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All-Star Game

Last night was the Mayor’s All-Star game for high school hockey. The teams were divided by north and south. Unfortunately, for the Mayor and the north team, the south side was victorious. Nevertheless, it was a fun evening of hockey. He got to play again with some previous teammates and some other friends, which made it great.

Photos courtesy of Elizabeth, Sara and Erica

As for us parents, we enjoyed the all-star game from the comfort of the bar. Well, everyone less my hubby. He was asked to coach the game, so he was on the bench with the Mayor and the north team. The all-star is one of those games where the coaches just roll the lines, or at least they should, and manage the bench. Really, I think they were there to look pretty and prevent mayhem from breaking out. I’m sure the hubby wouldn’t have minded being disqualified from coaching, so he could watch the game from the bar with the rest of us.

Some action from high school courtesy of Pam!

The hardest part of the All-Star game was the incredibly late evening. We didn’t make it home til well after 10:30 pm. Consequently, I didn’t make it to bed until after 11:00 pm, which is significantly after my school night bedtime. Nonetheless, I still managed to read a good 10-15 pages of Proust. It’s not an easy read when your awake, so it was definitely a challenge to read while sleepy last night. Also, I turn into a bugbear if I don’t get adequate sleep.

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: 45-minute spin class, plus 15-minute cooldown courtesy of Apple Fitness
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s  Finding Lost Time. 
  • Blog: done
  • Today’s song is All Star by Smash Mouth

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First Weekend Off

It was our first weekend off since hockey ended. I thought my liver would recover nicely now that hockey season was over. As it happens, this proved to be an entirely false hypothesis. It all started Saturday afternoon in our driveway with the neighbors. The boys were watching glue dry (literally) and the wives joined them to enjoy some drinks. Before you knew it, we ended up heading to a restaurant with the guys in hard hats and high-visibility vests.

Sunday we headed to brunch with my friend Scott. He and I worked together at Progressive many moons ago. In fact, he first met me when I was pregnant with Zachary. We met at JB’s on the beach in Deerfield Beach. It’s an awesome place, but the whole rigmarole of traffic was too much. Deerfield Beach is one of those places you need to get to extremely early if you don’t like traffic. Nevertheless, the view, the food, and the company made suffering through traffic worth it. Our first weekend off of hockey was a smashing good time.

I crashed, however, as soon as we got home thanks to the mimosas. Fortunately, I woke up in time to see Kaprizov score a hat-trick and steal the game from Columbus. The kid is incredible. Speaking of hockey, we didn’t fully take the weekend off from hockey. The Mayor started lessons with Coach Joni early Saturday morning. Joni is an incredible skating coach, so I’m excited to see the process the Mayor makes under his tutelage. They’ll be working together weekly. Tonight the Mayor will play in the high school All-Star game, which should be fun.

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: 45-minute spin class, plus 15-minute cooldown courtesy of Apple Fitness
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s  Finding Lost Time. 
  • Blog: done
  • Today’s song is Radiate by Jack Johnson
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Calm

It was a calm morning in our house today. In contrast with yesterday’s actual shit show. Fortunately, the illness that caused the overnight loss of bowels and bladders is gone. It was a bloodbath yesterday. This morning all three puppies are happy, and healthy and didn’t leave a mess in their crates this morning. I even got to watch Bake Off before starting work. Of course, yesterday morning was also hectic because I had a lab appointment at Quest. It’s never fun going to Quest during the snowbird season.

One of the things that has always bothered me since moving to South Florida is having to go to Quest or Lab Corp for blood work. Thankfully, my primary doctor does it in the office. My Endo also has a lab in the office, but it’s not in my insurance carrier’s network. It’s so mind-numbingly infuriating that health insurance makes it so cumbersome to get care. I hate waking up at the ass crack of dawn to get blood work done. Nor do I enjoy scheduling bloodwork out four weeks because it’s season and every Quest around me is booked for weeks.

I was hoping to have the blood work back today, but no such luck. They’ll likely send the results Monday. This time they ran a test to measure inflammation, so it will be interesting to see what that shows. This particular test, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, is helpful in diagnosing inflammatory diseases like lupus and RA as well as helping determine a patient’s risk of heart disease. My family has a well-documented history of heart disease, so I’m curious to see what it shows. This test can also shed light on whether another autoimmune disease is in play for me. So here I am calm as a cucumber waiting on my test results and working.

Meanwhile, my back is still bothering me on my right side where the shingle patches were. I thought I pulled a muscle in bed, but maybe it’s related to the shingles. The location is certainly suspicious. I’ve been treating it with a mixture of camphor, lidocaine, and balsam. Thankfully, Tiger Balm and Salonpas put all that goodness into wearable patches. Otherwise, it can be a literal pain to use either.

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: 45-minute spin class, plus 15-minute cooldown courtesy of Apple Fitness
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s  Finding Lost Time. 
  • Blog: done
  • Today’s song is fun and a bit risque! Enjoy Lady Marmalade from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack
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Winter Weather

As winter weather bears down on most of the country and our family, our climate continues to be beautiful. The skies are blue and the temperature isn’t ridiculous, nor is the humidity out of hand. It’s the kind of winter day that one moves to Florida to enjoy. The Hubby and Mayor met Grandpa Steve and Grandma Linda at Benny’s on the Beach, while I, unfortunately, had to work. The view from Benny’s is gorgeous. The view from my desk, however, is not so much.

As a kid, when a winter storm was approaching, I would eagerly watch the closings across the bottom of the television screen. Inevitably, I was almost always disappointed to find our school was not on the list. With the exception of the Halloween Blizzard and an exceptionally cold day, that led the governor to close all schools in the state, our school was always open. Honestly, it was the worst. To know all our cousins that attended neighboring districts were home enjoying the day off while we languished at school.

Now, of course. post-pandemic snow days or hurricane days look a lot different. Some schools opt to keep the school in session virtually, while others shut down completely. I like to think the schools that go virtual instead of closing like medieval torturers. Virtual school during the pandemic was complicated and an epic failure, so no need to continue that trend. A few more years and it won’t matter as I’ll no longer have a horse in that race.

Apparently, the dogs felt terrible that we were missing out on the epic winter storm because we woke up to a literal shit storm of epic proportions. It must have been something in the water that caused all three pups to lose control of their bowels and bladders last night. Needless to say, it was not a pretty sight. I helped clean up as much as I could before work and after my lab appointment. Despite my best efforts, there was still a lot of cleaning up for my hubby to do.

We had Grandpa Steve and Grandma Linda over for appetizers and drinks last night. It was great to spend time with them both before they headed back north. I wish I could have gone to brunch with them today too. I already missed a day this week, so there was no way I could get the time off. I’m glad they’ve been able to enjoy some of our beautiful winter weather. Oh, I almost forgot, I hurt my shoulder reading last night. I don’t know how I did it, but I did. Isn’t aging fun?

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: 45-minute spin class, plus 15-minute cooldown courtesy of Apple Fitness
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s  Finding Lost Time. 
  • Blog: done
  • Word of the day: Lasciviousness. It’s a pretty fitting word for the day on which Harvey Weinstein is sentenced for his sexual misdeeds.
  • Today’s song Drinkin’ Problem by Midland

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Family in Town

We have family in town, which is helping occupy my mind as we just closed a huge chapter in our life. Grandpa Steve and Grandma Linda are in town along with their precious puppies. Unfortunately, our big dogs are a little overzealous in their welcome and make the little dogs super anxious. Consequently, we opted for dinner at Sushi Yama since we could sit outside and their dogs could join us.

While Jake and our family in Minny are getting pummeled by winter storms, our weather is literally perfect. Okay, it may be a little too warm to be perfect, but it’s nearly there. If Mother Nature could flip the off switch on the humidity, it would be amazing. Nonetheless, it was the perfect evening for dining outside. I’ll never cease to enjoy eating outdoors during the winter months. After growing up in Minnesota, the Florida winters never get old.

Today is a very special day in our house. Today we celebrate the eighth anniversary of Athena’s Gotcha Day. Athena has brought us so much joy and laughter over the years. I seriously don’t think we could ask for a better puppy. She was a wonderful sister to Maya and always looked out for her. Now she keeps her eyes on her rambunctious younger brothers. She’s never afraid to put either one in their place. Above all, Athena loves her family dearly and will always be the first to protect us if needed. We love you Piggie!

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: 45-minute spin class, plus 15-minute cooldown courtesy of Apple Fitness
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s  Finding Lost Time. 
  • Blog: done
  • Word of the day: delete. How many times a day are you tempted to delete your social media apps?
  • Today’s song: Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men
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Closed a Chapter

Yesterday we closed a chapter that has been a predominant part of our lives for over the last decade. I couldn’t bring myself to write about it yesterday because I really wasn’t ready to acknowledge that it was over. To be honest, I was a bit spellbound at that moment. Alas, here I am realizing that we have closed the youth hockey chapter of our lives. At least for now. I hope someday in the distant future I’m a hockey grandma.

The youth hockey chapter of our lives has been rich and rewarding. It has cost a fortune. I’ve definitely been a benefactor to several rinks, but it’s paid dividends in experiences and relationships that are invaluable. Peewee Quebec was hands down one of the coolest trips I’ve ever been on or will ever go on. Moreover, I’ve enjoyed watching my boys and their teammates develop and blossom on the ice. The energy, effort, and time they’ve put into their craft are incredible.

While we closed a chapter this weekend, a new chapter has already begun. Next week the Mayor will play in the high school all-star game. Additionally, there’s a spring high school league, but I have no clue when that starts. In April, he’ll be heading to St. Louis for a showcase. Saturday morning he’s going to start skating with our friend Joni, who is a phenomenal skating coach. He’ll also continue working with Coach David and Wolfpack Fitness. They’ll make sure he’s ready for the next level.

As with all of life’s transitions, I’m sure it will take some adjusting. I’m not sure the hubby and I will know what to do with ourselves on the weekends anymore. If you walk into Skatezone and hear angry German music, you’ll know I got lost and am again deejaying a hockey game. The Hubby might make the switch from hockey coach to team zebra. Stay tuned for that transition. To all the wonderful folks who have made our youth hockey experience wonderful, we love you and are grateful to have you in our lives.

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: 45-minute spin class, plus 15-minute cooldown courtesy of Apple Fitness
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s Finding Lost Time.
  • Blog: done
  • Today’s song: Country Roads by John Denver
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At a Loss

I’m at a loss for words as I process the loss of one of our former hockey moms Kristine. Her son played rec with both Goalielocks and the Mayor. After rec league, my hubby coached her son and the Mayor with the Davis brothers on the Blackhawks travel mites team. Her son played hockey, so inevitably we haven’t seen or talked to them often. Even so, she and I had kept in touch through Facebook.

I guess a loss like this has the tendency to put everything else in perspective. The Mayor’s team has struggled this tournament and this season. It’s easy to get hung up with the pain of a losing season. Yet, in the macro picture of life, the losses aren’t going to be important. Hopefully, the players will take the lessons of resiliency and perseverance with them into their adult lives. Not to mention the great relationships they’ve built over the years.

The Mayor’s last game will be tomorrow. I’m trying to figure out how I can be there for this significant moment in his hockey career. To be honest, I’m not sure I’m ready to close the book on youth hockey. It’s been the dominating theme of the last decade of our lives. Where does one go from here? Are there places that exist outside the rink? These are important questions I don’t have the answer to yet. Part of me hopes, he decides to play U18 a year before going to Juniors. While U18 is technically not youth hockey anymore, it’s still minor hockey.

Each day 17 people die waiting for an organ on the transplant list. To learn more about organ donation, please visit the American Transplant Foundation.

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: 45-minute spin class, plus 15-minute cool down courtesy of Apple Fitness
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s Finding Lost Time. I had to visit a forum to remind myself of all the main characters as it’s been a while since I’ve read Proust.
  • Blog: done
  • Today’s song: Stop and Stare by One Republic
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Long Day

It’s been a long day that started far too early for me on a Saturday. The Mayor had a game in West Palm at 9:20 am, which meant we had to be there by 8:20. Consequently, I was up before 7:00, which is a bummer on a Saturday. Also, it was for a game we knew we weren’t going to win against a team we’ve already played a dozen times this season. I was FB Live for that game. If you enjoy train wrecks with no filter then my FB live feed is for you.

After the game, we headed to PDQ for lunch after Nick’s Diner was too busy and Anthony’s Coal Fire Pizza was closed. I’m not sure I liked the chicken sandwich I had. It was oddly salty like the chicken breast itself had been injected with saline. The fries, however, were pretty damn good albeit they don’t leave me foaming at the mouth. Nonetheless, I’d definitely eat them again.

Between games, we chilled at home and watched The Office. We’ve watched the series all the way through several times, but it never gets old. I did some grocery shopping for Goalielocks as well since he’d have a tough time managing it due to his shoulder. I love that I can shop from home and have groceries delivered to my injured child two hundred miles away. Goalielocks sent me a list, but of course, I added some goodies like his favorite ice cream to the order. He was very appreciative of the groceries and happily surprised with the icecream.

Speaking of train wrecks, I’d describe the Mayor’s game this evening as an absolute disaster. It wasn’t fun to watch. They’re down several defensemen and it showed. It just wasn’t a very good game. Thankfully, they have two more games to show they can actually play hockey. Perhaps the best part of tonight’s game was learning that the opposing team’s penalty box dad thought I was one of the player’s girlfriends. He thought I looked too young to be a parent. He is now officially my favorite person at the rink. Now, I’m no Mrs. Robinson, but as a woman about to turn 43, I’ll take the compliment.

And now here’s your weekly recap in photos and memes, you’re welcome.

The Chiefs won the Super Bowl in a great game. Rihanna also made a historic pregnancy announcement during the halftime show.

Unidentified flying objects and balloons continue to be in the news. If you’re planning a balloon ride, you might want to put it off for now.

I got back to working out by doing spin classes on our new back. It’s been fun, but the seat definitely hurts your ass.

Goalielocks dislocated his shoulder on Valentine’s Day evening at Volleyball. He took himself to urgent care and his follow-up appointment with an orthopedic surgeon Wednesday afternoon. Unfortunately, he’ll be in a long for 4-6 weeks. Fortunately, the doctor told him he won’t need surgery.

The Mayor’s playing his last youth hockey tournament this weekend, which is bittersweet.

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: Rest day
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s Finding Lost Time.
  • Blog: done
  • Today’s song: Mrs. Robinson performed by the Lemonheads
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Last Tournament Weekend

It’s our last tournament weekend for the Mayor’s u16aa team. Unfortunately, they were knocked out of states last night when the Everblades beat the flames. Heartbreakingly, they lost on tiebreakers. At any rate, I guess now those teams can spend a nice chunk of change to get their asses kicked by the Panthers and Crunch. Nonetheless, this is the first year the Mayor’s been on a team that didn’t qualify for states, so it is a bit sad.

We’ve been on this travel hockey quest for well over a decade now. It’s odd that it’s starting to wind down. We don’t know what the Mayor is going to do next year. His options are juniors or u18. I’m not quite sure what we’ll do with ourselves when the hockey is truly over. Maybe we’ll start going to the beach again or plan trips that don’t revolve around hockey rinks. Who knows what the future brings? Actually, that’s not entirely true.

Once the hockey is done for us, I’m going to write a book about our experience. Over the past decade, we’ve seen some interesting stuff. Honestly, I can’t wait to put pen to paper and spill the tea on Florida hockey. The best part of the travel hockey experience for me has been our hockey family. We’ve met so many incredible folks over the heads that have become not just friends, but family. Anyway, I’m resting up for our last tournament weekend, so I’ll be in bed early tonight. Toodle-oo!

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: Spin Class through the Apple Fitness App app
  • Book: I finished The Seven Husbands Of Eleanor Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid last night. It was so good. Tonight I’m starting volume seven of Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time entitled Finding Lost Time. I have been waiting two years for Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition’s translation of Proust’s final volume.
  • Blog: done
  • Today’s song: Whatever It Takes by the Imagine Dragons