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May Day

It’s May Day, not to be confused with Mayday. After another night of poor to little sleep, mayday is what my body is screaming. As for the new month, I’m amazed that after January took five years to get through, I’ve blinked and it’s now May. The last couple of months have passed in an utter blur. With every passing year, time seems to move faster and faster.

Today, people all over the world the world are celebrate May Day by dancing around a maypole, celebrating the impending start of summer. Here in Florida, we call it Thursday. We do not need to celebrate summer here, given our balmy year-round climate. We’d rather celebrate the end of rainy season or the end of hurricane season than the impending doom of record-high dew points and temperatures.

Anyway, I digress. As I think back on the two months I took off from the blog, I realized I’ve accomplished a lot. Firstly, I read voraciously. I’ll be posting all my reads from the last two months soon. Secondly, I started jumping rope. While I found out I’m not very good at it, I do enjoy it. Third, this accomplishment is mostly the Mayor’s; his A1C at his first follow-up with our endocrinologist was 5.7%. This is an amazing number for a type 1 diabetic. He’s doing amazing. Lastly, we hit our fundraising goal for PurpleStride.

Of course, I can’t leave today’s blog without mentioning that both my Florida Panthers and Minnesota Timberwolves got the job done last night. Both clubs closed out round one of the playoffs. The Panthers looked dominant last night, particularly in the third. As for the Timberwolves game, it started way too late for me.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into February and 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 reading A Knight and a Spy 1413 (The Road to Agincourt – King’s Spy), by Simon Fairfax
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

Do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?

I have a couple, and I think of them often. I love Oscar Wilde’s quote, “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” Moreover, Victor Hugo has two quotes that refer back to often. First, “even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” The second quote is, “It is nothing to die, it is frightful not to live.” I think the first is a poignant reminder that things will always get better, no matter how bleak things seem. The other Hugo quote and the Oscar Wilde quote are poignant reminders to live each day and enjoy the moment.

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Rainy Afternoon

It’s a rainy afternoon here in South Florida. Thankfully, the thunder and lightning have abated making it infinitely easier to hear on the phone. The rain can’t, however, dampen our spirits as we continue to ride the wave of the Panthers Stanley Cup win. I think all of us Panthers fans have been watching and rewatching clips from Monday night’s win since the game ended. There is something special about watching people achieve their dreams.

The parade is on Sunday and should be a marvelous time. First of all, there are few places prettier than Fort Lauderdale Beach. I love that strip of A1A. The hubby will be working, so it will be just the Mayor and myself. We’ll have to get there early since we’re parking near the parade route at a friend’s place. Hopefully, the weather cooperates and there’s no rain. Thankfully, the beautiful beach is there if we need to cool off for a minute. We’ll be wearing our swimsuits to the event.

Amazing photo taken by Juan Morales Monday night @

I’ve been hunting for Stanley Cup merchandise that isn’t an arm and a leg. I found the hats and t-shirts for the boys, but am still looking for a women’s version of the shirt. I hate paying for shipping so any site charging for it is out of the question. Hopefully, I can find what I’m looking for when I am out. Otherwise, I’ll be out of gas.

Off topic, but super important to me. One of my dearest aunts is in the hospital and not doing well. Please keep her, her son, my grandma, and our family in your prayers.

What’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten?

I’ve had some great meals and great desserts in my life, so it’s really hard to narrow it down. One of my favorites is the Kouign-Aman we ate in Normandy at the gite (think AirBnB) after traveling into Brittany to see Saint Malo.

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Stanley Cup Champions

The Florida Panthers are Stanley Cup Champions!!! They sure made it hard on themselves by losing three in a row to Edmonton. It is a difficult trudge even to make the finals let alone win them. Additionally, they were the inspiration for a lot of nervous baking. We may lose weight now that I’m not nervously baking during every Panthers game. Last night’s nerves far exceeded the urge to bake nervously. I think all of South Florida was on tenterhooks for most of the game.

Game seven of any championship series is a stomach-twisting, exhilarating ride for the fans. It’s also the cause of stress hives, heartburn, and high blood pressure. Thank god for Benadryl, which put paid to my stress hives. During the third period, it seemed like time stood still. The Panthers went into the third with the lead and are a great third-period team, but Edmonton has some big guns that can score in clutch situations.

In the end, the Cats held off the Oilers to win Lord Stanley’s Cup. It was an amazing moment. There were definitely tears in my eyes watching the team react to winning the cup. It’s been a long time since any of my teams have won a championship (such is life as a Minnesota Sports fan.). I loved seeing Barkov raise the cup. He’s been an amazing captain for the Panthers for years and makes everyone around him better. Naturally, he handed it off to Bob, who had a career game last night. It’s obvious from watching the team interact and the way they talk about each other that the team is a family.

The Boys’ first Panther game

If you were forced to wear one outfit over and over again, what would it be?

In honor of the Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers, I’d say my red Panthers T-shirt. If you ask any of my South Florida neighbors, they’d probably say Panthers’ gear today too.

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Twenty-Five

Twenty-five is how old my eldest son Jake turned today. What’s odd, however, is that I’m only 33. Somehow the math just isn’t mathing. I can’t believe twenty-five years have passed since this amazing person entered the world. My Hubby and I were just kids when he was born. Now, especially today and with his impending wedding, I’m feeling a bit old.

Twenty-five years ago there were no digital cameras and I hadn’t even purchased my first cell phone yet. My hubby was still rocking a pager. My parents had cellphones, but they were the size of bricks and you had to pay by the minute. I can’t believe how much has changed in our world since he was born. We’ve gone from an analog society to a fully digital society. New Star Wars movies no longer have the novelty that they did in 1999. Who wasn’t excited to see the Phantom Menace.

Unfortunately, we won’t be able to celebrate the big birthday with Jake as he’s home in Tally. Fortunately, he’s coming down for the 4th, so we’ll celebrate him then. Meanwhile, we’ll watch the Panthers continue to choke in the Stanley Cup Finals. I’m not willing to get my hopes up at this point because the Cats will break my heart. No matter what, this team has been so fun to watch this season. I’m excited to see how their success will continue growing the Florida game.

Which food, when you eat it, instantly transports you to childhood?

There are a couple of foods that bring me back to my childhood. Creamy cucumber salad is one of them. I used to love it when my great-grandma would make this with cucumbers straight from her garden or the farmer’s market. Pickles roll-ups, aka Minnesota sushi, are another food that transports me back to the 1980s.

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Torture

Oh, these playoffs are torture. The Panthers had a chance to lift the cup yesterday at home, but they blew it. What a ridiculous collapse!!!! The Cats came out flat and gave up yet another short-handed goal. Eventually, they found their game, but it was too little too late. I guess the good news is they found their game again. Hopefully, this energy will transfer into game six. I don’t think I (or my heart) handle the emotional stress of going to game seven. Pure torture!

I did end up nervously baking sugar cookies as I watched the game on mute. The puppies were picking up my nervous energy last night. Meanwhile, ESPN’s coverage of the cup has been abysmal (yawn) at best. I wish TNT had the broadcast rights because they do a much better job. They’re also much more evenhanded in how they talk about the teams and players. ESPN’s coverage is an embarrassment to the sport and the league. The boys lucked out and got to watch the game live at Amerant Arena.

Write about your first crush

It was so long ago, so I don’t remember their names.

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Bundle of Nerves

Boy oh boy am I a bundle of nerves today. You would think my boys were playing tonight and not the big boys. The Panthers must win one more game to raise Lord Stanley’s Cup. It would be infinitely cooler if they could do that tonight at home. Also, it would bring a lot of emotional relief for stressed-out hockey fans. Unfortunately, it also brings the end of hockey season, so I’m not sure what we’ll watch on TV now.

Luckily, the hubby and Mayor are headed to the game tonight. I wonder who will be beating the drum to open the game? Game one was the Dolphins head coach and Game two was Alonzo Mourning. It will be interesting to see who they bring out tonight. While my guys enjoy the amazing atmosphere of Amerant Arena, I’ll be baking my nerves away. Most likely, I’ll be making some more sugar cookies. They’re easy to bake even when distracted by hockey games.

What countries do you want to visit?

Where does one even start with this question? There are so many places that I’d like to visit. If I listed them all I’d be blogging for days. The shortlist would be Norway, the UK, Denmark, Italy, France, Finland, Peru and Iceland. Now back to being a bundle of nerves!

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Father’s Day Weekend

Father’s Day weekend was busy around these parts. It was a good weekend. Although it would have been better if the Panthers had won Saturday night instead of embarrassing themselves, but oh well. The Mayor and Hubby are going to game five tomorrow, so they’re not upset about the loss. My superstitious ass will be home wearing the same sandals and shirt I wore the last time they won.

We had a barbecue on Saturday and Sunday at our friend’s house. Saturday for the game and Sunday for Father’s Day. While the guys discussed the hockey game both before and after, I played dollies with Ava. I think it’s been over 35 years since I’ve played with dollies. She was so excited to show me the new bunkbeds she got for Rapunzel and Elsa. It was a nice change of pace from what I am used to with my boys.

We also played duck, duck goose both nights. First of all, where we grew up, it was duck, duck gray duck. There was none of this goose nonsense. Apparently, this gray duck thing is uniquely Minnesotan. It’s also very hard to play with only two people, but who is going to argue with an adorable four-year-old. Not me! We did try to recruit the dogs, but they were having none of it. Saturday night we had much better participation. Ava was giggling through the entire game. Oh to be four and carefree again.

As for baking, I baked a key lime pie Saturday and some cheese bread Sunday. I used a new recipe for the crust, which I didn’t love. The actual recipe for the filling was amazing. Fortunately, the limes I bought at Target were fresh and extra juicy. As for the cheese bread, I ended up with jumbo flat biscuits instead of nice round ones. Unfortunately, I don’t think the recipe’s proportion of liquid to flour was right. Although I’m sure the humidity didn’t help. Next time I’ll try a different recipe. The flat cheese bread, however, was very tasty.

My favorite thing about myself is that I’m resilient and persistent. I don’t give up on my goals and I always keep fighting no matter what.

What’s your favorite thing about yourself?

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Ambivalent

I’ve been a bit ambivalent about blogging lately. I enjoy writing, but life has become a bit mundane. While mundane often has negative connotations, I find it a bit refreshing. For the last twenty-five years, we’ve been moving at light speed all day every day. It’s nice to have some slow moments where we have little to nothing going on. I quite enjoy that our excitement as of late has come from the bird feeder.

It’s been magnificent having two teams in their respective league’s conference finals. Unfortunately, the Timberwolves were eliminated yesterday. Meanwhile, the Panthers now lead the series after beating the Rangers last night. Us hockey people are quite superstitious, so true to form I watched the game at home and went to bed after period one. The boys, however, went and watched the games at our friends’ house. One mustn’t mess with the mojo.

This weekend I’ll be busy baking. I’m making caramel rolls for Melody’s bridal shower on Sunday. I also found a delectable-looking cheesecake recipe that I want to try. Fortunately, the hubby is willing to take one for the team and try whatever cheesecake I may bake. Additionally, I got stuff to make cream cheese wontons. Last weekend I made some pork sausage wontons that were a big hit. Hopefully, the cream cheese wontons turn out just as good.

How do you know when it’s time to unplug? What do you do to make it happen?

I know I need to unplug daily to keep myself mentally sane. I do that by putting my phone away at least an hour before bed. Once the phone is up, I get snuggled up in my bed with Anakin, his ducks, and a good book. I usually read until I can’t keep my eye open anymore. It’s the perfect way to unplug and unwind from the day.

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Nervous Baking

A couple of months ago, I introduced you to rage baking and now let me introduce you to nervous baking. Since the Panthers have lost every game I’ve watched at our friends’ house, I decided to stay home like I did in game one since they won that game. Consequently, I decided to put my nervous energy to work by baking some cookies.

My go-to cookie lately has been the sugar cookie. It’s quick and easy to make. Also, they have fewer calories than a chocolate chip cookie. By the time the cookies came out, the Panthers were already down a goal. It was time to feed the dogs and head to bed. I read my book for a while before falling asleep in it. I woke up around 11:30 and saw the hubby on his phone. I was happy to learn that both the Panthers and Timberwolves had won their games. Consequently, I’ll be nervous baking for game five on Thursday.

What jobs have you had?

I’ve had several jobs over the years none as big as being a mom. I really couldn’t care less about the jobs I’ve had as I don’t derive joy from employment. I’d prefer to retire like yesterday.

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Player of the Game

The Mayor was the Florida Panther’s player of the game last night. The Florida Panthers Scholastic Hockey League (FPHSL) chose him for the honor last weekend. They provided a number of questions for him to answer for the feature. His first answer to why you love hockey was “hookers and blow,” but obviously that response didn’t make the Final Cut. (In case you’re curious, there’s actually a book on Amazon called Hookers and Blow Save Christmas.)

We’re quite proud of our player of the game. Meanwhile, he was a bit embarrassed and asked me not to post the picture on Instagram. To everyone that texted, messaged, or hit me up on social media last night, thank you. I loved hearing from so many people that have been on this hockey journey with us. You guys have made our hockey experience incredible. At any rate, it was a nice way to cap off hockey season. Although it did keep me up way past my bedtime.

Prior to the Panthers game, I was calling all my previous PurpleStride team captains that haven’t registered. It was all part of our national registration day. Fortunately, it was a success. Our efforts yesterday have paid dividends and will continue to do so as the week progresses. Honestly, we have the best working group ever. I love being a part of our PanCan affiliate. We have the best volunteer group in the world. If you or your teen is looking for service hours in the South Florida area, please let me know.

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: exoskeleton. As in I heard the spider’s exoskeleton crunch as I stepped on it.
  • Today’s song is Sweetness by Jimmy Eat World