kapachino

Category: goals

  • #57. Take David To Tabor’s Homecoming

    In case you didn’t know, before I became a nurse I graduated with a BA in youth ministry and philosophy from a small school in Kansas called Tabor College. Now when I say it’s a small school, I mean small. Smaller than your small school. Like, 500 people small. And the town? 3000 people, no stoplight. A rotating selection of restaurants that can never stay in business long. In the middle of nowhere, surrounded by farmland. In other words, a lot different than Houston.

    My experience at Tabor was amazing, and it really shaped me as a person. Not to mention a couple of my very best friends still live in the area. When I tell people that I go to my college homecoming every year, they are kind of confused. But since the school was so small, I pretty much knew everyone, and it’s the perfect excuse to visit friends. I didn’t get to go last year because I was a little busy getting married, but this year I wanted to take David so he can understand a little more of why I am who I am.

    I forgot my camera, so I only took a few token pictures with my iPhone. We stayed with my best friend Becca, her husband Micah, and their one-year-old boy Eli, who is adorable.

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    We watched Tabor get their butts kicked in football, 79-6, but at least it was in a brand new stadium.

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    Did I mention that it was COLD? I promise I checked the weather before we left, and I saw 40’s. I was forgetting that Kansas is a very windy place, not to mention that hello? Forty degrees is very cold in the first place! All I packed was a heavy sweater, so I had to bum extra gear off Becca. And David? Well, I’ll show you how he coped:

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    That’s Becca’s hat, a wool blanket, and a blanket/poncho combo. In his words, “I haven’t been this cold in years.”

    We spent most of our time just socializing, and it was lovely. Staying with Becca inspired me in so many ways, and I’ll share those things with you soon. But for now, one more item checked off the list!

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  • San Antonio, The Rest Of The Story

    So anyway, I kind of got carried away with the penguins there, but David and I actually did do other things in San Antonio other than obsess over sea animals.

    We stayed in this lovely bed and breakfast, the King William Manor, which I highly recommend to anyone:

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    I can’t tell you enough how much I loved staying in a bed and breakfast instead of a hotel. I feel like I can’t go back now! I loved how homey it felt. I loved having a host. I loved that each room was unique. I loved being served breakfast in the morning at whatever time I asked. It was just adorable.

    On our one full day in San Antonio we spent a lot of time walking around downtown and the Riverwalk. We put a lot more miles on the pedometer, and were so exhausted that we spent the late afternoon relaxing in our room, taking naps, reading, and watching football. Then we headed back out in the evening.

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    Dorky picture in front of the Alamo.

    Apparently San Antonio is one of the most haunted cities in America, so we went on this thing called a ghost tour. Our tour guide led us around to different places in downtown and told us about the creepy things that happened there and the rumors of hauntings. We were also encouraged to hunt for ghosts on our own. We even got ghost hunting equipment.

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    Yes, I mean real equipment. That rod in my left hand is a dowsing rod. This thing is freaky. You can hold it in your hand and ask it to point to something, AND IT WILL. At first I thought our tour guide was just some sort of magician. But no. We each got to use one, and IT IS FOR REAL. I even asked it to spin in circles, and it did so, OF ITS OWN VOLITION. The tour guide says it responds to energy, including mental energy. So when we concentrated it would do what we asked, and then as soon as we let the thought slip from our minds it went back to the center. Crazy, I tell you!

    After sadly checking out of our B&B on Sunday, we stopped at the Natural Bridge Caverns on our way home to explore some caves. Once again we were suckered into buying the picture they took of us.

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    The trip was a complete success. We had a blast. (And on an unrelated note, our new budget begins next month.)

  • SeaWorld, But Most Importantly, PENGUINS

    Y’all, I had a good weekend. I mean, it was really good. Check it out:

    DAY ONE

    We woke up at 5:30 a.m. and left the house a little after 7 a.m. On the way I made David pull over so I could get coffee about an hour outside of San Antonio. I wonder when I became that kind of coffee drinker? (Incidentally, who knew Valero has such good cappuccinos?) We parked at SeaWorld and walked to the gate only to be told to come back when I wasn’t trying to sneak pepper spray into the park. When we finally made it inside, the first thing we did was go on a ride. I love roller coasters, and although they make David nervous he was game. But by the time we got inside the cart he was wondering what on earth he was thinking. Poor guy was miserable, and I have the picture to prove it:

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    Yes, we paid almost $13 for this picture, and I think it’s worth every penny. Everyone else is the picture of happiness–they should put us on an advertisement–and David looks like he’s undergoing surgery without anesthesia. Can you believe that after this I convinced him to ride it a second time?

    Next we saw the Shamu show “Believe”, and now I am head over heels in love with that whale. I almost cried from sheer joy at the end. But seriously, it is amazing what they can train those animals to do. After another roller coaster left us both feeling dizzy and a little nauseated, we decided to stop for lunch. We had to eat quick because OMG WE SIGNED UP FOR AN UP CLOSE PENGUIN ENCOUNTER!!! I have loved penguins since I was a little kid, and I have always wanted to pet one. When I found out that it was possible to do this I immediately made it one of my 101 goals. We got to go behind the scenes of the exhibit, see the penguins in their “habitat”, learn a bit more about them, and finally MEET ONE!

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    I’M PETTING A PENGUIN!

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    How cute is David’s face? He’s like a little boy!

    This was totally the highlight of the day (and it better’ve been at $30 a person). But the fun did not end there, oh no. David bought a tray of three fish for $5 to feed the dolphins. He attempted to joke with the man selling them about what a moneymaker it was, but the man was not amused. In fact, he gave us a condescending look and said, “It helps the animals.” Sure, sure. We also saw the shark exhibit, went to another two shows, and walked through the two “haunted” attractions when they opened, but it was still light outside so they weren’t very scary.

    At the end of the day we had walked 9.23 miles (says my pedometer) and my feet were killing me because I wore some cheap Old Navy flip flops, and David’s hips were killing him because, well, he has a better excuse than I do. I highly recommend going to SeaWorld if you get the chance!

    I’ll write about the rest of our trip tomorrow, but I must get myself to bed right now. If you’re interested, you can see some of my video clips from the weekend on Vimeo and the rest of my pictures (and get a sneak peek!) on Flickr.

  • things i love about my husband

    One of my goals is to write David a list of 100 things I love about him, and this is the perfect time for that. Here are 90 of those things, because the other ten are just for us.

    1. He remembers everything I say.
    2. He likes to run errands. I rarely have to do the grocery shopping.
    3. He made up “Family Bed Time” for us and the dogs, where we spend time loving on them, cuddling, and talking when we get home from work.
    4. His warm soft body, especially because I’m always cold!
    5. Listening to him softly snore in the morning.
    6. How he can fall asleep in 2 seconds no matter where he is.
    7. All his little noises.
    8. Our “lang”.
    9. It doesn’t happen often, but he lets himself cry in front of me.
    10. His musk.
    11. He unashamedly calls me Dayleen – you know, like Brangelina?
    12. He buys me flowers for no reason at all.
    13. He gives me the big half of the pastry, brownie, cookie, etc.
    14. He LOVES dogs.
    15. He tells me he loves me a million times a day and means it.
    16. He won’t relax if there’s anything wrong between us.
    17. He actually likes to cuddle.
    18. He makes everyone laugh.
    19. My whole family loves him.
    20. He has made an effort to get to know my brothers.
    21. He even looks out for them and has concern for them as if they were his flesh and blood.
    22. He is very socially adept, and I am always proud (and grateful) to have him around in social situations.
    23. He has beautiful eyes.
    24. He has strong, defined calves.
    25. He protects me in countless different ways.
    26. He’s a practical spender, but splurges when appropriate.
    27. The way he’s gotten so involved at church. He’s on the leadership team and is a leader in the youth group as well.
    28. He’s extremely sensitive to everyone around him.
    29. He’s close to his family.
    30. He loves to read and always has multiple books going.
    31. He is a great at conversation and I am never bored with him.
    32. He lets me pick the movie or TV show we’ll watch.
    33. His cute mouth.
    34. His thick, sturdy legs.
    35. He loves playing with kids.
    36. How cute he looks holding our nephew Lucas.
    37. He tells me I’m beautiful and notices when I change anything about my appearance.
    38. He always wants to spend time with me and finds a way to make it happen even if we’re both extremely busy.
    39. He helps around the house and I don’t have to ask him to.
    40. He keeps in touch with me throughout the day.
    41. He likes the food I cook…
    42. …but he’s okay with cereal or sandwiches for dinner (thank God).
    43. He treats Cleo (my dog) almost the same as Eddie (his dog).
    44. He tucks me in to bed every night.
    45. He’s a homebody just like me.
    46. He lets me decorate the house in whatever way I want.
    47. He likes sports.
    48. He came to all my indoor soccer games.
    49. He holds onto me in public…
    50. …and in private too.
    51. He’s excited when I buy something for myself because it makes me happy.
    52. He puts up with my blog.
    53. He loves my natural beauty but compliments me when I have makeup on.
    54. He goes to all the Alley Theatre shows with me.
    55. He wants to travel all over…
    56. …but he loves coming home to Houston.
    57. He has the best heart of anyone I know.
    58. He does hilarious imitations and voices.
    59. He does the Right Thing.
    60. He’s been through a whole lot and come out on the other side.
    61. He trusts God with his life.
    62. He always comes to me first with any thoughts, fears, happiness, struggles, good news, etc.
    63. He wants to have a family with me.
    64. He’s faithful.
    65. He honors me by not watching raunchy TV shows or movies.
    66. He makes sure our vehicles are in good shape before we go on a road trip.
    67. He has adapted to my inability to communicate well at night when I’m tired, even though that is when he needs me the most.
    68. He encourages me with all of the projects I take on (cooking, decorating, Internet, etc.).
    69. He is constantly bringing me little treats or gifts that he knows I’ll like.
    70. He never says anything negative about me to other people. He always praises me.
    71. He loves and respects my parents.
    72. He knew he wanted to marry me and pursued me until he had me.
    73. His dimples!
    74. His parents are two of his most favorite people.
    75. He puts up with a very painful hip condition and rarely complains.
    76. He’s an excellent, safe driver and drives us wherever we go.
    77. He’s very intuitive to people’s needs; he can “read” people well.
    78. He’s extremely intelligent.
    79. He lets Cleo sleep in the bed with us and even brings her there every night because he knows I love it.
    80. He makes up silly songs about random things.
    81. He works very hard at his job.
    82. He’s an excellent storyteller.
    83. He’s the best partner for games (especially Trivial Pursuit and Scattergories).
    84. He tells me he loves me when I wake him up at 5 a.m. when I’m leaving for work.
    85. When he reaches for me to pull me close.
    86. He let us buy a $4000 mattress that we are paying off over 2 years (no interest!) because I am in love with it, even though it makes him hot.
    87. The way he loves to make people happy.
    88. He stopped feeding Cleo people food because it makes her sick and she’s gaining weight, even though that is one of his favorite things to do.
    89. He’s an excellent communicator.
    90. He loves me more than I ever thought a human being could love me.

  • #15. Drink 64 oz. of water a day for a week: My Thoughts

    • There is nothing wrong with my kidneys.
    • I peed. A lot.
    • I now know what it might be like to have diabetes insipidus.
    • Drinking this much water and being a nurse aren’t mutually exclusive, but almost.
    • It’s better to drink the bulk of the volume in the morning rather than at night.
    • Did I mention that I peed a lot? Y’all, it was NONSTOP.

    Other than the peeing, which was the main observation that I made this past week, I’m not sure if I have much else to report. Maybe if I kept this kind of hydration up I would get less headaches or have more energy or something, but I can’t say that after only one week. I think I was less hungry, but I also can’t say that that stopped me from eating whole servings of chocolate chips out of the bag.

    In conclusion, from now on I won’t be measuring my intake but I will make an effort to increase it. I’ve learned to drink water without ice, which is a big step and one that makes it much easier to chug. So here’s to my new well-hydrated lifestyle!

    This was one of my 101 goals in 1001 days. How is your list of goals coming?