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Time Off

I took some time off from the blog to rest, recharge, level up to 45, and prepare for PurpleStride. Now that PurpleStride is over, I’m back to my regularly scheduled program. Or at least a somewhat regular program. Who even knows what regular is anymore, because I certainly don’t.

There’s so much to update, but I won’t do it all in one post. You may remember from my last post that I had been fighting with BCBS for Dexcom 7 approval. Finally, an escalation specialist reached out to me after I went nuclear on X. She was an absolute gem. She escalated my concerns regarding the ridiculousness of needing prior auth on a CGN for a type 1 diabetic. In the end, BCBS completely waived the prior authorization process for him.

Meanwhile, the Mayor’s team headed to Tampa for the state tournament. While I had a fabulous time in Tampa (thank you, Alex and moonshine), the team’s performance was less than stellar. It was a bit frustrating to lose to a team that had a player who hadn’t played the required number of games with the team. Only to find out, of course, that the rule didn’t apply to kids who played for Alliance. Naturally, this rule, specific to alliance players, isn’t documented anywhere. Also, to be clear, while it was frustrating, it’s not the reason our team lost. I’m just glad I’m down with youth hockey in Florida.

So it’s goodbye to youth hockey and on to Juniors. The Mayor will be playing for the Junior Cats this upcoming season. This is a new team that is local to us. He’s not looking to move away at this time, given the relatively recent type 1 diagnosis. I’m not a huge fan of junior hockey, but it’s a great way to spend a gap year. The Mayor’s plans for after high school were completely upended by his type 1 diabetes diagnosis last fall. Consequently, playing Juniors will give him a year to figure it out. Needless to say, I’ll be keeping my hockey mom rituals for another season.

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 Henry V, The Astonishing Triumphs of England’s Greatest Warrior King, by Dan Jones
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

Have you ever been camping?

I have never been camping, and tent life is not for me. I envision coming back to my tent and seeing a big bear rummaging through it. Moreover, I like things like beds, running water, and air conditioning. Thanks to my thyroid and perimenopause, I’m barely sleeping right now. The last place you’d catch me is trying to sleep in the discomfort of a tent. As for glamping, I’m here for it.

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About Last Night

About last night, it wasn’t the outcome we were hoping for, but what a game! The Four Nations was the best All-Star iteration of any league that I’ve ever seen. The caliber of competition and the athletes’ passion was second to none. Honestly, it makes the other leagues look terrible. The NHL players make far less than their NBA or NFL equivalents yet they show up and give 150% no matter what. They play through incredible injuries with a commitment to their teams and fans that is unmatched. They’re absolute beasts!

Watching the game last night was a thing of beauty. Every line that came out was stacked to the gills with talent. Seeing Sidney Crosby and McDavid on the ice together was a gift. Moreover, I loved seeing the Tkachuk brothers on the same line. I would love to Brady in a Cats uniform. Boldy and Faber had a great tournament as well. The future is bright for Team USA. We’re all counting down to the Winter Olympics in Italy next year. So thank you to the players who participated in the Four Nations Faceoff for putting on a master class of what professional sports should look like,

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 She Wolves by Helen Castor.
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

What is your favorite drink?

My favorite drink is coffee. When I’m home, I must start my day with my large, hot Dunkin. It’s my comfort food/drink. I can give up pretty much everything in the name of fitness or nutrition, but I will never give up my Dunkin.

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Epic

To say the Team USA and Team Canada game was epic on Saturday night would be an understatement. It was the best hockey game I have watched in a very long time. The sheer level of talent on the ice at any given time was mind-blowing. I mean Team Canada’s roster features to generational talents in Crosby and McDavid. It doesn’t get better than that.

The start to the game was as epic as the game. The Tkachuk bots threw done and JT Miller joined the party. Three fights in nine seconds to start the game was incredible to watch. Obviously, the players in both teams were there to compete. There easily non of this bull shit All Star game nonsense where folks don’t try. This game, the first in nine years, as a big deal for the players. It was an emotional opportunity to represent their country.

Whoever came up with the Four Nations FaceOff idea at the NHL should be given a raise. I don’t like Gary Bettman, but I must give him his flowers for this concept. Okay, maybe I won’t send him a floral arrangement, but you get my drift. The compete level in every game of this tournament has been at the highest level. Honestly, the hockey has been so good, that I’ll be sad when it’s over.

This afternoon Team Canada handled Finland. Finland dug themselves into a hole during the first period and they couldn’t get out of it. They made a really aggressive push at the end, but Team Canada came away with a 5-3 win. I was hoping Finland would at least take them into overtime. Finland had to be riding high after defeating Sweden in overtime on Saturday afternoon. That game was also epic.

Tonight Team USA takes on Team Sweden, which will be another great game. Otter will be in the net giving Hellebuyck a well-deserved night off. Hellebucyk has been a difference-maker for Team USA this tournament. Charlie McAvoy and Matthew Tkachuk are out of the lineup today as well. Not sure what’s up with McAvoy, but Tkachuk sustained a lower-body injury Saturday night. Hopefully, Chucky is fine and they’re resting him out of an abundance of caution.

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  The Eagle and The Hart by Helen Castor.
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

Write about your approach to budgeting.

I have a monthly budget that I use as a guide for the household expenses. Unfortunately, I’m the only one that uses or tries to adhere to it.

Siri, play Freebird

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Four Nations

The Four Nations face-off started last night with Canada taking on Sweden in Montreal. It was apparent from the beginning that this was going to be great hockey. I have to say I absolutely love the concept. The Canadians scored early with Nate McKinnon scoring a power play goal assisted by Crosby and McDavid. It was a high-caliber hockey game. I cannot wait to watch Team USA take on Barkov and Team Finland tonight.

I hope no injuries come out of this tournament because this concept is far superior to the All-Star game. I’m sure the fan engagement numbers will prove to the NHL that this is the way to go. In fact, I can’t remember a time when the All-Star game was entertaining. The Mayor attended the All-Star game in 2023 at Amerant Arena. This is a kid who lives and breathes hockey and was bored out of his gourd by the All-Star game. In fact, the highlight of his All-Star Weekend was volunteering for the dress rehearsal and skating at Amerant Bank arena. Enjoy the Four Nations Face-Off!

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  The Eagle and The Hart by Helen Castor.
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

What were your parents doing at your age?

My parents were busy raising my brothers and me. My older brother and I would have been in high school already, while my garrulous little brother would have been in middle school. We definitely gave my folks a run for their money.

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End of an Era

It was the end of an era yesterday as the Mayor played his last league game of his youth hockey career. This time it’s for real as he’s aging out of youth hockey. There’s no division after u-18. If he wants to keep playing hockey, it would be Junior hockey. If you know me, you know my opinion on Junior hockey, so I’ll spare you the sermon.

The boys won their last league game handily. They played significantly better this weekend than they did the prior two weekends. Moreover, they were moving the puck well. If they’re going to win states, and they can, they’ll need to move the puck and play skilled, structured hockey. I quite enjoyed myself during the game courtesy of the sour watermelon moonshine that I picked up Saturday. Anyway, the moonshine made the end of an era easier to accept.

After the game ended, we headed to the Brass Monkey for some good food and slow service. It’s a dive bar near the rink that serves amazing food. The team took up their whole dining room and the lunch took the entire afternoon. I enjoyed a hearty bowl of their clam chowder, which is good. By the time we left, I was way too full to eat dinner during the game. I still made the focaccia bread and will have the roast the hubby made for dinner tonight.

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  The Eagle and The Hart by Helen Castor.
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

You get some great, amazingly fantastic news. What’s the first thing you do?

The first thing I’d do is tell my immediate family – the hubby and kids. After that, I’d call my parents and tell them the good news. Once they know, I’d tell everyone I know including the postman.

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Check In

We’re finishing the first full week of February, so I thought I’d check in with my New Year’s resolutions. As I thought about them during my workout, I thought about how resolutions can quickly become meaningless. For me, this year’s resolutions were about committing to making myself and my life better. I do, however, miss those afternoon lattes.

My strength work today was brutal, so I had to give myself pep talks to get through it. I had to remind myself that the hard I’m doing is to make me better. Learning to persevere through the hard, brutal stuff like burpees with pushups, helps us persevere in other areas of life. I also felt immensely proud and satisfied when I finished the workout, giving it my best. In my formative years, I remember my parents being committed (they still are) to their daily walk. Seeing their commitment to their fitness and wellbeing has stuck with me.

2024 was rough, but 2025 is all about becoming a juggernaut. And by juggernaut, I mean the best version of myself. The schedule change has helped. I love getting up working out and then starting work. By the time my lunch hour is done, I’ve completed my workouts for the day. Once I’ve finished working for the day, I’ve completed all the items on my to-do list except for reading. I read every night, so that’s an easy checkmark on my to-do list.

Do you need a break? From what?

I absolutely need a break from 2025. In fact, I’m quite confident that I’m not alone in this feeling. The world is a scary place right now and life is tough. I think we’d all like to take a collective deep breath before rejoining 2025.

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Fabulous

We had a fabulous weekend!! Friday night was spent watching hockey and chilling with the puppies. The Mayor had a “mandatory” practice, so we binged Dexter in his absence. Consequently, we had a restful Friday night, which was the perfect setup for an extremely busy Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday we headed down to Amerant Arena to tailgate with the Kennedys before the Panthers game. For the first time in months, it was actually quite hot outside. The arena was nice and cold. The Panthers took on the Chicago Blackhawks and gave up a goal within seven seconds of the puck drop. Thankfully, it was the last goal they’d give up on Saturday. It’s so impressive seeing Barkov and Tkachuk play in person. Barkov is an absolute magician on the ice.

After the game ended, the Hubby, John and I headed to the casino. Unfortunately, we spent the afternoon losing on the terrace. We decided to try our luck inside but found none. Mercifully, we took a dinner break and enjoyed an amazing steak at Farraday’s. My lemon drop martini was also mighty tasty. After dinner and a double shot of fireball, we were back on the slots. We built up quite the reservoir of credits over a couple of hours but lost it all in a matter of minutes. Oh well, we had an absolute blast.

Sunday we ran to Walmart to get the Mayor some work boots and Dickies for his new job. Afterwards, we crashed on the couch until we had to leave for the Mayor’s game. Last night’s game was one that they should have won. As it turns out, it’s hard to win a hockey game when it’s played as an individual game and not a team sport. Oh well! Learning to lose and lose gracefully is integral to learning to win and to live life. The Mayor’s team is supremely talented, so I’m excited to see how they channel this adversity. Overall, the ending wasn’t great, but the weekend was fabulous.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): Made it into February and I haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I just finished reading Armadale by Wilkie Collins, which was great. Tonight I am starting The Eagle and The Hart by Helen Castor.
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

Something on your “to-do list” that never gets done.

This question is a bit offensive. It presumes that any of my to-do list gets down. Sometimes I feel like my to-do list is like footprints that get erased by the waves. In my case, the waves would be time.

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Friday Eve

It’s Friday Eve! Thank goodness it’s getting closer to the weekend. Unfortunately, I woke up to the tragic news of the AA crash in DC. As someone who flies and whose family flies a lot, last night’s crash was my worst nightmare. Today my heart aches for the family and friends that woke up to the news their loved ones were gone forever.

I’m so sad for the larger figure skating community that lost many of its own in this crash. We travel all the time for hockey. A lot of sports families travel all the time for their sports. There’s never a moment where the sports parents stop to think they may never come back home with their athlete. So hold your loved ones close and pray for those who lost someone they loved. They’ll need all the support we can give.

Meanwhile, life cruelly marches on. I remember thinking how cruel it seems when the world keeps moving after the death of a loved one. The loss makes time stop for you, but the sun keeps rising like nothing has changed. Anyway, I digress. The Mayor is six days into life with the pump. We’ll do our second pump change tonight. It’s been a smooth ride so far with a few lows in the mix.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): 30 days in and I 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 currently reading Armadale by Wilkie Collins– so good.
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

What do you complain about the most?

I complain the most about being tired because I’m always tired. I wish there was a lever I could pull that would leave me feeling refreshed and awake. If anyone knows where I can find one, please let me know. And now I’m back to Friday eve.

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Rainy Afternoon

It’s a rainy afternoon here in South Florida. Thankfully, the thunder and lightning have abated making it infinitely easier to hear on the phone. The rain can’t, however, dampen our spirits as we continue to ride the wave of the Panthers Stanley Cup win. I think all of us Panthers fans have been watching and rewatching clips from Monday night’s win since the game ended. There is something special about watching people achieve their dreams.

The parade is on Sunday and should be a marvelous time. First of all, there are few places prettier than Fort Lauderdale Beach. I love that strip of A1A. The hubby will be working, so it will be just the Mayor and myself. We’ll have to get there early since we’re parking near the parade route at a friend’s place. Hopefully, the weather cooperates and there’s no rain. Thankfully, the beautiful beach is there if we need to cool off for a minute. We’ll be wearing our swimsuits to the event.

Amazing photo taken by Juan Morales Monday night @

I’ve been hunting for Stanley Cup merchandise that isn’t an arm and a leg. I found the hats and t-shirts for the boys, but am still looking for a women’s version of the shirt. I hate paying for shipping so any site charging for it is out of the question. Hopefully, I can find what I’m looking for when I am out. Otherwise, I’ll be out of gas.

Off topic, but super important to me. One of my dearest aunts is in the hospital and not doing well. Please keep her, her son, my grandma, and our family in your prayers.

What’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten?

I’ve had some great meals and great desserts in my life, so it’s really hard to narrow it down. One of my favorites is the Kouign-Aman we ate in Normandy at the gite (think AirBnB) after traveling into Brittany to see Saint Malo.

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Stanley Cup Champions

The Florida Panthers are Stanley Cup Champions!!! They sure made it hard on themselves by losing three in a row to Edmonton. It is a difficult trudge even to make the finals let alone win them. Additionally, they were the inspiration for a lot of nervous baking. We may lose weight now that I’m not nervously baking during every Panthers game. Last night’s nerves far exceeded the urge to bake nervously. I think all of South Florida was on tenterhooks for most of the game.

Game seven of any championship series is a stomach-twisting, exhilarating ride for the fans. It’s also the cause of stress hives, heartburn, and high blood pressure. Thank god for Benadryl, which put paid to my stress hives. During the third period, it seemed like time stood still. The Panthers went into the third with the lead and are a great third-period team, but Edmonton has some big guns that can score in clutch situations.

In the end, the Cats held off the Oilers to win Lord Stanley’s Cup. It was an amazing moment. There were definitely tears in my eyes watching the team react to winning the cup. It’s been a long time since any of my teams have won a championship (such is life as a Minnesota Sports fan.). I loved seeing Barkov raise the cup. He’s been an amazing captain for the Panthers for years and makes everyone around him better. Naturally, he handed it off to Bob, who had a career game last night. It’s obvious from watching the team interact and the way they talk about each other that the team is a family.

The Boys’ first Panther game

If you were forced to wear one outfit over and over again, what would it be?

In honor of the Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers, I’d say my red Panthers T-shirt. If you ask any of my South Florida neighbors, they’d probably say Panthers’ gear today too.