Chronicles of a Coach's Wife: Sleep Deprivation

So while I was waiting for sweet sleep to find me last night, I was thinking it might be interesting to write a series for those out there who want to know what it's like to be married to a college football coach.  It will be a series that stretches over time so keep on checking back :)

I thought I knew what I was getting into during Brett's and my dating relationship, but I really had NO idea.  I know every coach's wife has a different experience, but I'm sure we share many of the same struggles, joys, and routines.  One of those struggles for me is sleep deprivation. If you know me, you know I LOVE LOVE LOVE sleep.  I'm the girl in college who if she had a 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. class, she'd go back up to her dorm room and squeeze in a 15 minute nap.  I also love sleeping in.  It's one reason I love my job so much: I wouldn't get into the office until 9:15 (I'd stay later to make up for it). Sleep deprivation is one thing I didn't really think about when I married Brett.

Not only do I now have to share the bed with my husband and get used to that, I also have to deal with his early more meetings.  Three days a week, Brett has to get be at the office at 6 a.m.  I'm a very light sleeper so I hear his phone vibrate with his alarm (which goes off at 5:00 or 5:15 a.m.) and make sure he doesn't sleep through it.  He tries really hard to be quiet, which I very much appreciate.  Normally, it takes me between 30 minutes and an hour to fall back to sleep.  Then, I sleep off and on for another two hours, when I have to wake up for real.

On these early morning days, I feel extra tired.  It's hard to get my brain going for work, and I feel like taking a nap around 3.  Good thing I don't go to bed at 1 a.m. like I used to pre-marriage.  I apologize in advance if you ever talk to me and I'm a little moody.  That's what sleep deprivation will do to you.

Honeymooning: Fort Lauderdale

Also known as sleeping... a lot.  No one really tells you how exhausted you'll be, especially as a bride.  You got through months of planning, stress, tears, and joy.  The honeymoon is the time to finally breathe, which means the exhaustion hits really quick, and really hard.  As soon as we got to the hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, we crashed for about 3 hours.  I think I took a nap 5 out of the 7 days.  It was definitely needed.

We had a about 1.5 days of sun, and then the rain hit hard.  It was right before the hurricane/tropical depression hit so at least we weren't stuck in that weather.  Since it rained so much, we went to Sawgrass Mills Mall, which just happens to be the largest outlet mall in the United States. Poor Brett was such a trooper.  We probably walked at least one mile.  To make up for that shopping trip (in which Brett bought more than me), we went to see Rock of Ages.  It was a little cheesy but had some great music. 

Brett and I ate some AMAZING food.  That was my favorite part of the trip.  We stuck to seafood most of the time.  Here are a list of restaurants that we went to with a brief description.  If you are ever in Ft. Lauderdale, you should check out them out.

• Chima Brazilian Steakhouse:  I think the waiters work in teams here so we were very happy with the service.  Even if you don't like red meat (Brett says the flank steak is the best steak he's ever had), you can find fish and chicken as well.  They also had a big salad bar with soup.  They gave us a special dessert for free because it was our honeymoon.
• Coconuts: Trey, the graduate assistant for NGU, recommended Coconuts to us.  We had the best waitress here.  She was kind, funny, and extremely attentive.  Needless to say she got a great tip. The coconut shrimp did not disappoint.  I had the potato-crusted red snapper which was superb.  It came with a lightly seasoned tomato slice which was simple, but delicious.  This was probably my favorite meal.
• Big City Tavern: This restaurant is off of Las Olas Boulevard in the heart of downtown Ft. Lauderdale.  Las Olas is beautiful.  Brett and I both had burgers.  Their fries are like skinny Carolina Ale House fries. Amazing. We went here right after we landed, and actually went back for lunch before we left.  Our waitress from the first time remembered us, which I thought was pretty rare considering how many people probably go through there.
• Tom Jenkins' Bar-B-Que: You know a BBQ place is going to be good when the store hours sign says "Sundays: Gone to church, Monday: Gone fishin' "  It was a little hole in the wall that you probably would miss just driving down the road.  The atmosphere is fantastic: they have picnic tables for tables and an actual brick oven.  Brett says they have the best collard greens that he's ever had.
• Bimini Boatyard Bar and Grill: This restaurant was alright.  Honestly I don't remember what I had here so it wasn't one of my favorites.  The food wasn't terrible but it was just average.  It was close to the resort which was nice.
• The Soda Shop: This restaurant was on the Lago Mar resort property.  I'm sad we found this on the second to last day.  We ate there for breakfast two days.  Fran, the waitress, was my favorite.  When Brett grabbed my hand to pray over our breakfast, she said, "Aw Christians." Praying over a meal is not something I typically think about as witnessing.  We had some great conversations with this kind lady from Brooklyn.  We probably sat there for an hour just talking with her while she served everyone else.

Well that's a wrap-up of our honeymoon.  Here are some pictures we took while we were there.

First Signs

This post stirs up a ton of conflicting emotions.  On one hand, it makes me excited for the future and to begin my life with Brett.  On the other hand, it causes some sadness and anxiety.  You see, I packed my first three boxes last night (I won't be moving until after the wedding, but packing little by little will reduce my stress level).  I took all my bells and books off the shelf in my room.  Here's what it looks like now (with a few things left over):

It's amazing how packing one little thing like a shelf can completely change the whole feel of a room.  My bedroom feels more empty, less like home.  Three little boxes are making it real to me that I am moving in less than two months.  Wow.

If you ask Brett, I'm an emotional person to begin with.  I have a feeling this whole moving away from my parents and a place I've lived since 2001 is going to wreck havoc on my emotions.  One thing I am thankful for is that God has been preparing my heart for this move the past two or so months. I can feel the peace He is giving me little by little as we inch closer to the wedding and the move.  My mom reminded me that God has worked like that with our four moves during my childhood.  He's doing the same for me as I begin this next chapter in my life.  For that, I am EXTREMELY thankful.

Normal

I am so ready for normal, whatever normal is in the coaching profession.  I'm glad that I only have to drive that drive to Greenville one more time before we get married.  Yay!

Anyway, I was able to meet the new NGU coaching staff this weekend at spring practice.  I am really going to like being a part of that family.  Everyone I met was so wonderful.  Brett is the only full-timer not married.  Many of the coaches have children so I'll be able to live vicariously through those kids until we have our own down the road.  I met La'Donte's wife Britney, who is expecting their first in a couple of months.  She was really sweet.

Bahhhh, so many exciting things to look forward to!