i have a grandma, and her name is sally...

... but i usually just call her "gram." it was her birthday on the 11th, and i just wanted to give her a little shout out.

grandma sally is one amazing lady, and i feel so lucky to have been close to her all my life. some people get to see their grandparents like once every five years, i got to grow up in the same town. i love that i get to look back on my childhood and remember things like Sunday dinners every week, birthday shopping trips, grandparents that came to swim meets, volleyball games, graduations, and weddings.

one of my fondest memories is when my mom had to go to work for a few months. we were so lucky to have a mom that stayed home with us, but even more lucky to have family support when that wasn't an option for a little while. we got to ride the bus down to grandma's house, and i will never forget the smell of fresh baked banana bread as i walked into her house.

now, things weren't always sunshine and roses with myself and grandma sally. i don't remember this so much, but i am told that i was quite a pill when i was younger. :) i think that i get a lot of my sassy and vivaciousness from grandma. we weren't always the best of friends, but once we got to spend more time with each other, and understand each other a little better, we became the best of friends.

the day my grandparents sold their house on hilton head to retire fully to their property down in florida was one of the saddest days of my life. i knew that things would never be the same... those carefree sundays were a thing of the past, and we were going to be "normal" kids that only got to see their grandparents at holidays and family functions. they are happy down there though, and that's what matters. and, though they aren't just down the street anymore, they are always there for us. they flew halfway across the country to come to my college graduation, and then drove up to the island for my wedding. i know those trips weren't easy on them, but i am so grateful they were there.

grandma and i have a special bond, and we miss each other terribly (or i would like to think) :) i'm pretty sure she misses me to because i always hear a hint of a tear when she tells me she loves me, misses me, and can't wait to see me again.

love you grandma, i hope you had a very happy birthday, and i look forward to many more to come!

contentment

so remember that time my sister was on tv? oh, and she is going to be on again next month. she is going to be the martha stewart of utah in no time.

my sisters are amazing... so amazing that sometimes it's hard to measure up. when i see just how proud the rest of my family is of them for the many incredible things that they do, it's easy for me to get jealous... and it's easy to compare myself and see so glaringly that i don't measure up.

i am not saying this for pity, and i most certainly am not fishing for compliments (mother, i do not want a novel on how wonderful you think i am) :) ... i am simply stating the honest truth. i have always run from my potential. sometimes i get close, but then i get spooked and back away. to be honest, i do not know why... it's just the way i have always been. i have always identified myself as the screw up... the middle child... the black sheep... the fat one that hides behind humor... that is who i have identified myself as for 29 years now...

however, i know that deep inside me there is something wonderful to be discovered... just waiting patiently for me to dig deep enough... to search long enough... to try hard enough... to push past the boundaries i have set for myself in the past and discover something new...

contentment

game on

so i started this new diet... i know, you shouldn't diet, just change your lifestyle, but that's kind of what it is. it's all about eating balanced small meals all day and all that jazz. twist is that you play on a team, and you play against other teams. everyone puts $20 in a pot and the individual and team winners split the pot... pretty cool huh?

yeah i didn't do so well this week. it's tough to start new habits especially when you have to pack everything in the morning. some of the ladies i am playing with are stay at home moms and have access to their foods all day. oh well, i'll adjust. i just hope going to mexico doesn't derail me too much! woot! we leave thursday for our honeymoon.... CAN'T WAIT! :)

goodbye 2009...

so i was really excited about ringing in the new year... we weren't too sure what we were going to do, but we both had to work and we were going to talk about it when i got home about 5:30... yeah that didn't happen the way we planned. please let me tell you about how my new year's eve unfolded...

8:30 - arrive at work, open bank with the other tellers and bankers

10:00 - make a quick run to QT across the street with chelsea for a hot chocolate/taquito/corn nuts run

10:45 - get robbed... WHAT?!?! you all may be thinking? yep, i got robbed. let me break this down for you.

this guy walks in the bank and i was the only teller available at that moment.

-karly- "hello, welcome to wachovia. what may i assist you with today?"

-bank robber (BR)- "oh i just have a check to cash."

-karly- "oh no problem, i can assist you right over here."

-BR- *walks up to my station fishing in his pocket for something... which i assume is that

check he needs cashing*

-karly- "do you have an account with us?"

-BR- "no"

-karly- "oh no problem, i'll just need to look at the check" [and i'm thinking... cool,

maybe i can get him to open an account and i can get referral credit!]

-BR- *tosses plastic grocery bag over the counter*

-karly- [think to myself, 'i know this a-hole did not just throw a piece of trash over the

counter at me to throw away'] *looks at man and smiles* "oh, would you like me

to throw that away for you?"

-BR- *looks at me like i'm crazy* "no, fill it up"

-karly- *looks at BR like he's crazy* ...long two seconds of silence... "what?"

-BR- *gets very menacing look on his face* "you have ten seconds to fill that up before i start unloading" [which i take to mean he is threatening to shoot me and my friends]

"10,9,8,7..."

-karly- *staying very calm and going into the zone* "oh sure, i can do that for you" *opens

drawer, puts in money... starts to give BR the plastic bag of money*

-BR- *glaring* "there better be some 50s and 100s in there" [there wasn't... i didn't give

him my big money]

-karly- *getting more and more scared, puts in more money, hands bag over*

-BR- *turns and walks away*

-karly- "thank you, have a nice day" [yes i did actually say that]

-BR- *out the door, starts running, runs into street, drops money bag, almost gets creamed

by a car, picks up money bag, runs away*

-karly and girls- *yell to bankers that we got robbed, punch alarms, call 911, lock down bank

(poor customer that got stuck inside), follow all protocol, do everything right*

-girls to karly (who is standing very still in shock)- "are you ok?"

-karly- ..."no" *immediately bursts into tears and starts shaking*

so then i was in isolation for an hour and a half. i was interviewed by a police detective and then an FBI agent. they dusted for prints and started a manhunt. i still don't think they caught him... homeboy had a good day at the bank.

i still replay it every few minutes, i cry every once in awhile, i won't let JJ out of my sight, and i had a nightmare about it last night in which i kicked my husband... twice!

needless to say i was not up for a rockin new year's eve. i needed something more low-key, so we got to meet up with miles and kendra at the temple. we walked around, took some pictures, and then made our way back to miles parents' home. we played a rousing round of rock band, ate some food, and i promptly crashed. i was so tired so we made our way home, and we were asleep by 11:30. :)

so... i am happy that 2009 is over, and i look forward to a new year... and i will make my way out of banking because i never want to experience that again!