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Ten Things

List 10 things you know to be absolutely certain.

Todays prompt is to list ten things that I know with absolute certainty. Personally, I think ten is a mighty high number these days judging from the nonsense I see on social media. So here are my ten things:

  • My world revolves are my boys.
  • Another day above ground, no matter how rough, is better than being below ground.
  • My dogs light up my world and I don’t think I could live without one again.
  • I miss having my parents close by.
  • I miss having my grandma close by.
  • Hockey is the greatest sport in the world and the Q is wrecking it by removing fighting.
  • An adventure with loved ones is worth more than a material gift.
  • European chocolate is much better than American.
  • MTV in its current iteration absolutely sucks and should be off the air. I miss spending time watching music videos.
  • If you’re going to order a steak well done, don’t order steak.

That’s my list. What ten things would be on your list?

Brief Athena update. She’s slid back a little bit this weekend. Although she’s more stable than she was the previous weekend. Fortunately, she doesn’t seem to be in any pain and has not lost her appetite at all. These days she’s enjoying donuts, puppy ice cream (loves the cheese bacon flavor), and roast beef. Her favorite places to hang out are her new bed or the couch.

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Athena update

I thought I’d hop on this fine Friday afternoon and give an Athena update. After an incredibly rough weekend, she has rebounded. We were quite concerned that she wasn’t going to make it through the week, but she’s persevered. In fact, her gums are back to a nice pink color. She’s also back to playing with her brothers.

My baby girl

She loves her new bed and sleeps every night there now. Since I work from home, she’s with me every day. My workstation is in my room, so she hangs out in bed all day. The only exception is when she hangs out in the family room while I spin over lunch. I’m fortunate to be able to work from home and spend every day with her.

This morning and this afternoon, she was anxious to do her full walk. The last few days, she had been content to just hang around the yard. Consequently, it’s good to see her back to her normal habits. In fact, she’s back to aggressively defending our cul-de-sac from birds, squirrels, and other dogs. Unfortunately, this also means she’s back to alerting the household every time a package is delivered. I’m trying not to get too hopeful because it will hurt all the worse when she deteriorates again. If only our dogs could stay with us forever. That’s the Athena update for now.

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The Spoils

Today the spoils of Prime Days have started to show up!!! We’ll be getting a steady stream of packages over the next week or so, which is always exciting. I definitely took advantage of Prime Days this year to stock my pantry. Consequently, it will save me a lot of money over the next few months. This, of course, will be helpful as the Mayor is starting Junior hockey next month. For the uninitiated, junior hockey ramps the cost up from “an arm and a leg” (cost of youth hockey) to organ territory. Now in order for you kid to play hockey, they’ll need your arms, legs, and at least one kidney.

I digress. My favorite thing that was delivered today was Athena’s new bed. It’s super plush and supportive for her. She has a bed in her crate but has been sleeping on the floor next to our bed this past week. As Athena lives out her bucket list, my princess will be as comfortable as possible. This puppy will want for nothing. She absolutely loves her new bed. I guess part of me hopes if we keep spoiling her, she’ll get better. Love is the best medicine and she’s surrounded by it.

The Amazon fairy also brought us some more rice, protein shakes, a new pair of jeans (yay) and accessories for my new Roomba mop that’s coming next week. I ended up buying the Roomba J7 and Braava mop combo during Prime Days. Our current Roomba, Lord Vader has died. After running over Athena’s poop several times, it was her puddle of pee that finished him off last Saturday. I love my Roomba. Even with the three dogs, it does a great job of keeping the floors clean without me, or anyone else, having to do anything. I’m an ardent supporter of anything that makes life easier.

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Dress Shopping

Last night I had the honor of going dress shopping with Melody, Jake’s fiancée, and her bridal posse. As the mother of the groom, I can’t tell you how special it was to share in that moment. It was such a fun night that brought back memories of shopping for my own dress. Including how overwhelming dress shopping can be as the bride.

This bridal salon was huge!! It was absolutely beautiful inside and the setup was incredible. The brides are not on top of each other like I’ve seen at other bridal salons. Melly has her own bridal consultant Angelica, who did an incredible job curating dresses for her to try on. She hasn’t said yes to the dress yet, but whatever dress she picks it will be a showstopper on her.

The beautiful couple

Fortunately, the night out looking at bridal gowns kept me from buying more stuff on Amazon. It was a much needed break from my male dominated life. This morning I was back to shopping Amazon like I have an empty house. Today I picked up a drying rack for my laundry, which will replace the one I have that is falling apart. I’m sure as the day goes on, I’ll find more stuff I don’t need.

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Prime Day

It’s prime day! Or should I say Black Friday in July day?!? I’ve spent my morning working, being productive of course, while scouring Amazon’s best deals. I thought I’d compile a list of my favorite deals and share them here.

  • Vital Proteins: My favorite collagen protein is on sale at $29.99, which is the lowest price I’ve seen ever seen it. It’s usually retails for $47.99
  • Mini portable phone charger: I absolutely love this small charger for my iPhone. It’s on sale for $18.99 today where as it usually sells for $34.99.
  • Dog/baby gate for the stairs: This gate is 30% off today and will replace our broken gate nicely.
  • True Religion Jeans: I love True Religion jeans, but I’m not about to pay full price. This pair is on sale today for $63.55.
  • Orthopedic doggie bed: I picked one up for Athena to use when she sleeps next to our bed.
  • All-Clad Essentials Hard Anodized non-stick 2 piece set. This set includes an 8.5 inch and 10.5 inch frying pan for $59.95. It typically retails at $99 and with All-Clad you can’t go wrong.
  • SodaStream soda maker starter kit is on sale for $89.99
  • Roomba J7. There are several Roombas on sale today. My Roomba, Lord Vader, had an unfortunate run in with dog pee. I’m hoping dried out and cleaned that it will still function. If not, I’ll be buying this model.
  • Roomba M6 mop. I have the lower model Roomba mop and it works okay. This one has a lot more functionality and capacity. It’s on sale for $299.

As I find more deals, I’ll be sharing them here. I use Amazon’s subscribe and save for a lot of things, so I’m checking prices on those items as well. If you come across any good finds, please share them in the comments. Happy shopping!

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Athena

Athena has been a part of our lives for over eight years. It feels, however, like she’s been here forever. She’s an integral part of our family and owns a big piece of our hearts. In late May, she got sick, so I took her in to see the vet. I was hoping it was just a bug, but was worried it was something more serious based on her behavior. With a working diagnosis of potential pancreatitis, we brought her back home for the night. The vet scheduled her to return the next day for an ultrasound and fluids.

The next day, the boys dropped Athena off in the morning. Around lunchtime, our vet called with the worst possible news. While her pancreas was fine, she had two large masses in her liver that were actively bleeding and ascites. They diagnosed her with hemangiosarcoma, which is a very aggressive cancer without any good treatment options. Consequently, we brought her home to say goodbye to her brothers, and FaceTime Jake. Thankfully, she wasn’t in any pain.

Before the Mayor and I flew to Minnesota early Thursday, we said our final goodbyes to the Piggie. We all agreed that if she worsened or showed any evidence of pain, my hubby would take her into the vet to be put to sleep. In the meantime, he’d continue spoiling her with all her favorite foods and activities. She was living out her bucket list.

Athena was in good shape when we came back from Minnesota much to our surprise. Her symptoms of liver failure had completely abated and the ascites had gone down. She was playful and happy. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Honestly, I didn’t think we’d see her alive again. This past month with Athena has been an absolute gift. She’s on borrowed time, so we’re spending as much time and spoiling her as much as possible.

This weekend she started to go down hill. She’s not showing signs of pain, but we can tell her liver is starting to fail again. I’m hoping against hope that her liver begins to function again, but that’s highly unlikely. Consequently, we will probably have to bring her to the vet or bring the vet to us to put her down. We can’t imagine losing her, but we don’t want her to experience any pain. In the mean time, she’s living out her bucket list one donut at a time.

Jake and Athena’s post deployment reunion
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Weekend in Minnesota

The Mayor and I had a great weekend in Minnesota courtesy of his Janesville Jets camp. Even though we ended up with bronchitis, we had such a great time seeing our family and friends. We flew up Thursday evening, so I could work Friday and the Mayor could rest up for his camp. It was a pretty smooth trip less a little delay on the ramp due to severe weather. Fortunately, we were able to take off in between storms. Nevertheless, we made it to Minnesota a little late.

Thursday night we went straight to my folks and got situated. I got set up in the guest room while the Mayor took over their basement. My folks ordered Pizza Man including the boys’ favorite, pizza buddy. Every time I have the pizza, it’s like stepping back in time to the Friday nights of my childhood. It’s probably a similar feeling for our boys since they spent their summers in Minny. At least, they did until Covid put the kibosh on it.

Friday, the Mayor and I really started to feel the effects of the pollen and smoke. We were feeling quite miserable. Unfortunately, for the Mayor, he had a lot of hockey to play that weekend. He loves playing, but it’s a bit frustrating when you can’t play your best. A bright spot in Friday’s on-ice session was that Grandpa Steve and Grandma Linda were able to join us at the rink. They had plans to be out of town but rearranged them so they could see us. It was awesome!

Saturday brought more hockey and a road- trip up to Forest Lake to see Cassie’s family and Uncle Eric. It was nice to see everyone. Neither the Mayor, nor I had seen them since 2019, which was way too long ago. We had a really nice time and some great food. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to stay as long as we would have liked due to an early ice time Sunday morning and not feeling great. Hopefully, I’m able to see them all again later this summer.

Sunday brought us back to the rink for the last on-ice session. Afterward, we picked up my Grandma and Uncle Mark and headed to my brother’s cabin. Their cabin is perfectly located not too far from their house or the cities. It’s on a beautiful lake that’s perfect for boating. Fortunately, the weather was absolutely beautiful, so we were able to sit outside and enjoy the lake views. Honestly, I was happy we got to see our family back home after a four-year absence. I’m hoping for another great weekend in Minnesota later this summer.

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Time Off

I’m back after taking some well-deserved time off. Once hockey ended, I was as utterly exhausted. Also, not only did hockey season end, but it was the end of the road for youth hockey. Consequently, we spent the spring trying to navigate the junior hockey world. When I say it’s a whole new world, I can’t emphasize how different it is from youth hockey. It’s a bit disconcerting, to be honest, as youth hockey was pretty straightforward. At any rate, we spent the spring navigating this new level of hockey.

A month after the season ended, the Mayor took a solo trip with an FPHSL (Florida Panthers Scholastic League) team to a showcase. The tournament was in St. Louis and parents were encouraged to stay home. The purpose of the showcase was twofold. Get the players exposure and an opportunity to operate independently of their parents. Admittedly, it was hard to stay home. It wasn’t hard because I was worried about him being by himself, he can handle himself. Rather it was hard because I love watching him play. Thankfully, we could at least watch the games on LiveBarn.

The Mayor took advantage of the opportunity and ended up with several invites to team camps. After looking at all the opportunities and talking through them with Coach David (South Florida Wolfpack,) we opted to do an NAHL camp in Minnesota with the Janesville Jets. Prior to leaving for that camp, the Florida Eels had invited him to come to skate. The program was an excellent fit for him, so he signed with the Eels. Even though he signed with the Eels, we felt the Janesville camp would still be a good opportunity for him.

The fact that we were able to stay with my folks was definitely a motivating factor for us to sign him up for the Janesville camp. We flew up to Minny the Thursday before the camp since it started Friday night. Fortunately, I was able to work Friday before heading to the rink. Unfortunately, the amount of pollen and smoke from the Canadian fires absolutely destroyed our lungs. The Mayor and I were on all sorts of cold medicine and home remedies including Manuka honey and black pepper.

Unfortunately, we both ended up with allergic bronchitis, which made it super tough for him to skate. It also followed us back to Florida and took a couple of weeks to clear out. Nevertheless, the camp was a success. He sat down with the coach and owner at the end of the camp and will be staying in touch throughout the next season. This was really the ideal outcome. My hubby and I are excited to see how his game will grow with the Eels. It also gives him the opportunity to billet away from home, but also be close to home.

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Arrow is one

Our little puppy, okay not so little, Arrow is one. we celebrated yesterday with birthday ice cream for all three puppies and a special gift for Arrow. As you can imagine, all three dogs loved their ice cream treats. Anakin enjoyed his in the comfort of his crate as he gets a food aggressive towards the other dogs. That and he’ll try to take their ice cream too.

Arrow loved his little Lamp Chop stuffed toy. I, on the other hand, did not. Apparently, I missed the fact that it had a squeaker in it. Needless to say, Arrow and his toy were squeaking away all night. Anakin loves to hoard toys and not play with them. He was eying Arrow’s toy as soon as Arrow got it. Consequently, I distracted him with another toy. Nevertheless, his focus continued to return to Arrow’s toy.

While the puppies enjoyed the birthday festivities, the rest of us watched the Hurricanes take on the Devils. This was a must win for the Devils, but ultimately the Canes sent them packing with an overtime goal. The Panthers play tonight and have the chance to end the Maple Leafs season. We went to game four Wednesday and they looked terrible. Here’s hoping our Cardiac Cats show up and get er’ done.

In honor of the 30th anniversary of Weezer’s Blue Album (yesterday,) here’s Buddy Holly.

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Superstitious

Yesterday’s prompt asked if I’m superstitious, but I didn’t notice the prompt until after I had already finished my blog about our torturous allergy season here. The answer is that I am absolutely superstitious. It comes along with the hockey mom and hockey culture. Show me a hockey mom that’s not superstitious and I’ll show you snow in Miami (real meteorological snow, not the stuff referenced in Miami Vice.)

Are you superstitious?

So let me recount some of the superstitious ridiculousness that comes with being a hockey mom and/or player

  • Thou shall not utter the word shutout until the final buzzer has sounded. If you utter it before, it will be your fault when the goalie gives up a goal. This is one of the cardinal rules of being a goalie parent.
  • I wore this jacket and they won; ergo, I must wear this jacket to all future games, so the trend can continue. God forbid we wear another jacket and they lose, oh the regret that would spark.
  • Pregame rituals: for me, it was always grabbing a coffee before game time. Each player and parent has their own pregame routine.
  • Always tell my player or goalie good luck and have fun before they hit the ice
  • The goalie hits the goalposts in a certain order before every face-off.
  • The playoff beard. No shaving for the guys until they’ve won or been knocked out of the playoffs
  • Favorite shirt or piece of equipment. This item will be repaired until it can’t be repaired anymore because the player has to wear it.
  • Not washing equipment during the season. This one is a killer. You’d only have to walk near my garage during the season to know why.
  • The taping of the stick. Every player has a ritual for when and how they tape their stick before a game.
  • Pregame meal or drink (i.e Celsius.). We’ve definitely hit some gas stations before games to make sure they had their Celsius in hand.

What are some of your superstitions? Hockey folks, did I miss any?


Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: 45-minute spin class, plus 15-minute cooldown courtesy of Apple Fitness+
  • Book: I finished Marcel Proust’s Finding Lost Time last time. Five years and seven volumes later, I’ve completed his masterpiece. Tonight I’m starting Mary Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley by Alison Weir.
  • Word of the day is chiton. A chiton is a mollusk often found in tide pools.
  • Blog: done
  • Today’s song is Outta Our Heads by Dropkick Murphy’s