Small steps add up

In the name of health (not weight loss!) I've decided to make some changes to my habits:

1. Staying on top of diabetes management - this includes many blood tests per day, accurate carb counting, and scheduling and going to my doctor apointments every 3 months (and getting bloodwork done in advance so we can have something to talk about)
   
2. Being aware of my thyroid symptoms and proactively getting bloodwork done to make sure my dosages are on track
   
3. Eating healthier - We recently switched to Organic produce, dairy, and (when we can find it) meat.  I'm also making smarter choices when I order out, and we're eating at home more often.
   
4. Eating breakfast - I eat a healthy, balanced breakfast every day now, usually consisting of a hard boiled egg, some fruit, cheese, and water
   
5. Drinking plenty of water - We recently got stainless steel bottles that are 100% BPA free, and mine can hold 1L.  I keep it at my desk and do my best to down 2 of those in a day.  Usually I only get through 1 - 1.5, but it's way more water than I used to drink.
   
6. Not drinking other stuff - I've given up soda.  Can you believe it?!  I was a diet coke junkie, and now I drink almost exclusively water.  That's gotta be healthier, right?!
   
7. Minimizing the amount of "sweet stuff" I eat.  I'm a sweetaholic!  My favorite foods are buttercream frosting and caramel.  And I have seriously reduced the amount of sweets I have in a given week.  This is helping with #1.
   
8. Avoiding artificial sweeteners.  Those things probably aren't very good for me, so I'm trying to give them up.  Which means cheating on #7 is a lot harder.

Things I'm not doing that I should be:

1. Exercising!  I don't do this...ever.  I have a gym membership, I just need to use it.
   
2. Logging my blood sugars.  How do I know if I am doing a good job if I can't watch trends?  I suppose I can't.  I am currently researching meters with good computer interfaces that allow me to upload my data and it does the graphing for me for easier analysis.  Hopefully I'll find the right meter for me that will make this process easier.  Logging has always been a struggle for me.

My husband is the BEST!

I got a call at work today "Jenni, you have flowers at the front desk".  Sweet!  I've NEVER gotten flowers at work before!  When I got down there, there was a beautiful bouquet of orange, yellow, red, and lavendar flowers - daisies, alstromeria (a fave of mine), and carnations.  

Today's not a "special" day per se, but Scott and I decided earlier in the week to make tonight a date night.  What, you may ask, are we going to do tonight?  I have no idea!  Scott has planned the whole thing and it's a surprise for me (which I love).  He's already made me smile all day at work...and now I can't wait to see what's in store later! :)

I'll keep him.

A few lessons from the beach

Scott and I, together with my college roommates F and C and C's family (J and A), went to Oak Island, NC for a week the week prior to Labor Day.  I had an absolute blast and can't wait to get together with those folks (and others!!) again!  While there, I learned several lessons, which I'd like to share with you:

1. Always wear sunscreen.  Even if you think you "don't burn there", just do it.  Because you do.  Or at least I do.
2. Never use the spray-on sunscreen.  Or you'll end up patchy and bruised-looking like Scott and I do.
3. Quo is not a word.  Not even when you have had a Q all game and there's only 1 available U on the whole board and you have an O as your only vowel.
4. Sandbank is a word (and so is sandbar.  Both mean basically the same thing).  Here's the definition: A sandbank is a patch of sand in water, which creates a shallow area which may pose a hazard to boats. Some sandbanks are above water at low tide. See also shoal and bar. A shoal is a sandbank or bar creating a shallow. ... In geography, a bar is a linear shoaling landform feature within a body of water. ...
5. Oak Island locals may or may not know how to pronounce the Greek letter Chi.  It might sound something like "Chee".  When wearing your fraternity letters in public there, try not to giggle if someone asks "What the heck is Alpha Chee Sigma"? ;)
6. Homemade ice cream on Oak Island is not worth eating.  Dairy Queen's a good option, and so is that other place that Caitlin recommended, but the homemade stuff is really icey and not really creamy and not very flavorful.

So, there you have it.  A new blog post with some highly insightful things to get you through the work week.  Or a vacation.  Or a game of Scrabble.