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My Baby’s Home

My baby’s home for a few days and it’s so nice to have him here. I couldn’t believe how old he looked when he walked in last night. Time has flown by so incredibly fast. He’s doing really well and is enjoying his time on Florida’s west coast. I just have to say we are blessed that he has an incredible billet family and incredible billet brothers. I’m glad to see him thriving away from home. My boy is definitely not tethered to my apron strings. Tonight we’re going to celebrate him being home with some Sushi Yama for dinner.

Meanwhile, I’m still packing for my trip. I didn’t get much down yesterday and need to do some laundry. I’m trying to pack light, since we’ll have laundry at every AirBnB we’re staying at. The hardest part is trying to decide how many pairs of shoes to bring. I’m bringing two pairs of hiking boots/shoes. I have hiking sandals that’ll work well for the hike through the Narrows at Zion. Aside from that, I’m trying to decide if I need to bring dress shoes. We’ll be having dinner out some nights. Clearly, I don’t want to show up in dirty hiking gear. From snippets I’ve read, it seems like Southern Utah has some fine dining options. Hopefully, the food is better there than it is in Ogden.

Beautiful Bryggen

What aspects of your cultural heritage are you most proud of or interested in?

I’m proud of my family’s Norwegian heritage. When we went to Norway in 2017, it felt like going home. The way people spoke, and the way houses looked back in Minnesota all made sense after that trip. I could see why they immigrated to Minnesota as it looks similar to a lot of Norway. Of course, nothing in Minnesota can compare with the beauty of Fjord Norway although Lake Superior is pretty spectacular. One thing I love about our heritage is that our ancestors wasted nothing. Food and farmable land were scarce, so they used every part of the animal. In fact, it was this ingenuity that led to the creation of Brunost (brown cheese,) which uses whet a byproduct of the cheese-making process as its main ingredient.

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Game Day!

It’s game day! We’re headed to Fort Myers for the first game of the junior season. The change from youth to junior hockey is big. I’m excited to see what the season brings. Hopefully, the drive across the peninsula is quick and uneventful. I’m bringing the big camera, so hopefully I’ll have some good pics to share.

How often do you walk or run?

I run six days a week for usually forty five minutes. I’m loving Apple Fitness + treadmill workouts. The coaching and intervals are really helping whip me into shape. After a month of doing these workouts, I see a big difference in my fitness level.

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Better Day

It’s been a better day. Probably because I had a better night. My first night’s sleep after stopping the prednisone was a huge success. Not only did I fall asleep pretty easily, but I managed to stay asleep and get some deep sleep. The past month falling asleep and quality of sleep have been a major issue, so last night was a gift. I’m hoping tonight will be similarly successful. Of course, it helps that I’m not a Jets fan because losing your expensive future HOFer QB in game 1 sucks royally.

Work has been better too, albeit it slow. I did get my workout over lunch and it went well. I’m contemplating writing a proposal letter to move my schedule, but I really like getting off at 5:00 pm. Especially since I know the craziness of AEP is right around the corner. I guess I’ll stick out the slow mornings and count my blessings. Hopefully, AEP, which is our busiest time of year, is absolutely banging.

Yesterday’s workout was an absolute gong show, so I wasn’t sure how today would go. Fortunately, as hard as yesterday’s workout was, today’s came with relative ease. I definitely wasn’t working on an exit strategy today like I was from the beginning of yesterday’s workout. Today’s workout was hills and speed pushes ranging from moderate to all out. The interval work is really elevating my running game.

What personality trait in people raises a red flag with you?

The biggest red flag for me is someone who always, no matter what, sees the glass as half empty. To be clear, I’m not looking to hangout with Pollyanna and her perpetual positivity either. My experience however, with folks that only see the glass half empty is they can never get themselves out of the negative feedback loop. They can never move forward or upward in life because something bad may happen. And quite frankly, the overarching negativity may be a symptom of a greater mental health issue I’m not equipped to navigate.

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Coming Home

Goalielocks is coming home tonight and I’m so excited to see him. He hasn’t been home since early August. Since that time I’ve had a few orders come in for him from Fabletics and picked up a few goodies for him in Minnesota. It wouldn’t be a trip home if I didn’t pick up some swag from the boys’ favorite teams. I meant to pick up some Vikings socks for him last trip, but totally forgot. Oh well, there’s always next time.

The house looks relatively clean, which is a new development in our lives. Usually between, work, hockey and school it looks like a bomb has gone off in every room. Now I’m relishing the peaceful bliss of order. This isn’t to say we’ve gone all Mari Kondo on the place, just that it’s not a complete shit show anymore. My hubby set up my monitors mounts, so I now I have a lot more desk space. I started using a keyboard, but I’m not used to the typewriter like keyboard anymore. I’m so used to using my laptop keyboard, so it’s been a struggle.

10 out of 10 recommend this strategy

After work, I’m going to run to Publix to pick up some goodies for dinner and salami for the dogs. Before that I’ll be defrosting some steaks for us to grill. I’m really craving some sweet potatoes and sautéed spinach, so that will round out the meal nicely. I love roasted sweet potatoes. There a nice, and healthier, alternative to regular potatoes, which I love. After dinner, I’m thinking we’ll watch Joe Dirt. We were trying to find it streaming the other day, but could only find it for rent. Fortunately, TBS is running it live all week.

If you had to give up one word that you use regularly, what would it be?

Uh, so it’s not really a word, but I feel like I use uh way too much. Especially when I’m on the phone. It’s annoying.

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Dreaming

I’m just sitting here dreaming of Norway. One of my high school friends is there now. Yesterday she posted pictures from Bergen, which was my favorite city. Today she’s posting pictures from the cabins in Flam where my family stayed in 2017. Fjord Norway is such a magical place and the connection I felt to the country was profound. My mom wants to go for their 50th anniversary or was it the big birthday (I forget- sorry mom) and stay at the Husom Motel. This is right over the mountain via the Vindhellaveven from the Borgund Stave Church.

Jake and I have been looking for races to run in Norway. He’s a bit more ambitious than I am and was looking at one that goes over a mountain range. The race he was looking at is call led the besegloppet. It’s a 14 KM (8.6 miles) that goes over the bessegen mountain pass. Fortunately the, elevation gain isn’t insane and unlike Utah we’d be starting at a reasonable point. Also, we’re not neophytes to this type of run/hike thanks to Jake’s time in Utah. The views, however, are absolutely incredible.

While we both dream of running races in Norway, we’re both focused on getting ready for our hiking trip in the Might Five. The hikes are long, difficult and remote, so it’s important that we’re both physically ready for them. I’ve been on prednisone to clear out the asthma and supplements to improve the anemia, so my doctor doesn’t think the trip will be a problem. Nevertheless, we’re working hard to be physically and mentally ready for these hikes. I’m even working on matching neoprene socks, so we can be quite the fashion plates as we traverse the Narrows.

Are you holding a grudge? About?

Am I holding a grudge? You get I am. What is said grudge about? That’s private. If and when the time is right, I’ll share the circumstance surrounding said grudge. As for now, it’s best kept quiet.

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Long Weekend

I made the most of my long weekend and I hope you did as well. It was our first Labor Day in well over a decade that hasn’t revolved around a hockey tournament. Admittedly, I felt a bit lost going into the weekend without the hectic run up to the season’s first tournament. I got my fill by following the Mayor’s coaches teams. Nevertheless, it was nice to be home and relaxing instead of running around Orlando.

So true

Saturday we just chilled around the house. I was exhausted from a busy week and not sleeping well due to the prednisone. I did manage to bake a rustic French apple tart to take to the Kennedy’s for dessert. We enjoyed some yummy food courtesy of Sicilian Oven for dinner, followed by a nice swim in the pool. After our swim, we had dessert and played games with Ava. In what must be one of life’s greatest mysteries, the game Hi Ho Cherry-o that features cherry shaped fruit (down to the stem) is an apple picking game. Maybe I was just too sober to play it.

Sunday I made a rum cake and was going to make short ribs, but I was way too tired for it. The rum cake, however, was mighty tasty. It was my first time making a Bundt cake, which was fun. I was worried that cake was going to get to stuck, but it came out beautifully. The rum flavor was apparent, but not overpowering. I used rum I bought in the Turks and Caicos. The rum was beautifully fragrant as I cooked the syrup. I binged season 1 of White Lotus while I baked. We also spoke to all three boys, which was nice. All three are doing great.

Yesterday I binged the Flight Attendant season one while I worked on purging my closet. The preponderance of stuff in said closet, I no longer use. I still, however, am finding it difficult to part with my old work clothes. There could come a time when I need clothes for work that don’t come from Fabletics. I really enjoyed the Flight Attendant. It’s a well written and well acted show. We started season two last night as I baked the short ribs. Prior to starting dinner, I bought some new running shoes! After dinner, I could have used a whatchamacallits or some other chocolate to satisfy my sweet tooth.

What does your ideal home look like?

My ideal home is the one in which I currently live. The only difference is it would be super clean, cleaned by anyone other than me preferably, and full of doggos. I love our current house and wouldn’t want to move out anytime soon. Now that the boys have moved out, we can start fixing it up and making it ours.

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Negative

I’m Covid negative and thrilled. I tested negative again this morning, so I was finally able to start the prednisone. I don’t know if it’s the coffee or prednisone, but I am feeling good. There’s no sign of roid rage yet, but Hubby should probably be on guard for that. Since I was Covid negative, I did go for a run on the treadmill and it was awesome. This was my first time running with Sherica, on apple fitness +, and it was an awesome workout. The playlist was straight fire.

So perhaps the negative test is what’s making me so positive today. It didn’t hurt that I had a brief chat, via text, with the Mayor’s billet mom. She’s just the sweetest. She shared that he’s adjusted really well to living away from home and the junior hockey life. Obviously, she wanted to know if we felt it was going well or if the Mayor had said anything. I shared that he’s only reached out when he needs something, which means he’s doing well. Of course, I let her know that all his feedback about the experience thus far has been positive. I’m really glad it’s going well because he can be ridiculous at times (iykyk.)

How are you feeling right now?

I’m feeling pretty good. I think it’s the steroids, but it’s Friday night and I have a long weekend in front of me. My son in Ft Myers is doing well. Jake got the position he wanted, which I’m super excited about. I’ll hold off saying more until I know more. Hopefully, the steroids will give me the energy to knock out a lot of things on my to do list. Tomorrow I’m going to return the bedding we bought the Mayor as he didn’t need it. I think I’ll use my Kohl’s cash to buy some artwork to decorate the soon to be guest rooms.

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Hurricane Season

Hurricane season is here and in full swing. Currently, Hurricane Idalia is churning off our west coast. It’s supposed to go into the Big Bend area tonight or early tomorrow morning. With a kid in Ft Myers, Orlando and Tally, at least one of them is expected to be impacted, so please pray that they stay safe and dry. Unfortunately, it seems Hurricane Idalia wants to be a bit extra and turn back towards Florida’s Southeastern coast early next week. It’s still a ways out, but here’s hoping that doesn’t happen (understatement of the week right here.)

Hurricane season is far from my favorite time of year. It’s days and days of waiting for a storm that may or may not hit. Either way you have to be prepared for the worst case scenario. Our hurricane kit is well stocked and we have plenty of water. Now most of the water may be sparkling, but I do have plenty of regular water to give to the dogs. We also have plenty of canned food including the shakes I’m enjoying while on a liquid diet.

What TV shows did you watch as a kid?

I watched a lot of shows. My folks didn’t have cable, so we watched a lot of Hogan’s Heroes, Gilligan’s Island and Brady Bunch during the summers. My favorite afternoon shows were part of the Disney Afternoon lineup to include DuckTales, Chip and Dale’s Rescue Rangers, Tailspin and Dark Wing Duck. As a teen, Pinky and the Brain soon became my go to show. In fact, my Roomba mop and vacuum are named after the titular characters of that very awesome show.

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Challenging

Today’s run was challenging. Heck all of the runs this week have been challenging. First of all, I can’t remember the last time I ran outside. I think it may have been in time immemorial. Running outside is harder than running on the treadmill, but I also found it way more rewarding. Secondly, I’ve been in an autoimmune flare for over a week. This means everything is angry including my stomach and lungs. To be fair, my lungs have been angry since we were hanging out in the smoke filled Minnesota air in May.

5 day streak! Hit my goal

I’ve got an appointment on Wednesday with my doctor to make sure I’m in the right meds for the allergies and asthma. I do hate taking prednisone though because it keeps me up all night. It should, however, help fuel my workouts. Now I’m sure you’re wondering why the hell I’m working out through a flare. The answer is simply because it helps alleviate it. I cannot express how much better feel mentally and physically after working out. The key is to not over do it. Running on a track this week was the perfect way to get my workout in without being too far from home or the bathroom. I should also mention my Endo and PCP are both on board with my workout routines.

Tomorrow and Sunday will be full rest days, less some restorative yoga and Pilates. Since I ran hard all week, I’m going to enjoy a full 48 hour break from the cardio. I’ll be staying Kayla Itsines HIIT program Monday. I finished her beginner program last week. I started back at he beginning since I had taken quite a bit of time off and I don’t need to hurt myself. Her workouts are great! They will definitely make my muscles quiver. The morning after leg day is usually the worst.

How would you design the city of the future?

If I could design the city of future it would be walkable and full of coffee shops (including my personal favorite Dunkin Donuts) and dogs.

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Cooler

It’s a much cooler day today. Although I didn’t find yesterday to be particularly hot here. If you watched the news here last night, however, you would have thought the place was on fire. Nonetheless, I did enjoy running in much cooler air. There was even a bit of a breeze that felt good at my back, but was killing me when I was running into it. I did manage to add another tenth of a mile to my distance today, which was fabulous. My lungs weren’t really feeling the run at the beginning, so I wasn’t sure how it was going to go.

4 days in a row!! Let’s go!

I noticed when I got back from lunch that there are a bunch of active areas in the tropical. I swear tits like vermin. One makes landfall or dissipates and another one pops up to replace it. Our hurricane kit is all set, so we’re ready for the season. Hopefully, Florida is spared a major hurricane. Our homeowners insurance market cannot withstand another big storm after Hurricane Ian’s devastation last fall. Ironically, it’s the 32nd anniversary of Hurricane Andrew’s landfall.

Last night we went to visit my paternal Grandmother. It was so nice to see her! The last time I was able to visit her was before Jake went into the Air Force. It’s mind bogglinge to think how fast time has flown by. Also, I can’t believe that I haven’t been able to see her in almost four years. Now that we’re not buried in travel hockey, I’m hoping I’ll be able to go home for more visits. It should be much easier since I won’t have to use all my time off for hockey trips.

Where did your name come from?

My name came from my maternal grandfather’s grandpa. His name was Andreas and he immigrated to the US from Romskog, Norway. When we visited our relatives in 2017, we were able to see the farm where he was born. Additionally, we were able to see the church where he was baptized. Like many Europeans of the time, he ended up in the US due to primogeniture. If you weren’t the oldest son in Norway at the time, you were out of luck.