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Midweek

It’s midweek, which while better than Monday it isn’t Friday. Nevertheless, the majority of the work week is now behind me. I shouldn’t complain too loudly since I can work from wherever I want. This week I’m working out of my parents house in Minny. My schedule is 8-5 est, which leads me plenty of time in the evenings to workout, visit folks or just be lazy.

Last night we went to Panino’s for dinner. Panino’s was one of my favorite restaurants before we moved to Florida. I was happy to see that the restaurant hasn’t lost its sparkle. The food, I had the chicken fajita panino, was very good. In fact, it my leftovers were the perfect stay to feed my face post run. The restaurant was a lot less busy than it used to be, but there are a lot more dining options now available in the area.

After dinner, I headed over to visit my friend Matt who I haven’t seen since before the pandemic. It was really nice to see him and reconnect after all these years. Honestly, it feels like all of us were just in high school yesterday. That feeling is definitely at odds with the fact all three of my boys have left the nest. It was the great day and a great night. The only thing missing was my adorable puppies and their excited wiggles when they see me.

Speaking of my empty nest, all three boys are doing well. The Mayor reached out looking for some protein powder and bio freeze. Apparently, they must be working him pretty hard in Ft Myers’s. Goalielocks started classes and volleyball practice this week, which are both going well. Jake and I are working on the logistics of our Mighty Five Adventure.

What motivates you?

My boys have always been a big source of motivation. I can hardly ask them to work towards becoming the best version of themselves if I’m not setting example. Speaking of motivated, I’m on a three day streak of running outside. Unfortunately, I’ll have to go back to running on the treadmill once back home due to the heat. I am, however, really enjoying running on the track.

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Good News

We got good news today after Goalielocks’ appointment with an orthopedic surgeon. The doctor noted his shoulder is quite unstable. Moreover, he didn’t think Goalielocks tore anything. At this point, the doctor stated he does not need surgery to fix the shoulder. Thank god! He will be in a sling for the next four to six weeks and will see the doctor again in two weeks. His left shoulder appears to have a labrum tear, which isn’t good news. Nevertheless, the doctor felt both shoulders could be treated with physical therapy with no need for surgery at this time.

It was weird to be so far away while he saw the doctor. Goalielocks has always been interested in medicine and did clinicals during high school. Consequently, I knew he’d be fine interfacing with the doctor without his parents present. In fact, I’m confident that he did a better job articulating his injury than I’ve ever been able to do. He opted not to take ibuprofen or Tylenol for pain, so he could better understand which movements caused the most pain. This way he could give very detailed information to the doctor.

I guess it’s easy to forget that while pain sucks, it does provide vital information to our brains. Speaking of pain, my left knee does not like the spin bike so much. In fact, I find it quite rebellious when I hit the pinnacle of hills. Fortunately, the discomfort in my knee tends to go away once the ride and walking cooldown are over. I’m going to try my knee brace tomorrow and see if that helps. I plan to start running next week, so I’m curious to see how the knee likes the treadmill.

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: Spin Class through JRNY app
  • Book: The Seven Husbands Of Eleanor Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  • Blog: done
  • Word of the day: flammiferous which means producing or bright with flame. You’ll thank me the next time you play Scrabble.
  • Today’s song: Feeling Good performed by Michael Buble
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Eventful Evening

Our sleepy Valentine’s Day ended up being an eventful evening when Goalielocks called home injured. I had been texting him and calling him about an Uber eats charge that showed up on my credit card on Super Bowl Sunday. He finally called back when he was leaving volleyball with a dislocated right shoulder. Unfortunately, he was thinking he’d need to go the ER, however, his dad and I were able to convince him the ER wasn’t a great idea.

Consequently, I got up and started looking for in network urgent cares near his apartment. Thankfully, there were two in his area. Better yet, there was one that was still open! Here the urgent cares close at 8:00 pm, which I think is ridiculous. Fortunately, he was able to make an appointment at the urgent care for last evening. I chuckled as he texted and called as he filled out the forms. As a mom, I’ve filled out countless forms for schools, hospitals and clinics. Motherhood is a sea of forms that need to be filled out. Honestly, It was nice to no be the person filling it out.

The doctor took an X-ray as as expected nothing was broken. His shoulder was dislocated with a suspected labrum tear. The doctor put him in a sling and gave him a referral for an orthopedic doctor. I had fallen asleep before he left his appointment, but went to bed comfortable in the knowledge he can competently take care of himself in this situation. Sure enough he sent me a photo of himself in a sling once he got back to his apartment.

So our uneventful Valentine’s became quite an eventful evening, so much for the romance. Goalielocks will be seeing an orthopedic doctor tomorrow for his right shoulder. Although, he probably should have the doctor look at both shoulders as he has a preexisting left shoulder injury. In addition his old injury, the Mayor had dislocated his shoulder two weeks ago as well. Consequently, I had gotten a referral for a shoulder expert here in Palm Beach County. Needless to say, they’ll both be seeing the expert sooner rather than later.

The accountability tracker is back now that I’m better and settled back into my routine!

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: Spin Class through JRNY alp
  • Book: The Seven Husbands Of Eleanor Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  • Blog: done
  • Word of the day: Mohawk. My boys always wanted a Mohawk or a mullet. I always said no. Now that their older, the choice is fully theirs to make.
  • Today’s song: Tennesee Whiskey by Chris Stapleton
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Volleyball Banquet

Last night we had Goalielocks’ volleyball banquet at the high school. It was a nice dinner with both the boys and girls volleyball teams. He’s played volleyball the last two years, but there was no banquet last year due to Covid. Dinner was courtesy of Olive Garden, which was good. Fortunately, it settled in my stomach. I was a bit worried as my stomach had been quite sensitive lately.

While we ate, the coach, the senior captains and the underclass men gave their speeches. They were nice, brief and to the point. After the speeches came the awards. Goalielocks was awarded a letter in in varsity Volleyball. After the awards, the kids switched into active wear and the girls took on the boys. The girls beat the boys, which wasn’t super surprising given the talent on the girls team. A lot of Goalielocks’ team was relatively new to the sport. It was a fun way to end the volleyball banquet.

We’re currently driving to the west coast for hockey. There’s nothing I hate more than driving on state road 60. It’s honestly the worst road in the history of roads. In fact, the entire of state road 60 should be at least four lanes instead of one lane each way. There’s nothing more disconcerting than your car shaking as a semi speeds by heading the other direction.

My outfit for the volleyball banquet

We’re still a good two hours out from our resort. While we’re heading west for hockey, we thought we’d make it worth the parents’ while by booking an nice resort. Consequently, we’ll be staying at the Saddlebrook Resort and Spa. The resort has a couple of incredible pools, which is where I plan on spending my day tomorrow. Since we only have to be playing this year, our game schedule is nice and light.

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Senior Night

It was senior night for Goalielocks’ volleyball team last Thursday. Honestly, it’s hard to believe that he’s graduating high school. Time definitely flies by when you’re raising kids. We’ve all heard that old axiom and probably we’re super annoyed by it when our kids were toddlers, but it’s painfully true. Even if those toddler years seem to crawl buy with endless daycare and diaper bills.

All of the seniors played the first set, which was nice. Unfortunately, they didn’t play well. They were off and every bounce when the other’s team way. Also, let’s talk about officiating for a second. I’ve worked the penalty box for years and our ice hockey refs are super thick skinned. I’ve never seen an official hand out so many cards for hurt feelings before. At this point, I’m certain the ref would give the coach a ref card if she told them their shoe was untied.

We still can’t follow the rules for volleyball, but I’m not sure if that’s because we’re slow or the officials are uneven in their application of said rules. It’s a much different game from hockey, but fun to watch. The parents in the stands, bat shit crazy like hockey. People think I’m crazy for working the ice box that is the penalty box, but here’s the deal. I’d rather freeze my ass off in the box, then listen to some idiot parent wax philosophical about the play of every kid on the ice.

Senior night, as it always is, was emotional for all involved. The end of an important chapter of Goalielocks’ life and ours is quickly coming to a close. Its been fun to watch him grow and thrive even if some days, I’ve wanted to tear out my hair. His last day of school is coming quickly. I’m not ready for it, so buckle up folks because you’re in for weeks of sentimental blog posts.

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Birthday

Today’s my birthday and the start of another trip around the sun. I’m blown away and grateful for all the love my friends and family have shown me today. Unsurprisingly, the highlight of my day was waking up to an early morning happy birthday text from Jake. It only got better when he surprised me with a FaceTime call as soon as I finished work. Honestly, I was so surprised and happy that he was able to call. His schedule is insane, so his call was everything. Also, he looked great and sounded great, which always puts this mama at ease.

The rest of my birthday has been low key, which is perfect. Who doesn’t love a little peace amongst the chaos. After I got off the phone with Jake, I went for a nice run. I say nice because I didn’t throw up. Although I was mighty close to losing my cookies at the end. The Hubby and Mayor spoiled me with a great dinner that really sizzled. Goalielocks had an early game today, so he missed dinner. Once the Mayor gets back from hockey practice, we’ll break out the ice cream and cake.

I took some pictures at Goalielocks’ volleyball game last night. It was quite the adjustment from shooting hockey . The field of view is much bigger on all scales. Unfortunately, this resulted in some great shots of the OHS ceiling and sometimes the volleyball. As the game progressed, I moved up the bleachers, which gave me a wider field of view. Fortunately, I was able to get some decent action pictures of the team, which you can enjoy below.

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Volleyball

Well, I finally got to see Goalielocks play volleyball. Good news, they won. Bad news, I know nothing about the sport. I’m going to have to learn a whole new vernacular. In fact, I though the game was over when they scored 15, but it’s actually 25. Goalielocks and his crew played the Olympic Heights Lions. Tonight was the first time I’ve been at the school since Jake graduated five years ago.

Goalielocks is a setter and played two games tonight. He had some great serves and some great play. Well, at least I think he did. To be fair, the serves were good because they got his team points. It was fun to watch him with his team. He definitely is enjoying the varsity volleyball experience. Their team definitely has a lot of spirit and plays with a lot of gusto. You can hear them from a mile away.

Tonight is the last night of my forty first year or as I like to say twenty seven plus fourteen. It’s always a blessing to be given another trip around the sun. I won’t lie and say that forty one has been fun or even a decent year because it hasn’t. Quite frankly year forty one was a complete abortion of a year. If it were an Uber driver, I’d give it one star. Fortunately, every day is a new opportunity to live one’s best life. Here’s to a brilliant forty second trip around the sun and a big fuck you to the forty first trip!