Banks Family

Our First Week at Aspen Grove

2009-05-25T17:06:00.000-07:00

Monday- We arrived about 6:00pm and were escorted by a tractor to our cabin. We called home that night to tell our parents about our living conditions for the next three months. Russ said that I was in shock--I knew what to expect, but actually realizing that were we moving in to an A- frame cabin in the woods took an adjustment. Russ became the exterminator as we moved into our cabin and explored the public bathrooms.
Tuesday- Rise and shine for 7:30 breakfast, and straight to work at 8:00. Russ went with the ropes course groupies for training, while I went and vacuumed cabins, cleaned sinks, moved furniture and other chores around camp.
Wednesday- 8:00 Russ and I were assigned cleaning together. Yeah!! To be together I mean. We along with three other people cleaned all three floors of the Beckham lodge--not fun scrubbing toilets and showers. We felt like hotel maids.
Thursday-I helped collect linens and other bedding from cabins and stocked all the linen closets. Russ had more training with the ropes course. A high school came to Aspen Grove for their senior sluff. For lunch they had a huge steak dinner, Russ was excited about eating the remainders for our lunch. Steak, baked potato and all. We hiked to First Falls in the evening, on the way we saw a horse, no a mule.....no it's a moose!
Friday-Russ had more ropes training, which included game-playing, lots of hard work went into that I'm sure. I cleaned blinds in cabins and cleaned the romper room were I'll be working for the summer. Several people commented on the stench of Lysol that permeated the room--if babies are going to be crawling around and touching things I wanted everything to be super sanitized. For lunch we had Nepalese food (one of the staff is from Napal, so the cook combined heads for a tasty treat)--lots of yummy curry, rice, hummus and yogurt.
Saturday- Russ had his first official day of work with guests on the ropes course. I got the day off-I went to town and ran some errands and visited Pebbles In My Pocket in Provo where I finally finished James' mission calendar. Yeah! I packed our things for the weekend, and as soon as Russ got off work we hopped into the car and drove to Syracuse so Russ could see the long-anticipated Star Trek movie with his brother Terry. We also loved to hold and get to know our knew blue-eyed beautiful niece, Jenna.

Summer Plans

2009-03-17T18:05:00.000-07:00

Russ and I got a call this week letting us know that we were accepted as employees to BYU's Alumni camp, Aspen Grove. We had applied a couple of weeks ago on a whim and got called back for interviews last Monday. We will be employed full-time from May 27-August 29. We're excited that we'll have about a month to spend in southern Utah with our families after school gets out.
Russ is going to be a ropes course guide, aka rock wall belay. I'll be working as a group counselor for the 0-2 age group, aka the Rompers. The name sounds a bit ominous; I think I'll have my work cut out for me. I think Russ may have gotten the better end of the stick:) Though, we're both excited to have full-time jobs and anticipate lots of new adventures this summer!

Pictures from Lauren

2009-03-13T12:53:00.001-07:00

346 pictures
View Album at Shutterfly

They finally came!!

2009-02-21T21:33:00.001-08:00

My wedding pictures have finally arrived! I anxiously waited next to the mailbox everyday until they came. Here are a few of my favorite pictures. Enjoy!

Married Life Is. . .

2009-01-31T20:53:00.000-08:00

As interpreted below, we've become the old married couple we dreaded to become. We go to bed at 10 o'clock on the weekend, finish each other's sayings and live a routine life. And we've only been married for about a month!
No I really love being married, it's great to have a companion! Russ is wonderful: he helps with dishes, cleaned the bathtub and took out the trash without me asking. What a man!

A tired response

2009-01-31T20:50:00.000-08:00

It's ten o'clock on a Saturday night and Lauren asked me, "what should we write on our blog?" That is when I took the keyboard and started writing this. I am tired, goodnight. Oh, we are doing well.

New , New Year

2008-12-31T22:35:00.000-08:00

It's going to be an exciting New Year, with lots of new changes: newlyweds, new name, new town, new apartment (new to us), new school, new ward, new towels (that was our popular wedding present) and a new adventure!
Russ and I have mixed emotions about all of the newness-it's nice to have a fresh start together-although it's hard to let the old things go. We love the warm weather, dry roads and family close by. When saying good-bye to Kaylee, our niece through Russ' sister Kristy, she gave us each a big hug and said seriously,

"Remember you are always loved".

White Christmas

2008-12-31T21:04:00.000-08:00

Russ and I spent our first Christmas together. It was extra special because it was also my first white Christmas-we had several inches in Diamond Valley. It was a beautiful backdrop with the Christmas tree and fireplace.
For our first Christmas I wanted to combine traditions from each of our families; so I bought gifts that represented both. It has been a long-standing Banks' family tradition to play Rook, on family camp-outs and New Year's Eve, so we got Rook cards. (During our dating it was shocking to find this out because Rook has also been played on my mom's side of the family, and it's not that common). From the Beard branch, my parents hide a pickle ornament Christmas morning, and as children we race to the tree to be the first to find the bulb. The winner receives the pickle present. So, we also got a pickle ornament to adorn our future Christmas tree.
I was very impressed with Russ, he has such good taste, he picked out a dressy coat and scarf. Moving to Provo, he knows I'll freeze:)