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Bridal Shower

Yesterday we celebrated Melly at her bridal shower. Her aunt Cathy threw the shower and it was magnificent. I felt a little bit older as the shower progressed. It feels like just yesterday I was celebrating at my bridal shower. It’s almost incomprehensible that my son is now the oldest to be marrying the woman of his dreams. She’s also the kind woman that we hoped and prayed our boys would marry.

For the shower, they served brunch, which I love. I baked some caramel rolls, especially for the occasion. They were so decadent and tasty. I can’t make those too often or everyone I know would be diabetic. Meanwhile, Cathy and Kylie had prepared a buffet of incredible brunch food to accompany the rolls. Both also served as brewmasters mixing up a signature strawberry Bellini cocktail for the event. It was mighty tasty and mighty strong.

It was a lot of fun celebrating Melody. I was so excited to be able to give her a shower gift finally. I bought her and Jake matching bride and groom aprons. Additionally, I made her a family cookbook with pictures of them and our family together, it was my favorite gift. It’s very similar to the cookbook I made for my family earlier in the year. I plan to customize a cookbook for each of the kids and my nieces and nephews when they get married. This way, we will preserve our family baking traditions.

The bridal shower was the marquis event of the weekend, but there was something else we had to celebrate. The Panthers are going back to the Stanley Cup!!!! Hopefully, the boys can get it down this year and bring Lord Stanley home to Sunrise. The cup starts on Saturday. I’d love to go, but the fees on these tickets are utterly ridiculous. The actual ticket prices are reasonable, I think, but the fees are something else.

List three books that have had an impact on you. Why?

Three books that impacted me are The Alchemist, by Paolo Coelho, Resurrection, by Leo Tolstoy and Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo. I found each of these books inspired me to by my best, to choose forgiveness, and live without regret.

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Ambivalent

I’ve been a bit ambivalent about blogging lately. I enjoy writing, but life has become a bit mundane. While mundane often has negative connotations, I find it a bit refreshing. For the last twenty-five years, we’ve been moving at light speed all day every day. It’s nice to have some slow moments where we have little to nothing going on. I quite enjoy that our excitement as of late has come from the bird feeder.

It’s been magnificent having two teams in their respective league’s conference finals. Unfortunately, the Timberwolves were eliminated yesterday. Meanwhile, the Panthers now lead the series after beating the Rangers last night. Us hockey people are quite superstitious, so true to form I watched the game at home and went to bed after period one. The boys, however, went and watched the games at our friends’ house. One mustn’t mess with the mojo.

This weekend I’ll be busy baking. I’m making caramel rolls for Melody’s bridal shower on Sunday. I also found a delectable-looking cheesecake recipe that I want to try. Fortunately, the hubby is willing to take one for the team and try whatever cheesecake I may bake. Additionally, I got stuff to make cream cheese wontons. Last weekend I made some pork sausage wontons that were a big hit. Hopefully, the cream cheese wontons turn out just as good.

How do you know when it’s time to unplug? What do you do to make it happen?

I know I need to unplug daily to keep myself mentally sane. I do that by putting my phone away at least an hour before bed. Once the phone is up, I get snuggled up in my bed with Anakin, his ducks, and a good book. I usually read until I can’t keep my eye open anymore. It’s the perfect way to unplug and unwind from the day.

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Nervous Baking

A couple of months ago, I introduced you to rage baking and now let me introduce you to nervous baking. Since the Panthers have lost every game I’ve watched at our friends’ house, I decided to stay home like I did in game one since they won that game. Consequently, I decided to put my nervous energy to work by baking some cookies.

My go-to cookie lately has been the sugar cookie. It’s quick and easy to make. Also, they have fewer calories than a chocolate chip cookie. By the time the cookies came out, the Panthers were already down a goal. It was time to feed the dogs and head to bed. I read my book for a while before falling asleep in it. I woke up around 11:30 and saw the hubby on his phone. I was happy to learn that both the Panthers and Timberwolves had won their games. Consequently, I’ll be nervous baking for game five on Thursday.

What jobs have you had?

I’ve had several jobs over the years none as big as being a mom. I really couldn’t care less about the jobs I’ve had as I don’t derive joy from employment. I’d prefer to retire like yesterday.

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Four Day

I’m so excited about my four-day weekend that I can barely stand it. Work has not been the best place to be this week, so I’m looking forward to a nice, long weekend. Fortunately, I have no plans outside of watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Timberwolves in the NBA playoffs. Outside of watching the playoffs, I plan on watching Netflix and chilling on the couch.

Speaking for four days, I have four days left on my four-week Apple Fitness + plan. I missed a couple of workouts yesterday and today due to a pinched nerve in my shoulder. I also had to cut my spin class short due to sharp knee pain, which was great. Outside of the last few days, the plan has been working fantastically. The yoga and Pilates are helping quite a bit. I love lighting some incense or palo santo for my practice.

The fitness plan ends on Sunday, so I’ll be starting a new one. One thing I don’t love about the plan is its lack of flexibility to change or move workouts once set. Consequently, I’ll be setting a weekly plan from here out. This way I can make sure the plan aligns with my schedule. Otherwise, managing the plan and my schedule is a bit stressful.

What personal belongings do you hold most dear?

The personal belongings I treasure most are the picture books I’ve made over the years. I made books for each of our Utah trips. When the boys are older and have their own place, I’ll make sure they each have a copy. One of my favorite Utah books is the book I made for Jake and I of our trip through the Mighty Five. It’s nice, thick, and great documentation of an epic trip across southern Utah.

Perhaps my favorite book is the cookbook I’ve made for my family. I compiled all the family recipes and put them into a beautiful book with family photos. Each of the grandkids will get one when they get married. It’s beautiful! Also, I’ve made some of the recipes so many times that the recipes are no longer legible. With the book, I can now easily read all of the recipes.

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Big Night

It’s a big night! The Cats kick off the Eastern Conference Finals against the Rangers. It should be a banger of a series. I can’t wait to see how these two teams match up. Truly, it should be a really exciting series. Meanwhile, on the other coast, the Timberwolves kick off their first Western Conference Final series since 2004. Coincidentally, 2004 was the last time I went to a Wolves game. I still can’t believe they came back and won game 7.

The only problem with this big night is the Panthers’ game starts at 8:00 pm and the Wolves game at 8:30. Do they not realize I need to be in bed by 9:30? Are they seriously trying to disrupt my bedtime routine? It will be midway through the second period when my Apple Watch will start judging me for not being in bed. For once I’ll be headed to bed long after the stars start twinkling. Honestly, though an earlier start time for these games would be great.

Do you have any collections?

I have several collections. I still have my baseball and hockey card collections that started in my youth. My favorite collection is my collection of books. My hubby has already built me two bookshelves. Unsurprisingly, he will probably need to build me another one soon as my book collection continues to grow.

Speaking of bangers, you’ll want to turn up the volume for this one.

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Mother’s Day Weekend

Mother’s Day weekend was fabulous! I had all three of my boys home, which was simply amazing. It started with a BBQ and the Panther’s game at our friend’s house Friday night. The game was incredible! Thankfully, the Panthers came away with a victory. It was a great night with great food, great company and some great hockey.

Saturday I went dress shopping with Mellie and her mom. We ventured out to Boca Town Center, which was more crowded than I’d ever seen it. The goal was to determine Terri’s preferred styles and explore color options. As the mother of the groom and mother of the bride, shopping becomes complicated. You want to compliment the wedding party but don’t want to be too close. Also, you want to be age-appropriate without being too matronly. It’s a delicate balance. Nonetheless, it was a great time.

While the girls were shopping the boys enjoyed golfing at Drive Shack in West Palm. Goalielocks impressed his brothers with his golfing skills. After shopping, I headed up to Gardens to have dinner with my fellow hockey moms. It had been way too long since I last saw them! We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Avocado’s Cantina. I had two tacos that were out of this world. While I had dinner with the girls, the boys hung out and played video games.

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Sunday started with strawberries and waffles, which is always a great way to start the day. Before heading to Melody’s, I completed a nice run and yoga session. The kids, my boys, Melody and her cousins, cooked the Moms a special Mother’s Day dinner. The kids did such a great job decorating and cooking the meal. They decorated the table with photos and frames they had made for us. Additionally, they arranged to have photos taken of each family, which you know is Moms love. The best part was the video they created about mothers. It was the sweetest, funniest thing I’ve ever watched. They did such a good job! Another Panthers ‘ win was the cherry on top of a phenomenal Mother’s Day.

What’s one small improvement you can make in your life?

Financial freedom and the ability to pick up and go whenever I want would be amazing. Perhaps this is a bit offbeat, but I’d also like for health insurance to not suck.

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The Saga

The saga continues. I finally got an alternative med approved for the one Cigna denied. As a reminder, I’ve been on the medication since 2021 and was paying $25 a month. You can imagine my shock and I logged it to Express Scripts and noted a co-pay of $1385.85. I’m so glad I’m paying an arm and a leg for this insurance every month. It is coming in handy over here!

I’m so tired of Cigna and other insurance companies being the alpha and omega of medical decisions. Despite Cigna’s unwillingness to cover antibiotics, the Mayor’s finger is finally healing well. Honestly, this broken-finger business has been quite the saga. And by saga, I don’t mean fun adventures like the Vinland Sagas. Once my big event pops off at the end of April, I’m going to focus my energy on making Cigna and Express Script’s life miserable.

When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was five, I wanted to be a doctor. Fortunately or unfortunately, I decided to go another path. I cannot imagine the frustration doctors must feel trying to provide care while wrestling with insurance companies.

Now here’s a song to bring out your inner dancer. Now back to the saga.

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Coffee Please

More coffee, please… There doesn’t seem to be enough coffee onboard to get me through this tedious Monday. My boss moved me to a pilot team last week, which has resulted in my absolute boredom and no sales. If there is an upside, it’s that I’ve been able to watch some great documentaries over the past few work days. I just finished one on the sophisticated Queen Elizabeth I.

Now I’m watching one on the London of Tudor England. Unsurprisingly, it goes along well with my obsession for reading all things Tudor or Tudor adjacent. Nevertheless, I hate being bored and unproductive at work. Especially when I’ve been having a spectacular month thus far. Hopefully, they move me off this pilot and back into a space where I can be successful.

While Monday is definitely calling for more coffee and patience, the weekend was pretty good. Goalielocks was here through late Saturday afternoon. I love having him home and wish Jake could have been home too. Having the boys in the house makes my heart full. It’s a different dynamic when your kid is visiting versus when they live under your roof. I did make some homemade sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal for him to take home.

Aside from the fact I had to work Saturday, I did have a fun weekend. Friday night we had dinner with John and Hanh at Batch, which was tasty and fun. Afterward, we went back to their house to hang out while the Mayor got his occupational therapy. After work Saturday, we went back to their house to watch the Panther’s game. When we left their house just after 11:00, we got to see the rocket launch. From the road, we had a different view than what we can see from our house. For the first time, we could see the fireball streaking through the sky behind the rocket.

Sunday morning I headed to our Coffee & Collateral event for PanCan. We have the best affiliate group in the business. The morning was so much fun and time well spent. As a group, we were able to get our fliers and postcards into a lot of local businesses. Importantly, we were also able to cultivate some promising partnerships with a few businesses. One of the most powerful parts of this experience is hearing stories of how pancreatic cancer or cancer has impacted their life. While we raise funds for pancreatic cancer, cancer research can impact several other types of cancers.

Afterward, I got to baking. I whipped up two quick sourdough loaves. I intended to make the 24 sourdough loaf but forgot to start it Friday night. Once the loaves came out of the oven, I started on the fresh pasta we’d be having for dinner. I was a bit intimidated at first, but it proved to be easier than I expected. To be clear, it is a time-intensive exercise, but you could easily make the pasta on the weekend for use during the week. Truly, the effort was worthwhile. The difference between fresh and store-bought pasta is stark. I’ll try to post the recipe this week.

How often do you say “no” to things that would interfere with your goals?

I say “no” to things that interfere with my goals or routines often. Unfortunately, I’ve found that maintaining my routine is important when managing an autoimmune disease. Before I was diagnosed with Graves, I had a routine but could be flexible in making changes to the routine. Now if I change up the routine, the wheels fall off. I don’t like feeling like an outsider in my own body.

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Taking a Break

I’m taking a break from the rabbit hole that is Cigna and health insurance in this country. The truth of the matter is both Presidential candidates happily took money from Cigna for their campaigns. This means both potential Presidents will allow Cigna to continue defrauding Medicare while abusing its insured. Shoot even the anti-business Bernie Sanders has no problem taking money from big business. The billionaire politicians, along with the insurance companies bear responsibility for the clusterfuck that is our healthcare.

Anyway, so much for taking a break. Am I right?!? Goalielocks is home for spring break and that makes my mamma’s heart so happy. If Jake was here, life (even with Cigna in it) would be perfect. I’m privileged to have three amazing boys and two perfect puppies. As I take a break from the insanity, I’m trying to focus on the bright side of life. I also had to grocery shop for the third time this week. With both younger boys home, the amount of food and milk we go through grows exponentially. Fortunately, I have the best Shipt shopper in Eric who always takes good care of us.

What do you wish you could do more every day?

I wish I had more time to exercise during the day. Moreover, I’d love more time to sleep, read, and play with my puppies. Of course, I can’t forget baking. I’d love a lot of additional time to bake.

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Rabbit Hole

I went down the X rabbit hole last night reading posts on Cigna, pharmacy benefit managers, and health insurance in general. The fact that the Federal government allows these companies to operate unchecked, even after being caught defrauding the Federal Government, is appalling. It’s unbelievable the number of people who pay for insurance that find themselves fighting to get care. It’s morally and ethically wrong.

In the ongoing saga of prior authorization hell, they did ultimately approve my hubby’s knee MRI. Alexis R, from Cigna, emailed me yesterday stating, “The mayor’s medication, cephalexin, is considered a non-preferred covered medicine. This would require prior authorization and we have not received it at this time.” According to her email today, the problem wasn’t the Cephalexin itself, but the dosage. These folks can’t even get their facts straight.

This whole thing feels like a plot out of a bad sitcom only nobody is laughing. The fact of the matter is delaying care leads to poor healthcare outcomes. Ultimately, the poor outcomes lead to greater expense and death. Dealing with these issues is not an anodyne experience. Dealing with insurance companies is quite a pernicious ordeal.

What tattoo do you want and where would you put it?

I’m not into tattoos or putting anything permanently on my body. For one, I seem to be allergic to absolutely everything. Two, I don’t know where I’d put it. Three, it’s not something I’d ever spend money on. If I had to do it, I would tattoo my kids’ initials on a heart or something on my ankle. Anyway, I have to get back to my rabbit hole.