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Big Day

It was a big day in our house as Goalielocks moved out this afternoon. He’s headed to Orlando to start college and live with his buddies. He’s super excited and so are we. We’ll sort of….. It’s a little bittersweet to see our secondborn fly the coop. Nonetheless, we have been making bets about how much our electric and grocery bills will decrease now. Stay tuned. To be honest, I will be counting down the days to his coming home.

Luke and the Mayor traveled up to Orlando this evening as well. The Mayor has two games tomorrow in Orlando including an early morning game. Since our dog sitter moved to Orlando today, I am skipping tomorrow’s games in Orlando. Also, I’ll be traveling to Chicago next weekend for the Mayor’s tournament, while Luke stays home to work. Consequently, I came home after the Mayor’s two home games this afternoon to chill with my puppies and do nothing.

Since it’s just me and the dogs tonight, I ordered some good healthy food via UberEats. Now I’m not a food delivery guru, but it shouldn’t take over an hour from pick up to delivery of the food. For some reason, the drive from the restaurant which should have taken ten minutes took over an hour. Fortunately, the food still tasted pretty damn good reheated. Nonetheless, the delay was pretty aggravating. Good thing I was home alone and angry.

As for the Mayor’s games, his team tied the first one and won the second game. Both games were nail-biters and fun to watch. The Mayor spent more time than usual in the box, but he still had a great day. He’s so much fun to watch. In the first game, he had a beautiful assist on the tying goal. It was an absolute beauty of a play starting with his defensemen and ending in a goal. He just sees the ice so well. Well, this big day is going to end nice and quiet here.

Today’s accountability tracker:

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It’s Working

It’s working! I slept so well last night that I barely made it to work on time. Now, this is a feat given that I work a mere five paces from my bed. Fortunately, it appears that I won’t be stuck in this rut of insomnia anymore. Granted it’s only been two days, so I probably shouldn’t get ahead of myself. I’m sure the cooler temperatures last night and this morning helped facilitate a night of restful sleep. Although to be fair, I have been completely exhausting myself, in a good way, between running, Sweat workouts, and the yoga challenge.

The worst part of waking up super late for work is having to start the work day without coffee on board. Thank god for Uber Eats because there was no way I could work without having my Dunkin’s coffee. Fortunately, they were quite fast this morning. They delivered my coffee shortly after I had started my work day. I snuck out to walk the dogs as soon as I got clocked in and set up. The dogs were definitely wondering why I was so late this morning as they are so used to being taken out at the same time every morning. Thankfully, I work from home otherwise this morning would have been an utter hellscape.

So I’m happy it’s working, the schedule changes I made to my day, but I would love to see an uptick at work. Despite it being OEP, it’s been scarily slow. Since tech made some updates to the system last spring, the lead flow from some folks has been light. This change on top of a slowdown in overall volume has been disastrous. I hate being bored! I like to be and need to be busy. I’m really hoping volume picks up soon. Like I mentioned earlier in the week, there’s only so many times you can reach the end of the internet each day.

I just finished my two mile run and it went well. The lungs felt much better today. My lower back is still bothering me off and on, but mostly at night. We did get our spin bike yesterday. The boys are excited to get it setup in the gym upstairs. For whatever reason, it doesn’t bother me while I run. Since I’m doing the yoga challenge, I opted to not do the optional Sweat HIIT workout today. Instead, the two mile run, one mile walk and 30 minute yoga practice will suffice. I previewed today’s yoga practice earlier. Fortunately, it looks like a soothing 30 minute practice, which is exactly what my body needs today. Anway, the new routine, it’s working.

Today’s accountability tracker:

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Night One

So how did night one of reclaiming my sleep go? It went okay. I definitely had less trouble falling asleep than on previous nights. Last night, however, was not the perfect gauge as my lower back and sciatic nerve weren’t playing nice. I don’t think my lower back enjoyed all the work it was given during my yoga practice. It was a relatively rigorous practice for a Hatha class that featured a difficult series of transitions from standing, to warrior one, to warrior three, to revolved half-moon pose and back again. I think the movement may have irritated my sciatic nerve and the muscles around it. Fortunately, some meds and salonpas patches put paid to the pain at least temporarily. Hopefully, I will sleep well tonight because if there’s one thing that brings me joy it is a good night’s sleep.

Nonetheless, I’m going to continue blogging during the day for the foreseeable future. One it’s a much better use of my time. One can only read the internet so many times during a slow work day. Secondly, it frees up my time in the evening. Since it’s OEP (open enrollment period for Medicare folks), we’re back to working 10-11 hour days. Consequently, it is a bit more difficult to fit in all the commitments I have made for 2023. This, of course, includes daily running, yoga, blogging, reading, and regular strength workouts done through the Sweat App. Moreover, I’m doing the 21-day yoga challenge through Everyday yoga, which features a pre-selected class of varying lengths. Normally, I would choose a practice length that best suits my day.

Today’s yoga class is another Hatha practice, but it looks to be more gentle than yesterday’s practice. Gentle is exactly what my body needs today. Thankfully, today’s practice also focuses on opening the hamstrings, which will be super beneficial. My hamstrings are ridiculously tight whether I stretch, work out, or do nothing. In fact, I need to work on my hamstrings daily to keep them healthy. Otherwise, they’re a complete mess. One of my favorite ways to stretch them out is the legs up-the-wall pose, which also happens to be super relaxing.

I guess it’s going to get a bit cooler tomorrow evening, which will be nice. It won’t be cold enough for sleet or snow, but it will be fantastic sleeping weather. And we all know how I love good sleeping weather. Speaking of weather, I’m now stalking Chicago’s weather as the Mayor and I head there next week for hockey. I really hope it’s not too cold. While I do enjoy a depauperate winter wonderland as much as the next person, I don’t like driving in snow. Moreover, I hate driving in Chicago during snowfall. At least back some in Minny, a respectable effort is made to quickly clear the interstate. In Chicago, there is no such effort. It really sucks driving on 90 during a snowstorm.

Today’s accountability tracker:

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Back at it

Well, I’m back at it and not happy about it. This back-to-reality bullshit is for the birds. I’d like to go back on the holiday vacation with the family. Naturally, the first day back at the office after a long absence is always difficult. Today was no exception. Unfortunately, technology did not want to cooperate with any of us today. This made for a frustrating day all around.

It could be worse I guess. I could still be at my old job, which was pure misery. I remember when I left Progressive how happy my hubby was that I’d stop talking in acronyms. And then I started at Kaplan University and it was back to the alphabet soup he so hated. Fortunately, my current company doesn’t speak in acronyms, so he no longer has to worry about that frustration. Nonetheless, I’d love to see the measly lead flow improve back to 2022 levels.

Despite my frustration, I chose to move forward full of optimism today. While I may not have had the best day, it wasn’t the worst. Moreover, I’ll continue focusing on improving daily and hitting my goals. I used to meditate in the morning to a quick sales meditation I found on YouTube that was really effective for me. Unfortunately, the video has been removed. Consequently, I decided to write out my own sales mantra meditation. I’m toying with the idea of filming it, so I can listen to it while I sit in legs up the wall pose (Viparita Karani.)

Today I hit all of my goals less my personal sales goal. My two-mile run went okay. My lungs are still a bit tight from the lingering head cold/sinus/allergy bullshit, so that’s fun. After work, I completed day three of the yoga challenge. Today’s practice was a sixty-minute Hatha class, which I really enjoyed. It was not overly strenuous, but it wasn’t overly chill either. Truly, the instructor struck a really good balance between building strength and relaxation.

First three days do the yoga challenge in the books and Insta official

Lastly, today’s bloganuary prompt is what is the earliest memory you have. My earliest memory is of saying goodbye to my grandma and grandpa on my mom’s side. I think it was late summer or fall as we didn’t have jackets on. I wasn’t quite two yet, which I know because my clearest early memory is of my grandfather passing away from a heart attack. He passed away eight days after my birthday on my grandma’s birthday. Forty years later I stand in awe of my grandma’s grace, resilience, and faith. When times are tough, I remind myself I’m cut from the same cloth. Anyways I’m back at it.

Today’s accountability tracker:

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Intentions

Intentions sometimes get a bad rap i.e. he had the best of intentions, but….. Nevertheless, intentions are a powerful tool for creating the life you want. It can start small like setting an intention for your yoga practice or workout. Or it can be as large as setting intentions for the new year. As we start 2023, I looked back at the intentions I set for last year as inspiration for this year’s focus.

Last year the biggest intention I set was to reclaim my health by losing the thyroid weight. As I approached the ebbing months of my 42nd year, I felt a new sense of urgency regarding my health. While my family has been blessed with longevity on some sides, it’s been cursed with premature cardiac issues (plumbing not electricity). Consequently, I sat on the doorstep of high cholesterol and pre-diabetes, I knew a big change was in order.

In late January, I joined Calibrate after reviewing my options with my endocrinologist and primary care physician. Calibrate is a bit different than other weight loss programs in that it’s medically supervised and a full-year program. The first step is completing the lab work and establishing a baseline. It’s during this phase they also qualify patients for GLP-1 usage. Due to my family history in combination with thyroid disease and troubling blood sugar and cholesterol trends, I qualified for the medication.

In the last four years, I’ve gone from Hyperthyroidism (Graves) to Hypothyroidism (thank you RAI.)

Calibrate is great because it focuses on reclaiming your health by using resetting your metabolism through behavioral and dietary changes. Over the last year, I’ve made major improvements to my sleep hygiene. Additionally, I’ve made major shifts in my diet. Thankfully, the Calibrate program was the kick I needed to stop using poisonous artificial sweeteners. Moreover, I’ve hit become more intentional about what I eat and when. For example, I’ve started eating fruit seasonally. This also brings a nice variety to my diet. Lastly, the program reinforced that my workout routine was a point.

So what do I want to achieve this year?

I want to maintain my weight and health as I taper off the medication. Thankfully, the doctors designed the Calibrate program, so that their patients to come off the medication. By sticking to the programs, the changes in our biology should help us maintain the lower set point (aka our new weight). Naturally, I’ll need to maintain the healthy habits I created in order to maintain the weight loss.

Now that the enchanting holiday season is over, it’s almost time to go back to work and school. This, of course, is the lamest part of the holiday season. Nonetheless, I find myself excited to embark on my goals and intentions for 2023. 2022 blew chunks in so many ways. For me, 2023 will be a year of redemption and reclaiming the life I want to live. To that note, I’ve listed my goals below.

Goals for 2023

  • Maintain thyroid weight
  • Get back to top 10% at work
  • Run 5k
  • Run 10k
  • Blog regularly i.e 6 out of 7 days per week
  • Organize and de-clutter my closets
  • Practice yoga daily
  • Read daily
  • Complete Sweat HIIT programs
  • Complete Every Day Yoga Shop 21 Day yoga challenge

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: Ran 2 miles and completed day 1 of the yoga challenge
  • Book: Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir
  • Blog: almost done
  • Today’s song: Metallica’s Until It Sleeps performed by Apocalyptica
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Date Night

For tonight’s date night we headed to Sicilian Oven in Delray. It’s a lot more casual than the restaurant we visited last week. Thankfully, it was a beautiful night because we ended up sitting outside waiting for a table for over an hour. There were people waiting everywhere! The night sky was absolutely beautiful with a crescent moon off to the west. By the time we got sat, I was bordering on hangry. I’m never happy when a “30” minute wait turns into a 60 minute plus wait.

We started our dinner with some bruschetta and wood fired wings. Both appetizers were very good. I definitely would order them again. we washed them down with a strawberry aperol spritz and blood organge margarita. I liked my spritz, but the hubby didn’t love his margarita. We shared a wood fired pizza with pepperoni, sausage and meatballs for dinner. The pizza was good, but I didn’t love the sausage. I’m not sure that we’ll go back. The good was good, but not worth the hour wait.

You’ll be happy to know that Goalielocks remembered to bring his little brother to school today, so I’m going to count that as a win for the day. My day at work was okay, but it was free benefits Friday. I had an okay day, but it certainly wasn’t stellar. Honestly, this week has pretty much sucked. Hopefully, it will get better.

We were able to speak with Jake yesterday, which is always a great. He looked and sounded wonderful. In fact, he even look well rested. Thursdays are defiantly my favorite day since we get to talk to and see Jake. I can’t wait for him to come back for a visit! On Fridays, I wear red to remember everyone deployed. So if you have red, throw it on every Friday and support the brave men and women of our military that have been deployed. And now I’m off to cap off date night by defrosting my venison tenderloin for Sunday. Yep, we’re going to have a crepuscular animal for dinner

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Friday Night Poetry

It’s Friday night, so it’s time for some beautiful and inspiring Friday night poetry. Tonight’s poem “Invictus” was written by William Ernest Henley.

Friday Night Poetry

“Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be. For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance.
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
  Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
 I am the captain of my soul.”

—”Invictus,” by William Ernest Henley

I hope you enjoyed this week’s installment of Friday night poetry. I for on am thrilled have made it to the weekend.

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A Little Poetry

I was in a poetry mood this evening, so I thought I’d share a beautiful poem by Emily Dickinson.

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Poetry Friday

“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimmed;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
Nor shall death brag thou wand’rest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to Time thou grow’st.
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.” -William Shakespeare

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Cleared to Play

The Mayor was cleared to play today. I can’t tell you how relieved I am to not be fighting that battle anymore. He’s been absolutely insufferable about going to hockey practice. I guess the upshot is that he’s totally committed to his team. Fortunately, he can get back to practice with a healthy shoulder next week. Thanks to John for making this possible.

Work has been busy, which is great. The days are absolutely flying by and the customers have been wonderful. Sure there’s been a couple of assholes in the mix, but the majority are wonderful people. I’ve had a productive week and looking forward to continuing that level of productivity throughout the remainder of AEP.

My morning workouts, well, they’re going. I’d like to say they’re going well, but I find the runs exponentially more difficult in the early morning. Strangely, the HIIT workouts don’t seem to be as challenging as the run. Fortunately, I will be doing a strength workout tomorrow. It feels so good to be back in a balanced routine. I was a cardio queen for too long, but now I’ve got a nice balanced routine.

One thing I’ve noticed since our trip to Utah is a lack of pain in my foot. In fact, this is the first time since 2018 that I’ve not had pain in my tendon. I guess it finally healed three years later. Aren’t tendon injuries fun? Needless to say, I’m still wearing the orthotics and brace (as needed) to keep the tendon healthy. Anyway, it’s nice to not have pain all the time. I guess I’m finally cleared to play too.