2 years.

As of today, I have been the 'ol ball and chain for 2 years! Crazy how time flies. I really does feel like yesterday that we were planning the wedding, going to the showers, having the wedding, and enjoying the honeymoon. It's a shame, but it really feel like that time in my life (from when I got engaged to the end of our honeymoon) was a blur. I truley flew by!

Now, since we have been married, I will not try to pretend that things have been perfect. I have a strong personality... this is not a secret, what is a secret to most, is that Jonathan also has a strong personality. We are both very stubbourn, and really enjoy being 'right'. When we first got married we were both pretty selfish, but I think that comes with the territory of being 23.

I feel like we have really grown, and I am definitely closer to Jonathan than anyone else ever. I feel like we both try everyday for each other because we really are in love. I know that if we continue to remember how much we love each other, the biggest fight in the world will not separate us.

I can't wait to start a family (logistically, I can) but in reality if we had the money and the room, I feel I have gotten to the point emotionally (sooner than I expected), that I am ready, and I think it is because of the growth I have seen in our relationship.

While we aren't perfect and probably never will be, we grow closer everyday, and I think that is the point of marriage. There is no such thing as perfect, and sometimes it isn't even great, but if your goal everyday is to put someone elses needs before your own (and they are willing to do the same), then you will continue to grow as a married couple for the rest of your lives.

P.S. Last week there was a couple in the Credit Union who will be celebrating their 70 year wedding anniversary next year!! I think it's a sign... just picture Jonathan and I at 93 (and yes, I will still have blonde hair, and yes, Jonathan will still be playing pranks) That's a nice image...

Fashion Update

I decided today, and a little bit one of my recent trips to the Loft, that my favorite color combos for call are neutrals (tans, creams, ect.) with Deep Purple! (and gold and chocolate brown accessories)

Oh the possibilities just make be smile. Today I am wearing this combo minus the gold jewelry because I was already late., but I realize I definitely need some more purple, it is such a beautiful and rich fall color that adding more to my wardrobe will be wonderful! Now I just have to find it cheap...

Memory Cleaning.

So I decided today that along with a small present, I am going to give my husband a clean garage for our 2 year anniversary.

The background info is that we have had a cluttered garage for about, well, 2 years now, pretty much since we moved into the house and 95% of the clutter is mine.

I grew up with a cluttered garage that only had a car parked in it when there was a hurricane coming and everything got stacked on top of each other. Therefore the idea of a cluttered garage doesn't bother me, but it does severely bother my husband (like an unpainted hallway bothers me, but that's a whole other post). I also enjoy an uncluttered life and home in general not that I am older, so this isn't completely selfless on my part.

So I know the question that remains is, "Jen if it bothers your Husband so much and you like an uncluttered house, why has it taken you two years to do??" The answer is the 'clutter' in the garage are my memories. They are boxes of things from college, high school, and even younger... and for me, it is so hard to just go through and say, "Sure, let's throw my memories away" even if it is a stupid plastic football from a William and Mary game my Junior year or a birthday card from my Great Aunt for my 16th birthday or my Busch Gardens Pass from when I was 9.

I know I'm probably a lot more sentimental than most, but this is not easy for me, and I can't imagine even a heartless person that wouldn't have a little bit of a hard time with it. My sentimentalness does come from my parents who would totally keep everything listed above, but while I do want to keep some memories, I realize that if I try to hold on to everything, we will constantly be tripping over my memories, and not giving room for new ones.

So wish me luck... and strength cause this sentimental goober is about to make herself a wreck over the next week.

Woe is me...

It's really amazing how someone and what they say to you can affect your mood.

I currently have a wonderful weekend planned. Tonight I'm going to dinner with my fabulous husband and hilarious parents, and then we are taking advantage of some super duper discount cards at Yankee Candle. Tomorrow (after a few hours of work) I will be hanging out with two great friends who I have been blessed to meet and get to know because of my husband, and then taking in another ODU football game with Jonathan! Sunday will be my first day running again, and I'm super siked! I people think I'm crazy, but with a week off, I can not wait to get back to it.

The purpose of that last paragraph was to show that by all normal accounts, I should be in an excellent mood...but I'm not. And it's not because something painful, horrible, or even slightly bad had happened in my life, it's because of my MEMBERS!!

For some reason when I have a member with a bad attitude, I get upset, even when I never did anything wrong. The worst for me is the members with the uppity attitudes, and 'shockingly', I experience these quite frequently in Williamsburg. Everyone thinks they are the best member, or have been here the longest, or have the most money, or are the best friend of 'a number' of the members on the board of directors...

Today I had a member get insulted by the way our system printed a print out for her. She proceeded to berade me for at least 10 minutes on how unprofessional the print out I gave her was. She told me that when she was an executive assistant for 'a number' of CEO's and other Executives she would never give out something like this. The reason she thought the print out was unprofessional was because it wasn't on letter head, and I hadn't personally typed it up. I found myself not only getting angry at the member, but also feeling ashamed of what I had given her. It is only now that I'm typing this that I realize that after working in the Branch for over a year, that is the first time I have ever had someone have that complaint, why then did I feel ashamed or even angry?

This woman was totally a twit, and I did nothing wrong...I know this...but I will still probably dwell for the next 2 and a half hours of the work day. I guess on the flip side, super positive members make me happy and put me in a good mood, I just wish there were more of them, and NONE of the negative, sucky ones...

My New Favorite

So it's official, I'm old. This is the first year of my life that I have changed my favorite season!

For as long as I can remember it has been summer! The warm weather, the beach, the vacations...summer has been the golden child (pun intended). I have now realized that the warm weather is actually hot, I rarely get to the beach like I would like to, and vacations are planned for non-summer times because it's a lot cheaper!

My new favorite is FALL!! Convenient, I know. I really love fall weather, it's perfect for pretty much everything! Running, walking, bike riding, shopping at outdoor malls, tailgating.

Which brings be to another love, FOOTBALL! I know what your thinking, Jen likes pink and shopping and other very femine things, this just doesn't seem to fit?? Well guess what, Jen is also super competive and LOVES stragegy! While I appreciate football in all forms, my favorite is definitely college! I apprecaite the competition of it! It's not about money, well it is a little, but not for the players, they are there to win. The coaches are there to come up with the best strategy to do that. It's not about million dollar contracts or DUI scandals, it's about football, and I feel like you lose a lot of that in Pro.

This year I am even more excited for football because I have a new underdog to cheer for! The ODU Monarchs!! Yes, I am only one by marriage or family relation, but I'm excited to see them overcome all odds and hopefully have a winning season for their first one!

I really am looking forward to weekends full of tailgating, leaf-filled walks with my hubby, and holiday (Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas) decorating. Believe it or not, the optimist in me, is even looking forward to Christmas shopping!

Well I better get back to my dreams of cider and falling leaves, before the last bit of summer comes and hits me in the backside :) This is weather is just right to put me in a good mood full of optimisim.

A 'Banker's' top ten pet peeves:

I wanted to take this time to post a few random thoughts that a number of us 'bankers' have. Hopefully this will make you 'non-bankers' more aware of what we go through everyday, and a little nicer next time you visit your local financial institution:

10. I am putting you check on hold because the bank requires me to do so, not because I don't trust you, or think you are shady, it's my job, and if I don't do it and something is wrong with your check, they will fire me, not you...

9. I work at a bank, I am bonded and have had a full background check, if I ask you for your social security or any other info, it is not because I am going to steal your information it is because I have to have it to open your account or do your loan, so yes it IS my business.

8. If you watch the news, you will hear that house prices are coming down and foreclosures are going up, that means if you want a mortgage you will need a down payment, period, again this is not because I don't trust you or think you are shady.

7. If you have more than a page of collections items on your credit report, please do not apply for a loan, it wastes my time and yours.

6. When I ask you how you would like your cash back, please tell me when I ask, not when I am counting it back to you.

5. The sign in the drive-thru says 3 transactions or less because it's a drive-thru and you are wasting people's gas when it takes you over a minute just to tell the teller what you would like to do.

4. The bank is a bank, it is not a candy store, nor is it a coffee shop, so yes those are the only colors we have for lollipops and no we don't have de-caf or flavored creamer.

3. We weren't joking when we put the sign that says "Please wait here for the next available teller", it doesn't have LOL or HAHA after, it's for real.

3A. Just because my office door is open, it does not mean I am available, that is why we have a front desk to sign-in at, papers all over my desk or my ear to the phone reciever is usually a hint that I am in the middle of something.

2. Just because you know the Bank President's name or have been a member "forever" I will not refund your fees, you should keep a check register, and balance it, like in the old days when you met our President or became a member.

And finally number one, and this one is personal...

1. Yes, my last name is Register and I work at a Bank, it's hilarious, except it's not really, and you are most certainly not the first person to figure that out, move on, or I will put your checks on permanent holds... :)

This was the cure for my case of the 'Mondays'. Thanks for reading, hopefully you enjoyed or at least got some education...

Naive Running

I finally got to run yesterday after a week of no running. (See previous two posts)

Well I went to this park near my house that I like to run at (about a mile and a half from my house). I used to always run to the park, and then run the long trail. I would also run around the neighborhoods near there.

Due to my previous injury, I decided to drive there yesterday, so if something happened I wouldn't be able to get home without having to hobble a mile and a half.

Now for the last 2 years of my illustrious running career I have thought that the long trail at riverview is 2 miles because the short trail is 1 mile, and I usually will run the long trail a few times, along with my other neighborhood running.

Yesterday I really wanted to do ten miles to keep up my training. As I was running and was nearing (what I thought) was 7 miles, and except for a little back pain, my body was doing well, and my breathing was great! I decided to only do (what I thought) was 8 miles, so I didn't put to much pressure on my body and didn't want to agitate my back, since I was starting to feel it some. And 8 miles is great with not training for a whole week!! Well the more I thought about how great my times I were (I ran 9 minute miles on my first day back!!) and watched other runners figure 8 the trails, I decided to investigate when I got home...

It turns out the long trail is only 1.6 and to make it 2 miles you do have to figure 8 the two trails. I feel like my whole running career has been a fraud!! I have thought I was running 2 miles there when I was only running 1.6!! The worst is that I thought I was running 8 and 9 minute mile times there because I thought it was 2 miles, but really it was 10 and 11 minutes miles. I knew I wasn't running fast but I figured I was going fast because it was flat and I have long legs and didn't have to wait for stop lights, ALL LIES!!!

Anyway, no one else seemed to understand why I was so upset, and better yet, everyone I have told, has seemed to already know this!! What the heck?? Didn't think you might clue a sister in?

So yesterday I ran 6.5ish miles when I thought I ran 8, big difference! So with less than 3 weeks till the big race I am currently running half the distance of the race...

Hence I have quite the dilemma because the hardcore-competitive part of me thinks I should step-up my training since I was running less than I thought on my long runs, and I was out of commision for a week, but the rational part of me realizes it would be better to walk some of the race than to re-injure myself and not be able to run it at all.

This is soooo not how I wanted this race to go this year, for heaven's sake, I started training 4 months before the stupid thing!

Oh jeez! I think I will take up a less injury prone sport like....ping pong