Since our grand move to Texas we have enjoyed 20 whole days of awesome.  Here are some highlights!

-Karl has worked for 10 of them at a local recruiting office, which is how we were able to get so much time here prior to his upcoming departure.  Those work days won't count against his leave so they have been like freebies for us- totally awesome and not the first (rather the third) time we've enjoyed the perks of the "recruiters assistant program."  He had to wear his blues everyday, which I'm totally not used to seeing him.  He looks handsome, right?  Thank you, Air Force.

-Time with family.  We got to see Karl's dad this past week and have dinner at his grandma's house and it was wonderful!  So so so grateful for all the family time Karl is getting, especially with his own!  We are staying with Callie, Jeremy, & Baby Hannah Bailey and enjoying dinners with them and the rest of the Cuppett Clan and it is all just what I need right now.  I find myself panicking anytime I'm away from Karl or even my family right now.  It is the weirdest and stinkiest feeling ever.  Our time at Callie & Jeremy's is wonderful!  We are like totally loving every second of it and feeling right at home here, they may never get rid of us... just kidding.  Kind of.  However, I will stay here until my parent's new house is ready because all the dogs (Billi + her two) at my Gammy's house make me think I'm dying a horrible asthma and allergy death.

-In Baby Bailey news: Callie is almost 18 weeks and I am dying, DYING, dying to know the gender.  Like, when I think about it I have knots in my stomach.  This isn't a joke.  We tried to listen to the heartbeat with my stethoscope but it was a no-go.  She isn't far along enough.

She literally is loving pickles right now.  This is not a joke.

 -We threw Karl a surprise party to celebrate his big 24th (...3 weeks late.  Call it the most extended bday celebration ever).  It was so great!  We brought in Spring Creek (his fave BBQ), party hats, and ambushed him with silly string

-Our Friday nights (the past 3) have been spent cheering on the Pantego Panthers at football games.  They are a blast despite their recent losses.  It is SO FUN to watch Jeremy coach!

This was at a JV game this past Thursday- SO FUN!

-Karl is working on a huge cardboard dino for his Halloween costume.  Mhmm.  I'll save pictures till I can show you him in the final product...  I will tell you that it was important to him that he use his own arms as "short dino arms."

-Karl & I got to meet our good friends Wil & Kendra from Sumter for dinner HERE IN TEXAS last week!  It was so weird and totally awesome!  They were staying at the Gaylord in Grapevine for a work conference of Wil's so obvi we jumped on that and had dinner with them in Southlake and then did a little Dallas sightseeing!  We will really miss them this next year.  I'm bummed I didn't take any pics but here are a few I never blogged from a little couples day date we took to the gun range several weeks ago in Sumter... OK so mostly Kendra and I just observed.

-We are celebrating Christmas this weekend so that Karl can have a big, wonderful, semi-normal Christmas before he leaves.  And by "celebrating Christmas this weekend," I mean like tonight is Christmas eve, my whole family is spending the night at Callie's, Santa is coming.  Santa. is. coming.  This is my view from the couch at Callie's right now.  So on the actual December 25th, Santa will be bringing stockings to all of us and to South Korea and that's all.  The Cuppetts, Bowen boy, and Baileys love my husband beyond measure and if I think about it too much I will for sure cry.

-Enjoying my role as both onlooker and participant to the normal, everyday, Cuppett life... such as the events surrounding this picture...

My dad.  helping Emma with a photo project

-Last weekend was "family fun weekend."  More on that later as it deserves it's own post.

-Next weekend we're having a Thanksgiving feast so Karl can get all of his Thanksgiving faves before he leaves.  Next week we'll be getting to go spend some time with his other grandparents that live a couple of hours from here, see some of our best friends, and just hopefully relax and relish these last several days together.

I just feel immense gratitude when I look at this post and see everything that we have gotten to do since we have been home, all the friends and family we have gotten to spend time with, and all the fun we have gotten to have.  I am so so so grateful.  I keep coming across verses and church marquis and being nudged by The Lord to remember the choice I have- to choose gratitude during this time in my life.  So that's what I'm doing... or trying to at least.  I am grateful of the bajillion things that are well in mine & K's lives and the fact that there is only 1 thing that is testing us right now- separation.  Just one thing.  So I'm looking forward to silly things that I've never cared about because it makes it seem like the next 12 months are moving on by- like I just saw a commercial for the oscars... that will mean it's January.  And I bought him sunscreen yesterday.  Which means when he uses it it will be summer- halfway through!  And I plan to buy him 24 razor replacement razor blades at Costco next week.  That's enough to get him through his whole time away.  Only 24 blades.  He blows through those so quickly.  We'll blow through this so quickly.

Can't wait to blog about Christmas and the dozen other things I missed here!
Hannah K.C. Burton

hello, Texas!

Well, I'm super behind on blogging but back and ready to catch up- all in the name of my dear friend and blog cheerleader Carly Jackson!  We have been in Texas for almost three weeks now and our time here is FLYING, flying by y'all!  It is so much harder to have time for updates when I actually have some semblance of a life... which I suppose I could say I do here, as opposed to my mundane days in South Carolina.  Anyways.  We are here in Texas and soaking up every minute of busyness, fun, family, and our time together.  I'll back track for my own memory.  My last post was about moving/movers.  Even before that we sold Karl's truck.  Remember when I wrote here about our Craigslist experience?  Well, we ended that note on a great one and sold the truck to a sweet family where it will be driven by a teenage girl who just adored the truck after her first test drive.  I literally cried as we pulled away from it.  First off, it was weird selling it in a McDonalds parking lot.  I mean, what has my life come to?  The buyer literally handed us 2K in cash.  In a McDonalds lot.  Secondly, I used to loathe that thing.  Now I'm crying as we leave it for the last time?  In my defense, that truck is so closely associated with Karl- it's the only car I have ever known him to have.  OK, over it.  Next.  Our 2nd and 3rd day of moving went much more smoothly.  The new set of movers arrived and the first thing out of the mouth of the lead mover was, "We've come and brought God & Jesus with us, we are going to bless your life!"  Done and done.  Karl was able to be home with me for those last two days and it was just much more under control, especially feeling like I didn't have to babysit the movers.  My parents came in on Friday night and stayed until Sunday morning.  It was SUCH a blessing to have them there.  We finished cleaning our empty house, loaded my car (what a joke), enjoyed some local Sumter favorites, and were just pleasantly distracted from the upheaval of our lives by their delightful company.  Sunday morning (at 3 AM) we drove them to the airport, went back to Sumter to fill our car more (ridiculous), and hit the road.  We drove 15 hours and made it to Callie & Jeremy's house at 10 PM that night.  Our first morning here was spent unloading the car and finding a corner, drawer, or space for all the junk we brought with us.  Callie & Jeremy are ridiculously hospitable.  Like, can't even talk about it.  They had emptied a guest room for us, cleared kitchen shelves, garage space, and just made us feel like we were home.  We are loving every second of our time with them and in Arlington and I just wish I could freeze time.  Would you pray for our hearts as it feels like time is spinning out of control and it's freaking me out.  10 days.

Last pic in our room!

This is how packed my car was.  We were holding a suitcase in our laps in the back seat on our way to dinner in Sumter.  We felt super classy.

Please notice the tarped load on the roof.  Awesome.

on the road!  God makes beautiful things in Louisiana!

Proud to say that I drove for like 6 hours.  I'm awesome.

Back tomorrow, dying to get this thing caught up!
Hannah K.C. Burton

moving, day 1

The unaccompanied baggage clowns employees are here right now and I have several thoughts:

-I am holding back the tears trying not to make a fool of myself with the tears; it really feels like they have come to take Karl.  I know that is so weird.  Reminding myself that we are not defined by or found in our possessions.  They can take what they want- Karl is still here.  And even when he is not, The Lord is my strength.

-Why am I blogging right now and not in there supervising?  Why did I choose such a small room for our 'Korea room?' I can't fit in there with them and they are unimpressive.  I opened the door when they rang my doorbell this morning and they just marched right in and into my living room.  No, "Hi, I'm Joe with blah blah blah,"  they literally didn't even give me the opportunity to invite them in and offer them a slice of pumpkin bread.  Their loss.

-Not sad to see Karl's snowboard make it's way to Korea.  Sad to see Karl's favorite flannel shirt and pillow that smells like him go.  And hair clippers that he gives himself hair cuts with because he does them better then anyone else can.  And Glad to send our only good TV that he gave me for my 21st birthday.  Glad to send framed wedding pictures.  Glad to send a new bath mat so his feet are warm and dry when he gets out of the shower.  Glad to send a cookie sheet and spatula so he can make himself slice-and-bake cookies, his favorite.  Glad to send his Skype headphones and glad those haven't been used for the past year and a half. Glad to send bedding that looks like a married 24 year old uses it and not a bachelor that lives in a dorm.  Glad to have the most fitting and perfect stationary to write on and hide among his boxes that reads, "She makes the whole world feel like home,"and The Great I AM who strengthens me to try and do that.

-Trying to stay busy and not let my mind wonder for multiple reasons.  I'm sure you can come up with a few, including but not limited to these movers.

I keep coming back to it... Psalm 118:24: This is the day The Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it
Hannah K.C. Burton

Striped Socks

This is my favorite pair of socks.  Every Fall {and multiple other times a year} my Pa would take us back-to-school shopping in pairs or small groups of his choice {a few sisters or a couple of cousins, a little girl and a big girl or two little ones, etc- I wonder how he decided who would go with whom?}.  Normally our shopping was just for shoes {like, soooo many pair- we are spoiled.} but for some reason my 5th grade shopping trip found me, Pa, and maybe my sister Maddie or London {?} in Gap Kids.  All I know is that Pa bought me my favorite outfit of that year- a horizontally striped sweater with a corduroy skirt and at the checkout he spotted a pair of knee-high socks that matched the sweater perfectly that he added to the pile of clothes and insisted I have... and that just happened to be the year that everyone was wearing skirts with mary-jane shoes and knee-high socks, so I was pretty excited.  I have no idea where that sweater is- probably on the child of a Mission Arlington customer- another of Pa's passions.  But the socks... come every fall and winter they still get worn approximately every time they are clean.  I'm thinking of retiring them before holes are worn in them.  I think about him in literally everything I do.  Fishing alongside Karl this weekend was a big one. Karl going to Korea.  Wearing my Uggs {he thought they were really interesting, haha}.  Every time I write or smile or Karl calls me "Kate."  I could go on... but for all my pregnant and hormonal cousins and sister who may or may not be crying right now, I won't, ha.

Hannah K.C. Davis Burton, always a Davis

Glamping- I am a Cuppett.

So part of Karl's birthday celebration included camping this past weekend.  I had planned everything before I told him about it.  I wanted to do the dirty work so it wasn't like- "Surprise camping trip!!  ANND here, can you plan it?"  So, I spent like a ridiculous amount of time educating myself on state parks and talking to my dad about camping meals.  And then when Karl & I were walking around an outdoor store on his birthday and he was complaining about how we haven't been camping this year I went ahead and filled him in.  Anyways, the weekend was AWESOME!  I do enjoy camping and have never claimed otherwise.  I just like to make it kind of like "glamping,"- glamorous camping.  Like, the most comfortable form of camping possible, well, aside from literally having an RV out there.  So, obviously our car looked like 12 people were going camping for 3 months- Karl is a very patient man and I am very much a Cuppett girl.  Fortunately, we are on the same page with all of this- he wants a comfortable bed (Read: we took a queen size air mattress, 6 pillows, and a ridiculous amount of blankets), good food (ummm, maybe we went and got fast food once instead of "cooking" something), and clearly cleanliness is a top priority for both of us- you are not going to find us in some primitive place- we were a short walk from a fully stocked bathroom that I read reviews on before booking the place.  Thanks.  Anyways, we camped for 2 nights (patting myself on the back here) and it was a total blast!  Completely relaxing, fun, PERFECT weather (like highs of 60, nights in the 30s and 40s)!  We both rated this higher than our bed & breakfast beach anniversary getaway... which is probably why I'm blogging about this one first.  Now, onto the pictures... Which I haven't even had time to edit- the scenery was beautiful!

Karl caught 1 fish and apparently it wasn't one that we could eat...fine by me

That first night was a little rough- too quiet and dark for us and sort of creepy. So scared of bugs.

Our view when we woke up!

I was on the phone with Callie & looked up to see Karl just paddling on out there

Karl wanted to go on a "hike," but that word just messes with my psyche so I agreed as long as we could call it a "nature walk."  It was successful... until I started thinking about all the Criminal Minds episodes I've seen.

Such sweet time with Karl before this week of crazy moving!  Today is our last Monday in South Carolina- bittersweet for sure!
Hannah K.C. Burton

What we've been up to

I am so behind on blogging!  I still want to post about Callie visiting in August and our trip to visit The Johns' with her before I forget plus our anniversary weekend getaway and our fun anniversary photo session that Karl & I had a couple of weeks ago.  For now I'll have to settle for some random tidbits that I have time for at the moment...

-I'm having another esophageal endoscopy on Friday to stretch out my throat again.  Not exactly looking forward to it but glad to have all this behind me.

-Last week +this week + next week are just chock full of organizing/purging/cleaning/wanting to pack but not being able to- the Air Force is moving us so I can't pack any boxes myself which {in theory} is awesome, however, to know that we are rolling out of here next Saturday and to not see a single box packed is kind of freaking me out.  It's taking everything I have to not start packing things just to settle my Type A self down.  I have, however, been going room-by-room, closet-by-closet, leaving no drawer or cabinet unturned and organizing, packing, sorting, making a million lists, cleaning, and purging like there's no tomorrow.  No shelf is safe here.

-We designated the floor of one of the guest rooms for Korea and the bed of that room for Arlington so everything on the floor is going to Korea while everything on the bed in there is going with me to Arlington {stay with me here}- it's helping me stay organized AND have countless emotional breakdowns- the perfect storm.  Ya know, it's just good to be able to walk in a room and see all of your husband's favorite clothes, things, and items all sitting in luggage and know that you personally won't be seeing those things for a year- a real picker-upper that room is.

-There is nothing, nothing more startling than turning on an iPhone camera expecting to see the image of what you are about to take a picture of only to see your dumbfounded, open-mouthed, disheveled self.

-Just sent in our last rent check.  For the next year.

-Callie & Jeremy have graciously offered one of their guest bedrooms to Karl & I for the time that we'll be in Arlington before he leaves for Korea (a little over 3 weeks).  The rest of my family is still living at Gammy's house while my parent's future home is still being closed on.  Karl & I are a) really, really, really grateful for their offer & hospitality b) super excited to get to spend this time with them and basically party 24/7 c) have Jersey Shore DVR'd and introduce Callie & Jeremy to Jersday {we have to make sure that the first thing that Callie's unborn baby hears is something inappropriate out of an incoherent, fake Italian's mouth}

-Lately I've had some conflicting thoughts plaguing me on age.  Karl turned 24 yesterday, which sounds SO OLD to me, 23, however, still sounds like a little baby.  Then you have the strangers here in Sumter that see me at the grocery store on a Tuesday at 11:00 AM and think I'm ditching high school... to grocery shop. I get excited when there's rain because our grass is dry and I'm about to have professional movers come move my home.  I also eat Honey Buns for breakfast.  Working on my feelings toward age and numbers.

-I intentionally scheduled our first day of packing on a workday for Karl.  I am 100% sure that I will be embarrassed for anyone {including Karl} to see me interact with the packers.  As in, they will be packing our things exactly how I want them packed.  And Karl will be so embarrassed of me so he should probably just be at work.
"Excuse me, that fl;kajsdlfj is so special to me.  I think you should wrap it in bubble wrap, put it in this box, wrap the box in bubble wrap, and then but that box in another box.  And right FRAGILE alllll over it.  Here, let me do it...."


-My parents are coming in next Thursday or Friday to help us for a night or two and I can't wait.  I know I will need the help and I can't wait to see them.

-I received my much anticipated Erin Condren planner about 2 weeks ago and it has been a life-saver in staying organized as our lives have really picked up pace as of late.  I love it.  I will probably reorder this planner every single year for the rest of my life.  In the interest of full disclosure, I should add that the ordering/shipping process was unimpressive and left a lot to be desired- it took 15 days from the day that I ordered the planner to the day that it was at my front door.  People like rave about their customer service and such- I don't get that.  I mean, there was nothing horrible but it was just basic and average- I mean, y'all know my standards on customer service.  I won't get on that soap box.  The product, however, is top notch!

Wow, clearly I had a lot to get off my chest.  Maybe I need to do 'life updates' {aka what is Hannah thinking/feeling} more often.  You're welcome.

Hannah K.C. Burton

Happy Birthday, Karl!

Happy HAPPY birthday to Karl Wayne!  I am beyond thankful for him and overjoyed to get to spend his 24th birthday alongside him!  He is just the absolute BEST- best husband, best friend, best worker, best cook, best improviser, best fixer, I could go on for days- I mean, there is basically nothing this guy can't or won't do and do well for me and for others.  He is literally like gold at everything he tries and does, I know I'm biased and sound ridiculous here but I'm not lying- like I have never seen him fail at anything- he's basically Edward Cullen AND Jacob Black.  So, yeah.  I can't wait to see what Karl's 24th year brings- I'm imagining a year of challenges and trials with our oceanic separation but lot of rewards as well as we learn a new way to do marriage cross-earth, ha.  I am excited to spend this year with him and am already anticipating his 25th birthday- this time next year we'll be about one month shy of his homecoming and I'm looking forward to that already!
It has been so fun to start birthday traditions within our little family of 2 over the past year and because birthdays have always been a huge deal in my family I love making our traditions over the top and as fun for Karl as possible!  Karl had Tuesday off so after a day of him requesting special things for his "pre-birthday," ha, we went out to eat at the restaurant of his request... drum-roll please, Buffalo Wild Wings.  Yes, he could've chosen anywhere.  Then after about an hour of him begging (and even offering to be my slave for a day as a trade) to open his gifts early, he went to bed while I decorated our house with birthday paraphernalia.  Because I wouldn't agree to him opening his gifts early, he got to open them before he left for work this morning... at 6:30.   Kid on Christmas morning I tell ya.  I took lunch up to his work along with some cupcakes and then we had his favorite home cooked dinner- fried catfish and birthday buttermilk pie!  This weekend (after my second esophagus stretching appointment, awesome) we are going camping for more birthday celebrating and fishing for Karl!  So excited to a) get away with him and b) him to get to camp and fish!  I'll add pictures after this weekend!

Happy birthday to my awesome, sweet husband!
Hannah K.C. Burton

Truck for Sale

We are selling Karl's truck, or trying to, before we leave South Carolina...err in the next 3 weeks. Selling it because it's a standard, which I have somehow gotten away without learning to drive for the past 5 years, plus it would be costly to get it to Texas, insure and maintain it for the year it will just be sitting, and then hope it still runs when Karl gets back- all for probably more than it's worth.  Still, this is the only car Karl has had since I've known him so it makes me so sad to get rid of it.  It's like one more piece to the sad Korea puzzle that is being put into place.  I will undoubtedly cry when that truck is gone.  Anyways... back to the point of this, a friend of Karl's had asked to buy it but has recently backed out so we have resorted to {drumroll, please} Craigslist.  Obviously the classiest, safest option where we are least likely to get scammed.  Please enjoy the following two REAL emails we received inquiring about the truck- WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE and how do they get by in real life???

If you know Karl or I you can imagine how hard it was for us to not respond with the world's most sarcastic email.  However, we didn't and I just replied that we did not, in fact, need a Martin D-35 guitar or anything for streetfighting.  And we do, actually, need all the money at the time of the sale.  Remember this post about Precious Moore?  Mhmmm.

Hannah K.C. Burton, car saleswoman

and the anniversary celebration continues... with pictures

Karl & I had a photo sesh with a local photographer a few weekends ago.  I decided that I want to prioritize pictures every single year, money-wise, and I'm so glad I did this year!  I treasure good photos!  Yesterday our online gallery became available and I'll order the CD of images this week and then have the photos in hand soon after that.  Right now, I just pulled one off her website that has her watermark on it.  I had a vision for these pictures, just wanted her to capture our life as newlyweds... getting to live life together is still so fresh and exciting for us!  There were lots that I didn't like because of how I looked, not because the actual image itself isn't great, so I did learn two big lessons: 1) ask to see images as you go on the camera screen.  If not, you could go the whole time with horrible hair or spend 15 minutes taking pictures with a pose you will hate and a double chin {cough cough} 2) make a list- and now you can all call me foolish because I said this after my wedding photos went slightly awry when I was list-less that day and now here I am, kicking myself for a few images I wanted but forgot about the day of but wouldn't have had I had a list.  Despite my two lessons learned, I LOVED the photographer we worked with, would use her again in a heartbeat, and cannot wait to get some of these images printed, framed, stretched across a canvas, and hung!!  Above is one of my favorites, forgive the watermark and check out our photographer HERE!

Hannah K.C. Burton
and how 'bout the fact that after YEARS I finally got the banner centered on the good ol blog??  aa I can breathe.

the happiest aunt on the block, y'all!!

You read that right, Baby Bailey will be here in early April!!!  I have been dreaming of the day that I would get to post news like this for years, YEARS y'all!  I think being an aunt is going to be one of the greatest treasures!  There is just so much for me to share- my mind is exploding with excitement!  Since Callie doesn't have a blog (I'm working on her, don't worry), I consider it my personal mission to document every tidbit of this pregnancy/baby that most of you won't care about, you're welcome.  This is basically my baby.  It's name is Hannah and they don't even know the gender yet.  I have a pregnancy app on my phone so I can track Hannah's development.  Feel free to do the same.  If you know my mom, it won't surprise you to hear that she had purchased pacis and diapers within about 48 hours of Callie making the big announcement.  She now has (for her own home): diapers, pacis, a glider, a bouncy seat, clothing, and 4 security blankets; Hannah is the size of a fig/my pinky.  ANNND the best part?  Two of my cousins are expecting too- so 3 babies within 6 months.  Baby heaven.  Callie & Jeremy told us when Karl & I were home for my birthday and I was shocked but thrilled, we were all and are all THRILLED!!  Here are some pictures that I've been keeping from you since Callie & Jeremy have kept me quiet until now...

First things first, desensitize Billi to a baby's cry and make her not lick the baby's face

When Callie visited, we spent a lot of time talking baby.  And a little time buying a dress for girl and a bathing suit for boy!

When Emma was here, we had a baby photo shoot and I hid these {weird} pics all over the house for Callie to stumble upon when she came two weeks later.  Don't let my marital status or age fool you.

Callie told Shane & Allison and their kids when we went to visit them during her visit here.  Here's the video of it- they actually have it on video of them telling my family and Jeremy's family too {I have to get the video of Jeremy's parents on here- the most sweet/fun thing EVER} but I don't have those.  Some conversation you can't hear... little Kallie tells Shane, Allison, & the boys, "one of the Callie/Kallie's in this room is going to have a baby!" It took a minute for what she said to register with Shane & Allison but everyone was so excited once it clicked!

One of the most exciting things about this baby & Baby Harris & Baby Batangan is that I'll be in Arlington to enjoy showers, excitement, and newborns!!  Obviously, I would trade close proximity for Karl to be with me in America, however, I don't get to make that choice and considering the situation, I'd say I have it pretty good!  I cannot wait for Karl to come home for his mid-tour leave and meet his 2ish-month-old niece or nephew, 3ish-month-old cousin, and 6ish-month-old Baby boy L!  Karl & babies... melt my heart.  He LOVES, LOVES babies and kids.  Like, loves.

I just know I'll think of more to share or get my hands on pictures or video to add!  Maybe I'll start some weekly series featuring my ever-growing niece or nephew.  You're welcome.
Hannah K.C. Burton, aunt