Countdown Begins

Hawkins Update - He's been stretching and growing like he should be for the past few weeks! He did eventually catch up to my ribs at week 36, but for the most part cooperates in keeping his kicks down low. We have his room all ready, though he most likely won't be using it for a few months. Here's a video link . Titus and I are both excited to welcome him to our house and I'm excited to be given such a big role as mommy! I most often remind him that both mommy and daddy love him already! The Lord has truly blessed us! Hawkins' head is down low and I'm already 1 cm dilated at the 38 week mark...so just a matter of waiting.

Titus Update - There's a fair amount of change in his current workplace. They're changing to Ruby on Rails, and Titus is tackling that straight on as is typical within his career. This new language will be beneficial for him having another one to tack onto his belt. Also, he got offered another raise...which coincides with baby boy's birth month - which we know is all the Lord's goodness to us! :-D

Lani Update - I'm ready to try my hand and dependence on God's grace in spending my days raising Hawkins. I'm blessed that Titus has a well paying job that allows for me to have this luxury! I know there are mommies out there who would love to spend time raising their babies. There are still odds and ends to take care of, but for the most part...and through lots of Craigslist'ing and shower gifts...we have the basics he'll need. It's the parenting and actual taking care of baby while figuring out his needs/wants at the given time that will be tricky to decode.

Titus & Lani Update - We just made 4 years of being together as man and wife! We celebrated by going to Bonefish Grill and exchanged presents throughout the day. While our marriage hasn't been perfect, I'm so glad that I can be in one with my partner and provider as Titus. He is actively seeking ways to see that I'm happy and content. I hope that as the years go on...we'd stay fixed on a path that keeps us close to one another by being close to the Lord. I hope to be a good and kind wife that respects and loves him as her best friend deserves!

Two Years Later

I decided to try and blog some memories of the past two years and more recently, our soon-to-be addition: Hawkins.


Big Updates:

1. We bought a house July 2011
2. We're having a baby due October 2012
3. I'm a stay-at-home wife/mommy
4. Loren's engaged and to be hitched in less than a month - July 2012

Titus update - He's still at BlogFrog, but he's been moving up the ranks steadily in the past two years when God provided that job for us that second day here in CO! It's pretty neat to see how Titus has been developing his skills as a developer and as a programmer.  He even got quoted in Entrepreneur magazine!  He's #3 in his company of 25 and they have a huge office compared to the little dinky one that Titus first started in.  Titus has also developed into a skillful foosball player since he and his team always play during the lunch hour.  He's also started a couple of RR layouts...one in the basement, and now one more conveniently located in the loft (much to my favoring to see him more)  Titus also got his very own car this year...a Volx GTI which just so happened to have hawaii decals on it!! :-)

Lani update - I just completed two years at Cornerstone Christian Academy.  This also completes my five years of being a fifth grade teacher so it was fitting to depart on my golden anniversary of teaching.  This last class was one of the best classes I have taught!  I will miss teaching, the wonderful staff, but also I am looking forward to the new chapter in our Stone family.  I should also look into what types of crafts or productive hobbies I can take up.  My mother-in-law has been a positive influence towards helping me become a gardener...the key is making sure plants have enough water.

Hawkins (?) update - Hawkins is currently 24 weeks old.  A couple weeks ago, when the Slacks first came to visit this year, he was going on a lull...and we were worried about his lack of movement and kicking.  He let Memaw feel his heel once in Durango, and that made her day!  Both of the Slacks are excited to welcome their grand baby into the world.  Well, he has come back in full force since being back at home.  Kicks mainly came from my right side, and punches from my left.  Though yesterday he managed to move around right below my belly button area.  Daddy bought him his first wooden train the day we found out he was a boy! We were both hoping for a boy, though we had no names picked out yet for one, but the Lord still gave us one we're excited about!

Boulder & Denver Days

Titus has already worked two full days at BlogFrog in Boulder, CO. I, on the other hand, am daily looking at jobs on Craigslist and applying for entry level positions usually via an online application where I'm probably just going to be part of the mix of other applicants. Tomorrow, as Titus goes to work, I will be going to KellyServices at 10am to see the results of my office skills testing results: typing, MS Excel, Office, & Word, and data entry to see what "good fits" are available.

Moving update - our items are expected to be here next week vs. the first week of July. Titus said it'll be like Christmas, except maybe not so much since all of our things will be arriving at the same time.

Fellowship Denver - we attended our first CO service today at this eclectic Byzantine auditorium and building. Sherman Street Event Center

It was definitely a step into history. According to it's site it was built in 1906. The service itself was different. It was a first's in many ways. First time I've never had a piano/keyboard in worship - just guitars & drums. First time without a married pastor - though after a wee bit of thought - it made sense as Paul himself was unmarried most likely. The pastor was pretty clear and easy to understand. He also made sure to point back the message to Christ and the Kingdom of God. Two thumbs up. Also first time seeing communion by breaking off your own bread and dipping it into a cup. (Titus and I were both wondering if everyone was going to share a sip from the same cup). The congregation seemed very young, and potentially transient. The couple behind us just moved from TX, and the girl next to them was attending for the second time.

Items to get done this week: Register car, get a CO driver's license, oil change, car wash, find a puppy, and find a local bank. The puppy will most likely not happen though we'd want it to! :-)

Leilani's First Garage Sale

Not only had Leilani never had a garage sale, but she had never even been to one. Well, there's a first time for (almost) everything?

Navitek Dinner Cruise

As part of our "farewell" to Hawaii, Leilani wanted to go on a dinner cruise.  We met up with my (now former) co-worker who scored us some really discounted tickets for a Navitek dinner cruise.  It was, of course, filled with the normal silliness that you'd expect from a tourist experience, but the boat and ocean was nice.  Actually, Leilani and I both agreed, if we had the choice of eating dinner out on the deck, vs. in the cabin with the loud and obnoxious "entertainment", we would have easily chosen out on the deck.

Why Wells Fargo May Just Be the Worst Bank Ever

Since we're moving to Colorado, we kind of figured that our current bank, First Hawaiian Bank, wouldn't have any branches there. You know, just a guess.

So after asking for some recommendations, it seems Wells Fargo has the most branches in the area. So I check out their website and hey cool you can apply for a checking account online -- This is important as we can't just casually fly from Honolulu to Denver to open a checking account, and we'd prefer to have the account already open so that our rent payment can be coming from that account.

My first step is I decide to call and ask if I can open a local checking account but use my Hawaii address (after all, we haven't moved yet and I don't know what our new address will be). Visiting the website, my first instinct is to email them. Ah, but, "You can only email us if you have an account with us!" Ok, well the 1-800 number should work right? I call it up and listen to the message and press 2... then press 3... then it says to continue I need to enter my account number. Weeeeell I don't have one, that's why I'm calling you. So I hang up, and start over, this time pressing 0 right off the bat to just speak to someone. Pressing 0 takes me back to the "enter your account number" question. Awesome. I can't call you to even ask a question about opening an account?

So I outsmart the phone system and open up Google, typing in "wells fargo 80027". HA! I beat you technology. This quickly gives me the number for the local branch where, you know, people answer. I find out what I want to do is possible and go back to the website. I get about halfway through filling out the application (and this is quite a detailed application) and realize I don't have my wife's driver's license number and expiration date memorized. So I cancel where I'm at and figure I'll take care of it at home that night.

Later on, at home, I begin the process of filling out (again) tons of information in the online application. With that out of the way, I can finally click "Continue" for the first time. It tells me I need a minimum of $100 to open a checking account and a minimum of $100 to open a savings account (otherwise there is a $3/mo fee). I don't want to open a savings account and I certainly don't want a $3/mo fee; why are you forcing me to open a savings account?

In another browser window I open up the advertisement page for the checking account details. "Oh I see... you have to open a combined checking and savings account to get this package." I don't want another savings account. ING already has us covered. How do I change this? "Oh awesome you can't change which account type you're opening after you've started the process so I need to completely trash this application and start all over for a different account type...."

So I began the process of filling out the application for the third time. This is starting to get dumb.

I actually make it all the way through the process. It asks me at the end how I want to fund the initial deposit to open the account. Now, mind you, anything less than a $1000 daily balance is subject to a $5 fee. I'm pleasantly surprised to see I can open a checking account by billing it to my credit card. Nice, how "easy" can it get? Wrong. There's a $500 max limit when using a CC for your initial deposit. Worthless. Ok so fine, I'll do this the old fashion way and mail you a check.

Next.... Next... OK Confirm... DONE!

I'm then greeted with a page letting me know I've been provisionally accepted and I see an email pops up with an exact copy of the page I'm looking at (gee ain't that helpful). And then I find this gem...

"Once your account is approved and we receive/process your opening deposit check, then"

And I think to myself, "you know, where exactly am I supposed to send that check which is my opening deposit?" Funny thing that, because it doesn't actually say anywhere on this page. So I check the email. Nope.

Dare I try that stupid phone menu again? Ok we'll give it a shot. So I fire up the 1-800 number. Same stupid menu. I try it again. Same thing, "enter you account number". About this time I'm starting to get kinda mad so I just start pushing buttons. Amazingly doing this I get in response "now transferring you to a customer service representative". Ah well had I just known that mashing buttons would let me speak to someone I would have done that from the get go.

Little music on hold and.... person! So I ask my question, "where do I send this?" She asks me a bunch of questions then concludes she can't help me. She says, "let me connect you to a product specialist." Ok, didn't think it would be that difficult but whatever. So the "product specialist" comes on and acts like she knows what's going on, starts trying to get me to open an account. No surprise I have to completely re-explain the whole thing all over again and ask my basic question: "I opened an account online, where do I mail the initial deposit check to?" Then she goes, "I'm going to need to get some more details, can I put you on hold?" Well of course you can, what else am I going to do?

I sit on hold for about 5 minutes listening to this dorky music when I hear it... or rather don't hear it. The line hangs up.

AWESOME

Now I'm mad. So I go back to the opening account email and I got and write a simple message, "Can I cancel this account? I no longer want it to be open." Hit send.

Seconds later I receive a reply...

The original message was received at Wed, 21 Apr 2010 00:17:27 -0700
from mail-qy0-f181.google.com [209.85.221.181]

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----
<MyWellsfargo@wellsfargo.com>
(reason: 550 5.1.1 <MyWellsfargo@wellsfargo.com>... User unknown)

----- Transcript of session follows -----
... while talking to mxa10.wellsfargo.com.:
>>> DATA
<<< 550 5.1.1 <MyWellsfargo@wellsfargo.com>... User unknown
550 5.1.1 <MyWellsfargo@wellsfargo.com>... User unknown
<<< 503 5.0.0 Need RCPT (recipient)

Final-Recipient: RFC822; MyWellsfargo@wellsfargo.com
Action: failed
Status: 5.1.1
Remote-MTA: DNS; mxa10.wellsfargo.com
Diagnostic-Code: SMTP; 550 5.1.1 <MyWellsfargo@wellsfargo.com>... User unknown
Last-Attempt-Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 00:17:28 -0700


User Unknown!?!?! USER UNKNOWN!?!?!? ARE YOU THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE BANK EVER!?!?!? Your new account emails don't even come from a legit email address!?!?!


Needless to say, we won't be banking with Wells Fargo... EVER

Online Portfolio

Well, I've setup an online portfolio to try and get jobs while on the other side of the Pacific.  We'll see how this goes...

http://titusstone.carbonmade.com/