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Winter Weather

As winter weather bears down on most of the country and our family, our climate continues to be beautiful. The skies are blue and the temperature isn’t ridiculous, nor is the humidity out of hand. It’s the kind of winter day that one moves to Florida to enjoy. The Hubby and Mayor met Grandpa Steve and Grandma Linda at Benny’s on the Beach, while I, unfortunately, had to work. The view from Benny’s is gorgeous. The view from my desk, however, is not so much.

As a kid, when a winter storm was approaching, I would eagerly watch the closings across the bottom of the television screen. Inevitably, I was almost always disappointed to find our school was not on the list. With the exception of the Halloween Blizzard and an exceptionally cold day, that led the governor to close all schools in the state, our school was always open. Honestly, it was the worst. To know all our cousins that attended neighboring districts were home enjoying the day off while we languished at school.

Now, of course. post-pandemic snow days or hurricane days look a lot different. Some schools opt to keep the school in session virtually, while others shut down completely. I like to think the schools that go virtual instead of closing like medieval torturers. Virtual school during the pandemic was complicated and an epic failure, so no need to continue that trend. A few more years and it won’t matter as I’ll no longer have a horse in that race.

Apparently, the dogs felt terrible that we were missing out on the epic winter storm because we woke up to a literal shit storm of epic proportions. It must have been something in the water that caused all three pups to lose control of their bowels and bladders last night. Needless to say, it was not a pretty sight. I helped clean up as much as I could before work and after my lab appointment. Despite my best efforts, there was still a lot of cleaning up for my hubby to do.

We had Grandpa Steve and Grandma Linda over for appetizers and drinks last night. It was great to spend time with them both before they headed back north. I wish I could have gone to brunch with them today too. I already missed a day this week, so there was no way I could get the time off. I’m glad they’ve been able to enjoy some of our beautiful winter weather. Oh, I almost forgot, I hurt my shoulder reading last night. I don’t know how I did it, but I did. Isn’t aging fun?

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: 45-minute spin class, plus 15-minute cooldown courtesy of Apple Fitness
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s  Finding Lost Time. 
  • Blog: done
  • Word of the day: Lasciviousness. It’s a pretty fitting word for the day on which Harvey Weinstein is sentenced for his sexual misdeeds.
  • Today’s song Drinkin’ Problem by Midland

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Closed a Chapter

Yesterday we closed a chapter that has been a predominant part of our lives for over the last decade. I couldn’t bring myself to write about it yesterday because I really wasn’t ready to acknowledge that it was over. To be honest, I was a bit spellbound at that moment. Alas, here I am realizing that we have closed the youth hockey chapter of our lives. At least for now. I hope someday in the distant future I’m a hockey grandma.

The youth hockey chapter of our lives has been rich and rewarding. It has cost a fortune. I’ve definitely been a benefactor to several rinks, but it’s paid dividends in experiences and relationships that are invaluable. Peewee Quebec was hands down one of the coolest trips I’ve ever been on or will ever go on. Moreover, I’ve enjoyed watching my boys and their teammates develop and blossom on the ice. The energy, effort, and time they’ve put into their craft are incredible.

While we closed a chapter this weekend, a new chapter has already begun. Next week the Mayor will play in the high school all-star game. Additionally, there’s a spring high school league, but I have no clue when that starts. In April, he’ll be heading to St. Louis for a showcase. Saturday morning he’s going to start skating with our friend Joni, who is a phenomenal skating coach. He’ll also continue working with Coach David and Wolfpack Fitness. They’ll make sure he’s ready for the next level.

As with all of life’s transitions, I’m sure it will take some adjusting. I’m not sure the hubby and I will know what to do with ourselves on the weekends anymore. If you walk into Skatezone and hear angry German music, you’ll know I got lost and am again deejaying a hockey game. The Hubby might make the switch from hockey coach to team zebra. Stay tuned for that transition. To all the wonderful folks who have made our youth hockey experience wonderful, we love you and are grateful to have you in our lives.

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: 45-minute spin class, plus 15-minute cooldown courtesy of Apple Fitness
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s Finding Lost Time.
  • Blog: done
  • Today’s song: Country Roads by John Denver
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At a Loss

I’m at a loss for words as I process the loss of one of our former hockey moms Kristine. Her son played rec with both Goalielocks and the Mayor. After rec league, my hubby coached her son and the Mayor with the Davis brothers on the Blackhawks travel mites team. Her son played hockey, so inevitably we haven’t seen or talked to them often. Even so, she and I had kept in touch through Facebook.

I guess a loss like this has the tendency to put everything else in perspective. The Mayor’s team has struggled this tournament and this season. It’s easy to get hung up with the pain of a losing season. Yet, in the macro picture of life, the losses aren’t going to be important. Hopefully, the players will take the lessons of resiliency and perseverance with them into their adult lives. Not to mention the great relationships they’ve built over the years.

The Mayor’s last game will be tomorrow. I’m trying to figure out how I can be there for this significant moment in his hockey career. To be honest, I’m not sure I’m ready to close the book on youth hockey. It’s been the dominating theme of the last decade of our lives. Where does one go from here? Are there places that exist outside the rink? These are important questions I don’t have the answer to yet. Part of me hopes, he decides to play U18 a year before going to Juniors. While U18 is technically not youth hockey anymore, it’s still minor hockey.

Each day 17 people die waiting for an organ on the transplant list. To learn more about organ donation, please visit the American Transplant Foundation.

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: 45-minute spin class, plus 15-minute cool down courtesy of Apple Fitness
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s Finding Lost Time. I had to visit a forum to remind myself of all the main characters as it’s been a while since I’ve read Proust.
  • Blog: done
  • Today’s song: Stop and Stare by One Republic
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Long Day

It’s been a long day that started far too early for me on a Saturday. The Mayor had a game in West Palm at 9:20 am, which meant we had to be there by 8:20. Consequently, I was up before 7:00, which is a bummer on a Saturday. Also, it was for a game we knew we weren’t going to win against a team we’ve already played a dozen times this season. I was FB Live for that game. If you enjoy train wrecks with no filter then my FB live feed is for you.

After the game, we headed to PDQ for lunch after Nick’s Diner was too busy and Anthony’s Coal Fire Pizza was closed. I’m not sure I liked the chicken sandwich I had. It was oddly salty like the chicken breast itself had been injected with saline. The fries, however, were pretty damn good albeit they don’t leave me foaming at the mouth. Nonetheless, I’d definitely eat them again.

Between games, we chilled at home and watched The Office. We’ve watched the series all the way through several times, but it never gets old. I did some grocery shopping for Goalielocks as well since he’d have a tough time managing it due to his shoulder. I love that I can shop from home and have groceries delivered to my injured child two hundred miles away. Goalielocks sent me a list, but of course, I added some goodies like his favorite ice cream to the order. He was very appreciative of the groceries and happily surprised with the icecream.

Speaking of train wrecks, I’d describe the Mayor’s game this evening as an absolute disaster. It wasn’t fun to watch. They’re down several defensemen and it showed. It just wasn’t a very good game. Thankfully, they have two more games to show they can actually play hockey. Perhaps the best part of tonight’s game was learning that the opposing team’s penalty box dad thought I was one of the player’s girlfriends. He thought I looked too young to be a parent. He is now officially my favorite person at the rink. Now, I’m no Mrs. Robinson, but as a woman about to turn 43, I’ll take the compliment.

And now here’s your weekly recap in photos and memes, you’re welcome.

The Chiefs won the Super Bowl in a great game. Rihanna also made a historic pregnancy announcement during the halftime show.

Unidentified flying objects and balloons continue to be in the news. If you’re planning a balloon ride, you might want to put it off for now.

I got back to working out by doing spin classes on our new back. It’s been fun, but the seat definitely hurts your ass.

Goalielocks dislocated his shoulder on Valentine’s Day evening at Volleyball. He took himself to urgent care and his follow-up appointment with an orthopedic surgeon Wednesday afternoon. Unfortunately, he’ll be in a long for 4-6 weeks. Fortunately, the doctor told him he won’t need surgery.

The Mayor’s playing his last youth hockey tournament this weekend, which is bittersweet.

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: Rest day
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s Finding Lost Time.
  • Blog: done
  • Today’s song: Mrs. Robinson performed by the Lemonheads
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Last Tournament Weekend

It’s our last tournament weekend for the Mayor’s u16aa team. Unfortunately, they were knocked out of states last night when the Everblades beat the flames. Heartbreakingly, they lost on tiebreakers. At any rate, I guess now those teams can spend a nice chunk of change to get their asses kicked by the Panthers and Crunch. Nonetheless, this is the first year the Mayor’s been on a team that didn’t qualify for states, so it is a bit sad.

We’ve been on this travel hockey quest for well over a decade now. It’s odd that it’s starting to wind down. We don’t know what the Mayor is going to do next year. His options are juniors or u18. I’m not quite sure what we’ll do with ourselves when the hockey is truly over. Maybe we’ll start going to the beach again or plan trips that don’t revolve around hockey rinks. Who knows what the future brings? Actually, that’s not entirely true.

Once the hockey is done for us, I’m going to write a book about our experience. Over the past decade, we’ve seen some interesting stuff. Honestly, I can’t wait to put pen to paper and spill the tea on Florida hockey. The best part of the travel hockey experience for me has been our hockey family. We’ve met so many incredible folks over the heads that have become not just friends, but family. Anyway, I’m resting up for our last tournament weekend, so I’ll be in bed early tonight. Toodle-oo!

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: Spin Class through the Apple Fitness App app
  • Book: I finished The Seven Husbands Of Eleanor Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid last night. It was so good. Tonight I’m starting volume seven of Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time entitled Finding Lost Time. I have been waiting two years for Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition’s translation of Proust’s final volume.
  • Blog: done
  • Today’s song: Whatever It Takes by the Imagine Dragons
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End of an Era

Today marked the end of an era. It was the Mayor’s last league game as a Hawk. In fact, it may have been his last league game as a youth hockey player. We don’t know yet if he’ll play juniors next year or U18aa. Nonetheless, it is crazy to think my youngest son, who was a four-year mite, is about to age out of U16. Truly, it was a bit of a spiritual experience.

As always for a home game, I was the DJ for today’s game. For some reason, the kids play their best when I play heavy metal. Strangely enough heavy metal isn’t their personal music preference. Either way, the heavier the music, the better they play, so cue the Five-Fingered Death Punch and Rammstein. If the players had their way, there would be more rap in the rotation. Unfortunately for them, or maybe fortunately for the rest of us, there are very few current rap songs with clean versions.

Our first year with Coach David, the boys selected John Denver’s Country Roads for their victory song. I say victory song chiefly because everyone knows John Denver is for winners. Three years later, I played it as their victory song. They held off Clearwater White to get a big win today. The last time we played the team, they killed us. Today’s victory was bittersweet as it marked the end of an era. Feeling nostalgic, I again played John Denver’s Country Roads for their victory song. It’s hard to believe this chapter of his life and ours is coming to a close.

And now here’s your weekly recap in photos and memes, you’re welcome.

While the Chinese ballon was shut down last Saturday, the memes continue to be top-notched. I love this one calling out folks that were concerned about the balloon but have no problem giving the Chinese government their info on TikTok.

The Mayor’s high school season came to an unceremonious end Monday night with a playoff loss. Curiously, the league offered the team a place in the state tournament round-robin stage with no ability to move on to the playoffs. Say what?!? No thanks, we’ll pass.

Tuesday night was the SOTU at 9:00 pm EST. Do they not realize that some of us have to get up for work Wednesday morning? My ass was in bed by the time the speech popped off. I did however enjoy the Cruella De Ville/MGT memes that I saw Wednesday. Since I didn’t watch the speech, my one takeaway is that MGT channeled her inner Cruella De Ville when getting dressed. And if there is a news source you can trust, it’s memes on social media.

The Mayor discovered the workout clothes Jake left behind at Christmas and decided they were now his. Jake, being the awesome big brother he is, was happy to let The Mayor have them.

Anakin snuck out and went duck hunting in the lake behind our house. Fortunately, there were no gators in the lake when he decided to go for a swim. Moreover, no ducks were hurt during his hunting adventure.

Goalielocks came home last night for a visit. It was so nice to see him. All of us, including the puppies, we’re happy to have him home.

And as noted above, the Mayor’s team’s regular season came to an end today. The end of an era. In tribute to the boys and their end-of-season victory, today’s video is Country Roads.

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Top of the Mountain

I’m approaching the top of the mountain, the proverbial mountain that is a week, as my Friday workday is now half over. I long for the beautiful vistas of a Saturday and Sunday off that I’ll see at the peak of the mountain. For now, I’ll ignore the despicably low valley that is a forthcoming Monday morning. I’m ready to ride our my Friday afternoon.\

I’m optimistic about the weekend, but I’m a pessimist when it comes to my hubby’s work situation. Seven weeks have now gone by without a paycheck. What in the actual fuck is that lunacy? His boss shouldn’t treat my hubby this way. If you know him, you know there are few people better at their craft than him. He’s a total professional. Honestly, I don’t know how some people sleep at night.

Last night Anakin gave the hubby and me quite the scare. We had Arrow and Athena on the leashes to take them out for their 6:00 pm walk when the three dogs huddled at the door. Like a star NFL running back, Anakin found a hole in our coverage and got loose. His first instinct was to hunt at the hibiscus by the garage. He quickly moved on to the hibiscus up front. We tried to grab him numerous times, but he ran out of reach.

As he ran to the stop sign, my heart stopped. I was so afraid a car was going to hit this dog. We rushed to put Athena and Arrow back inside, so we could concentrate on catching Ani. Meanwhile, he sprinted at full speed into our backyard. We were a bit worried as Anakin is afraid of strangers and reacts accordingly. As a result, I had hoped he would have stopped at the passion fruit vine to hunt, but he wasn’t there and my heart dropped. We couldn’t see Anakin anywhere.

My hubby and I split up, I stayed in the backyard and headed toward the lake while the hubby headed up front to look for him. When I heard a splash as I lamented the notion of losing my sweet Anakin. Heartbroken at the thought of losing my dog, I turned towards the splash and that’s when I saw him. He had jumped into the lake and was swimming after the ducks trying to catch them. For a split second, I was worried I’d have to go in after him, but he came right to me when he was called.

Anakin loves his AFLAC duck

At this point, Anakin has the biggest smile on his face. He had enjoyed his little adventure swimming in the lake chasing ducks. Fortunately, neither the hubby nor I had to jump in to get him out. Moreover, no ducks or dogs were hurt during Anakin’s wild adventure. We think his older sister Maya would have been proud of his duck-hunting adventure. As for now, he’s locked up while the other dogs are taken out less he tries to break free again. His adventure concluded with a nice shower to wash the lake smell off of him.

Clearly, Thursday night was the top of the mountain for Anakin, but for the rest of us Friday night beckons. We have no plans tonight, which is fabulous. The Mayor’s regular season for his travel team will come to an end tomorrow afternoon. It’s been a difficult year, but I feel like he’s grown as a player and learned a lot. Too often folks get hung up on the Ws instead of focusing on how the players developed on and off the ice over the season. The hubby and I are really proud of how hard he has worked.

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Season is Over

Well, the high school season is over. They lost a heartbreaker last night to the storm. For whatever reason, the boys couldn’t get it together last night. They were all sorts of off. It was a game they could have and should have won, but that’s life. I guess there are states and the all-star game left, but I’m not sure if the team or the Mayor will be playing in either. Either way, it appears the season is over.

I’ve made my opinion well-known on the subject, but it would have been nice to see the boys move forward. More than anything, high school hockey has provided a place to just play hockey for the fun of it. Travel hockey requires a lot of commitment and discipline (at least it should,) so high school provides balance to their hockey experience. I guess there is a spring season, so the North County Stars will live to play another day. I just don’t have any information on when or where the spring season starts.

Work continues to go well. This month is going so much better than the previous eight months. I’m hopeful that it will continue. The calls today have been pretty good less on strange ones. As I write this, I’m in between calls. I have found that writing a blog during the day helps me sleep better. If I write in the evening, my mind can’t shut off to go to bed. Honestly, it’s the worse feeling in the world when your body is dead tired, but your mind is ready to party.

As for my hubby’s volunteer situation, it still exists and it still sucks. It’s been a little frustrating trying to get information like using a snickersee in a gunfight. Nevertheless, his boss finally gave him a call. At least now we know where we stand and what’s going on. Hopefully, we will have a resolution and we can put this very stressful chapter behind us.

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All Star Game

We’re spending our Saturday afternoon watching the NHL All Star game. It’s the perfect way to spend a day I had earmarked for pure rest and relaxation. While the Hubby and I enjoy the game from the comforts of our couch, the Mayor is watching the game live with his teammate. Truly, it will be interesting to hear his impressions of the game. Of course, if we ask, he’ll mumble something and get annoyed.

On Thursday, the Hubby drove the Mayor down to Fla Live arena for the NHL’s All Star game dress rehearsal. He and his teammate got dressed and skated the introductions, so the camera crew could practice their shots. They paid him for his time with a nice all star game hat, which is a pretty big discount for his services. I kid, of course, he was just happy to be a part of the all star experience.

I thought I’d do a weekly recap in memes and photos.

First and foremost, the “Chinese” weather balloon, aka the Death Star, was finally show down today off the coast of the Carolinas. Please note the satire and sarcasm in the sentences before, I’ll brook no complaints about content.

The kitchen sink. Perhaps the grossest story of the week involves our son washing the shit off his shoes in our kitchen sink.

My parents headed home after a beautiful trip to paradise. I certainly wish they could have stayed here longer!

In effort to control the autoimmune flare, I’m on a restricted diet. If it’s fun, I can’t eat it. I kid, sort of…. Hopefully, I can get the flare under control by eating clean. Naturally, there will be no change to my coffee. There are somethings that can’t be compromised.

Ground Hog’s Day has come and went with the little ground rodent seeing his shadow. For many folks, this means six more weeks of winter. For those of us in Florida, it means nothing. Meanwhile, I also saw my shadow and will continue to be a hot mess. If my shadow had vanished, I’m not sure what that would have forebode.

In honor of their performance at the NHL All Star Game today, here’s Fall Out Boy’s Immortals.

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Kitchen Sink

So I have a story that includes everything even the kitchen sink. I give your fair warning that this story is going to be gross and make you question life. Unless you have teenage boys, in which case you’ll strangely find this story believable and dare I say normal. It all began in a gate community west of the turnpike…

Our story starts off with a peaceful evening in our house. The parents and puppies have gone to bed and all is quiet. Anakin is trained to use a pad. Consequently, we leave him out at night and he usually sleeps in our bed. Sometimes, however, he misses the mark. Tuesday night he missed the mark Consequently, he left a land mine in the middle of the floor.

The Mayor, who has a weird aversion to lights, got home from hockey practice after we were already in bed. He doesn’t like the lights on, so he left them on. Unfortunately, this meant he didn’t see the land mind Anakin had left for him. Fortunately, he was still wearing his shoes, so it didn’t get all over his feet. It didn’t crunch or anything like that. It did, however, make a mess of the bottom of his shoe.

So you may be asking yourself, where does the kitchen sink play into this story? Well, I’ll tell you. Apparently, the Mayor decided the right place to clean the dog shit off of his sneakers was our kitchen sink. But wait, it gets worse. He also decided to use the brush we use to scrape dishes clean to clean his shoe. To be fair, he cleaned up the crime scene, so you wouldn’t guess what happened to the kitchen sink the night before. However, he also left the scrub brush there like he hadn’t just used it to clean up dog shit.

This all came out yesterday on my lunch break. At first, I was sure he was kidding. There’s no way he would wash shit off his shoe in the kitchen sink. But then I remember, he’s a teenage boy with the common sense of a toddler. In the end, we ended up throwing both scrub brushes away since he didn’t remember which one he used. He is also now acutely aware that messes like that need to be cleaned outside with the hose and a tree branch. As for the kitchen sink, it’s been bleached and cleaned. Yet, I still can’t look at it the same way.