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Busy

It’s been a busy week. My schedule has been altered a bit due to appointments. Consequently, I took a few days off from the blog and my workouts. Fortunately, the appointments went well, but they were lengthy. One of the safety measures our endocrinologist office has instituted is rigorous education for new diabetes patients. Given that the Mayor is only 18, the Hubby and I have an active role in it.

Tuesday we met with the dietician and lead diabetes educator at the Mayor’s Endocrinologist office. It was a long appointment, but we learned a lot. We covered many topics revolving around nutrition, but also navigating life with the insulin pump and Dexcom. There was a lot of information, but it was super helpful. We have a good idea of what to expect next week when he gets the pump and a list of what to bring to said appointment. The new patient education culminates with a day-long symposium.

Due to the appointments, yesterday I had a Telehealth over lunch, I took my rest days this week on Tuesday and Wednesday. Today I would normally spin over lunch, but instead, I did a full body workout in the Sweat App. This also means I’ll have some workouts to log while I’m in Nashville this weekend. The Mayor and I will be packing tonight. He must bring synthetic insulins (long-acting and short-term) on this trip. By the time we go on our next trip, he’ll just be using one.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): 16 days in and 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

Where can you reduce clutter in your life?

The better question would be where can’t I reduce clutter in my life. That is to say, I think I can reduce clutter in every space of my life.

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Back To It

I’m back to it after a quick Sunday off. Man, oh man, are those one-day weekends short? This morning was pretty productive, but the afternoon, so far, has been forgettable. In fact, the afternoon has been the opposite of productive. Apparently, there is no payment method on Monday. I keep reminding myself that it’s a numbers game. So regardless of how great the afternoon has been this far, I will persist.

I worked Saturday afternoon. It was slow, but not too bad. The weather was a bit dreary Saturday, so working all day wasn’t terrible. Fortunately, Sunday’s weather was pristine. It was a little cool in the morning, but there was nary a cloud in the sky. Sunday’s weather was perfect. In contrast, up in Tally, Jake and Melly found their grass and roofs covered with a light dusting of snow.

We spent Sunday watching football and baking bread. Well, I started the sourdough bread. They’re currently finishing their second rise. Hopefully, they’ll be ready to pop in the oven as soon as I’m off work. They bake for forty minutes and will make a nice addition to our dinner tonight. I’ll be sharing the recipe on the blog tomorrow. It’s so simple and tasty. And now I’m back to it!

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): 13 days in and 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

Think back on your most memorable road trip.

I’ve been on some memorable road trips. Two that stand out are: our road trip through Norway and the road trip through the Mighty Five. Both road trips came with some of the most spectacular scenery I have ever seen. The company was pretty awesome on both trips as well. It was special to share the Norway trip with my parents, brothers’ families, my grandma, and my aunt’s family. The trip through Utah’s spectacular parks was something Jake and I will always share. I hope my kids look back on these adventures with Mom fondly.

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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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Still Tired

Well, I’m still tired although we got more sleep last night. The Dexcom alarms didn’t start until 3:00 am this morning. Today’s alarms were of the hypoglycemic variety, which I find quite scary. The Hubby went upstairs to ensure the Mayor ate and drank something to raise his blood sugar. As always, the Mayor was a peach. Fortunately, his blood sugar rebounded nicely and didn’t bottom out or spike the rest of the night.

Next week he has his nutritionist appointment at the endo’s office. I’m sure he’s super excited for that one. Our endo removed his carb restriction, which thrilled him. The following week, he has an appointment to receive training on his insulin pump. I think this is the appointment we’re all excited about. Once he gets the pump, the high blood sugar alarms should, the operative word being should, become a thing of the past.

While I’m still tired, I appreciated meeting my new manager this morning. I’ve worked for Doc before, so I’m excited about this new change. I wish I could say the leads and my production have been as exciting, but I’d be lying. For the past two days I have been riding the struggle bus. Such is life in sales. Anyway, I’m still tired.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): 7 days in and I haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: it’s been two 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

What are your thoughts on the concept of living a very long life?

My great-grandmother lived to be almost 105 years old. She died just months shy of her 105th birthday. She experienced both world wars, the Spanish Flu and COVID, and the move to a world dominated by computers and cars. More than that, she was able to experience several generations of the family she created.

My great-grandmother had a very special relationship with my oldest son Jake. She was his great-great-grandmother. I remember his face as she recounted how Lindy (Charles Lindbergh) used to dip his wings to say hi to her when she was working in the fields. She connected us to our past, while Jake connected her to the present. It was a beautiful connection to witness. Longevity made this connection possible, and it was an absolute gift.

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Tired

I’m tired. I know, know, I’m always tired. Today’s been rough. The Mayor’s Dexcom was going off with high blood sugar alerts all night. His CGM showed his sugar level as over 400, while Accu-Chek showed nearly 300. We gave him a correction dose around 1:30 am based on the accu-chek numbers, but it took a while for the Dexcom to stop squawking. Anyway, my alarm came way too fast.

The Mayor stayed home from school today as the night of high school blood sugar left him feeling nauseous and exhausted. He complained to me that his dad and I woke him up too many times. Meanwhile, the hubby and I could get no sleep as his Dexcom went off every five minutes. His sugar is much better today and has been stable since we woke up. Hopefully, his blood sugar will stay stable throughout the night so we can all get some sleep.

Here’s a nice TBT pic

As for me, I’m fighting the good fight at work. Our department meeting went well. They reassigned my boss to a different department, so as of January 1, my boss changed. I’ve worked for my new manager before and found it to be a pleasant experience. The last several months have been difficult for several reasons, so I’m happy for a fresh start.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): 7 days in and I haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: it’s been two 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

What could you do differently?

There are a lot of things I could do differently. One thing that I’ve been contemplating starting, aside from Goat yoga, is the European grocery shopping trend. This involves several small shops at different stores throughout the week. The goal is better ingredients and less waste. Too often the produce I bought on the weekend, isn’t fresh when I use it later in the week. Theoretically, this should save us money if it results in less food waste.

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Is it 6:00

Is it 6:00 yet? I’m just asking for a friend who has a serious case of the Mondays. This friend is longing to be cuddling up on her couch with her sweet puppy while watching Dexter. Sadly, she’s currently stuck in her desk chair as the minutes tick by slowly. I, I mean my friend, was lucky that she wasn’t impacted by a massive VPN outage at work this morning. Nonetheless, she’s ready for the day to be over.

We were supposed to have a department-wide meeting today, but that got moved to tomorrow. Our corporate headquarters is in the Midwest and got walloped over the weekend by a blizzard. Have I mentioned that I’m glad I live in Florida? I’d be happy to never experience a blizzard again. Anyway, I’m hoping the meeting brings some good changes. Although I’m a bit nervous they’ll be changing our comp plan that will negatively impact us agents. Fingers crossed!

My sales assistants have been slacking today

You may have noticed my prognostications, while vague, for the Vikings game came to fruition. Detroit’s quarterback played great and ours saw ghosts. It’s not a dig on Darnold, but as a lifelong fan, I knew my Vikes were going to disappoint on the biggest stage of the year. Fortunately, they’re still in the playoffs, so there’s still a smidgen of a chance they make it all the way. (As I type this, I’m envisioning Lloyd Christmas in Dumb & Dumber saying “so you’re telling me there’s a chance. Yeah!”). By the way, it it 6:00 yet?

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): 6 days in and I haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: it’s been two 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

If you had a freeway billboard, what would it say?

My billboard would say “The world owes you nothing.” I speak to people across the country daily. So many of the folks, I talk to are absolute gems. They make my job enjoyable and worthwhile whether they buy or not. Conversely, some people I talk with think the world owes them everything. I don’t know how this entitlement took hold, but it’s insidious. So while my billboard may be harsh, it’s honest.

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Game Day

It’s game day for the Vikings and Lions! As a lifelong Vikings fan, I’m fully prepared for the heartbreak that fandom brings. My son, on the other hand, still has hope that the Vikes won’t disappoint. Unfortunately, the game isn’t until this evening. The hubby and I have been commiserating over the 8:20 pm kickoff. Odds are that neither of us will make it to the second half. At least if the Vikes lose this game, it won’t derail their playoff chances.

The lead-up to game time has been defined by relaxation. We’ve been binge-watching Dexter since this morning. I know, I know we’re super late to that party. It popped up on Netflix and with a new reboot now on, we figured we’d watch the original. It’s really good. Also, we love seeing the sights around Miami. They started filming the series in 2005, which is also the year we moved to South Florida.

While Dexter played in the background, I did bake some sourdough bread. The loaves turned out beautifully. After the loaves came out of the oven, I re-fed the starter. This way it will be ready to make a new batch later today or early tomorrow. It did take longer than normal due to the cooler-than-usual weather. Baking bread can be highly variable due to changes in temperature or humidity. This is why I rely more on visual cues than a timer. More on that later.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): 5 days in and I haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: it’s been two days, but so far so good
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. Currently reading Armadale by Wilkie Collins – so good.
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past? Why?

I think about both equally. This is likely because my youngest is now 18, I spend time looking back at the years spent raising my kids and what the future looks like.

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Friday!

Yay for Friday! It’s the first Friday of the year and I’m here for it. I’ve only been back at work since yesterday, but two days is enough. Honestly, I can’t complain too much as the last two days have been chill and productive. Yesterday was a lot better, but today has been a bit slow. It does, however, feel good to get back into a routine.

Speaking of routine, I’m dipping my toes into the shallow end of the pool in the exercise space. I have a long and dramatic history of doing too much too soon with poor results. Consequently, I didn’t do the spin and strength double header I had planned for today. The doubleheaders can wait for next week. Fortunately, the full body Sweat workout was fire! It definitely got my heart pumping.

A little late, but still funny and accurate

After a break for holiday baking, I’m back on the sourdough train. I’ve stopped buying bread since I can pump out several loaves a week. I love bread, but there’s so much garbage in store-bought bread. For folks like myself and the Mayor, the garbage can increase inflammation and make managing our autoimmune disorders more difficult. This, however, doesn’t stop me from eating a Reese’s peanut butter cup. But I guess that’s what we call balance. Happy Friday!

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): compliant so far
  • Top performer at work: it’s been one day, but so far so good
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

What colleges have you attended?

I attended the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities campus for my undergraduate degrees. Where I earned a BA in Political Science and a BA in History. After I attended Purdue Global (aka Kaplan University) for my MBA because it was free and required for promotion. While I enjoyed the online delivery of my MBA, I can’t say that it had the same academic rigor as my undergraduate experience. Honestly, it was a bit of a quagmire. I don’t regret pursuing my MBA, but I feel I would have gotten more out of an in-person MBA program.

Our song of the day is Fame

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Blah

Blah, is there a better word to describe your first day back in the office after two weeks off? I mean maybe, but Meta would probably take down my post if I used it. I’ve been back at work since 8:00 am this morning with the picturesque view of my two monitors, laptop, and flat-screen television. Fortunately, the call volume and quality have been decent today, so I can’t complain too loudly. I am, however, exhausted.

Today is day two of no afternoon latte and what a terrible New Year’s resolution. I could go for a nice, hot latte right now. To be clear, my afternoon homemade coffee is still in play. I’ve almost finished it. Yet, here I am at the peak of exhaustion. I had hoped the lunchtime spin class would give me a boost, but nope. I guess being tired is just a constant state of being as an adult. Somehow I must have missed the warning on the lameness of adulting.

I had high aspirations for my time off, but I accomplished very little. At first, I was a bit annoyed with myself, but after the year we’ve had I decided to give myself grace. More than anything, I needed to rest, relax and reset. The to-do list, which is never-ending, could wait for the start of the new year and our return to routine. That’s not to say I did nothing as I still managed to knock some meaningful items off my to-do list.

So my blah day back to work also means the return to routine, which I crave. At this point in my life, I need routine. It keeps me disciplined and working on my goals. The Mayor’s all set for school, so no longer chasing labs, endos, or medical records is a big weight off my shoulders. The remainder of my to-do list is quite manageable. And with that, I’ll get back to it.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): compliant so far
  • Top performer at work: it’s been one day, but so far so good
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

Do you play in your daily life? What says “playtime” to you?

I play with my puppies everyday. It’s just goofing around in the house or on our walks. We have a lot of fun.