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Life at The Manor

Life at the manor, aka Casa de Hockey Mom, was uneventful and pleasant today. Imagine if you will a beautiful, temperate Florida day with wonderfully blue skies and minimal clouds. Now imagine spending that day inside because you’re exhausted from the preceding six days and just want to chillax. This my friends is what we called a balanced existence. After a frazzled and productive week, Sunday was meant to be a rest day.

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A few years ago, I would have taken advantage of the weather and went out for a long run. Sadly, my body needs at least a full days rest to keep up with the BBG workouts, runs and yoga classes. Consequently, taking a rest day for me is a marker of personal growth; a modicum of moderation if you will. Nonetheless, if I push it too far with exercise, I end up losing a week to two when my body rebels. Oh the joys of getting older with an autoimmune disease! Fortunately, my meditation practice does not take a rest day.

While today was a rest day, I still had a productive day around the house. As noted above, I got my morning and afternoon mediations on the books. Moreover, I got the floors vacuumed, disinfected and mopped. Truly, the clean floors made me feel so much better and relaxed. Of course, the background noise is always important when it comes to doing housework. Today’s choice was Curb Your Enthusiasm. As always, Larry David does not disappoint. I love his wit. Basically, I spent my afternoon cleaning while laughing at the hi-jinks of Larry and his crew. Needless to say it was pretty, pretty, pretty good.
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For dinner I made my second meal from Blue Apron. Tonight’s meal was Tuscan pork pasta. Just like yesterday’s meal, the recipe was easy to follow. Since my family doesn’t like peppers, I sautéed them in a separate pan, so as to not wreck the meal for them. Fortunately, I love peppers and was happy to not have to share them with anyone. My only complaint with both meals was that they were higher in sodium than what I would normally eat. Nonetheless the quality of the food is good as is the quantity.

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Our post dinner treat was a call from our airmen. He’s doing so good in tech school. We miss him so much, but we’re so proud of him. Basically, he’s trucking a long right through his tech school. Originally, we thought he’d be done sometime in July, but now it seems like it may be late this month or early next month. Correspondingly, he’ll be moving on to his final base once training is over. Significantly, he loves what he’s doing, where he’s at and where he’s headed. Lastly, you may have seen my previous post on puppy yoga. If you didn’t, please check it out. I’m hoping to post a weekly video of Anakin and I practicing yoga.

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

*Reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

*Watched Curb Your Enthusiasm 

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Week 10 BBG day 7 rest

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy day Goalielocks

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on a walk. 

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Paradise

It was another day in paradise. When I left to grab coffee this morning, the temperature was 65 degrees and the dew point was in the fifties. Additionally, the sun was shining bright and there was not one cloud in the sky. After the scorching heat of last week, this morning’s weather felt absolutely sublime! I, for one, am relishing these last nice days as the heat of summer and humidity of rainy season is right around the corner.

Paradise lost, the epic and long winded Milton poem, is how I was feeling when we got the virtual school part of the day. How soon I fell from paradise to the continual battle that is home schooling. Goalielocks assured me he wasn’t sleeping, but was in class. This in-spite of me having to wake him up multiple times throughout the morning. Meanwhile, the Mayor was hard at work watching YouTube videos instead of doing class work. Oh joy!
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I somewhat recaptured paradise by going to yoga this morning with Monica. Clearly, it was an awesome class as it left my body and mind feeling incredible and at peace. Afterwards, I took the puppies on a short walk before tackling day one of BBG week nine. Oh man, what a doozy that workout was today!! I mean what fuckery is a burpee with a push-up and tuck jump? Peer torture and a hockey mom killer. Needless to say, those combination burpees were no joke. I was fried after the workout. Unequivocally, I’m totally team BBG and would highly recommend the workout and the app.

Sadly, after lunch I returned to Milton’s Paradise Lost. I had yet another argument with the Mayor over his art homework. He argued vehemently that I should have his schedule changed so he could drop art. Obviously that isn’t possible as we are already half way through the quarter! If there was a genie and I could have one wish only, I’d wish that the boys would understand it is much easier to get their work down timely instead of procrastinating or worse ignoring it.

Okay, so I know that eventually they’ll probably understand, but I’d love to compress the timeline. It was so refreshing speaking without airman last night because he’s got a clear path and plan for his career. Undoubtedly, my Hubby and I were so proud when he sent us a list of IT certs he intends to complete while in the service. Truly, the list is impressive and will afford him many lucrative career options in his post military life. I guess the point is that eventually the kids will find their way and their path. Never in my dreams could I have created a better path for him. Obviously, we are so proud of him and happy that he’s found his path.

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This week also marks week three of intermittent fasting on the 8:2 plan. As a reminder, the 8:2 plan means I eat normal five days a week and fast two days a week by only eating 800 calories. So far, it’s going well and I’ve lost a few pounds. A few ponds may not seem significant, but when you have no thyroid every pound lost is a victory. Thankfully, it’s also not difficult to follow and adhere too. When you think about it, you’re only very disciplined two days a week. There are no foods off limits, unless you have a cold allergy or intolerance like me. Consequently, I avoid gluten containing foods, but everything else is fair game!

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

*Reading My Antonia by Willa Cather and loving it!

*Gentle Flow Yoga with Monica from Yoga Mundo

*Facetime with my Airman!

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Week 10 BBG day 1 leg day

*Virtual school torture with Goalielocks and the Mayor

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy day Goalielocks

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on multiple walks

 

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Lazy Day

It was another lazy day. My body and soul are exhausted. An added plus is that I’m sore for yesterday’s ab workout. Truly, is is an affirmation of how hard I worked yesterday. Fortunately, I’m not early as sore as I was after leg day. Needless to say, it’s good to know my workout was effective. The abject fatigue I’ve experienced the last three days is more evidence that my workout routine is effective. Additionally, it also means that I need to be flexible in my expectations around running. I was shooting for three runs this week, but my body was not up for that plan. Hopefully, next week it will be better.

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Nonetheless, there’s something a bit rewarding in a lazy day. No arguing over school work or grocery shopping, which is always a treat. I did take the morning to setup my old Mac for the Mayor before setting up my new laptop. Thankfully, the whole process was quite easy and was over in less than an hour. My old Mac book is from 2017, but it should serve the Mayor well. This new laptop also serves as a replacement for the Hubby’s work computer, which hasn’t worked properly in several years.

Afterwards I got most of the laundry done, but since I only do laundry for me and the Hubby it wasn’t so bad. All three of the boys have done their own laundry for years, which has been a godsend and timesaver for us. When all three boys were playing hockey, we had a lot of trouble staying on top of the laundry. Consequently, I feel pretty good for accomplishing something domestic on my lazy day. My Hubby also helped fold, which made it go a lot quicker. I also sort of fell asleep for a bit. Apparently the magic beans in my coffee weren’t strong enough today.

As for the mental and emotional fatigue, I can always tell it’s presence by a craving for something sweet. Since we needed distilled water for our new steamer, the Mayor and I headed to Walgreen’s to pick some up. Naturally, I was able to find some clearance Easter candy to assuage my craving. Who doesn’t love a big bag of peanut butter M&M’s for $1.68?!? I also picked up jelly beans because I wanted some red and purple ones. I know, I know I’m highly specific here, but I never pretended to be normal. However, this behavior certainly would explain the quarantine fifteen.

I know that I’m not alone in my mental, physical and emotional fatigue. It’s a byproduct of the experience we are all living. That being said make sure you check on your friends and family. People are lonely, so a phone call or text will go along way. Even if you think they’re busy because they have family or work, reach out. Sometimes all it takes to make someone’s day is a voicemail or text message checking on them. Lastly, it’s okay to not be okay right now. Times are tough, but they will get better.

 

 

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

*Reading My Antonia by Willa Cather and loving it!

*Morning meditation

*Week 9 BBG day 6 rest day 

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on multiple walks

 

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Tension Tamers

Tension tamers have become an essential part of adulting these days. If you’re like me, you carry all of your life’s stress and tension in your shoulders and neck. Since my Graves diagnosis, the pain in my neck and shoulders has increased. Apparently, your thyroid hormones like to f*c& with your body in a myriad of ways.

Since most of us have issues with tension in our neck and shoulders, I thought I’d share some of my favorite tension tamers. These items have been extremely helpful. Here’s the list:

  1. Trigger point massager: this simple contraption from Gaiam is great at taking at knots in your shoulders and back.
  2. Tune Up therapy balls: these little miracle workers can help you release muscle and soft tissue tension all over your body. They’re very effective in relieving tension headaches. I’ll be posting a Vlog soon on just how do do this.
  3. Yoga Mat: best place to stretch and utilize your Tune Up therapy balls.
  4. Bolster: the bolster is a great tool that will allow you to settle into restorative poses that will reduce tension in your body.
  5. Foam Roller: I love using my foam roller to roll out my trapezius muscles when my upper back, shoulders and neck are tight. It feels amazing!!!
  6. Shiatsu neck/back massager: this is an essential tool for days when the tension in your upper back and neck are at its highest.
  7. Massage gun: so these things are all the rage. I decided to give it a try. I’ll be posting a full review shortly
  8. Essential oils: I like using Chill Pill by Aura Cacia to relax and reduce tension. A small pat on the forehead or in a diffuser will do wonders for your relaxation.
  9. Tiger Balm/Salonpas patches. These are perfect to wear at night for some relief while you sleep. It is a bit of an unspoken rule that you don’t wear them to work or school. Unless, of course, you want to smell like Ben-gay all day.
  10. Hand warmers: this is my favorite hockey mom hack. I carry all of my tension in my left shoulder right under my bra strap. Accordingly, by placing an activated hand warmer in that place, the heat starts to melt the tension in my muscles.

These are just a few of the tools, I keep in my tool belt to fight tension. On a macro level, I’ve gone back to my yoga practice and stretching daily to alleviate muscle tension before it begins. Yoga has been an essential part of my recovery and my quest for remission.  All of my  product recommendations are below and range in cost form $6.00-$129.  While it may seem like a lot of products, it’s a lot cheaper and a healthier alternative than popping NSAIDs or other medications.

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What Next: taking supplements

So you’ve been diagnosed with an autoimmune thyroid disease, what next? Can you still take my supplements? When I was diagnosed with Graves Disease, my life was flipped upside down. There are plenty of treatment decisions to make, but there are immediate consideration as well. In fact, I had to evaluate all the supplements I was taking. Anything that was considered goitrogenic had to go because it could cause a thyroid storm. Moreover, I had to make decisions on how to mitigate the symptoms before treatment.

Here are the supplements I’m using to cope with my autoimmune disorder (as a major caveat everything I take has been played by my endo:)

1. Selenium – this mineral is essential for normal thyroid function and is beneficial for hyper/hypothyroid patients.

2. L-Carnitine – before I was given beta blockers, I used L-Carnitine to mitigate the hyper thyroid symptoms. Once I was post-RAI, I stopped taking this supplement.

3. CoQ10 – I was taking this before I got diagnosed and was advised to continue. Apparently, patients with Graves’ disease have lower amounts of CoQ10 in their blood.

4. Zinc – I just added this to my regimen after meeting with the registered dietician at my Endo’s office. There is evidence to support that zinc supplementation helps support thyroid function.

5. Collagen – I’m loving Vital Proteins Collagen Powder. It ‘a flavorless, can be mixed into coffee, is only 70 calories and has 17 grams of protein. As for why I’m taking this, it’s really about my vanity. I’m trying to keep my hair, skin and nails as healthy as possible. Thyroid disease and thyroid hormone supplementation can lead to hair loss. I am not about that life.

6. Biotin – see the explanation above.

7. Essential oils – no I don’t think they are a cure all, but lavender has helps calm me down if I’m Graves’ raging. Peppermint and Eucalyptus are critical in relieving congestion . Since my blood pressure is not always normal, I avoid taking decongestants.

I used to take a multivitamin and myriad of other supplements, but had to stop them once diagnosed. There are a lot of supplements that interact with the thyroid or thyroid medication, so you have to be careful. I have a lot of friends that have great results with Thrive and other supplements. The temptation to try those supplements is real, however, until my doc gives me the all clear, nothing in my small regimen will change. What’s next: adjusting my exercise routine.

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Handling Thyroid Disease

Handling thyroid disease is the title I settled on after ruminating on coping and dealing. Both coping and dealing felt too passive to me, so I opted for handling. What does handling thyroid disease even mean? It means learning to thrive in spite of the misfiring or non-existence of that bitch is a gland.

When I was first diagnosed with Graves, I did what most people do and consulted Dr. Google. The medical part didn’t bother me too much. No, what bothered me is how those coping with the disease were failing to thrive or continue a productive existence. I was resolute that I would not follow that path.

Of course, in the beginning it was easy to think that way. It became hard as my heart rate soared and the RAI (radioactive iodine) was slow to work. Nevertheless, the fun and my weight were doubled when my thyroid failed. It literally happened over night. For the next several months and even still, I would migrate between hyper and hypo from day to day. It was beyond frustrating.

Thankfully, I have a wonderful Endo and have high confidence in her. Slowly, she has returned me to my normal life. I’ve run three 5ks since diagnosis, restarted my yoga practice and started the BBG workout. Nevertheless, it has taken a lot of work to get back to this place. I’ve read a lot about auto immune disease, worked with my endo and her in house R.D. and changed my workouts. I even feel back to my old gregarious self.

Now that my thyroid levels have stabilized, it will take 1-3 years for the symptoms of Graves to abate. My antibodies still show positive for both Graves disease and Hashimotos. My next task is get rid of those. In the meantime, I continue to research ways to reduce inflammation and improve my health. Each Thursday, I’ll be sharing my autoimmune experience with you. Next week, I’ll be sharing a list of the top 10 items that have helped me through my personal journey.

P.S. the title photo is from my first post diagnosis/treatment 5k.

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Thanksgiving Is Almost Here

Can you believe Thanksgiving is almost here? It seems like just yesterday we were ringing in 2019. Yet here we are ready to end the year with the fabulous holiday season. I’m especially blessed to spend it with my entire immediate family. This holiday will be poignant for us all as it marks the last holiday for which Jake will be a civilian. Who knows where he’ll be stationed this time next year. We will certainly enjoy the moment.

I started my day by sleeping through my alarm, which left me feel like I was behind all day. Graves’ disease sucks it often leaves me tried and jacks with my sleep for no good reason. Not to mention it makes me cranky, which my family can certainly attest to today.

Fortunately, my day started looking up the moment I got my coffee. We left Dunkin’ to get our groceries for baking, so we could get an early start. At which point, we got a text inviting us to the beach. How could we say no to that? Spoiler alert: we procrastinated on the baking and headed to the beach.

This, of course, did nothing for my constant feeling of being behind all day. However, the beach was again marvelous with beautiful skies and calm seas. You simply can’t ask for a better way to spend the day before Thanksgiving. It was a bit hot, so we didn’t stay too long.
Fortunately, Goalielocks’ BFF was there and he was having a blast. Unfortunately, that made the extraction from the beach quite difficult. We ended our beach day by me starting to back out of my spot before noticing the boys neglected to close the tailgate. Consequently, I needed to make a Dunkin pit stop on the way home to try and collect my sanity.

Before heading home, we headed to Publix in search of the perfect pickles for pickle. If there’s anywhere you so don’t want to be on Thanksgiving Eve in Florida, it’s Publix. I avoided this dumpster fire by dropping my mom off at the door and parking. To be honest, I was more concerned with getting home so I could eat before heading to yoga.

Wednesday’s are my tight muscle mobility class at Open Heart Yoga studio. My teach is amazing. The class has been incredibly effective in opening up my body post Graves’ disease. In today’s class, I’m pretty sure I fell asleep 3-4 times while massaging my back with therapy balls. These balls are miracle works for tight muscles and soft tissue. You must try them.

I left my mat completely serene and ready to tackle my evening. Tonight’s beautiful sunset added to my serenity.  During class my mom has text me to let me know the Publix pickles were sub par and couldn’t be used to pickle roll ups. I got home and we headed to Earth Fare to see if they had any quality pickles, but that trip was unsuccessful. Thus, we headed back to Target where we found the perfect pickles. Plus if you haven’t gone to Target twice in a day, are you even living?

We made our way home to start are baking. I started working on my cheesecake while my mom began to prepare the pickle roll ups. My mom made quick work of the pickle roll ups while I plodded my way through baking the cheesecake. Fortunately, my mom helped me start the vegan pumpkin coconut soup that I made for my brother and I. I’m not currently vegan, but I know my body won’t tolerate too much of the traditional Thanksgiving food.

Our evening of baking, will finally be over in about an hour when the cheesecake can go in the oven. I’ll start my Thanksgiving where I start everyday: Dunkin’. We’ll then head to my brothers’ house to drop off the goodies before heading to the Mayor’s 11:00 am game.

It was just over a year ago I went through radiation to kill my thyroid. A year later, my thyroid levels are stable. I’m hopeful that the symptoms of Graves will abate in the next year (although it could be 1-3 years.) Unfortunately, my health is not where it was before I got sick, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. As I end my evening enjoying Agatha Christie’s Poirot, I am filled with gratitude for my family, my friends, healing and my life’s transitions.

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Memorial Day 5k

Better late than never, last Monday Jake, the Mayor and I ran the Memorial Day 5k.   This was my third race since being cleared to work out again.  Although I’m not sure my doctor will be thrilled when I tell her about it Tuesday, but we shall see. She did after all give me the clearance to exercise…

Race morning, I was filled with the usual pangs of regret as my alarm went off last Monday for the Memorial Day 5k.  After all it was 5:05 am and usually I’d get up, take my Synthroid and go back to bed for another hour or two before finally crawling out of bed. Meanwhile the bookends and I headed to Boca by 5:45 am to get our run on.  Fortunately, or unfortunately, this run started at 7:00 am, which sounds early, but is the only way to beat the South Florida heat.

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The run itself went really well.  Fortunately, there were no bridges to contend with like in the Mamacita Mimoas 5k two weeks ago.  The Mayor went out guns blazing, which is never a recipe for success when running distance.   We ended up running together for the first two miles before I ended up pulling away.  I was thrilled that I was able to complete mile 1 in less than 10 minutes.   It felt like a huge accomplishment.

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Mile two was slower, but not by too much.  It was difficult and the water stations kind of through of my mojo a bit.  They had stations every half a mile, which is nice, but it slows you down a bit.  By mile three, however, I was struggling.  In fact, an old guy with a limp, who was power walking the race passed me as we approached mile 3.  I cannot tell a lie: that was quite the hit to the pride.  I was resolute, however, that I would finish before him come hell or high water.  In the end, I had enough in the tank to finish before him and 2 two minutes faster than the previous weekend’s 5k.  Yay!

I quickly found Jake post race as he waited for me at the finish line.  The Mayor, however, took another four minutes to cross the finish line.  Apparently, he had made a friend along the course and took to socializing instead of running.  Nonetheless, he still covered the 3.1 miles and logged some decent cardio.  Afterwards, we waited for the mile run to finish, so we could watch Jake get his award for taking second place in his age group.  As for the Mayor and me, we were just happy to get our finisher pie.  We then headed home with our three finisher apple pies because that’s exactly what you need after a hard fought race.

Here’s our gear:
Shoes brought to you by Asics – my go to running shoe.  I love my Gel Kayanos and am on my fourth pair.  They’re the perfect shoe for serious runners.  My little man loves his Asics GT1000.  

My running pants and shirt: Call by Carrie Underwood Shop at Dicks Sporting Goods

20% OFF ENTIRE ORDER with code: WELLNESS20. Plus Free Shipping over $45! Pharmaca.com. Coupon Code: WELLNESS20

 

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Consistently Inconsistent

I’ve got to admit I’ve been consistently inconsistent in maintaining the blog over the past twelve months. It’s not for a lack of trying, I assure you.  Rather it’s a function of pure exhaustion and competing priorities.  As May winds down and we approach the end of school, I’m looking forward to the relief that the start of summer begins.  Our schedules slow down and life becomes somewhat calm and balanced.  Of course, calm and balanced in a house of three boys probably doesn’t fit most people’s definition of calm and balanced.if-you-could-ywky2o

Since the corporate run, I’ve continued to train using the Couch to 5K app to gradually increase my mileage and running time.  Due to the May heat, most of my training has been inside on the treadmill.  Fortunately, my AirPods and closed captioned episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm have carried me through the nine weeks of training.  Last week, Jake and I ran a 5k in Delray.  I’m still slow, but was still managed to take two minutes of my time from the corporate run.

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For the past week, the weather here has dried out considerably, so the Mayor and I have been running in the evenings.  It’s significantly more difficult to run outside versus the treadmill, but it feels great.  There’s nothing better then running with my boys and our little Piggie.  Athena has transitioned back to running quite well.  Although much like mom, she’s also out of shape.  Since Maya’s cancer scare, we’ve been reticent to take her out running in the heat.  After a course of antibiotics and some CBD oil and CBD treats from Honest Paws, Maya is doing amazing.

Tomorrow Jake, the Mayor and myself will run another 5k.  Since the summer heat is here, the run will kick off at 7:00 am.  Undoubtedly, I’ll be lamenting my decision to run when I have to wake up tomorrow at 5:15 am.   Of course afterwards I’ll feel much better and be happy with my decision, but getting out of bed is going to suck.

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Today we’re laying low in anticipation of running tomorrow morning.  Fortunately, I was able to meet up with my dear friend Jessica last night in Palm Beach.   I met her this year on Momcation 2.0 (Cayman Island edition) and we hit it off right away.  We had some fabulous drinks, food, conversation and laughs.  It was an awesome night.  I’ll write more on the beauty that is Momcation in a different post later.

We are, of course, like most hockey families counting down to the start of tomorrow night’s Stanley Cup Finals.  It’s lamentable that we’ve had to go so long without hockey at nights.   I’ve tried to catch as much as the World games (Go Finland!,) but it’s tough when you don’t have the channels playing the games.  Nonetheless, tomorrow hockey returns and we cannot wait. It’s going to be interesting to see how the Bruins come out tomorrow after  quite a bit of downtime.  On the other hand, I’m curious to see how the Blues’ rooking goaltender Bennington is going to handle the pressure.  Should be awesome!  Who are you cheering for?
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Continue reading → Consistently Inconsistent

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Corporate Run

Last Thursday was the annual Mercedes Benz Corporate Run in Fort Lauderdale. I was excited to participate for my third running. This year was a bit different though since I haven’t run a 5k in over a year. Unfortunately, after tearing a tendon and a subsequent diagnosis of Graves’ disease, I was sidelined for what feels like forever!

Thankfully, my doctor was able to clear me for exercise once my thyroid finally stopped functioning in February. Yay! Nonetheless, a 5k was a tall order. I trained as much as I could, but with a hypoactive thyroid my energy is nonexistent. Meaning, instead of a normal, rigorous training schedule, my body needed 2-3 day breaks in between workouts. This itself represented a massive departure from my grandiose expectations for my recovery.

I was back at my doctor’s office early last week for my six-week check-in. She made some adjustments to my medication, which should help immensely. Honestly, the effortless weight gain, the absolutely no energy, the absolute exhaustion and the absolute inability to sleep properly have gotten old. On a positive note, my blood work supports my symptoms, which in my doc’s words “means we can fix it!”  My doc is a rock star and is taking good care of me through out my treatment. Unfortunately, it’s just part of the process as we figure out the right Synthroid dosing.

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She did reiterate my ability to work out, but added a caveat about common sense. Clearly, she doesn’t know me. I did ask about the 5k, to which she responded “I hope you lose – meaning I hope you walk.” As I got up to leave, we compromised on a solid effort in the first mile with common sense dictating mile two and three.

In the end, I was nervous and excited for my first 5K in over a year. I went into the race with reasonable expectations and the hope that I’d finish somewhat respectably. As the race neared, we entered the start corral, which was huge. The corporate run had over 9,000 participants this race. Fortunately, it was a chip to chip race.  Consequently, my time was not negatively impacted by being encumbered by mobs of people behind the start line. img_0615

It felt amazing to be racing again! The first mile went pretty smooth and I felt pretty good. As I promised my doctor, I was conservative over the remainder of my race. In the end, with my foot asleep and pride swelling in my heart, I crossed the finish line. While my heart was swelling with pride, my right foot was coming back to life, after falling asleep on mile 2, as I waited patiently for my post race free beer.

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My time this race was the slowest I’ve ever logged at a 5k, but it will forever be the one that gives me the most pride. After a torn tendon, a diagnosis of Graves’ disease, subsequent treatment and no exercise for nine months, my time of 37:23 is pretty damn good! Moral of the story, winning isn’t always about getting a PR every race. Sometimes winning is not being afraid to show up and do your best no matter what cards you’ve been dealt. 

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Lastly, I had to share this photo from last year’s race as it included Paul.   My associate director Paul was someone who embodied perseverance.  While he wasn’t with us this year physically, he was definitely therein spirit.  We miss you Paul!