Finally Moved In

Well mostly.

Our stuff finally arrived on Monday. So did Megan, Wren, and Boswell.

Megan and I have been slowly unpacking. A lot has gone counter to what I intended. Our stuff barely got here Monday, which was the last day for it to arrive. I had to call in and basically make them bring my stuff late in the day. My car didn't even arrive until the next day. Wren had an accident in his carrier at some point. Boswell couldn't fly on the same plane as Megan and we had to ship him separately. We didn't think he was even going to make it out here the same day. One of our bookcases broke in the move, and so did the washing machine. The washing machine is fixable; the part is on the way already. The bookcase will have to be replaced. My brand new tool set that Allen got me for Christmas is missing.

But things haven't been all bad. I'm so happy to have Megan here. The weather here is just beautiful. I've been spending as much time as possible outdoors. I was going to ride my bike to work, but the last time I rode it I must have run something over because now the back tire is flat. It's going to be fun to fix.

On Thursday Megan and I went out for dinner at a place called the Elephant Bar. I won a gift card at an open house I went to last month. The food was great. We will probably go back sometime.

I've been slowly learning the area and learning my place at Simplex. I went to visit a vendor the other day and people were calling me asking for help. It felt strange to have people need me that much. I was never as important at TMI. I've been trying to learn as much as I can about Simplex's products; they're very different from TMI. I have gotten some of the easier products down, but the extremely custom enclosures we do are very difficult to learn.

All in all, I am extremely excited to be in California. I hope things start to work out a little easier.

Finally, I hope I have time to get into politics here because this state is awful politically speaking. A ton of people want to live here, and that translates to a lot of cultural diversity. The diversity is fresh and interesting, but I can't seem to understand how that translates to such a liberal, overpowering state government.

Oh well, that's a bridge I'll cross when I have the opportunity.

So Cal Bound

Well, suffice it to say much has happened in the past few months. I have been too busy to notice just how quickly time has been passing. Now that everything is drawing to a close, I think I am just about ready to talk about it.

On November 11 I was presented with the opportunity to move to Southern California to work for Simplex Strip Doors, LLC, which was just acquired by TMI. The Purchasing Agent who had been with Simplex for years retired at the end of 2013 and they needed someone to replace him. As I already knew most off TMI's systems and procedures, I was the logical choice.

After a lot of discussion with my wife and parents, and a visit to the Simplex facility, it was decided that Megan and I would be moving to California.

I am actually in California now, waiting for our furniture to arrive. We found a few houses we were interested in, but when our first choice was a no-go, we settled on a town house. It is very nice and in a wonderful neighborhood, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed at not being able to find a house to rent. Right now I am in a hotel with one of our cats. Our furniture was picked up Friday and isn't expected to arrive before February 7th.

Except for having to be so far from Megan for so long, I am extremely happy to be here. A year ago I would have never thought moving to California would be a possibility for me. Yet here I am, loving it.

The weather is probably the biggest reason I'm so happy. I cannot wrap my head around the fact that it is late January already. This feels like May or June weather in Pennsylvania. I have been able to go jogging every day. In fact, yesterday I ran for nine and a half miles, just to explore the area a bit more.

The weather isn't the only reason I'm happy, though. Simplex has been a great company to work for. Missing from Simplex is all the tension that could make a day at TMI so difficult. Everyone here is nice and accommodating. Best of all, everyone works hard for themselves and the company. Since Simplex was family owned before the acquisition, the business still has that close-knit, family feel to it. I have had a lot more work to do since I joined Simplex than I ever had at TMI, but the environment makes me happy to do as much as I possibly can. I can honestly say that I have never been happier with a job than I currently am with my position at Simplex.

Soon our furniture will arrive, and then Megan will be here with the rest of our pets, and my family will be back together. I am anxiously awaiting that time. Until then, I can only enjoy the beautiful weather and scenery, and be content with my new job.

Wish me luck on this new adventure. I'm so happy I am able to take it.