Our Child's First Pictures

On Tuesday, Jan 31 Juliette had her first doctor visit. They estimated the delivery date on September 9 and also performed an ultrasound. Here are his (or her) first photographs!

Contract On Our First House

We signed a contract on our first home today! If everything goes as planned, we'll close on the house on Friday, October 14 and our new address will be:

410 Eatherly Drive
Nashville, TN 37220

Here are some pictures of the house:

The Front Yard


The Dining Room


The Kitchen

Back in Nashville

Well, we're already here! We originally planned to drive part of the way from Austin to Nashville on Friday and then stop for the night. However, with more than 3 million evacuess having left Houston to escape the hurricane, there was not a single hotel room available all the way from Austin to Memphis! So, we drank some Monster energy drinks, and some Cokes, and kept on moving all night long. It's not time for a nap...

Heading Back to Tennessee

Juliette and I are driving back to Tennessee today. I've accepted a job with HCA as a Senior Business Analyst in their Product Development group. I'll start work on Thursday, September 29 so, until then, we're going to look for a house in Nashville. We're leaving to day in hopes of beating Hurricane Rita which is threatening eatern Texas.
HCA sent a moving company to pack everything for us, so that was taken care of yesterday. We've gotten to spend the past week hanging out and saying goodbye to all of our friends here. It's been a wonderful 4 years, and Austin in a great city, but Nashville calls us home as we start planning for a family of our own.

Drive Through The Apache Trail

Juliette and I traveled to Scottsdale, Arizona last week. While the town itself is a great travel destination, I was most enthralled by a drive along the Apache Trail. My original source documented the drive as 26 miles and had no information about the terrain. Therefore, I assumed it would be a 30 minute drive along a major interstate. In reality, the trail is 40 miles, less than half of it paved, and took over 3 hours to complete. However, it was one of the most awe-inspiring experiences with nature I have ever had.

As we drove through canyons, crags, and mountains, I was struck by how powerful this land feels. Though the land at first appears desolate, there is an ancient life there, something much older than all of us. The hard, desert landscape is covered in saguaros, 30-40 ft cactus which line the hills like soldiers guarding some secret place. As we wound through this terrain, I was overcome by the sense that I was just a visitor to this place: we were not welcome to stay in this place. It is truly God's country.