Showing posts with label Arizona. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arizona. Show all posts

Friday, November 5, 2010

In HIS Time

This has been a hard concept for me to comprehend. Patience hasn’t been one of my best qualities. I thought I did great while waiting for Nik. Of course I had my ups and downs but I survived those two years. I did it. We made it. But looking back at that….I wouldn’t really call that Patience. I would just call that “waiting” just like a pregnant lady….let me explain.

When Nik left, I knew when he would be back…just like a pregnant lady has an estimated due date. There is something to look forward to. I thought I would be perfect as a pregnant lady (in the future) because HECK that is only 9 months, not 24. I might be perfect at it…but I wouldn’t call it patience.

To me…patience is waiting for something to happen and not knowing when that might be. Now THIS is very hard for me. I have a HARD time not knowing. Ask my mom (or Nik, as I shared this with him on our first date) about my first Disneyland experience. I was NOT about to wait an unknown number of hours to find out where we were going. Not gonna happen!

Well these last 3 months my patience was tested to the max. Let me explain….Nik and I have been married for 1.5 years and this whole time we have made many choices with Prayer and Faith. We got married 6 short weeks after he returned home from his mission and then the day after our reception we moved to Utah where I had a job but Nik did not. We didn’t know anybody except my aunt who lived 30 minutes south and Nik’s great-aunt who lived 45 minutes north. So…we were pretty much flyin solo in good ol’ Provo. Although that was a difficult 10 months away from what we were comfortable with in Mesa, we felt we needed to experience it and are so grateful we did. Nik was able to get a job 1 week after arriving.

Then we heard of this opportunity in San Diego selling pest control. That was another experience that helped us grow. I was able to work with the same company there with Nik, so we were both employed. It was awesome to live there for a few months. After 2.5 months there, my old boss from Mesa called me to let me know she needed me NOW but Nik still had 5 weeks left in his contract in San Diego. We decided I needed to go home to AZ without him to be able to keep the job I loved and we needed. (so, if I lost you, we married in AZ, moved to UT for 10 months and then to CA for a few months, then back to AZ).

After being apart for 5 weeks while Nik was in CA and me in AZ, he was finally able to join me and we moved in with his parents house. They are so kind, generous, and they love us. I am so thankful for them and their hospitality, also for his dad giving him work while finding a job. We have been living with them since August and we are so blessed. Well, Nik had been applying everywhere for any sort of job. He focused on Bank of America as they have great benefits and pay. One of the positions he applied for actually did a phone interview and then a real in-person interview with him. Even though he interviewed, he kept applying for more positions with BofA. Well, he kept getting emails back denying him a position but they weren’t specific as to which position he was denied. So I thought a few times those were from the interviewed position. But then they would send him a request to do a background check…and then I got my hopes up again. And THEN we would get more denied emails. And I got so sad. That position looked so promising! For some reason, Nik has always been better at keeping his chin up and positive. (I think that is why we were meant for each other….so I could grow.) Well after we were suppose to hear back from that interview after a week…..it was 3 or 4 weeks and THEN we heard back….AND HE GOT THE JOB!!! He got it! And Nik just said “I told you we would be okay.” Yes, yes he did…but I just have a hard time. WHEN? When was he going to get a job? There was no timeline or expiration date. This has been hard but such a blessing to move forward with Faith.

Okay, I had to take a break from this post...as I'm sure you did IF you are still reading this...so let me just make this short-ish story shorter.

I love my Heavenly Father and His plan. He keeps putting things in my path to help me grow with Patience, but I usually just give up. Maybe I don't even give up, I just complain. I might not even complain, I just get really sour about everything. My wonderful husband is a sweet man because he puts up with me when he is so strong in this. And my Heavenly Father is wonderful because He KNOWS I can do hard things...He will never give me a task He knows I cannot handle.

Like I said earlier....I believe that is one of the many reasons Nik and I were meant for each other. I wouldn't say we are complete opposites, because we aren't, but there are many things we are opposite in.
He like the crust of the brownies, I like the inside. PERFECT!
He like the crunchy cookies, I like the soft...sometimes not so perfect.
(only in the sense that I get all my cookies to myself).
He is always warm and I am always cold. THE BEST!
We are both picky eaters but about different things....so food usually never goes to waste.
I could go on...but the most important on, and the reason for this blog is
PATIENCE.
He likes to live each day in itself and I can't help but look forward and wonder...
which then makes it difficult to have patience.
I love him and my Heavenly Father, who has the plan set out for me...and probably gets a good laugh every now and then over my ridiculousness.

Well, enough. This was extremely long. Thank you.

Oh, and Nik starts his new job in 12 days!!!! I'm so excited. WE'RE so excited.
With that comes better hours for everyone involved = more time together.
LOVE!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Daylight Savings...

...is KICKING our TRASH!!!

It has been over a week now since we jumped forward an hour...and it IS getting better

BUT STILL!

Arizona is smart.
WHO wants to screw up their internal clock for a bit JUST to be able to get out of bed earlier???
Make any sense?
Didn't think so.

Why don't we just wake up when we want to?
I like that idea.
Who seconds it?

We wake up when it is still dark.
NOT A FAN!
And go to bed when it is still light.
What the HECK?

My perfect day would start at 8am when I wake up
WITHOUT
an alarm clock...
Open my office at 10am...
Close the office between 1pm-3pm for naps
(Hey! Other countries have a rest time each day! Let's do that!
And then I will be okay with the idea of saving daylight.)
And leave at 5pm...
Then go to bed...around....I don't know when....
Sounds like the perfect day for me!
=]

I remember last summer, just after arriving here in Utah,
we ran to Sam's Club for some shopping after work.
We entered just after 8pm.
The sun was still out...
At 9:15pm we left...and when we walked outside, the SUN was STILL UP!
I looked at Nik and then my watch.
We were so confused!



Anywho...Nik and I only have to deal with this for another 3.5 weeks.
Then we go to California which is the same time as Arizona right now...and what we were used to just 2 weeks ago.
Then we will go to the wonderful Desert Land....and stay the same time allllll year long!
We like that idea!

Loves!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Happy 280th Day!

Let me start out by saying...No I have not personally counted down how many days Nik and I have been married.

One of my friends blog - Kimber & Casey - posted something about Googling your name. She suggested we go and Google our names and let her know what we found. Well Kimber, I hope you are reading this!

When I Googled Dawna Berry I found a wedding website for a Dawna Berry and Michael Tousignant. I searched through and they got married in NH on June 13, 2009. Nik and I got married June 10, 2009! Crazy! She gave up her last name and I received it. I'm happy to be a Berry.

Short story shorter...on their website was a countUP for how many days they have been married...and it said 277 days. Well Nik and I got married 3 days prior...so that makes us being married 280 days!!!

So....I am not a silly little Counter-Upper....I just Countdown! Which brings me to the next thing.....150 days til we are back in ARIZONA for GOOD!!! Now THAT I did countdown. haha. No, I did not use a calendar and count it (like how Nik said would be the smarter thing to do)...I used an online website to count it down for me! lol. Much easier! Heck, I would get lost in the 70's and have to start all over again. haha.

Thank you Mr. Internet!

How many days have you been married??

And Happy St. Patty's day! I can't wait to show you what I have done to celebrate. Nik thinks it has been fun too! Can't wait to show him the yummy cake I made for tonight's dessert. YUMMM!

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Texas Roadhouse is Special to Me.

April 28, 2009
8:45 pm
Me, Rach, and Katie Jean sitting in a booth at Texas Roadhouse.
The 2 of them were so giddy as I just sat there.


Just.Sat.


I could barely do anything.

I could barely eat.

Nothing.


They were all smiles and laughs and excitement.
You wanna know why we were this way???


At that EXACT moment, Nik was in an airplane over the ocean heading back home to the U.S.A from Japan.


This was the moment I had waited over 3.5 years for.
I was so excited but didn't know how to act or think.
It was an out-of-body experience....like I was standing off to the side watching myself go through this.
For the next 12 hours....I was so out of it.
I slept just fine...WHEN I finally went to sleep.
Rach and Katie Jean kept me company while I made my Welcome Home banner to hold at the airport...and then they went home around 12:30 in the morning. 
It was so weird to think that Nik was coming home.
I finally went to sleep and slept just fine.
Around 6am I started having difficulty sleeping cuz I knew Nik was going to call me from the airport and I didn't want to miss his call.
He finally called and I sat there in my jammies on the couch for quite some time talking to him.
It all felt like a dream. Felt like another out-of-body experience. 
I didn't know if what I was seeing was even real. It felt like it shouldn't have been.
After our conversation on the phone, I got ready for the day.
I was suppose to be at his parent's house by 4:30 so we could get to the airport before his plane landed at 5:20.
We pulled into the parking garage at 5:23. Amy (his sis) and I RAN through the airport to get to his terminal before he showed up.
With all Nik's friends and family and my family standing around, he finally appeared and it was wonderful.
 Look at that Handsome MAN!

He gave everyone hugs and then he gave me a huge huge, lifting me off the ground and squeezing me so tight!
I was on cloud 9.

Showing off pictures.


I couldn't believe this was real...like, was he REALLY home?? Home to stay?? 


IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!


The rest of the night was great....but that will be for another post.


I didn't mean to give you this huge long story..I really just wanted to relive the Texas Roadhouse experience.
That night was so good...to have my girlfriends with me at my favorite restaurant on a wonderful night.

I hadnt been to that restaurant again until last weekend.
Terri and her friend, Justin, went with us and it was so fun!
It was so cool to have those strong memories that meant so much to me and share them with Nik as we drove to the restaurant. I was able to explain exactly how I felt in that last 24 hours of "single-ness".
Gosh...I love Nikolas James SOOOO much!
I am so lucky to have these wonderful memories and to me ABLE to remember them so clearly.

 Terri and Justin

The Berry's!

Some nice guy took this picture for us.

Yay for Texas Roadhouse! We had so much fun with Terri and Justin and Nik LOVED the food....we went there last night with another couple. That place ROCKS!


Arizona...Here We Come!!!

Nik and I have made the decision that it is time for us to come HOME! We have enjoyed this adventure of being newlyweds in Utah...but our journey up here has come to an end. 

Maybe it is more me than him....but we want to be home with friends and family. We want to be home with the desert. We want to be home to the place we have lived our whole lives. 

But there is one little pit stop on the way...San Diego!

Next month we will be heading to San Diego for a summer job. Nik will be selling Pest Control and I will be working in the office taking care of the appointments and paperwork for that company. I am excited for a change but to still be working in an office. I love the office job. I am excited to be working with Nik. Nik's best friend Josh got him an interview with the company and luckily we were hired on. Now we get to spend the summer with friends! Josh and Kylee did this same thing last year and enjoyed it. We look forward to the great opportunities it can bring. Living in San Diego in the summer is going to be AWESOME!

Then in August we will leave San Diego and head back to ARIZONA! I couldn't be happier. Sometimes you just have to go with what feels right...and this totally does!

There is one thing Nik and I will not agree on.....being sad about leaving our jobs up here. Yes, he has been so blessed to have a Full Time job but it was just one of "those" J.O.B.s. = Just Over Broke. He is happy to get out of there and do something he WANTS to do. As for me...I am going to miss my boss and his awesome family. They really took us in under their wings. I felt immediately like family. They had us over for their family Independence Day party, an Office Christmas Party (which was only Nik and I and their kids all playing RockBand 2. It was so FUN!), and then they had us over for The Superbowl. It was so fun to be around little kids. Their 2 youngest are the same ages as my 2 youngest sisters. They are so cute. Paul also helped Nik and I move into our 2nd apartment, helped us after the deer accident with towing, and picking me up at home for work when Nik was at school with the car. I am going to miss Paul (my boss) and Mary (his wife). They were so nice. It helps when you love your job to have a great boss. Thank you Paul and Mary.

Well....now the word is out. Hopefully you are all as excited as we are! We can't wait to COME HOME!!!! 

Let's have a party when we get there! K? K!

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Look Back at 2009. August-December

Out to Sushi with part of the Fam. We had a FEAST!
Our campsite...in our own little Living Room!
Hobo Dinners
Making S'Mores.
Out at Tucano's with Melissa and James. Great food. Awesome friends.
My first Homemade Apple Pie!!!

We began coupon clipping. We get 5 of the same Newspapers every Sunday. Crazy, yes.
First Haircut. Before.
After
Out to see New Moon on Thanksgiving Day with Amy and Sam.
Decorating Christmas Cookies with Christa and Camron.
In front of the Bellagio in Vegas!
Nik and I on the pier in Oceanside, CA.