Memorial Day

Along with all the festivities and memorial services and the like, I just wanted to say thank you for all that have served. Whether military or civilian, salary or volunteer, your efforts and unselfish nature in fighting for and protecting us all is not only noticed by me today, but always. I wish I could list everyone I know of that served, but I will stick to immediate family.

US Air Force - My fiance Scott and his late father Thomas, as well as my Uncle Denny

US Marine Corps - My late grandfather Plummer, and Liam's dad Ryan

US Army - My late grandfather Frank

Volunteer Firefighter - My bro-in-law Mark

Again, I was just being brief, as I don't have much time and I know there are friends and family members of Scott's that also serve. They are not forgotten. And to all those I knew that lost their lives, like Larry Parker, Jr. Words cannot express my gratitude to all the fallen soldiers and their families.

You are loved, cherished, and remembered always. Thank you!

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Time to Live in Joy

It's a little over a week from now I will be leaving central PA behind me. I feel like I'm in a mad dash to see as many friends as I can before I take off, but time just won't allow it. I do hope those that were a part of my life here for the past 9 years realize how much they will be missed, and that I will always have this blog, email, calls and Facebook to keep up with them all.

Most of the stress I've been under hasn't been about the move itself, as I cannot wait to start my life with Scott, but more about finalizing things here before I leave. Mainly "legal" matters with the house and car are plaguing me because of companies being so slow in your request for information and paperwork required. Isn't this the day and age of digital information? It shouldn't take more than 24 hours for a document request, or so one would think. I'm hoping everything works out, as I don't want to have to delay my moving day. I'll be leaving either Thursday evening or Friday morning of next week, and spend the weekend with my family in the Chicagoland area. My son's father has agreed to let my dad pick my son up, so that he can spend the holiday weekend with all of us. I can't wait to see them, and to see my longtime, and best friend, Wendy, who has been going through personal struggles of her own. After that, Tuesday, I head out to drive the extra 1600 plus miles to Boise, and to finally be "home".

It's funny how life is. How with every decision you make, whether great or small, it sends you on a new journey. The only advice I could give anyone is just LIVE IN THE JOY OF LIFE! If you're unhappy or miserable, there's nothing and no one around you that can change that but YOU! There are so many people I know that blame the world around them for their situation. I've been there myself. I ask you, what have YOU done, proactively, that could make your life and your world a better place? Time to push aside the naysayers. Purge yourself of people that only bring you down. Surround yourself with positive, supportive people. For me, I believe it's all about attitude. Change your attitude, change your life.

Below was this Tuesday's passage on a website called "The Daily Motivator" created by Ralph Marston. I have this bookmarked, because every day there is something that inspires me, moves me and over time, has changed me.

For the joy of it

Live for the joy of it. Live for the love of it. It's never irresponsible to truly enjoy your moments. Because when you live with joy you create more value for all of life.

In joy you can see the beauty. In the beauty you can feel your purpose.

Let go of your ideas of what should or should not be. Be joyful simply because you can, right where you are, with all you have.

Joy is a gift you give to life that comes back to you the moment you give it. Give it often and give it profusely.

Feel joy, be joy and give joy. Then find even more joy in the positive difference it makes.

-- Ralph Marston

I hope you all find it in yourself to recognize and see the positive changes you can make. Sometimes we always look for others to change, when in fact, the one person we CAN change is ourselves. By doing so, it can make a positive affect on those around us, and thereby put us in our own place of joy. Have a fabulous week everyone! Much love. <3

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Spotlight on Diabetes

There are three major defined types of diabetes. These are type 1, type 2 and gestational. Every 20 seconds someone is diagnosed with a form of diabetes.

If you've ever taken a gander at "Rock of Love" on VH1, or "The Apprentice", singer Brett Michaels, as most people already know, is a diabetic, and runs strong hard campaigns to raise money for the ADA. He is what is called a "type 1" diabetic. In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. It's often referred to as "juvenile diabetes" because this is usually diagnosed in children and young adults. This is living day in and day out with some sort of insulin therapy. Sure a healthy lifestyle is a plus, but a type 1 diabetic will always need the insulin that their body doesn't make. Other celebrities that have suffer from type 1 diabetes are author Anne Rice, actresses Jean Smart and Mary Tyler Moore, and even Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor.

Then there is "type 2" diabetes. With type 2, the body just doesn't produce ENOUGH insulin to control our blood sugar. Remember, type 1, the body doesn't produce any AT ALL. Due to shows like The Doctors, Dr. Oz, or even The Biggest Loser, sometimes when we hear someone has Type 2 diabetes, our minds usually turn to overweight, inactive, unhealthy people. There is also been speculation that extra weight in the stomach and abdomen is a huge contributing factor to type 2 diabetes, which also, would explain "gestational diabetes" as well, like celebrity Selma Hayak and so many other women are diagnosed with, starting when the woman begins to gain weight throughout her pregnancy, and then disappears once she's given birth.

This was the beginning of my diagnoses. I was first diagnosed with gestational diabetes, then my blood sugars were fine after giving birth. The doctor warned me if I didn't take off the massive amount of weight I had gained, I could develop type 2, and he was right. Two years later, I was in the hospital with glucose counts over 500. I've been on diet, exercise, pill and injection therapies ever since.

True that in a lot of cases, type 2 diabetes can be cured with losing weight, proper diet and exercise. Well, I have two celebrities that are type 2 diabetics that don't fit that stereotype. Halle Berry and Billie Jean King. Active, healthy, ideal weight women, who suffer from it as well. There are also those celebrities that have had weight fluxuation issues that seem common with type 2 diabetics like actress Delta Burke or singer Patti LaBelle.

All in all, it comes down to control over your own body. Doing what is necessary and needs to be done. Whether your insulin dependent, or have learned you can control your diabetes just with proper diet, exercise and weight management, it IS possible to live a long and healthy life. There are those skeptics that think it's all genetics and there's nothing they can do. Click here to read a post a fellow blogger buddy of mine, Josie, did about the reaction an acquaintance of hers had when diagnosed with diabetes. This is NOT the approach to take ladies and gentlemen. This is a serious disease and one that can be control, treated and maintained.

Hope you all are having a great weekend! A little less than two weeks before I move! I can feel the anticipation building! Well, as Jerry Springer would say.. "Love Yourselves and Each Other!"

For more information about diabetes visit The American Diabetes Association at diabetes.org

Celebrity names pulled from Celebs Who Live with Diabetes

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Insulin Management

Being a type 2 diabetic, I'm always checking articles, looking for and confirming ways to help me control my glucose levels. Proper diet and exercise is always a key factor in that, otherwise I feel lethargic and, well, just plain.. BLAH!

Complications from diabetes kill more people than AIDS and breast cancer COMBINED! It's definitely something people have to be aware of, because it's symptoms are often passive, and people don't take them seriously enough to get themselves checked out. If you haven't already, I encourage you to pick up, borrow, check out Jillian Michael's book "Master Your Metabolism". I love this book in the fact that she breaks it all down, and explains a lot of things you might not know about how your metabolism works, and things that can affect it. The following was her daily diet and fitness tips last month (told you, I'm still catching up with my blogs!! LOL) and she just puts it straight out in laymans terms. Here is that article:

Get a Grip on Insulin's Ups and Downs

One of the endocrine system's most important hormones is insulin, which plays a critical role in how your body uses food. When you eat, your digestive system breaks food down into glucose, and the glucose circulates in your bloodstream (where it's often referred to as blood sugar). In response to the rise in glucose after a meal, the pancreas releases surges of insulin, whose job is to clean the glucose from the blood. Insulin directs some of the glucose to the body's cells, which use it for energy. Some of the glucose is diverted to the liver, where it's converted into glycogen (stored glucose) for later use by the muscles. Insulin then helps turn any leftover glucose into fatty acids and stores them in fat cells, where they can be tapped later for fuel.

Problems arise when your body starts creating too much insulin, which can happen for several reasons. One of the most common is that you ate too many highly processed, refined carbs, such as white bread or pasta. Such carbs increase blood sugar dramatically, requiring a rush of insulin to clear the blood. If your blood sugar surge is really dramatic (as it would be if you ate those refined carbs on an empty stomach), insulin overreacts and works twice as hard to clean the sugar from the blood. This overefficient removal of sugar means that your blood sugar concentration drops, with the result that you feel hungry again and crave (and probably eat) more carbs. That's the postsugar "crash and binge" cycle, the root of sugar addiction. In addition, when your muscles are still fueled from your last snack, the insulin converts those extra calories into fat. And as long as large amounts of insulin remain in the bloodstream, your body won't have a chance to tap into your fat stores for fuel — so you won't burn any fat, either.

This cycle can eventually lead to insulin resistance, a condition in which your body produces insulin but the cells become insensitive to it — as a result, the insulin can't do its job to lower the glucose concentration in the blood. Insulin resistance is a precursor of type 2 diabetes and is common among overweight people. Elevated levels of glucose in your blood is a surefire sign of it.

There is hope for preventing the problem. The key is to maintain low levels of insulin by eating whole foods, pairing carbs with protein, and avoiding highly processed carbs. When your insulin-release mechanism works the right way, it helps keep your weight in check. When it's not working, you're in trouble. If you can take control of your insulin's ups and downs, you'll be primed to lose weight and restore your body's hormone power!

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Memories - It's the Simple Things

It's been a while for an update, so here goes. In a nutshell... I'm going crazy! LOL. I'm trying to juggle working both jobs as many hours as I can to save up for my move to Boise, while still having time to pack, figure out dates/times for visiting my family and friends over Memorial Day weekend, get ready for Liam's arrival to Boise, and finally, trying to pay for and plan a small, intimate wedding for just the 3 of us and our parents end of July. UGH!!!

Sometimes it all seems so overwhelming, but in the end, I know everything will go smoothly, and as planned. Right now it just seems like I have so much on my plate, but I do have my moments where I can just "enjoy" myself. Like today. I was able to finally meet up with friends for lunch (picture of my friend Chell's lil gal Piper and me today) and just sit, talk, and enjoy the simple things. Love, laughter and friendship. To me, that's definitely what life is all about. With all that's going on in my life, I really don't have time for the negative energies that may come my way. Luckily, there hasn't been any lately, well, at least not that I'm aware of! Maybe it's just I'm seeing the brighter side of life lately. All the possibilities that await me after my move. Getting back in shape, going to school, getting certified as a trainer and nutritionist, and even possibly taking on some psyche courses. I feel like it's just a fresh new start to the life I've always wanted, and the thought of that drives me daily. (And as far as not finding time for exercise... ask my friends at lunch how many laps around the restaurant I did chasing after a running, giggling, mischievous little Piper! LOL)

(OH!! and thanks again to Sabrena for my surpise early shower gift! hehe!)

Going through my items at home, I'll admit, has been tough. Going through memories sometimes can be. Seeing my son's old pictures when he was little, or even pictures and memories of my brother, Mark. Pictures of friends I've lost touch with, or broken relationships. But, in the end, they are all such precious memories to me. In those moments, in those photos, they were taken during the simplest of life's moments. No big events. No grand vacation spots. Just around the house, or at a small get together. They remind me of who I was at that time as well. Someone who had potential, but such insecurities. Those insecurities have melted away, bit by bit over the years, and with Someone to stand by me and encourage me in my goals and dreams, while I support Them in Their career choice, it's definitely a great feeling.

It's the simple things. A smile. The giggle of a child. An embrace captured via photographs. Memories.

As far as work goes, the first girl I was training got another job offer with more benefits, and left. Gearing up to start all over with another prospect most likely Friday or Monday. I work every day this week, but I DO have Mother's Day off!! (Thank you, Travis) I look forward to spending it with Scott's sister, mom and gram and the rest of his family. The only person missing will be him, and he'll be in Utah on assignment.

On another note, I'm slowly trying to get around to everyone's blogs and journals and catch up! I have about half done, and hopefully will get around to more soon! Can't wait to see what you all have been up to!!

Take care! Love, peace and Reese's!


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