Where did time go?

I am so sorry to all of my fellow blog followers. We all got caught up in life and haven't had a chance to share with you about it. Ali and I arrived home from Montana after seeing my parents for 2 weeks at Christmas. We had crazy amounts of snow and I enjoyed every minute of it. We got a sled for Ali which she didn't get to use b/c it was -30 below at my parents house. Bummer! Tim had started his new job before we got back. It was a lot of extra work, little pay, and many many hours away from home. I felt like I didn't get to see him at all. He would leave right when Ali would be getting up in the morning and getting home after she had already been in bed. Long days for all of us! 2 weeks after we were back my family came out for Ali's big 1st birthday. We had so much fun. SHe hated every minute of her cake, but enjoyed opening her presents. After they left my brother, J.T. got to stay the rest of the week. It was so great to spend so much time with him. Then some how ALi got Scarlet Fever??? How?? Who knows? I was really scared at first, but after looking more into and getting her on antibiotics she was fine. She had a fever of 104, really red cheeks, and a very bumpy body rash. It took a good 2 weeks before the rash went away. Tim started really not enjoying his job and the way that J.P. Morgan and Chase was heading. He interviewed with a small community bank, Cascade Bank, for the assistant manager job. He got the job. He went in and told WAMU he was leaving. His Manager asked him to leaver early, paid, b/c he was going to a competitor bank and could have access to customer information. He found this out Thursday morning. He calls me and says,"Let's go to Montana!" OK! We packed the car in 20 minutes, fed Ali, and were out the door. We drove to Missoula and stayed with my brother for a few nights. We rented a room at Faremont Hotsprings for 1 night. Ali loved the hot pools. We must have swam the first day for almost 3 hours. After we got home we were only here for 2 days and then drove up to Whistler and stayed for 3 nights. The guys skied and the women hung out with the babes!! After we got home Tim still had 2 weeks off. He went to insurance school one of those weeks. He passed his test and now he can sell insurance. Tim started his new job on March 16th. He leaves the house around 8:30 and is home by 5:30. His wife is much happier now. He seems to really like it. It is a lot of new information to learn and different systems, but this bank is very family oriented and customer friendly he will have no problem fitting in. Ali has since got 2 teeth, finally!!! She isn't a mouth full of gums anymore. Starting to say some words, walking around like crazy, and she is just her own little person now. I hope all of you who read this can follow along ok. It has been forever and I wanted to try and fit all the details in. I promise I will update more often from now on. Sometimes life just gets a little crazy!!!!

Girls are Home

It was great to see Karly and Ali yesterday stop into my new work and say hi on their way home from the airport. It is amazing how much Ali has changed in the two weeks since I have seen her. From facial expressions to personality it is amazing to see her grow so quickly. With the added commute home from work, I have been getting in around 7:00pm which doesn't make for any extended time to hang out with the girls. Last night they were both in bed when I came home, Ali catching up on sleep and Karly recovering from vomiting and lack of sleep. Ali got up and played with me until around 9:00 but didn't acknowledge or even look at me for the first hour. This morning was better as she was sweet with her hugs and giggly at my tummy blows. It is great to have them home again.

Wanted: Assistant Manager

With the great news of my promotion, an expected side-effect has come to be true. Most new managers have to deal with employee turnover within the first year of their tenure. This is true in many professions, but especially banking as a new management style can challenge underperforms to get on board with a new direction and leaves them with the option of contributing or finding something different. Already at the Greenwood Branch I am heading into starting January 5th, there have been several employees including the existing Assistant Manager that have decided to pursue other opportunities. Even though this means that I will have to train someone new, which requires an inconvienient amount of time, I much prefer to have someone that is willing to be trained than someone who fights back on everything they are asked to do. Additionally, it means that there is a person who has risen to the forefront of my wishlist to be my new assistant manager. He is someone who has great management experience, can commute with me to work when he moves in with Karly and I, and could be a great asset to the bank. Who is this person you might ask? JT Schubert.

Tim's Promotion!

Last night Tim found out that he is going to be the manager of the Greenwood WaMu branch in Seattle. I am so proud of my hubby for all of his hard work and dedication to keep our family going day in and day out. I LOVE YOU Timmay!!! Ali says she loves you too!

Promotional Material

Apparently I interview pretty well because I was chosen over 7 other highly qualified applicants as the new Store Manager/Vice President at the Greenwood Branch. I am excited about the new opportunity, but with it comes some negatives. My five minute commute will now be twenty five minutes which means no coming home for lunch. Also, having to work until 6:30 will mean that I won't be home until after Ali's bedtime. I guess that means having to take the most advantage of the weekends and mornings. I am also not looking forward to losing the 3 years of relationship building I have done with customers and staff at Edmonds. Nonetheless, it is a promotion and it is nice to move up another rung on the corporate ladder. As Barack Obama says, "it is time for a change". I hope this change works out for the best.

Our life in a little nut shell!

Wow, December already. I can't believe that Ali's first birthday is going to be around the corner before I know it. We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving. We went up to Tim's parents house for dinner. It was so great to see everyone, eat good food, and have great conversations with people we love so much. Also, it gives Mommy and Daddy a break with Ali. Then we put Ali in her pj's and boarded the train to Wenatchee. I thought it would be the easiest train ride ever, but Ali was tired and cranky. Tim and I took turns walking up and down the aisle until she finally fell asleep. Ali had her first taste of shopping all day. We got up at 5:30 and were out the door by 6:00 a.m. Ali shopped all day with us. It was so great to see Great Grandma and Grandpa.
Ali is learning all sorts of new tricks. Over the past week and 1/2 she can now clap, wave, high five, say "Momma", points to everything, and is getting close to walking. I hope everyone is having a great Holiday season.
Love ya ALL!!!

We have been back from our trip from Montana for a couple of weeks now. Time has seem to fly by. Ali is doing great! Her bowels are finally back to normal and she is eating more food than she ever has. Her new favorite food is blueberries and of course cheerios. Ali is crawling up and down the stairs now. I am glad she learned how, but now she thinks it is a fun game and when we are up stairs she tries to crawl as fast as she can to go down the stairs, we don't have a gate at the top.
Tim is very excited that Husky basketball started. He has been to two games this week already, he bought season tickets. Ali and I are invited to two games only, one this week and on Valentines Day. How romantic!! This is his escape from the family, can't blame him for that.
I have been getting very excited about the holiday season starting. I can't wait to eat lots of good food, drink lots, and see friends and family. I am a little bummed about the Christmas tree issue. I really want to put one up, but I can envision it now, I sit down to use the bathroom and I hear a loud bang from the other room and when I come rushing out with my pants down ALi is trapped underneath the tree or I just have to keep telling her NO don't touch the tree every 5 seconds, either way it sounds like too much work. We are praying that we have some good snow fall when we head back to Montana for Christmas. Ali and I want to roll around in it and make naked snow angels, well....maybe just snow angels since my Dad hasn't got the hot tub up and running. HOpe everyone is doing well....until next time!!!

Montana

So far we have been here for 4 days...Tim and my Dad went hunting twice and came back with nothing for us to eat!! Tim enjoyed being out in the middle of nowhere with nothing around except animals, trees, and peace and quiet. I am not sure he enjoyed getting up at 4 a.m. to go shoot stuff, but that is all part of the hunting experience. I think they drank enough beer to make up for not bringing anything back.
Ali is still pooping, the story of our life!! We have started some probiotics and some antibiotics. I think they are probably counteracting each other, but we have one more day of the antibiotics. When we get back we are going to get her blood taken and go see a stomach doctor. Hopefully Grandma didn't give her and her Uncle J.T. her bad stomach problems. Ali has enjoyed being in Montana and has put down more crackers then anyone I have seen.

Recession

Though it hasn't been officially declared, because the data takes a while to measure, our country is in a recession that started in December of 2007. I see the effects of it every day as an increase in overdraft charges, maxed out credit cards, and businesses failing. I predict that the recession will last 17 months until May 2009. I was doing some research today on what the stock market did during the last two comparable recessions from July 1981 to November 1982 and November 1973 to March 1975. Since Wall Street tends to predict the health of the economy 6 months ahead of time on average, US companies stock prices started recovering in share price in July of 1982 and October of 1974. What does that tell us? It tells me that if my prediction of the time the recession ends is right that the best time to invest will be November to December of this year. That is if anyone can find enough cash to invest in these tough times. For those that do, it is not unlikely to expect 2 year returns of 30 to 50%. Reference this post in 6 months to see if i was right.

Sleep Walking and Broken Noses

Last night at 2:00 am I was startingly awakened by the sound of Karly's face impacting our dresser. She was confused, she said she was dizzy, and then her nose started bleeding.....and then Ali woke up. It is crazy how lack of sleep can make your mind decide to keep your body walking, even knowing that you are going to eventually crash into something. Here i thought i was the only one in the house we had to worry about sleep walking and smashing my nose into objects.

Ali is feeling much better today! Thank goodness. Her momma was really worried about her on Monday. She still isn't 100%, but she has some life in her today. I even got her to eat pureed food by bribing her with a cheerio on top. We are all getting very excited about our trip to Montana. The candy is much better in Montana. Ali and I bought a ticket today to go back to Montana for Christmas. We are really excited about being home with friends and family, but wish Tim could be with us. He has to work and only has Christmas day off, so we decided that this year we could celebrate it apart. Look out Mom and Dad you get us for 2 weeks.

Information about the Rotavirus

Ali went to the doctor today after three days of crying, diarrhea, and limited sleeping. It looks like she has a common bug called the rotavirus. The symptoms can last for up to 10 days, and the main concern is keeping her hydrated. Please keep her in your prayers that she gets through this as soon as possible. There is nothing that makes a Mom and Dad feel worse than not being able to help their screaming baby feel better.

For some more info on the Rotavirus you can visit the following site:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotavirus

Top 10 Reasons Missoula is better than Seattle

1. Houses come with land
2. The M
3. People say "hi" when you walk down the street
4. Better Fishing Holes
5. JT lives there
6. Snow deeper than 1/2 inch
7. Griz tailgate
8. Life isn't a rat race, relax a little already
9. Driving distance to Fairmont Hot Springs
10. You can float the Clark Fork

My 401k is being controlled by monkeys

I was reading today that the recent economic downturn has resulted in 401k plans around the country losing in the neighborhood of 2 Trillion dollars this week alone. What this means obviously is that some folks will have to work a couple more years in order to make up for the losses. My 401k is down 38% as of today, and I have a feeling our economy is not going to make any significant return to the positive until at least 3rd Quarter 2009. All of this got me thinking that a lot of people are confused about why they are losing so much money. It must be because we are investing in monkeys as the following story suggests.

Once upon a time, in a village, a man appeared and announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for $10 each.The villagers seeing that there were many monkeys around, went out to the forest, and started catching them. The man bought thousands at $10 and as supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their effort.He further announced that he would now buy at $20. This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again.Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their farms. The offer increased to $25 each and the supply of monkeys became so little that it was an effort to even see a monkey, let alone catch it!The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at $50! However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would now buy on behalf of him. In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers. "Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected. I will sell them to you at $35 and when the man returns from the city, you can sell them to him for $50 each." The villagers collected all of their life savings and bought all the monkeys from the assistant. Then the assistant left town and the villagers never saw him or the man ever again.

In the Halloween Spirit!

EXHAUSTED...........

We have had one exhausting week around the Schell household......Ali seems to think she can't sleep anywhere. It is getting really bad. She won't sleep in her crib, our bed, only face planted on Mommy's face. We are trying to keep her in the crib, but at 2 o'clock in the morning when you are so exhausted you bring her into bed instead of laying in bed listening to her cry from the next room. It has become this vicious cycle. At least she sings a great tune to us in the morning you can't help but look at her and smile with utter exhaustion. Besides sleeping....I am positive in my mind she said her first word, Dada. Of course I am so excited, but I tried really hard for the last 8 1/2 months to get her to say, Mommy! We went to visit Tim at work and Ali was in the stroller. She heard her Daddy talking to a client and was looking all around. I took her out so she could see him and she looked right over at him and yelled, Dada, Dada. No one besides me believes me. Last night it was her bed time and she was talking up a storm and playing at her table when she let go. Her belly was holding her up, but then this morning she did it again, very carefully, for 5 seconds. I counted without making a seen b/c I didn't want her to fall. When she did she looked up and smiled at me. She was so proud of herself. Ali is no longer scared of the big scary vacuum. She followed me around in amazement this morning trying to turn it on and off.

Griz vs. UW!

Hmmmmmm, which side should I choose? That is an easy choice, GRIZ!!!

Her first Picasso.

What an abstract artist! Great use of brown and orange hues on a white carpet canvas!

U-Dubs biggest cheerleader!

We attended the University of Washington game on Saturday. Ali started off the day tailgating by drinking juice and eating crackers. She played in her pack-n-play and cheered really loud. She does a much better job then the cheerleaders out on the field. She was escorted into the game by her boyfriend Emery who is alittle older and wiser. Ali made it through the 1st quarter and passed out from too much water while  Emery cheered for the huskies until the very end. 

Sunday our little precious decided she finally liked food, but not just any old food. It has to be finger food. She won't eat that pureed stuff. We now are eating squished peas, egg yolks, baby mum-mums, cheerios, and applesauce. She doubled what she was eating from 3 days ago. Finally, Mommy is some what relieved she won't be eating breast milk until she is 16 when she starts dating.  

Washington "Poop"tual

After several weeks of speculation, stress, answering FDIC insurance questions and coming home with raging headaches, there is finally a resolution at work. I am now officially employed by JP Morgan Chase Bank and there are a lot of unknowns about the transition that will be worked out in the next 12 to 18 months. For now, my pay remains the same which includes the crappy incentive pay that is due to a business structure that was flawed. I still don't know what the pay structure or incentive package will look like for next year under the new plan put forth by my new employer. Some good opportunities might come forth as I have set myself up well to be promoted to manager soon. I suppose it is just a waiting game now. The positive side of the acquisition is that it is possible I could get a pay raise......still too far off to know anything officially. The other positive is that JP Morgan Chase Bank is a commercial bank and provides training to learn how to do commercial loans (which is what i would need to be a manager of a branch in Montana, if and when it comes to that).

My WAMU stock is now worth $0. All while our CEO got a severance package of $17.5 Million. Also, our interim CEO (for all of 18 days) got an outrageous sum of cash. You can read about that here http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idINN2632102320080926?rpc=44.

I am really looking forward to one month from today when i can take out all my frustrations by shooting rifles at innocent animals in Montana.