Another fall treat that we part-take in is the annual Howl-O-Weenie festival put on by the DREAM Rescue Group here in Atlanta. My good friend Ellie first informed me of this wiener dog affair, so my first year with Maddy (2007) we headed out to see what it was all about, and we were hooked!

In 2008 I was dating Nick and he so graciously agreed to dress up as a bumble be with us and we entered the costume contest with Maddy as the "Killer Bee"

In 2009 we had family visiting so we couldn't enjoy all of Howl-O-Weenie, but we did stop by to see the sites.

This year we went all out and I prepped a few weeks in advance. With the help of friends we decided Maddy would be dressed as a piece of sushi, a shrimp nigiri to be exact.

Source

How'd I do?

Of course Nick and I dressed to suit. He was his favorite Sushi Chef and I just wore a Kimono.

We got many compliments on the costumes and how clever Maddy was... however not enough to make the finals! Maybe next year!

There were also some pretty cute costumes there too. I got just a few photos, but you really have to see it to believe it.

There was a 3rd dog... but they were the 3 Musketeers!

 Police Dog

 GT Buzz Dog (And also the cutest dapple dachsund puppy!)

We had a blast and of course it's always fun to see the hot dogs!! Must start brainstorming costume ideas for next year!