So sleepy!

My fibromyalgia has decided to really kick up with regards to my sleep lately. Or my not-going-to-sleep-ever-again lately. It's been probably 2 or 3 months since I slept the whole night through. At first, months ago, I'd wake up, look at the clock like I always do, then I'd roll over and go back to sleep. That has progressed to waking up every hour, staying awake a while, and finally drifting off at 6 before the alarm goes off oat 6:30.

This is true for the weekends too, which really stinks.

Last night, I woke up about 2:30, and I was really hot (another problem plaguing me lately), so I turned the fan up a speed which helped immediately. I thought, great! That was an easy fix. At 3:15, I got out of bed, went to the living room, and proceded to watch 3 episodes of Fresh Prince. It was that or infomercials, but I didn't feel like listening about the chop and scoop anymore.

Colby came out with me, really confused why I was up at 3am. He decided that it would be a great time for him to go outside, so I waited for him to come back in. Then he wanted to walk around, clicking his nails on the ground. That would not help me go back to sleep, so I put a blanket on the floor by the couch and he slept there the rest of the night. I slept with the tv on when I finally fell back asleep.

I emailed my boss at 3:45, told him I wouldn't be coming in until "mid-day;" I like that term because it didn't nail me down to a time! After Scott left for work, I slept 7:45-9:15, then dozed off and on til 10. I woke up and watched Gilmore Girls while eating a peanut butter and honey sandwich. It was a good feel-good food for this morning.

I stayed home until lunchtime to have lunch with Scott, then I finally came in to work. I could have taken the whole day off and not fallen behind on anything at work, but I like to get paid too.
I told Scott that I'm going to be so physically active tonight, it's going to be crazy. I'm going to go for a walk with the pups when I get home, then I'm going to mow the lawn, lift some weights, walk again. Whatever it takes to not sit around before bedtime. I need to exhaust myself even more and see if that helps. My body is so exhauted already, I just don't understand why I'm not sleeping. When I wake up, my mind is wide awake, but my body isn't! Also, all this lack of sleep is making my hips hurt a lot. I can't sit without hurting right now!

Ah, the joys of fibromyalgia. Most of the time, I can handle it alright. Today is not one of those times.

A rodeo, a long drive, and a wedding; oh my!

Friday night, Scott and I went to a rodeo! It actually ended up being more fun than we thought it would! We saw calf roping, barrel racing, bull riding, and calf wrestling! I thought that there would be a lot of drinking around, but they didn't even sell beer which was great. There was a family with 5 kids in front of us, and when they first sat down, I was worried that we wouldn't enjoy sitting by them, but it was really quite the opposite. They were so well behaved, enjoyed their cotton candy, and really liked each other's company! I think their dad must have been a rodeo guy sometime; he looked like one and dressed like one!

Saturday, we got to sleep in a little, then headed out to Norman, OK for a friend's wedding. It's our third and final wedding of the summer. It took about 5 hours, but it was really a fabulous wedding. I didn't really know any other guests except for a few that were Scott's classmates. When they all got back together, they talked about their current jobs. They're all engineers, so it was pretty boring! One of them, a bridesmaid, is the only one I knew, so during the reception, we chatted when we could. It was nice to see her and her husband since we weren't able to make it to their wedding last year.

We stayed at a nice hotel, slept in a little this morning, then really took our time getting back home. We went to Cracker Barrel in Norman on our way out of town; it was so yummy! Then we hit the road until we stopped for a little outlet mall shopping. Some books, a tie, and a few kitchen odds and ends later, we got back on the road and drove back to Tyler.

Overall, this was a great weekend and a great change of pace from a "regular" weekend. We were glad to get back home and see the pups! Some friends watched them, and said they did well, so we were happy to hear that! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend too!

Rodeo?

Ok, now that we live in Tx, I decided that we needed to do something totally Texan! I heard about a rodeo on the radio yesterday, so I bought tickets today! It's tonight at 8, with a concert by Chris Cagle after the rodeo is over. I will try to take pictures of us there, because it should be a hoot, but I think my camera is on the fritz. Boo. It really will be funny tonight... :)

4th of July Weekend

Scott and I had a great holiday weekend! Scott's sister, K, and her husband, T, came to visit! They hadn't seen our house before and had only been here to visit one other time, so it was really exciting. Usually T has to be back at their church to lead the youth Sunday school, but he took a week off so they got to stay! We went to see fireworks Friday night, the zoo and Hancock on Saturday. They even came to our church on Sunday and got to see me sing in the priase band.

They are such great people, great as family members, and great as a couple. It's always great to see them, but it's just different when it's the 4 of us. I wish we could do it more often. But that's all about to change! K and T are adopting a baby boy from Korea at the end of the summer! This adoption has so been a God thing. From the timing, to the funding, to the timing again. People who don't believe in God need to hear stories like this adoption (really can't share details, as they are not mine to share!), feel the goose bumps of things "just working out" and see that there is something bigger at play. God is so awesome, and I am lucky to have K and T, and soon I, in my life! I love that little guy already! He'll be about 10-11 months when he comes home, so it will be a huge change!

5 Item Meal:

Thanks, Shannon, for hosting today's Works For Me Wednesday! I am always looking for easy meals, and you can't get much easier than 5 items or less!

Taco Soup:
1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet dry ranch seasoning
corn
beans

Put in crockpot and stir it up! Cook on low 4-5 hours, or high 3. This also works on the stovetop. I personally like it better the next day, once the flavors are really blended. This is easy to put on the stove or in the crockpot while you are making tonight's dinner, then enjoy it tomorrow!

This recipe is very flexible. Add what your family likes, leave out what they don't! We like veggies in our soups, so we add 2 cans of corn and 1 can of pinto beans, sometimes two. Also, if you have it on hand, feel free to add green beans or another kind of bean, I bet black beans would be good. Also good with a can of rotel, a little different flavor. Is this cheating? It's more than 5 ingredients if you add all that stuff, but it can be very simple!

To eat, we like it with tortilla chips, a little cheese, and if it seems too spicy, a little sour cream.

Enjoy!

Blood:Water Mission

Last night I went to a Sara Groves concert with special guest Donald Miller. It was benefitting the Blood:Water Mission, "a grassroots movement founded by the members of the band Jars of Clay to personally and creatively empower African communities to provide clean blood and clean water projects." (From the flyer at my church) It was called the Ride:Well Concert with a group that is riding across America. They left the west coast June 9 and arrived in Tyler, TX yesterday. They are ending in about 3.5 weeks in South Carolina, I think. Sara Groves was really good, and Donald Miller did a great job. They both captured the hearts and checkbooks of Tyler people. The goal was $40,000, which is enough to build 10 wells in Sub Saharan Africa. The total we heard, and they were still counting, was over $72,000! That's 17.5 wells! I was so incredibly surprised, but very excited. That's awesome!! And this morning, I got on facebook and found out that I know one of the riders! There were probably 20 or so, and I know one! I went to high school with him in MS, and I'm not at all surprised that he's participating in the ride. Good luck, Matt W!!

I've been busy lately, and I don't see that slowing down anytime soon! VBS was a few weeks ago at the church, then I got 45 youth off on a mission trip to MS. The next week was our Mission Week for our church. Our church as well as 2 other Methodist churches sponsor Mission Week every summer, and hundreds of people participate across Tyler. I think like 5-6 hundred! I worked with one of the youth projects and learned how to roof a house! I nailed shingles 7a-noon 2 days last week! It's really hot, hard work, but I felt really good when it was all said and done. Those kids are amazing, and I love being around their youth, excitement and (most of the time) attitudes. They are a blessing to my life, and I'm lucky to know them.

This past weekend, Scott and I traveled to Stillwater, OK for a friend's wedding. I was a little worried since I only knew like one other person at the wedding (the groom is Scott's friend), but it was really fun! The bride looked stunning, like she just stepped out of a bridal magazine! And the whole time could be described as casual shabby chic. Really fun weekend overall too. We got to hang out with friends and just sit around, chat, and play the wii on Saturday afternoon.

That's about it for now! Scott's sister and brother in law are coming to visit for the weekend. We're going to go see fireworks on Friday night, but no other plans besides that! It should be fun!!

*Update, He's not a rider, he works for Blood:Water Mission. Still cool!