Update, Update and some more updates...

Well, it's certainly been a while since I've written a post here.  Many things have happened since the last post.  So we have a lot of catching up to do!

The quick and easy update is my job.  Work at HondaJet is going really well, they are keeping us as busy as ever.  Just before the end of the year the first conforming aircraft that we are building successfully had it's first flight.  You can catch up on the latest by visiting the website at http://hondajet.honda.com/.

Now onto the longer (and much more important updates)...

In February I was in Charlotte, NC at a Purim Party and met Amy.  It's been a whirlwind of year! She was a kindergarten teacher in Charlotte and we've had a lot of fun going on weekend get aways to make up for the somewhat long distance relationship (Charlotte is 2 hours from Greensboro).  We saw each other every weekend, usually alternating between Charlotte and Greensboro, and we setup a tradition of Tuesday night dinners someplace in the middle.

Anyway, after 8 months I proposed on October 15th on a trip of ours to the Outer Banks.  Just to clarify, because my friends have all asked, she did say YES!

At the end of December Amy left her job in Charlotte and moved up to Greensboro to take a 3rd grade teaching job.  Right after the move we took off on a week vacation up to Lake Placid, NY to enjoy some snow sports and some quiet time.  It's been great having Amy closer and we're looking forward to a wedding next fall.

Well that's all the updates for now.  I won't make any promises on another post, I seem to be on and off being good at writing on this thing.

Take care!

Moving down to Greensboro

Well it's been a busy couple days, I am now settled in (well mostly) to the corporate apartment that I'll be staying in until I move to my apartment at the beginning of December. It's a very nice furnished apartment and should be fun for a few weeks. I got a few pictures of the place up on my gallery.On the drive down I was able to stop by Kevin's place in Patuxent River, MD and hang out for a while. It was fun to see the Naval Air Station and some of the other sights around the area (r/c field, aviation museum w/ X-32 and X-35 prototypes, Chesapeake Bay area). It was a really fun drive from there to Greensboro, I don't really know the route I took (just following GPS) but it was through some very beautiful countryside in MD, VA and NC.

The weather has not been great here the past couple of days, it looks like we are getting part of that tropical storm. Mostly rainy and miserable so I've been unpacking and hanging out inside. Other than that, there is just some food shopping to do and if it gets nicer I'd like to explore some more.

Job starts next Monday so I am looking forward to that!!

New Job and Apartment Searching

Well I guess the biggest new news is that I have accepted the job at Honda Aircraft Company, Inc. I will be a Control Design and Simulation Engineer there (whatever all that means!). My first day of work will be November 16th, and I'll be moving down there on the 9th. They are putting me up in a Corporate apartment, fully furnished, for up to 2 months while I look for a place of my own.

Speaking of looking for a place of my own, I am taking advantage of a company paid house/apartment hunting trip this week to look for an apartment or something. I am heading down to Greensboro this morning (actually stuck at Washington National while writing this) and will be coming back on Saturday evening.

As much as I look forward to starting work, it is nice to have a couple weeks here where I can take it easy  and not really worry about much (a Honda relocation company is organizing the move for me). I have gotten to do a lot of fun things this fall, so part of me is certainly glad that I was able to spend some time back at home.

I am looking forward to getting settled down in Greensboro and getting to know new people and a new town! I am confident that, despite the last few months, all of this will turn out for the best in the end. And once I am moved into my own place, I hope to have more visitors in the warmer climate!

Honda Jet Interview

Well it has certainly been quite a week and I am glad to have some down time here. Following a great weekend bachelor party for Dan, I took off Sunday afternoon for Greensboro, NC for a Monday interview with Honda Aircraft Company. The flight was pretty uneventful, although I did get bumped up to first class for the first leg of the flight to Charlotte!

The interview was not until 1:30pm so I had some time to explore the city of Greensboro in the morning. It seems like a nice southern city, definitely bigger that Duluth was. I was able to take a quick look at a few of the apartment complexes in the area and there are some nice ones. The cost of living down there dirt cheap compared to what I am used to from Duluth and Daytona.

After the site seeing it was down to business for the interview. They have a very impressive facility there and I look forward to hearing from them soon! Fingers are crossed.

Caught an evening flight home and was back home by 11:00pm. It was a long couple of days, but overall very fun and productive. The folks are going out to Buffalo to visit Becky this weekend, so it'll be nice to have a quiet weekend to recharge some.

Was a Long Summer...

Well, the summer wasn't really all that long but it just seemed that way.  Managed to fit in quite a bit between flying, sailing, temple and that work thing.  Becky came out to visit in the beginning of August and was treated with a nice Duluth summer (temps in the mid-60s).  But we managed to have some fun hitting all the hot spots; the zoo, the aquarium, canal park, split rock light house and a flight with Robin (my flight instructor).

But the fun of summer wasn't to last...

At the end of August there was another round of layoffs at Cirrus, and this one I didn't survive.  Since then I have moved all of my stuff into storage (in Duluth) and completely moved out of my apartment there, mostly to save the rent money.  Dad and I drove back last weekend, so I am back at home for a little while, until I figure out what's next.  It was very hard to say goodbye to my friends and life in Duluth, met some incredible people in that community that I hope to stay in touch with over time!

Been sending out the resume and applying for jobs in my field, and also thinking about other options for the future, including law school or maybe politics or maybe something else entirely.  We'll see where the wind takes me...