St. Louis: The City that Grew Me

In 2013, I was living in St. Louis and I came across a post about some fitness thing. I inquired about it, but only because I had started my journey just 4 months prior. I was curious. I asked a lot of questions. I ordered what I thought was an over-priced shake. I bought a home workout dvd…was I really going to be doing Richard Simmons or Jane Fonda style workouts in my second floor apartment?

A couple months later, we bought our first home across town and I had a basement to workout in. TurboFire became my soulmate workout, and it evolved from there.

Today, my thoughts about the products I use is VASTLY different from when I started. And my thoughts about the town that I left just a few years later are vastly different, too.

This weekend, I went back to STL for our annual Team Beachbody Coach Summit. Not only did the Lord reveal Himself through things of this little hobby of mine, but He showed up BIG in my thoughts and feelings surrounding this city.

STL holds a lot of difficult memories for me. We moved there 10 years ago when I was a brand new wife, fresh outta college, knowing no one. I didn’t even know who I was. My husband wanted to work at the corporate office, so moving to OKC was always in the back of my mind. We didn’t plant many roots. He climbed the ladder and traveled every week for work. It was a strain on our relationship. In 2015, I lost my Granny and didn’t know how to process that or grieve. My life felt outta control. When we had 18 hours to make the decision to move to OKC at the end of 2015, it was a “heck yes! Get me out of here, but I also want to do what God is calling us to do” type of decision.

For many years after that, I didn’t even want to think about our time in STL. I wanted to run away from it. I had icky feelings for a LONG time. But each time I go back there, He reveals something to me.

Last year, I had the opportunity to go see a friend who adopted her daughter. A lot of healing happened that trip as I drove around town looking at the places we lived. I drove the once-familiar roads that seemed so foreign to me. I remembered things that I had blocked out of my memories. It was a good trip. A celebratory one that turned into a healing trip.

So this time when I went, I wasn’t expecting a whole lot of anything. But as I drove into the city, the familiar landmarks that once triggered a “we are ___many minutes from being home,” became strange to me. And I realized that the 417 will always feel like home to me.

But this time, God showed me that I needed St. Louis in my story. If it weren’t for my time in STL, I wouldn’t have the relationship with Him that I do now. If it weren’t for my time in STL, I wouldn’t have discovered my identity in Him. If it weren’t for my time in STL, I wouldn’t be the girl I am today, and I wouldn’t be living in Joplin (which still blows my mind…but that’s another story for another day. Sure, God could have used other circumstances to grow me and bring me closer to Him. But He didn’t. He used 4 short years in St. Louis. It was the city that grew me.

I still have difficult memories that I have to work through. But God uses all things for my good and His glory. He may not reveal everything about why we were there…but I believe that He has used it for my good. And He really does get the glory for that.

Instead of thinking of all the bad, I can now look back on that blip in time with fond memories, knowing that the people we met are what is good. So thank you, St. Louis, for being a part of my story…a part of our story.

A Look Back on 2013

As 2013 comes to a close, I look back on the year and I see how much God has blessed us.

I am in complete awe as I look here and see what has been accomplished and what we've done.

In 2013, I made my word of the year, 'Grace.'

We bought a new-to-us car for Tyler.

We had our first B&B experience.

We vacationed at Walt Disney World {Here, here, and here}

We started a new way of eating.

I wrote for Young Wife's Guide.

We celebrated two years of marital bliss.

We had a getaway to celebrate those two years.

I quit my horrible job and got a new one!

We bought our first home!

I learned what grace really meant.

Overall, this year has been a milestone for us in our adult-hood.  We've made a lot of adult decisions, but it's been a fun year!  I am extremely blessed to get to do life beside my best friend.  

I hope and pray that your New Year will be blessed! :)

2nd Anniversary Getaway

This past weekend, we celebrated our anniversary.

Tyler has been working on a BIG account at work and has been stressed to the max.

So I said that I would be willing to plan this year's adventure.

And plan, I did.

I love planning events.

We are trying to save up for a big vacation in February to help celebrate Mom and Dad's 30th wedding anniversary, so I figured that I would keep this weekend low key.

But I still wanted to celebrate because anniversaries are worth celebrating.

Every. Single. One. Of. Them.

I planned a getaway in our own city.

I wrote down ideas of things we hadn't seen or been to since moving to St. Louis.

We had both been to several of these places, but not together.

I wrote out a clue for each place we were going, and Tyler got to open it and try to guess what we were going to be doing.

I should have known that after last year's getaway (and this post too), nothing would go right.

Friday night (pics 1-3) started off great!  We went to a Dine-in Movie!  They just renovated one of the theaters here in town to create these dine-in movie theaters.  Yes, it's a bit pricey and no, I wouldn't do this on a regular basis.  But I wanted to kick our anniversary weekend off with something fun!  We sat in recliners, had wait service, and ordered food to eat during the movie!  It was so much fun!

Saturday morning, we headed out to get massages.  Tyler was not excited.  You should have seen the look on his face.  But he had received a gift card from a co-worker, so we were going to use it.  And that's where things started going wrong.  We learned that there was a zero balance on the gift card!  It was kinda comical...but we paid and went on our way.  (Pics 4-5 show you how great he felt after the massage!)  

We headed out to Grant's Farm afterward (Pics 6-9).  It took us an hour and a half to even get in.  Ridiculous.  And honestly, not worth it.  It was fun and definitely an experience, but because it was 70 degrees that day, everyone and their brother thought it'd be a great idea to go!

After Grant's Farm, we headed to get Gus' Pretzels.  These are well known for some reason in this city.  The only reason I can think of why is because they're super cheap...like 50-cents-a-pretzel-cheap.  They taste like a regular pretzels. :)

We headed to check in at our hotel and took a much needed nap!  The view from our window was fantastic!  We got upgraded to the "Executive Floor," which just means it's really high up, and once the guy who checked us in found out that it was our anniversary, he gave us 2 free drinks and 2 free breakfast buffets.  Wanna know how you can get me to like you?  Feed me. :)

We were supposed to eat supper at the 360 Restaurant and Bar which was located on the 26th floor of our hotel, looking out over Busch Stadium and downtown, BUT it was packed full of already-drunk-people and there were no tables available.  I was super bummed, but my husband reminded me that we just gotta go with the flow.  He was totally okay with it.  So we went back to the first floor of our hotel and ate dinner at the restaurant down there, which was still delicious.

We headed out to the City Garden after dinner.  It's really just this little "park" with abstract art and fun fountains that you can play in.

On Sunday morning, we were supposed to eat breakfast at the Starbucks in our hotel, but that was a nicely-ruined surprise and we ate at the hotel buffet instead with our free ticket.  So glad it was free, because it was $16 a person...holy cow!!!

I told Tyler that our next activity just had to go as planned.  And that's because we were headed to the top of the Arch!  I love being up high and seeing the surroundings.  It's so beautiful!  We got our pressed penny, too!

For lunch, we headed to the Old Spaghetti Factory downtown.  It was a really neat place to go, but the food wasn't that great.  We tend to steer clear of Italian places (mainly because it's ridiculous to pay that much for pasta when it doesn't cost that much), and I think we'll continue to stick with that plan. :)

We got Ted Drewe's Frozen Custard that afternoon, which is another thing I don't see the hype about.  It tastes like Andy's, if you ask me (and I don't see the hype about it either).  If you ask me where I want ice cream from, my answer will be one of two places:  Braum's or Dairy Queen. :)   I guess we wouldn't make very good "St. Louis Natives."  We don't like very many of their specialties...  Good thing we're not!  haha!

Tyler had received a "Wild Card" to do whatever else he wanted to do.  He took me to the go-carts.  And not just any go-carts.  FAST go-carts...like 45 mph go-carts.  Where they encourage you to use your brake!! It was a LOT of fun...he won and I lost. :)

Yesterday was our actual anniversary, and I came home to the most beautiful pink roses!  They are so fragrant that my kitchen smells like roses.  Absolutely gorgeous!!  

Last evening, we went to The Muny to see Mary Poppins.  It was so wonderful!!  It only misted on us for about the first 45 minutes, but after that it turned out to be a great evening!  I am glad I brought a towel to dry off our seats, though!  :)

We had a wonderful weekend away together.  It's really nice to just put "real life" on hold to getaway sometimes!

Two Years

Two Years.

In some ways it feels like we've been together for a lot longer.

In others, I can't believe it's been two years.

I am so blessed to be married to my best friend.

The one I'm glad I get to come home to each day.

The one who makes me laugh.

The one who makes me feel like the only girl in the world.

The one I get to serve Jesus alongside.

I'm so thankful for Tyler.

I am thankful for the two years of marital bliss. 

And I'm not saying that sarcastically, as some might. ;)

I pray that God will bless us with many more years!

I'm thankful for our family's legacies of long marriages and what we have to look forward to.

I thought I'd share a few wedding pictures, since I'm not sure I've posted any here.

We had the wedding that was better than my dreams.

I'm so thankful for my parents and the willingness and their hard work that they put forward to help make my dreams a reality.

That is one perk to being the only daughter...haha!! :)

Happy Anniversary, Tyler!

I love you SO much more now than I did on our wedding day!

You are so good to me.

Thank you.

The Proposal Story

Since I posted yesterday on my facebook and instagram about it being 3 years since Tyler proposed to me, I had several questions about the story.  I had written the story out right after we got engaged and posted it on our Knot page...so without further ado, I thought I'd share it with you.  Sorry if you've heard it a million times...but I love it.

Let me preface this by saying that we both worked for our University's orientation program, so we were living on campus, working our jobs.  Being that our orientation program was awesome, we got 3 day weekends all summer long. :)

July 2, 2010

It was a Friday morning, and I was cleaning my room.  I had texted Tyler twice, but had no reply from him.  That was unusual, because he's pretty good at replying to me.  My last text had been at 11:30 am asking when he wanted to eat lunch.  We usually eat on campus since it's free.  He called me back at noon and told me he would come up to my room when he got back to campus.  I asked him where he was, and his reply was that he went to the mall to go shopping with Rachel since she needed to take a dress back.  That was weird to me too, because he normally doesn't get out of bed until 11 am on days when we don't have to work. 

He came up to my room, and I looked like crap.  I had shorts and a t-shirt on, no make-up, and my glasses on.  He was all excited to see me, and asked if I wanted to go eat at Bandana's (a BBQ joint).  I said sure, but I needed to at least put my contacts in.  He was being so impatient, and was being weird.  I was putting my second contact in when he comes over to the mirror with my purse, sunglasses, and keys in his hand. 

He said he would drive (which is also unusual).  He made a wrong turn, which he says is my fault because I'm supposed to tell him where to go.  Whatever. :]  Anyway, we turn around, and as we're driving past Bandana's, I point to it and say, "Uh...there it is."  He said he knew, but that he wanted to go find this store down the street.  I asked him which one, and he didn't answer. 

Soon enough, we pull into this strip mall and park in front of a furniture store.  I asked what we were doing, and he said, "This furniture in the store is made entirely of wood."  I said, "Yeah, so?"  He said, "Let's go in."  At this point I'm super confused.  He's out of the car before I can even open my door.

I'm walking behind him, and he turns around abruptly and gets down on one knee.  At this point, I'm freaking out.  He pulls out the ring, and says some sort of lovey-dovey stuff (neither of us remember what was said).  Then he points to the store name and asks, "Wood you marry me?"  See, the name of the furniture store is Wood You Furniture.  I'm freaking out so much, that I can't even remember to say yes, but finally I do.

Funny thing is...we didn't even eat at Bandana's. :]

We were headed to my family that weekend, so we knew we would announce it then.  My mom and dad graciously host a 4th of July party each year, so we could tell them all at the same time.  It was really difficult to hide my ring {and I didn't not want to wear it}, but we finally told them all and they were excited for us!

We are somewhat of a spontaneous couple, so this makes since.  We always said that we would go purchase something in that shop to put in our home.  We haven't done that yet, but I would love to go back and do that. 

My Life Update

This week has been so busy that I haven't had time to blog!
Maybe I can get caught up this week...we'll have to see.
I thought I would give you a little life update, since I posted my whole heart on this post.

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Back in February, Tyler and I went to Branson to hang out with my Mom and Dad.
We met up with them in Springfield at Braum's.  
My brothers and their girlfriends were there, so I know this was a God-thing.
We got there, and instantly I knew something was wrong.
My mom didn't even look up to say hi.
She had this look on her face, and I was about to ask who died.
Literally...it was that bad.
Seconds before, my dad had gotten off the phone with his sister.
She had told him that their other sister (the baby of the family) had just been told she has

C A N C E R.

That's not a scary word when you're not directly affected by it.

But oh goodness, it is scary now.

You may say that I'm not directly affected by it now.

You're right...she's not my mom or sister, but she is my aunt.

See my family is a little strange (okay, maybe a lot).

All of us love Jesus a lot!

The Buntons have a legacy.

Whether they are my extended family or my immediate family, they are still my family.

Cancer is something that takes an entire family (plus some) to beat.

My heart aches, knowing that she has to go through this.

But God has a plan.  A wonderful plan.

My momma brought my aunt up here to see a special doctor this week.

She had seen 2 others, but she wanted another opinion.

So on Tuesday evening, we had a houseful of guests!

My momma, aunt, uncle, and cousin (who lives here in town) all came over for supper!

It was great to see them, but the circumstances weren't so great.

We had a lot of laughs and numerous conversations about our quirky family.

Ya know, we may all have our moments, but I wouldn't trade them for anything in this world.

Long story short to say, please pray for her!  

Also, pray for her husband and 6 kids.

We would really appreciate that!

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We also got to see my brother this week!
He brought his girlfriend up on Wednesday to hang out (it's their Spring Break), so we met them at The Cheesecake Factory for supper!
It was so nice to see them and get to catch up for a little bit.
I hope they'll come up again soon and hang out longer!!

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After many visits with area churches, we were just struggling and aggravated.

We decided to go back to the church that we originally liked and have a small group with.

However, against my traditional ways, we decided to attend the Saturday evening service because there are 2 couples from our small group that go to that service.

We decided that this could be a positive thing, and they could possibly introduce us to other people.

We've only been going back for 3 weeks, but we've hung out with several people since then.

This has really helped me, since I'm an extremely extroverted person.

I need to be around people to recharge my batteries.

I am hopeful for what is to come in the future.

I am grateful for the people who've been praying for us.

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I do have to brag.

My husband is a stud at his job!

He got "TSR of the Month" for the month of January (yes, they put the wrong year on it), AND he was the fastest TSR to get $1 million in setups for his job!

That may mean nothing to you, but just know that he is amazing at what he does.

He also has a VERY proud wife!! :)

We are hoping to go on vacation in about a month, so stay tuned for that! :)

We are just living the working couple's life right now.

I feel that life is getting better, and our my attitude is getting better.

Those are both positive things!

Oh and I did just give my shop a little update.
Get 15% off your order this weekend with code NEW15!

The Date Box...Questions Answered

One thing that I have had tons of questions on is the date box that I created for my husband last February.  I'm bringing back a portion of this post from last year.

Let me preface this by saying {for those of you who don't know} that we lived in Oklahoma City from January-March of last year.  We then moved to St. Louis at the end of March.  The pictures were taken from my iPhone 3GS because my camera was packed away in storage somewhere...and I hadn't upgraded to the 4S yet.

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I got the idea from this blog.  I thought it was really neat, so I thought I could do it for my husband.  I call it the Date of the Month Club.  I started out just writing a list of things we could do.  It was hard to really plan, because at the time we had no idea where we would be for the month of March. (For those of you who don't know, March 29th is Tyler's last day in OKC.)  Planning was actually harder than it sounds because we haven't actually lived in STL yet either!  With help from my friend, Kelsey, (by the way, if I forgot to send you a thank you, THANK YOU!!!), she gave me some ideas of things to do in the area.


Then I cut up little cards with the month on them.  These are for clues.

I wrote each clue on the card and bought the needed accessories to go with each date to put in the envelope.  These are pre-planned, and mostly pre-paid.  I also planned some weekend getaways to use throughout the year.

I wrote a card introducing him to his gift.  I told him what he got and how to use each thing.  Then, I wrote a Date Agreement Card.  He had to agree to those things, sign the card, and return to to me in exchange for some Romance Reward Tickets.  He also got a special bag of chocolate caramel (because that's what I like) in exchange for real kisses.

I searched high and low for a box to put it all in, but I finally found one at Hobby Lobby (my most favorite craft store)!  AND it was half off!!! 

I jazzed up the envelopes a little bit as well.  I didn't like the boring yellow, but I didn't want to decorate them a whole lot since they would most likely just be thrown away.

I was really pleased with how it turned out, and I really hope that Tyler likes it as much as I do.  I am super excited about our date nights for the next year!!  The best part is that each one isn't super expensive.  They are interesting and cheap! 

Some frequently asked questions that I've received:

1.  What kind of dates did you plan?

          - I went with dates that I knew we could do.  I planned dates that were cheap or free.  I kept a running list of all the places that I thought were reasonable and planned by the month {weather-wise}.  If the date included a meal, I purchased a gift card to put in the envelope so Tyler could have some sort of a clue as to where we'd be eating.  

Some examples of the date ideas (some that we did):  

• the zoo (free) with a Subway picnic lunch--the zoo here allows you to bring food in.
• the science center (free) with a meal at Steak 'n Shake (which was right down the road)
• bowling
• mini-golf
• a slumber party complete with pizza and games (this was my favorite date night!)

Be creative.  Research your area if you're unfamiliar with the activities around you.  I did a week's worth of research because I had absolutely no idea about the area we were in or we would be moving to.  It would probably be easier if you've been in the area for a while. :)

2.  What was in your agreement?

          - I wanted one night a month where we could just focus on each other.  One of the big things was that cell phones weren't allowed.  They had to be shut off.  Another thing was that the date card would be given on the 1st of the month, and we had to put it on the calendar (to make sure it would get done).  Also,  the gift cards had to be used on the date...they couldn't be used elsewhere.  It was full of things that allowed us to make sure we completed the activity.  Oh, and no peeking allowed!

3.  What are romance reward tickets?

          - These were extra little things that I created to make it extra special.  For example, one of the tickets was a "Yes Day."  He could redeem the ticket and I had to say "yes" to whatever he wanted to do.  If he wanted to go shooting, I said "yes."  If he wanted his favorite meal, I said, "yes."  It's little things like that, that help make him feel special.

4.  What are the vacation cards?

          - These are also an added perk.  They aren't supposed to be expensive, just little mini-getaways during the year when you feel like you need some time together.  

Some examples could be:

• A Bed and Breakfast nearby for a night or weekend
• A night in a downtown hotel in your city
• He chooses and plans

These are just few of the questions that I've been asked.  If you have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask!  My email address is on the "contact me" tab or you can leave a comment and I will get back to you!

And if you're just looking for a nice Valentine's Day gift that you don't have to plan for, I have some Date Night Jars in my shop...with the dates already in them!  Check them out!!

On the 11th Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave to Me...

A year ago yesterday, we were packing up our tiny one bedroom apartment in Springfield, Missouri...

Sorting things into piles of "I won't need for 3 months," and "I will need this in the next 3 months."

We loaded all of our belongings into the farm's trailer and 15 passenger van.

We made one last sweep through, reminiscing about the memories made in the few short months we lived there.

We climbed into our vehicles and made the 80 mile journey to Lamar, where we would unload the trailer and van and put our "home" in storage until the end of March.

My heart aches as I remember back.

Sometimes I wonder if that ache will ever go away of if it will always be there.

Springfield holds so many good memories for Tyler and I.

But with that said, I wouldn't trade our past year for anything.

I don't want to do it all over again, but I wouldn't trade it.

The experience has made me realize the need for my husband that I might not have realized in any other circumstance.

Today, I want to share why I love you, Tyler and what you mean to me.

1.  You are a very hard worker.  You have worked so hard at your job this past year and have received many compliments from your superiors as well as your co-workers.  I'm so proud of you.

2.  You are just as stubborn as me.  When you make up your mind to do something, you will see it through.

3.  You love me at my ugliest days...and I don't just mean my appearance.

4.  I can trust you with my whole heart.  I know that I can tell you anything and you will still love me, no matter what I have to say.

5.  You keep me laughing.

6.  You do your best to console me when I need to cry...especially when I get homesick.  And then remind me that God has a plan...

7.  You support me and my crazy ideas...even when you might not want to.

8.   You see how much family and traditions mean to me and are wanting to start our own family traditions. :)

9.  You have grown so much in your relationship with Christ.  I love being able to see what you're learning and how God is changing your heart.

10.  You see us as a family...even when we don't have kids or pets.  I absolutely love that, because it is exactly what we are! 

11.  You're my very best friend and I would not have survived this past year without you.  I'm so blessed that I get to be the one who does life right beside you, that I get to be the one you come home to every day, and that I get to be the one you confide in.

So while I may not have the same plan that God has for us, I will pray that God will lessen the ache in my heart.  I will be content in my circumstances.  I will always thank Him for the best friend that he gave me 4 years ago...and I pray that I will always be the wife that Tyler  needs me to be.  This has been a learning experience for me, and I pray that God will always give me the chance to learn.

Thou Shalt Build a Winning Team

Well, today's the day.  It's the final day of our "10 Commandments Tuesday" series.  These past 10 weeks have been so good for me as I have been able to read and convey the principles of this book to you.  I hope that you have been able to take away something to practice in your own marriage.  This week's commandment is

Thou Shalt Build a Winning Team

"It is not good for man to be alone;  I will make a helper suitable for him."

Genesis 2:18

God intended for man and woman to join together and become "one flesh."  They are supposed to be united and on the same team.  So how do we build a winning team?  Well, here are some components for a winning marriage team:

1.  The Eternal Architect

God designed marriage.  He made it to be a perfect union.  However, sin has made a huge dent in that union and if not careful, can completely ruin it.  But knowing who the Architect is and following his instructions, we can still build a winning team.

2.  The Right Coach

Jesus is our coach who not only tells us what to do, but also shows us.  Ed says, "The staggering reality is that a husband and wife who have individually invited Christ into their lives "have the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16).  All the treasures of Christ's mind are now in the spirit of the person in whom He dwells.  The issue is accessing what we already have and putting it to practical use."  The more we intimately walk with Christ, more of His wisdom and knowledge we'll gain.  The more His wisdom is gained, the more the relationship grows.

3.  The Players
"God has recruited us as players for His Kingdom's purposes.  When we allow Jesus Christ to be our Coach, He can take our most ordinary talents and abilities and do extraordinary things with them.  Without Christ on our side, we can do nothing.  But with Christ on our side, we have all the talent we need to build a winning marriage team."

4.  The Intangibles
Goal setting, commitment, discipline, togetherness are all examples of the necessary intangibles in marriage.  When you are working together on the same team, with the same goals in mind, you're strengthening your marriage.

5.  Fan Support
Encouragement is a necessity in marriage, whether it comes from family, friends, kids, coworkers, church family, etc.  These people are to help encourage you in your marriage.  They are to support you and to be there for you.  So it's important as you choose those friends in  life, to choose ones who will encourage and support you.  These people should also teach and minister God's Word.

Reflecting on Your Relationship:

1. If your marriage were indeed a college football team, where would it be ranked?
   -We're in the top five, vying for the championship.
   -We're in the top ten, thrown for a loss once in a while, but we're a winning team.
   -We win some, we lose some, but we could be a lot better.
   -We're losing more than we win; we don't let the Coach lead us in the day-to-day party of our marriage.
2. In what areas does your mate need some "coaching?"  What about you?
3. How does your family and friends provide "fan support" for your marriage?
4. What is the greatest strength of your marriage team?

I'm so glad you stuck with me through this 10 week series.  I hope you learned something that you can put into practice in your own marriage.  In what ways have you been challenged?  In what ways do you feel affirmed?  If you feel comfortable, would you share?

If you missed any part of the series, you can catch up here:

Part 1: Thou Shalt Not Be a Selfish Pig

Part 2: Thou Shalt Cut the Apron Strings

Part 3: Thou Shalt Continually Communicate

Part 4: Thou Shalt Make Conflict Thy Ally

Part 5:  Thou Shalt Avoid the Quicksand of Debt

Part 6: Thou Shalt Flee Sexual Temptation--Online and Otherwise

Part 7:  Thou Shalt Forgive Thy Mate--490 Times and More

Part 8:  Thou Shalt Keep the Home Fires Burning

Part 9:  Thou Shalt Begin Again and Again