The Close of 2010

2010

I know that this has not been the best "blogging" session for the year - quite honestly these past few months have been insanely busy for both AC and I.  Going through a split in the bank that I work for this past month alone has left me experience a dire sense of sleep deprivation - and I know that AC's classes have only proven harder as she progresses through the CPA program.  However, I am dedicated to trying to get these things pumped out at least once a month - and I just added AC as a co-author here, so hopefully when I'm trying to catch up on sleep, she can at least post the odd update from time to time.


To be honest, there hasn't been a whole lot that has happened these past few months other than our trying to stay afloat with work, school, and life in general - sometimes we both just have to sit down and try to regain what seems to be the little shreds of sanity that we have just to get through the week.  But, in hindsight, I have to say that I definitely prefer having nearly too much on our plate to not having enough.  With everything that is going on in the nation at this point in time, the fact that both of us have steady sources of income - and those sources of income being both almost guaranteed to increase in the months/years to come - is something that I have to daily pause to thank God for.  

Hopefully you all will have received our e-card via email wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Years - if you have note received such a gift, please let me know so that I can make sure that we have your current email address.

Thank you all for all your prayers and support through this past year as we've established a foothold here in the Midwest - it has been truly appreciated and we know that we couldn't have done any of this without the support of our family and friends.

Update for September 2010

For the most part, the month of August passed in a delightful blur - both AC and I have seemed to really start to fall in step as far as our schedules (and the fact that I have a static schedule now allows us to actually plan things out in the future, which helps immensely).

In addition to securing the final date for our move-in at the new apartment (September 24th) we have also started getting ready to move (again).  In addition the preliminary packing away of the things that we aren't necessarily using at this time, we have made a number of semi-large purchases to fill our new home with.  We also have secured a reliable washer and dryer, so we don't have to worry about taking our laundry out of the apartment to be cleaned (thank God). 

In other news....we were able to get out of the area for the day yesterday and attend the Kansas City Renaissance Festival - which proved to be entertaining.  I'm in the process of uploading pictures from that minor adventure to Facebook, along with the proper commentary and "tagging" of the individuals within them.  So hopefully by sometime later this afternoon, those curious as to what we do for fun up here will be able to see something.

So yeah - hit me or AC up on our cell phones (or GMail Chat - which we're both on pretty much 24/7) if you'll be in the area and need a place to lay your head or someone to get a cup of coffee with.

August 2010 Update

 Well the month has started with a pretty slow pace compared to July - though the recent promotion to an entry level position downtown in the Loan Department for me is beginning to translate into the potential to move out into our own apartment.  ^_^

AC's finished with the two classes that she was taking over the summer semester here at UMKC, and from what I have seen is doing extremely well.  She seems to be very pleased with where her work is taking her and is loving the excuse to get back into the school community (especially at the graduate school level).

And now we're off to look at a few apartments to start whittling them down for our move in September!  ^_^

June 2010

Well there have been better times, that is for sure - here at the end of June (and primarily the reason for such a late post) Bank Midwest has decided to sell their traditional commercial and retail banking business to a new holding company here in the KC metroplex.  The branches that I am involved with at this time, those in the Walmart stores throughout the region, will continue to be owned and operated by DFC, though we're still unsure if we're going to be absorbed by one of their affiliates or rebranded as our own affiliate of the Corporation.  DFC is remaining at their headquarters in Kansas City, though they will be now sharing the building with NBH (the holding company that has purchased the 38 traditional branches).

So, here in the next 90 days we will be given the official title of the bank that we are to become and the official plans that our parent company (DFC) has for our branches.  We do know that the official response from DFC is that this "transaction is a win-win-win.  It's good for our customers, employees and Bank Midwest communities.  It's also a strong step forward for Dickinson Financial Corporation."  So.....yeah, still not quite sure if anyone knows what is going on for the most part - because every time we bring up a question the response is that we'll get the details at a "later date."  All we know for certain is that the transaction will not close for several months, pending regulatory approval - which means that until that point we're all basically being forced to fly by the seat of our pants.  ::sigh::

Review of May 2010

These months are starting to speed up for me - which I still am unable to determine as a good thing or a bad one.  This week has been the calmest of the last few for me - though for AC, classes are starting to ramp up again for the summer semester.  She's taking two intense courses over the next 8 weeks, which means that from 5-9pm on Monday through Thursday she's at the campus.

On another note, one of our very good friends, JA, has joined the Bank Midwest team in her current location - which is awesome for all of us!

This weekend is going to be a pretty big one for both AC and I - tomorrow we're going to view some duplexes that could potentially turn into our next home and Friday we're going to be downtown for the day to celebrate our anniversary.  Really looking forward to being able to hang out with her without any need to be somewhere for either work or other family members - just the two of us being able to explore the downtown area of KC at our leisure.

As always - if you're in the Kansas City region, don't hesitate to give us a shout on either cell phone (if you don't have those numbers for any reason, email me and I'll get 'em to you).

April 2010

Many apologies for those few individuals out there that might be reading this thing - April was a blur of a month. From AC getting through tax season and starting on the next stage of extensions to my final ability to post for a new position within the bank (the result of which I should be hearing sometime in the near future) we have been going full speed.

We are currently looking at apartments for potential moving into within the next few months (hopefully we'll be able to fully move sometime either in June or July). Which means it's budget creation time!! >_<

I really can't think of much more that has come to pass in the past month - we bought a new car, a 2010 Nissan Versa, that we're both in love with. But other than that, there really hasn't been that much to report on...

As always, if you're ever in the KC area, feel free to hit either myself or AC up on our cells - or if you're looking for a place to stay, email us....we might have just the spot for you in the next few months!

------ Minor Edit ------
As per Katie's comment - I feel that I should add a shot of the new Versa:

February 2010 - Reflections

Looking back at the year so far, it's been a blessedly busy one - something that after 6 months of having nothing to do other than search for work is as welcome as the sun will be after this winter leaves us finally. Speaking of which - Overland Park is extremely cold at the moment, though to be honest it's not nearly as bad as it was last month (the high for most of the month hovered around 10-20 degrees). So yeah, 30 degrees is very welcome at the moment.

As far as the job goes, well it's just nice to have something to dump my time into other than browsing the 'net and getting into trouble. I'm still looking into the Johnson County Sheriff's department, but for now the certainty of work is something that takes precedence over the hope of an awesome job. And to be honest, banking isn't that bad of a job - if you can get over the complete morons that you have to deal with on a daily basis. I mean, the way some of these "people" get into financial trouble makes my head spin; there is no logic behind the things that they do...but it does reassure me that no matter how bad it gets for AC and I, we're going to be fine. If these people can make it through life with all the stupidity that they generate, then decently educated people should be more than fine.

On other notes, AC has officially started classes (something that most people who are probably reading this thing already knew - but just in case, there it is. She is on her way to get her Masters in Accounting and has started working with her father as a staff accountant within his company - which she is seeming to really enjoy. Kyara is doing excellent (she's in absolute love with snow and the yard that she now dominates at the house) and hopefully will stop growing now that she's topped 35 lbs.

If I'm missing anything, I'll probably catch it when I post next (trying to start a habit of at least giving people a monthly update for our life). Ciao.