Chi Town

We had the best time bringing in the fall with a trip to Chicago for our dear friends, Dave and Maria's wedding. I know that you would expect Chicago to be a little cooler than the 97-100+ weather have been having here, but it was relatively the same... So don't let my scarves fool you! It was HOT! 

Craig and I definitely needed a few days to refresh. We spent the majority of the time n the quaint town of Lake Forest, IL. We rented a little compact car....nicer than anything we drive, and drove into the city every day. We walked for hours each day, trying to soak in everything we could in this awesome city. It was incredibly diverse with the beach on Lake Michigan, countless museums, so much history, pizza and hotdogs, and art at every turn (the bean!!). 

We got to spend time with very special and encouraging people in our lives, and even made new friends. We also hung out around Wrigleyville with my old neighbor and lifetime friend, Chris Oladipo!!


                

   The One and Only!

                Rehearsal Party on Lake Michigan


 
          We LOVED brunch and walking around Lake Forest. So cute!!!
         
    We now know somewhat of how a Canadian wedding goes... :) Maria was such a beautiful bride!

Chicago sights

                                          We got a tour of the city from Chris!!!

                 

             Home Alone anyone??

                     

I absolutely LOVE giraffes. They are amazing. 

Peace

"Shalom is a Hebrew word, so much richer in its range of meanings than the English word 'peace,' which usually refers to the absence of outward conflict or inner calm. The concept of Shalom includes these ideas. It goes beyond them, meaning 'wholeness,' 'completeness,' 'finished word,' 'perfection,' 'safety,' or 'wellness.'  Shalom comes from living in perfect harmony with God. The fruit of that harmony is harmony with others, prosperity, health, satisfaction, soundness, wholeness and well-being." Anne Spangler 

Loving this. God is the source of all peace.

August Update

 Wow. We just about skipped through July and August, didn't we? Our weeks have been hard working, boot camps, and hearty dinners while our weekends have been filled with friends, family, and sunshine!   It has been so delightful!! So everyone knows I love animals. I even volunteered at the Austin Zoo for a few months when we moved here, which was JUST LIKE the movie "We Bought a Zoo." Haha it was a little dream come true/a lot of dirty work, but I liked it. Anyways, we got to go with Beth and Dust to some of their friends land and see all of the animals that they take care of and wanted to share a few pictures...

So we also got to help keep our sweet nephew. We danced, played with dogs, looked for Lizards and made tons of animal noises. It's been so awesome to watch him grow, learn new words, and laugh at anything and everything. Of course they have incredible parents that help make him who he is :)

The girls got to get together for a Beth Moore conference, Clay came to visit after doing Camp Gladiator Kids, went to Dallas for TBP Concert and we got the best visitor EVER...

Sondays

This week is the BEST week of the summer for FBC Woodway youth group by far. It's funny to think that we haven't been in a few years after going for around nine! Craig and I have spent countless camps as Sondays campers and it has changed our lives. I told him I loved him at Sondays camp... a huge risk and waaay too early looking back on it now, but things worked out well! We heard incredible teachers and worshiped with amazing leaders. Our friendships deepened. We couldn't get enough. Craig and I both worked for Bob and went as counselors. We went several years with our discipleship groups. This week is special, no doubt. The devotionals, dance parties, and midnight masses all played an intricate role in the Lord molding and transforming us into who we are today. So grateful for this week!

        

                                      

First Sondays Camp of us dating! 

Ahh... the memories!

The 6 'S' fears

So we hosted a small group game night tonight and got to play one of our favorite games, Nertz. Before the intense card playing started, we were just casually visiting when one of our friends decided to show us pictures of a HUMONGOUS spider and a copperhead snake that he killed just this weekend! Like literally had to run over the spider with his car to kill it it was so big so I HAD to tell a hilarious story of my mom's recent encounter with a wolf spider. All this talk validated my top 6 'S' fears, which are things that I most fear in the whole universe that happen to all start with the letter 'S': 1- Snakes (nightmares about these guys) 2- Spiders (even little ones make me scream!) 3- Sea (I won't go in past my shins) 4- Space (as in outer-space. I dont believe in aliens, but they could get me out there) 5- Scorpions (I already attacked one with a golf club this year...) 6- Sharks ('shark week' is the worst week)

Caliente

July is certainly in full swing. Craig has been writing a movie script, Kayleigh is in her 2nd month of working with hospice and we have been having so much fun and wanted to share some pictures of this hot month!

Great view of July 4th fireworks with William Reid the 4th

     

We went to a Round Rock Express game, Craig tried some Warby Parker glasses, and we had some great food with an amazing Austin view at County Line BBQ with the Roush's!                                                                                                    

               

 We had another turkey fiasco when our power kept going out... pretty sure it melted- plastic and all! Kayleigh found out how to use a few of her fun apps on the iphone like ScoutMob where you can take a fun mustache picture and find good deals on local restaurants, etc.

 We enjoyed Lady Bird Lake paddle boarding with Jamie, Nathan and Bethany. Well, the Jennings canoed due to the baby J coming soon!

When The Lights Come Back On

We always need rain.

Here in Austin, as in many places around the country, we have suffered a string of 100+ degree days. The heat is smothering. Depressing. And a constant sunburn threat to my shaved head.

So tonight when a heavy rainstorm began to fall, we all looked out the windows as if some miracle was occurring. Something we had never seen. And the rain continued...and continued...and continued.

The wind whipped across the porch. It sounded like a monster was loose in the attic. Then, the power went out.

Every time the power goes out, there is a very brief moment of panic. What if it doesn't come back on? What are we going to do all night? I was working out when the power went out, and it killed my internet, and thus, my streaming television show. The workout became much harder after that.

So, I grabbed my flashlight, picked up a book, and went to sit on the porch. A man needs to hear the rain sometimes. It settled me. It awakened me. I became lost in Ray Bradbury's 'Dandelion Wine', an ode to summertime, and an exploration of what it means to be a boy on the cusp of manhood. (RIP, Ray.) And just when life seemed right, the power came back on.

It's always disappointing when the lights come back on.

I Have Slight Narcolepsy (SN)

No, this is not a medical diagnosis- just something a few of my friends have deemed a humorous problem of mine over the last several years. It started out fairly minor- drifting off to sleep in car rides when the weather was warm, the sun was in my face, or I was cozied up with a blanket leaning my head against the window in winter. This also led me to start drinking double-shot espressos on an almost daily basis one summer so I could be fun with youth kids in the car.

 SN (Slight Narcolepsy) progressed some in college. I would go to class having had some coffee in me, psyched for the new day of learning (really-I read everything assigned and typically loved class!). But eventually, and unbeknownst to me, my eyes would open and my nose would be half an inch from the paper I was taking notes on and I had NO IDEA I had fallen asleep! Didn't matter if it was an 8am class or one after lunch.

Then it got worse. On a roommate getaway to Ft. Worth, we were having a late-night discussion when all of a sudden I heard "Kayleigh! Kayleigh!" I immediately woke up... I was falling asleep right in the middle of a sentence--a sentence I was speaking! This has happened again and again during late conversations with friends over the years.

AND it happened when I was being trained on leading a support group for my first job. It was just two of us in a room. He began speaking with a monotone voice and before I knew it, he asked me "Kayleigh, if you want to get up and walk around, go to the bathroom, or get some coffee, please feel free to do so." I had FALLEN ASLEEP right in front of him while he was talking!

Well, I have now been deemed "The Worst Co-Pilot Ever" due to my frequent sleeping in the car. Recently while we were driving back to Austin, Craig asked me to name every state I have been to (moving east from Texas) and I only got to Mississippi, Arkansas...! When Craig or my siblings are around, they typically mess with me (aka- they count to three and scream in unison, slam on the brakes, and I wake up thinking life is over!!) 

All these things considered, I think that I was most recently the most embarrassed when I had worked a full week last week, made a trip to Waco, and wanted to work a World Vision shift on Sunday at the mall. I had an hour break and decided to sit down in a chair and read for a little while. The next thing I knew, I heard girls giggling. I looked up and there were two young girls pointing and laughing at me from the second floor. They had been watching me falling asleep and trying to stay awake in the middle of the day! 

So next time if you see someone sleeping at the mall, don't laugh at them! They may have SN like me  :)

Update On The Book

As some of you know, Kayleigh and I have been hard at work on a fun little project called From Me To You: A Love Virus. It's a book that is meant to be passed from one person to the next, kind of like a friendship manifesto. We didn't have big plans for the book, but we do think it can be meaningful to a lot of people who need to hear a message of light in a (sometimes) dark world.

Things have gone well. We've passed out dozens of books, and heard from readers that have been touched by the message. By the end of the month, the book will be all over the US and officially international.

Here's to hoping it continues to spread!

Tale Of The Turkey

Craig and I have tried to eat healthy and exercise since before we got married. Of course, we have our days where we gorge on desserts and breads, but for the most part we eat our protein, fruits and vegetables! 
We definitely cook at home a lot. And so begins the tale of the turkey.


So we got home last night and our house smelled like someone farted in the entryway and then ran off. Only, the stench wouldn't go away. We cleaned the entire house, lit candles, and it still stunk. We went to sleep and figured it was sewage from outside.


This morning, it still stunk. We went to work. We went to workout. When we got home from our workout tonight, we just had to find out where the smell was coming from. We decided it had to be a dead mouse in the pantry behind the microwave. So we started to look around our pantry/shelf thing and were taking out food and stacked stuff. Just before tearing through everything, Craig opens the microwave door to find the culprit . . .


On FRIDAY night (4 days ago) we decided to go out to eat for Argentinean food. But it was a last minute decision. What I didn't know is that Craig had started defrosting a pound of ground turkey in the microwave before I got home from work...and forgot to tell me. We then left town for the weekend.


And so ends the tale of the turkey. (Please see below and know that I didn't touch it!)

Waco

 So Craig and I again made a short little trip to Waco this weekend. Our roommate Jamie had a baby shower... which gave me an opportunity to spend several hours with some of the loveliest girls I know!

The newest Auntie- Nat! 

Craig got to be with some good ole friends at a country coffee shop, talking and laughing for hours. We took a drive out to a beautiful place where we ride horses and I got to have breakfast with some of my small group girls at Cafe Cap. We also passed out our first round of From Me to You to friends and family! I already got a tearful voicemail from Craig's Gran telling me how special and meaningful it is :)

Can't believe they are juniors!!

 The most important part of the weekend was getting to spend time with our dads for Father's Day. We are so blessed to have the dads we do. Men who walk by faith, leading and guiding us with wisdom as we walk through this life. Our dads know how to love, laugh, and work hard. Whether its watching youtube videos, talking about tools and cars, or telling an outrageous story, our dads make us better people. They are good examples to our brothers and husbands. Here's to you Bill and Steve! Thanks for everything y'all have taught us and for believing in us!                                

                                                 

Smiley Riley

We really miss this girl! She's been living with her grandparents in Waco the past 5 months (Thank you!!!!) and we got to see her this weekend, which always makes us miss her more.

Riley was one of those life decisions that they say in pre-marital counseling not to make within the first year of marriage. Me being a dog person couldn't resist the thought of not having a dog as part of my family, and Craig was writing at home at the time and needed a companion.

So, in May of 2008, we decided to "look around" at dogs after I incessantly gawked at hundreds of sweet faces as I showed Craig the pictures from any and every website I could find! We decided to try a local rescue shelter Happy Endings Dog Rescue after we saw a cute little black and tan pup in foster care on their website. Craig and I couldn't stop smiling when we met this timid, yet joyful dog in the lobby. As soon as we left "because we had to think about it," Craig and I were already calling family members to tell them how cute she was and Craig was figuring out how to pick her up the next day while I was in class.

Riley was 6 months old when we adopted her into our small family. Riley is sooo smart as a German Shepherd mix and has tons of neat tricks. Her favorite thing to do is catch the ball (literally, she will do it for HOURS!) We think about her daily and are so excited for when we can be with her again!