while you were sleeping

Over the course of my lifetime-almost 2 decades- I've had many opportunities to sleep in the same room as someone else, sometimes even in the same bed. I've come to realize that everyone is more their true self while sleeping then when they are awake; you find out a lot about a person's character while they are sleeping. To illustrate this point, here are several "periods" from my life...

1990-1993 Bliss

It's pretty much a blur. I can imagine though, that I slept very well in my little crib. I imagine I never fussed, cried, twitched, made weird noises, or did anything strange at all. So here's Karee: perfect.

1993-1999 Abused Period

During this point, I was sharing a room and a bed with little Kevin. I distinctly remember one night waking up shivering. I quickly grabbed the blanket to cover myself up, but for some reason, the blanket was a little scratchy and much much smaller. Next thing I know, it is jerked away from me. I finally opened my eyes to see my mother there holding a towel. "Just go back to sleep Karee, Kevin threw up all over your sheets, I'm just cleaning it up with this towel." gross.

Kevin also twitches in his sleep. Ok, more like convulses in his sleep; at least every 10 minutes. Try sleeping with that going on! One day my mom and I were in the kitchen and we heard a loud boom, like a potato exploding in the oven. However, it was no potato, it was Kevin. He twitched so hard that he hit the wall. One night I seriously thought he was having a seizure he was shaking so bad.

So, that's Kevin: always full of surprises. Sometimes they're fun, but other times...

2000-2008 Freedom

I now had my own room. Having your own room=pure heaven. However, I did not like to have my door closed at night and since I moved closer to my parent's bedroom, I now had their sleeping habits to deal with. Oddly enough, hearing the symphony of snores coming from their bedroom was comforting. It made me feel safe to know that they were only a few feet away. So here they are in a nutshell: Dad: He has a pretty common snore, but he hates being normal, so he spices it up a bit. Sometimes its loud, other times its soft, sometimes it stops completely then catches you by surprise with a big snort. So, that's Dad: a little cooky, but normal. And full of surprises.. I guess that's where Kevin gets it.

Mom: "hiiiiiiiiip pooooooooooooo" (breathe in on the "hiiiiiiip" and exhale on the "pooooooo". Now do it in a girlish tone) That is Mom's snore. Sometimes she'll throw in a loud regular snore just to keep you on your toes, or to help Dad not feel so monstrous with his loud snores. So, that's Mom: girly, dainty, always concerned for others, and keeps people doing what they're supposed to.

2008-2009 Tooth-B-Gone

My first ever roommate was Alex Adams. I was a little nervous to move in with a complete stranger and even more nervous when I saw how close we would actually be sleeping. We could have held hands while we slept, it was that close. I first noticed that she mumbled in her sleep and made weird noises which were different every night. However, those things didn't really bother me. Instead, each night I would wake up to this nasty grinding noise. I would look out the window, check all around the room, and even check outside our room in the rest of the apartment. I was never able to find the source. One night I was up super late because of a 7 page paper that was due the next morning, and I heard the noise again, it was coming from Alex. She was grinding her teeth. I'm actually surprised she still has teeth! I mean, I've never known someone to grind their teeth before, but this girl goes at it! It's like she has to grind down all of her teeth before morning. So that's Alex: determined, has a little case of O.D.D. and can make up some weird things. Also, very fun and spontaneous.

2009-present Laughter

Now I sleep in the same room as Bree. She's actually the reason for this post, because she is taking a nap. Yes, it is 11:30pm. Anyway, while she's sleeping 3 feet away from me, I often wake up to laughing. Uncontrollable laughter. Last night, I woke up to her laughter and there were words thrown in. "oh cakes!" and a little while later "You're hilarious" little later "oh jeez!" There was more, but I can't remember them all. If this is her true character, then I wish she'd let it out when she's awake! When she is awake, she's a very reserved, quiet person who told me she hates being around a lot of people. So, I guess if people's true character is revealed while sleeping here's Bree: carefree, loves cake?, and loves to laugh.