Three months ago my family and I moved from Pittsburgh, Pa. to Cumming Ga. I have been down here steady for about 2 months. Everything was good up until 24 hours or so ago. My new job and the wifes job (the reason we relocated) are going good. I can seem to shake this feeling that I would rather be back in Pittsburgh. I realize that I need to give this more time but how much???

Culture shock?

Lose that feeling getting out of Pittsburgh is like leaving the spetic tank. Don't look back.

How's the wife feel?

Me I could live just about anywhere. All I do is work so workin here, workin there it don't matter to me. I could pretty much be happy no matter where I live. Work all week and then reap the bounty what ever it may be.

You getta kill more critters in Georgia right?

I lived in Washington State for 8 years. I've lived in Maryland for 13 and I still consider Washington more of a home than here.

Find the good stuff and try and build on it. We've accepted that we're here because here's where the work is so we're going to make the best of it. Frankly, meeting folks like Isaac, 7x57Steve and 284luvr have made a huge difference. The time we've spent hunting or just BS'ing and knowing that there are like minded people around.

Allen

She has the same feelings I do. I could get my old job back in a heartbeat.....so there is no problem there. As far as Pittsburgh being a spetic tank.............well that septic tank is where I lived all my life and was always glad to live there!!!

rahtreelimbs,

What happened 24hours ago to cause the change of heart?

Regards,

Peter

yankeegohome...bwaaaahaaaahahaaaaa

If it's any consolation, Atlanta is a shixthole too. Better weather than Pittsburgh, but quite a melting pot of uh...cultures. An acquaintance of mine lasted about a month, I think, then ran back to the Baltimore area. Maybe you just need to get out into the woods. Maybe you need to meet some real Georgia crackers out in the country instead of just hangin' around city slickers. I dunno.

It is difficult to leave what you have known as home and move to a new climate, culture and circle of friends. That was a waist of typing because you already know that.

I think you need to give it some time, at least a year. New friends, different kinds of hunting and fishing along with learning the culture may give you a new outlook.

Rich,
I left the 'Burgh the first time when I went off to college in '75. I've lived a bunch of places since then (including two different stints back in SWPA), but if anyone asks me where I'm from I still say Pittsburgh. Once you're from there, you're never really from anywhere else.

But I've eventually enjoyed every other place I've been. It just may take some time and effort.

For example, I did a stint in Charleston SC while in the Navy and wasn't crazy about the place, didn't hate it but not my favorite. Went back a few years later to start a business with some friends and had one of the best times of my life, and now it's my favorite place on the East coast.

Anyplace new there's an adjustment period till you get settled and make new friends, etc. Give it time.

If Pittsburg is the place that makes you happy, you need to be in Pittsburg.

Being happy is all that really matters.

As weak as this may sound I can't quite put my finger on it. I think it was many things just building up. I was unemployed for about a month and I think that once things started to get into a rythmn the newness was gone. I just miss being back home. I am not ready to pull up stakes yet, that would make me feel like a quitter. I am thinking that giving it 'til next spring when the kids are done with school may be enough time!

I haven't been in one area for more than 5 consecutive years for the past 26 years. Don't mean I don't have my likes but I always take the good out of every new place and leave the rest.

I find the first year in a new place to be the most exciting.

Well if your still around in a month while I'm there visiting family I'll take ya hunting and trout fishing, and maybe get you feeling right.

When the wife and I left Miami to move back to North Florida, I never had a moments of 'relocaters remorse'

When I left New York City to move to North Carolina 31 years ago,I never EVER looked back.

Life is way too short to be unhappy, especially with stuff that you can change. Give it a little more time, then you will know what to do.

If you are a church goer, finding a good church will help a lot. Great way to meet other folks.

And people not from "here" never really get that.

I've moved a bunch with work, etc. Always missed it here, and always wanted to come back.

My wife had the same impression as 17Bee above. That is, until I brought her here a few times. When it came time to move last time, she KNEW where she wanted to go.

Granted, Pittsburgh itself is like any other big city (almost). I won't live in Allegheny County ever again. But about an hour and a half out, like we are? Perfect.

Rich, if you get to missing it too much, come on back up. I don't need to tell you what it's like here. Weather is getting just right, leaves are turning, it's "that time of year" here in PA.

Oh, and if you think you don't like Atlanta NOW, wait until next summer.... I too had a job opportunity there. Thought about it for about 10 seconds (didn't want to make any rash decisions! ), before deciding it wasn't for me.

I went to test drve a 4 Runner that belonged to an Englishman in the northern suburbs of Atlanta a few years ago. He lived in a ritzy home and was a computer exec with Coke. Before he had lived with his family in Mexico City.

He told me Mexico City was his favorite place. He had nothing positive to say about Atlanta, and even less for London, his childhood home. I thought it was just too weird. At the time I took it a tad personally, being an Atlantan, but the more I thought about it...

My Grandparents moved to East Point in 1952 and left in 1980. Talk about a place that changed over the years!

I am not saying I don't like it down here where we are is pretty nice. We finally have a home we can be proud of, the school system is good for my 2 girls and work is going well for both my wife and I although getting my tree business up and running has proved to be a challenge.

But the fact remains that it still isn't where I was born and raised and I have a feeling this may never feel like home!!!

At this point in time reloading and shooting seem to have found no desire in me..........other things as well!!!

The idea of someone fleeing back to the comforts of Baltimore is really funny to me.

I lived there for 2 years and would never live there again but god do I miss it. For all its flaws it will always be a great place in my memory.

It wuld be different if I had some family down here, 700 miles from the only place I ever knew gets awfully lonely. No matter how good the relationship that my wife and I have she will never fill void I feel when hunting season rolls around.

The desire to hunt is fading fast also!

Just embrace the new and positive things about your new area. Get the kids out fishing....way different than PA!!!

Some people ain't meant to move. Been stationed with guys that hate every place they've ever been and only talk about 'home'.

That said I'd want no part of a city.

I have been in all 50 states and several countries. One thing that I find amusing is when I meet people have never been away from home but think living anywhere else is crazy. In my time in St. Louis, MO I must have run into a hundred people who had never left the state and could not understand why the would want to go anywhere else. While in the nave I spent time in NY City who had never left the city. Their view of live varied a lot from mine.

I've moved around a lot ever since I left "home". I agree the first year is the best in each new location. If it sucks already, I'd say you've made a mistake.


Travis

I mentioned how much I enjoyed Alaska at a BBQ in N.Florida one time. The guy I was talking with said 'I can't imagine Alaska has anything that Jackson county doesn't.'

I said 'You are correct, you can't imagine it.'


I can always tell a ringer after someone finds out I lived in Alaska and their first words are 'I couldn't live there, it's too cold'

Very true. I always love the "Isn't really hot there?" Or "Is there anything to do in that state?"


Travis

'What is there to do' is always my favorite and pretty common reply amongst women. I just tell them you can do there what you do here, turn oxygen into carbon dioxide.

Igloos man, as far as the eye can see!

Never mind I have been in Kotzebue on a 101 degree day. They read it is cold and so it must be bad.

I get the same thing when people would find I live in the Pac NW. "It rains there all the time, I could never live in a place like that!" One woman told me her husband, a doctor, looked at a hospital in Seattle. She said it rained all three days they were there. I replied that in St. Louis where she lived it had rained for 17 days in a row and the forecast was for rain for the rest of the week. Her reply was well this rain is different.

I live at the base of the Olympic mountains. Not far from here it rains over 200 inches a year. We have had less than seven inches this year yet friends toll me it rains here all the time. I guess they know best.

Don't think I haven't been asked that question, along with being told you can't drive to Alaska (since it's an island near Hawaii, at least the inset of Alaska on most maps is where some folks think it is).

You keep on and I think I'll move to Pittsburg. I'm homesick for the place and I've never been there.

I know where you're coming from-lots do I assure you.

I knew a woman with a masters from UCLA who would get irate if you tried to tell her NC and SC were two different states,. Her proof, her kids had a wooden baby puzzle and the two states were one piece. No she had brown hair.

Okay dude, you asked. I don't mean to be offensive here but I'll tell you straight-up. Bristoe is wrong. Life ain't all about happiness and swimming with the dolphins or riding wild donkeys with the Rolling Stones while "Don't Worry, Be Happy" plays in the background. Sometimes it can be great, like when your kid is born or on your honeymoon night. Other times it is years and years of working for some bastage who is less intelligent, more ignorant, and less motivated than you are. Sometimes it is in a job you hate and where you've been passed over for promotion, usually by your boss who is the owner's son-in-law or some such. Sometimes it is in some area of the country where all the people look like zombies on 'ludes and there are winos on every corner. It was drilled into modern kids that their own happiness was all that mattered. Those born and raised in the 40's and 50's know what I mean. There was a sense of duty. "Fun" wasn't something anybody was concerned about. You lived and died and did your duty in between, sometimes having some good times along the way.

My advice is to take stock. You say things are good and that your kids are in a good school and your house is good. It sounds to me like you are close to paradise. You haven't even hunted around there have you? How in he// is Georgia that inferior to Pennsylvania hunting-wise? Y'all got elks up there or Grizzlies? Last time I looked whitetails were your main big game animals in Penn, same as in Georgia. You got forests down there, just like in Penn. Soybean and cotton fields instead of corn? WGAS? People talk slower out in the country. The basses are much bigger in Georgia, let me assure you.

I hate to tell you this, but your family will die off and forget about you. Work on your relationships with those closest to you and don't sweat the other people.

It's a non-existent problem with the conditions you described.

Yep, big difference between educated and intelligent.

Wife had a coworker once who said that. I was literately stunned speechless. She did have a smoking hot body and and a completely empty mind. She would have been perfect you Scott!

He// that sounds like almost all women to me, except leaving out the smoking hot body part.

,...and if you pay all of those dues,..then what?

You get to be happy when you're 80 years old?

Life is about being happy with your station in it.

That's success.

Back in 1982, I had a friend ring me asking if I heard that Argentina had invaded Scotland...

Me: "WTF?"

Him: "Well, not Scoland, but one of the Islands, near Orkney or somewhere..."

Of course he (& I'm ashamed to say it was a "he") was talking about the Falklands....

Good thread, with an important lesson.

If you are considering relocating or looking for a place to retire, don't rely on what the natives tell you. In many places, the locals who leave and those who stay there their entire lives are different breeds, especially if the place sucks by any reasonable criteria.

You really need to get the perspective of somebody who has been there awhile after moving from somewhere else. In my experience, it takes a certain critical mass of immigrants to make a place congenial for newcomers. One test, particularly for retirees, is if most of the geezers still hang out with their high school buddies, it is probably pretty provincial.

Best place I ever moved to was Denver in the early 1960s. Lots of young people moved there from somewhere else to build a life. Living was cheap, and lots to do. Should never have left. Most provincial, especially for a city of 100K, was Pew-town, 100 miles to the south. I lived there too.

Paul

"Other times it is years and years of working for some bastage who is less intelligent, more ignorant, a..."

Yep, that sounds like most of my life but add totally immoral,

I think he is self employed so that's a big plus.

That statement is a whole far cry from the other post you made. Making happiness where you find it is a lot different than expecting it to be handed to you. I really doubt that Treelimbs is the kind of guy who expects everything to be given to him. After all, he's not on the DimUnderground page. I didn't say you get to be happy at 80 either.

Scotland, Falklands, they aren't the same place?

Sorry, I forgot the "immoral" part. Consider it added.

No,..the statements are identical.

It really doesn't matter what your station in life is, if it doesn't make you happy, it's useless to you.

It's a very simple concept.

"Live *your* life".

There's people everywhere who will attempt to manipulate you, to heap obligations on you,..to make you feel that you have to live your life in a certain manner and not give the quality of your own life a second thought as long as it provides *them* with what they need from you.

,..fuggum.

Make yourself happy.

Let the others find their own avenue to happiness without bleeding it off of you.

Yep I did ask and all opinions are welcome. As far as I am concerned if I am not happy after a certain period of time then moving back will happen. This isn't about just me it is about my family too. As far as hunting, Pittsburgh is where all my buddies are. When the desire to hunt is not there then why force yourself!!!

rahtreelimbs

First I would tell you I know exactly how you feel. My wife and I moved to GA just under 2 years ago. Initially, we felt the same way. We missed "home" and talked about it constantly. It was my first move in my life, having lived in upstate NY for my first 40 years. I miss lots of different stuff, but I've learned theres plenty of new things to explore here. I was 2 1/2 hours north of the city and attending football/hockey etc was a pain. Now we are 40 minutes away from Turner Field or the Dome...so thats kinda cool. I'm sure you had your favorite eateries in Pittsburgh, I know I do in NY, I think about them constantly but have found some good places to eat. Still cant find some good pastries though. So, I guess my point is to give it some time. On a side note, my wife and I had some of our worst fights ever once we moved down. In retrospect, we were both adjusting blah blah blah.
I will admit that I have not hunted in GA yet. Not sure why, just dont have the urge. I do go home a couple of times a year to go up to camp. Hang in there, the culture shock wears off and it will be fine. Get some bbq and sweet tea and sit on the porch. If your ever in the Marietta area, let me know...we can bitch together

Adkstalker

You do know you can meet new people, right?

That is what I was thinking.

I know no one can make me happy except me. I have been happy in some strange places because I choose to be happy. Did I like moving to MO to go to school. Not after living in Oregon I didn't but I made myself happy anyway.

Realtree you have a lot to be thankful for. Wife, kids, job and home are just a few I saw you mentioned. Look at the things you like about life and dwell on those things. Then find a gun club and join. You will fine goof folks there who like the same things you like. As was mentioned above, find a church if you are a church going guy. Let some of your new friends show you around. I know there id good hunting and fishing in Georgia. It will be different that where you cane from but different is not a bad thing.

Make this move into an adventure and you will find a lot to like.

Not to be too nosy,..but since you're asking opinions,..

What made you choose to leave Pittsburg for Georgia?

I think you nailed it for yourself. (All your budddies are back home) It's important for you to be happy in order to be the best you can for your family try to meet new friends keep an open mind and in time you will make the right choice.

oh,..

Stay with it. Find the "things to do" in your new home. Explore on the weekend when possible. Try to be flexible. Me and my fam have lived in 6 states and 3 counties. I've spent significant amounts of time in a few more countries and states. We didn't necessarily like all those places that well when we arrived, but we soon came to enjoy each and every one and have fond memories of each.

Expat

Local rumor is that Auburn gained a football coach because his wife didn't like living in Iowa.

Paul

Whoa, As an Auburn grad I'll have to take that I reckon.


I was wondering, well the entire Auburn Alumni Assoc was wondering why and how. We finally decided he must have been golfing buddies with our famous banker trustee-the one whose banks, Colonial, just went belly up recently.

I'm not a football fan, but my dog tells me she misses playing with their dog at doggie day care.

Paul

Is your dog unhappy, too? That does it. Nothing worse than a moping, sulking dog?

Well, I can understand a lot of this because hunting and guns were my life for years, and you just don't drop that out of the blue.

I suggest a few trips back to Pittsburg each year to hunt. I used to love to drive for long trips and it's not that far.

You might have posters confused. I'm not unhappy, but it's true my dog used to hang with Chizik's dog at our local doggie day care.

Don't know if it's true about the unhappy spouse, it's just a local rumor. You know the old saying "If Mamma ain't happy..."

As for me, I don't travel in such lofty circles.

Paul

I have relocated 6 times, if you include the first job out of college. Some were good career moves, some were bad, some were born out of irritation at a job, some not.

Big cities are big cities everywhere, they all have their good & bad areas, interesting, and depressing spots. Ultimately, even if you are near a really glamorous spot, like the coasts or mountains, you still get back to the relationships with family and friends being what will drive your happiness. If I were in your position, I think I would put a heavy premium on what's best for the spouse first, and then the kids.

Of course, if moving means taking a big loss on a house, that ruins the finances or kids' college funds, that should not be a small consideration, either.

Nope. But I was trying to smoke out if they have a dog, if he or she was unhappy, too. I worry about dogs more than I do people sometimes, well, most times. If the dog is unhappy, they need to pack up and move back to the same house in Pittsburg.

You in Iowa?

Yep.

My dog is never unhappy so long as my wife, her "mom", isn't far away. Every dog we've had has adopted her as their mom. I'm second fiddle, unless it's going bird hunting, and I don't do that any more.

Paul

Nope...........the pooch has adjusted just fine!!!

My wife isn't even a "dog" person and mine and my daughter's-you know they, the dogs are con artists anyway-take up with her all out of proportion to the attention she gives them

when you mention that area of the country, all I can think of is that old robert deniro move"the deer hunter."
Although I would have shot the deer, I think.

There are hundreds of thousand of acres of national forest just north of rahtreelimbs, speaking of the movie "The Deer Hunter." They are open to hunting and make the terrain in that movie look like a walk in the park. Chattahoochee National Forest, and others have all the land you need-straight up and down, laurel thickets never find you in, Deliverance type country. Plenty of deer but nobody I knew ever took on the challenge. Maybe some locals do. Some of the Deliverance folks are still around though. Voight didn't get them all.

They have plenty of black bear harvested in there, too.

Lotta decent small trout streams up there too.

http://www.georgiawildlife.org/content/displaycontent.asp?txtDocument=34

As a matter of fact, yes. And some pretty good sized ones too.



Nope, but some of the biggest black bears on earth.

BTW, you guys get to hunt much in the snow down there in GA? There's something special about chasing ruffed grouse on a clear winter's day. Or cutting the track of a good buck and trying to walk him down.

I've hunted TN, GA, and FL. I'd trade in all three for what PA has to offer.

I'm sure it don't match Alaska, I'll have to give it a whirl sometime.

Hey Treelimbs,I packed my wife and family up and moved, nearly twenty years ago.As a union worker, everything we do goes by senority. Promotions,vacations,overtime,crew duties, even where you rode in the truck go by senority.And everybody over me was also younger than me, i would die from old age before i had any senority.So I moved and took a service truck in a small town that no one else wanted.There were no electricians here, so my part time electrical business did well.Some years i work nearly a thousand hours overtime on my job.We have made some good friends here.It's not all roses though,fifteen years ago the company closed all of their local offices and my job was moved to another small town, where i worked for the next fourteen plus years, until two months ago when my friend and co-worker retired and i got a chance to move back.It was tough to leave the area and the friends that i made, but i moved back.Sorry to bore you with the minor details of my dull life. The moral to this story is that your move can be what you make it to be.For your business to be successful,and for your family to be happy, you will have to become involved in your new home. Church is a good place to start, and no, I won't start to preach,school,sports, civic clubs, all are good places.It was eaiser for me because i already knew my co-workers and it was'nt near as far as you moved.Good Luck in your new home. Lightman

I never got to hunt in the snow in middle Ga in 20 years. It doesn't snow except every 2 or 3 years and that hits usually in late January or February for only a day after the season is over and then takes a couple of days to melt.

The very northern part of Ga in the mountains I mentioned, the odds would still be slim although they get snow much more frequently than middle Ga. Still, it usually would be after our hunting seasons in N Ga close January 1st.

We have very long hunting seasons. Bowhunting may start the third week in Sept and run through to rifle starting third week Oct which runs to Jan 1st.

I can talk to you about bowhunting in 95 degree heat in Sept. and even 80 degrees rifle hunting in Dec in south Ga. The weather is all over the place, yes, some 28 degree mornings down here, just no snow.


And the bear would not compare to the monster bruins in Pennsylvania but I bet they are 10x harder to hunt here.

What ever the long term choice you make, Do what you can to have fun while your there.

Life has taken me a couple of places I didn't want to be like Long Beach California, Columbus GA and Manhattan Kansas, but I got to do some cool stuff in both. In California I went thirds on a sailboat and sailed around quite a bit. In Kansas I spent my vacation on fridays and Mondays and did these short intense trip to colorado to do 14ers.. Did you know that Georgia is loaded with numbers of tiny little whitetails?

I wouldn't want to live long term in any of those places but I made some good memories in each place while I had to be there.

You think that all the people who served in the Armed Forces during WWII did so to make themselves happy? Life ain't all about making yourself happy. If you can find happiness by making others that way, then you'll always be content. A constant search for your own happiness is the definition of a hollow life. Good luck with that B.

Tree, seriously here, step back and take a look at what you're saying. You're the definition of somebody who won't assimilate and who can't make it somewhere. Go out and find yourself some new friends. Yeah, you probably should force yourself to hunt. The desire will come back. As others have said, what motivated you to make the move to begin with? If you had no real reasons, then go back. If you did, and that hasn't changed, you just ain't trying hard enough. JMHO, YMMV, and all that jazz.

You back again?

Listen,...live your life in misery if you want to.

Ain't nobody gonna organize an intervention on your behalf.

It's official. Cole gets to live a wasted life just like he wants to.

hip-hip,..hoo-RAY!,...hip hip, hoo-RAY!

If you read my opening post my move was to support my wife and her career growth. Some people handle things differently........I am not you, alyhough I appreciate your input!

I am in no way miserable. Duty comes first though. Then honor. Happiness isn't on my list of things to do tomorrow...and yet I find myself happy. What would you rather have on your tombstone, "he did his duty" or "he made himself happy"? A lot of happy asssholes ran off to Canada...

Okay, as others have said, what's changed? You don't like it as good as home but...has it worked out well for your wife? Having a happy wife and kids can go a long ways towards making the old man happy.

I assume you are in the military???

Quote from General Lee. One that I believe and took to heart at an early age. Duty comes in many forms as does honor.

You may think I'm raggin' on you, but I'm really trying to help. What I'm saying can be summed up thusly...don't make a hasty move home. You haven't given it time to work yet. This is unless it is not working out the way you expected as far as what motivated you (wife's job) to begin with.

The "duty" discussion is mainly one that Bristoe initiated. I have no reason to believe you are doing anything but your duty and also honoring your family. You moved what, a thousand miles, for your wife? A lot of guy's wouldn't do that. I think you are to be commended. Do what you gotta do. Just don't let the homesick blues dictate it. There was a reason you left...

I'll go with both.

Being happy is my own personal duty.

Yeah,...you're a lotta damn help.

"Be miserable,...do your duty!"

Check this out...

http://ngeorgia.com/travel/gafestivals.html

Free-spirit just doesn't play when you have a family. I know a lot of people who believe in their own happiness at all costs. They leave behind them a wake of human suffering.

Yeah,...raise them to learn to be miserable too.

That's a good lesson in life.

lol Being drunk on Sunday night isn't my idea of happiness. Check back in after you sober up.

My wife is feeling the same way I am..........maybe to a lesser degree than I am. Whatever decision that will be made will be done as a family. He happiness is a priority too!!!

Of course. I think that's the way it should be. Just be advised that most folks who make a big move probably go through exactly the same thing. Maybe y'all need to give it some time, maybe not. 'nuf said on my part. Good luck.

You have a month and 3 weeks until Thanksgiving and I believe you can rifle hunt in Pennsylvania that following week?
So, you stay up there after your family's Thanksgiving visit, and fly home after you get your buck and socializing with your buddies. You owe that to yourself. If there are in-laws, siblings, etc. that could come back with your wife and kids to assist with babysitting and house stuff-they get to see Georgia.

You can hold on 7 weeks and then see family, buddies, and hunt.

It takes time in Georgia to get in with a crowd you would mesh with to hunt and shoot. They can be provincial (closed, ignorant, unfriendly to outsiders), to say the least, in the rural and small town areas.

Just something to consider.

Your idea of happiness is doing what others expect of you.

You've already made that obvious.

Let me know how that works out fer yas.

You don't get it. I'd talk it over with you in more detail if you weren't drunk, but I doubt you'd get it then either. I don't get my happiness from doing what others expect of me. I have my duties, first to God and then to my family, community, state and country. In that order.

I grew up in Pittsburgh and understand where you are right now. (SW Pa is a great place, although the weather really stinks.) You don't know the new area and don't have a support network there.

All these suggestions from the thread make great sense to me

1. Get to know the area. Every weekend you and your wife should plan a new and different excursion. Check out all the sights and local places. Get a tour guidebook and each of you choose 10 places that look interesting. Check out some of the local tours as well. There is a lot to see down there.

2. Build up your support network. Join a church. a club, bring a bottle of wine or 6pack over to the neighbors. Invite them for dinner. Even if you conclude that they are weird, that is something you know about someone there.

3. Don't cut your ties to Pittsburgh. Do head back for the important family routines, such as hunting or family get-togethers.

4. Invite some of the family and friends to your new place and show them around. In fact, maybe find a good spot for a hunting trip and get some of your buddies down there for it.

5. Were the local 24Hr campfire folks planning a grill and chill in the near future?

Chuck

Oh yes I do!

I got it a long time ago,...but I wish I had got it sooner.

As for all of the ad hom stuff,...my ass,(pointing)...kiss it.

Some of my best friends are the weird ones. Guess that says a lot about me.

Sounds like you're reeeeeaaaaaallllll happy B. Drunk and angry. What a way to achieve happiness. I believe you're right, you do get it.

Not really. Lots of weird folks are interesting.

Chuck

You are way to kind,. I am weird and darned proud of it!

Lots of weird folks are [bleep] nuts.....

I don't get angry, guy,...but when some sprout keeps insisting that everybody has to live a life of misery, I'll point out the errors of their ways.

As for me havin' a buzz?,...maybe,..but I guarentee you,..my opinion on letting others run my life will still be the same tomorrow.

If you ever reach the point where you learn to live your own life,..you'll agree with me.

Until then you'll be miserable and continue to encourage others to adopt the same perspective.

No thanks,...

I've already been there. I'm "happy" not to be there now.

Age does have its advantages.

And lots of nuts of [bleep] weird.

"Sprout"? lol Whatever you say son, but you sure sound angry and you are definitely drunk. Live your life however you want to, but doing my duty ultimately makes me happy and from what I've seen, constantly running after one's own happiness is a vain pursuit. Personally, you don't sound as happy as you make out on here.

Keep telling yourself that.

It works for a while.

Give it time and the anchor will release itself. I stumbled with my family 3 times like you. I chalk it up to being comfortable to what you are used to and dealing with the NEW. If it's suppose to happen, it will come. Be patient and have faith.

That said it will never happen if you don't allow it to.

FWIW nobody will dictate my happiness. I have no duty except to my family. Life is too short not to be happy............and if I am not happy I may as well be 6 feet under.

Mabe I am being resistant...............something to think about on my end!

If you tell yourself that it sucks, it will.

only you can say

Rich,

I've been meaning to call you. Work has really sucked lately and as of Friday my position is being eliminated. Now I have plenty of time and my wife suggested I just enjoy this hunting season and hunt as much as I can.

Are you interested in going hunting? Cohutta WMA has a buck only & bear firearms hunt Oct 8-11. This WMA is over 96000 acres of PA type mountains. I haven't been up there in 10 years and it was a December hunt in snow. I remember thinking I liked the area. Weather should be nice unless it's raining. It is public land so there will be plenty of hunters. You'll think you're in the Allegheny Nat'l Forest!

Anyone else interested? I think there is a camping area there too so I may just spend the whole weekend up there.

RH

Give me a buzz some evening this week..........after 9 PM if you can I am using alot of cell minutes. I would like to talk to you about hunting!!!

See

Ironically, those are the same usual cheerleaders for "those damned unfriendly Yankees" rants too....

I was born and raised in Washington state and lived in the same house until I was 18 and joined the military. Since then, I've lived in 9 states and 3 countrys. 18 different houses (not including deployments and temporary duty). I've recently come to the conclusion that there's no place like home. Only took 25 years.

I've been in shoes like yours rahtreelimbs. I suspect the unsettled feeling is more than just a form of longing for home. Most humans need routine, myself included, to give us a feeling of being comfortable and settled with our lives. When the day to day of our lives is relatively settled, we are free to go ahead and think about our individual interests knowing that the daily routine will go on and provide the day to day stability many of us crave.

When our favored activities no longer hold any attraction for us it can be a sign of mild depression. I hope you can tough it out long enough so that even if you do move back, you can say to yourself that you gave it an honest try. Remember that when you made the decision to move, you were thinking clearly and were in a place (routine) you were comfortable with.

I've been relocated from my home city for nearly 13 years and it no longer has the attraction for me that it once did. It used to try to draw me back home whenever I thought about it. Becoming absorbed with my job and my honeydo items at our home helped me a lot ( building more daily routine).

Take my input for what it's worth. Just an average guy who's been in your shoes. Walk in them for a while and maybe they'll break in and fit. Above all listen to your heart and your family on this.

Best of luck.

I was talking to my wife about it last night. I hate to say this, but there's gotta be a support group around Atlanta for people from far off who have moved there.

rahtreelimbs,
Stop what you are doing, take a deep breath, and relax. I moved from the Detroit area to just south of Portland, Oregon. Culture shock is putting it mildly. The slower pace, the complete lack of what I saw as survival instincts, and the open friendliness of everyone I met weirded me out. When you come from the rust belt, you tend to view the attitudes and ideals of that area as normal. The fact is that what's normal depends on where you're standing when you make that judgment. I was fortunate in that I and my wife had contacts out that way who helped us acclimate to the area.

I suggest getting tied in to a church or social group of some sort and start making friends. Join a gun club or something. Having people around you that you can socialize with is an important part of being "home". For me, "home" is where ever my family and I land. I can tell you, when I embraced my new home, the thought of returning to Detroit for more than a few days evaporated.

Wise words, good advice.

Rich,

I can understand wanting to move back, though I'd think you need to give Georgia a chance, you haven't been there too long. My cousin moved from PA to Georgia last year and he's absolutely enamored with it, though I can imagine it's not great for some people. I'd sooner donate a testicle than move that far south, but then again I'm a girl when it comes to the heat. Definitely try to get into some type of social activity, be it a gun club or whatever. Maybe find some kind of Georgia hunting forum online? You never know what's out there. Keeping an open mind about things may make all the difference!

I can understand missing Pittsburgh, though. For a decent city, it ain't all that bad. I do my best though to get the hell of out of here every weekend, especially last week due to the G20.

We have moved for work five times in the last 15 years. The longest we lived in any once place during that time was 6 1/2 years. If you take that city out of the equation, the other four places were lived in over the course of 9 years. Yikes!

Anway:

1. Accept the fact that you have moved and don't look back, no matter what. This, by far, is the biggest barrier to moving on.
2. Do everything you can to put yourself in a postion to make new friends (parties, local shooting range, groups that the chicks do in neighborhoods like Bunko, ladies night out, etc, anything that puts you in contact with the kind of people you like).
3. Force the issue if you must to do things separate from the wife. After moving, the "easiest" thing to do is hang with the spouse which prevents you from doing #2 above.

I think it takes about a year or so to acclimate, meet new people, and feel comfortable with the move.

Took us 2 years to adjust when we moved up here. So I'd say give it a couple of years. Most importantly take advantage of things you can do in your new local that you couldn't do in your previous local.

Thanx to all that contributed to this thread!



Well almost a week later and I am feeling a little better about everything. Went out and got my hunting license and will be going out with himmelrr next weekend!!!

I can relate to some degree. Moved from Nebraska to Colorado this summer. Should be tall cotton, right? Mountains, elk, deer bear etc. but I have found it slow and hard to make connections with local hunters. Spoiled by my years back in Nebraska and Iowa, where we had our own ground and lots of connections. Now even finding a place to shoot is hard work. And many guys that I talk with apparently think that you are going to show up in their "hunting spot" when all you are looking for is some basic advice. I used to think it was only the fisherman that were tight lipped. So far it has not been great as far as the outdoor experiences go. It does take time, I know.

----------------------------------------------------------------
yet again -that's funny right there !


RAH -i lived a couple of years in marietta,ga. very nice area.

Go to www.gon.com it's an outdoor type website -very nice bunch of folks.
When you get a little older making friends becomes harder -it takes time !
Good luck to you and family !

I have never been any where more than 4 years since 1997. I got stationed back at home as a fluke, and the wife and I are itching to leave where we both grew up at. family may be here, but it just doesn't feel like home anymore. Besides the further away from the family, the less drama there seems to be.

Hudge,

I hear you about family drama, luckily as a only child, we really don't have any in my family. We are still about the same distance from my in-laws, only now west of them instead of east! They are quirky, but OK.

Well it's official.........the wife and I have decided to move back to Pittsburgh. Georgia just isn't home and doesn't do much for us!!!


Happier days are ahead!!!

Yankees anonymous

give it a year at least

I'm in eastern Oregon where we get about 12" of precip, and no one understands the "humidity" concept. I'm still running a 1977 Datsun 280Z and I had to replace the tailpipe and muffler at about year 20.

The eastern relatives won't come out because it rains all the time here.

Nope..........we have been here long enough. This just isn't our home!

Hope your renting and dont have a house to sell...may take a minute. Best of luck on your move back north.

If that is what you guys want, then congratulations.

Unfortunately will did buy a house.........but we thought we would be in Georgia forever!


One step at a time!

Like someone said -whatever makes you happy !

If that's where your heart is -it's great that you feel that way about 'home'...

Come on back Rich!

Call me when you get back home.

Check your PM's.....

MY fear is being stuck in TAX HELL WISCONSIN forever...

I think I'm leaving WI soon.

I think I'm leaving WI soon. [/quote]

I KNOW we're leaving Illinausea soon, even had some interviews in Wisconsin. To hear you two talk, Wisconsin should definitely be taken off the radar. Wasn't my #1 anyway- gun laws being nearly as bad as they are here.
Would love to go somewhere that people actually welcomed you; folks are getting awfully protective against outsiders these days. It worries me that making friends, having a place to shoot, hunt, and fish, could all be difficult due to a cold reception.

Here's a few little gems coming up in this stupid state - from the NRA website:
__________________________

On Tuesday, December 1 at 11:00 A.M., the Wisconsin State Senate Judiciary Committee will consider two anti-gun bills, Senate Bill 174 and Senate Bill 367. Both of these bills would infringe on rights of law-abiding gun owners and have no impact on crime.

SB 174 would require micro-stamping technology on all newly manufactured handguns sold in Wisconsin. If passed, the bill would require newly sold handguns to micro-stamp a unique code onto the cartridge case upon firing. This unproven technology will increase the cost of firearms, potentially putting them out of reach to some consumers. However, since no manufacturer currently sell a firearm capable of micro-stamping a cartridge case, it will effectively ban new handguns in Wisconsin. In addition, criminals could easily remove the microscopic codes from the firearm using using any number of commonly-owned household tools. This dangerous legislation needs to be defeated.

SB 367 would require gun-owners to report lost or stolen firearms within a 48-hour period or face fines and possible imprisonment. If passed, this legislation could turn law-abiding gun owners --who have already been victimized by theft--into criminals for failing to report the loss of theft of a firearm within the require timeframe.
_____________________________________

I just wish there was a season for liberals.. I'd definitely buy some tags...

I think we're coming back to MN. Have to decide by next week. The taxes in WI are crazy. People in MN complain about taxes, but they are the ones who've never lived in WI....Trust me on that.

Junior Samples was from Cumming. He loved it

It's a shame what's going on in MN and WI (Illinois has been a septic tank forever). I lived in Iowa as a youth, and don't understand the thinking going on over there at all.
I've known folks that have moved from the north to Georgia (and not the ATL area) and were very happy, except for the heat/humidity that summer brings.
Sorry it didn't work out for the OP- hope moving back to Pitt works out for you and your family. It's easy enough to get depressed from govt., economy, etc. Not being happy with your surrounding environment just makes it worse. Trust me, I know.

Hey, before you do that, you better check on some folks that live back there .. MN is now more highly taxed than WI..

From the Tax Foundation:

"Tax Freedom Day is the day when Americans finally have earned enough money to pay off their total tax bill for the year. In 2009, Minnesota taxpayers had to work until April 15 (ranked 9th highest nationally) to pay their total tax bill, two days after national Tax Freedom Day (April 13). The Tax Freedom Days of neighboring states were: Wisconsin, April 13 (ranked 12th nationally); Iowa, April 4 (39th nationally); North Dakota, April 1 (46th nationally); and South Dakota, March 29 (47th nationally). "

And MN is poised to show a HUGE shortfall in incoming funds from taxes - businesses and homeowners are flocking into courts for assessment 'readjustments', and are winning.. They've got a potentially 4-6 BILLION dollar deficit looming.. (From the Pioneer Press this morning's front pages).

The only things we can do here now is to get rid of debt, make do with less, stock up on storable food items when on sale, buy in bulk, plant larger gardens, build canning shelves and fill 'em up, buy NOTHING that's not absolutely critical, get rid of (or reduce) all monthly expenditures.. You catch my drift..

When my Santa Fe comes off lease, I'm not buying it - going to make do with using my F-350.. While I'll spend a bit more for fuel, I'll get rid of a minor lease payment ($113) and yearly insurance ($750).. And just in time, since insurance rates will be going up here thanks to the mandatory, higher minimums now legislated here..

I took a job in NE Alabama about 11 years ago after having lived in NE Nebraska my entire life. On the surface it was going to be a good move for us. I went down first by myself, my wife and daughter were going to follow at semester break for daughter. Our son (in college)became very ill and I flew back only about 10 days after "moving" as my wife didn't need to deal with that by herself. Son came out of ICU the day after I arrived and subsequently fully recovered. While there, my wife and I had a lot of time to do some soul-searching, We decided I should try to come back to Nebraska, I called the company I had left and, surprisingly, they agreed to reinstate me to my previous position, without interrupting my time of service or my health insurance. I flew back to Alabama, tendered my resignation and was back at my former desk three days later. I (we) just simply decided that the Alabama opportunity (they had given me a 57% boost in base salary) was just not the right move at that point in time. Obviously, I wasn't there long enough to really formulate a cultural difference opinion and adapt to it, but in this case, it was not to be and I accepted that. We lived in Nebraska for 4 years longer before my wife was transferred to our current location, NW Arkansas. The transition from Nebraska to Arkansas was non-existant, it was natural and seamless. I still tell folks I'm from Nebraska (and to some extent, always will be) but we are at home here now.

Best wishes to you and your family on your return to PA. If a relocation is in your future, I sense you will know whether it's right for you very quickly. Just pray for guidance and signs, you will get what you ask for, if you are sincere in your request(s).

Anyone who has the balls to call Pittsburgh a sh*thole, obviously hasn't visited the Youngstown, Ohio area. When the mills went down, that dirty old grease smear on the Ohio map really went to crap. I took a work transfer to Minnesota close to 20 years ago and never looked back. Period. I suppose if I wanted to live in an area where the roads are one big chunk of cold patch, there's no work, and the mob runs every business worth owning, I'd be heading back to Youngstown. There's something about the endless fishing opportunities, and the quality of the hunting, living, and life in general up here that keeps me in Minnesota. Home is where the heart is, and mine's firmly in my Minnesota stomping grounds.

yes, home is where the heart is.

my family and i moved from the NE Georgia mtns. to Cobb County many years ago. it was a culture shift. i'm tellin' ya.

anyways, we wound up further east, and in NE Georgia. a wonderful place, with wonderful schools, and relatively low taxes.

Cumming, and Forsyth County, on the western edge of Lake Lanier has shifted in the last 15 years or so. they own the best zipcodes in the State of Georgia. Commercial poultry growing, while still important, is not the King it use to be. Can anyone imagine purchasing a fancy house next to an existing commercial poultry farm? i can't.

if Georgia was tried and found lacking, it's easy to understand that one should seek a better alternative. Georgia is varied, with lot's of divergent cultures. On the other hand if i was from Chicago, i'm sure there's a little Chicago waiting on me in Georgia. same with New York, etc. etc. Georgia has an open door policy.

for me, i came off the farm, and found suburbia. Good public school systems are to die for.

I KNOW we're leaving Illinausea soon, even had some interviews in Wisconsin. To hear you two talk, Wisconsin should definitely be taken off the radar. Wasn't my #1 anyway- gun laws being nearly as bad as they are here.
Would love to go somewhere that people actually welcomed you; folks are getting awfully protective against outsiders these days. It worries me that making friends, having a place to shoot, hunt, and fish, could all be difficult due to a cold reception. [/quote]

If you can find employment, move to Oklahoma.

Expat

[quote=ExpatFromOK
If you can find employment, move to Oklahoma.

Expat [/quote]

I wouldn't hesitate. I lived in Tulsa for 4 years (college) and loved it. Still have some family there.

Are you a U of Tulsa alum? I graduated from there in 1987. Great school, great town. Come on back. I'm headed back as soon as the Army is done with me in a few years.

Expat

Know what you mean, but I moved here from my home in SD 27 years ago. It is an 8 hour drive to my home. My Mom still lived there. I miss the pheasant hunting and fishing but there were new horizons here. I can always go back to visit. But I like my new home!

I finished my bachelor's at U of Tulsa after going to Spartan for A&P and comml. flight school. Left early 1983. My aunt and uncle have passed away since, but I still have a few cousins in the area. I would love to go back, but with this economy, we would need jobs in hand before leaving. It's not the best of times to just pack up and go, especially with a house to sell.