Just 10 days after listing our home, we've accepted a full price offer of $525,000 for our home and are now moving forward to close escrow on November 30th. That's what happens when you price a home correctly for the market and Stage it to appeal to the highest number of buyers.

We asked our buyers for a 3 day window to move out, and they gave it to us, so we'll be departing San Diego on the morning of December 4th. We'll spend our last night here in a local hotel after my final ice hockey game in net with the Blue Line Brawlers.

It's been fabulous living, working and playing throughout San Diego the last 10 years, and I will miss some aspects of living here, however, I think I am more excited about moving on to our latest adventure in the great Southern State of Georgia.

Parker and I, along with our own massive 55' moving truck packed to the gills, will come flying in from the west to our new home just before 8am the morning of December 7th.

Our small county won't even know what hit them until we're already there.

I was fingerprinted for the eighth time yesterday.

I'm getting so good at this, soon I won't even need an officer to do it for me anymore. Bonus: With all my past checks for licenses and certifications, I move through the system that much faster!

The officer at UCSD said it should take a week or two to get my results.

So why bother, considering all my prior clean background checks?

The GREC (Georgia Real Estate Commission) requires a clean criminal history less than 60 days old before they'll accept my California real estate license as valid there.

Works for me. The DOJ needs my $32 anyway.

I just look at it as contributing a small portion of my $27,000+ share of the national debt, which recently cracked 8 Trillion dollars. That's nine zeros people. As in tens of thousands of dollars in debts accruing every second. $50,000 more accumulated as you read that.

China won't have to call on an army to destroy us, just an overdue IOU.

What's scarier about the deficit is that less than 2 years ago, it was ONLY 7 Trillion dollars. At this rate, I think I'll face 50% federal taxes before I die, just to ensure that Medicare, Social Security, and Interest owed on our massive debt is paid.

Our kids will have to get second jobs just to pay their taxes.

If this is what a small government minded Republican administration does, we can only fear what a free spending Democratic one might do to further bury us.

My simple advice to Congress: When you're in a hole, the first thing you should do is put down the shovel and quit digging.

Actually, don't take my word for it. Listen to what your fellow Congressman Collin Peterson of Minnesota said over two and a half years ago, BEFORE both Katrina and Rita hit us and Bush pledged to rebuild the Gulf by doing "whatever it takes".

May our children forgive us for what we have done to them and may God have mercy on us all for our greed, apathy and shortsightedness.

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CONGRESSMAN COLLIN C. PETERSON

Minnesota - 7th District
http://www.house.gov/collinpeterson/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 9, 2003
CONTACT: Allison Myhre/218-847-5056 or 218-731-1657

Peterson says no to increasing the deficit and billing our kids
By Rep. Collin Peterson

In the first three months of the 2003 fiscal year the federal government borrowed $183 billion to pay its bills. In the last three months we borrowed $55 billion more to run the total deficit for just the first six months to a whopping $239 billion.

We should be taking a lesson from what's going on in Minnesota. When you're in a hole you should stop digging. At this point we are clearly in a hole - a big one.

On Friday, the House of Representatives passed - depending on who you listen to - either a tax bill or a stimulus package that makes the hole bigger. I voted no.

We know we have more bills coming -- primarily for military and nation building activities overseas -- but we don't know how much those bills are going to be. We're still fighting a war against terrorists in Afghanistan and also trying to rebuild that country, and we don't know how much this will cost.

We've just fought a war in Iraq and it looks like we will be maintaining troops and spending money to rebuild that country too, but we don't really have any clear idea of how much that will cost either.

Frankly, I'm discouraged a bit because very few in Congress and virtually no one in the Administration seems to want to talk about that or make any real effort to figure this out so we can work out a sensible long term budget.

One thing is clear -- we're going to be spending a lot of money and driving up the federal deficit to record levels because both Congress and the Administration would rather borrow money than honestly address the costs.

I'm not against cutting taxes. I voted for the President's first tax cut package, and I think there are good things in the bill the Republicans have put together, including further reductions in capital gains tax rates and increased small business expensing. And there were also good things in the Democratic plan, although the majority leadership blocked any opportunity to debate it or vote on it.

If this debate were truly an honest effort to improve the federal tax code there are any number of changes I would have promoted, including an exclusion for equipment sales so that farmers could sell their machinery to their children on an installment plan, without taking the entire tax hit up front, and tax credits to promote ethanol and biodiesel. They would be trying to fully fund transportation projects to create infrastructure investments that put people to work and create economic activity.

With that said, there are problems with the Republicans' bill. There is no consensus amongst economists on how this package of tax changes will impact the economy, and some have suggested that some of the bill's provisions will probably create new problems without creating any real economic boost to the nation's economy. In addition, there is reason to think that some of the proposed changes could make borrowing MORE expensive for small businesses if dividend tax changes cause equity money to be taken out of the debt money market.

The bottom line for me and any number of other fiscal conservatives who worked hard to balance the federal budget - a goal we actually achieved only a few years ago - is that this is not the prudent time to be cutting taxes.

At a time when the government doesn't know how much debt we'll be taking on, when we don't know what our overseas war and rebuilding obligations are going to cost and when we don't have a consensus plan to invigorate our stagnant economy, we shouldn't be taking the gamble this largely partisan legislation represents.

We asked our young people to travel across the globe to fight a war, and now we're going send them the bill in the form of increased deficit spending. If the majority in Congress were acting responsibly we wouldn't be doing this now. We should not be asking future generations to foot the bill for our shortsightedness and lack of fiscal discipline.

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Never one to sneak away quietly, I composed this email tonight to send to my San Diego "family" to let them all know I was leaving.

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All -

Pardon the informality of email, but for those of you I haven't told or who haven't heard yet: We're moving to Georgia! An exact date isn't official, but we plan to leave San Diego sometime during the first week of December, either the 2nd or 3rd.

Of course we'll come back to CA periodically to visit (probably in the summer as I hear Atlanta can be a bit on the warm and muggy side in July), but at this point in our lives, we've discovered we can do everything we do here over in Atlanta at half the price, while sweating twice as much.

Parker's business of Staging, Organizing and Decorating (www.planbredesigns.com) can and will boom just as easily in Atlanta as it has here in San Diego. She's already making contacts there before we leave and has researched the competition; we're not worried. After two days of home searching with a real estate agent in GA, the agent introduced me to her broker, who offered me a job on the spot if I chose to relocate, so since my CA real estate license is good in GA (with a small fee due to the state of course) I've already got that covered. I can sell anything anywhere. I'll never be out of a job...or confidence. =D

We purchased a large home with a pool (2 story, 3800+ sq ft on 3 acres) that can accommodate all of our personal belongings and pets, plus both Parker's Staging and "boutique" clothing businesses. In case you missed it, her on-line boutique: www.planbboutique.com was actually operated out of our living room at one point, complete with a dressing room! Although she has all sizes listed on the web site, unless you're a size 2, 4 or 6, there are not many pictures to look at yet. It's still a work in progress and something she does more for fun than anything else. Check back later or email her directly for more info on what she's got.

Yeah, perhaps we have too many businesses and ideas going in too many directions at once, but that's our combined style, plus youth gives you confidence and energy to make bold decisions. Just another reason we're both willing to give it a try now and look forward to the challenges and opportunities of a new town and coast (for me at least -- Parker's lived in Atlanta before).

As I think about those we'll be leaving behind, I remind myself that it's not where you live, it's the quality of the relationships you have that define your happiness. It took Parker and I over a year to finally act to move out of San Diego, as we've been toying with the idea of moving closer to her family or mine since we got married in August of 2004 and I left QUALCOMM. The last obstacle to our departure was my college graduation, which I walked at in June. Only took me 12 years!

In Georgia Parker will still be my wife and best friend, so that relationship won't change and I expect to find our friends are still going to be "around" even after we've moved because they're all so "plugged in" here in America's most wired city. Plus, I'm sure I'll make my way to the occasional hockey tournament in Las Vegas each year. In my eyes, I'm losing a little and gaining plenty.

Parker is from a small town originally (less than 1000) and I've never really cared for living in a big city atmosphere. I used to joke that I never went south of the 52 if I didn't absolutely have to. Actually, I rarely leave Mira Mesa for anything other than hockey at the KROC center. The main thing we'll both miss is all our super cool friends and neighbors, but we don't subscribe to much of what a big city has to offer (shows, concerts, ballparks, downtown, fine dining). Anyway, Atlanta will only be 20-30 minutes away if we get an itching for some culture, entertainment, or sporting events. Come to think of it, at $615 for 44 games, Thrashers seasons tickets are sounding pretty good...

So where are we going? We're relocating to a small town in a county of less than 70,000 called Conyers, east of Atlanta about 25 miles and living on the outskirts of that town. It's probably what most people thought of living in Poway vs. central San Diego 15-20 years ago. Not over developed yet, but it may be eventually as Atlanta continues to spread out in all directions. I can tell from the housing/building trends I'm seeing there currently. And it's hardly the boonies: I'm less than a mile from a Lowes, a Wachovia bank, and a Pizza Hut. I don't need much else in terms of shopping/business.

So in answer to the inevitable "GEORGIA? WHY? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?" question, I offer you this:

Over in Atlanta, we'll be close to her mom and two brothers, both of which are mortgage brokers, a major bonus for Parker and I while working in real estate related fields where we need solid networks and referrals. I also have a childhood friend who is attending Emory to obtain her masters in public health who has lots of political connections in the area.

Our friends here in SD are growing up and having families, and we're seeing some couples who are having to work one or two jobs while their kids are in day care just to do it. We plan to have kids eventually too, but are going to go about it in a slightly different way. Call it a throwback mentality to the 50's era of the one parent income.

First, before I become a dad, I want to be closer to some family so that we have a built in support network in case of emergencies and/or much needed time to ourselves during the guaranteed stresses of parenthood. I also desire to achieve the ultimate joy of being there to watch my kids grow up, rather than be forced to work long hours only to have to leave my kids with a nanny or $7 an hour day care worker who may or may not deal with my child the way I would. This approach is fine and may be acceptable for others, but if I am going to bring a child into the world, it is not my ideal. I have no desire to come home exhausted to meet my equally exhausted and stressed out wife, only to take out the stress of our workdays on each other and our child.

With both Parker and I being business owners with no corporate health or safety net, we're going to need all the help we can get to achieve this ideal family setting. Will it work for us? That remains to be seen, but I know for a fact I can't pull off my desired goal in San Diego on a single salary, with either Parker or I being a stay at home mom/dad. What I want my family and life to be is: direct involvement in my child's life daily as s/he develops, a deep commitment to my community and local politics, and providing the opportunity to nurture and home school my kids if they're interested. These goals are currently unattainable for me in San Diego's economic environment, so I'm moving on and giving it a shot elsewhere.

And no, for those who are dying to ask: Parker is not pregnant.

Although this may seem sudden to most of you, we've put more than a little thought into this move and I am only more and more convinced as the days go by that I'm making the right decision by moving. We're committed to Georgia and I'm excited about starting a new life in a new town with my best friend Parker.

My house is on the market and the one we bought in GA is moving right through escrow smoothly. If you're interested in staying in San Diego and would like a nice, well cared for and updated home in Mira Mesa, or know anyone who would, here's the link: Buyer Full Page (7350 Dancy Road)

We will miss all of you here in San Diego and expect to get updates on how your lives are faring as you follow your individual dreams and goals.

Sincerely,

Craig and Kim

AKA

Spare! and Parker

This is my house.

I certainly thought I'd live here more than 2 years, but it's time to move on.

I'd say more, but the place speaks for itself... at least for the next 30 days until the link expires.

Don't forget to click on the camera symbol and look at the pictures to see more of Parker's Staging® handywork.

As noted in my last post, I thought the initial response I got was going to be tough to match, much less beat.

I was wrong. Very wrong.

I have spent much of the last month collecting clothing from generous individual donors, 3 dozen of which came from my former employer QUALCOMM, no surprise a huge believer in philanthropy, who constantly encourages their employees to give back to the communities they live in. I applaud their contributions.

In all, I collected over 140, 33 gallon Hefty Bags full of clothing of all types and sizes. It took a 14' Uhaul to get it all out of my house and directly to those in need. Thank you to everyone who donated! This has been an amazing experience for me.

On a related a side note, during my efforts I spent nearly two weeks in the Atlanta area working with local relief groups who were helping out those who had been relocated to GA from the nearby gulf. Although the weather was a bit muggy, I found I really enjoyed the people I was working with and started thinking....

Life south of the Mason-Dixon line? What would it be like? Could I be an East Coaster?

Well I'm going to find out in December. Parker and I got to talking about it, jokingly at first, but then as we began to tick off the few reasons to stay in San Diego versus the many to move to Atlanta, we came up with only one thing that San Diego absolutely has over Atlanta in the way we live our lives: the beach weather atmosphere.

Then we counted the number of times we've been to the beach in the last 9 months: Twice. We already live 5 miles inland, so for practical intents and purposes, we're already land locked.

Since we're only going to be 3 hours from Savannah, I think I can live with that. It takes nearly that long in San Diego traffic anyway.

The humidity factor will be the wild card for me. Parker has already lived in Atlanta before and has family there, so I think it will be an easier transition for her. I'm good with change though, so I'm not worried. In fact, I'm really excited!

We got a 3,800+ square foot, 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom house, built the same year as my current home, with a full size heated pool and a full basement on 3 acres for half of what I paid for my home here in San Diego!

As a bonus, I'll have major league football, baseball, and hockey all within 20 minutes, as well as minor league hockey and arena football, but I must admit I still have to learn how to speak NASCAR and figure out what in the world the Big G is all about.

Wish me luck!