Hatred of WF Banking Practices

I have to do this, to try to help me feel better - REASONS WHY I HATE THE BANK WELLS FARGO, from a former Banker's perspective (10 years in banking, their EMPLOYEE for 6 of those years):
1. I opened my account because they offered $50. I knew better... They are the only bank in town, however, with branches in AZ. I met all their requirements, called the bank manager twice to follow up on it. I never got the money. That was nearly 3 years ago.
2. They don't offer a running balance column in their online banking account format. It's like they offer no tools to help clients be successful consumers, only stick them with fees if their obscure policies aren't followed to the T.
3. They don't adjust their cut-off time for deposits to meet customer needs, i.e. no deposits made after 3pm post that same day. OTHER BANKS (i.e. Chase, I love that institution) offer a 6 pm/close of branch cut-off time = if you get to the bank that day, your deposit is IN that day. (Duh, they have your money!! EVEN CASH isn't considered "in" if deposited after 3 pm at WF!!!! So aggravating!!)
4. THEY ARE (the COMPANY I mean, not necessarily the EMPLOYEES) shady and ignorant, having no concern for clients/service, only stick it to anyone any way they can, charging any possible fee they can legally (or illegally - they've been sued for posting deposits AFTER that day's debits, illegal, check this out. This isn't inherent in all banks, folks, not in my experience. Just Wells Fargo.

If you would please listen to me, I hate that company. I am a banking savvy person. I know what is normal, what is acceptable/typical as far as policies go. I am a reasonable, responsible person (extremely high credit rating, love banking and finances, I am finishing a DEGREE in Finance for crying out loud!! WORKED in banking for TEN years). I LOVE Banking. However, I really, REALLY am disgusted with this company. NEVER, EVER under ANY circumstances will I EVER do business with them again. (All this over $22.50 in fees, ha.) Felt I needed to share this with anyone who would listen...

P.S. Also in an effort to feel better, I'm okay now/forgive them. I just won't do business with them again :)

About Time?? Shutterfly Time!

So you think it's about time I updated my blog? Yeah, you're right! Leave it to Shutterfly to inspire me :) I've used their Holiday Cards for two years now and I LOVE the ability to make something beautiful from my own pictures.

Last year's Christmas Card was our family's best card ever, can be found here on Shutterfly. They made it so easy! Of course you need good photos to start with, but the editing software available on Shutterfly's website is really user friendly, and easily turns "good" photos into great photos. Their designs are awesome, so I can simply plug in my own pictures, play around with their editing software right there on the site, and my babies' faces turn out beautiful and vibrant, enhancing a creation that is now unique to me! It takes the stress out of holiday card making/writing.

This year's design choice will probably be this collage. With so many designs to choose from I am having a hard time deciding!

Also through Shutterfly are fun, memorable gifts that last all year, namely their photo calendars. We did one with shots of vacations and trips with extended family and gave them as gifts. Kind of kept us feeling close throughout the year while we live so far away...

I know I'm not the only one who has figured out that Shutterfly is the place for Holiday Card making and personalized gift giving, but if you are among those who have not yet had a chance, check out shutterfly.com and give it a test run. You'll never regret you did!

Lincoln Earl DeRay Rawlins

This is Ashleigh doing a quick update for Gwen- He's here! Lincoln was born last night (around 11ish- sorry, not 100% sure of all the details), he weighed 8lbs 1oz. He's named after Pace's hero's- Abraham Lincoln, his grandpa Earl & his dad DeRay :). Gwen was sick with a high fever, so her Dr. told her to go to the hospital & they would induce her. Well, when she got there, her water broke & she had a normal delivery without having to be induced (which she was really happy about), AND the epidural worked this time YAY! Lincoln came out in 2 pushes & is BEAUTIFUL! We only got a couple pictures of him before they took him to the NICU (he had a fever when he was born & they just wanted to make sure everything was ok). I talked to Gwen just now & she said that the poor little guy has pneumonia & they had to do a spinal tap to make sure he doesn't have meningitis :(. They'll be keeping him in the NICU for at least a week- until he's better then he can come home... Same for Gwen. She says she feels good, but she still had a fever last night so they want to get rid of any infection she has before they release her.

Gwen will update more when she gets home, & I'm sure give you a more detailed story of Lincoln's arrival & situation.

Sydney's 4th Birthday

This year we had a Princess Party with a dress up theme :) All guests were invited to wear their favorite princess, fairy, or super-hero costume. The kids loved it - everyone had a blast!

Sydney of course was Cinderella (her favorite, I love it!)
And my sweet friend Leslie came up with the BEST Cinderella cake! Exquisite in appearance and DELICIOUS to eat! Excellent job, Leslie - can't thank you enough!!

Here are the friends that came to celebrate

Can you believe these 3-5 year-olds sat still long enough for me to take their picture!? Amazing - I was so grateful!

Back row L->R: Matthew, Taylor, Sophie, Kelby, Syd
Front row L->R: J.J., Drew, Emma, Eli, Kayden

She didn't run out when they sang to her! Okay, she tried to... :) I followed her, then she pretended to need to use the restroom and kept telling me to go out. I convinced her to come back to the table (where all her guests were waiting) by assuring her that after they sang to her she could open her presents :) Thank goodness it worked! She was brave, I was so proud.

Present time always requires a little bit of crowd control :) They were so fun, and she really got a lot of great things. Everyone had fun opening them!

They played a blindfolded "put Cinderella in her window" game... Couldn't do outdoor activities as we 'd planned since it had rained all week. They didn't seem to mind though!

The pinata of course was a big crowd pleaser, kind of a tradition

Sophie's up to bat :)

Everyone collecting and enjoying the candy!

...and as the party wound down...

Too fun! Good kids, sweet memories :) HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SYD!

Por Fin! (finally)

Nearly 17 months old and Drew is finally taking some baby steps :)

With Shoes - he hates to wear shoes, has never really had to before (he would never keep them on, so we didn't waste money buying them). This'll take some getting used to...

No Shoes - much more confident and stable. Yeah, Drew! Sydney cheers for him every time he walks, she claps excitedly :) She even tries to hold his hand and walk with him - too cute! We're all ecstatic at this long awaited milestone :) Me especially since I'm about to burst with another baby boy. Yes, Drew, you need to be walking before your brother is born, please. Sleeping through the night would also be nice, if you could work that one over the next few weeks I'd really appreciate it... :)

Syd looks so grown up to me in these pictures! Hard to believe she's going to be 4 in two weeks :) She's growing up so fast!

Little stinker :) That's our Syd!

Surprise Ash!

Spring break was spent on a fun trip to Arizona. We left Friday the 12th, and made good time on the drive - yes, I am 8.5 months pregnant, no the doctor probably wouldn't exactly suggest that I take a 12 hour drive this close to my due date, but I didn't ask and he didn't say so... Here's how the fun trip went!

Poor Drewby teethed the first few days of the break. On the way over he cried hard as we changed altitudes; even Motrin couldn't completely soothe the pain of two big molars cutting through his top gums. After Monday he showed signs of his playful self returning (thankfully) and brightened up as the week wore on.

Once we got into town and had a good night's sleep I headed out to my sister's to meet everyone preparing for Ashleigh's surprise party. I had schemed for a month and a half with Anthon and my other family members to pull this off (arrive in AZ and surprise her with a 26th birthday party), and it WORKED! Here's the video of the big "Surprise!" moment :)

Sydney cracks me up - she knew something was up when we all went quiet and waited for the front door to open. She hid in the bathroom closet until the big "Surprise!" was over :) has always been afraid of Happy Birthday songs, since we first sang it to her! Anyway, that part of the video cracked me up, Pace you did a good job in catching all the fun, memorable moments!

Crazy eyes Anthon :) helped us pull off the surprise!

After the party was over, we played with family all week. Pace worked with his Dad and crammed studies in over a few nights... Believe it or not, this was a pretty chill vacation compared to our normal visits (mostly for the kids' sakes, they needed a schedule similar to real life).

Some of the highlights
Disclaimer: I'm 8.5 months pregnant, not the most flattering pose :)

Temple session with some of my favorite women :) L->R: Ash, Alishia, Mom, Me and Michele, we all made it to a morning session together. I totally forgot my recommend at home, but thankfully they have back-up plans in place for people like me :) They got me approved for a day pass, yay! We ate Cafe Rio afterward for lunch - what a great day!! So fun!! The Pyles watched Syd and Drew for me - thank you again, Kim and Lindsay!! You are wonderful!!

And... those are the only pictures, sadly, that I took :( Shame on me!! (Check Ash's blog, she got a sweet camera for her birthday, there's bound to be pictures there) But we swam and swam in my cousin's pool (Michele above) - they heated it!! Wow, so NICE! Drew just smiled the entire time, which was a feat since he had been so sad in pain for so long. Syd loved playing with all her cousins, so did Drew - got to see the Rawlins grandkids almost every day, and spent a lot of time with my family as well. They were all in heaven! And the adults managed to get out one evening for a date night at Macaroni Grill (my favorite). Bummer Ash and Anthon had to skip - she works now part-time, started the VERY week I planned to come see her :( But we still got to hang out, and hooray!! She'll be here in 6 weeks anyway when this baby comes and Paces is up to his eyeballs in yet another semester of finals straddled around the birth of one of his kids :) Poor guy...

So, there it is :) a special trip in my eyes.

Before we left AZ I had Pace give each of us blessings, just in case I went into labor early, so we'd all be prepared for the adjustments that lie ahead, and that we'd have a good time, be healthy, etc. I felt strongly that this would be an edifying, uplifting week. After the first couple days with Drew's teething (bad, he's never been like that before, ever) I thought, "This isn't edifying or uplifting", wondered why then. Sunday's lesson hit me though, about Joseph being sold into Egypt. The teacher added a theme of, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade", talked about how hard it must've been for him... Anyway, it made me think about when we are promised great blessings, especially when/if we are expecting spiritual good things to happen, be prepared for adversity. To somewhat quote Brian Regan... "If the Lord tells you you're in for a spiritual experience, buckle up!" Ha :)

...Reminded me of when I gave birth to Drew, I had prayed for weeks that it would be a spiritual experience (don't ever do that :) jk) and it was, but not until after a TREMENDOUS (for me) storm of physical pain and suffering, which really allowed for the spiritual growth?? Anyway, there's my week :) It was wonderful to see you all! The trip back was great, but we're glad to be home safe and sound :) Now on with the semester!

8 Months Pregnant!

Can't believe it... And the semester is hard at times, so that's probably why I feel like the time has gone by quicker. Still have energy (thankfully, whew!), still not incredibly uncomfortable yet - just enough to know there's something growing in there :) He moves a lot more now, kicks quite a bit, thankfully is not breech, though (seems like they kick you where it hurts more, being upside down). Just counting the weeks left before this little addition pokes his head out (OUCH!) and make his debut! :)

Pace is taking his MPRE exam today, the ethics portion of the bar. Still has a year and a half before he graduates, but now is the time for this piece of his testing. Wish him luck! Feels confident (it is pass or fail). He'll do fine :)

Drew is actually starting to learn to walk! Hallelujah! He is 16 months old almost, takes just a step or so on his own, but we're getting there. He's definitely thinned out. Now is just below 30 pounds, woo-hoo! Tubby getting tall, still solid though. Anyway, he is a such a JOY! I love little BOYS!!

And girls!! Sydney will turn 4 next month, I'm already getting her guest list together and her party planned out :) Gotta have things in order, it's just a couple weeks before this baby's due date. I'm telling you, we are running here, trying to keep up with everything! But the kids are happy, have lots of time to be at home together, playing etc. There's our update :) Now back to Finance and Accounting homework :( ....

Snow Day

Here I am again! Posting, wow huh! It hasn't even been a month :)

I love Lubbock weather. One day it's 70 degrees outside and the next you have this winter wonderland.

I couldn't get over how gorgeous all the trees around town were, all encapsulated in ice! The sunlight would catch them just right and I realized why we put clear glass ornaments on our Christmas trees - mesmerizing! :) (Too bad my point and click couldn't really capture the beauty)

Of course, since Lubbock doesn't get a ton of snow the citizens aren't used to the hazardous conditions... Schools shut down because of icy roadways. Pace and I had classes cancel on both Thursday and Friday, which made for a wonderful, unexpected break and an extra long weekend.

We had a ball!!

Drew's first experience with snow:

Used all his 5 senses to explore the intriguing white fluffy stuff everywhere...

Pace loved playing with them, and the kids had a great time too!

A New Year

I can't believe I'm all caught up!! I skimmed over everything, but those are the highlights of the past two months. Now our blog is updated, and I'm ready to begin a New Year and a new semester at Tech. I have 5 classes to finish by April 30th (when this baby is due) so wish me luck! Two of them are online, so I hope life will be manageable as I get big and fat. Here are some hopes I have for the upcoming months:

1. I hope Drew will learn to walk soon :) The kid weighs 30 pounds and my aching pregnant belly is tired to lifting him. But he is so cute and so fun!
2. I want a rocker recliner!! I hope by tomorrow I can say that we found one and Pace bought it for me :( I'm such a brat, the dude has been wanting a flat screen for months... But the chair outweighs the TV literally, ha. One day you'll get your TV babe! For now, enjoy the 3 we have that work just fine :)
3. That's it really - I just hope life is manageable, like I said, over the next several months! Cause we have a lot going on! Oh! And..
4. I hope you all take time to skim through my posts - I spent HOURS on here getting this stupid thing up to speed :) It's all for the posterity huh? See you on the blog again soon!

Crazy, but two true stories...

I locked Drew in the car with my keys last week! I was parked outside Pace's parents' house, ready to leave - I never do that! Luckily it wasn't too warm out (could you imagine if it were summer in AZ?)! Pace's dad called the Captain in the Fire Department (a friend of his) and a truck with 4 firemen came and jimmied Drew out. Sad, crazy huh? Here are some pictures, Pace had me take them, thought Drew would enjoy the story later in life

THE NEXT DAY, I was showering and had Drew playing in the bathroom with me. Some guy insulating my in-laws' attic fell through the ceiling right by Drew! I was out drying off and saw first his foot, then his leg come down, so I (naked) shriek, "Wait! Let me get my baby!" I jerked Drew out of the way but he still was covered in insulation. Anyway, no one was hurt, thank heavens and I was laughing within minutes - crazy! No pictures of that incident :) Sorry!!

Christmas: Arizona

We had FIVE Christmases total. No complaints from our children of course :) My Mom was thrilled to see us, surprised her for sure. That made my day - after the long, hard trek her joy made it more worth while!

Surprise Mom!

Sydney had a blast seeing her cousins again

My sister-in-law's camera took a much better photo, but here's what I captured. All the Rawlins grand-kids :)

Christmas Eve party with Rawlins and Kalafs:





The kids sang a couple songs for Great Gma & Gpa Kalaf :)

What a memorable night! Everyone was there!

I've decided I really didn't take enough pictures. I have a lot of videos but they take so long to upload! Christmas morning we slept in at my mom's, opened gifts with her and Peter, then headed to the Rawlins' for more gift giving and breakfast

Rawlins grand kids had on matching pajamas Christmas morning :)

Drew's signature pucker :) This baby loves his eggs!

Once Ashleigh & Anthon's came home from Show Low (where they spent Christmas with Anthon's family) we met at their place to exchange more gifts

Drew and Roman played and wrestled together :)

Ash made Syd a dress up chest filled with various character dresses - her favorite of course was the Cinderella look-alike dress

She kept changing dresses every 5 minutes - her Aunt taught her that, ha thanks again for that Nash!

Another lamentation - we shared Christmas dinner with my cousins the Sorensons - delicious, and FUN time, love those guys!! But no pictures! At least we could hang out a lot while we were in Arizona. Feels like I'm on vacation when I travel back home now, I love it! But it has been great to get back home, especially after the 12 hour drive back. Luckily there were no delays this time, stopped only twice for potty/gas/food breaks. Kids did great!
See you all next summer!