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!

The Good Kind Of Mail

There's good mail and bad mail. I remember when I was a kid, all mail was good mail. It meant a party was around the corner, or grandma had sent some cash. Bingo.

But the older I get, the sight of mail ails me. Bills and unwelcome solicitations.

However, today Kayleigh and I have received the good kind of mail--the first round of our books. They look good, and we're rearing to go. We're about to poke the box.

First Thursday

Every first Thursday in Austin, all of the hippies and vagabonds gather down on South Congress and sell/buy trinkets from vendors. You're likely to find hand-painted canvases of a single color, and a single shape. Or, you may stumble upon guitar strings wound up in tight circles and called a ring. And if you're lucky enough, you'll be offered a chance to have your body painted on the spot. Toothless musicians sing 'Rocky Top', sweaty old ladies spin circles to the beat of a drum, and the scent of food trucks lingers in the air.

In other words, we don't really have any business down there.

Me and Kayleigh strolled around tonight, enjoying the warm evening and looking at our fellow humans in bewilderment. We managed to buy a birthday present for Zach, Kayleigh's brother. He's going to like it.

But the big news is that we saw the rarity of all rarities, made famous by a YouTube sensation.

Behold! The DOUBLE RAINBOW.

And behold! The love bus. They were inviting people in there, and I'm not sure what for.

We think the double rainbow was more impressive.

The Little Ones

Kayleigh finally got an iPhone. Yes, that's right. 

Our phone saga is colorful enough for a post of its own, but the long and short of it is that she has upgraded to a 4G iPhone from her Go-Phone powered by a Cingular sim card. Apparently the guy at AT&T was baffled at the sight of such an old card. I still have one, and it still works, powering my own Go-Phone to glory. 

Anyways, she's been playing with the phone all night, and received a surprise message from my mom, who also has an iPhone. The video was of our nephew, Cade, taking his first steps. Pretty special stuff. He's had the strength to walk for a while now, just not the desire. That's probably the case for all of us, and can be applied to pretty much everything we are setting out to do. Plenty of ability, not enough desire. 

Cade walked, and he was pretty good at it. (I think he's been practicing at night when everyone thinks he's asleep.)

So that's one kind of message.

We got another one, too.

Kayleigh and I sponsor a girl from Nicaragua named Dahiris. We do this through World Vision, which is a great organization that makes a difference to kids all over the world. Today, we received a letter from Dahiris giving us an update on her family and village. All seems to be going well, and she's a normal kid who drew birds and flowers on her letter. We're happy to help out a little bit.

If you're ever interested in what it means to sponsor a child, just ask Kayleigh. She'll talk your ear off, giving you an enthusiastic pitch. It's hard to turn down. She has a knack for sales.

And you know what? It's all worth it. All of it. It's a good world, filled with good people.

Amazing!

What an amazing past several days we have had!

It all started with dinner with one of my closest and most dear friends from Baylor, Joy. She lives in Honduras and works for Signs of Love (this is her blog!), an organization that teaches and advocates for the deaf population in several rural villages.  I am always inspired by her. She is obedient to the calling the Lord has placed on her life and I am amazed at all of the things He has done and is doing through her!

The next day, I started full-time at Hospice of the Hills! I feel incredibly blessed that I get to work with such lovely people who want to help others be comfortable and at peace near the end of this thing we call life. I have loved every minute of it!

That night, we got to go to a fabulous wedding! Andrew (my new bro-in-law's brother) married Kristen at  a USDA certified all-organic venue called Barr Mansion. It was a stellar party and we were so honored to be invited! Congratulations Andrew and Kristen!

Craig had an all-alone guaranteed day to dedicate to writing and working on his own projects, while I helped the one and only Maria move a very beautiful, well-built and extremely heavy coffee table up 3 flights of stairs, worked one of my last shifts at World Vision, and got to eat pizza with Rebecca! Craig and I met up with Dustin and Bethany for a fun time with his family.

FINALLY, we got to work with our roommates, Nathan and Jamie on a film with a friend of ours who does slam poetry. Craig directed it and I had a cameo! It was so amazing to be a part of and we will definitely let you know when it is out and available to watch!