Beard's "fine" jewelers

WARNING: THIS POST IS NOTHING BUT A RANT ABOUT THE TERRIBLE SERVICE I RECEIVED AT BEARD JEWELERS IN LUFKIN. IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO HEAR ME WHINE, PLEASE LEAVE NOW.

Well, many people have asked me what exactly the situation is with my wedding ring, and it's such a long story that I just kind of scoff and say "Beards is being dumb," but I decided that I would give you all the whole story so that you know, and you don't have to go through what I did.
My proposal/marriage was a bit weird to most people because my husband was a US Marine stationed in Hawaii. So when we decided that we were going to get married, I went with my friend Lacey to some jewelers around town to find a ring that I liked, and then I could just tell Sam which one I wanted and he could get it when he came home, or he could set up some kind of payment that he could do from Hawaii. I went to Zales, Cavanaugh's, and Kay Jewelers, but I wasn't finding the cut of diamond that I really liked. The last place we went was Beards. I ended up finding the perfect ring that I really really just fell in love with. I told the woman helping me my situation, and she just said that what we would have to do, is set up automatic payments. I gave her Sam's phone number and she said she would call and have it set up, and that was it. This all happened in May of 2013.
In July 2013, our plans changed and we decided that I was going to come live out in Hawaii with Sam, so I went into Beards and asked them when it would be okay for me to have my ring. The man I spoke with said I would have to have paid off half of my balance, and then get it approved by Mr. Beard. Since we didn't have half paid off, and wouldn't before I went to Hawaii, I ended up going to Belk and buying a fake costume jewelry ring to wear in hawaii and at my wedding. Little did I know, poor Sam was paying $612 a month for this stupid ring, that he didn't even get to put on my finger at our wedding ceremony.
We got home from Hawaii in November of 2013. I believe we arrived on a Friday, and I went straight to Beard's that following monday. I asked again if I could have my ring. The same man as before told me that I needed to have half paid off, and then have it approved by Mr. Beard. Since at this point we had "well over half paid off" (his words, not mine) he said he just needed to speak to Mr. Beard. Of course Mr. Butt-I mean Beard wasn't in the store that day, so the guy told me he would speak to him first thing in the morning.
The next day I waited all morning and never received a phone call. Finally, I called them and asked the man if he had spoken to Mr. Beard. He hadn't. He said as soon as he got back from lunch he would speak to him and call me back.
45 minutes later the man called me and told me it had been approved for me to have my ring, but I would have to pay an 18% interest charge every month, making our payments over $700.
SOME PEOPLE HAVE HOUSE NOTES THAT ARE $700 A MONTH PEOPLE!! I told him that this was completely ridivulous and I didn't want to deal with their service anymore. I just wanted my money back. He said that since I have had the merchandise for over 30 days, I could not return it. I have not had the merchandise at all! I've only held the ring in my hand for 30 seconds!! He said that since I had been PAYING ON IT for more than 30 days, I could not get a refund at all.
I was absolutely furious, but decided just to wait a few more months and pay it off, then I could have my ring and never have to deal with Beards again.
Our last payment was scheduled to be taken out of Sam's account on February 15. The 15 of every month was what we originally had scheduled to do with the auto pay. Sam and I both went in to Beards on Monday February, 17 and were told that we STILL could not have the ring because the payment wasn't scheduled to be taken out until February 18. We could absolutely not have the ring on my hand until every single last penny was paid, and also the ring needed to still be sized.
EXCUSE ME?! YOU PEOPLE HAD 10 MONTHS TO SIZE IT! WHY IS IT NOT DONE???
So, I am still without a ring. Been married 5 months on February 23, but no ring.
Some people say that Beards has been wonderful and worked with them and yadda yadda, but they didn't even really give me any information up front. If they would have told me about the return policy, and the fact that I could have my ring until it was completely paid for, then I would NEVER HAVE STEPPED FOOT INTO THAT STORE. Honestly, I think they took advantage of me because I am young, and I'm a female which automatically makes me an idiot, right?
I do not recommend that you go to Beards jewelers. I have written a letter to Mr. Beard (who is NEVER at his own store, by the way) telling him exactly what I think about him and his business. His employees are rude, and don't know how to do business, and I don't think I signed a single piece of paper work at any time. I am so tired of dealing with them. When I do finally get my ring, I'm going to walk out of the store and spit right on their front door....
I hate you Beards. And Mr. Beard....it takes a really special person to run a business so completely focused on money that you forget how to have good customer service, which will come back to bite you in the butt. Hopefully soon, because I do not like you one bit.

RANT OVER
*drops microphone*

You know what's amazing?

Hello all!
I am coming to you from my husband's childhood bedroom...ha! We are staying the weekend at the in-laws house and since it is 1:00 in the morning my husband is sleeping...like most "normal" folks at this time. I'm just sitting in bed contemplating all of the things I need to get done/forget to get done/etc. You know how it goes. But I just had a thought...you know what's amazing? Being able to talk about my great God with my husband. (When he's awake of course)
I say this just because, a majority of my relationships in the past have not been centered around Christ...which isn't right. I've even dated quite a few people that don't even believe in God. So when I would express my faith they would just find ways to shoot it down and tell me I was wrong. Now that I am married to a wonderful Christian man, I have the great ability of going to him with my problems and him telling me "give it to God"
As most-if not all- of you know, I suffer with depression. The only solution to that is maybe some medication and some therapy, but mainly. .Jesus Christ. I have to be willing to give everything up to God fully in order to have this enemy lifted off of me. If that makes sense...basically I'm just bragging on my Super cool husband and I think it's absolutely awesome that Sam and I can have deep intellectual conversations about God and not have to worry about what I say or do, because Sam's faith is much stronger than mine is, so I know he won't judge me at all.
This post may seem very scattered and might not make much sense to you, but I'm really just happy I found a guy that will be willing to pray for me instead of trying to fix circumstances that can't be fixed by a worldly solution.
I don't know if this makes sense to you, but it does to me and I am so happy to call sam my husband.
As always,
Stay excellent

PS: I am typing this on my phone which is a new android phone, so I apologize for all the grammatical errors and spelling mistakes I may have made. This keyboard is hard you guys!!!

Lizzie

Hello friends,

I really didn't plan on posting about Lizzie on my blog or Facebook, just because I felt like I didn't have the right to. Yes, she was a great friend to me, but she had many friends that were a lot closer to her, so I felt as though I didn't have the right to feel as sad as I did. But, on Wednesday morning when I got the news, I broke down. It's been actually really hard for me these past few days. 

I wasn't ever super close to Lizzie. We had always been church friends and I admired her for being such an amazing Christian even through some of her personal struggle that she would share during Sunday school and various bible studies. But, we weren't ever the "call each other up on the weekend to hang out" type friends.

We both went off to our different colleges, and didn't speak to each other for quite some time. 

As most of you know, my first semester at UT Tyler did not go well. I ended up dropping out after the first month, and living with my boyfriend at the time. I did not claim God as my savior, and I was very very far from where I needed to be, doing bad things to my mind and body.

My family desperately tried to get me to come home and try to get my life back on track, but I ignored all of their pleas and eventually ignored their phone calls. I didn't answer any texts or phone calls because I knew that everyone thought I was crazy and just wanted me to come back to lufkin. 

One random day, I got a text from Lizzie. She just asked me how I was doing, as if we had just talked the day before. She kept asking questions about school and what I was doing now. I felt a little embarrassed telling Lizzie that I had dropped out and pretty much given up, but she never showed any judgement at all. She kept the conversation very casual, and just ended it by saying "I'm praying for you." 

This little conversation really stuck with me, because she hadnt said that I was "wrong" or "bad" for the situation I was in. For the next weeks, she texted me often. Almost everyday. Asking how I was doing, and just having casual conversation again. Never once passing a single judgement. I finally opened up to Lizzie and told her how terrible I felt, and how depressed I had gotten. Opening up to Lizzie took so much weight off of my shoulders. I remember telling her "I really don't know what to do anymore." Her response was "when I don't know what to do, I pray first...but then I ask my family" 

The next week, I was back home in Lufkin with my family. I was back in church trying to salvage what little relationship with God I still had. I owe a lot to Lizzie, and thinking back on everything these past few days, I really wish I would have done so many things differently. I wish I would have thanked her for being there for me even though we weren't the "best of friends". I wish I would have taken more pictures with her to remember our ridiculous times together. I wish I would have gone to see her more often. So many things that I can't change now. 

Now, I'm married (which Lizzie always said was "so weird!!") and my life is back on track. My relationship with God is still not where it needs to be, and this is just another way that Lizzie has touched my life. Her passing has helped me realize that I have a lot of work to do if I want to live like Lizzie. It might be hard, and some days I might feel like I can't go on, but it is possible, and I can do it. 

So to Lizzie, I say thank you. Thank you for caring about me and loving me. Thank you for showing me how to live in God's image. Thank you for the laughs, thank you for the memories, and thank you for giving me my family back. 

I love you, and I'll see you later. 

This is Reality

Hello Friends!
Last night I was looking around on Pinterest (a guilty pleasure of mine) and I found the link to a blog post titled "100 Things I Want To Teach My Daughter"
I read it, and it was the most wonderful thing I've ever read. So heartfelt, and just genuinely sweet. While, I am NOT planning on having children anytime too soon, I did see a few of them that really hit home to me.
One said "a husband needs a wife, not another mother," and that simple statement got me really thinking about these past 3 weeks. I've only been married a short time but I can tell you that I've learned a crazy amount of things in this short time. So, I've decided to make a list of my own.


10 Things I've Learned About Marriage (so far):

1. You're husband will annoy you more than you thought anyone could ever annoy you. It's just because he loves you.

2. Saying your sorry doesn't make you weak, and you shouldn't feel embarrassed for having to say you're sorry. It's actually a very humbling thing to do.

3. You do things for your husband, not for any reward, but because you want to. (cooking, cleaning, laundry)

4. Before marriage, you're so used to going to your friends for advice; After getting married, confiding in your husband is always number one.

5. If you want something, saying it out loud is the only way to go. "I want...." instead of beating around the bush.

6. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. My husband has seen me at my best, my worst, and everything in between.

7. Don't act too grown up to have fun. My husband is my best friend. Maybe sometimes, playing a game of hide and seek is what I want...being married doesn't make you a "grown up"

8. Be willing to take the blame more often then you are willing to blame. Most of the time it's both of our faults.

9. There's no rush to do anything. Except pay bills...

10. If you're too mad to lay cuddled up with your feet touching, then you're not ready to go to bed. Never ever go to bed mad.

I'm not a marriage expert, I know. I've got so much more to learn. I'll keep learning for the rest of my life, but living with someone new, you really learn a lot about them, and yourself. The blog I read last night (which I'll post a link to below) just got me in a very good mood. I keep thinking about how sweet and heartfelt that was, and I just wanted to think about the sweet things in marriage too.
I never really take the time to thank those who read my blog, but I will now. I really can't tell you how much it means to me. I know I never have anything really important to say, but I love doing it. I'm so glad that people continue to read. I've gotten a little over 3,000 views so far, and the number keeps climbing every time I post something new! It makes me so happy! So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you guys!
And of course,
Stay Excellent!

here's that link!

http://lisajobaker.com/2012/07/raising-a-girl-100-things-i-want-to-teach-my-daughter/

Aloha Diaries: questions?

Hello friends,
I figured since I'm sitting here watching a movie not doing much of anything, I'd take a second to post and answer some of the questions I've been getting. A lot of you are very curious about Hawaii, ie the food, the language, and just general questions.
To fill you in as much as I can, I live in a town called Kailua. It is about 20-30 minutes outside of Honolulu. There is a school here, a public library, quite a few little shops, and a few places to eat. Compared to Texas, I'd say it's just a bit smaller than Lufkin. Everything here is within walking distance, so there's a lot of people on foot but also many cars. If you've ever been to Destin, Florida, it kind of reminds me of that. A lot of buildings very close together. We have similar things to Texas like Jamba Juice, Starbucks, Macy's, and Whole Foods, but we also have some things that I haven't ever heard of...little shops and things.
A big question I've been getting..."is there a Walmart?"
Ha! Yes, guys. There is in fact a Walmart. Not in Kailua. I believe the closest Walmart is in Honolulu. I haven't been to it yet.
Another big question I get is, what language do they speak?
This question is a little difficult for me to answer because I am not really sure myself. For the most part, what I know is that the locals speak English with a very thick accent. Some of the older locals speak a different language and that's where words like "aloha," "mahalo," and "ohana" come from. Aloha and mahalo are very often used though. In English sentences. For example, flying over here the airlines would say "aloha, and mahalo for flying with us" which of course means hello, and thank you...
Although Hawaii is part of the United States, it feels like a completely different country over here. I love hearing all of your questions! It helps me explore everything down here!
If you have anymore questions feel free to ask! I miss and love you all.
Another frequently asked question: does it cost to text you?
No! So text and call me whenever!!
Stay excellent!

Aloha Diaries: Well, This is New

Well, I made it. I'm unscathed and getting settled into my new home here in Kailua. I have to say that I am very happy that I won't be making the trip back to Texas anytime soon. The 4 hour plane ride to Seattle, and 6 hour plane ride to Honolulu was enough travel time for me. I got here at about 9:30 pm (Hawaii time) on August 22nd. And ever since then we've been going going going. We went to the courthouse on Friday to get all of our paperwork done. Then on Saturday we had a beautiful ceremony on the beach at Yokohama Bay. It was perfect. Very simple, but perfect. After that we have just been running around trying to get all of the military paperwork done and tended to, which if any of you know anything about the military, you know that paperwork is...A LOT. A lot of things have to be done in order for Sam and I to receive all of our benefits.
But, beside all of the serious stuff, I have to say it still hasn't really hit me that I am officially a Lacy. Sam and I share a home together, go to the beach together, and spend 24 hours of the day with each other literally, but it still hasn't sunk in that I get this man for...forever. When I stop and think about it , I get this awesome feeling in my stomach. It's a mixture of butterflies and just plain happiness. I love him so very much, and I'm glad that he's my forever.
For those of you that don't know, Kailua is a small town on the island of Oahu. They have a school, grocery stores, a library, and actually a lot of fun things to go do, and to see. It's the perfect town to live in! Especially when Sam has to go back to work, and I'm stuck at home alone. I will have plenty of things to keep me entertained.
We live in a small one bedroom apartment that is a block away from a laundromat, and surrounded by several grocery stores (including a Whole Foods, which Sam loves for some reason) and we are just about a mile from the beach in Kailua. It's so beautiful here! I wish pictures could really capture it, but I don't feel like pictures do the town much justice.
So, all in all, I'm married. I'm happy. But it really hasn't hit me yet!
I appreciate everyone who has wished me well via Facebook and text message. I really love hearing from you all back home! I hope school is going well, and I want to hear all about it!!
As always,
stay Excellent 

Aloha Diaries: Let's GO!

Hello dears!
Alright, so I said I wouldn't write again before I got to Hawaii, but I figured that I would update you guys really quick while I'm waiting on my laundry to get done. So, I just thought I would let you all know my busy schedule over the next few days.
Tomorrow, I will finish all of my packing, and getting all of my ducks in a row. (which by the way, if you ever plan on moving halfway across the country, get ready for some serious bag squishing)
Then, on Wednesday my in-laws will be coming to get me and take me to Dallas to visit my sister in-law! I'm super excited. I'll be staying the night in Dallas, and flying out on Thursday!! Yay!
I am so very excited, but I have 10,000 things to do in order to get this all going! I know all these posts are kind of short but I just want to keep you guys updated, because people ask me questions all the time, so I will just let you guys all know whats going on!
In other GREAT news, I have been off of my depression medicines for about a month and a half now, and I feel absolutely amazing. I had been getting extremely frustrated with my medicine, because it was giving me a headache every single day, and the days when I would forget to take it, I wouldn't have a headache. So I just stopped taking it cold turkey. And I haven't had a single headache since then, at first I was a little depressed, and stressed out, but with Sam's help, and a ton of prayer I started getting better and better, and now I am just so ready to get married and live in hawaii that I haven't ever thought about the medicines.
So, this post is just really an update on everything, but I figured you guys would like to know whats going on
I will write soon, and as always
Stay Excellent!