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Seven Glorious Days

Only seven glorious days until I get to see my oldest son! Fortunately, I have a great weekend planned in the Keys to help these last seven days pass by. It’s been a hot minute since we’ve been to the keys, so we’re all quite excited. Additionally, it’s the first time we’ve taken a trip since March. In fact, this trip is our rescheduled spring break trip. Honestly, the next two weeks are going to be a lot of fun!

Since I’m going to be out of pocket early next week, I pounded the pavement today for work. When I get back, I should have several meetings set to go and presentations ready for delivery. Naturally, I’ll be checking in while I’m away. As I’m new to the role, I don’t want to abdicate my responsibilities at all. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean I’ll spend the entire time running smoothly. Today I spent time setting up my outreach campaign, which will run without any intervention from me. Unfortunately, this also meant I had to skip my yoga class today. Thankfully, I’m going to go take the class as soon as I finish this blog.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read The Song of the Lark, by Willa Cather

*Gentle Flow with Jennifer from Open Heart Yoga Studio

*I completed a morning and afternoon meditation.

*I completed my work project this morning, so there will be no need for manual intervention from me needed next week.

*Obedience training Anakin

*I learned a new word today. Smicker, which means to ogle and smile amorously.

*Week 9 BBG 2.0 day 5 abs and yoga.

*Countdown: Seven glorious days

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Eight Days

Eight days until I see my airmen!!!!! The title reminds me of our favorite songs, “Eight Days a Week” by the Beatles. This trip will be our first one after the epidemic started, so I’m pretty excited. Needless to say, we’ll be taking plenty of precautions as we travel. Also, we will spend the bulk of our journey outside in wide-open spaces. Fortunately, there is a multitude of outdoor opportunities to fill our time. I cannot wait to explore the Rockies and its surrounding area with my boys!

Today is also my dad’s sixty-seventh birthday. Unfortunately, this year is the first year the boys haven’t been able to celebrate with him since 2009. Undoubtedly, we will have to celebrate all the missed milestones of 2020 once this pandemic is over. Hopefully, we can do celebrate these during the holidays when my son is home on leave. That would be the best Christmas gift ever! I cannot wait to be able to see my family again.

Before I leave you for the night, I need to ask for prayers for Cole. He’s Goalielocks’ teammate, who was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in February. Unfortunately, he suffered a setback this week and is dealing with a nasty eye infection. The first combination of antibiotics proved problematic causing an allergic reaction and the main antibiotic ultimately failed. He is feeling somewhat better today, but has no immune system to fight infection. Please pray that the new antibiotic regiment will take care of the infection, so he can restart chemo next week. Please pray for his continued strength and for his family.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read The Song of the Lark, by Willa Cather

*Yin Yoga with Jennifer from Open Heart Yoga Studio

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*There has been an insane amount of rain this week. My yard was almost as full of water as Facebook is full of bad information.

*Tonight I’m watching nature shows with my sweet Anakin.

*Week 10 BBG 2.0 day 4 yoga.

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Ten Days

Ten days until I see my oldest! I can’t wait. I know you’re wondering what happened to day eleven on the countdown. Well, let me tell you. First of all, I am happy to report that it has nothing to do with tequila. Instead, I spent the evening with my friends Terri and PJ catching up. Fortunately, I even got to talk to my airmen on FaceTime as he called Mel while I was at their house. Mel and I had some planning to do as she’ll be heading West with me next week. Naturally, I stayed out later than I had planned and ended up going to bed as soon as I got home.

I had a great time hanging out with Terri, Mel, and PJ. We watched one of Jake’s favorite new shows, The IT Crowd. Upon Jake’s numerous recommendations, I finally started watching the show over the weekend. It’s fabulously British and super topical for my boy. Anyway, last night we watched his favorite episode, “The Outing.” Honestly, I have never laughed so hard in my life. That episode was a sheer comedic genius from beginning to end. Moreover, it was great to watch it with my boy and friends. We were all doubled over in laughter throughout the show.

Today was super productive for me professionally. I finished a couple of proposals and set a couple more meetings. Thus far, the role seems to be a good fit. Additionally, I love the flexibility that comes with the position. The fact that I can work anytime from anywhere is fantastic. In case you missed it in previous blogs, I’m now in the promotional/branding marketing industry. If you need branded gear for your employees, your offices, and your clients, I’m the woman for the job!

I skipped my run today. Mostly because I did leg day yesterday with added weights, and I can barely walk. Kayla Itsines really kicked my butt yesterday. In fact, my legs were so weak today; they couldn’t support me in wheel pose. In yoga today, my right shoulder started to stick out for all the wrong reasons. It was unstable in crow, tri-pod headstand, and in wheel pose. After I left, it struck me that it was my right shoulder that gave out in crow and handstand on Saturday. Clearly, I need to do some work strengthening and rehabilitating that shoulder

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read The Song of the Lark, by Willa Cather

*Vinyasa with Monica from Open Heart Yoga Studio

*Worked! I’m meeting a lot of quality people.

*It seems like our school board is united in their decision to postpone the start of school. This is great news!

*I enjoyed a morning and afternoon meditation

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin! It turned out super cute!

*Obedience training Anakin.

*Week 10 BBG 2.0 day 2 yoga

*We went to team meetings for both of the boys.

*Countdown: 10 days! It is dreamy just to think about being reunited with my oldest.

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Not Much to Report

Not much to report from the home front today. We spent the day at home, cleaning and relaxing. After the emotionally and mentally exhausting week of tryouts, we deserved a day of rest. My hubby cleaned out the three fridges and all the old leftovers. Suffice to say, there was an ample pile of dishes waiting to be cleaned. Incidentally, the collection would not have been so significant if Goalielocks had run the dishwasher at capacity instead of half full.

Speaking of Goalielocks, he remains on a third shift schedule, which is confounding when it comes to getting his chores done timely. Today my husband had it with his delays and shut off the electricity to his room. Yeah, my hubby is savage. In fact, he’s also taken Goalielocks’ door off the hinges multiple times. After a brief, but anger fueled exchange with my son, he emerged downstairs to do his chore. Surprisingly, he was easygoing and not the least bit moody when he finally made it downstairs. Unquestionably, you can imagine how happy I was to find him in an amiable mood. He even completed his chore.

I always have to do a little bit of coaxing to get my Mayor to do his chores, but we haven’t had to resort to such drastic measures to get him moving. He sweeps/vacuums and picks up the floor. Most days I would give him a barely passing grade for his work. However, today he did do a good job. While my hubby worked out in the garage, I folded the laundry. Happily, after Goalielocks’ clothes come out of the dryer we will be all done with that. Thankfully, I’m already done as both Goalielocks and the Mayor do their own laundry.

This evening we spoke with Jake. He continues to thrive in his new environment, which makes this mama super happy. His dorm looks spacious and has good storage, which is always a plus. Moreover, it is clear he likes his new job and is happy with his choice. Obviously, I cannot wait to see my boy. Only twelve more days! Today I was looking for new hiking boots for Goalielocks, who has outgrown his old ones. Fortunately, the Mayor can fit into his old pair. Did I mention I can’t wait?

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read The Song of the Lark, by Willa Cather

*Morning and afternoon meditation put me in a good space. It was a dreamy Saturday!

*I spoke with my airmen via FaceTime!

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 9 BBG 2.0 day 7 yoga

*Goalielocks scored 100% on his algebra 2 test! Yay!

*I’m exhausted, so I shall seek my bed early tonight.

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Thirteen Days

Thirteen days until I see my oldest again! I told you I was counting down the days, and I was not lying. Today I booked an awesome Airbnb in the mountains for us, which looks absolutely divine. I cannot wait to be in an environment with no humidity, mountains, and my airmen. Accordingly, I’m now looking for things to do around his base, so we can occupy our days while he works. Fortunately, he has the weekends off, so we’ll be able to go on some fun excursions on those days. Did I mention I was excited?

Today marks the end of tryout week, and as always, it sucked balls. Florida hockey is a strange place, and I look forward to writing a book once my kids’ age out. Emphatically, I assure you it will be a tantalizing, disgusting, and sometimes uplifting read. Spoiler alert: the adults are the assholes. Nevertheless, I’m pleased with things turned out and am looking forward to an exceptional season. I have some thoughts and feelings about this years’ tryout season, but I’ll save them for the book. Incidentally, I’ve already started writing, but I am torn as to leave the stories as blind items or name folks. Honestly, I guess we’ll just have to see where the pen leads me.

Today was a beautiful lazy day. I’ve been feeling a little bit of a tinge starting in my left hip flexors. Consequently, I decided to take the rest of the week off from running to give my hips a break. Instead, it was a perfect day for yoga. Today’s class followed the Ashtanga sequence wand was challenging. We did a lot of work opening the hips and the hamstrings, which will help alleviate the pain in my hip. It also allowed me to work on my crow, handstand, and headstand. Unfortunately, I totally bit it on my first attempt at crow pose, which left my knee a little sore. The second attempt at the pose was successful. As for the other two poses, I nailed it.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I started reading North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

*Vinyasa with Monica from Yoga Mundo

*I got to FaceTime my Jake. I can’t wait to see him.

*Morning and afternoon meditation put me in a good space. It was a dreamy Saturday!

*I was craving some mouthwatering cake but settled for some gluten-free chocolate frosting instead.

*Took Anakin out to go to the bathroom. Today he was chasing feathers.

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 9 BBG 2.0 day 6 yoga.

*Countdown clock: thirteen days

*As I read today’s paper online, I wondered how many people still receive an actual paper.

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Two Weeks!

Two weeks! The countdown is on my friends. In two weeks, get to see my airmen again. I haven’t seen him since his BMT graduation. Moreover, his brothers haven’t seen him since they told him goodbye at the MEPS hotel on December 9th. Obviously, it’s been far too long since they’ve seen each other. This military mama’s heart is full; it is full of love and anticipation. Over the next two weeks, I will subject you to a countdown calendar. Just be glad that it won’t be as awful as Andy’s Christmas countdown gift to Erin in The Office.

My day started on a bright note. My hubby offered to pick up my morning coffee since he was working from home today. I really needed some extra sleep. Perhaps you remember from yesterday’s blog that I was so tired I was channeling my inner Madeline Kahn in a theatrical number. I did have an early business meeting, so I had to get up and get dressed. After my business meeting, I took to the workout mat. Friday is Abs day on the BBG program. It was a great workout.

Fortunately, I had some time to eat a quick snack and get some work time between my BBG workout and yoga. One thing I always look forward to on Fridays is my Gentle Flow class. Today’s session was no exception. We did a lot of ab and hip work. Needless to say, after an hour of BBG abs and yoga, I’m going to be quite sore tomorrow. Indeed, it was the perfect way to end the workweek. Afterward, I went to yoga teacher training, where we spent more time learning anatomy and physiology.

Meanwhile, the tumult and turmoil that is tryout weeks continues. It’s honestly sickening. I don’t know why we put ourselves through this year after year. We must be crazy! Unbelievably, we don’t have that many seasons left. Consequently, I opted to stay home tonight. So the hubby has the Mayor at two different rinks tonight. Goalielocks left super late and is exhausted, so we gave him the night off. The last thing we need is for them to weaken their immune system or get sick. After all, in only two weeks, we’ll be headed West to visit Jake.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read Shirley, by Charlotte Bronte.

*Gentle Flow with Jennifer from Open Heart Yoga Studio

*I completed a morning and afternoon meditation.

*Took Anakin out to go to the bathroom. He was quickly hunting the butterflies and dragonflies.

*Obedience training Anakin

*Instead of going to Target to buy groceries, my lazy self ordered them via Shipt.

*Week 9 BBG 2.0 day 5 abs and yoga.

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Tryout Week

It’s hockey tryout week. Yep, just when I thought it could get worse than rectal exams and celery juice: it does. This year the anxiety is a little bit higher. After all, I’m worried about the kids being exposed to the coronavirus as much as I am about them making the team. Usually, I’d try to watch a tryout or two. However, I’m skipping it this year since I have an autoimmune disease. With all the luck I’ve had in the health sphere these past two years, I’m taking no chances.

Nonetheless, here I am at home watching Seinfeld with an elevated heart rate and a nervous stomach. Clearly, it does not matter where I am when my players are on the ice. I’m always going to be anxious when they’re trying out or playing a game. I guess it’s probably been training for the emotional and mental stress that comes with being a military mom.

I had planned to run this evening, but my knee is still a little sore from Sunday. It’s nothing major, but enough that I should take a pause for a day to let it rest. Tomorrow I’ll log a couple of miles and then make up for today’s missed run on the weekend. This also puts less pressure on me during the week. I really want to devote as much time as I can to building a book of business at my new job. Thus far, the flexibility has been incredible and I’m enjoying it. At some point soon, I’d love to close a deal. Consequently, here’s your reminder to hit me up if you need any promotional gear for employees, sports teams or clients!

Here’s a blog post I wrote in 2017 about the perils of tryout week: The Worst Week of the Year

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read Shirley, by Charlotte Bronte.

*Vinyasa with Monica from Open Heart Yoga Studio

*Worked! I’m meeting a lot of friendly people.

*I setup my e-chart for my doctor’s office. Now I can request prescription recalls and appointments without having to wait on hold. Yay!

*I enjoyed a morning and afternoon meditation

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin! It turned out super cute!

*Obedience training Anakin. We skipped a walk today because it was too hot.

*Week 8 BBG 2.0 day 2 yoga

*Mild panic attack due to tryout week

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Celery Juice Fun

Celery juice fun, seriously? There’s no such thing. I’m in desperate need of some title ideas. To be fair, I am on day two of the Tony Robbins lemon water and celery juice thing. I say a thing because I’m not sure if it’s a challenge or a part of the diet. Needless to say, celery juice has been recommended to me several times since I’ve been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. It’s not completely horrible, but it’s a bit bitter and the celery burps are the worst. Nonetheless, I drank it like a champ and will do so again tomorrow. After a week of shooting celery juice in the morning, we’ll see how I feel.

This morning I had my annual physical at my lady doctor. I dread going to the doctor even though I go all the time. I masked up for my appointment and happily found the waiting room near empty. Moreover, the happiness continued as I didn’t have to wait long before being seen by the doctor. I was on a happiness role until the medical assistant made me step on the scale. Queue the sad music. From there, it didn’t get any better. In fact, it got worse much worse. Next she told since I was now 40, I’d be getting a pap smear, prescription for a mammogram and a rectal exam. Say what? This is 40? Honestly, I was mentally prepared for the mammogram conversation, but I got to be honest the rectal exam took me completely by surprised.

So there I sat in disbelief with an episode of Family Guy playing in my head. In this particular episode, Peter goes to the doctor and gets his first prostate exam. Consequently, he feels quite violated and sues the doctor for rape. The episode is hilarious. Indeed now here I am trying to square my incredulity of what’s about to happen with the hilarity of Family Guy. Naturally, I’m trying to play it cool and not break into fits of laughter or tears. Oh yes, it is good to be 40. When it finally went down, I wanted to ask her if she found a prostate to keep the moment light, but I chickened out. In all due seriousness, these things are not fun, but they’re super necessary for continued health.

After the trauma of the doctor’s office, I went straight to work. Today was another great day of work. Honestly, today was productive and I set another meeting for Wednesday. My goal is to set at least one meeting per day. Aside from setting the meetings, I’ve been connecting with some super talented people, which is always excited. There are a lot of people doing big things in the health and wellness industry right now. But back to my professional goals. If you or anyone you know needs branded gear, let me know. I’d be happy to help.

My work uniform really confuses my children. Ordinarily, I’m an excellent dresser. I have a closet full of professional clothes that would make your head spin. Since my new role is entirely remote, I’ve deviated from my usual high standard in dressing. Now my go-to is yoga pants with a blouse. My new style says gym on the bottom and office on the top. My boys, however, thought I had reverted to my preschool days where matching clothes was a challenge. However, now that they understand my work world exists in Zoom, they understand the dress code.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read Shirley, by Charlotte Bronte.

*Morning and afternoon meditation: I love the brass sound of the singing bowls.

*I drew a blank when thinking of a title for the blog, so now it’s about celery juice.

*Took Anakin out to go to the bathroom. He was unstoppable in his pursuit of the lizards.

*I enjoyed some celery juice fun!

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 9 BBG 2.0 day 1 legs

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Top of the Muffin to You!

“Top of the muffin to you!” Or should I say “top of the week to you? ” Apparently, I’ve been watching a little too much Seinfeld as quotes from the show are now showing up as my blog titles. Fortunately, Seinfeld provides a lot of good material for a blog and everyday conversation. Nevertheless, my kids still don’t get it. Although, the show appears to be growing on them. The first time Goalielocks saw it he said it was worse than Friends. This week he said it’s only slightly funnier than Friends. Obviously, Seinfeld is growing on him. Albeit I understand how some of the show’s references go right over their heads due to their age.

After taking Thursday and Friday out from my workouts, I finished all of them this weekend. Today I did my BBG ab workout and run. I mixed up today’s workout by doing a steady tempo run. Moreover, instead of time, I focused on mileage ran. My goal for today’s run was two miles, which I achieved. Unfortunately, my knee started to hurt as I got to the end of the run. Fortunately, the pain went away as soon as I stopped running. Nonetheless, I added some additional stretches to my post-run routine. Hopefully, my knee will be feeling good tomorrow.

While I finished my workout, my hubby started cooking our Blue Apron dinner. Tonight’s meal was tomatillo chicken and rice tacos, which was a Tom Hollingsworth featured meal. Tom Hollingsworth is an American chef and restaurateur, who currently owns Otium in LA. He’s doing a course of meals over the summer for Blue Apron. I’m truly excited to try them all. Tonight’s meal was incredible; even the Mayor was a fan. To date, he’s only liked one of the meal kit meals, but he loved tonight’s dinner. If you’re interested in trying Blue Apron, send me a message and I’ll send you a coupon for a free box. This way you can get in on the Tom Hollingsworth meals.

Naturally, the highlight of every Sunday is when Jake FaceTimes us. Our boy looks so good. Jake finished setting up his room, so he showed us what he’s done. He doesn’t have his television yet but should have it in the next day or two. Fortunately, he also has a spacious storage room, where he’ll be able to stash his hockey gear. Today he went with some folks from his squadron to the trampoline park to hang out. Thankfully, he loves his new surroundings and the people he works with. Moreover, they have done a tremendous job assimilating him to his new job, base, and workgroup. He’s truly very happy there. Consequently, I’m one happy mama!

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read Shirley, by Charlotte Bronte.

*Morning and afternoon meditation put me in a good space. It was a dreamy Saturday!

*I drank celery juice today. I didn’t love the juice.

*Took Anakin out to go to the bathroom. Today he was trying to eat the shamrock plants under the mango tree.

*Top of the muffin to you!

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 8 BBG 2.0 day 7 abs and cardio.

*As a treat, I wanted to enjoy some ice cream, but we had none.

*I’m exhausted, so I shall seek my bed early tonight.

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Dreamy Saturday

Dreamy Saturday indeed. Don’t worry J Lo wasn’t in my dreams again last night. No, this dreamy consists of a day well balanced between productivity and relaxation. I was able to get some work done this morning before taking Monica’s great vinyasa class. As for Monica’s class, it is always challenging and invigorating. My headstand practice continues to improve. I actually stuck one for several seconds before almost tipping over. Fortunately, I was able to catch myself and come back down the right way. Monica’s Saturday class is ninety minutes of yoga bliss. By the end of class, I’d burned over two hundred calories and was drenched in sweat. Obviously, I was also completely relaxed and ready to face the rest of the day.

I grabbed a quick lunch. Today it was a lean cuisine. Since I’m starting the anti-inflammatory diet tomorrow, I figured I’d enjoy one last microwave meal. Doesn’t that sound tasty? By the time I finished eating, it was time to meet Luke’s colleague to deliver a check and pick up a check. Fortunately, we met at the rink, which has a Dunkin in the parking lot. Unsurprisingly, I indulged in a second cup of Dunkin’ on the day. Meanwhile, I chatted with my folks. I was happy to share how well Jake is doing at his new base. Thankfully, he FaceTimed them soon after I finished talking to them, so they were able to see and hear first hand how well he is doing. Naturally, my parents were tickled pink to see his new abode and see his face.

I worked while I finished my coffee, making for a spectacularly productive afternoon. Afterward, I went for my run. There were storms in our area, so it was another treadmill run today. Correspondingly, I turned on Curb and my music. The run went well and felt good. My hips, ankles, and knees all felt good throughout and after the run, which is key! I’ve been running for twenty-two to twenty-five minutes with a five-minute warm-up and thirteen-minute cooldown. As for the tempo, I’ve been steadily increasing it week over week. Indeed I’m ramping up the tempo very gradual. If I ramp it up too fast, I will reinjure my tendon.

Tonight I cooked up a delicious parmesan crusted chicken with roasted carrots and couscous. This was another HelloFresh meal and it was delicious and easy to prepare. I will be ordering this meal again. Naturally, the boys hated it, which was okay because we wanted to eat more. As for the rest of the evening, we’re watching Seinfeld with the puppies. Moreover, we’re planning our trip to see Jake! I can’t wait! It has been way too long since I’ve seen that boy. As for his brothers, they haven’t seen him since December! Hopefully, we’ll have the trip figured out and planned by the end of the weekend.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read Shirley, by Charlotte Bronte.

*Vinyasa with Monica from Yoga Mundo

*Morning and afternoon meditation put me in a good space. It was a dreamy Saturday!

*I made celery juice today. I’m not looking forward to drinking it.

*Took Anakin out to go to the bathroom. Today he was chasing feathers.

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 8 BBG 2.0 day 6 yoga and cardio.

*As a treat, I enjoyed a Kinder bar again! I wish I had one more.

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