HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY HUZZBAND!!

25 reasons why I love my Huzzband:

1. We met a funny way and have lots of memories together
2. He has nice hands
3. He shakes his watch
4. He loves me even on days when I know it is hard
5. He makes really good eggs
6. When I say I can't drink Coke anymore, he will kiss me with Coke in his mouth just so I can get a little taste and it is oh so good.
7. My family loves him
8. He has good taste in clothes for Zoee
9. He kisses me every night when he gets home from work
10. He waters my plants for me
11. He eats my dinners even when they don't taste very well
12. He loves roller coasters
13. He is great with Zoee
14. He is a hard worker
15. He is taking me to the temple
16. He will sometimes scratch my back
17. He runs downstairs to get me water when I am thirsty
18. He helps me beat the game on the Gameboy but still lets me say I won.
19. He is the best kisser
20. He is going to be a police man and look so hot in that uniform. Dang!
21. He plays old Nintendo with me
22. He gives the best hugs
23. He makes me happy
24. We get along great
25. He is mine forever

I love you.

To aunt Kaylee

Thanks for the Shoes. I love them.

Nate Says:

Another sunday night posting missed. Maybe I spoke a little soon when I made the whole 3 weeks makes a habit deal. Whatever.
So the biggest thing on my mind is this: I had my interview with the bishop this past sunday night. And without going into too much detail, my portion of punishment/repentance process is finally done and over with. And punishment isn't even the right word but it's the first one that comes to mind as I write this. So last week Stac was given the green light and even given a calling (as crumby as it is). I, on the other hand, was still disfellowshipped. For anyone who might not know what all that involves it mainly means I can't do many of the normal things which, being a normal member of the Church, are really basic things. I haven't been allowed to take the sacrament for almost 2 1/2 years now (thats about how long it's been since Stac and I first got ourselves in deep). When the sacrament represents something so important and renewing and spiritually uplifting as it does, that really wasn't that big of a deal for the first several sundays. 2 1/2 years later, I feel like I have truly missed it and the spiritual strength that it provides. I haven't been able to hold a calling. give prayers in general meetings, I haven't been allowed to exercise the priesthood, and I haven't been allowed to go to the temple (which is one of the biggest things I've learned that I miss the most.) (Also for those who might not know- being able/allowed to go to the temple requires the highest level of worthiness and desire to do what God says and follow the specific guidelines that the Church has set as the standard. The temple is very very important and the top of the spirituality chart.) Anyways, I feel like I've really missed out and been given plenty time to ... thin about what I've done... ? Sounds pretty cliche. But it works. So I had the opportunity to meet with the bishop and his counselors sunday and long, personal story short, I'm back in good standing with the Church and we're talking about getting temple recommends for Stac and I both not this next sunday (General Conference) but the sunday after that. Which means that hopefully we'll be able to get to the temple soon and regularly and as soon as our year is up we're shooting to be sealed come June. I feel like I'm just breezing through this all pretty casually but we've both had a couple days for it to sink in. And I am happier now than I've been in a long, long time. Knowing that I could be in the temple with my wife really is an exciting thought and if I weren't so tired I might go into some more detail. But not tonight.
I'm still waiting for April 10th to roll around so i can (hopefully) move forward with the corrections job in NLV. With each day that goes by, and the day of the lie detector test getting nearer and nearer, I am getting so nervous that I'm going to be so nervous that it reads me wrong or something. I'm trying not to be, but I really am wishing now that I'd taken one in the past for any reason and knew what to expect. I figure they're the professionals and know what they're doing. All I have to do is be truthful.
I feel like I want to write more but can't think of anything to write about right now. So I guess that's it for now.

This is crazy!

Amazing Math Problem of the Day:

Here is a math trick that is pretty amazing!
Grab a calculator. (You won't be able to do this one in your head!)
1. Key in the first three digits of your phone number (NOT the Area code)
2. Multiply by 80
3. Add 1
4. Multiply by 250
5. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number
6. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number again.
7. Subtract 250
8. Divide number by 2

Do you recognize the answer??

My calling

I know everyone is dying to know what church calling I have been given. I know Nate found it ironic. Call it ironic, call it crazy, whatever. I call it a blessing.

Remember the post when Nate talked about church and having to spend the entire time in the nursery with Zoee and how hectic and crazy it was in there? There you go-I will give you one guess. NURSERY.

When they first asked me I was a little shocked. Mostly because I haven't had a calling for so long. It has been about 3 years. I am a little nervous about it because there are so many kids but I am looking forward to it. I call it a blessing mostly because of where I have come from. I used to not be able to have a calling but now I can and that is why I feel like this is a blessing. I am now worthy to hold a calling and to receive the benefits of full membership in the church. It means so much more to me now.

I hope that things go ok. I hope I can handle that many kids. It will be an adventure.

Update: My 430-dollar-too-much-guy finally called today and said he did not get an extra 430 dollars. He first said that I gave him all 100 dollar bills but after I told him that he took out 2270 and realized that there would have had to have been a few 20's and a 10, he changed his story. I know he is lying. I am nervous about what is going to happen. I am just waiting to hear from my manager.

So I missed 2 sunday nights... get off my back.

K. So I thought I was getting all good at the whole blog thing on sunday nights; all high and mighty. As some of you may have noticed, I've missed both of the last 2 sunday nights. FREAKIN SORRY PEOPLE! Oh well.

So there have been a couple developments in this little Garrard family in the past week or so. I'll try to cover them all but also attempt to keep this under a few minutes worth of reading since I'm sure that some of my family might be having to pay for internet since they're in Mexico this week. Kinda would like to have been able to go cause I really like the idea of laying in a hammock for a week while the ocean is right in the backyard. I hope they have a fun, safe week.

First- I (Nate) had to return the beginning paperwork of my background check today. Long story short, I made it just fine, was able to collect and track down all the info I needed to submit, and had every little thing I needed; and every little bit of drama leading into it ended up not being nearly the deal I made it out to be. Those details in a second. So I went in, handed everything in, copies were made, several questions were asked to help clarify, and I was given another packet of stuff and given another appointment to be back April 10. This packet is a preliminary packet I have to have ready prior to my Voice Stress Analysis/Lie Detector. Anything from that packet could be brought up and discussed, and thusly, analyzed. Not very nervous about that for now, but I'm sure that as time gets closer, I'll get more and more nervous. I'm just a little scared that I'll remember something in the middle of it all that I didn't cover in the packet and make it look like something it isn't.
Here's my by-far-the-most-disappointing-point-in-my-career-as-a-dad moment I've had yet and I hope the last. So I'd been working on that dumb packet of background check stuff for about 2 1/2 weeks. This happened yesterday. I was hanging out with Zoee downstairs and had been for a while. All yesterday morning I'd been working on getting the packet finished and had been trying my very best to keep Zoee out of my hair and especially keep her away from the desk and my police paperwork. I finally finished everything and was feeling pretty good that I'd accomplished what I needed and wasn't going to be up super late after work stressing about my habitual procrastination. So while we were downstairs Zoee disappeared. (Can you guess where this is heading??) she disappears. I think nothing much of it, thinking she's just gone up to her room to drag another thing down stairs to play with. A couple minutes go by, I couldn't hear her. So after about 5 minutes I go to check on her. About half way up the stairs I call her... and I could hear her sliding off the edge of the computer chair. I panicked hoping that she'd possibly been tearing up the paperwork dad had been working on. I came around the corner to see her trying to escape before she got caught and she froze when I turned to corner. Well, she hadn't torn anything up, but she'd gotten the pen I'd been using all morning- This little girl colored ALL over her legs, on the desk, on our little stool we keep by the desk, and sure enough, dad's packet. Once I saw that she'd gotten the packet scribbled on I LOST IT. I freaked out. I yelled NO!! at the top of my lungs a couple times not knowing what else to say. She in turn panicked and started throwing a fit, threw her bink, tried to swing at me (her timing with those naughty attempts to hit are sometimes the worst possible timing), and threw herself on the floor to continue her fit. I picked her up, swatted her on the butt and left her in her bedroom, in her bed, while I went back into our room going nuts. I didn't spank her hard. I didn't spank her more than once. But I did swat her in anger and before I though it out. And that is what has been the worst part of the entire situation. I should never lose it like I did yesterday. I could hear her still screaming in her bed and I felt about as bad as what her screams sounded like. I doubt I will soon, if ever, forget the feeling of anger and panic and hopelessness and confusion and being purely upset that I felt at that time. It was bad. I've since cooled down. I've taken my moments with her today to tell her in her ear how sorry I am for being so mean to her. I hope she knows how much I love her. She is the best little girl I could ask for. And I still need to work on my parenting. I need to work on myself. So that's been a big event or 2 in this little house here.

Second- Stac and I had another interview with Bishop Jex this past sunday. We met with him last sunday. We told him straight out that we want to get back to the temple regardless of what it is gonna take. We want our membership back. We want that strength back in our lives and in our family. He said he'd talk to our past bishops to help get caught up with the spiritual side of things while we filled in the story line of our past/s. So this is what we know as of this past sunday. We seem to be doing pretty good all in all. Stac was told she's good. Things are cleared up for her since she was much MUCH MUCH more on tops of things back when our drama all unfolded. I, on the other hand, am still disfellowshipped. As with how that goes, it takes a disciplinary counsel to initiate a disfellowship, it also takes one to end that disciplinary time and have full fellowship and privileges returned. So I will be going this sunday night at 6 to see if I can get un-disfellowshipped and ultimately move on from the whole ordeal having learned one of the hardest lessons of my life and at the same time strengthening my testimony of Christ's sacrifice for us more than I'd ever expected. I'm hopeful. Bishop Jex also told us that he would like for us to start attending the temple prep class that they will be starting in mid-April. Needless to say, Stac and I are beyond happy to think that one of these days we actually might be allowed back in the temple. Together. And to think that we, at one point in time, were not even considering having much relation to one another other than what would be good for Zoee. Just amazing how the Lord blesses our lives.

Third- Also during our visit with the bishop we got a little surprise. More like a huge surprise. They gave Stac a calling. Simply because I find it somewhat ironic, I am going to allow her to be the one to fill you all in one what that calling is. Like I said, she was much more on the ball that I was. I know she's really nervous and unsure about it. I know she'll do good though.

Last- my wife is becoming quite the little Las Vegas farm girl. She is slowly turning our front and back "yards" into something a little less brown and grey, and a little more green. She's hoping for some beets and tomatoes. And I'm hoping and the beets don't make it too far. They smell like dirt. Correction, they stink like dirt. So far everything is looking good and cute. We'll see how things hold up when things really heat up around here.

So there you have it. A not so short update of things in our little corner of Vegas. Some up's, some down's, but in the end, we're doing pretty okay here. We love you all.

There are those times when time stands still and you can just enjoy the moment. I really like those times. I had one of those times last night. Zoee woke up at 4:00 am. I went to her bedroom and she had lost her binky. I put it back in her mouth and she laid back down. I walked out of her room and she started to cry again so I went back in. This time I picked her up and just held her. I don't know why but I was just really enjoying it. I didn't feel tired for some reason and was ok with staying up. I love the feeling of just holding her while she sleeps. I just kept kissing her and wanted to hold her forever. I finally put her back in her bed and she didn't wake up again. It really made me appreciate how blessed I am too have such a beautiful baby girl. I like those times.

Would you take it or return it?

OK, so I have had a lot on my mind lately about work. Heres the deal- On wednesday a guy came into the branch and wanted all the money out of his account. He was in the drive thru so when I sent the money back to him I didn't have to count it back. Well, I actually sent him 430 dollars too much. He never came back and he hasn't called. I am not sure if he will. Maybe he thought it was "free sample day" or something. I am just curious to what you would do if you were given that much extra. Would you take the money back or would you keep it? I thought for sure that everyone would say they would give it back but after talking to some people there have been a few say they don't know if they would take it back or not. It's interesting to me so go ahead and take my little poll. Don't worry, I can't see who is voting what so I will never know what you say!

Would you return the money?
	Yes
	No

NCAA

OK, so we have collected a pool of money at work for those that want to participate in the gambling of the NCAA tournament. I am happy to say that I have only missed two. I am in the lead and I can see my name written all over the pot of money. (I guess I shouldn't count my chickens before they hatch) I am a little angry though because I was stuck on who would win out of BYU or Xavier and I chose BYU. Not because I am mormon but because they had a higher ranking. I stewed over my decision and kept thinking that I should have chosen Xavier. I should have gone with my heart. Xavier beat BYU 79-77 so I lost that one. Bummer. I will keep you posted on who wins.

ALREADY!!!???

MY GREEN THUMB

The topic of sacrament meeting on sunday was being prepared. One of the ladies talked about having a garden. I grew up with a garden. I remember it being so big and it would take hours to weed and hours to pick the fruits and vegetables and it never seemed worth it to me. Mom would make us get up so early during the summer to get out and work in the garden. It was so hot and it seemed like no matter how many weeds you pulled, there were a million more to pull. It was awful and although I loved the harvest from the garden, I hated the work.

Well, after hearing the talk on sunday and seeing that my father in law had already planted his tomatoes I got the brilliant idea to try to grow my own. I went to the nursery today and bought some tomatoe plants, some dirt, some pots and even a watering can. Zoee helped me put the dirt into the pots and we planted the tomatoes. It was actually alot of fun and I am looking forward to seeing if I can actually get them to produce fruit. I have never had my own tomatoe plants but I have seen my mom do it and I hope that I can do it too. I love home grown tomatoes and I look forward to them every year but now that I am gone from home I need to do something on my own to satisify my cravings.

I wish now that I would have worked harder in the garden, complained less and listened more when I was getting lessons on how to grow a potatoe or carrots.

We will see how this goes. I will keep you updated with pictures of my new little plants.

Our Yard

So I don't know if it is the nice weather or seeing all my neighbors out cleaning up their "yards" but I have been aching to get out and clean up our "yard" It's really just a flower bed in the front but it's the closest thing we have to a yard. I remember my mom always working in the yard and I always wondered why she worked so hard. She would always tell me that once I got a house of my own then I would understand. I didn't believe her but I am learning now what she means. Zoee and I cleaned up the front flower bed tonight and it looks alot better. I guess it's true what my mom said, it's just different when you have your own house. I want to have the best looking dirt patch anyone has ever seen!

BEFORE
AFTER

Another day at the office

Maybe some of you can explain this to me because I just don't understand- I just had a member come in with 2 checks and 200 in cash. She said she wanted to deposit the checks and cash and get 400 dollars back. I was a little puzzled. Why would you deposit the cash and get cash back? Why wouldn't you just keep the 200 and get an additional 200? I asked her if she just wanted to keep the 200 and I would deposit the checks less 200 more dollars. She said no. I was a little confused but thought that maybe it was just how she needed it for her books or something. Nope, she just didn't understand what I was saying. She didn't really get it. So I ran the transaction how she wanted me to do it. I got 200 more out of my drawer and handed it back to her along with the 200 she had just given me. Maybe it was me. Maybe it was her but it just didn't make sense and made me have to work more than I wanted to.

GREAT NEWS!!!

We have some exciting news that I have been waiting all week to share! Nate applied with North Las Vegas Police Department a few weeks ago. It was for a position as a correction officer in the jail. They sent him a letter telling him he was scheduled to take the written exam on Monday. He went and took the test and being the genuis that he is, he passed with a really great score. He was then scheduled to come back the next day for the physical test. He went and did the physical test which included push ups, sit ups, running and a few different things and being the amazing athlete he is, he passed that too. I was really getting excited at this point but tried to control myself because I knew the process was not over. He was scheduled to go for the oral board this morning. It's an interview with a panel of different people. I was so anxious all day. I waited and waited to hear how he did. About 11:30 he showed up at my work and really surprised me. I got really excited at that point because he actually came to my work. I figured something good had happened...I was right! HE PASSED!!! I was so excited that I wanted to scream, hug him, and even cry. I was just so happy! Now he is onto the last process which is the back ground check. It is very detailed and will take awhile but I am sure that things will go ok with it and then my sweet dear husband will become a police officer!

It seems a little weird to me that I will have a husband who is a cop but I am excited that this opportunity has come our way. I am so proud of my husband. I am so proud that he has worked hard to get this done and that it has all worked out. I look forward to him starting his career and having a better life. Hopefully I will be able to quit my job and be home with Zoee like I have always wanted.

I will keep you posted on how everything turns out.

nate's a whitey

Congratulations. You are WHITE. WHITES are motivated by PEACE. They seek independence and require kindness. They resist confrontation at all costs. To them, feeling good is more important than being good. They are typically quiet by nature, process things very deeply and objectively with great clarity. Of all the colors, WHITES are the best listeners. They respect people who are direct but recoil from perceived hostility or verbal battle.
WHITES need their "alone time" and refuse to be controlled by others. WHITES want to do things their own way and in their own time. They ask little of others and resent others demanding much of them. WHITES are much stronger than people think, but are not often seen for their strength because they don't easily reveal their feelings. WHITES are even-tempered, diplomatic, and the voice of reason; but can also be indecisive, unexpressive, and silently stubborn. When others interact with you, as a WHITE you respond to them best if they are kind, accepting and supporting of your individuality, and if they look for non-verbal clues to understand your feelings.

Understand that no two WHITES are exactly alike. Although you share the same core motivation as many others, your personality is still unique to you alone.

I AM YELLOW

Congratulations. You are YELLOW. YELLOWS are motivated by FUN. They are inviting and embrace life as a party that they're hosting. They love playful interaction and can be extremely sociable. They are highly persuasive and seek instant gratification. YELLOWS need to be adored and praised. While YELLOWS are carefree, they are sensitive and highly alert to others' agendas to control them. YELLOWS typically carry within themselves the gift of a good heart.
YELLOWS need to look good socially, and friendships command a high priority in their lives. YELLOWS are happy, articulate, engaging of others and crave adventure. Easily distracted, they can never sit still for long. They embrace each day in the "present tense" and choose people who, like themselves, enjoy a curious nature. YELLOWS are charismatic, spontaneous, and positive; but can also be irresponsible, obnoxious, and forgetful. When others interact with you, as a YELLOW you respond to them best if they take a positive, upbeat approach and promote light-hearted, creative, and fun interactions with you.


www.thecolorcode.com

This is the 3rd week; I guess that makes it a habit.

They say that if you do something for 3 weeks it will become a habit. This is now my 3rd blog attempt in 3 weeks, so I have no other reason but to believe that this is now my sunday night habit.

I've been feeling pretty reflective this past week or so. I've found myself feeling pretty contemplative over the past week or so about things in my life, things I want in my life, things I don't, and things that make life good; the good stuff. I don't know why, I just have. There are times I feel like nothing will ever be good, we're always going to be in debt, always going to be stuck in life where we are, never be able to work our way up to what we want to have in life. And there are times more optimistic that I feel the totally opposite of all that stuff. And I think it's those moments that I have been more satisfied with. I'll try to explain. Things really aren't as bad as we feel at a particular moment. Here are some of the moments I think about. We really aren't that unhappy as a married couple. In fact, we are pretty damn happy together! We love each other so much. Stac and I love the opportunity that we have to spend days together. Because of our schedule, we feel like we don't get much together time, but when we do get it, usually on the weekend, we love it. We get to be with Zoee at the same time, we get to escape from Zoee at the same time, we just get to invest time in each other, and that makes us happy. I love being married. Another thing is that I have Zoee. I have a little girl, this little person, that I helped create. I am still amazed that this little happy girl came from me and Stac. She is so smart and loving. She relies on me for her life. She couldn't eat if I didn't feed her. She couldn't be happy if i didn't change her diapers. She couldn't get out of her bed (or in it) if It weren't for me. She is totally reliant on me as a dad. And being a dad makes me happy. Here's another thing. I am so grateful that I have the family I have. I love my brothers and sisters. Spending time together now that we're all old enough to appreciate it means so much more than it did say, 15 years ago, when we had to all cram into the old dodge colt for the ever-so-pleasant 10 hour drive up to Burley. Times now are much more pleasant when you add time, maturity, love, experiences, and the ability to drive in separate cars. My family makes me happy. Church. I am so lost for words when it comes to truly expressing how I feel for the Church in my life. Not too long before I left on my mission, I remember my dad talking to me about how although he never really had much to say and that you really didn't hear him share his testimony much, he assured me that it was there, it was strong, and that I needed to know that. I'm finding that I am much the same way. The mission aside, I really don't share my testimony. But I can say that I am glad to have the principles that are the very basis of the Church guiding my life. Church makes me happy.
I feel like I'm beginning to ramble here, so I'll wrap this up. Maybe it has been the whole to-do with Michael being ordained an elder today and contemplating really being in the temple with my wife whom I love so much, maybe it's been the job advancement opportunity that has come along (which I'm still not sure about), maybe it has been an income tax refund that just might help us get some of our bills paid, and maybe it has been a couple dozen other things that are good in life right now. But whatever is bad in life, there will always be some things to promote just enough happy time to make it through. I love my life. I'm happy.

Thanks to my father in law

I love Willierayes. They are figurine things that I collect. My mom and aunt started to collect them a couple of years ago and I love them too so now that I have a house of my own I can start my collection. I found this really big one at a store down here back in October or November. It was one of those stores that if you see something you like, you better buy it because they don't carry a normal inventory of things and they just get whatever, whenever. I didn't buy it but I thought about it so much for so long after, wishing I would have bought it. I even went back a few days later and it was gone. I told my father in law about it and how bad I wish I would have bought it. Well, come Chirstmas morning I have a really big present. I opened it and much to my surprise it was the exact Willieraye that I had seen. I guess after I told him about it, he went to the store and bought it for me. I was so happy that I almost cried. It meant so much to me that he went to the store and bought it for me. I kinda laughed about it because I remember being so mad when I went back because someone bought the Willieraye that I wanted and little did I know I would end up with it anyways. It love it so much! It was a great addition to my collection and I have my great wonderful father in law to thank! Thank you!