Update - Spring to September

Hello - this is your good old buddy Ryan here giving another update to the Pilkington crazy life. This blog was intended to give info out to relatives far and wide... friends and even those strangers that pass on the web. I am not sure if any one other than me and my wife read this but I hope that as Facebook goes and getting the word out that this has an update should bring you in for a moment. Some folks always ask how are things? What's new? Well go to the blog or Facebook and you will most generally get your facts right fromt he horses mouth - Me. Yes things change day to day and such, but I like to write the highlights of life and even the downside to it as well.  This has been a roller coaster of a year that I am going to summarize is just a few lines here and there. I want to thank all the support and love we do get and you know who you are.. and I want to put a shout out to the ones we rarely talk to any more and hope that you know we love you and wish the best for you.

Let me go back as far as I remember...

Well, we got a Beagle right before spring and into the spring she got hit by a car as she ran into the road and it was one of the worst things of my life to say - put her down..

We enjoyed spending time for Easter with Bob and Marie and family, a bit cold but worth it.

Movies were exciting - The Avengers, Batman, Battleship, Snow White & Huntsman, Brave and a few I cant remember, some at the movie house, and some at the Drive in! I would love it to have one big family drive in next summer.

Getting Bella our new Mutt that I know call M's for (m&m's) Mischief and Mayhem... She is a lot of work and a bundle of energy, much like a child... she has her sweet and snuggle side too.

Spending time at the dog park(s) - We like to go for a small ride we go across from liberty park at the nearest dog park, it has the wood chips so it is not as fun, but bella gets her work out sniffing butts anyways. The other park is really nice! and is gorgeous!! in fact it is the picture at the top.. I took this past summer. We go with our friend Geniel, she is a lady with some mental disabilities but blesses us each time!! Those are nice drives to get out of the house and get a soda pop and relax on the grass.. Bella seems to be more playful and runs and runs...

We have spent time with each of our family, to the nice times/dinners with the Hanna's, the nice diners at my sisters, taking Alan out to get haircuts and dinner. Spending time with Lynn or my dad AKA POPS. And to Baptism - we do enjoy those times dearly.

I had the chance to walk for my Bachelors Degree in SLC with Pops and family, and it was amazing to feel a since of accomplishment. I worked a few months for a print shop and have been fumbling finding that right line of employment. Linda has done well at Wells Fargo - and we are grateful for it!

I am still working on my shirt business and my hopes now is to have it running by March of 2013 and be on the road selling at points of purchase spots along the Wasatch next summer, Expos, fairs, and roadside areas. I am excited to share my artwork, passion with others and then be able to earn a living with it would and will be a dream.

The church callings have been good, Linda is now a advisor to the YW - she had the chance to go to Girls Camp for 4 days and rough it... behind Park City some where. I am still in Primary and work with a soon to be missionary - any day - and he and I are a hoot. I swear we are long lost brothers from other mothers.. I also do the Ward Newsletter and the Facebook page for it.. I am on my second edition and things are going great.

We lost a grandfather Mac Noyes and I had the opportunity to grow in so many ways that several weeks. His passing was one of sweetness and peacefulness I have ever experienced. I am grateful for that experience and know that my mother is only inches away from me in times of pain.

We are looking to the future with optimism and expect the road to be paved with many boulders as well. We plan on getting out of our Apartment and moving into a home by Next March and then focus on families and friends! Line upon Line...

The future of winter looms over our head, the coldness begins, and the trial of long winters presses upon many people that depend on warm days not cold days. That is why we have the best holidays are that time of year, to get our spirits up and feeling good in the long dreary winters.

I leave you now and hope all is well, Linda and I always are up to something and spending time with her each day is a true blessing in my life. I hope that she always remembers that!!! Peace out!

Life, changes, growth...

I have put a lot of effort over the past few years, some would say blood, sweat and tears; I have to agree  and not only that but my wife has shed them along side of me in the hopes of me being a graphic designer guru and landing some fancy dancy job and live on the hill of providence. But reality brings you back into a place of perspective - My website portfolio will be going offline in August and along with that will be my hopes of this dream. Instead I am going to be responsible and work to provide for my family in a field I guess I know but grew tired of. I start for a Customer service job right next door to Linda's work. Working for Humana answering questions about health coverage and so on. I start in August in a couple of weeks and then I plan on doing the best I can there! It provides all the things I can not get at a graphic design job - Benefits. I have had tons of interviews and chances and they have all failed for one reason or another. Along with this I am going to be working on my T-shirt Company called BOMBDIGITY and that will be my hobby using my graphic knowledge and my real passion and know how. The next phase of life is excepting these changes and growing from them and then on to trying to loose wieght, get a house a yard and a baby! This is the direction I want to go in. If my shirt company grows then I can get out of the phones and we can add in a pool to the house... dreaming again.. That is the latest from my mind... now onto the family..

UPDATE >>

Linda still works at Wells Fargo, she has been applying for internal promotions... and is now in the church working with the young women as their Personal Progress Advisor. I'm still in primary and doing my best to teach them but they teach me way more! My teaching partner is going a mission this fall and has been a pleasure to know him. We could be brothers or best friends from long ago as we get in trouble chatting in primary. I wish him the best in all he does.

Linda has been at girls camp and I decided to go to Logan with Bella and go swimming at Riverdale Resort in Preston - Me and pops had a good time and then spent the night at my sister in Logan. Her dogs and Bella got along pretty good however Bella got a bit agressive around her crate and toys. What a baby. (thanks to my sis for letting me stay the night.)

Nala is still a lazy cat and has been in the house more often and is starting to get used to the pooch. Well take care and I will leave you with some pictures for now...peace out - you can view my new bombdigity blog at http://bombdigitytees.blogspot.com/ and a temporary website at http://www.bombdigityteesnews.com/

*Anyone that becomes a follower of my blog at bombdigity in August will be sure to get a t-shirt in reserve - when they get produce I will contact you to get your size and what graphic you want, when the company launches officially. P

** This is Linda with me at drive in Theater as our favorite pass time on date nights. Sporting her new dew and getting ready to see a great flick... I have missed her as she has been at girls camp and thankful for all her love, support and keeping me on track.

Healing, life is moving forward positively.

So with the loss of Lady we have was actually just given this dog from KSL.Com and through Linda - the new dog is quite the little bundle of excitement. Were Lady was laid back, she is not... Bella or Bell or Ladybell it is.. she goes by the name of Mouth by me as she is always searching for food and such. She weights only 14 lbs and is considered a toy dog. She is by my guess a Italian GreyHound with some little hints of Beagle. She can be a handful and love to play and run..of course. We are glad to have another addition to our family. All though Nala our cat has been missing for the past few days and it worries us that she ran away...

I really can not say much but some things have come into my life that have been point blank a blessing from Heavenly Father. Though they are great blessings it does require much faith and much hard work.

Linda is still running, I am working at Corporate House Printing and working with a lot of cool clients and I am learning tons & using my creativity. Linda is such a great and special wife for putting up with my antics and the hard work she does for the house and at work for Wells Fargo.

We are trying to get a house.. but it is up to many facets for this to come into light, we are shooting down the barrel of learning all we can about a lot of major things and anxious for children... nothing now, but we or at least I can sense that some things are going to be happening in the next few years..

I will be getting my Graduation Bachelors degree paper and walk on stage JUNE 22nd at Kingsbury Hall at 5:30pm and looking forward for that day. I worked really hard and I will be walking!!! and celebrating!!!

FOR Directions to Kingsbury Hall and to open the invite to any one wanting to celebrate with me is:
http://kingsburyhall.utah.edu/

Have a great day, until the next post - Goodbye.

Goodbye Lady...we will miss you..

It is with sadness that I write this post however it is part of the healing process of losing a good friend. Lady our Beagle was struck by a car last week after running out of our apartment when a neighbor came to the door. Of course there is regret and remorse that we could of done a better job or more we could of done to prevent this - however it is what it is - a tragedy. Making the decision to put her down was a lot harder then I ever would imagine. Lady was treated like our child and we tried to wrestle with saving her but the medical cost for one night was insane! She broke her hip and needed surgery or to have one of us stay at home and make sure she goes the bathroom and did not move... these were not options we could explore - the best thing we could of done was put her out of her misery quietly. We will miss her rub the belly sessions, her sad face, her begging, her loud howl, her welcoming committee and all the park, walks and times we spent together in just 2 months time... we know that your in a better place and we are the lucky ones to have gotten to know a sweet animal as yourself - to you Lady (foghorn) we are grateful for our journey together while it lasted.

Easter to Mothers Day - Recap

Linda and I have always wanted kids, it seems thus far this is a tricky matter; I am not going to get into it or the issues we are facing but more about family and how grateful we are to the meaning of family's and spanning from Easter weekend until today - Mothers day the great blessings we have enjoyed.

Making good on a promise the Medrano Family and my Sister and my Dad "Pops" made the voyage down South to Salt Lake on a brisk gorgeous day for our Easter Picnic next to the our church. I picked up Alan or "Pa" and Geniel our friend from Sun River Apts. It was a great day and along with our neighbors Andy and his family it was a great success. I  want to thank all those that did their part in making is a success. That day was great and the fact that the next day I was going to work full time again in the industry - I made my goals of getting that job. Thus far it has been a huge learning experience and the owners are from South Africa and speak with the English derivative South African tongue. I have learned a lot about their culture as well.

We got a dog earlier this year and Lady has been a challenge and a blessing and a pretty good dog for being a rescue dog. She has grown into us and we have grown into her. She loves rides in the car on Saturdays, she loves dog parks and Liberty Park. I feel that the dog park is something new to her to the one we go to on 7th east - there is tons of dogs and she did not know what to do the first time I took her there. Now she is going exploring at least and sniffing butts galore..lol. She is getting used to Nala our cat and Nala is getting used to Lady (Lady Fog Horn)

Our routine is pretty much set in place now.. get up and I head out at 8am, Linda takes Lady for a RUN as Linda has taken on the hobby of sorts of a runner - then goes to work at 10am. We leave Lady out of her crate now and Nala has the option of going as she pleases from the office. I get home at 5:30 and then take Lady for a walk for about 20 minutes and then sit down for a bit and then make dinner. Linda then arrives around 8:30ish and we eat and watch some tube and then do our family time and then go to bed and do it all over again. Wednesday's she helps with Mutual for the Girls and on Sundays I prepare a lesson for the 8-9 year olds primary. From Emily, Thomas, Michelle, Isiah, Kamia, and Lucas it has been a great blessing to learn from them. I get help some times from a Soon to Be a Missionary "Parker" and we have a blast - he could be my brother from another life I swear - I have learned tons from him as well. The ward is great and we are losing some this spring and summer and they will be missed as they have all found homes.

Speaking of homes, we are in pursuit of the very same thing... credit scores and money.. but it could be within this year if we work real hard. Also the baby thing is possible but will require timing and MONEY and a miracle. Well I was a miracle baby so it only feels right that I Linda and I would be in the same shoes...

In conclusion we had the most gorgeous day yesterday at Liberty Park and the wading pool. We ate KFC and walked around with Lady and Geniel and waded in the wading pool... the day was outstanding and the opportunity to get out of the office and enjoy the fresh air was a blessing and inspiring. Today is mothers day and I would only have to say that I know that mom is in a good place and some day I will have the chance to go visit her again and catch up on all the events of life. I miss ya' and love you Rose Maree and not a day goes by that your not felt or loved or missed.

(To our mom's: Barbara, Sally Hanna, Rose Maree - with great love and respect HAPPY MOTHERS DAY !! From Linda and Ryan)

Below are some images from Easter with Kyle Medrano and then of the Wading pool in Liberty park.

1st day of Spring...really?

As I looked out my window, walked the dog in a coat freezing to death I remember the words I heard from my dear wife - Hey it's the first day of Spring! Well I guess - but I am no rocket scientist but today did not feel like spring at all! Even when the sun came out to play... still cold. I am hoping that those warm rays and awesome flowers do there job soon.

Well, we went and got a dog... yep, a dog. Went last week paid 100 bucks and got a Beagle Hound with hints of who knows.. mostly beagle and her nam

e is Lady. She has been fun and getting used to a dog again is crazy. I am mostly a cat person and my last dog died when I was 18 or so. So it has been an adjustment. My last post talked about the wind of change and march Winds. Well this month I left my job, started full time looking for a better one (career) Linda has cut here hair short, goes running in the morning for a marathon, Alan is now in a rest home, and we get a dog. What a month it has been. Now I am moving our stuff back into the once office and so the house is changing, and we are back to being a couple and no senior... and the looming hopes of a ne

w job soon. Spring - new things and great things sometimes come from this new warmth of the season. It just proves that things always evolve and change and

we adapt, but I am not going to say we came from apes - I will never say that.

In conclusion - dont let stress get to you, take walks more, and try to laugh at your self as much as possible and never put yourself down either. Below is a picture of Lady the first day we got her home taken on my new iPAD... not iPad 3... but still cool;

the quality is not so good.

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...