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Busy

It’s been a busy week. My schedule has been altered a bit due to appointments. Consequently, I took a few days off from the blog and my workouts. Fortunately, the appointments went well, but they were lengthy. One of the safety measures our endocrinologist office has instituted is rigorous education for new diabetes patients. Given that the Mayor is only 18, the Hubby and I have an active role in it.

Tuesday we met with the dietician and lead diabetes educator at the Mayor’s Endocrinologist office. It was a long appointment, but we learned a lot. We covered many topics revolving around nutrition, but also navigating life with the insulin pump and Dexcom. There was a lot of information, but it was super helpful. We have a good idea of what to expect next week when he gets the pump and a list of what to bring to said appointment. The new patient education culminates with a day-long symposium.

Due to the appointments, yesterday I had a Telehealth over lunch, I took my rest days this week on Tuesday and Wednesday. Today I would normally spin over lunch, but instead, I did a full body workout in the Sweat App. This also means I’ll have some workouts to log while I’m in Nashville this weekend. The Mayor and I will be packing tonight. He must bring synthetic insulins (long-acting and short-term) on this trip. By the time we go on our next trip, he’ll just be using one.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): 16 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

Where can you reduce clutter in your life?

The better question would be where can’t I reduce clutter in my life. That is to say, I think I can reduce clutter in every space of my life.

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Still Tired

Well, I’m still tired although we got more sleep last night. The Dexcom alarms didn’t start until 3:00 am this morning. Today’s alarms were of the hypoglycemic variety, which I find quite scary. The Hubby went upstairs to ensure the Mayor ate and drank something to raise his blood sugar. As always, the Mayor was a peach. Fortunately, his blood sugar rebounded nicely and didn’t bottom out or spike the rest of the night.

Next week he has his nutritionist appointment at the endo’s office. I’m sure he’s super excited for that one. Our endo removed his carb restriction, which thrilled him. The following week, he has an appointment to receive training on his insulin pump. I think this is the appointment we’re all excited about. Once he gets the pump, the high blood sugar alarms should, the operative word being should, become a thing of the past.

While I’m still tired, I appreciated meeting my new manager this morning. I’ve worked for Doc before, so I’m excited about this new change. I wish I could say the leads and my production have been as exciting, but I’d be lying. For the past two days I have been riding the struggle bus. Such is life in sales. Anyway, I’m still tired.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): 7 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’m currently reading Armadale by Wilkie Collins– so good.
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

What are your thoughts on the concept of living a very long life?

My great-grandmother lived to be almost 105 years old. She died just months shy of her 105th birthday. She experienced both world wars, the Spanish Flu and COVID, and the move to a world dominated by computers and cars. More than that, she was able to experience several generations of the family she created.

My great-grandmother had a very special relationship with my oldest son Jake. She was his great-great-grandmother. I remember his face as she recounted how Lindy (Charles Lindbergh) used to dip his wings to say hi to her when she was working in the fields. She connected us to our past, while Jake connected her to the present. It was a beautiful connection to witness. Longevity made this connection possible, and it was an absolute gift.

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Headed North

The Mayor and I are headed north to Detroit for, you guessed it, a weekend of hockey. Our flight was delayed about 90 minutes, which was a bit of a nuisance. The upgrade to first class alleviates some annoyance at being late. I’m awaiting a glass of Prosecco, which will eliminate every last glimmer of annoyance. Once we land, we’ll have a nice sixty-minute drive to the hotel, which does suck a bit. Fortunately, we can sleep in as the Mayor has no games until late tomorrow night.

I’m not at all prepared for the cold. I’ve been cold all day and it’s in the low 70s back home. I’m pretty sure the Detroit weather is going to make me feel like hibernating beneath the warmth of the covers in our hotel room. Detroit will, however, be a nice departure from the last seven weeks of AEP (annual enrollment period for the uninitiated.). The last several weeks do AEP were taxing as our shifts stretched to 12 to 14 hours. That’s a long time to be checked in a pleasant when dealing with a demographic that can be extremely difficult.

I’ll write more on AEP later as my short ribs and Prosecco have arrived. Moreover, I’ll share the saga of chasing down the Mayor’s type 1 diagnosis. He’s doing well, but more on that later.

P.S. I’m typing this on my phone from 35,000 miles up headed north, so please forgive the typos.

Sky Club offerings

Have you ever performed on stage or given a speech?

My sophomore year speech teacher convinced me to join the speech team and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I think of Mr. Quinlan (Q as we affectionately called him) with a deep sense of gratitude often especially when I’ve been delivering a speech or presentation. Learning how to speak publicly is one of the best life skills you can learn. I’m forever grateful to Q, who encouraged and helped me develop my public speaking abilities.

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Milton

Hurricane Milton is churning away in the Gulf of Mexico with its sights set on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Living in Florida means these storms dominate your life in the window before, during, and after the storm. The waiting game makes it worse. You almost want to rip off the bandaid and get it over with, but there’s always a hope it could weaken dissipate, or do any turn. It’s an emotional waiting game as you wait to see if you or your loved ones are in or out of the cone of doom.

Sunday’s cone

We were initially in the cone Saturday, but as the storm got closer the cone narrowed and we’re out of it. The cone of doom is singular in its meaning. What I mean by that is that it only shows where the eye of the storm (i.e. the center) will pass. It doesn’t mean anyone outside the cone is free of worry. To be clear, those who are in the cone face a much greater peril. This is a deadly storm that will cause massive destruction and loss of life. Consequently, we’re taking this storm seriously.

The 2:00 pm update

Our ground is saturated from the flooding rains that started over the weekend. I don’t think it’s going to take too much wind to take some of them down. Also, hurricanes like to wobble. It’s better to err on the side of it wobbling towards you and be ready. The Hubby and Mayor will be putting up the shutters today just in case. They’re headed to Dallas for the CCM World Invite and want to be sure I’m not being left with a damaged house. This I appreciate. I also appreciate the deeper sleep that comes with the blacked-out windows. I’ll happily withdraw to my cozy bed and enjoy the dark.

Goalielocks is in Orlando. It’s been a back-and-forth argument since Saturday over him driving home. Naturally, he wants to stay and experience the storm. While we’d prefer he come home and be with us. The problem with these storms is the lunacy that happens afterward. You think driving here is an experience. Try driving here after the hurricane. It’s next-level crazy. People don’t know how to approach a stop light that’s out. (It becomes a four-way stop.) They’ll just drive through the intersection like they’re the only person on the road. It’s the post-hurricane mayhem that worries me.

We’re about forty-five minutes from a new track and update from the NHC. Hopefully, it’s good news. It’s probably not. Meanwhile, I’m ready to hit the ground running to finish our not-so-timid storm preparation. Scratch that I can’t run due to a high ankle sprain, which is a story for another day. Let me just say aging as an athlete is for the birds. And now back to waiting for Milton.

If you’re a weather nerd and like to follow the storms, here are some key sites:

  1. NHC: National Hurricane Center’s update site, which covers all Atlantic Basin and Eastern Pacific systems.
  2. Spaghettimodels.com: Mike’s Weather Page is an amazing resource and is always on point. He links to all the models, which can also be found on Tropical Tidbits, so you can see everything. Mike also has a great Facebook page. He’s always informative, and accurate, and has none of the melodrama that comes with television weather personalities.
  3. Steve Weagle: he’s our local weather guy and he does a great job.

What was the hardest personal goal you’ve set for yourself?

I set a lot of goals, but the hardest goal I set was to lose the thyroid weight. After tearing my tendon, which forced me to give up both running and Zumba, and being diagnosed with Graves Disease, which forced me to give up any exercise, I put on a lot of weight. To be fair, I also had my thyroid irradiated, so it’s no longer functional. The lack of thyroid and complete lifestyle change was cruel to the scale and my waistline. It took years to get my thyroid to a balanced spot where I could finally start to lose weight and get back to working out.

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Milestone

We hit another milestone last week as the Mayor turned 18. It’s incredible to me that I no longer have any children under the age of 18. It’s been a lot of milestone moments, but can someone tell me where the time has gone? I’m pretty sure I just brought him home from the hospital yesterday. Also, I can’t possibly be getting old this quick. Time is an absolute thief and someone needs to stop it.

We celebrated the birthday with Jake, Mellie, and the Hubby with dinner around Sushi Yama. Unfortunately, Goalielocks couldn’t join us as he’s staying in Orlando for the summer term. As for the waitress, I think we either impressed her or horrified her with the sheer amount of food we ordered. The Mayor and Goalielocks always order chicken fried rice and the chicken katsu meal. It’s a perfect double order because the fried rice is still phenomenal the next day. We left the restaurant well-fed and happy. It was a great way to celebrate his milestone birthday.

After dinner, it was pretty late by old people’s standards, the kids headed to Menchies for dessert. Afterward, they headed to Mellie’s to play some Dungeons and Dragons with her family. Meanwhile, the hubby and I headed home, so we’d get in before bedtime. I find keeping my sleep schedule consistent has been super important to my well being. Consequently, I try not to deviate from the schedule too much. It was nice to have Jake and Mellie at the birthday dinner. They’re quite obviously two of the Mayor’s most favorite people.

The Mayor with his brothers

Are you a leader or a follower?

It depends on the situation. When I’m hiking through a national park in search of a monument, I’m a leader. After leading for too long at work, I quite enjoy being a follower.

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Update to the Update

Well, here’s our update to the update on the Mayor’s finger. It continues to heal, albeit slowly like a snail. He is finally out of a splint much to his relief. Unfortunately, his finger looked pretty angry and red this morning, so they’re concerned it may be infected. Consequently, the Mayor is starting a course of antibiotics today. Hopefully, those will take care of the infection.

The bigger issue in our update is that he hasn’t been diligently working the joint. It is quite painful for him to move it, but he’s got to start working on it. As the PA was moving it this morning, you could see he was in a lot of pain. This is problematic because it will cause a permanently stiff joint in that finger. As a result, he’ll need a lot of OT to get the top joint of the finger moving again.

What movies or TV series have you watched more than 5 times?

I think I’ll answer this with memes from each of the shows. We have a few favorite shows in this house. The Office was the background to our lives for most of the 2010s. It then became Family Guy or for me, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. My morning routine always includes my Dunkin’ coffee and the Great British Bakeoff. Additionally, when I run on the treadmill I watch Curb Your Enthusiasm. Larry David makes me laugh and helps me get through my runs.

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Superstitious

Am I, a hockey player and hockey mom, superstitious? Hells yeah. We hockey folks are extremely superstitious. It’s a crucial part of the experience. For example, one simply does not mention the word shutout until the horn has sound. Inevitably, if those words are mentioned before the game has ended, the other team will score. Do not be the guy that kills the shutout. Also, if the team is on a winning streak and you’ve worn a particular coat to the rink, don’t think you’re changing your coat now. You simply cannot mess with the mojo.

Hockey players have their own set of superstitions like taping their sticks a certain way, dressing in a certain order, wearing a particular undershirt, and playing a particular song in the locker room and for warmups. And then there are goalies, they’re so special. Watch a goalie at any level and you’ll see their superstitious ritual. Mine used to stand up hit the right post, the left post, and then the right post before moving into position. Marc Andre Fleury talks to his goalposts every time they give him a hand.

As for us parents, once we ensure we have the winning outfit/jacket on, we’re ready to head for the rink. Once there the routine is often the same, for me, it was to go grab a coffee from the nearest Dunkin’ or Starbucks. Naturally, this would lead to several pregame bathroom trips to ensure the bladder was empty before being trapped in the penalty box for the game. Other parents will sit in the same spot. Some parents, however, will move if the game isn’t going well. Goalie parents will migrate every period as will the forward dads. It’s crucial to the team’s success that every parent sit or stand at their winning spot.

Are you superstitious?

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Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament

Growing up in Minnesota, the Minnesota State high school hockey tournament was the must-see event of the winter. While we were in school, our boys’ team made section finals several times, but never the big dance. It’s a time when school rivalries hit their peak. There’s nothing like this tournament in the world. The Excel Center is filled with tickets hard to come by. When our school finally made the tourney and went to the championship, my hubby and his sister had to camp overnight tickets.

We took Jake with us to the championship game in 2004, I’m not sure he remembers much since he was five. It was, however, an amazing experience. The fact they won the championship didn’t hurt either. Nonetheless, the atmosphere is electric. Even if your team isn’t playing, these games are so competitive you can’t help but get invested in them. My Alma Mater is currently playing in the quarterfinals against Cretin. Since I can’t keep the verbal eruptions under control, I had to turn it off. My work phone is a recorded line and nobody needs to hear what I’m saying. If you want to check out the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament, you can stream it here. The Centennial game is heading into overtime as we speak. Let’s Go Cougars!

What is the last thing you learned?

I learned that patience is a virtue. I’m currently dealing with someone who cannot hear but won’t acknowledge their inability to hear. It’s honestly so much fun.

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An Update

An update on the patient. The Mayor finally had his pins removed this morning, it was quite the site to watch as the doctor unscrewed and pulled them out. He was visibly uncomfortable. And for the first time since he broke his finger, he said ouch! he was also visibly uncomfortable as the surgeon manipulated his finger to test his range of motion. Unfortunately, while his finger is healing well, it’s still not healed enough for him to go back on the ice. Consequently, he’ll go back in two weeks for another checkup and start therapy in the interim.

After his appointment, we had to take Anakin to the vet for a sore on his foot. It looked a lot worse over the weekend, but it wasn’t healing fast and we were concerned it was infected. Unfortunately, anytime we take Anakin to the vet it’s a production. The poor thing is extremely anxious and consequently very reactive to everyone at the vet’s office. As a result, he has to be sedated for his exam for his safety and the safety of his care team. I was worried the wound might gush like a volcano when she examined it, but it didn’t. He’s currently sleeping off the sedation in the back corridor at the vet’s office.

Describe a phase in life that was difficult to say goodbye to.

Right now we’re in a major life transition as we move from actively raising kids to being empty nesters. It’s a big shift and one I’m both ready and not ready for. I think it’s difficult to say goodbye to life stages like this because it makes you feel old and that time is flying by way too fast.

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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.