I was importing my credit card and bank statements into QuickBooks when I noticed a charge I didn't recognize. The merchant was SYS INC and the amount was $9.10. I logged in to Bank of America so I could review the charge, but it only listed the merchant as a Stationary, Office & School Supply store. There was no phone number or other identifying information.
I do quite a bit online shopping, but this was my business Visa card so the charge really bothered me. When I checked the date of the transaction it occurred on the day I went to Six Flags for the first time. I know I didn't use my business card that day.
A friend of mine worked some Google magic and found an online forum where people were complaining about this company and its fraudulent charges. Apparently the scam usually involves a phone call first, but I never received one. Charges were always the same, too...either $9.05 or $9.10 (my charge). Sometimes a phone number appears on the statement, but no one ever answers...it's just a generic voice mail message telling the caller to leave a message. The recording doesn't even mention a company name. The number, in case you're curious, is 866-529-6539.
I was able to call Bank of America and have the charge removed without any issue, but now it makes me wonder how SYS INC got my credit card info to begin with. So, please be sure to carefully check your statements. If you see a charge from SYS INC in the amount of $9.10 or $9.05 go ahead and file a dispute with your credit card immediately.
I was about to just ignore the charge and chalk it up to me being forgetful. My guess is SYS INC counts on this very thing. There were probably hundreds of complaints in that forum thread, and there's no telling how many people have been suckered without realizing it.
As you all know by now, my niece (Julia) is spending some time up here in Atlanta with us for her summer vacation. Well, yesterday was her 8th birthday, and it was the first actual birthday she spent away from her family. So we tried really hard to make it extra special. :)
The day started off early with tennis camp, and we were going to head straight to the pool afterwards. It didn't open for an hour, though, so we headed home to regroup and plan the rest of the day. The birthday girl decided she wanted to go to Monkey Joe's to jump around for a while, so we packed up and headed over there so the kids could jump themselves silly for a few hours.
Afterwards we stopped by my sister's salon so Julia could be transformed into a Hannah Montana rockstar:
Yes, we got permission from her parents first and it's only temporary color so it'll fade before school starts. But she was so excited to get a pink streak put in her hair! Kieran wanted a green one. :-D
I had to finish up some work stuff and get cleaned up, so I took the kids home to chill for a bit before we met Tricia at Benihana's for dinner. Julia loves sushi, and hibachi is always fun for a birthday. We were a little disappointed with the lack of tricks and fanfare during the cooking (no fire??? no onion volcano??), but they made up for it with the birthday balloon hat:
Julia is just so cute and so cooperative about pictures! She's obviously not one of MY kids. :D
I think she had a great birthday, and I think it helped her not be too sad that her family wasn't around to celebrate with her. There were lots of phone calls to Florida, though, so they were here in spirit. :)
More photos from the day:
My niece is visiting the next couple of weeks, and I feel like we've been all "go go go!!" since she got here. I do believe it's time I stop to come up for some air. :)
She and my son are going to tennis camp this week...which is all fine and dandy with one exception: it starts at 8am. LOL It's been a rough week getting all of us rolled out of bed and ready to go, but the kids are having a lot of fun playing tennis. And Kaelin seems to enjoy watching them. Especially since she gets to go in her jammies. ;-)
When Julia comes to visit I always feel like I need to pack in the activities since this is really a vacation for her. We've been going to the pool and a library trip is planned for later this week. There will be lots and lots of movies, no doubt, and I think we're even going to hit Six Flags. Oh boy! Being the home body that I am, all these activities should tell her just how much I love her. :D
I'm catching up on work things as well, but it's a good thing. It feels like there's always something to do, but I'm getting better about managing my time I think.
Hopefully I'll have some decent photos of all these summertime activities, but I make no promises! I hope you all are having a great summer so far. :)
I second shot for another local Atlanta wedding photographer this past weekend. The wedding had both an American and Hindu ceremony, so it was a crazy day! The wedding was absolutely beautiful, though, and I had a great time...even if I'm paying for it today. LOL
My favorite photo from the (11 hour) day:
Isn't she stunning? There are more on my blog, too. :)
Well, since all the cool kids were doing it, I decided to redo my Eclectic Photo blog design. I wanted a wider format with a flash header, and I wanted a drop-down menu instead of sidebars. With a little help (ok, a lot of help!) I was able to get all those things and more. Please take a peek and let me know what you think!
I still need to tweak a few things, but I'm really happy with the way it turned out. :)
Summer is here in full force, and the kiddos are both going stir crazy already. We're only, what, two maybe three weeks into summer vacation? And they're bored already? It's going to be a loooooong summer if that's the case.
Due to peer pressure and a lack of other options, we finally joined our neighborhood pool. After living in this community for almost nine years. I'm sure this has some of you scratching your heads, but I HATE going to the swimming pool. Wait...that's not entirely true. What I actually hate...despise more than anything else...is putting on a bathing suit.
*barf*
I hate it so much, in fact, that I have not owned a bathing suit for almost five years now. I don't even really own shorts. Yes, I know...I am completely insane living in the south and not wearing shorts in the summer. I'm working on it. LOL
Anyway, we finally joined the pool over the weekend but didn't have a chance to go until today. I grumbled and growled and pouted and whined, but I put on my bathing suits. And with kids in tow we hit the pool.
They had a great time. So it looks like I'll have to go back.
:D
I had a fantastic engagement session down at Piedmont Park yesterday evening with K and D. The weather was MUCH more cooperative than it's been for me in the past, and I'm really happy with the way their photos turned out. These two are just adorable and they were a lot of fun to work with. I have no doubt their wedding is going to be so much fun. :)
I don't quite have it yet, but I'm getting there. Here's the beginning of my "work" space:
I'm still waiting for the wide shelf to go on the right unit, but there's no telling when Ikea will re-stock it. I am also still trying to figure out how to organize everything on the shelves, so this is just a temporary solution. I was just trying to clear off my dining room table.
Here are a couple close up shots:
I just made my third...yes, my third...trip down to Ikea in less than a week. While that might not seem like a big deal, it's a heck of a drive to get there. And with the price of gas now over $4/gallon I try to minimize my trips in town. Combine that with shopping with two kids in a place the size of a small European country and you can understand why the multiple trips have me slightly aggravated.
*heavy sigh*
I am trying desperately to set up some sort of work station to help keep me organized (yeah, right!). Saturday the family and I did a few in-town errands since I had to pick up a couple lenses, and we decided to pop into Ikea to pick up a few things. I found the perfect shelving unit to use for my work stuff, but when we went to pick up the pieces they were out of the wide shelf that made the whole thing "perfect." I decided to buy the other pieces anyway, along with a few other things...including a lamp I really liked.
I wasn't able to unload the shelves from my car until Monday since I was shooting a wedding all day Sunday, but when I did I realized I had left the lamp at the checkout lane. So I went back yesterday to see if they would let me get another one since I had to return my lenses anyway. I decided to pick up another regular shelf to complete my unit and hopped in the car to head home. Only I could not freaking figure out how to get back ON the damned interstate because of all the construction down there. I drove in circles for a good 15-20 minutes before I gave up and just took the long way home.
Only to get home and realize two things: 1) I had the wrong sized side unit pieces and 2) I didn't have the bracing bars that keep the whole unit steady. At this point I was ready to pull out my hair, but I decided to make yet another trip down there today. With both kids. Who are like magnets that repel each other. But I got what I needed and am in the process of putting it all together.
I've had several maternity inquiries this week that have turned into bookings, so I am making an honest effort to really get organized. I went ahead and renewed my ad with The Bump (even though I wasn't going to), and it comes out later this summer. I've had a few new inquiries as a result of my other print ad, so I feel a little bit better about it. I still need to find a babysitter so I can start booking during the week, though. The weekends fill up so quickly and I don't want to spend them working.
I haven't had a chance to post many photos from the wedding because I told the bride I would wait until she got back from her honeymoon. They won't have internet access while they're gone (good for them!), and she really wanted to be the first to see them. So I will post more next week. :)
I had the pleasure of photographing an expectant mom this past weekend with the cutest belly. Ever. I know she felt huge, but her belly was just so freaking photogenic! It was perfectly round and just so cute.
Thanks, you two!! I cannot believe how big she's getting. :) read more
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