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Week Off

I took the week off after graduation so that I could spend the time with the boys, Melly, and my folks. My parents had been in town for a month, but with their work commitments, it was hard to see them as often as I would have liked. Tuesday morning, Melly picked me up to go visit my folks in Deerfield Beach. Unfortunately, Jake was unable to join us as he had to work.

My brother was staying out east near the water while his house was being renovated. Fortunately, this meant a quick walk to the water for my folks. Honestly, the location could not have been any better. To be able to walk to Deerfield Beach and all the shops and restaurants there is priceless. For my folks from Minny, it was a perfect place to enjoy the paradise they deserve.

Melly, my mom, and I walked to a cute coffee shop a block from the beach. I got their caramel roll latte, which was delicious. After we got our coffees, we walked down the beach to the pavilion. It was the perfect location to enjoy our coffees and the beautiful beach views. The facilities are super nice, and the bathrooms are perfectly clean. We had a beautiful morning enjoying each other’s company and our coffee.

Thursday, Jake and Melly picked me up and we headed to the cutest cafe in Delray Beach. Glimmer Cafe is beautifully decorated, and the food is just as gorgeous. I enjoyed a strawberry goat cheese salad with a strawberry latte. Melly had a Caesar salad, while Jake had a sandwich and an iced latte. It wasn’t a cheap meal, but it’s worth the experience. We’ll be back! Hopefully, next time we can bring Terri (Melly’s mom) and my mom.

After lunch, we headed to one of my favorite places: Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. We took the kids there often when they were young. They loved seeing the sea turtles, sharks, and other sea life. Unfortunately, the aquariums were closed due to construction that day. We were still able, however, to enjoy the boardwalk, the tower, and the butterfly garden. It’s a magical place that I love returning to year after year.

After our nature walk, we went back to Melly’s family home to bake some bread. Our plan to bake bread was almost unraveled when we couldn’t find the mixer. Eventually, we found it and were able to bake the sourdough bread. I also brought her a jar with some of my starter, so she can have her own sourdough starter. We were going to bake garlic knots, but we ran out of time. She did an amazing job baking the bread! Also, as a bonus, I was able to hang out with the grand birds while the bread rose.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress.
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into June and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

What’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten?

Oh, where do I even start? First of all, I love food. Second of all, I have enjoyed a lot of really good food. It is impossible to pick the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten. One dessert I had in France that I still think about is Kouign-Amann. My friend Emilie bought it for us in Brittany to try while we were staying at an Airbnb in Normandy.

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Happy Birthday Arrow

Happy birthday Arrow! Our sweet boy is three years old today. He’s been the best dog for us. Arrow is always happy, playful, and loving. In fact, he reminds me a lot of Athena. They share similar dispositions and mannerisms. Both Arrow and Athena are adept at defusing Anakin’s emotional outbursts. When we first adopted Arrow, Anakin was not a fan. Now, however, Anakin and Arrow are best mates.

I bought Arrow a couple of new dog toys and some doggy ice cream to celebrate. I’m sure he’ll love the ice cream. He definitely is a dog that likes to eat. He also loves toys, so I know he’ll love the goodies I got him. I can also be sure Anakin will try to steal and guard both toys. Outside of the goodies, I plan to take them to the beach on Sunday morning. It will be interesting to see how they like the sand and waves.

Outside of Arrow’s birthday, it’s been business as usual. Today was a strength day, so I did my ab workout through the Sweat App. After work, I’ll do my ten-minute jump rope routine. I added it initially to help with my stamina for running. Now I also do it to help build bone strength. Needless to say, I won’t be on the elliptical anymore. Everything I do from here on out will be to help build bone mass.

What gives you direction in life?

I don’t rely on good luck; I use my faith to drive me. My family’s needs give me direction in life.

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Level Forty-Five

In March, I hit level forty-five. It was the weekend after the state tournament, which was nice. For many years, my birthday was in the midst of the tournament. As much as I love hockey, a birthday during the middle of the tournament is not the most fun. Since we had no hockey games, I could celebrate it as I wished.

For my birthday, some friends, the Mayor, and I went to a puppy yoga class. It was heavenly. The puppies, mini-doodles, and shitzus were precious and so sweet. The combination of two of my favorite things—yoga and puppies—along with some of my favorite people, was the perfect way to spend my birthday. It was a calming and happy experience. I love it.

After puppy yoga, we grabbed lunch at Yard House in Mizner. Yard House is such a great spot. I love their appetizers, food, and drinks. Yard House prices its food and drinks quite reasonably, considering it’s in the middle of Boca Raton. After lunch, we headed to Total Wine and Target to pick up a few things for the evening. We finished the night with pizza with the Kennedys and the Minnesota State High School boys hockey championships. It was an amazing birthday.

In the lead up to forty-five, influencers and friends flooded my social media feeds with perimenopause reels, posts, and memes. Honestly, I found it not only to be a calamity of sorts, but also insulting. Why would I care about perimenopause if I’m not even middle-aged?! Oh, the sad realization that as a woman in my forties, I’m there hit me like a ton of bricks. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep that drove it home or the emotions that were all over the place. Whatever it is, I’m not here for it. More on the perimenopause in a later post.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into February and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading Henry V, The Astonishing Triumphs of England’s Greatest Warrior King, by Dan Jones
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

What is your favorite holiday? Why is it your favorite?

I love Christmas. We host our way, which means we’re not scattered all over the place. Or at least, we’re not usually scattered all over the place. I host a delicious brunch for family and friends. In years past, we played paintball after brunch. Now we nap and maybe head to Christmas dinner. I love Christmas!

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End of an Era

It was the end of an era yesterday as the Mayor played his last league game of his youth hockey career. This time it’s for real as he’s aging out of youth hockey. There’s no division after u-18. If he wants to keep playing hockey, it would be Junior hockey. If you know me, you know my opinion on Junior hockey, so I’ll spare you the sermon.

The boys won their last league game handily. They played significantly better this weekend than they did the prior two weekends. Moreover, they were moving the puck well. If they’re going to win states, and they can, they’ll need to move the puck and play skilled, structured hockey. I quite enjoyed myself during the game courtesy of the sour watermelon moonshine that I picked up Saturday. Anyway, the moonshine made the end of an era easier to accept.

After the game ended, we headed to the Brass Monkey for some good food and slow service. It’s a dive bar near the rink that serves amazing food. The team took up their whole dining room and the lunch took the entire afternoon. I enjoyed a hearty bowl of their clam chowder, which is good. By the time we left, I was way too full to eat dinner during the game. I still made the focaccia bread and will have the roast the hubby made for dinner tonight.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into February and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading  The Eagle and The Hart by Helen Castor.
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

You get some great, amazingly fantastic news. What’s the first thing you do?

The first thing I’d do is tell my immediate family – the hubby and kids. After that, I’d call my parents and tell them the good news. Once they know, I’d tell everyone I know including the postman.

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Check In

We’re finishing the first full week of February, so I thought I’d check in with my New Year’s resolutions. As I thought about them during my workout, I thought about how resolutions can quickly become meaningless. For me, this year’s resolutions were about committing to making myself and my life better. I do, however, miss those afternoon lattes.

My strength work today was brutal, so I had to give myself pep talks to get through it. I had to remind myself that the hard I’m doing is to make me better. Learning to persevere through the hard, brutal stuff like burpees with pushups, helps us persevere in other areas of life. I also felt immensely proud and satisfied when I finished the workout, giving it my best. In my formative years, I remember my parents being committed (they still are) to their daily walk. Seeing their commitment to their fitness and wellbeing has stuck with me.

2024 was rough, but 2025 is all about becoming a juggernaut. And by juggernaut, I mean the best version of myself. The schedule change has helped. I love getting up working out and then starting work. By the time my lunch hour is done, I’ve completed my workouts for the day. Once I’ve finished working for the day, I’ve completed all the items on my to-do list except for reading. I read every night, so that’s an easy checkmark on my to-do list.

Do you need a break? From what?

I absolutely need a break from 2025. In fact, I’m quite confident that I’m not alone in this feeling. The world is a scary place right now and life is tough. I think we’d all like to take a collective deep breath before rejoining 2025.

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Easy Sour Dough Sandwich Bread

Here’s my easy sour dough sandwich bread recipe. You won’t even be forced to read a dissertation to get it. You’re welcome.

Easy Sour Dough Sandwich Bread

Tools needed:

Ingredients:

  • 100-110 grams of starter
  • 11 grams of salt
  • 425 grams of water
  • 512 grams of flour

Steps:

  • Combine starter, salt, and water using the spatula
  • Add flour to the mixture, and stir with a spatula or your hands.
  • Once the dough is mixed, cover it and let it rest for 30 minutes.
  • Pull and fold the dough by pulling the dough from one corner and folding it over the center, turn and repeat until you are back at your starting point. Repeat this process 2-3x more times. Then cover and let rest 30 minutes. Repeat this cycle 3 more times. This helps build gluten and improve the bread’s elasticity
The dough before the folds
After the 1st fold
After the 3rd fold
After the 4th fold
The folding process
  • After the last set of stretches and folds, place the dough in the clear cylinder. Measure on the side where the dough comes up. Depending on the time of day, you can place the dough in the refrigerator to rest overnight or leave on the counter until it doubles. If you’re resting the dough in the fridge, take it out the next morning and let the dough prove until it’s doubled. I use measuring tape to confirm when my dough doubles. This can take anywhere from 4-18 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
  • As soon as the dough has doubled empty onto a lightly floured surface and divide into two even pieces. I use the kitchen scale here.
  • On the lightly floured surface, shape each piece into a rectangle by folding the top corners like a business envelope and using the pastry scraper to pull the bottom up into the middle. Transfer to prepared loaf pan and shape into a loaf. Rub or drizzle the top of each loaf with olive oil.
  • Set the loaf pans on a baking sheet and slip the baking sheet into a baking bag to keep the loaves from drying out. At this point, you can put it in the refrigerator overnight or you can let the loaves prove on the counter until they hit the top of the pan. (I only use the baking sheet to help easily transport the loaves between the garage fridge and the kitchen. You won’t bake on the sheet.). The second proof can take anywhere from 4-6 hours depending on where you live.
  • Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place the loaves pans on the top rack and back for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, turn down the oven to 375 and back for another 20-25 minutes. You want to bake until the bread is golden brown and has an internal temperature of 206-210

  • Let cool on a wire rack for an hour before serving

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into February and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading  The Eagle and The Hart by Helen Castor.
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

The most important invention in your lifetime is…

There are so many incredible inventions that have happened during my lifetime. I would say the internet is probably the biggest. It’s changed the world completely for better and for worse.

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January

Is it just me or has the month of January taken an entire year? Ordinarily, I’d be ok with time going too slow, but January is dragging in the worst way. Or maybe I, along with everyone else is dragging. It’s just this January has felt like a lifetime between the historic weather, inauguration, and fires. This doesn’t even include any of the small day-to-day stuff that piles on the stress.

January has been busy. I haven’t baked bread since the second weekend of the month. In fact, my sourdough starter is feeling neglected, but don’t worry a reunion is planned. I will feed the starter tonight, so I can start a bread over lunch tomorrow. This will give us fresh bread going into the weekend. I will also have the starter ready to bake more loaves on Sunday night, so we have bread for the week. I bought a bread slicer from Amazon so I could slice up the loaves and give the mayor precise carb counts by slice.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): 28 days in and I haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m currently reading Armadale by Wilkie Collins– so good.
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

Write about a few of your favorite family traditions.

One of my favorite family traditions is our Christmas brunch. We have a lot of good food, drinks and company and very little stress. I love my Christmas brunch crew. The other tradition I love is baking cookies both regular and Christmas cookies. It’s something that brings me back to being a child and baking with my mom, my brothers and grandmother. Moreover, it harkens me back to the days of baking with my boys when they were little. In fact, I’ve been craving some chocolate chip cookies. I should probably bake some tonight.

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Sunday Best

Yesterday it was all about our Sunday best. We combined two of my favorite things for a fantastic day. Since my older brother and his wife were in town, we sandwiched brunch with the Mayor’s last youth hockey home games. If you’re feeling Deja VU, that’s normal. We thought he gave youth hockey for juniors two years ago, but he realized the shit show that is Junior hockey isn’t worth the time or money. This time he is aging out. Consequently, my twenty-one-year career as a youth hockey mom is coming to a close.

The Mayor played his first games yesterday wearing the Omnipod. I’m thrilled to report that his blood sugar was much better controlled during the game with the pump. For the first time since his diagnosis, I wasn’t stressed about his blood sugar during the games. He also played great and I think the pump helped. We’re blessed that the technology exists to manage type 1 diabetes effectively. It’s an absolute game changer for type 1 patients and their families.

Back to hockey, his team won both games but insisted on making the second game more interesting. The Mayor played defense for the first game and forward for the second. He scored a gorgeous goal in the third period of the second game. After the dominant six-goal third period it almost seemed silly to quibble over the first two periods. We are all, however, hockey parents and therefore always the critic. In the end, the first two periods were not great, but the third period showed off the team’s resilience, perseverance, and skill. Turns out the team brought their Sunday best.

Brunch between games was the perfect way to spend the day. We met my brothers at the Patio Bar & Grill at the Wyndham on the Beach in Deerfield Beach. The view from the restaurant was second to none. I love looking out over Deerfield Beach and the fishing pier. The waves were beautiful, but it was a bit cold with the breeze coming off the ocean. Our food, as well as the company, was tremendous and I’ll go back again. I love it!

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): 27 days in and I haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m currently reading Armadale by Wilkie Collins– so good.
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

What books do you want to read?

Right now I’m finishing Armadale and then I’m going to start on a biography of Henry Bolingbroke and his cousin Richard I. I’m looking forward to reading the analysis of their relationship.

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Nashville

Nashville was amazing. The Mayor had a tournament there this weekend, so we flew up early Friday morning. Thankfully, we got home late last night. Obviously, we are so glad to be back in the warm air. My only complaint about Nashville, aside from lackluster hockey, was the weather. Clearly, it was entirely too cold and too dry for us Floridians.

Friday night we started by hanging out on the Vanderbilt campus, which is stunning. Obviously, we had to take pictures at the wings and visit Kittenish (Jesse James Decker’s store). Both the wings and the store provided the perfect backdrop for photos. After the photo shoot, I had the best chicken sandwich at the Pub down the block. It was so perfect pre-game food.

Afterwards, the kids headed back to the hotel and the parents headed for the party bus. The Honky Tonk Party Express drove us around Broadway blasting music and serving drinks. We had an absolute blast! Midway through the journey, we stopped at a brewery for a bathroom and shot break. For our shot, we chose the sour watermelon moonshine. Honestly, it was pretty darn good. Since I had a very early start to the date, it felt late when we got back to the hotel at 10:30.

Saturday night after the kids’ game, we headed downtown to Jason Aldean’s bar. Since most of the kids they served food at his bar, the kids could enjoy some live music and a meal with their parents. After dinner, we sent the kids back to the hotel with a couple of the parents who were ready to call it a night. The rest of us, however, headed to Jelly Roll’s new bar, which was fabulous. We even saw him twice. My only complaint about the bar scene in Nashville is that there is a profane amount of stairs in each of the bars.

Saturday night, or Sunday morning, we rolled into the hotel at 2:00 am with 20 chicken tacos. Our Uber driver was simply the best. I slept better Saturday night than I’ve slept in months. For the first time, I woke up Sunday morning feeling refreshed. Who knew it would take two nights out and many stairs to fix my sleeping conundrum. The months since the Mayor’s diagnosis have been tough. Friday night and Saturday night out in Nashville with good friends was exactly what the doctor ordered. I’ll update y’all on the hockey tomorrow.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): 21 days in and I haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m currently reading Armadale by Wilkie Collins– so good.
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

Write about your first name: its meaning, significance, etymology, etc.

My name comes from my Grandpa T’s paternal grandfather, Andreas. He was born at the farm we visited in Romskog before immigrating to the USA.

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Is it 6:00

Is it 6:00 yet? I’m just asking for a friend who has a serious case of the Mondays. This friend is longing to be cuddling up on her couch with her sweet puppy while watching Dexter. Sadly, she’s currently stuck in her desk chair as the minutes tick by slowly. I, I mean my friend, was lucky that she wasn’t impacted by a massive VPN outage at work this morning. Nonetheless, she’s ready for the day to be over.

We were supposed to have a department-wide meeting today, but that got moved to tomorrow. Our corporate headquarters is in the Midwest and got walloped over the weekend by a blizzard. Have I mentioned that I’m glad I live in Florida? I’d be happy to never experience a blizzard again. Anyway, I’m hoping the meeting brings some good changes. Although I’m a bit nervous they’ll be changing our comp plan that will negatively impact us agents. Fingers crossed!

My sales assistants have been slacking today

You may have noticed my prognostications, while vague, for the Vikings game came to fruition. Detroit’s quarterback played great and ours saw ghosts. It’s not a dig on Darnold, but as a lifelong fan, I knew my Vikes were going to disappoint on the biggest stage of the year. Fortunately, they’re still in the playoffs, so there’s still a smidgen of a chance they make it all the way. (As I type this, I’m envisioning Lloyd Christmas in Dumb & Dumber saying “so you’re telling me there’s a chance. Yeah!”). By the way, it it 6:00 yet?

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): 6 days in and I haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: it’s been two days, but so far so good
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m currently reading Armadale by Wilkie Collins– so good.
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

If you had a freeway billboard, what would it say?

My billboard would say “The world owes you nothing.” I speak to people across the country daily. So many of the folks, I talk to are absolute gems. They make my job enjoyable and worthwhile whether they buy or not. Conversely, some people I talk with think the world owes them everything. I don’t know how this entitlement took hold, but it’s insidious. So while my billboard may be harsh, it’s honest.