Ian the Angler

So Ian went on his first camping trip with our ward Boy Scout Troop and seemed to have a pretty good time... Jim and Scott went with him and there ended up being about 7 boys and almost as many adult leaders. One of the older men in our ward that Ian has taken a shine to brought his 14' boat and his son took several of the boys out fishing on Saturday morning for about 1 hour 'tours'. Ian was thrilled as he's wanted to go fishing for some time but nobody in our immediately accessible family are big into fishing - so he persevered.

Below are the results of his first two outings... These were caught at South Fork Reservoir within about a two hour time span.

Top to bottom: Bob, Seth, Diego, and Becky

"Becky" was the largest of the four - measuring 20.5" and just about 3 pounds after being cleaned.

Ian was pretty happy to have "Becky" in his life - Ryan just thought it was funny that Ian was going to kiss his fish!

...still here!

Nary a post since, ummm.....May. So much to report and catch up on. I probably will not do our summer justice but here are some tid-bits of Nisbet info that I hope will suffice!

Elko had delightful weather in June--it rained almost every day. While I quite enjoyed it, the kids were quite stir crazy by the time the sun came out to stay. We as a family did not go anywhere "special" during that time, but Scott attended EFY in Provo and went white water rafting with his Dad. They had a GREAT time! We finished up the month with a weekend staycation at the cabin in Lamoille. Aunt Lisa came for a visit and a great time was had by all.

In July, we kicked off the month with a very eventful 4th holiday. Jim, Scott and (shocker) I got up early Independance day morning and participated in a 5K. A first for all of us. I am happy to report that we were not the last to cross the finish line but we DID finish! Scott ran the majority of the race after I pointed out a pretty girl ahead of us at the starting line....he stayed with her the whole time. Ahhhhhh youth! That afternoon we spent at the GBC campus hanging out with friends, BBQ'ing, visiting etc and ended the evening watching fireworks and being thankful for this great land in which we live.

Later on in the month--youth conference for Jim and Scott. Learning to ride a 2-wheeler for Carly and Ryan (both of whom picked up on it without much trouble at all!), lots of piano lessons and vegetable eating for Mom, babysitting and night games galore for Ian and just generally good summer fun for all!

August brought pre-season soccer workouts for Scott, more piano lessons for Mom, and a trip to Lehman Caves for the whole fam! We borrowed a trailer and went (gulp) camping... Down to the Ely area where we camped at Cave Lake. Had a great time! Ryan commented that he NEVER wanted to come home he had so much fun! Thanks again to Charlie and Melanie for lending us their trailer.

Now school is starting in just under a week. I am registered for 8 credits this fall--pre-calculus and anatomy classes--, Scott finished tryouts last night for the soccer team and made JV! Choraliers fundraising has begun and yikes is it going to be expensive to have a child in high school! Ian will be in 6th grade at Flagview and is not excited for learning but can't wait to re-ignite his social life on Monday when school begins. Carly thinks having Mrs. D for 2nd grade is the best thing that has ever happened to her and Ryan is headed for kindergarten with Mrs. Nutting. Mountain View may never be the same once he's arrived there.

Jim continues work at the bank. This weekend he will compete in the annual EHS Soccer alumni game! (He's been working out--look out varsity!)

We are blessed....we are happy...and we love getting your updates here and on facebook.

phew!

Hello! Just wanted to let everyone know that Jim was offered permanent employment at Nevada State Bank. Today is his first day as their employee. He will continue on as the branch manager of their Spring Creek location. We are humbled by this experience and grateful that he still has work. Still there is sad feelings for many of the Great Basin Bank "family" that did not retain their jobs. Through the last 6 weeks I have really been reminded of how much I need to rely on the Lord. He will provide...trials are good. (But MAN are they hard sometimes...) Anyway--we just keep pluggin' away each day, trying to do what is right and have a little fun while we are at it! More pics soon from our weekend at the cabin, Ryan's preschool graduation etc.

FDIC 101

Up front, this may be a pretty long posting because there is a lot that I'm wanting to "eh-splain to ju". (And it will be LOTS more fun to read if you use the Spanish accent while doing it!)

On Friday the 17th of April, the FDIC officially closed Great Basin Bank of Nevada. There were three FDIC employees that came to our branch in Spring Creek, introduced themselves to me, and then waited until the last customer left the branch and then let everyone else know what was going on. The grand scheme of the process is that the FDIC takes possession of everything bank-owned (cash, checks, machines, etc.) and it all has to be inventoried. We all stayed at the branch until 11:00 Friday night counting the vault, cash drawers, ATM, traveler's checks, cashier's checks, money orders, keys, and just about anything else you could think of counting. On Saturday (from 9:00 - 5:00) we were wrapping that up and making sure that all of the GBB stuff (mugs, pens, posters, signs, hats, keychains, etc) were gone and starting to put up some stuff for Nevada State Bank. On Sunday (from 9:00 - 3:00) we spent the day making sure that everything would be ready to go for Monday morning opening as Nevada State Bank and were re-issued keys and cash drawers (for the tellers) from NSB and not GBB. On Monday morning (the 20th), we opened up at 7:45 a.m. ready for customers...

Why? - there were a couple of "complimentary" reasons for the failure of GBB (from my limited understanding) including massive losses in investments that are normally very secure. You know, conservative investments in businesses like Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac - who were thought impervious to most any economic downturn... :( Also, GBB at some point in time had been encouraged to diversify their commercial loan portfolio so that there wasn't such a high percentage of loans tied to the local economy... makes sense right? Well, when it so happens that you have a million dollars invested in a loan for a golf course/housing development in Louisana and then a silly little storm called Katrina hits, you lose your money! When you are an individual and lose a bunch on the stock market, it hurts a lot and you pick yourself up as best you can and keep going to work to continue to earn money. When you are a bank and don't have enough capital to operate in what the FDIC considers a "safe" position, you get shut down.

Personnel - as of 6:00 p.m. on Friday night, I (along with all of the other former GBB employees) have been working as a temp for a company that is contracted by the FDIC for just such situations. Everyone's time is now tracked on an hourly basis until such a time as NSB chooses to make an employment offer or not as the case may be. The timeframe that they are looking at is roughly 30-45 days - which is a pretty quick turn-around but as the saying goes at the entrance to the bathroom... "how long a minute is depends on which side of the door you're on".

Impressions - Overall, if I can remove the shock and personal anxiety out of it, it's been a very interesting process to see up close and personal. The way the acquisition took place, not a single depositor lost any of their money (stockholders are a whole different story) - which is nice, and again, that's exactly what the FDIC is for. I think that NSB will work hard to be a good business in the communities where they now have a much larger presence than they did before.

How are we? - From the impressions that I've gotten from various sources, I feel pretty hopeful to be offered a position with NSB - so my concern has gone from "will I possibly be offered a job" to "will they offer me a job that I can support my family on?" On a more personal level, I got news today that our refinance that's been in the works (including having the appraisal done) was denied for... you guessed it, I don't have a job! As a "temporary" employee, I don't have a verifiable income. Nothing like a little kick to the nads when you're already on the floor. :)

Anyways, we're keeping our chins up and taking it one day at a time. Ultimately, I feel that we'll be okay no matter what happens as far as employment with NSB. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers and please, keep 'em coming as we're not totally out of the woods yet - but there is perhaps a faint light showing between the trees.

Nevada State Bank

Hi all. In case you didn't hear, Great Basin Bank no longer exists and has been bought out by Nevada State Bank. Jim is still working but we don't know much about what is going to happen in the future. Please keep us in your prayers. More information to come.

One more Makenna note....

This was with the last one, but I was afraid to post it because I can't figure it out after the "but"....I have an idea about it....but scared to admit what I think it is....Help!

Makenna strikes again

So, the tables are turned! HA HA! Last weekend during BUNCO, Ian babysat Makenna and Allie Hritz here at our house. This morning I discovered one of Makenna's famous (or is it INfamous--maybe we should call her El Guapo?) notes. I think I've got the gist of it, but wanted to put it out there for your comments/interpretations! Too funny!

Wanting your comments...

So did ANYONE look at the monk video? Not one comment in two weeks...so sad. (It really was quite funny--but then, maybe I'm just a bit on the weird side?) (And, I DON'T want comments about that!)

So the last few weeks have been pretty normal at the Nisbet house....busy and at times chaotic. Scott had his 14th birthday on March 2. Tonight he'll be attending his first church dance. Look out ladies! I think Jim and I will drop by--you know, the stake is always encouraging youth leaders to help chaperone! Anyway, he has been ordained a teacher and we were very pleased that he completed the Deacon part of his Duty to God. He is a good kid.
Ian did VERY WELL on his blog project for this years' Technology Fair. In fact, he took first place! WAY TO GO IAN! The boy never stops to amaze me at how fast he can burn through money--and at how unselfish he can be. He won $100...half he spent on a new game from the Game Stop. Then he took the family out to eat and for ice cream and with what was left he bought me a birthday gift. Very sweet.
Carly is turning into quite the artist. Often we will find her somewhere in the house doodling, or writing letters to friends. This morning, while waiting for the flat iron to preheat, she wrote a letter to her principal to "donate" her teacher for Mtn. View's teacher recognition that happens every month. (She obviously meant "nominate" but it was pretty cute....)
Ryan....words always seem to fall short when it comes to him. Lately he has become quite the ladies man--at least where his mom is concerned. He loves preschool and has become good friends with a little boy named "Newt." Typically he thinks everyday should be his birthday, loves spaghetti, could run for hours and hours without stopping and is a great snuggler.
I have been teaching piano lessons since February. It has been nice being at home most of the time again. On the mornings Ryan has preschool, it gives me an opportunity to do math homework and have a little time to myself. I am enjoying being on Facebook--it has been really fun to conncect with people from my past that I haven't seen in a very long time.
Jim continues work at Great Basin Bank. He is enjoying the fact that scooter season is here! Hooray for the nice weather of late! He seems to have adjusted pretty well to his calling in the bishopric, as have the rest of us. I know he is really looking forward to playing soccer on Saturday afternoons!

Do you think this would go over well in Elko?

Handel, performed by monks who have taken a vow of silence....

http://scdfa.org/les-freres-de-st-francis-de-la-sissies-hallelujah


A quick family update....we're doing swell! Just working daily to maintain the status quo...

Make 'em laugh!

I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!!!!! They don't make them like this anymore!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW02c5UNGl0

A proposal

I don't know who wrote this up, but after reading it I am prompted to ask the question, "Why isn't this person serving as an elected official?" It is not usual for me to put something of this nature on my blog--still here it is. I am interested in your comments, and am wondering if Iam the only one who feels this way?



The Proposal:

When a company falls on difficult times, one of the things that seem to happen is they reduce their staff and workers. The remaining workers need to find ways to continue to do a good job or risk that their job would be eliminated as well. Wall street, and the media normallycongratulate the CEO for making this type of "tough decision", and his board of directors gives him a big bonus. Our government should not be immune from similar risks.



Therefore: Reduce the House of Representatives from the current 435 members to 218 members and Senate members from 100 to 50 (one per State). Also reduce remaining staff by 25%. Accomplish this over the next 8 years. (two steps / two elections) and of course this would require some redistricting. Some yearly monetary gains include: $44,108,400 for elimination of base pay for congress. (267 members x $165,200 pay / member / yr.) $97,175,000 for elimination of the above people's staff. (estimate $1.3 Mil in staff per each member of the House, and $3 Mil in staff per each member of the Senate every year) $240,294 for the reduction in remaining staff by 25%. $7,500,000,000 reduction in pork barrel ear-marks each year. (those members whose jobs are gone. Current estimates for total government pork earmarks are at $15 Billion / yr) The remaining representatives would need to work smarter and would need to improve efficiencies. It might even be in their best interests to work together for the good of our country? We may also expect that smaller committees might lead to a more efficient resolution of issues as well. It might even be easier to keep track of what your representative is doing. Congress has more tools available to do their jobs than it had back in 1911 when the current number of representatives was established (telephone, computers, cell phones to name a few.) Note: Congress did not hesitate to head home when it was a holiday, when the nation needed a real fix to the economic problems. Also, we have 3 senators that have not been doing their jobs for the past 18+ months (on the campaign trail) and still they all have been accepting full pay. These facts alone support a reduction in senators & congress. Summary of opportunity:

$44,108,400 reduction of congress members, $282,100,000 for elimination of the reduced house member staff, $150,000,000 for elimination of reduced senate member staff., $59,675,000 for 25% reduction of staff for remaining house members, $37,500,000 for 25% reduction of staff for remaining senate members, $7,500,000,000 reduction in pork added to bills by the reduction of congress members, $8,073,383,400 per year, estimated total savings! Big business does these types of cuts all the time. If Congresspersons were required to serve 20, 25 or 30 years (like everyone else) in order to collect retirement benefits there is no telling how much we would save. Now they get full retirement after serving only ONE term.

The kids in black and white....

This is quite the bunch.... there are days when I can't believe they belong to me. There are days when I KNOW they belong to Jim. Anyway--thanks Shari for lots of fun shooting these pics.

an overheard conversation...

Ryan: I need to go poop.

Ian: Well, what's wrong with that?

Ryan: I don't like to go poop. It's so stinky in there [the bathroom] when I go poop.

(several moments of relative silence then....)

Ryan: MOM!!!!!!!

Me: What, Ry?

Ryan: Will you come and wipe my bum?

Ahhhhh, the blessings of motherhood.....sigh.

Just a random report....

Loved this picture collage from our photo session with Shari....thanks! Check out more of her stuff on the link below...

I have been pondering what to put in the blog....it has been awhile since I updated anything. I considered writing about the dog--she has been leaving mouthfuls of dry dogfood in places all over the house. I have wondered why she was doing this. It makes me laugh and be frustrated all at once. I went to my closet a few days back, with the intention of putting on my bathrobe. I had placed it exactly where it belongs in there--on the floor. I picked it up and put it on and down the side of the robe was no less than one dozen pieces of dogfood, all stuck onto the fabric. Katy had "burried" them there. Why? For a late-night snack perhaps? Maybe she thought I'd be hungry at some point?

I could blog about Jim...he gave me permission to talk about his hernia surgery online. However, I don't really know what to say about it. It was--uneventful? The procedure went off without any problems, and so far he is being a very compliant patient. We rotate the frozen pea packages every little while so as to maintain the optimal temperature on the afflicted area. Needless to say that makes for some chilly coconuts!

I could blog about the kids, but I couldn't think of anything particularly funny to say. Nothing of real interest to report. They are still our kids. We still like them most of the time. They keep growing and eating.

I still like new socks, very sharp pencil points and people who use their turn signals on a regular basis.

I got my haircut, and I am still serving as the Young Women's president despite Jim's new calling as a counselor in the bishopric.

I am no longer working at the Blind Onion. I am teaching piano lessons (again) instead. Give me a call if you are interested in lessons!

I suppose that's it. The end....for today. OH wait...I wanted to try something. Would you please comment and make suggestions as to what you'd like to hear about on future blog posts?

What New Year's Resolutions?

Just a quick post....thanks Kori for the link. This is for all of you who have yet again made the resolution this year to improve yourselves by embracing a more healthy lifestyle...and, sorry Troy...

The place to go next time you are in Chandler, Arizona.

Click on the word "here" below to view!
A meal to die for!Click HERE and then be patient (pun)
while waiting for the 30 second commercial to pass.