kapachino

Tag: David

  • A Good Night’s Sleep

    Since I worked so late on Tuesday I didn’t get to sleep until many hours later than my usual bedtime. The consequence of such a circumstance is that I found myself reaching for my sleep mask when it started getting light in the morning, and didn’t wake up until around 11 a.m. Then I felt fuzzy around the edges all day long. That was yesterday.

    After getting a lot of nothing accomplished during the day, David and I went to church because we help lead the youth group. On our way home I was feeling a little sleepy again. David rolled his eyes and told me, “I feel bad for you when you get home after a 16-hour shift, but not after you slept in until 11 and had the whole day off.” I tried to explain to him how I thrive on routine and one whacked out sleep cycle ruins me for the next few days, but he wasn’t buying it. I figured I’d crawl in bed when I got home.

    But when I got home something of a second wind came upon me, which isn’t that surprising considering I had only been awake for ten hours. For one reason or another (mostly my schedule) David and I don’t get a lot of chances to just unwind and relax together in the evenings, so I decided to take advantage of this chance. I changed into my lounge pants (that I had only taken off a few hours earlier), settled myself on the couch near David, and we enjoyed a comfortable silence while he worked on his computer and I browsed on mine.

    After a little while he put on a movie. I wasn’t really interested in it, so I didn’t pay much attention. But after a short amount of time I noticed him nodding off out of the corner of my eye. I love it when I catch him falling asleep. I can tell the exact moment it happens by the change in his breathing. There is something so sweet and vulnerable about him during those times, and it makes me want to grab onto him and never let go.

    While I was thinking these thoughts a sudden little snore escaped him, and he immediately sat up straight, looked right at me, and smiled sheepishly. We both laughed, and my heart swelled with so much love that I thought it would burst. Then we put away our things, brushed our teeth, and crawled into bed, together, to fall asleep, together, a rare treat. I laid down next to him and he said, “Closer” and I moved closer. Cleo burrowed herself underneath the blankets and stretched out next to me on the other side, pushing me into him. We slept like that, the three of us, all night long.

  • 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.

    Natural Bridge Caverns

    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:

    Steel Eel

    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.

  • A Renewal Of Vows

    This was intended to be published on October 3, our actual anniversary. A combination of a lack of Internet access and foresight prevented that from happening, so here it is, a little late.

    ***

    I, Kathleen, take you, David, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward; I promise to nudge you in the morning when your alarm goes off the first time, as well as when it goes off the thirtieth time, and I’ll only give you a little bit of a hard time about it. I promise to forcibly get you out of bed, if needed, so that you won’t be late for work, because I know that even though you may seem upset about it at the time, you will thank me for it later.

    I vow to never sneak any onions into anything I cook, thinking that you won’t notice. Moreover, I vow to order my meals without onions if we’re out at a restaurant and I’m getting something you might want to try. I vow to do the laundry, the ironing, and to always put a new bag in the trash can, because I know how you hate those chores. And I vow to always thank you when you take the trash out, do the dishes, or clean your side of the bathroom.

    I solemnly swear to stop what I’m doing when you come home from work and give you the attention that you deserve, because you are more important to me than any book, chore, website, or TV show. I swear to never hang up the phone, leave the house, or get on a plane without telling you I love you first. I swear to put my head on your shoulder while we’re listening to the sermon during church. I swear to hold your hand or your arm while we’re walking in public. I swear to put my arm around you in bed every night, but I also swear that I won’t get my feelings hurt when you tell me you’re too hot for that.

    I vow to listen when you’re talking, and to make every attempt to be interested in politics, your latest true crime book, or whatever sports team you’re currently obsessed with, and, failing that, I will at least pretend to be. I vow to give you proper praise when you save us ten dollars by using the CVS cash you’ve earned. I vow to tell you as often as possible what an amazing man I think you are, and that out of the six billion people in the world, you’re my favorite one.

    Above all else, I promise to always stick up for you, to fight for you, to go to bed and wake up next to you, to put your interests above my own, and to ask for forgiveness when I don’t. I promise to do my best to make this marriage the best part of our lives, and I promise I will be there for you for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.

    ***

    This post inspired by Holly at Nothing But Bonfires, for whom I have an unrequited blog love.

  • 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.