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It Gave Up

It gave up. After serving us dutifully for over 14 years, our refrigerator has decided 2020 was the year to stop working. Yay! Fortunately, for us, it decided to give out during the holidays. A time in which there are no added expenses or stresses. We first noticed this wonderful gift when the dogs began licking the floor around the fridge. I mean, dogs like to lick stuff, but licking the floor constantly is a bit weird. That is when I noticed some meat had defrosted and was leaking through the seal, which clearly doesn’t work well, and on to the floor.

Last night, it was only the freezer that wasn’t freezing. Well, this morning I noticed the fridge side has also thrown in the towel. In case you were wondering, it is loads of fun to move things from one fridge to the next. Fortunately, we have two fridges in the garage and a freezer. Thank god for the garage fridges that are a true hallmark of raising teenage boys. In fact, we could probably add another garage fridge and be just fine. Who knew humans could eat so much and gain so little. This human is a bit jealous. I watch them eat and gain weight.

Nonetheless, some good will come out of this. All of our kitchen appliances will finally match. Until now, all of our appliances except for the fridge are stainless steel. For some inexplicable reason, the original homeowners selected a black fridge for the kitchen. Truly, it was the one bad choice they made when it came to building this house. Needless to say, it will be nice to have all the appliances matching for the first time in fourteen years. It does, however, suck to have to spend some serious coin on a boring refrigerator this holiday season.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read The Idiot, by Fyodor Dosytoevsky

*It’s day 2 of BBG 3.0 week 5, which means it cardio day!

*I’m so excited!!!! I’m counting down the days until my oldest boy comes home for Christmas! His arrival is getting closer!!!!!

*Today I ran two miles and walked a mile. It was not easy, but I did it!

*Today’s word of the day is laud. I laud folks that continue to wear masks out of respect for others.

*I love the footprints the puppies leave on the patio when coming back in every morning. Today’s footprints may have included some ashes since they knocked over the grill. There are, however, no kitties in this house.

*I took my puppies including sweet Anakin for a walk. Today Anakin is wearing his Christmas bow tie. He looks mighty dapper if I say so myself. Naturally, I bought all three dogs Christmas outfits. I can’t wait to share the pictures with you. You’ll love them.

Today’s song of the day is Seasons of Love from RENT.

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I’m So Excited

I’m so excited! In just a few days, my boy will be home for the holidays! It’s been over a year since he’s been home. Can you believe it? Truly, we can’t wait to see how the dogs respond to seeing him again after all this time. I think they’re going to lose their minds! Anakin, of course, will be meeting him for the first time. Before he meets him, we’ll give Athena and Maya time to hang out with Jake without the interference of their little brother.

Speaking of I’m so excited. Is it just me or does that phrase immediately conjure pictures of the Saved By the Bell episode where Jesse Spano overdoes it on caffeine pills? I’m pretty sure if you were born in the 80s like I was, you know exactly what I’m talking about. What I need to see and have not yet watched is the Saved By the Bell reboot. My brothers and I used to watch Saved by the Bell every Saturday morning usually at my Grandma’s house. Has anyone in the blogosphere watched it? Is it any good?

Anyway, I digress. Here at the homestead, preparations are underway for Jake’s return. We’ve got to set up his old-old room for him since Goalielocks took over his room. This has been a bit of an undertaking since Goalielocks’ cleaning style involves throwing everything in that presently unused room. Yeah, he cleaned the upstairs a couple of weeks ago and it looked pretty good. At least, it looked pretty good until I went looking for my medicine ball in his old bedroom.

Yesterday, the Mayor had one game up at Skatezone. They won 4-0 and he had a great game. Unfortunately, he took an elbow to the head that sent his head into the boards at the end of the game. Since I was working the box, I was able to clearly see it from my vantage point. Consequently, once we got home from the game he began to complain about a headache. Thankfully, he passed the concussion protocol and had no other symptoms apart from the headache. Out of an abundance of caution, we’re going to keep him home from practice tonight. He, however, is not supportive of our cautious approach. Too bad!

Also, I finally made it to the eye doctor after putting it off for years. I know, I know, it’s horrible. Thankfully, the appointment was quick and painless. Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any signs of thyroid eye disease in my eyes. Thyroid eye disease, TED, is often a hallmark symptom of Graves diseases. I’m fortunate, however, that my eyes have not been impacted either before RAI or after RAI. Lastly, I treated myself to my first new pair of glasses in like a decade. I’ll post a picture as soon as they come in.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read The Idiot, by Fyodor Dosytoevsky

*It’s day 1 of BBG 3.0 week 5, which means it leg day!

*I’m so excited!!!! I’m counting down the days until my oldest boy comes home for Christmas!

*Today I ran a mile and walked a mile. It went far better than my run on Friday. Thank god!

*Today’s word of the day is astound. My children’s ability to “clean” astounds me. Perhaps it’s my fault for trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

*I love the footprints the puppies leave on the patio when coming back in every morning. Today’s footprints may have included some ashes since they knocked over the grill. There are, however, no kitties in this house.

*I took my puppies including sweet Anakin for a walk. Today Anakin is wearing his Christmas bow tie. He looks mighty dapper if I say so myself. Naturally, I bought all three dogs Christmas outfits. I can’t wait to share the pictures with you. You’ll love them!

Today’s song is Whiskey in the Jar, by Metallica.

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Normal Saturday

For the first time since early October, it’s been a normal Saturday for me. It’s nice not having to work and being able to relax and get stuff done. The Mayor and I started the day off at BJ’s picking up some groceries. Surprisingly, the store was pretty empty, which made the shopping experience quite easy. Normally, I find BJ’s to be utterly unbearable. This, of course, is why I only go there once a month. Also, I don’t think my freezers could hold all the food if I went there more often. Needless to say, I’m happy that I checked that trip off my December to-do list.

Yesterday we started working with a trainer for Anakin. It’s been hard to get him socialized and trained properly due to the pandemic, but Gari will be great for him. He did really well with her once he got comfortable. Unfortunately, he’s a bit of a nervous dog around new people, so it took a while for him to warm up. We quickly figured out, however, that as long as Maya was out of the crate with him, he was more comfortable. Our session yesterday was a consultation and to see how he would respond. I liked Gari’s style and felt that I learned a lot from her. We didn’t cover a lot of ground yesterday, but we’ve been practicing his new skills a lot today.

I had planned to run today, but my body is just not feeling it. After all, it’s my second week back to working out after a six or seven week hiatus. My goal is to get back to running every day for at least a mile. Additionally, I’m back to practicing yoga daily, which is helping a lot. BBG continues to deliver week after week of great workout. Since I took a break, I’ve definitely regressed a bit. Consequently, I’ll be repeating BBG 3.0 before moving on to 4.0. BBG 3.0 is significantly more difficult than 2.0, so I don’t feel bad at all about having to repeat it.

This afternoon, I mixed up some cookie dough for Christmas cookies and ordered more decorations. Like many Americans, I find myself decorating the house more this year. After all, 2020 has been such a gloomy year, why not brighten it up with some Christmas cheer. I’ve also been working on my memory book for Jake’s Air Force journey. It’s so fun to look back on the pictures from the past year. Hopefully, I’ll finish the book later today or tomorrow. This evening we’re headed to my brother’s for dinner. Again, since I’ve gone nowhere in like seven weeks, it will be nice to leave the house.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read The Idiot, by Fyodor Dosytoevsky

*It’s day 6 of BBG 3.0 week 4 and I’m doing nothing. I decided to rest on the 6th day because I’m a rebel like that.

*Today I thought about running a mile and decided to take the day off. It was good thought.

*Today’s word of the day is share, which is why I write this blog. To share my thoughts great and small with all of you.

*I’m enjoying my normal Saturday with absolutely nothing on my to do list.

*I’m headed to my brother’s tonight for dinner and board games.

*After today, my running streak stands at 0 days and I’m not mad about it.

*I love the footprints the puppies leave on the patio when coming back in every morning. Today’s footprints may have included some ashes since they knocked over the grill. There are, however, no kitties in this house.

*I took my puppies including sweet Anakin for a walk. Today Anakin is wearing his Christmas bow tie. He looks mighty dapper if I say so myself. Naturally, I bought all three dogs Christmas outfits. I can’t wait to share the pictures with you. You’ll love them!

Today’s song is Superheroes by The Script, enjoy!

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O Tannebaum

O Tannebaum that wonderful Christmas song celebrating the arboreal symbol of our greatest holiday Christmas has been playing in my head since yesterday. Last night, we put up our new tree. I had ordered it after Thanksgiving and they finally delivered it yesterday. To be fair, when I say we, I really mean the hubby put up our new tree. While it needs some plumping and some time to decompress from its packaging, it still looks pretty good. Immediately, it’s presence transformed the house into a place of holiday warmth and good tidings. It’s no wonder we left it up so long last year. It’s hard to be upset or disappointed when looking at a beautiful tree.

Hopefully, we’ll be able to start decorating the tree tonight and this weekend, which will only add to the cheer it brings. This year I’ve added a few Air Force ornaments to celebrate Jake’s service. Over the years, I’ve also picked up Christmas ornaments throughout our travels. Scandinavians know how to do Christmas, so I bought plenty of Christmas decorations while in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Not only do they represent our heritage, but each decoration carries with it memories from our travels. Consequently, since we haven’t been able to travel much this year, our memories of journeys past will have to sustain us during this time of pandemic.

As we get ready to decorate the house, I’m reminded of how much I need to bake. This year I’m planning to make Pulla (Finnish cardamon bread,) Joulutortu (Finnish Christmas star cookies,) mint cookies, Krumkakes (Norwegian cookies,) Kringla (Norwegian cookies,) and lefse. Ordinarily, my mom and grandmother make molasses cookies, which I love. I have found, however, that with the humidity in Florida it is hard to make good molasses cookies. They usually come out to wet or way too dense. Nonetheless, I’m looking forward to baking this holiday season. For the star cookies and krumkakes, I’m planning to use cloudberry, lingonberry and blueberry. My personal favorite is the cloudberry.

Unrelated to Christmas, Anakin starts puppy kindergarten today. He really needs training as it has been delayed due to COVID. Due to the pandemic, we’re bringing someone into the house to work with him one on one. He’s a fabulous puppy, but he needs to be better trained. I’m excited to see how he does with the trainer.

And now for some entertainment, here’s the Mayor singing his version of O Tannebaum on a random drive to the rink nine years ago.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read The Idiot, by Fyodor Dosytoevsky

*It’s day 5 of BBG 3.0 week 4 and I’m doing the ab workout today. If it’s anything like the other two workouts, it’s going to kick my butt.

*Today I ran one mile and walked a mile today.

*Today’s word of the day is propine, which means a gift.

*I’m looking forward to crashing on the couch after work with my beloved puppies!

*Before I crash with the puppies, I will be cooking up a delicious meal courtesy of HelloFresh.

*After today, my running streak stands at 4 days.

*I love the footprints the puppies leave on the patio when coming back in every morning. Today’s footprints may have included some ashes since they knocked over the grill. There are, however, no kitties in this house.

*I took my puppies including sweet Anakin for a walk. Today Anakin is wearing his Christmas bow tie. He looks mighty dapper if I say so myself. Naturally, I bought all three dogs Christmas outfits. I can’t wait to share the pictures with you. You’ll love them!

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One Year

One year ago, we said our goodbyes to Jake at MEPS Miami. We headed home, while he awaited his departure to basic training. It’s amazing how quickly the year has gone, but also amazing how the memory of all those emotions comes flooding back. Last year, I felt I had left a piece of my heart at MEPS as my boy went off into the unknown. We didn’t really know what to expect as he began his journey in the service, which left us with a bit of anxiety and fear. Of course, all of those emotions were mixed in with the immense pride we felt in seeing him take the oath.

Now here we are a year later, we’ve fallen into the rhythm of what it means to be a military family. It took adjustments. Particularly, it took a lot of adjusting in the beginning. His time in Basic was definitely the worst since we rarely heard from him. Once he graduated Basic and headed to Tech School, it got a bit easier. I say a bit because it’s never easy to be away from your kids. Also, his tech school was really rigorous and a lot of people don’t make the cut. Not surprisingly, he soared through tech school as he soared through Basic. I had worried that he’d sound sad or upset when calling from Basic. You can imagine my surprise and relief at hearing him sound happy, confident, and knowing that he was now where he belonged.

When we left him at MEPS, he was our boy. When we saw him again at BMT Graduation, he had transformed into a man and world-class airmen. Without a doubt, the young men and women that serve are given an incredible gift. They’re given the gift of understanding an objective that is bigger than themselves. Their Instructors teach them that under no circumstance is a wingman left behind. Moreover, the military teaches them responsibility and discipline. Imagine if more people lived by that credo. Maybe we wouldn’t have people fighting over wearing a mask to protect others. Perhaps people would learn to see the world through a wider lens instead of being so self-absorbed.

As for the present day, I’m now on a whole new countdown. Now, I’m counting down the days until he comes home for leave. That’s right my friends, my boy is coming home for Christmas!! Best present ever! Before he arrives, we have some decorating to do. I finally have all my photos framed and ready to hang for my Air Force wall. We also got a new Christmas tree today, which we’ll be putting up shortly. I’m curious to see if Anakin likes to hide under this one as much as our old tree. Our old tree finally gave out after fourteen years of service. It was starting to look like an extremely tall version of the Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read The Idiot, by Fyodor Dosytoevsky

*I can’t believe it’s been one year! I’ve been looking back at photos and blog posts from last December. It’s fun to look back at the pictures and see how shy he looked. The transformation from December to February was amazing!

*Today I ran one mile and walked a mile today.

*I spoke too soon the universe continues to correct me.

*I’m looking forward to crashing on the couch after work with my beloved puppies!

*Before I crash with the puppies, I will be cooking up a delicious meal courtesy of HelloFresh.

*After today, my running streak stands at 3 days. Today’s run really challenged and frustrated me.

*I love the footprints the puppies leave on the patio when coming back in every morning. The only challenge is when the muddy footprints continue onto the white tile.

*BBG 3.0 week 4 day 4: running! After taking a six week hiatus from BBG, it’s really kicking my butt.

*I took my puppies including sweet Anakin for a walk. Today Anakin is wearing his Christmas bow tie. He looks mighty dapper if I say so myself. Naturally, I bought all three dogs Christmas outfits. I can’t wait to share the pictures with you. You’ll love them!

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A Different Holiday

It was a different holiday this Thanksgiving thanks to the second wave of COVID, but the virus didn’t stop us from spending quality time with the family. Thankfully, technology allows us to be together even when we’re miles apart. It was awesome to see Jake, my folks and my brother’s family on Thanksgiving.

Naturally, I would have preferred to see them all (especially Jake) in person, but this was a great substitute. Jake, by the way, looked great, which warms my heart and lessens my anxiety. Unfortunately, the younger kids don’t like to be on the Zoom. It was like pulling teeth to get the Mayor and his cousin on the call. Goalielocks was a little better, but he was still fighting it.

Obviously, we ate entirely too much and continue to do so thanks to leftovers. Fortunately, my daily uniform continues to be yoga pants, which are mighty forgiving. I was, however, able to re-start my BBG workouts after changing the my schedule and getting the blood pressure under control. It has felt good to log some serious work outs this past week.


Tomorrow I’ll be back to work while the Mayor plays in the championship game. He’s had an awesome tournament this far leading his division in points and points per game. I’m proud of how hard he works for his team on and off the ice. Unsurprisingly, his hard work is paying off. It’s a lot of fun to watch him and his team play.

Lastly, help me wish Our Sweet Anakin a very happy first birthday! For his birthday, he got a new chewy bone, some raw hides, a Christmas collar and some Christmas outfits. Naturally, I also got his sisters some goodies too. I’d hate for them to feel left out. So even though it was a different holiday, we have a lot to be thankful for including our sweet birthday boy!

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Thanksgiving 2020 Style

Thanksgiving 2020 style is wildly different for most of us thanks to COVID. It also makes our first Thanksgiving with Jake away from home. Last Thanksgiving was wonderful with my whole family in town, so he could have a great send off to BMT. Speaking of which, we are coming up on his one year anniversary. I can’t believe how fast time has gone.

This year has been tough, but there is still so much to be thankful for. First, 2020 was a year of awesome accomplishments for Jake. From graduating BMT and tech school, to earning his SEC+ certification and shipping off to his first duty station. To say he had a banner year would be an understatement. We couldn’t be more proud of the man and airmen he has become.

While our boys continue virtual school, they’re doing while and have managed to stay healthy. Hockey, thankfully, is in full swing. Too often we underestimate the importance that our kids sports and other extracurricular activities are for their development. Now with Covid, these activities are there only lifeline to the outside world. Kids need socialize.

As for Luke and I, we keep trucking on. After a rough fall that saw us replace two failing vehicles, we’re ready for the winter. I should also say we know have an additional driver, Goalielocks, which has helped a lot. I started a new role back in insurance, which I’m loving. Albeit, it keeps me extremely busy. Especially during the long hours of AEP.

To all our friends and family and to all our military families near and wide, we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving. To military families like ours, who have an empty chair this Thanksgiving, we send our love and gratitude. May God keep our family members that serve safe and sound. To our military folks servicing near and far, thank you for your service!! Today we hold you up in prayer and gratitude.

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Successful Day

Today was a successful day. First and most importantly, I slept like a baby with the weight of the insurance exam off of my shoulder. Additionally, both kids were up and ready to go to school on time, which was a huge win. Moreover, my workouts went super well. The first of which was the BBG arms/upper body workout. Holy cow this workout was difficult, but it was so good. After BBG, I headed straight to yoga with Kaye at Open Heart Studio, which was delightful. Lastly, I ran for a mile and then walked a mile. Even today’s run went smoothly!

Of course, my day doesn’t just consist of working out. In between all the workouts, I got a lot of work done for my work. I’m super excited that we’ve branched out into a broader marketing firm. In addition to awesome professional gear, we now offer social media management/marketing, lead generation campaigns, website design and management, and e-commerce. Quite frankly, we have a lot to offer businesses of all sizes. So here’s your call to action. If you’re a business owner, let’s set up a time to chat about how I can add value to your organization. Schedule a meeting here.

Tonight I cooked up a HelloFresh meal that I picked out specifically for the Hubby since it featured Frank’s Red hot sauce. It was super easy to make, but I didn’t love this one. The mixture of the hot sauce flavor with the honey did not mesh well with my stomach. After dinner, the Hubby and Mayor headed to the rink for hockey practice. Meanwhile, I stayed home to attend the league conference call for Goalielocks’ team. Our season for national bound teams starts this weekend, which is super exciting.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read A Room With A View by E.M Forster

*It turns out their are unique challenges to managing a U18 team. Thus it seems we may have a caravan to the Carolinas in our future.

*I ran a mile and walked a mile today.

*I am missing my airman and the beautiful terrain of Utah.

*After today, my running streak stands at 8 days.

*As the weather cools off, I look forward to breaking out my zephyr dress from Lilly.

*BBG 3.0 week 2 day 3: arms, cardio and yoga! Today’s run was one mile! It went really well actually. Today was a successful day!

*I took my puppies including sweet Anakin for a walk. Today Anakin is wearing his bow tie and it doesn’t seem to be bothering him.

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Reality Bites

Reality bites isn’t just the name of a great 90s video, it’s also the universe’s way of balancing our existence. Naturally, I had high hopes for Tuesday after such a great Monday. However, reality kicked back it and reality bites. It started off innocuously enough with Goalielocks assuring me he was awake and attending class. Meanwhile, the Mayor was ready to go well in advance of the first bell.

My day was a bit stressful because I had to take the health insurance licensing exam this evening. Consequently, I dedicated the vast majority of my day to balancing work and studying. In fact, I only left my office for lunch and coffee. While I toiled away in my room, the boys were busy attending school.

I asked the Mayor to do the dishes on lunch break since Goalielocks has been down for the count with a back injury. You can imagine my dismay when I open the running dishwasher to find it half full. You can contrast that with the view off full sink and countertop. Needless to say, I was not impressed. Fortunately for him, I was consumed with trying to work and study, so he got off easy.

Tonight I passed the exam in about 25 minutes. I’ve crammed the last few weeks for the test. I knew, despite my nerves, that I was well prepared. It was also a good preview of what the real estate exam will will be like. Obviously, as soon as I passed a weight was lifted from my shoulders. All my hard work paid off. Afterward, I had a nice dinner cooked by my hubby.

Lastly, I worked through some stretching with Goalielocks, who has had severe lower back pain the last two days. Hopefully, the stretching we did will alleviate his pain. Now we’re watching hockey waiting to see if Tampa Bay will seal the deal tonight. Oh and in case you were wondering, Goalielocks didn’t make it to first period.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read A Room With A View by E.M Forster

*It turns out their are unique challenges to managing a U18 team. Thus it seems we may have a caravan to the Carolinas in our future.

*I ran two miles and walked a mile today.

*While I took my exam, my hubby stayed home and cooked a wonderful meal.


*After today, my running streak stands at 7days.

*I learned a new word today: ichthyophagous, which means to eat seafood.

*BBG 3.0 week 2 day 2: cardio and yoga! Today’s run was two miles! It sucked!

*I took my puppies including sweet Anakin for a walk. Today Anakin is wearing his bow tie and it doesn’t seem to be bothering him.

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Happy Monday!

Happy Monday is a blog title that I have never used in the three-plus years I’ve had this blog. Admittedly, Monday’s are usually associated with unhappiness. Rather they’re associated with the desire to bang your head against a brick wall as you deal with the inane life that is corporate America. You know the kind of day where you’re in meetings all day that could have been emails and the most intelligent response of the day was “yada, yada, yada.” Now that I’m out of that life, I’ve found Mondays to be much nicer.


Now my children have tried to mess up my Happy Monday vibes with their virtual school antics. However, they were even onboard for the easy and happy Monday. That’s right folks we had no virtual school issues today. My boys were on top of it, which made me happy as a clam.

Naturally, I had a lot do work to do myself, but working from home and outside of a boilerplate environment is significantly less stressful from the corporate world. I was quite productive professionally and personally. I set several key meetings and made new connections in the professional realm.

In between my work obligations, I was able to fit in my BBG 3.0 leg workout and a run. This BBG 3.0 is no joke. Honestly, it’s quite a step up from round 2.0. I’m ready for it, but I know it’s going to hurt tomorrow. As for my run, it felt good. I find that intermixing my workouts between my work meetings and obligations has improved my effectiveness. Moreover, I feel energized and ready to tackle everything including the virtual school blues.

Alas, this happy Monday on which all the stars aligned for a great day will soon be over. Hopefully, I will write a joyful Monday post soon and not in another three years. I should also admit that I bought Anakin a new collar and bow tie. No lies, he’s simply the cutest puppy. On top of my cute puppy, I got some great pics of Jake and Mel from Utah. Their smiles always put a smile on my face.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read A Room With A View by E.M Forster

*It turns out their are unique challenges to managing a U18 team. Thus it seems we may have a caravan to the Carolinas in our future.

*I ran a mile and walked a mile today.

*I cooked a wonderful meal courtesy of HelloFresh. It was easy to make and super tasty.


*After today, I am back in workout clothes, but my running streak stands at 6 days.

*I’m a little jealous that Mel is visiting Jake, but I love getting their pictures.

*BBG 3.0 week 2 day 1: legs, cardio and yoga

*I took my puppies including sweet Anakin for a walk.

Affiliate advertising supports this blog. By clicking on the link and making a purchase, you are helping to support the blog with no added cost to you. I appreciate your support!