March Winds & the Winds of Change

It has been 8 years March 30th that Linda and I said our "I DO'S" - It has been an amazing journey and though at times we get lost along the way or we drift from the daily pressures - we also accomplish great things and gain a closer relationship. Yeah I am not going to lie that it has been a bed of roses but we promised through the good times and the bad not just the good.

I decided to leave a job to pursue my career in the field I just graduated in with a Bachelor's degree - Graphic Design. I made a promised to get this type of job by the end of March. My stomach has been upset and I had to make a hard decision that would impact so many people. In fact I have been very upset and very vocal person and just mean... I realized it is so many things that was pulling me that way and this... like the wind it tends to push us, I felt like I was not headed on the right compass or the right path and every day it has been a burden. Along with taking care of a person that is losing his memory - it gets tiresome and no rest... we are hoping to get him into a center soon.

The winds of change are brewing and going forward and pressing hard I will get my start on my career path. Going back to Linda and I, we are strong as the redwoods and as the winds blow and the rain tempest goes... we shall over come all the storms that press upon us. With the Lords help and with loved ones that care - there is not reason not to. (update to come) and Babe ~ Happy Anniversary!!

2 things....or more to address today.

I have been extremely sleepy... mostly because of winter months cause my morning sinuses to be extremely clogged and it makes wearing my sleep apnea cpap mask impossible.. Wearing the mask is a bother any ways. #1 I sleep on my stomach, #2 The hose is a pain, #3 and sinuses make it a pain. The ultimate reason is 4/5 cpap customer struggle wear their mask a whole night with out taking them off. I feel that it is do to my over bite. I have started a new job with new hours and I am still getting acclimated to the schedule and I get home late and get to sleep around 2pm after I settle down and after talking to my wife... Being a sleep apnea patient, it is hard to express the mood swings we can go on. It is like surviving on 1/2 night sleep. I am a horrible husband and only wish she would would understand it is my lack of sleep and new hours of work... my nerves are shot and pushing me will not work... or being un patient. My outburst are not to be forgiven and I am only hoping that that those that have spouses with sleep apnea to be patient and not to take some outburst as a threat...it is like when you have not slept for a while and then try to work through a day.... it just gets hazy... the next thing that has been bugging me lately is that fact that I left on a journey to improve my stars, my status quo and this past week I returned to the very place I set out to never be in again... on the phones... I am creative and a designer and I burnt our my brain cells on phone jobs... it seems like a mental block comes over me... I am struggling at my training and hoping that I can pass all the test. I have gone on long enough with out working and I just want to matter.

....Lastly to take off the edge we went to Rhode Island Diner, it is a nice drive through Park City and on the back roads to Heber to come along a old fashioned Diner Car Diner!!! The food is awesome too! Service a bit quirky but just for the trip and drive it is worth it. Prices are around 6-12 dollars and the Reuben is to die for... I am not a big RYE bread fan... Make your own burgers and the shakes... YUMS the word. Take the ride into Oakley then keep going and you can turn left into Heber or go back on the main road into the Junction to Park City or Cheyenne... On good days we go to Heber then through Provo Canyon, to Orem then back to SLC. It makes for a nice drive. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DINER GO TO THIS WEBSITE;http://www.roadislanddiner.com/index.html ENJOY!

The gigs up! - You Got me!

Some times in life you just have to say uncle - the gigs up! Basically I am recapping my last 4 months of searching for work. I believe the lord is humbling me and teaching me great lessons, I just hope I am listening better. I have had at least 1 to 2 interviews a week starting in just January alone. Oct.-Dec. I whole whopping 3 maybe. I have learned to relax, go in excited, be truthful and dont be truthful; and my most favorite of all "Tell me about yourself?" - really means tell me all your qualifications for the job. It is a pure jungle out there. My last excursion was going to St. George for 30 minutes of an interview. I guess you could say that the journey was worth it... and I am thankful I took the journey with my wife. So I spent 4 years of learning graphic design to today landing my anti-dream job...phones and being on them all day long... yep' I got hired finally - truth be known I actually start a sorta graphic design job for 8 hours a week for 35 bucks a hr. BUT it starts in March some time?? Just recently I have had some great leads and interviews for those great "GD" job. A toy company in Tempe AZ, a shirt design company in ST. GEORGE, and working for a Mac outlet called Simply Mac. So that battle wages and now looking at starting training for a month and not seeing my wife and all for the mercy of money... what do I do? Say uncle I am not fit to be a graphic designer or take this time as an opportunity to update my portfolio during the day and hit it harder this summer - fall. I could get my certification in teaching and go down that route?? I could actually write a book, I could start up a business of my many ideas I have... or just say - I am Ryan and I am meant to be on the phones.. its not a bad thing. I guess I have fought for a graphic design job and feel like a chump giving in to my back up career option. Well what ever I do... I will be doing it... and doing my best I can. So in March I might be working 2 jobs and getting our income tax return - so money will be coming in and that is good because the car payment and insurance need some love. Plus all our other bills. I also have a side idea of making a memoir book for my mother for all those that did not get a chance to meet her.

ALSO - I have been tutoring Giovani, I met G' when I advertised my tutoring flyers and he wanted me to help him on a spanish newspaper, we worked together for a bit while I helped do the design work for the paper, the work was not worth the pay so I dropped out and thought I lost a good friend, however after the new year he approached me to tutor him for real and he would do the graphics and editing of the newspaper. So I have been going a couple times a week to his house and teaching him photoshop, he has been picking it up really fast and has done 2 editions already. Well he is so busy and has 2 twins - so I mentioned to Linda that we could babysit the twins to help out if they wanted to.. so last Friday we actually got the chance to spend most the day with them. We watched Dora, went to McD's and the above picture is the twins zonked out in the back of our new car on the ride to the Sandy Aquarium. So we let them sleep and hung out in the car for about 30 minutes... then we went in to see the fishies... at first they were just waking up - but after 10 minutes they were everywhere and was just in ahh, looking at all the wonders of the sea, from sharks to turtles to snakes to their favorite... the penguins!! we got to watch them feed them too. So we went home and I crashed and then the parents came and got the kids... I think they missed them too.. It was a good day and I proved to myself that I am a good fit for raising kids at least not as scared. Peace out and please visit this blog to find out more about our crazy adventures.

New Car - It's Final

So we finally traded our Chevy Cav. that we were basically upside down in (worth little and we paying a lot!) Through the good folks at Garff Nissan we got into a 2012 Nissan Sentra... this is an awesome car to drive. Sad thing is it does not have cruise control? but the nice interior, and the overall experience is great so I can not complain to much, except the fact I hardly get to drive it since my wife drives it to work. The dealership filled our tank up and so that Saturday we ended up in Idaho Falls for dinner and headed home. It was very nice and just cruised right along and felt like we could go to Canada (needed more gas money) Well, the upside is it has only 800 miles on (100 when we bought it) and the downside is its like 150 bucks more a month...wow. Hope I get a job soon. Take care.

January update

It has been some time since the last so I wanted to post a quick write up about the amazing world we live in. Yeah there is weirdo's and killers and all the nuts between, then there is the wonders that God gave us to take our minds off the lowly state our world faces. I am talking about Earth. From the oceans to the mountains, to the deserts and so on... lately Linda and I have been going to the Planetarium downtown and boy is it fun! we have watched these shows in the "DOME" and I would recommend all to check it out. THE UNIVERSE and space outside and the chance to view it nightly if we choose too, you just have to look up people. Well I will leave for now but in conclusion - God grants us sunsets, and wonders of the world to lift our minds to higher places, please take the chance and enjoy a wonder today.

HUGE UPDATE (AUG to NEW YEARS 2012)

Well I dont want to bore you with all the details of the past 6 months - but I would like to share some highlights and impressions.

1. I finally graduated with my Bachelors Degree in Graphic Design (Sept)
2. Had a great Thanksgiving with 2 family's
3. Had a busy Holiday season, watching movies and reconnecting with our Great niece and nephews.
4. Tried my had at being my own boss (lasted 20 days)
5. Had a great time sharing my wife's birthday and new years downtown with the EVE Salt Lake Party passes.
6. Watching the amazing stars you can see at the Clark Planetarium.
7. Doing baptism for the dead in the Salt Lake Temple.
8. Spending time with family (Pops, Laura, Pa, Terry, Sally, Bob and Fam.)
9. Spending a awesome time with Bob and Marie for lunch and games!
10. Being humbled daily and finding myself in the process.

*I have had some struggle finding work. Have had the chance to teach and tutor some people and have found that teaching is a gift I have as well. The many cross roads I face daily - Searching for full time work, trying my hands at owning my own business, contemplating what other things I could do as well. I am thankful for my wife and her sweet spirit that has encourage me through it all. You can now go visit her blog at http://lindasblessings.blogspot.com/
to see what she is thankful for each day... well take care and I will be updating this more regularly. Bye for now...

Udated Post for July

Hello all!

The update is like this; Been out of school for the past month while my dear sweet wife has been working very hard at her new hired on position at Wells Fargo as a customer service agent. I am grateful for her and her sacrifice to help assist me at school to let me take on 5 heavy classes and schedules to graduate this September. Also I would like to thank Alan in all he does while we are looking after him to help assist in this matter as well. An extended thank you to all family members in all they do to support us as well and for your prayers. We pray for you as well and always hope that life is treating you fair as it can be. This month I have stuggled with my apnea and thanks to the upcoming insurance from Linda's work I am hoping that new things can be solved in helping me beat this issue. I have lots of dreams and projects that I want to see be fullfilled; however I can not do these things when I am always feeling like a zombie. We have had a great summer and now that things are warming up it has been a bit more enjoyable. We like to bbq meat once a week, go for swim in our pool, watch history and travel channel and go to movies. This past weekend we had the chance to go to Logan for the "Cruise in" - it was nice to get out of the valley and see cool cars. It was nice to eat out with my pops and he was so happy to see us - we do miss Cache Valley and I only wish is that I could work there for a living.

I will keep you updated as best I can - I have updated an old twitter feed and you can learn more about my adventures DAILY at http://twitter.com/#!/ryan_pic76

by for now!

Its Late but what the heck!

Random thoughts and our heritage or legacy... this is a picture of my grandma and my mother (the little girl) - they are both in heaven now and the house behind them I grew up in as well belongs to a new family. Looking back through out our lives we see rare glimpses of what we may become, I hope that I can leave a legacy of my own some day and those that remember me when I am gone will at least get a smile on their face and chuckle a bit. I am not writing my obituary here but came across this picture and see what made me and their sacrifices for me and my opportunity's of a better future.

Current news at the home front is about the same, Chester has been missing again - Linda got a better shift at work and works 9-5pm - I started school for the spring Qtr. Looking at one or maybe two more Qtrs. to go. Working on my portfolio for the 2nd time this year and hope to put some new and updated work. Work is going good and will be celebrating 3 years at Ad Wear this May - Looking forward to my B-day and getting sick and tired of the cold weather. May has to come through for me, its just gotta'.

We are pushing on and the battle wages on! Until next time, so long... (look for updates on my web portfolio to come some time in June officially!)

A New Year (A time to resolve) 2011

Taking the "plunge" and also working out... Yes! there comes a time were you must make a change and resolve. For me walking is very hard because of my back and the wieght I put on it... so the best thing for me is swimming. The about picture is an actual picture of our pool in Holladay, Utah. It is pretty nice and has a resistance walking path jet pool thing that helps in the process. Plus a hot tub, track, and slide. We get the gym and pool and access to the rec center for 40 bucks a month for the both of us! I have been going since last week and it is awesome!!! Linda and I want to make our lives healthy an happy for the good. Great thing too, its only a mile away from our apt.

Just quickly - we have been working hard and playing a bit too. Just ask us about how we like to laugh and see live comedy, plays and do it for real cheap. School is going along and it is going to be spring break in a few weeks and I am way excited about that. Well take care and have a great day. Thanks for visiting.

Is Spring ever to come....?

I took this picture with our new camera (thanks - Terry and Sally!) This is a man made glacier thingy we saw up in Heber Utah. We celebrated Valentines this year with some grub and the Homestead Bed and Breakfast. It was very relaxing and a nice break from all our issues as of lately.

This will be a short post but I wanted to bring you up to speed on whats new and what the low down at the Pilkington household. Linda works at Wells Fargo and does her best to go to school the next morning on hardly any sleep. They reduced my hours but say they are extremely busy and blah blah blah - I am grateful for my job and the steady income it provides. Linda has been learning lots in the culinary class and has made some pretty cool stuff. She loves it when she is awake. She is hoping for a day position soon. Alan is still living in his apartment down on 33rd south and by redwood road. He goes to seniors daily and is making walking sticks for other seniors that need them and it is being sponsored by the University of Utah.

We got our income tax return and was able take care of some loose ends as far as bills and needs and wants. I am getting tomorrow a new software program called Painter 11 and a Stylus pen tablet to start being more creative and making some art, also to give a tablet a go. We also got a 50" HD Flat screen and a new couch! The biggest thing that we are getting is a years worth GYM Membership from our Rec Center down the street about a mile away. Very nice swimming pool and work out facility. I want to swim right now, but Not getting it until some time this week.

Got new clothes and paid some bills and took a break at the Homestead. NOW IF SPRING CAN COME A BIT FASTER and the trees see some green... at least another month.

As far as my school - I have 7 more classes and should be graduated by September - if I can come up with some funding to finish...day by day and month by month and I will do it. I am to close to quit now.

Well take care and remember to check back often. Peace out!!!!!

When dark times come upon us, isn't it great when the sun shines again! That warmth on the face and the heart. During these trying times I look unto a similar strength that shines like the noon day sun - My God and Savior; I know that he will help us if we truly are doing our best and move onto the next journey. The blessing we can share is - our cat came back, the car was fixed for free, burns heal, and broken bone mend. We still have jobs and can pay our bills, we have a roof over our heads and great friends that help out and family too. This month even though Linda did burn her hand at school and is wrapped up like a cute mummy, I think we are going to be o.k.

We are going to be able to get some things because we are getting a return this year from the IRS!! We are going to get a year membership to our Rec. Center - so we can have unlimited access to gym, pool and walk track. I need to lose wieght and Linda too so that we can live happier lives and less stressed ones too. Might get some other things to and pay off some bills. We know what we want out of life but getting there is the hard part. May we remember our blessing with in the storm is my prayer this day and have a great day!

The tale of 2 cars and our stress - we are very blessed.

Well it all started out as a means to an end, a way for Linda to get to work and school and take care of her step father-in-law. So we set out to purchase a new car way back in March 2010. Frankly I do not know what we did until then...however we set out for this new car in achieving a better credit score by showing forward payments and such - we were so happy as we drove our new Cavalier home. The picture above is not a Chevy actually it is a Kia Spectra and the tale tell about its involvement will be explained in a moment. So one day I met Linda for a late dinner at a favorite place called - THE BELGIUM WAFFLE - Linda took the new car home and I took the Jeep, although I thought I would until it did not start. It got towed the next couple days later and after we sat and waited for 3 hours - It needed a new battery and we paid it - YEAH!!! But as we were celebrating that small victory our new car was experiencing a major hick-up. It was acting weird but do to the holidays, and such I never got to a mechanic, in fact I had a appointment for the next morning when the Chevy died.... I just put gas in at Maverick and turned on the car when I heard a loud bang and then It was dead. I sat and waited for the tow truck to pick it up for 3 hours again.

This is were it turns ugly folks... the next day we were told it would cost $2000.00 to fix it because it had a blown engine and needed a new engine. So I said that we will call them back and let them know what we can do. So here we are with a dead horse and payments on top. Linda needed a car that day because of our busy schedules.. we sat and brain stormed for some time when she decided to call Larry H. Miller and see if we can trade it in and get a car...by theory this made a lot of sense so there we sat from a new dealer and was placed into a new car - THE KIA -

THE CONDITION WAS... we were to wait until the loan went through and have the Chevy repo'd and returned to the bank. So 2 weeks went by and then we were told that we need to put some money towards this to help the loan go through - we decided to put a post dated check for $750 by January 14th (The car broke down in Dec 1st) - So we waited and waited and received threats from our bank because we needed the money for the down payment and not the dead horse car payment... in the back of my mind I knew that we needed to return the Kia and deal with our problem, but having a new new car felt wonderful and I knew that it was too good to be true. It was fix the car or repo it and deal with that monster later and possible get sued or garnished. We both decided to take back the Kia - there was a new offer on the table, while the loan is still pending because of Linda's job - Larry H. Miller told us to pay the payment for the other car (dead horse) and we will lower the down payment and we should know by Saturday...
Well - we paid them, the loan was still pending and my nerves were on edge, so we decided to take back the Kia no matter what and deal with the other car based on new info that the Chevy dealership could help us out. On the way to returning the Kia I drove the Jeep and was to meet Linda at Larry H. Miller; I stopped by McDonald's to get a coke because I had just spent the night at the Hospital with Linda in the ER for her women issues (She has suffered so much; that's another story) - So me being sleepy, and upset I backed into a car in the to go line. No injury's and no damage and no cost to me. But it made me so mad and upset at myself.

So to make a long story short... we returned the Kia with no issues or strings attached. The dealership for the Chevy kept stringing us along, day after day and then the situation was like this; If I could show 2 proofs of oil changes they could get us into a new car or fix the Chevy - but I only had changed the oil once... we were looking at putting down $1000 dollars down to fix that we really didn't have.. but it went back to the service desk at the dealership with there final say. Well, along with more sleepless nights (CHESTER in HEAT, Linda's Women issues) I got information about our car and the final conclusion this now almost 2 month ordeal. Here came the news...

THE BANK AND THE DEALERSHIP PAID FOR OUR CAR TO BE FIXED!!!!! So tommorow the 26th of January we are going to get our car back with a new engine. Linda is feeling better and I got the cat fixed.

Lesson learned is - you can never run from your problems and the best solution is the one we might fear the most - it is time to buck up, suck it up and move on.

Have a great day.

A good chuckle for a COLD JANUARY...Brrrr!!!

Merry Christmas/Holidays 2010

As holidays often do, they make you take time to recognize your blessings and are accompanied by loved ones - how often do we in the hustle and bustle of this season of giving do we actually give, I know for me I would add a big fat ZERO... Do you know that it is literally days away from the big day and we still have yet to put the tree up or the lights. So at the first of the month I explained a lot of hardships that we were facing and it seems that they are still going on, and yet slowly slowing down. Schedules have been the problem and just now getting done with school and then I busted my elbow with a fracture last week has left the house in a bit of a shambles and just yesterday it has become the old apartment we recognize. I just wanted to post a quick hello and update and to wish every one a big hello! and Merry Christmas!!!!

I am fortunate enough to get 3 weeks off from school and 2 weeks off from work about. In this time I am going to be taking it a bit easier and getting caught up on things, and clean house on all my projects and otherwise left on the table. I am working on some sketches for an old friend and you can check out her music journey at

http://saraelizabethchandler.com/

I volunteered to do her logo and album art elements...? We will see how that turns out. I do a lot of free stuff and as time goes on, I am thinking of charging a flat rate for friends and family just to cover my expenses and time. Linda is enjoying her new job at Wells Fargo and works from 3 t Midnight, we rarely see each other and it makes the heart grow fonder - basically on the weekends and when we are school its even worse. This year is going to be our proving grounds to see what we are made of and the testing and growing will be new challenges to over come. We want to thank all those that have given so much to us and only wish that some day we can return those favors back to you - we miss and love our family's so much and only wish for the return of love comes back. We are all humans and miss the mark on a daily basis, and so it is my prayer that we can all do better in showing our family, friends, and all those the love they and us deserves.HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY and may your new years be a good one!!

Bad Week - Hope it gets a bit better?

UPDATE: CHESTER FOUND!!!! He was near our house the whole time!!!!!!! He is a bit confused as to the old surroundings but is alive and well!!!!

So, I feel a bit like this cat - frazzled to say the least. Linda is feeling just about the same as we shared this horrible week together and all I have to say is TGIF! Monday was not too bad but the thing was that our cat Chester has gone missing and so far it has been officially a week. I have put fliers everywhere in our complex to get some response. He was last seen Sunday with a neighbor's cats and that was last we heard. I have looked online since to see if he was picked up by animal control. - NO LUCK. So Monday not so bad, just missing the cat. Well I was going to take our new car we purchased via loan to the mechanic to see why it was acting up - and Tuesday night after work I put gas in the car and when I started it up - a loud noise and then nothing... I waited 3 hours for a tow truck in a Crown Burger joint (at least I was warm) Then I waited for Linda to get off of work at midnight to pick me up at her Step Dad's Al's. The next morning the dealership called and said that our engine is blown and the radiator has been dry? Funny thing is I just had it serviced at Jiffy Lube a couple of months ago and they said that the coolant was just fine...? No leaks, no signs... So we were told that we could purchase a new engine for $2,000.00 - What a do we do, we both have to have cars... well we are in the middle of working out some things and its a bit hush hush for now, but it might have been a blessing that the car died on us. (More to come later)
We had an appointment with a dealership and on the way a girl kissed our bumper at a red light and cause a bit of a stir and debate - it was a tiny car and I am in a Jeep and she just bumped me enough - I had to keep our appointment so I ignored it and left...I had just about enough that day and a little tap is nothing I want to get police and insurance agents out. To back up a bit in the story Linda was getting ready for work that she can not be late in and she had a bit of a toilet problem (valve) and the bathroom flooded. She did the best she could with the time she had to get ready for work... long story short the carpet got really bad in the closet and we were not aware of it for the next day or so..because of the drama about the car's engine. So $50 bucks later the house smells a bit smoldy and a bit swampy but the guy said it should work. We will see.
Then at work they are going to give me some artwork that I absolutely hate - it is re-inventing the wheel every time we work on it and it gets to be very frustrating... After work I decided to go to the animal shelter and see if my cat was there or not. I was sadden by the amount of animals there and to see some that looked just like my cat but not the right markings. I was very sad and I am going to take better ownership of the cats we do have still; Oliver and Queen Nala. It was sad to go through the sheets of paper of the cats found dead on arrival and luckily my cat was not one of them. (I hope)
Also one last thing, my work gave me a shirt and I am a big guy and they got me a 5xl and it does not even fit. WHAT A DEPRESSING DAY... and week. Linda and I both stressed with school, money, time management and the house is a wreck because we never have time or energy to come and clean it.
In conclusion there have been moments for me that have kept me going, Christmas music, a roof over my head, my sweet wife, and moments of some laughter in all the mess. May this month better then this week and may the mangy looking cat I see in the mirror like the picture I posted look more tame and rested is my hopes for the weekend. Look for my Holiday post to come in the following weeks.