I knew when I moved from North Carolina that I would have a lot of "firsts" in Georgia.

My first real rent payment, my first big car tax bill and my first armadillo on the side of the road (we don't have those in The Old North State just yet).

This week, which marked the end of my first month in Covington, I experienced another set of firsts.

The first was my annual allergy attack that happens as soon as the thermometer drops below 80 degrees in September. It's not a tradition I enjoy, but one that I know is coming. This year the temperature fell a little early, leaving me out of my wits for most of the week.

While my once a year slugfest with the weather has not yet run its course, I will get to participate in another first today; a first that I was a little more excited about experiencing.

Besides a 1998 visit to Turner Field to see the Braves, I have not had the opportunity to experience many professional athletic events. In North Carolina, college sports rule the loyalty divisions amongst friends. It's UNC, Duke, Wake Forest or, for the unfortunate children, N.C. State, that determine which games you'll attend over the weekend.

Professional sports are secondary in the state. It's always been that way, and as long as basketball continues to thrive on Tobacco Road, the preference of "amatuer" athletics over the pros will continue.

This leads me into my first for today—my first professional golf event.

Today I'll spend my free time at the East Lake Golf Course in Atlanta for the final day of the PGA TOUR Championship.

I mean Tiger Woods may not be walking around winning the U.S. Open on a broken leg nowadays, but it's still Tiger Woods.

The opportunity to see Phil Mickelson tee off, or Adam Scott sinking a putt was too much for me to pass up.

Having the opportunity to attend events like today's TOUR Championship was one of the reasons I left the friendly confines of Laurinburg for Georgia.

While I know that Georgia will continue to offer me "firsts," I'm thankful for the experiences I've already had in Newton County, and beyond.