Wanna know something lame?

It's December 1, and our Christmas tree still isn't up yet.

Wanna know something even more lame??
I almost kinda don't want to even put it up.

I know...

I'm lame...

it's been one of those weeks...

Top 10...

...things I'm grateful for this Thanksgiving season
(in no particular order)

1. My job...
    even though I complain about it a lot every now and then...I do
    have a decent job. It earns me an income, plus, I have learned a
    lot of things being at it (besides the typical tellering-ish jobs)

    I've learned: how NOT to act when I go into a bank/store/restaurant, etc.
    When I overdraft my account 99.9% of the time, I deserve those fees!
    Cell phones really are annoying...turn then off when you're in a public area
    Plus a million other things that really I could write a book about!
  
    I love my job!

2. My husband...
    who knows me better than I know myself, I think. He'll take me
    to get McDonald's fries, knows what foods I like, does pretty much
    anything for me, makes me lunch (and often dinner) every day, is
    patient with me, honors his priesthood, does a great job in his calling,
    and just pretty much rocks!

3. A healthy body...
    that, if I pushed myself, could probably do just about anything. (i'd just
    have to make sure I was in shape to do it! ;) I'm grateful that it can
    get me to where I need it do. Grateful that it can get me through a
    hectic workday where I sometimes am constantly on the move.

4. Digital scrapbooking...
    It's a great escape from my daily cares. A good way to unwind. Too
    bad it can do a number on my pay-pal account...

5. Photography...
    I haven't done a lot for other people, but I'm okay with that. I'm at
    at a time in my life where I don't have a lot of time for it, but I am
    grateful for the shoots that I have been able to do. Plus, I love that
    I can take less than 30 seconds to capture a moment that I'm not wanting
    to forget.

6. My Young Women's calling...
    So what if I complain a little about this. I won't go into details on this
    one, but it has been a somewhat difficult calling. I've had to deal
    with stuff I don't want to deal with and it's been frustrating, but at
    the same time, I've learned a lot of patience. I think that's probably
    why I was put into this calling for a second round...

7. Two running vehicles...
    ...the end....

8. Great family...
    I recently was able to spend some time playing vball with my little
    sis, who was always too young to ever be on any sports teams with
    me, so it was a lot of fun to be able to play with her and win a
    rec league championship. Yeah...that pretty much tops our careers! ;)
    Also, great in-laws who allow me to take vacations with them, and
    who are pretty much awesome!

9. My Savior Jesus Christ...
    who suffered for my sins, allowing me to repent and someday return
    to live with Him. Who shows unconditional love, and who will
    always be there when I need Him.

10. A nice warm house...
    one that would never make it through a Wyoming winter, but
    protects Greg and I through the random non-wintery winters that
    Utah produces.

Thanksgiving

This years has gone by so fast! I can't believe it's already Thanksgiving? Where has November gone? I had a blast last week in Virginia, and can't wait to post pictures of my trip, but just had to get my blog all Thanksgiving-y and so of course I had to post about how I can't wait for Thanksgiving...

Mostly can't wait to not work on Thursday and pig out!  Yeah...I'm excited...plus it means one holiday closer to CHRISTMAS! (my fave)

And that's about all for now. I have a million things to get caught up on from last week! So in case I don't post before then...Happy Thanksgiving!

Halloween & "Booze"

As you may know by now...Halloween is probably Greg's favorite holiday to decorate for. This year was no exception. Luckily the weather was decent for putting them up. We've had some mighty cold days in years past.

Our little guy that scares people who walk on our porch...it's sound/motion activated, so we have to remember to turn it off, or else every time a car goes by he starts moving

Our newest member of the decoration family...

For our Young Women in Excellence we created a video where our girls were "caught" doing good things. We did a sort of COPS video. For the invitations we had the girls subpoenaed. It was really pretty cute...except they made me dress up as a fellow school mate who was tempting them with "alcohol" and "prescription  pills". They also made me wear this wig. 

It's a good thing I'm a good sport!

What I want for Christmas...

Yes. Christmas already! It's less than 2 months away, so you really need to start thinking about what to get me.

After a lot of thought on this subject, I've decided there are 3 main things I'd like (okay, actually 4)

1 -- HOMEMADE Salsa (Not store bought stuff...I want this stuff homemade...by you!)

2 -- HOMEMADE jerky (Don't know why...been kind craving this a lot lately)

3 -- A trip to Washington DC -- Always wanted to go there, and I'm in need of a VACAY!

4 -- A super cute purse/camera bag...one like {this} or {this} but I think I'm going to have to settle for making my own since I need it soon (and don't want to pay 100+ for it..though I do love it!

Mmkay, so really I'm getting one of those already...so you get to give me the rest! Just sayin.

(and yeah, I know this is another totally lame post. I have 0 hours to do stuff, I swear!)

so busy...

...but not really. Does that make any sense?

I just feel like I'm super busy, but I can't think of anything that I've actually accomplished. I guess being at work the majority of my day can do that to you...make you feel like you don't have any time to accomplish something you really need to do.

Oh well. One of these days I'll be able to update everyone with PICTURES. I have lots of fun pictures from summer - spending time with nieces and nephews (on both sides), and I even have a couple semi-decent photos of Greg and I. woo hoo!

Until then...

Can you believe it's OCTOBER!?!?
Yes, our Halloween lights are up.
Yes, I'm LOVING this cold(er) weather.
Yes, I love when it rains.
Yes, I'm looking forward to snow!

Also...I'm enjoying listening to my iTunes playlist. I had a few songs on my iPod that I normally listen to...but I decided to randomize my entire list of songs...Mariah Carey - Always Be My Baby...Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway....Teddy Geiger - For You I Will...yeah I've missed you!

Anywho...

HaPPy FaLl!!

(sorry...I'm in the middle of editing/scrapping...and these cute little guys were calling my name!)

Families are Forever

We were blessed at the end of September to see Mark & Adrienne go through the temple and be sealed. Where they live so far away (DC), it was great having them fly out here so we could be there with them. Greg and I didn't actually go through the endowment session with them, but were able to be there as they were sealed. It's such a blessing to know that we can be with our families forever. We are so happy for them, and for their new little one coming in February. It was a beautiful day to be with family. Here are some random pics from the day.

 The temples always have such beautiful flowers and landscaping.

Mark & Adrienne at the Salt Lake Temple

 I was able to get a couple pics of Greg & I

And the typical Greg "why are you doing this to me" face

I know there is worse traffic...but it made me feel like we were in a big city!

We had a luncheon thing afterwards at Kyan's church, and we took some family pics.

Annie is clearly the model of the family.

Shaina & Nori  --  Annie showing us how to model

The girls....and though I look it, I'm not the pregnant one in the picture.

Sisters

Poor Austin  --  Mike & Juanita (all the way from Vegas) and their kids

the Robert & Laura Aullman Family 2011

And a gorgeous sunset.

5K to the Temple

This summer we challenged our Young Women to get spiritually and physically fit. They would get points for doing certain things (reading scriptures, personal progress, exercising, eating healthy, etc.) And they got little prizes along the way. April did a great job heading this, and we were very impressed with the girls. The ultimate goal was a 5K from our church to the temple, and we had a great turnout. Some ran, some walked, some cheered. It was really an awesome experience!

April invited the girls to work out with her in the mornings. I had my own Biggest Loser challenge going on, so I already had my workout schedule (plus, I valued my sleep and April got up WAY too early!) However, there was one workout I really wanted to do with them, and that was run the Old Main stairs. It was a great workout. I wish I could remember how many times I made it up and down those things, but it was awesome. (I was also hecka sore for days after!) But I was proud of myself for doing it. These pictures don't even do these stairs justice!

Here are some of the girls who participated in the 5K walk/run. The ones in the green shirts were the ones who got the points goal.

The Logan temple

top 3 from 9.8.11

1 - NOT getting a parking ticket when I was picking up my sister. Yes, I was inside for about 10 minutes, but we timed it perfectly by walking out as miss parking attendant lady was getting ready to ticket me. I just smiled at her as I walked up, figuring if I did get a ticket, I'd at least make her day by not yelling at her. She said she'd let me off this time, so I continued to chat her up and ended with a thank you. Totally awesome. Thanks lady!

2 - Playing volleyball, and totally kicking butt. Sure we're playing against teams where 89% haven't really played before, but there were only 4 on my team, and we did awesome! And I got to play with my sis who I've never played with before. We were amazing. I even got a couple of nice bruises, and I'm sore and out of shaped (despite consistently working out.)

3 - When I went to drop my sis off at her dorm, we were finishing up our conversation when some random girl opened the back door and started to get in. Kenz and I just kind of stopped talking and turned to look at her. She was on the phone, and suddenly looked up and said, "This isn't the right car." Nope hun, it's not, but thanks for the laugh!

Great night...

FBI Fraud Alert

"Well I just wanna take a minute to talk to you all about something very serious. Once every hour, someone is involved in an internet scam. That man is Michael Scott. He's supporting about twenty Nigerian princesses." - Pam Beesly

"Hey, you know what? Forgive me for caring." - Michael Scott

So...I've been meaning to post this for a while now, but never got around to it....now I wish I had.

But, working at a credit union, you get to see a lot. Fraud especially. We've had quite a few problems with fraud lately, so my manager printed this out and posted it around the CU for our members to see. I just thought I'd share it with you.

IF YOU CAN ANSWER "YES" TO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS, YOU COULD BE INVOLVED IN A FRAUD OUR ABOUT TO BE SCAMMED!

*Is the CHECK from an item you sold on the internet?

*Is the amount of the CHECK more than the item's selling price?

*Did you receive the CHECK via an overnight delivery service?

*Is the CHECK connected to communicating with someone by email?

*Is the CHECK drawn on a business or individual account that is different from the person buying your item or product?

*Have you been informed that you were the winner of a LOTTERY, such as Canadian, Australian, El Gordo, or El Mundo, that yo u did not enter?

*Have you been instructed to either "WIRE", "SEND" OR "SHIP" MONEY, as soon as possible, to a large US city or to another country, such as Canada, England, or Nigeria?

*Are you receiving PAY or a COMMISSION for facilitating money transfers through your account?

*Did you respond to an email requesting you to CONFIRM, UPDATE, OR PROVIDE your account information?

TELL BRANCH PERSONNEL IMMEDIATELY!
---------------------------
In my time at the CU, I have learned that THE BIGGEST tip-off for whether it's a scam or not is if they ask you to send money back. A lot of times they even tell you to "cash the check as soon as possible." So you deposit the check, withdraw the money to send back, and the check gets returned. You're out the entire amount of the check. It's not a fun situation. But if anyone brings in larger checks and says they're not something they usually get, we always ask, "Are you sending them money back?" If the answer is yes. It's most likely a scam.

Another thing, the people who are emailing you are usually VERY persistent. A lot of times their english and grammar is really bad too. If the email doesn't make sense and has a lot of spelling errors...good chance it's fraud.

Be careful of "secret shopper" jobs. Those are pretty big ones. And be careful selling things online. Even with paypal...if they want you to send money back...don't do it!

Lately the checks that are fraud have been ones that are drawn off of real institutions. The ones in the past that I've seen have been money orders, but the two most recent ones we've seen at the CU have looked like real cashier's checks. That's what makes it so hard. If you know it's a legit bank...how could it be fraud, right? Just keep in mind...if they ask you to send money back, no matter how legit the check looks...it's most likely fraud.

If you have ANY questions or even feel a little off about the situation....ask someone at your financial institution. Let them know what's going on, bring in emails, etc. Just be careful. Now, unfortunately, once you fall for a scam, there really isn't a whole lot you can do, so the best you can do is ask questions if you feel funny about the situation.

Anyway...this is random, but I just see so much working where I do. I have actually taken a fraudulent check. (My own stupidity. I didn't ask where it came from...which I definitely should have...) but it happens, and it is so frustrating for the person it happens to. Please please PLEASE be careful, and if you have ANY doubt, either don't do it, or ask someone at your financial institution.

You may be thinking, "who would ever fall for something like that?" But let's face it, if I hadn't given you these tips...and if you were in that situation...you might fall for it. I admit that if I didn't work where I do, and hadn't seen first hand the kind of fraud that's out there...I probably would have fallen for something myself. It really is a tough situation, and i feel for anyone who has been on the other end.

Anyway....I hope this helps someone out there! ;) and sorry I didn't share it earlier.... :(

"You know what...when the son of the deposed king of Nigeria emails you directly, asking for help, you help! His father ran the freaking country! Ok?" - Michael Scott

it's amazing...

...what 6 years of marriage can do to a couple.

I know I've mentioned this before, but there are so

many times that Greg and I think the

EXACT SAME THING.

It's kind of creepy to be honest with ya.

But I can't even name all the times Greg has

said something, and I've said,

"I was just thinking that."

Now this is random, but here's what brings

this up.

Saturday Greg told me I had to decide on

what to eat for lunch. Since it was Fast Sunday

I told him I wanted something that would 

more more filling than greasy fast food...

so we went with Cafe Rio. We got it to

go, and though I thought we were going

home...instead we went to McDonald's

to get french fries! I swear, this guy knows

what I'm thinking at all times! 

Like I said...creepy....but I do love him!

best weekend....

EVER....

or at least best weekend had in a LOOOONG time!

Let's just say having one Saturday off a month kinda
sucks...and even then Greg has to work still....but not
this weekend!

Greg took Saturday off...and we had fun...

Not that we did anything exciting (we really didn't!)

Didn't even hit up the Willow Park Zoo, or second
dam. But we did hit up Arby's, made two julius's
in one afternoon, and chilled at home.

I miss weekends like this one...it was pretty much
the best!

End of Summer 2011

Randoms from the end of summer...

One of the Biggest Loser challenges was basically to clean out the junk food so we wouldn't be tempted. Greg was at school one night, so I took advantage and totally de-junked one section of our kitchen. Here was what was remaining. (Mind you, this is after a whole bag of junk...also from another cupboard, but this was a main eye sore)

For one of our YW activities, we did glitter toes. One of the other YW leaders, Tawni, did mine for me, which was really nice of her since I didn't touch anyone else's feet, and she was more than willing to do mine. This is the first time in a LONG time that I had painted my toes. They looked super rad.

The end of July we headed up to Star Valley where both my sis-in-laws (from Vegas and Virginia) were in town. Here we are driving....

It was fair week, so we hit up the parade. Super exciting for sure! ;)

I love the difference in these two pictures of Jacob. See how exciting the parade turned out to be?

Kyla, Jacob, and cousin Deklin (Sorry, I don't know how to spell his name...)

Shaina cuddling with BABY Emilee (just a few weeks old), and can you believe I didn't get any pictures of the baby.  Shame on me! (Random story about baby Emilee, I was at work, and I saw this girl come in. I did a double take because she was holding a baby, and realized it was Shaina. I don't remember why she originally stopped in, but she decided to bring baby Emilee in so I could see her. She was so cute and tiny! Love me some new babies!) Then Annie giving her baby sister Shaina a hug.

 And Greg was in charge of Austin.

Austin loves Greg, and Greg loves Austin enough to let him drool sucker on his head. Yum!

After the parade we went to Aunt Amanda's for hot dogs. Then we headed to the demolition derby. Can you believe I have never been to one? It was pretty entertaining...also the most red-neck event I've been to in my life! Seriously...plaid shirts with cut-off sleeves...totally red-neck! It was a good adventure though. We ended the night with some shaved ice, and we were good to go.

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing, and spending time on Annie's 4-wheeler.

We took Austin with us. (I actually had someone ask me if Austin was our kid)

Enjoying the view from the top of the hill. It was a bit rainy, but I'm okay with that.

These are cows. They are all over in Wyoming, in case you didn't know. We chased them a bit on the 4-wheeler

They're kinda cute, right?

And this is my favorite thing to do when we go to SV.... relax on the couch!

It was a great weekend, and great to see Juanita and her kids (especially baby Emilee), and Mark and Adrienne all the way from Virginia!

Bear Lake w/ the Kiddos

Shari and her kids have been up for the summer, and I wanted to see them at least once more before they left. We decided to go to Bear Lake. I love watching the kids play around outside, and just have a fun time. Here are some pictures of the fun day! 

Alex  --  Uncle Kennan turning Alex into a merMAN

Aidan

This is about as much into the water as they went. They didn't like being in the deeper parts as much as being on the sand.

Aidan was doing this...not sure what it is, but it was pretty funny.

Alex -- little stinker

Look at that beautiful brown skin...JEALOUS!

So full of spunk and attitude...and I really wish I had a swimsuit like hers!

Uncle Kennan taking care of the boys.

Kind of looks like a tropical beach...almost...

Shari and mom in the water -- Kennan chose to stay on shore

Aidan chowing down on some cheetos

Shari and her kids on the left, all but Kennan on the right.

 Loved this shot. Kennan and Aidan, and Shari and Mom are the two dots towards the top.