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Saturday is for the Dogs

Saturday is for the dogs. Which is a play on the “for the boys” nonsense hockey players like to say to each other. At any rate, today, like every other day in our house, is for the dogs. I’m fortunate to be able to work from home and spend every day with them. Anakin and Arrow are the best sales assistants around. I don’t think so. They don’t even burn popcorn or reheat fish in the microwave. They’re the ideal co-workers.

The boys and I started our morning with a walk around the block. There’s always so much to see that the walk takes a while. Birds, lizards, and ducks distract Anakin immediately. Arrow, on the other hand, gets super excited to see a squirrel. Neither dog can concentrate on anything else once they’ve seen their target. Eventually, I got them to do all of their business, but it was a process.

While I enjoyed my coffee on the couch, the puppies chilled with me. I did manage to have a productive morning by taking care of the dishes, the laundry, and the floor. Don’t worry, I saved some of the fun for the afternoon. After heating some leftovers, I got my clothes folded and put away. To be fair, I still have some that need to be put away. Unfortunately, my closet is full. It’s reached its weight limit. I am definitely in need of a closet upgrade.

P.S. If you’re not already following me on instagram, give me a follow!

P.S.S. I’ve recently partnered with Zulay Kitchen. I’m super excited about this partnership as I love to bake. You can use the code Welcome43 to get 43% off.

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. I’m tickled pink that we’ll be going back there in October to see Paul McCartney
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  • Get out of debt: in progress, but still poor
  • Financial independence: in progress, but still opt

How do you relax?

I like to work out, bake, read, and spend time with my dogs to relax. My workout routine keeps me sane, while reading helps me decompress every night. My dogs’ unconditional love and attention is everything. Their presence and cuddles make me so happy and relaxed.

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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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May Day

It’s May Day, not to be confused with Mayday. After another night of poor to little sleep, mayday is what my body is screaming. As for the new month, I’m amazed that after January took five years to get through, I’ve blinked and it’s now May. The last couple of months have passed in an utter blur. With every passing year, time seems to move faster and faster.

Today, people all over the world the world are celebrate May Day by dancing around a maypole, celebrating the impending start of summer. Here in Florida, we call it Thursday. We do not need to celebrate summer here, given our balmy year-round climate. We’d rather celebrate the end of rainy season or the end of hurricane season than the impending doom of record-high dew points and temperatures.

Anyway, I digress. As I think back on the two months I took off from the blog, I realized I’ve accomplished a lot. Firstly, I read voraciously. I’ll be posting all my reads from the last two months soon. Secondly, I started jumping rope. While I found out I’m not very good at it, I do enjoy it. Third, this accomplishment is mostly the Mayor’s; his A1C at his first follow-up with our endocrinologist was 5.7%. This is an amazing number for a type 1 diabetic. He’s doing amazing. Lastly, we hit our fundraising goal for PurpleStride.

Of course, I can’t leave today’s blog without mentioning that both my Florida Panthers and Minnesota Timberwolves got the job done last night. Both clubs closed out round one of the playoffs. The Panthers looked dominant last night, particularly in the third. As for the Timberwolves game, it started way too late for me.

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 A Knight and a Spy 1413 (The Road to Agincourt – King’s Spy), by Simon Fairfax
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

Do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?

I have a couple, and I think of them often. I love Oscar Wilde’s quote, “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” Moreover, Victor Hugo has two quotes that refer back to often. First, “even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” The second quote is, “It is nothing to die, it is frightful not to live.” I think the first is a poignant reminder that things will always get better, no matter how bleak things seem. The other Hugo quote and the Oscar Wilde quote are poignant reminders to live each day and enjoy the moment.

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Rest day

Today was a rest day for me. I had planned to go with the Mayor and Hubby to Daytona for hockey today, but my stomach was quite disagreeable. The last place you want to be when your stomach is questionable is in a car for four hours. Consequently, the puppies and I are at home chilling and enjoying our rest day.

I started sourdough loaves this morning. It’s a bit cool outside, so the dough is taking longer to rise today. Hopefully, the dough is ready for the fridge by the time I’m ready to go to bed. The loaves have a second rise that takes place overnight and in the fridge. Then tomorrow morning, the loaves will be ready for the oven. I fed the starter this evening, so I can start more loaves tomorrow if needed.

My active rest day has been productive. I got a lot of work done around the house. My to-do list was shelved over the holidays as I wasn’t feeling great. Today, while my stomach isn’t great, I feel pretty good otherwise. I checked a lot of items off my to-do list this afternoon, which felt great. The capstone to my night was a trip to Target for a few items. When I left the store the sun was setting the sky was magnificent. It looked like the sky had been painted.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): 4 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 started reading Armadale by Wilkie Collins – so good.
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

What is the greatest gift someone could give you?

The greatest gift someone could ever give me was their love and their time.

Today’s music video:

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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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Almost

It’s almost here, the weekend that is. I try to blog every weekday, but between work and PanCan yesterday, I didn’t have the time to write. This week was our national registration day, which was a smashing success for our affiliate. We added seven teams and almost fifty participants in one day! Go us! Yesterday did end up being a pretty long day between work and our PurpleStride planning call.

It’s been a tough start to 2024 between the Hubby’s knee injury and the Mayor’s injury. It’s also been quite expensive – thank you co-pays. We did, however, get some good news this week. The MRI, which Cigna said wasn’t necessary showed there was extensive damage to the Hubby’s knee, but not enough to necessitate surgery. Thank god he had the MRI that showed that passive treatment like shots and PT should be enough to heal his knee. I might call Cigna hourly, and become a celebrity with their customer service team until they cover the MRI.

We go back to the Mayor’s surgeon on Wednesday. Hopefully, he’ll have the pins removed. I’m unsure how long that takes, but it sounds like a miserable process. Honestly, I hope it doesn’t cause him too much pain on top of the discomfort. He was hoping he could play at states the weekend after, but the doctor said no at his last appointment. We’ll see if she’s consistent in her answer when he asks again Wednesday.

By the way, I have to give a quick shout-out to my girl Sheri for making my day. This afternoon has been a rough one. And then I got an unexpected package from Amazon. In it was an emotional support pickle, which is just the cutest thing ever. It was such a thoughtful gift.

What advice would you give to your teenage self?

Run! People are who you think they are, so run before they show you who they are. If you don’t, they’ll put you through hell.

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Back to Normal

Things are getting back to normal around here after a busy holiday season. Jake left earlier in the week to go back to Tally and today Goalielocks headed back to UCF. Meanwhile, the Mayor and the hubby are in Pittsburgh for the weekend at a tournament. There’s nobody here to pickpocket me. I mean ask for cash to buy food when we have three fridges full of food. My house has gone from a nuthouse to a peaceful space. I’m just kidding the puppies make sure there’s ample noise in the house. Especially if a squirrel or bird is at the bird feeder.

While the boys are in Pittsburgh, I’m going to try and be productive around the house. My sourdough starter should be good to go this weekend. I started both starters last Saturday. Since this is my first attempt, I thought I should make two in case on failed. For one starter, I bought a starter culture from Amazon. The other culture I made with water and flour. Both are looking good. The only thing remaining is to name said starters.

The sourdough starters

I also bought some things to get my bathroom and kitchen better organized. Truly, I need a better system for managing my makeup. Consequently, I bought a makeup storage thing from Amazon. It’s bedazzled and should hold everything I got. Or at least I hope it will. I’m also rearranging my pantry because it’s a bit of a mess at the moment. Also, I found some great airtight containers for my flour and sugar. Since we live in Florida, I’ve added bay leaves to keep away any bugs.

Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past? Why?

I spend more time thinking about the future than the past. Well, maybe…. Honestly, if you ignore the past, you’re bound to repeat precious mistakes, which is super lame. On the flip side, if you ruminate too much on the past, you will never move forward. Consequently, I try to find a balance between the two while also living in the moment. I don’t want life to pass me by because I’ve spent too much time thinking about things I can’t change or things that may or may not happen. And now we’re back to normal.

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Circus

Today has become an absolute circus. In fact, it’s such a circus I was starting to think it was Monday again. Athena got sick on our carpet and in our bathroom, which was not a pretty sight. The problems really started, however, while I was spinning on my lunch hour. We lost power briefly, which made adjusting resistance and speed a bit more difficult. I was flying blind. After being off for ten minutes, the power came back on. This was awesome because my workouts definitely go faster when I’m watching a show.

Unfortunately, the power didn’t stay on for long. It went off again and stayed off. Fortunately, Apple’s AirPod Pros block out sounds. Consequently, I didn’t notice immediately that the power outage triggered our smoke alarms. As soon as I took off my AirPod, I could hear the dreadfully loud sound of the smoke alarms. Goalielocks brought in the Hubby’s ladder, so we could try to shut off the smoke alarms. At this point, I still had my AirPods in because it blocked most of the sound. The puppies, meanwhile, stayed in our room where the smoke detectors were silent.

I was able to stop the screaming smoke detectors by taking out the batter. A very high-tech power move, I know. Goalielocks removed one from the upstairs smoke alarm and the blaring stopped. Thank god! The sound is enough to drive anyone and everyone crazy. Unfortunately, the power didn’t come right back on. In fact, it wasn’t on when I needed to return to work, which was a bummer. More than that the outage seems to have fried my docking station and at least one of my monitors. So now the circus has become IT bell and I can’t work.

On top of all this, I’ve contracted whatever disease my hubby came down with this weekend. And by disease, I do mean a cold (aka man flu.). Unfortunately, as a mom, I don’t get time off for being ill or tired. No society expects mothers to keep going no matter how they feel, which to be honest is absolute bullshit. This is something I can’t reconcile. It’s something that needs to change. To be honest, it’s not something I witnessed growing up. My parents shared responsibilities and if one was sick, the other stepped up.

For the most part, when a man gets a cold, the world stops. It reminds me of when I was pregnant with the Mapgr and hospitalized with hyperemesis gravidarum. My electrolytes were so low from being unable to drink or eat that they keep me inpatient for two nights. It would have been three, but hubby needed me home. He negotiated with the doctor my release on the condition I could keep down a banana. While I ate the banana, I sent him to the store to get DayQuil. Long story short, I was released that day still weak, and had to drive home because Hubby had a cold.

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Spa Time

It was spa time for me this afternoon. After a long absence, I finally spent some time at Massage Envy where I have probably 30 plus services built up. Since my favorite masseuse wasn’t available, I opted to get a new type of facial with my favorite practitioner. This time I got a nourishing light facial, which uses a bright led light to treat your face.

I wasn’t sure how I’d like the facial especially when she first out the lights on my face. The last was so bright that it felt like I was looking directly at the sun even with pads and goggles over my eyes. I’m sure I looked like an oddity. Before she put the lights on my face she did a cleanser, masks and a gel. While the lights are on your face, they massage your hands and arms, which feels spectacular. Afterwards, they put a cooling mask on your face and massage your face with cooled globes. It feels absolutely exquisite after the heat of the lights. I’ll definitely get a nourishing light facial again.

Before I went for spa time, I hit the spin bike. Today I did an hour class on the JRNY app. Unfortunately, Apple Fitness + doesn’t have classes over forty five minutes. The shorter classes are perfect for weekdays during lunch, but I wanted a longer class for the day off. Today’s class was a ass kicker. It was sixty minutes of intervals, hills and sprints. By the end of the class, I was toast. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the jump from a forty five minute class to sixty minutes.

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: 60 minute spin class, plus 15-minute cooldown courtesy of JRNY
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s  Finding Lost Time. 
  • Blog: done
  • Word of the day: intransitive. Intransitive is a type of verb that reminds me how much I hate grammar.
  • Today’s song is Everybody Talks by Neon Trees