September and October 2013

So here's a quick post.

September 28th I was in a super huge car accident and could have died, but I didn't. Ryan and I bought a new car, it's exactly like the old one that kept me alive during my car accident it's just a different year model, color, and has a sunroof. Her name is Billie Jean. But that might change, I haven't gotten to know her well enough yet. Side bar: yes, I name my cars, it's how I forge relationships with them. And really, a relationship with your car is an important thing.

I ran a really awesome Relief Society activity for the sisters at my church. It was just a dinner before the broadcast, but still great.

October came and Ryan took me to the state fair. We rode the Ferris wheel despite my paralyzingly fear of falling to my death. My reward was any kind if fried food that I wanted. I chose a fried Rice crispy treat and it was delicious. Mostly, it tasted like butter, but I don't think that's really a bad thing. Also, it rained the whole time we were there. But it was still a SUPER fun date night. 

Mark entered the MTC on October 23rd. He will be there until November 6th and then he will leave for his mission (Salt Lake City South). People think that's funny, but they need missionaries everywhere right? Anyway, we had a pseudo-open house for him at my apartment and it was way fun, but saying goodbye to him at the end was very sad for me. He's just my baby brother! But I'm sure he will be fine. I'm proud of that kid. 

Ryan and I went to Trunk or treat. We were in charge of a game where we did like, a spiderweb maze thing and we dressed up in costume. I was Rosie the riveter. If you don't know who she is then go back to high school Anerican History. Ryan was Where's Waldo, but he wouldn't let me take a picture. :)

Ryan finally got his motorcycle. I don't have a picture of my bike so instead I'll post one of his knew helmet. It's high-lighter yello. 

Phew! Looks like you're all caught up! Quick and painless right? Thanks for reading!

Cheryl

I've Neglected You. :(

I need to spend more time with my blog. Really, it's poor and neglected and I've done too many things to not be posting more often. *sigh* Highlights:

-- Ryan made the Deans list. Again. Right now that kid is looking at graduating from college with at least a 3.8. What a smarty pants

-- I got a job. I work as an in-home care manager. It's basically the best job ever. The end. 

-- Ryan went to Texas for ANOTHER internship with the same people we were with last summer. He basically loved it. But since I was working I didn't go with him. That was rough 3 months but hey, I did 2 years, 3 months should be a piece of cake right? Try again. After he got home FINALLY went on our (long-awaited) honeymoon in Hot Springs. :) this is a picture of us at Garvan gardens in front of Lake Hamilton. This view plus koi fish as big as my thigh? Best vacation ever. Speaking of thighs....

-- I started taking some medication for my PCOS, but it was not nice to my tummy so I had to stop taking it. This made me gain a million pounds (okay okay, only 20) so it looks like I'll be going on a diabetic friendly diet and showing up to my Zumba and yoga classes more often. I have a t-shirt that says "I <3 exercise". That T-Shirt is a lie. 

-- Ryan started his last year of college, and boy are we ready for it to be over already. Ryan and I have off schedules right now and we both work 12 hour shifts. Plus Ryan has a million school projects and class and research projects, so add in all that, plus me party planning, and both of our church responsibilities. In a month we see each other for maybe 3 days total. But we can do it, because we 1)know it's what's best 2) know it's possible and 3) have ZERO other options. :)

-- Burn notice ended. I cried my eyes out. Ryan told me that if I exercise every day for a month I can preorder the final season on DVD. I quickly got reacquainted with my running shoes. ;)

-- I'm getting my hair dyed. Well, again. I got red highlights in it over the summer and I LOVE THEM. Now I'm going to do the ombré thing. I'm pretty excited about it. 

-- My baby brother got his mission call. He's going to South Salt Lake City Utah. Don't. Say. Anything. But we're pretty proud of him. 

-- It's September and I'm doing christmas shopping and Halloween party planning. I love the Holidays. :)

Anyway, that's us right now. I'd like to promise I'll post more regularly, because I wasn't to, but I think we all know the potential for that promise to get broken is high. :) So I'll see you when I see you. In the meantime, go and check out my sister and best friends blog: susansworthreading.wordpress.com  she's a smarty pants and can teach you things. :)

'Til a better day. :)

C. & R. 

One Year...

Well..... It's been almost a year since my last blog post. Something tells me that's not right. but this is a neat day to write a post so I'll continue on. I turned 25 this month. and I'm not anything like I thought I would be when I was 25, but that's okay because I'm still a nice person. Yesterday was Ryan and I's 4th (that's right FOURTH) Anniversary. We spent it apart because he's gone to Texas for an internship and I didn't go with him this summer because I got a job. (Yay me!)but we'll see each other soon and that's enough for now. I made it 2 years waiting for him on his mission in Argentina with the only contact being letters every 3 months. I can do him being 7 hours away for 3 months and a phone call every night. :) As I think about these two particular milestones, I can't help but think about the year to come. What will it bring? Ryan graduates from college next May, but where will he get a job? Will I start school again? Will it bring children in some form? Will we be moving? Could we be buying a house? Every year seems like there are going to be tons of changes, but this next one seems like it's going to be a bit of a doozy. Check back in a year, maybe I'll write another post. :) Cheryl

A Summer to Remember.

So, just to be clear-- I was suppose to update this blog a lot more this summer than I have. Which is none. All right All right! Consider my wrist slapped! Geeze! Anyway, It's been pretty nice here. Our apartment complex is surprisingly not terrifying. I thought it was gonna be some shady furnished apartment that you pay for with cash, and it's not (Well, it's not shady, but it IS the other stuff. Lol.) Ryan is really loving his job down here and it's good to see him doing something where he feels like he is fulfilling his purpose. It's a big change from last year. The ward (congregation for my non-Mormon peeps out there) here isn't even that bad. We have a VERY active Elders quorum and we even had home teachers the three months we were here! The women? Uh. No comment. That's a story left better for when I'm less bitter about it. It's also been really good for Ryan and I to be by ourselves. We know each other better now, and, not that we didn't already know this, but we've really had to be help meets and strengths for each other this summer. So it has helped us out a lot that way. We are very excited to be going home soon though. We found an apartment back in Jacksonville that should be very comfy for us (Shout out to Kathy and Joseph Eason for helping with that!), and we'll even be back in time for Stake Conference Weekend! So what have I been doing while Ryan has been working? Well-- I have a few events that I'm working on... did you know that? I plan parties and other social events! I'm trying to figure out how to do it professionally but it's a REALLY difficult business to break into. Especially if you are a girl that doesn't know a TON about liquor and you don't really want to work on Sundays. Lol. So I have a couple weddings that I'm working on, and I've been working out (not successfully, I think I've gained-- wrong direction body!) AND I have figured out the perfect organizational system for Ryan and I! Yay! Mostly, I've been learning about myself. and I've learned alot. but again, that's a post for when I won't turn all babbly. :) Anyway, we are excited to be coming home, but it's been nice here too. Just thought I'd let you know. Lurves!

The Lords Timing

Many of you know that Ryan and I have both been looking for summer jobs. Ryan needs an internship for school and I need a summer job so that we can make more money. Lol. Some of you also know, that the search has not been going well. I have filled out 87 job applications and had multiple phone interviews, but out of all that, only one physical in person interview. Things have not been that much better for Ryan. He had been applying for internship after internship to no avail. (*side note* I love the word avail. :)) This was the most confusing thing. Ryan had an interview last year that he was DISMALLY unqualified for (and subsequently hated-- but that's a different story for a different day). This year he already had one summer internship under his belt and he has taken classes actually related to his field. so we thought an internship this summer was for SURE. Ryan met with McCarthy Construction at a job fair at UALR in January. The person there immediately asked him for an interview. After his first interview we found out that if he got the job we would be going to Texas. We began to pray to see if this was the right thing for us, because there wasn't any point in him going to Dallas for the second interview if we were suppose to stay here. Anyway, in those prayers, we got a very strong feeling that YES! He needed to go. So--- we took that as, we are going to Dallas! How exciting! So Ryan went to the interview, he felt he did well, I was a nervous wreck (which usually means things will work out fine) There was only one other person there from UALR and she was a FRESHMAN (a very nice girl, but still not as qualified as Ryan) anyway, he came back and we waited. and waited. and waited. Ryan then got the phone call that said "We're sorry that we can't hire you this summer. It's not that we didn't like you, it's that we don't have enough internships to go to all the people we liked, but we would like to keep in touch with you if that's alright, and we DEFINITELY want you to apply next year." We were upset, we were so sure that this was what we were suppose to be doing. SO SURE. We had had the confirmation of the spirit during prayer, so we didn't understand why something that we were so sure we were suppose to be doing wasn't coming to fruition. It was very confusing, (and that freshman girl? She GOT the job! which added to this) but we decided that since there was nothing we could do about it, we would continue on and Ryan would try and get another internship. Finally, Ryan got an internship offer to work at UAMS over the summer on Thursday Morning. We were so relieved that he finally had a job offer that we weren't really paying attention to anything. Ryan didn't notice until later that day that he recieved a phone call Wednesday afternoon while he was in class. He checked his voice mail and realized that he had been called by the Staffing Director of McCarthy Construction (a wonderful man named R.J). Ryan called him back immediately but R.J. was out of the office at the time so Ryan left a message and went to class. As Ryan was walking to class. R.J. called him back (talk about timing!) and said "Well, I told you we wanted to stay in touch, I'm in touch a little sooner than I expected." and told Ryan that more projects and funding had opened up so they were able to offer him an internship if he was still interested! DUH!!! Anyway, so Ryan still has to sign the offer letter and email it back, AND he still has to do a drug test. (because that's a concern. psh!) before we find out EXACTLY where in Texas we are going. BUT his first day of work is the 29th of May. So we will leave the 26th or so. We are very excited about this new adventure we will have together, but now what we were suppose to have 2 months to do, we have to cram into about 3 weeks! Lol! So it's just a little stressful. Above all, this has really strengthened our Testimony that Heavenly Father really is in control. He will provide you what you need when you need it, even if it's not when you think you do. Heavenly Father really is mindful of our lives, our wants, and our needs. We just have to have faith in his timing. :)

What Kind of Life do I Live?

First off, I suppose I should apologize for my absence. Sorry, I'm lazy. lol. Secondly, I want to wish anyone that reads this a very happy valentines day. but neither of those are what this post is about.

This post is about my life.

Those of you that know me personally, may have noticed (or maybe you didn't- I don't really know) that I've been in kind of a funk lately. I've been pretty restless with my life and the way it's been working. My house was a dump. My job, while mostly enjoyable, was sucking the life out of me. My calling (which I normally love) had even begun to go stale for me. The result was (and still is) me being short and contrary, Ryan and I started to argue more, I started to function less and less. Usually when I feel like this I know I have to make a change, and that change usually means some kind of hair cut.

But not this time.

In Young Women's on Sunday, we were teaching the lesson "Finding Joy in Life Now" and we started by discussing what the difference is between Fun, Satisfaction, Happiness, and Joy. How we are responsible for our OWN happiness in this life, and how we don't have to wait. *I* don't have to wait for Ryan to graduate to be happy, *I* don't have to wait for us to have a baby to feel like my life has a substance. *I* don't have to work at a job that makes me feel useless. *I* don't have to do that.

My mother use to tell my sister and I "Bloom where you're planted" and she was right. I have to find happiness where I am, in the situation I'm in. but at the same time, if there are things in my situation I don't like, I can change them. That's my choice.

So. I've talked to Ryan, and we've decided. at least for now, We aren't keeping anything in the house we don't love. We're getting rid of almost everything. Furniture, Crap, Clothes, Everything. We are going to go through it a bit at a time and decide what to keep, and what to chuck. :) And we won't replace any of it until we've found something we love and we agree on.

I'm so incredibly excited about this. I think I could bust. I think.... I might be happy. :)

I know this post kind of rambles, but I don't care. I hope you understood it, not that that's important, because I did. :)

Sigh

So.. Ryan and I have been married for 2 and a half years now and we have managed to exist without ANY credit cards. Well, today in the mail I recieved...

Our first set of debt sucking credit cards.

I hate them, but we need them.

Sigh....

Life Right Now...

I would love to be one of those women that can get on a computer and blog every day. I long for the time when I can do that. Mostly, because it will mean that I have internet in my house. :) I feel bad that I only ever read blogs and then I don't share anything in return. I feel a little selfish, so I humbly ask for forgiveness and patience as I get back into the blogging business. ;) With that-- here's what's been going on so far with the Burton's these past (almost) six months.

Ryan finished his second year of school with incredibly good grades. It looks like he will be making the Chancellors list this semester for the third time since he started school. After his finals are over next week he will have 5 Semesters left and then (barring any disasters or unless he decides to get a masters) he will be done-- Graduating December 2013! It makes me proud that he has been working so hard. And it's paying off! Because he is such an awesome person he....

Got a summer internship! He will be working for TME Inc. a construction company in Little Rock. He will be making twice as much an hour as well as working twice as many hours. He gets a WEEK of paid vacation time and the possibility of a future permanent job. We are SO excited about this and Ryan is confident that it is a job he can excell at and enjoy doing at the same time. :)

As for moi-- I started "working", I've been baby-sitting for some of the working mothers in my ward. Children ranging in ages from 2 weeks- 4 years. It can be challenging sometimes, but I love it. These angels teach me so much as I care for them. Chiefly patience, sometimes it's hard to learn, but I know it's worth it. Ryan was so excited when I started doing this (I watch them in my home) that he decided we should turn our spare room into a "playroom" so we bought a crib for the babies and a buch of toys and childrens books (mostly at second hand stores, because lets face it, We're poor ;)) and set it up! I will get a picture put up eventually of the playroom, because I am so happy with the way it turned out. We even moved one of our rocker recliners from the living room to the playroom so that I could rock the babies :) ALSO, plus side = being able to count all of it on taxes as a business expense. :)

Now, you may be asking-- Hey Cheryl, What about that last post, where you and Ryan were going to try and have a baby? What ever happened with that? Well, folks, We're still trying. No baby yet. :) I did go to the doctor in March and she diagnosed me with Polycysitic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) basically, I have a bunch of cysts on my ovaries which make my hormones go wacky, which makes me not ovulate. And you kinda have to have an egg to have a baby. lol. It causes alot of other problems too, it's hard to regulate my weight, I get sick alot, I have alot of back pain etc. It's not fun stuff. ANYWAY... she said I could start Clomid which is a prescription drug that MAKES you ovulate no matter what your hormones are like, it's expensive and my insurance doesn't cover it. So instead, I am going to start a regime of D-chiro-inositol (DCI) a nutritional supplement that basically regulates all of your hormones naturally. So that your body fixes itself. :) It's also not covered by my insurance, BUT it is much cheaper. Like, instead of $250 a month it's $50. which is much easier for me to work with . lol. It also has a very high success rate; so hopefully we'll get to make an announcement in the next couple of months. :)


So that's how life has been for us. Excluding of course any information on our callings in church. We both work with the youth and as such, we were called to be a Ma & Pa for our Youth Conference Pioneer Trek this June. So we've been preparing for that along with teaching on Sunday and Activities on Wednesdays and Saturdays, We love our callings and we love the youth that we get to interact with every week. :)


So yeah, life is good. Hopefully I will be able to do better at this whole "regular" blogging thing eventually, but until then....


;)

Oh My Life.

So, I guess that my goal of updating my blog every week was a little, ummm.... lofty. How about I start with once a month. or when important things happen? Or.... maybe just when I have time? Lol. Well, it's July, things are slowing down and I'm finding more time and less things to stress about. That makes things alot easier for me... and for Ryan. Apparently, I'm not a very pleasant person when I have alot of things to do all at once. Something about yelling.. "I JUST WANT YOU TO HELP ME!" and "IT DOESN'T MATTER WHY! JUST DO IT!" I don't know, I have no recollection of that, but I don't doubt that at some point I did yell that. lol. Part of learning how to deal with each other, I guess. All I know is that I am very blessed to have such a wonderful husband that would give me everything that I want if he could. That is understanding of me and my incredible mood swings. Anyway, Here's what we've been up too.

1) Ryan got a pell grant. I am so excited for this because due to the fact that he already had scholarships to school, this money will basically come straight to us. :) That means we'll be able to do number two! (Hahahahaha--- gross.)

2) Buy a car! :D some would say, "Why is that good? you don't need any of that debt" but we don't look at it that way. We look at it as "WE NEED TO BUILD CREDIT SO WE CAN BUY A HOUSE." And buying this car is going to help us get there! Speaking of living arrangements...

3) We have realized that our apartment is too small. So, in September, along with an obscenely large change check, and a car.... we will be putting in our 30 days notice at our complex and moving in to a duplex. :D Ready for the kicker? Our two bedroom one bathroom duplex with a larger kitchen and breakfast bar, is less expensive than our one bedroom, second floor apartment. :) Neadless to say, I'm excited. Our main goal was to be moved in all the way by Thanksgiving... so that'll be exciting.

4) We are about to have the two most adorable nephews ever. Ryan's sister, Asha, is due the beginning of August, and my sister, Susan, is due the beginning of October. We are both incredibly excited for them!

5) We have been married for a year. It has been a learning experience, for both of us, on alot of different levels, and I think all of the mooning over each other was over after the first month, but we both have come out of it better I think. We went to Wild River Country (A local water park) and Red Lobster for our anniversary. It was Ryan's first time ever eating at that restaurant, he liked it, and I have to say, the service was incredible. I don't usually ask for certain servers, but I would certainly ask for Sky again.

So there's our updates, so far.