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Stormy Monday Afternoon

After a very quiet rainy season, we’ve had quite the stormy afternoon. My power has been on and off for twenty minutes, rendering me absolutely useless at work. The storm currently over us is apparently moving so slowly it’s nearly stationary. This doesn’t bode well for being able to get back to work or the evening commute. It’s also been a very loud storm between the driving rain and incessant thunder.

Unfortunately, I think we need a shield for our bathroom window. I noticed that there was water getting in when the rain was driving hard out of the west. Now that the rain has lightened up a bit, there’s no more water coming in. The last thing anyone in Florida needs is water intrusion and the mold that follows. Nonetheless, we’ll be working to dry that out tonight.

The weekend, like every weekend, went way too fast. I did manage to bake some focaccia bread yesterday afternoon. Usually, I bake it with sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella cheese on top. This time, I decided to experiment a bit and baked it with pesto on top and bottom. While I like the taste, I didn’t love how the pesto dried out during baking. I’ll have to experiment a bit more to perfect the recipe.

Last Friday, I finished Kayla Itsines’ High Intensity 2.0. It’s been a fun, but really difficult and rewarding journey. Today I started 3.0, and the exercises ramped up quite a bit. I can’t say that I love broad jump burpees or that I’ll learn to love broad jump burpees, but I’m sure they’re effective. The number of reps per circuit also increased by quite a bit. I should see a lot of progress after 3.0 is down.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: still training, signed up for a 5k on 9/20!
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: finishing 2.0 this week!
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into September and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: went to Vegas, but lots of work to do here. I’m tickled pink that we’ll be going back there in October to see Paul McCartney
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  • Get out of debt: in progress, but still poor
  • Financial independence: in progress, but still opt
  • If you’re not already following me on instagram, give me a follow!
  • ’Check out my newest partner, Zulay Kitchen. You can use the code Welcome43 to get 43% off.

Name the professional athletes you respect the most and why.

The professional athletes I respect the most are hockey players. Nobody puts their body on the line for their team or for the game like hockey players. They’re also nice people who go out of their way to put their fingerprint on the community. We’ve met several NHLers over the years, and they’re genuinely very nice, humble people.

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Winter

Winter has made an appearance here in Florida and the rest of the country. While we haven’t had any snow here, it has been in the 50s and rainy all day. I haven’t even seen the sun today. That rarely happens here in the homeland, aka South Florida. Meanwhile, Jake and Melly got some of the white stuff up in Tallahassee. It looks like they got an inch or two. At Jake’s base, it looks like they got several inches. The pictures from the Panhandle are incredible!

I haven’t spoken with the kids since this morning, but I’m sure the snow has already melted off. Thankfully, The weather has warmed up. They got a lot of sleet and freezing rain to go along with the snow. Undoubtedly, there’s nothing that scares me more than having to drive in freezing rain or sleet. Tonight the melted snow will probably refreeze, so hopefully the kids won’t have to travel anywhere tonight.

Obviously, I’m thrilled we got home Monday night before the weather wreaked havoc on travel. Atlanta had a ground stop, specific to Delta for most of the day. We would have had an extremely long travel day to get home from Nashville. Fortunately, our trip home on Monday was very smooth. The only blips are we lost our upgrades when I moved up our flights and the Mayor’s rumbustius pleadings for fast food.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): 22 days in, 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

If you could make your pet understand one thing, what would it be?

I could make my dogs understand one thing: how much they are loved and valued as members of our family.

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Winter

Well, winter made its appearance here these past two days. It was in the mid-forties when I walked the dogs yesterday. Inspired by the cool weather, I decided to channel a little Minnesota for dinner. Consequently, I baked a hot tator-tot dish. It’s as Minnesotan as pickle rollups and just as good. The Mayor was not buying it and made himself pizza instead. His loss!

Today started cold, but it’s warmed into the 70s. Thank God! I had to wear to sweatshirts when I took the dogs out this morning. When I took them out at lunch, no sweatshirt was needed. It’s perfect outside. This is the weather people move to Florida to enjoy. It’s amazing. Today’s weather is the perfect prescription for the winter blues.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations):10 days in and I haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: it’s been ten 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

Describe an item you were incredibly attached to as a youth. What became of it?

When I was born, my great-grandmother made me a quilt. It was my most prized possession when I was a child. It’s an item that if it were destroyed, there would be compensation adequate for its value. It’s priceless. As of right now, the quilt is upstairs in the closet. It will be handed down to the first granddaughter we have, so it will probably be in that closet for a while yet.

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So Cold!

It’s so cold!!! It was only 44 degrees this morning when I took out the dogs. The thermostat currently shows that it’s 69 degrees in the house. Our thermostat is never below 70. Nonetheless, I can bring myself to turn on the heat. We’ve only used it once in the 18 years we’ve lived in this house. This had to be at least 15 years ago and the temperature had dipped into the 30s. If the temperature drops into the 30s, we’ll probably turn the heat on again.

When I worked in the office, they’d turn the heat on when temperatures dipped into the 50s. Obviously in South Florida, the heating systems don’t get much use. Consequently, when they’re finally turned on after sitting idle for sometimes more than a year, the smell is horrendous. The system must be chockablocked with dust and debris. When the system is fired up for the first time you can smell the dust burning off. Okay, I’m unsure what causes that smell, but I’m pretty sure I’m right.

The nice thing about working from home is having control over the adjustable thermostat. I was shocked to learn, early in my career, that the thermostats were all managed by corporate and nobody could adjust them locally. It made for some chilly days in the office. Unsurprisingly, our regional manager had a space heater hidden in her office. Without the heater, she probably would have gotten frostbite in her office.

What is your mission?

My mission is to make the world a better place. I think the best way to do this is by being kind to everyone you come across. This isn’t always easy given that I live in a place full of crotchety old people, but still, I try.

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Milton‘s Gone

Milton’s gone and good freaking riddance to it and its feeder bands. The last week has been chaotic for most Floridians as we prepared for the storm. We were all prepared for the storm, whether at home, Goalielocks at UCF, or J and M in Tally. The hubby put up our shutters yesterday meant a great night’s sleep. Thank you complete darkness! Of course, by the time Hurricane Milton landed, most of our action was over. We did have the most incredible, albeit brief sunset. Nevertheless, I’m glad that we were ready. I don’t want to get caught ill-prepared for a major storm. Also, I know it gives our folks, worrying from afar back in our hometown, peace of mind.

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There are a couple of axioms when it comes to hurricane preparation. If you’re fully prepared, the storm will wobble away from you. So be prepared. If you don’t lose power during the storm, you lose it intermittently post-storm (wtf FPL.) Everyone becomes a weather expert. Most are benign, but the ones that smugly downplay the storm are dangerous. I saw a few posts from a friend on Facebook that made me cringe. I don’t know which post was worse, the one making fun of people for preparing or the one stating that yesterday’s tornadoes were akin to what we see in summer storms. They weren’t. Not only were they deadly, but they were strong and in wedge form. Florida doesn’t typically are large, wedge tornadoes.

Unfortunately, one of the large tornadoes that hit Wellington impacted one of our friends. I guess this is why I find the glib posts about the storm and tornadoes so offensive. The storm uprooted people’s lives. Thankfully, our friends are safe and only lost property. Sadly, several confirmed reports of fatalities in St. Lucie County have emerged due to the tornadoes Milton spawned. The last axiom when it comes to hurricanes is probably the most important. The storm can impact you even if you’re not close to the center of the storm. Milton was over a hundred miles offshore in the Gulf when the supercells in the feeder bands spawned a tornado outbreak. But hey, at least it’s over and Milton’s gone!

What’s something you would attempt if you were guaranteed not to fail.

I would love to run a marathon without dying. It seems like an overwhelmingly strenuous activity that would be incredibly rewarding.

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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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Stormy Afternoon

It’s a stormy afternoon here in South Florida. I’m so glad I work from home and don’t have to drive in the storms. To be honest, it’s nice to have an afternoon storm, so long as the power stays on and I’m not driving. There’s something very relaxing about a nice afternoon rain. It also fills up the birdbath nicely, so I don’t have to refill it.

We had a busy tree this morning with lots of beautiful birds. The usual suspects, the crackles and mourning doves, were there and were hoping by a yellow-rumped warbler, a cardinal, a blue jay, a mockingbird, a European starling, and Mr. Squirrel. Interestingly enough things are pretty harmonious at the feeders even when there is a crowd.

What is one question you hate to be asked? Explain.

The one question I hate to be asked is if I’m going to try for the girl. Listen I already have three awesome kids that happen to be all male and expensive. I can’t afford another kid, nor do I want to throw up for another 9 months. Pregnancy was fun enough in my 20s, I can’t imagine the joy it would be in my 40s when everything already hurts. To me, any questions about family planning are off-limits. Especially when I’m in the hospital having just delivered a baby.

I vividly remember an aunt asking me when the next baby was coming hours after pushing out my firstborn. First of all, I felt like a bus just drove through me. Secondly, I hadn’t even come to terms with the fact there’s a new human here that I’m in charge of for like 18 years. Thirdly, I don’t think she was volunteering to pay for the expense of my second kid. Consequently, I’m not sure where those funds are going to come from as kids are expensive. Lastly, at that point, I couldn’t even think beyond the next feeding let alone the next baby. So do me and the women in your life a favor, if we have all boys, don’t ask if we’re going to try for the girl. Similarly, don’t ask when the next one’s coming when their new baby is hours old.

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Happy to be Warm

I am happy to be warm after a very chilly weekend in Canada. The Mayor and I had a great time, but I hate wearing multiple layers. Additionally, I hate the feeling that your fingers are going to fall off when you try to pump gas. Who needs windchills below zero? Not this girl; that ship has sailed for me.

I will admit, the falling snow Saturday evening was absolutely beautiful. Winter driving is for the birds. Fortunately, the temperature was warm enough to prevent the roads from icing over. I did, however, have to drive through quite a bit of snow going to the second game Saturday night. While Saturday’s temperature was manageable, Sunday’s weather was offensive. The chill of that winter wind is something you never forget, which is why I live in Florida.

The drive back to Detroit was uneventful. We didn’t see the sign advising us to “don’t pick up hitchhikers, prison area” that we saw on our way to Canada. They must have had some issues with jailbirds hitchhiking their way away from prison. I did think my fingers were going to fall off when I was pumping gas. To be blunt, I was thrilled when we took off leaving winter behind. The flight home was smooth and we even saw the SpaceEx launch from the plane. It was amazing to see, but impossible to photograph. Anyway, I’m happy to be home and happy to be warm.

What is your favorite animal?

What a silly question. Everyone knows my favorite animal is a dog. I love them. Our dogs are such a big part of our family. Maya and Athena, even though they left us physically are never far from our hearts or thoughts. Dogs love their family unconditionally and are always by your side. Their loving disposition and loyalty feed the soul. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that most dogs are super cute.

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Snow Storm!

We are in the midst of a snow storm here in Sarnia. It was absolutely beautiful earlier this evening as the snowflakes began to fall. Nevertheless, the beautiful snow also inspired some deep seated anxiety over driving in the snow. After all, this is the very weather we moved to Florida to avoid. Fortunately, it’s remained warm enough, so the roads, while wet and snow covered, were not at all icy.

Tomorrow morning, however, the temperatures are supposed to fall into the low twenties. I am a bit nervous the roads may get icy. Perhaps will have a plow come through cleaning the road and paving the way for us as if we’re dignitaries. (Wishful thinking obviously!). It’s also supposed to start snowing again midday Saturday. In all, they’re expecting anywhere from 6-15 inches of snow. Fortunately, the Mayor and I both upgraded our winter wear yesterday. Needless to say, my anxiety over driving is making me feel like a curmudgeon.

What snack would you eat right now?

As I write this, I’m enjoying some yummy breadsticks and cheese. I saw these at Walmart this morning and had to buy them. They remind me of spending weekends at my grandmas and eating Moo Town Snackers while watching Saved by the Bell. We ate in between games, which made for a really early supper. I’m a bit hungry, so this was the perfect sized snack.

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Stormy Weather

There’s stormy weather everywhere today. My weather app is beeping constantly with new watches and warnings for the areas I track. Unfortunately, my oldest two are currently under tornado watches. Here in South Florida, it is exceedingly rainy. I don’t think they expect storms here until later this evening. Hopefully, it won’t be anything severe.

I’m thankful the storms don’t bother our dogs. Otherwise, we’d be in for a long evening. Since the weather isn’t great, I opted to spin over lunch instead of running with Arrow. It’s also a nice break for my joints. Although I have to be honest, since I started wearing On Running shoes, I have very little pain after a I run. This is truly a miracle given I have torn tendons and ligaments in both ankles and feet.

What is your mission?

My mission is to make this world a better place. I became resolute in this mission after working with a woman so toxic and terrible that my only response was to be the exact opposite. When I tell you she was a terrible person, I am not overstating it one bit. She is the kind of person that can find something wrong with every person, moment and situation. Further, she would make it her mission to make people feel as terrible as she clearly felt about herself. After working with her, I should have been awarded a diploma in abnormal psychology.

It was the realization that her self hate drove her behavior that drove me to take another approach. Obviously, we can’t make someone not hate themselves. We can, however, be the antithesis and go out of our way to make people’s days brighter. We can be a harbinger of joy and kindness that seeks to make the world a happier and better place one interaction at a time.