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Summer Reads

My summer reads have been so much fun. Instead of buying 86 more books, I decided to revisit some old friends from my bookshelf. Once I finished my journey with Josephine Tey, I started my summer of re-reads with Tolstoy’s War and Peace. From Russia, I moved on to 19th-century Britain and the Brontë Sisters. I may or may not have thrown in a random Elizabeth Gaskell novel, too. I’m currently re-reading Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone, which is so good.

Re-reading your favorite book is like returning home to relax with your good friend. Once I finish my current book, I’m going to reread my Jane Austen collection. It will be so fun to go back to an era in which I’d love to live. Truth be told, I want to live in the Jane Austen world with modern medicine. I have no desire to die from communicable diseases that have been largely snuffed out in the Western world.

Here is my summer reading list:

In re-reading the Brontë sisters, I find that I’m really drawn to The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. It tells the story of a woman who makes a poor choice of husband and has to live with the consequences. More than that, it told the story of what 19th-century British society allowed men to get away with and demanded their women accept. Which Brontë sisters’ book is your favorite?

Ann Brontë was ahead of her time, and this book was controversial at the time. In fact, Charlotte tried to make excuses for Ann’s and Emily’s take in Wildfell Hall and Wuthering Heights, respectively. Emily’s version of romance between Heathcliff and Catherine upset a lot of people. It should be noted that Charlotte’s take on all of their novels was given in the forward of their re-released after both Ann and Emily had died. Lastly, I really enjoyed Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell. It was sweet, well-written, and ahead of its time.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: still training, signed up for a 5k on 9/20!
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: finishing 2.0 this week!
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into September and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: went to Vegas, but lots of work to do here.
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins as part of my summer of re-reads.
  • Get out of debt: in progress, but still poor
  • Financial independence: in progress, but still opt

Share a story about the furthest you’ve ever traveled from home.

I had to look it up, but the furthest I’ve been from home is Trondheim, Norway. At first, I thought it may have been Helsinki, but that’s only 5,200 miles from home. Trondheim, on the other hand, is 5,800 miles from Palm Beach. We drove from Oslo to Trondheim with baggage in tow the day we landed in Norway. It was so cold that I had to wear a scarf under my collar even though it was the middle July.

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Books

Since the New Year, I’ve read several books. My daily bedtime ritual is to put my phone up and read for 30 minutes to an hour before going to sleep. Thanks to Hillary Mantel’s Wolf Hall series, I’ve been stuck in Tudor England for a while now. Nevertheless, I started the new year off differently. This year I started with Richard Ayoade and his comedic book Ayoade on Top, which was gifted to me by Jake.

I read the following books in the first quarter of 2024:

  • Ayoade on Top is Richard Ayoade’s hysterical take on the movie View from the Top starring Gwyneth Paltrow. His writing is as humorous as the movie is ridiculous. It’s a nice quick read.
  • The Princes in the Tower by Alison Weir. Weir makes a compelling case for who killed the Princes in the tower. I have to say I agree with her.
  • Queens of the Conquest: England’s Medieval Queens by Alison Weir. This is the first in Weir’s trilogy focusing on England’s Medieval Queens. It starts with Queen Matilda, wife of the Conquerer, and brings us up to the start of the Plantagenet dynasty.
  • Queens of the Crusade: England’s Medieval Queens by Alison Weir. The second volume of the trilogy covers from 1154 to 129. It begins with Eleanor of Aquitaine, arguably Medieval Europe’s most famous Queen.
  • Queens of the Age of Chivalry: England’s Medieval Queens by Alison Weir. The final volume in her Medieval Queen trilogy, Weir takes us from 1299 to 1409. This volume includes Isabella of France, known as the “she-wolf of France” for overthrowing her husband the king to the beloved Phillipa of Hainault.
  • Hunting the Falcon: Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and the Wedding that Shook Europe, by John Guy and Judy Fox. I’ve read numerous books both fiction and nonfiction on this topic and quite enjoyed this book.
  • To Shield the Queen, by Fiona Buckley. Finally a return to historical fiction. This one takes place in Elizabethan England. This is book one Buckley’s Ursula Blanchard series. I enjoyed the book, but I’m not sure I love the main character. I’m gonna give Book Two a go and see what I think afterward.
  • My Lady of Cleves by Margaret Campbell Barnes. I enjoyed the historical fiction on Anne of Cleves. She’s a fascinating character who managed to survive and thrive in Tudor England. The author does a good job of capturing Anne’s vulnerability and her strength. My only complaint is the author relies on some old tropes about Anne of Cleves appearance and weight. I don’t think she was built like a “Flemish mare” as Henry the VIII put it.
  • Blood and Roses: One Family’s Struggle and Triumph During the Tumultuous War of the Roses, by Helen Castor. Castor’s book is based on the Paston letters, which is the largest collection of letters from 15th-century England. Caston uses the Paston letters to describe the Paston family’s experience in post-Black Death England and throughout the War of the Roses. So far it’s super interesting. I just started it on Sunday, so stay tuned.

I know what you’re thinking. I am a huge nerd, but hey at least I’m consistent. Truly, it’s been fascinating the experiences of powerful women from the past. Some had a lot of agency and power, while others were silenced. A lot also died in childbirth despite having the best medical care in the land. I’m grateful to live in a time where things like the bubonic plague won’t wipe out half the population.

How would you improve your community?

I would put an immediate moratorium on 55+ communities. They’ve taken over our area and it’s terrible. Unfortunately, the people who move into them tend to be exceedingly rude, obtuse, and terrible at driving.

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Prior Auth

The fact that the prior auth process exists underlines just how screwed up our healthcare system is in this country. Since the year started, we have had three prior auth issues with our insurer. The first was a prior auth for an MRI on Hubby’s knee to verify the extent of damage. The second was their denial of a prior auth request for a medication I’ve been taking since 2021. They denied it so quickly that I received a notification of the denial before receiving the notification that the authorization was filed. Lastly, they requested prior auth for the Mayor’s antibiotics to fight his post-surgical infection.

Now read that last sentence again. They now require prior authorization for antibiotics. Admittedly, I am not a doctor, however, I’m pretty sure that infections are supposed to be treated expeditiously. As a result, we ended up having to pay for the medication out of pocket. The doctor’s office couldn’t believe the insurance requested prior authorization for an antibiotic. This is an absolute abomination. Insurance companies shouldn’t be requiring prior auths for well-known first-line treatments.

Cigna, to their credit, did respond when I tweeted my disgust to them, Governor Desantis, Senator Rubio, and Representative Frankel. Nonetheless, it’s too little too late. I will be requesting reimbursement from their customer care team. I aim to ensure that we rein in this prior authorization nonsense here in Florida.. It is, however, a national issue. Fortunately, I work in insurance, so I can navigate the mind field pretty well. I can’t imagine how difficult the experience would be for people not familiar with insurance.

What activities do you lose yourself in?

I lose myself in baking, running, cuddling with the puppies, and reading. Those activities are my happy place. I love losing myself in a good book. Perhaps that’s why my night time ritual includes reading a book before bed with Anakin on my lap.

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Coming Home

Goalielocks is coming home tonight and I’m so excited to see him. He hasn’t been home since early August. Since that time I’ve had a few orders come in for him from Fabletics and picked up a few goodies for him in Minnesota. It wouldn’t be a trip home if I didn’t pick up some swag from the boys’ favorite teams. I meant to pick up some Vikings socks for him last trip, but totally forgot. Oh well, there’s always next time.

The house looks relatively clean, which is a new development in our lives. Usually between, work, hockey and school it looks like a bomb has gone off in every room. Now I’m relishing the peaceful bliss of order. This isn’t to say we’ve gone all Mari Kondo on the place, just that it’s not a complete shit show anymore. My hubby set up my monitors mounts, so I now I have a lot more desk space. I started using a keyboard, but I’m not used to the typewriter like keyboard anymore. I’m so used to using my laptop keyboard, so it’s been a struggle.

10 out of 10 recommend this strategy

After work, I’m going to run to Publix to pick up some goodies for dinner and salami for the dogs. Before that I’ll be defrosting some steaks for us to grill. I’m really craving some sweet potatoes and sautéed spinach, so that will round out the meal nicely. I love roasted sweet potatoes. There a nice, and healthier, alternative to regular potatoes, which I love. After dinner, I’m thinking we’ll watch Joe Dirt. We were trying to find it streaming the other day, but could only find it for rent. Fortunately, TBS is running it live all week.

If you had to give up one word that you use regularly, what would it be?

Uh, so it’s not really a word, but I feel like I use uh way too much. Especially when I’m on the phone. It’s annoying.

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Following the Path

It’s day two of following the path I’m carving out for 2023. My sinuses are still bothering me, so I called my run to a mile. Obviously, it wasn’t the best run I’ve ever done, but I still got it done. Afterward, I killed Sweat’s HIIT beginner week four leg week. Tonight, I’ll round out the workouts with day two of the Everyday Yoga 21-day yoga challenge. So far, my I’m off to a stellar start in maintaining my salubrious habits.

In keeping with my 2023 path, I finally got my closet cleaned. I still have two tubs to go through, but that can be done during the work week at my desk. While going through a couple of other tubs, I found all our relocation stuff with Progressive. Additionally, I found a bunch of Progressive paperwork, which I clearly don’t need. After all, I haven’t worked at Progressive since 2009. There were also some great books in there including mad libs and a would you rather book.

When we were at IKEA last week, I bought myself two shoe cabinets for the closet. It gives the closet a much cleaner look. Moreover, it was the perfect opportunity to go through my shoes and practice the art of letting go. Incredibly, I found a boot and a sneaker without a mate. My best guess is that I had already donated their mates. Fortunately, the hubby built both shoe cabinets yesterday. Consequently, once the closet was ready, I moved both cabinets into their respective places.

Don’t mind the excessive number of leggings in the background….

The question asked on the bloganuary challenge today was how are you brave. So how am I brave? I willingly ride in a car with stinky teenage hockey players that just finished playing their game after a Chipotle burrito lunch. Seriously though over the past year, I haven’t shrunk from the responsibility of protecting my children. I’ve faced tremendous adversity quietly while maintaining appearances for the betterment of my family. I don’t know what 2023 will bring, but no matter what it throws at me I’m ready.

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: Week four Sweat Beginner HIIT leg day. Ran one mile, and walked one. Day Two of the Everyday Yoga Shop/Practyce 21-day yoga challenge.
  • Book: Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir
  • Blog: done
  • Today’s song: Let It Go from Disney’s Frozen

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The Engagement Photos Are In

The engagement photos are in and they’re absolutely perfect!!!!! Jake and Melly had their engagement photos taken yesterday by Julianna of Murano Media. (If you are local to South Florida and need photos, I’d highly recommend using Julianna’s services.). I had planned to get them photographs as an engagement plan for quite some time. Unfortunately, there were a lot of unknowns about timing that made it difficult to plan. Fortunately, Julianna came through in a pinch.

The kids met Julianna up at a nature preserve in Royal Palm. South Florida has some incredible setting for photography. This venue was no exception. For the uninitiated, the Everglades and surrounding area are exceptionally beautiful especially at sunset. Julianna blew us all away with her professionalism and efficiency. It was an awesome experience!

As of this afternoon, the engagement photos are in. They’re just incredible. I don’t think I’ll be able to pick a favorite anytime soon! Of course the photos came in while I drove back from our trip to IKEA. We spent the morning frolicking in the Swedish behemoth of a retailer getting Goalielocks ready for his move. I saw the text come in on my watch and was super anxious to get home and check them out.

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: Sweat HIIT beginner week 4 full body workout. I was a bit wheezy this afternoon, so I skipped the run to give my lungs a break.
  • Book: The Marriage Game by Alison Weir
  • Blog: almost done
  • Today’s song: Oh Darling by The Beatles

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Friday Night Poetry

It’s Friday night, so it’s time for some beautiful and inspiring Friday night poetry. Tonight’s poem “Invictus” was written by William Ernest Henley.

Friday Night Poetry

“Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be. For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance.
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
  Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
 I am the captain of my soul.”

—”Invictus,” by William Ernest Henley

I hope you enjoyed this week’s installment of Friday night poetry. I for on am thrilled have made it to the weekend.

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A Little Poetry

I was in a poetry mood this evening, so I thought I’d share a beautiful poem by Emily Dickinson.

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Puppy Poetry

“A LITTLE DOG THAT WAGS HIS TAIL” BY EMILY DICKINSON

A little Dog that wags his tail
And knows no other joy
Of such a little Dog am I
Reminded by a Boy

Who gambols all the living Day
Without an earthly cause
Because he is a little Boy
I honestly suppose –

The Cat that in the Corner dwells
Her martial Day forgot
The Mouse but a Tradition now
Of her desireless Lot

Another class remind me
Who neither please nor play
But not to make a ‘bit of noise’
Beseech each little Boy –

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Better Day

Today was a much better day on all fronts. From a productivity standpoint, I had the best sales day of the month today. The headache and stiff muscles that were a source of aggravation earlier in the week have completely abated. And thank god with AEP starting tomorrow, I need to be in tip top shape. After reviewing last year’s AEP results, I’m stoked to see what the next seven weeks will bring.

Of course, nothing makes for a better day than a phone call from Jake. He looked great, but sounded absolutely exhausted. We’re super grateful for technology that allows us to always stay connected. I am definitely missing my boy and would love to be back in Utah spending time with him. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to get back out there until next summer. Oh well, it’s something to look forward to.

I ran this evening and it was fabulous. Naturally, I had hoped it would get easier today. Alas, it did not. I was sucking wind after a half of a mile. Nonetheless, I persevered and ran the whole mile and a half. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be running in the morning before work. My AEP schedule has me working too late to realistically run after work. Monday I’ll be restarting Kayla Itsines HIIT program again. It’s the best exercise program I’ve found to date.