November trip to Amicalola

Trip link

How do you sell a house?

I never realized how difficult it could be to sell a house during a down market.  We put our house on the market back in October of 2008 and we’ve had at least 50 showing and only received 2 offers which were nearly $30,000 off of what our price is currently(after dropping it $20,000).  How do you portray all the things that have been done to the house to a first time owner.  I know that when Melanie and I bought our first home, we had no idea what we were getting into.  Now that we’ve been through the ringer so to say, we know that the house we currently own is a bargain at the price it’s listed at.  First time buyers just don’t appreciate the obvious things like a new roof, energy efficient windows, low maintenance siding, and a reliable heating / AC system.  I know we didn’t understand the value of a reliable heating /ac system until ours went out in the middle of one of the hottest summers we’ve had.  We also didn’t realize our siding was bad until a lady from up the street mentioned that all the houses had masonite siding.  $13,000 later we have new siding.  It really sucks to keep everything up in the house and have some one low ball you because they think you are going into foreclosure and need to move the house. Anyway, I guess I’m venting.  I know our house is worth what we’re currently listing it as and hopefully a buyer will come along and appreciate the fact that they can move into the house immediately and not have to worry about all the things we had to repair over the last ten years. I guess the best thing to come out of all this is that I know how much everything costs including(new heating / ac, new siding, new windows, new roof, new water heater, new kitchen, new master bath, new carpet’, laminate, and hardwood flooring).  I guess praying(and the realization that we don’t have to move) is the best thing keeping me going at the moment.

Latest pictures….

I don’t update my blog that much but I do post up pictures at least once a month or so. The latest pictures can be located here: Latest pictures

Cold weather outdoor exercise gear

Today I skated in 32 degree weather and I was quite comfortable.  This was not always the case.  After two years of trying different things, I finally have gotten the right combination of clothes to keep me warm yet still allow for the freedom of movement that I need to keep my pace up.  I’ll start with my head and go to my feet.  One thing to note is that I’m not trying to win any beauty contests here so I might be ugly or strange looking but I sure am warm.

First on my head is the performance bike windproof balaclava(http://tinyurl.com/5gcosu).  This will keep your whole head warm  and it has a mesh material to allow for ample breathing.  Forget wearing glasses with it though because they will fog up.  As for shirts I wear 3 layers.  I have a couple of different base layers(from nike, under armour and performance bike) but I like this one(http://tinyurl.com/64s7qc) It’s cheaper than the nike or the under armour and it provides the same results. As for the middle layer, this is where I splurged a little.  I like the under armour compression cold gear(http://tinyurl.com/6xpwyj).  This shirt really keeps you warm and toasty.  The first time I wore it, it was in upper 40’s and I just about sweated to death.  It’s worth the money if you’re stupid like me and like getting out in 30 degree weather.  As for the top layer, I once again like the performance bike stuff(http://tinyurl.com/5rnr9o).  It’s inexpensive and it gets the job done.  It also has pockets in the back to allow you to store things.  It’s nice to have that when you want to take your gloves off to down a power gel. 

As for the gloves, I like these(http://tinyurl.com/5hqfwk).  They really keep your hands warm(even down to 32 degrees) and they are wind proof(as much as a glove can be).  As for pants, I wear 2 layers.  I wear underwear as my base layer and I’m still looking into warmer alternatives here.  One thing I can definitely recommend is never ever consider going commando in 30 degree weather with just tights on.  You will not be a happy camper(at least if you are a male) after doing this.  Just don’t.  As for the tights, I have tried a couple of different light weight running tights by new balance and they were ok until it got down into the low 40’s.  Once you get into the 30’s you need something with a little fleece in it.  I personally recommend these(http://tinyurl.com/6lmupb).  If you are a biker, you can purchase the same tights with a chamois.  These really have kept me warm on the past couple of 30 degree skates. And last but not least, you have to keep your feet warm.  All I can say is these socks work.(http://tinyurl.com/5bz485).  They wick away sweat and still keep your feet nice and toasty.  I highly recommend them.  Anyways, I hope this helps you keep warm if you are crazy like me and like to exercise in cold weather for more than an hour….

Walking to work

I have been taking our transit system(Marta) off and on for 3 years now. At first I took it to avoid the headache of traffic in Atlanta. It really sucks if you haven’t had the pleasure of being on one of our major thorough fares between 3 and 6 on any weekday. Well Marta provided a nice relief but I had to drive to the park and ride and that was a headache in itself with 7 lights between our house and the lot. Well one day I was stuck at the transit station so I started looking at bus routes and lo and behold I found a bus that ran directly to the transit station and was only a quarter of a mile from our house. Since that day I have had the pleasure of walking to work every day. I really hate it when I have to drive in. I have also had the benefit of dropping several pounds because I’m getting more exercise. If you live in the Atlanta area please check out the different mass transit options. You might be surprised that you have options instead of filling up with that expensive gas.

Williams First birthday video at Pop and Lulu’s

Baby teeth suck(for a better term)

Our youngest son, William, is getting his teeth in and we are going through(once again) the challenge of “"Should we go in and comfort him” versus “He needs to be able to deal with a little pain himself”.  You really want to go in and comfort him but you know that if you do that, he will wake up every hour wanting attention(from our experience with Ashton).  Last night William got up at 11:30 and we let him cry for about 10 – 15 minutes and he finally put himself to sleep.  I think he only woke up one more time last night so hopefully we can get him back to sleeping through the night again(mainly for Melanie’s sake since she has been getting up with him). 

William turned 1 yesterday.

Yes, It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since we came home from the hospital with him. We celebrated by going down to my parents this weekend. They spoiled him as they always do. William also had his first cupcake which he thoroughly enjoyed eating as well as wearing(pictures to come). I think his birthday wish was to get all his teeth in because he is now starting to get all his teeth in at the same time.(Ow)

Everyone else in the family is doing well. We are working on potty training Ashton but it is a slow and painful process. Hopefully he’ll be ready by September when he goes back to school.

Til next post…..

Short but sweet..

I haven’t had much time to post lately because I’ve been working on a project at work that is taking all my time. All in all, everyone is doing well. Ashton turned 3 last week and is starting to talk more. We are trying to get him off of diapers but it is a slow(snail slow) process. William is standing up and is pretty close to walking. We have a feeling that he may be an early walker and talker. Melanie is staying very busy trying to keep up with the kids and my needs. I don’t know how she does what she does in a day. I would be wiped out. As for me, I reached one of my goals for the year two weeks ago. The goal was to complete an inline marathon in less than two hours. I was able to check this goal off my list by completing the Callaway marathon in 1:54. I now have set a new goal of doing my next marathon in 1:45. Til the next post.

A short video of William

I filmed this on Saturday.

http://www.mikeandmel.com/videos/MVI_1058.AVI