the best thing, part V

Saturday through today has brought some welcomed monotony.  Our days have consisted of Karl going to work while I'm still in the twin size bed, short work days for Karl (PRAISE THE LORD!!), renting movies and buying episodes on iTunes, grocery shopping together, Karl napping while I clean his room, cooking and baking for Karl & his roommates and friends...  it has been perfectly normal.  We saw Red Tails last weekend and it was good!  Especially fun to watch among Airmen and hear their commentary- very funny.  I've done a lot of laundry and loved every second of it.  I've tried to cook Karl's favorite meals and bake lots of sweets each day.  We've taken lots of walks, stocked up on things Karl has needed for his room, and enjoyed spending tons and tons of time together.  We have laughed a lot, spent $41.00 on iTunes rentals (Hulu, ABC.com, etc- none work overseas), and bought Karl a bike after he depressingly told me that he is wearing holes in his boots from all the walking he does around here.
We enjoyed our 3rd "6 month anniversary" on February 21st, which we celebrate by each writing a list of "10 things I have learned about Hannah/Karl in the past 6 months."  I LOVE this!  I Love this more than anything Karl could get me for Valentines day or our real anniversary.  It is so special to me to see that Karl & I are constantly learning about each other, growing in our relationship with each other, and paying attention to what each other is doing.  And these past 6 months have been especially crazy- I have honestly learned more about Karl in the past 6 months than ever before.  He never ceases to surprise me and amaze me in how dynamic and changing he is.  So, needless to say, our twice yearly 6 month anniversary is the most special thing to me- and I am SO SO thankful we got to celebrate one of those together this year.   I treasure 'the lists' and love looking back on them.  Last night we rented two movies, bought a bottle of wine, snacks we were craving (pop tarts, cherry sours, pistachios, & popcorn) and enjoyed another night in while really taking care of my "movies I must see with Karl" list.  A shameful list full of movies I will not disclose.  One may or may not star Anna Farris.  Today I got to see Karl & his roommate, Eric, rock climb- something they both really enjoy.  Karl has enjoyed climbing for years and since he has been here, he has acquired all the equipment he needs and has been utilizing the climbing wall here as his primary source of exercise- he really loves it, so I too love it for him!  We went grocery shopping so that he can be all stocked up this week... and I had a really sad moment at the grocery store.  I honestly had such a strong urge to buy absolutely everything he may need for the next 8 months.  It was like this really panicky, awful feeling.  The thought of him needing or wanting and me not being able to provide is a horrible feeling- I'm a doer and a mover and a shaker and that has been stripped from me through this Korea stuff.   I wanted to buy 8 months of toilet paper, cleaning supplies, vitamins, bottled water- my mind was racing trying to think of anything and everything he could need.  Annnnd then God was like, "hold the phone.  this is my show."  So we bought a weeks worth of ramen noodles instead.  And now Karl & I will enjoy the rest of our day together, and I shall blog again when I come out of my post-Karl depression in approximately one month.  Just kidding, about the post-Karl depression part, probably not the blog timeline part though.  Enjoy a myriad of pictures.

 made a double batch of some no-bake energy bites

new boots for Karl

enjoyed some wonderful ice cream while out in Gunsan

 wrote our lists on a day date to Starbucks

enjoyed a late night snack including pop tarts, pistachios, and popcorn.

 did a lot of lounging

 enjoyed seeing the tree me and Cookie sent Karl still up.. it is now no longer considered a Christmas tree but a "night light."

 attempted sleep in this twin size bed... that felt more like half a twin size bed

 did a lot of cleaning, even though Karl keeps a very clean room on his own!

 got K a bike so he no longer has to walk to work, through snow, up hill (both ways)

 I know it's blurry but I LOVE this picture of us- mostly because of K's smile.  He is SO handsome!

 annnnd he clicked the shutter on purpose before I was ready.  Whatatrickster.

I'm trying to talk Karl into a guest post soon so we'll see if I can get him on here in the next week or so!  Until then,
Hannah K.C. Burton

the best thing, part IV

on Friday we woke up and tackled the major task of repacking all of our crap stuff.  The problem was that all of my stuff had to be perfectly packed into the backpack that I brought it in AND I bought several other things that had to be added to the mix, pottery included.  Awesome.  Fortunately Karl is gifted in the roll clothes + pack perfectly arena (thank you, basic training) and he handled that job like a pro- I hate packing.  We checked out of the hotel, left our bags at the front desk, and hit the market for breakfast and one more shopping trip, naturally.
After the market we headed back to the hotel, loaded up our bags, and took a taxi to the train station.  I was SO EXCITED to ride a train!  This was my first train ride ever and it did not disappoint!  We rode a bullet train from Seoul to Iksan and switched trains somewhere in between there.  It was kind of hectic getting on and off with all of our bags [we both had a backpack and each had 2 huge tote bags... ridiculous... like, Karl bouncing between all the seats as he passed down the aisle with my giant pack, sorry dude] but the ride itself was really nice!  The countryside here is so beautiful- just mountainous and wonderful!!  It was a joy to get to experience my first train ride with Karl and in a foreign country, no less.

Once we got to our final destination we took a taxi from the train station to where we are now!  Annnnd then made a horrifically long trek in the snow to Karl's dorm because the taxis can't drive on the base.  Our Friday was a long day of travel and adventure- it was so so so fun to get to do all that with Karl- I was so helpless and not in control when it came to travel, getting around, and communicating during our stay in Seoul.  I was dependent on Karl to make it all happen when normally we share equally in things like that, it was really nice to sit back and trust him to take care of us and our travels 100%.  I literally wouldn't have eaten, had a bed to sleep in, known how to get anywhere, etc. if it weren't for him- he is so so so wonderful and is the best relationship pants wearer ever!
When we got back to Karl's dorm we were both exhausted from travel, so obviously we ate at the food court for dinner, but not before I got the grand tour of this little cave he's been living in for the past few months.  He has made it feel so homey and sweet in here and it has been so nice to see and feel all of our things from home right here in Korea.  It makes me feel happy to see all the things that I packed and prepared for him- our bedding, towels, pictures, kitchen things.  Well we checked K's mail and he had 2 fun surprises!!  Only a couple of days after Valentines Day the celebration continued!!

A Valentine from Kinley!  Such a fun surprise!!  Made us both smile big time!

Annnnd  a Valentine treat box from Cookie!  Karl & his roommates have been chowing down on this thing all week!  Thanks, mom!!

Friday brought an early bedtime and gratitude that our room wasn't 85 degrees like it had been the whole week prior.  It also brought the start of 9 days of sleeping in a twin size bed together.  Come Monday morning I will be wishing for a 10th night. 

Super thankful for super squished sleep,

Hannah K.C. Burton

the best thing, part III

Thursday was our last full day in Seoul so I woke up ready to squeeze out every last little drop the city had to offer!  We went to Namdaemun market, just a quick walk from our hotel, and shopped for lots of fun things for me to bring home.  Then we went to the big department store/movie theatre and found that they were finally showing a movie in english that afternoon!  I had been dying to see a movie with Karl- it has been MONTHS since we have gotten so a movie together!  After a quick nap back at the hotel we went back and we saw The Descendants.  I never would've opted to see this movie if we had a selection to choose from, however, being it was literally our only choice we went for it.  It was OK... besides the foul language.  It should also be noted that at the theatre they serve 'sweet popcorn,' AKA carmel corn... not a bad trade.  After the movie we had dinner at this deli in the market.  This would be a good time for me to interject that I have been here for just shy of 2 weeks and have only spit food out of my mouth 6 times.  That is pretty good, if you ask me.  I have, on the other hand, had peanut butter crackers replace a meal about 8 times.  Anyways... after dinner Karl & I took a taxi to the North Seoul Tower- a maj tourist attraction.  Suckers, I know.  That was literally the coldest I have ever been in my life.  The view from the top of that hill was so super pretty, though, so I would say it was worth it.  Plus getting to play with the lens Karl & I bought for our camera for this trip was extra fun at night.  Enjoy some pictures, although we seriously failed at taking them this day.

I'm already starting to get sad about leaving.  Praying time moves at snails pace for the next few days!

Hannah K.C. Burton

the best thing, part II

I'm definitely behind a few days on these little travel posts of mine but K is back to work this week so here's to catching up... and jeers to the kidney stones that I passed two nights ago whilst not having access to modern medicine.  Yippee.


Tuesday Karl and woke up and he lovingly brought me Dunkin Donuts and a latte in bed- Happy Valentines Day to me!! And obvi my mom sent Karl & I a VDay card with a treat inside.  Duh.  Also it should be noted that they actually do put lots of nuts in their 'toffee nut lattes,' not an appetizing surprise. Then we ventured out for our first subway experience {which we owned.  And by owned, I mean we didn't ever get caught in the violently closing subway doors, which I did see happen, twice.} on our way to a day-long bus tour of the city... after one seriously extensive walking search for said bus, we found it, enjoyed some KFC for lunch, and had an awesome day of exploration! We saw palaces, the president's home, the national museum of Korea, stopped at most of the major shopping districts, and were just pumped full of information on the history an culture of Korea.  The museum was really neat- the actual building itself was gorgeous and architecturally stunning and the contents were amazing- the history of Korea is so much more extensive and dates back just exponentially further than that of the US so it was pretty amazing to walk thru- every exhibit was in English which was pretty neat and humbling because our museums certainly don't have Korean explanations on each exhibit, not that I know of at least. In Itaewon I bought a few very large, breakable, and awkwardly sized souvies that Karl sweetly toted on and off that dang tour bus the whole day- also I'm not 100% sure how I'm going to get those things back to the states :/  Another prob for another day.   For dinner we did some research and decided on an Italian restaurant a taxi ride away so, while the taxi did supposedly take us to the right address, we never did find the restaurant.   We did, however, find a different Italian/pizza place and enjoyed a very delicious Valentines pizza and coke date.  Perfection. Anywayz, the day was great- lots of walking and feeling very unamerican and unlazy.  Enjoy some piczz!

The structure in the middle of this picture is an actual palace- it was so interesting how the city of Seoul just built itself around 5 different palaces... normal.

Since we couldn't have gotten off at each of the tour bus stops and really spent adequate time, we decided to tour one of the palaces on Wednesday.  I'm so glad we did because we were able to give our best energy to that tour and it was totally worth it!  Such a cool experience!  We woke up, took the subway (total pros), bought tickets to the english tour of "The Secret Garden," aka the expensive tour and only one in english, and then went and had breakfast at a coffee that was shop right across the street while we waited.

You can actually see the palace right behind Karl in this picture

The palace was huge!  It was actually like 3 palaces all connected at different points that made up the whole dynasty.  All of the different buildings within the palace walls were for different purposes for the king or workers- this building was a library

the men & women "noblemen" slept separately- husband & wives included- beginning at age 7.  this little doorway (was like 4 feet tall) connected the male sleeping quarters to the female

male dominance or something

We are standing right next to the ponds where the kings wrote poetry or something... and then played drinking games, according to our tour guide :/

This was such a great tour! It was so interesting and fun and we both learned so much about Korean culture and history.  After this tour, we went to a shopping district that I had wanted to visit and then ended our night early with a shady dinner at our hotel...


I'm already enjoying reliving this trip and I haven't even left yet!  I am so enjoying being here with Karl!
Hannah K.C. Burton

the best thing, part I

So I wrote this 2 days ago but have been having some Blogger issues... I have 2 more days of posts to share but here is a start, enjoy!

So it's day 3 in Korea, we are now in Seoul, and our room has WiFi! Wahoo! I had wanted to blog everyday but our first hotel had spotty Internet access soooo here I am. So travel into Korea went well... with the exception of the 4 documentaries/docudramas United Air played on the way over, making my 12 hour flight feel more like 120. 
I went thru customs and baggage claim and handled my ridiculously heavy luggage single handedly. Maj independent woman, not by choice. Also it should be noted that Karl asked that my things be packed in a backpack for ease of travel... so 16 days worth of crap was all stuffed into a very large backpacking pack of mine... one that I can't maneuver without basically topping over backwards. So that was good too.
Anyways, after chasing the sun for 18 hours I finally got to Karl and it sure was wonderful! 

We took a bus to somewhere and eventually got off because we were scared we had passed our stop but had no way of knowing because the driver didn't speak English. So then we flagged down a taxi, called our hotel, an had them explain to the driver how to get there- and that's basically how our transportation here has gone ever since.
Our first hotel was good, kind of. Karl and I did a ton of research on hotels and finally booked a few for the next week and were very careful to not book a "love hotel."  Well, we were apparently not careful enough. You can use your imagination, however, I will say this- the bed in our first room had a circle-shaped mattress. I would've thought that was really cool when I was 8. Now, Woof.
The first half-day was nice and relaxing- we ate pizza for dinner (from a place called "Pizza Her," written in the same font as Pizza Hut) and I went to sleep at like 7.
So Sunday, after a 30 minute and $20 miscommunication with a taxi driver, we enjoyed breakfast and then spent the day walking around a super neat shopping center in Incheon!

Monday we woke up and checked out of the love hotel and made our way to Seoul after, YEP you guessed it, transportation/communication/language barrier joy. 

Regardless, I am SO enjoying this city!
 It is much friendlier to English speakers (even though I do feel ignorant and guilty that I don't speak their language) AND our hotel is like way great. This is the view from our room!

Karl and I had burgers for lunch, walked around a local market that is literally right outside our hotel where we tried this delicious spiraled/fried/potato snack! I also got these gems (made in my RX)!

We are having so much fun here and just enjoying the culture, adventure, and everything that Korea has to offer!  I can't wait to share more about our trip as each day unfolds!!
Hannah K.C. Burton 

sorry I'm not sorry

Hello world!  After a month of silence I'm back to update my cyber diary only to promise what will most likely be another month of silence.  I keep wondering if I'm going to regret this weakly documented year of mine & Karl's lives but after much deliberation the answer I've come up with is a resounding no.  To put it plainly, this year just kind of sucks and I will never forget it, I don't really need a biweekly post to remind me of that.  And quite frankly, I can't think of a single one of my loyal readers who would enjoy logging on every other day to read my complaints of married life, being a boomerang child, without Karl, without my own house/kitchen/decorative freedom/icouldgoonbutiwillspareyou/etc.

moving right along...Christmas was wonderful, however, it didn't feel like Christmas at all.  Just a nice family gathering + good food.  Karl wasn't there, Pa wasn't there, we are still figuring out what it's like to have 3 sets of in-laws to share sisters and brothers-in-law with, cousins + aunts/uncles were missing... basically it was just a wonderful time to focus on The Lord because that was about the only thing consistent that this holiday season provided... and praise God for that, because I have been doing/noticing a lot of that as of late- really REALLY noticing and feeling and experiencing that He is the only constant that can be counted on, the only unchanging, permanent, faithful, who will not fail me.  I'm not trying to be crypic--- here Karl & I are in a season where he has absolutely no control over his absence and inability to be here physically and provide for me in the ways that I want & need- what an experience and lesson this has been in relying solely on The Lord.  By the way, I wouldn't recommend this particular curriculum to anyone. 

Anyways, the past month has been CRAZY!  I have loved every second of the busyness- it definitely helps me cope with Karl's absence better.  Maddie & Matt's wedding was gorgeous and took up every second of my spare time for all of November & December.  I'm glad it's over because it was stressful, however, I did enjoy giving them the gift of planning, doing that with my mom and sisters, and seeing it all come together- it was a blast!!  They both looked gorgeous and it was just awesome!  I can't wait to get the professional photo and video back- I'll definitely post more about the big day when I have those.  Having my cousins and family in town as well as The Johns' was basically heaven- Maddie & Matt's wedding would literally have not been possible without them & some other heavenly help.  Dream.Team.

After Maddie's wedding weekend I kept Lincoln & John's biggest boy, Valin, for a few days while Lincoln got caught up on some rest & house things and then drove Valin back to Little Rock at the end of the week since I was already headed that way to return wedding things that we borrowed from The Riggans!  I spent 2 days in Little Rock with The Harris' and it was so nice and relaxing!  Just what I needed after the wedding, loved every second of it and cannot wait to zip on back up there and do it again!  I tell you what, I just don't know what kind of awful it would be like to have been raised without a close relationship with my cousins.  Being able to call upon them for help, having confidence that you will know their children like you know them, and looking forward to seeing them is the best thing.

As of late, I have moved into my parents house and out of Callie & Jeremy's as they prepare for the arrival of Oliver!  They hastily kicked me out last week.  I kid, I kid.  I willingly left to give them some time as their family of 2 before the big guy makes his debut.  Life at Amy & Paul's is grand- this new house has so much space & privacy... it will be hellish interesting when the renovations start, which could be literally any day now.  Work is good- I had a full day of training yesterday alongside every staff member of the @rlington/Mansfield Pregnancy Centers- we are changing our model of care and I am SO STINKING EXCITED about it!  I will start my new position as soon as I am back from...

VISITING KARL IN KOREA!  I leave the second week of February and will be there for a little over 2 weeks!  He was able to secure a few days of leave so we will get to travel and explore the country together!  I absolutely cannot wait and have had so much fun thinking about everything that we will get to do while I'm there!  We will get to celebrate Valentines together, our 1 1/2 year anniversary, go on as many dates as days I'm there, I'll get to cook for him, do his laundry, clean- it will be the most semi-normal our lives have been in 5 months.  I can.not.wait.  Like, my mind is absolutely consumed with thoughts of my arrival, days there, everything.  Basically it all looks like scenes from a very wonderful movie.  And most importantly, I have been heavily focused on what I'll wear each day.  Obviously.  

Well, I'll probably post a month from now, or maybe I can talk Karl into a guest post while I'm in Korea!  However I make no promises these days.  I'll likely be a super uplifting person to be around following my trip, youuuu know, when my next countdown to seeing Karl becomes 4 months... and then another 4 months.  longest year everrrrrrr.

Love,

Debbie

Burton, party of 1

Entering "1" on my sister Madeline's wedding RSVP spreadsheet today under, "Mr. & Mrs. Karl Burton," just really blew.  It was one of those moments where it just really hit me that not only is Karl not here right this very minute, but he won't be here two weeks from now at my little sister's wedding- the only wedding she will ever have- a memory that will always be etched in my mind.  That is a memory he won't have and I will.  Pictures he won't be in and I will.  Fun my whole entire family will have and he won't.  In fact, he will be working in the freezing bitter cold, fixing fighter jets, a few hundred miles from communist territory, while I dance the night away drinking gourmet hot cocoa and eating passed hors d'oeuvres in a pretty dress made just for my body.  How wrong is that?  I love my sister more than words can express, however, today at that moment I wanted to crawl in a hole and swear not to make those memories or be in those pictures.  Only a few hours later I'm talking with my cousin and then one of my best friends and I realize both my bestie, Charis, and newly engaged cousin will likely get married next summer and fall, all before Karl gets back.  Get this, Karl is gone for so long that there is time for someone to get engaged, plan a wedding, and marry all before he gets back.  That is CRAZY andsomindblowing andwrong.  When Karl got his orders my first thought was of him not being at Maddie's wedding... so I've kind of coped with that.  But what on earth are all these other things that are happening that I didn't even think about?  Like my sweet London and Charis getting married and Karl not being there to see it?!  And Karl becoming an uncle for the first time and not getting to meet his little one until he is 4 months old.  And the anniversary of Pa's death being upon us and karl.isn't.here.  My little sister, Emma, will go off to my alma mater, Karl's favorite school in the whole world, next fall and he won't be here to move her in to her dorm.  In fact, she will have enjoyed her first "Family Weekend," and almost completed her whole first semester by the time he returns.  mindblowing.  I suppose I'm wrapping my head around this idea of him being gone long-term.  It makes me mad.  And, as my family can attest to after my mid-evening meltdown, I'm very sad.  I miss him.  All the while I'm finding myself feeling inappropriately discontent.  So I'm working on that.  Because God willing, Karl will come home next November, and I will get to continue to enjoy him for weddings, nieces & nephews, and years to come.  And for that I am thankful.  On the eve of the anniversary of the loss of my sweet Maggie's brother, Anthony, I am finding myself exceedingly grateful for Karl's heart and calling.  He willingly has answered the call to service, as did Anthony- so faithfully, joyfully, and obediently.  So I continue to grieve alongside The Riggan Family as they walk through the fire, miss & love Karl like crazy, and praise Him for His love- the only unfailing thing in the whole wide world!

....annnnd on that note, merrrry christmas
Hannah K.C. Burton

M.I.A.

I know my posts have been few and far between...  my apologies to you and my future self for not properly documenting this season of life.  I'm caught between wanting to post about life-happenings and not wanting to just login to complain... which has led to my cyberspace silence.  Karl has been gone for 4 weeks today.  And it feels like he has been gone for 4 years.  So basically I'm not feeling too optimistic about the speed at which this year will go by, time is certainly not on my side at this point.  Friday nights are my loneliest time as my sisters and parents usually go on dates with their spouses... for which I am thankful- I am very aware of people feeling sorry for me, changing plans because of my solo-status, and even more acutely aware of my own pity parties so I'm not particularly interested in playing third-wheel on date night each week- praying my pity parties away because I know that is certainly Satan trying to break my spirit.  So, how about a little written gratitude now that I've given my honest take on the past month?  I am thankful for my job.  I haven't written about it yet but I am really SO excited about it!!  I have been hired on for a part-time nursing position at the @rlington pregnancy center!  This is my dream first nursing job that I have been praying about for months, literally.  Long story short, this job just fell into place perfectly, in God's perfect timing.  I really look forward to going in, so enjoy what I will be doing, and couldn't ask for better coworkers- really all the women there are such servants.  I never imagined that I would have the privilege of working with such supportive, encouraging, and Godly women.  Not sure how much blog-time this position will get from me as confidentiality plays into basically everything that happens there, but I'm excited to share my job news with you today!  I've had this position for maybe 5 weeks now;  right now I am just going in once a week for training, however starting in January I'll be working about 20+ hours a week.  I'm thankful for busyness- planning Maddie's wedding is basically a full-time job, helping my parent's with decisions about the renovation of their new home is really fun for me, and shopping for/talking about/obsessing over Callie & Jeremy's baby boy, Oliver Ryan, is plenty of fun as well!  I am thankful for friends and their outreach to me and I am especially looking forward to a trip to Little Rock next week!!!  Thankful for health and wellness for Karl and my family- especially my sweet newborn cousin that came home from the NICU after a 3-week stay this past week!!!!  Thankful for great TV shows, a supportive family, and mostly for how God has protected my heart during this time.  I have been praying that Karl & I wouldn't feel lonely, empty, or sad and He has certainly provided.  I kind of just feel numb- like, don't think about what is actually going on in my life, Korea-wise, in fact, it still doesn't even feel real to me that this thing is 12 months long.... maybe that will catch up with me in a bad way but for now, it's working.  So, now are you glad I've been quiet?  Because most of my posts would read similarly to this... kindofdepressing, but I'm working on it.   How's that for honesty?  And speaking of honesty- go ahead and lower your expectations of me in that department- when I'm asked about how this is all going face-to-face with someone, I'll tell you it's fine... I mean, what am I supposed to say?  "This really blows, I'm pretty lonely, and time is going by at snails pace."  So I just lie instead.  God is working on me.  Maybe another month and I'll be totally over it all.  Maybe.  Annnnnnd now some cheery pictures to send you on your way:

Maddie & I at her most recent shower- SO FUN!

Sending Karl lots of Christmas packages- LOVE doing this!

Billi, loving the house plans too.

And last, but OBVIOUSLY not least- a picture I recently sent Karl to brighten his day.  Never looked better, I tell ya.

Happy week to you,

Hannah K.C. Burton

Hey Karl- how about another guest post from Korea?!?  Your fans are demanding more from you!  You're so popular!!