The summer begins

It's been a nice start to the summer. Dixie and I had a couple of days to relax, and then started working at a summer camp for kids with sensory processing problems. We've been busy commuting back and forth every day for the last seven days. We leave for Atlanta on Sunday and have started to get ready for that trip.

So here's my answers to the current meme going around.

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
1. Molly
2. Mol
3. M

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. My hair. Same as my dad…it’s thick.
2. My cheeks. Good color
3. My feet. (docs always tell me how great they look. So does my massage therapist)

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. My weight
2. My height
3. The scars all over my stomach from years of pumping.

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:
1. Swedish
2. Irish
3. Not sure what else.

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
1. Doing new things by myself.
2. Possible complications from diabetes.
3. Flying.

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
1. Insulin (with dexamethasone so I don’t have an allergic reaction to it)
2. blood tester
3. low food (Gu, airheads, fruit snacks)

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:
1. rubber ducky lounge pants
2. My insulin pump and groovy patch
3. Glasses

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE MUSICALS:
1. Oklahoma (only because I had a part in the high school play)
2. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
3. I haven’t seen Mama Mia… but I was around Abba music as a kid, so I bet I’d like it.

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS:
1. Closer to Fine
2. Suddenly I see
3. Accidentally in love

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:
1. Love.
2. Laughs.
3. Passion.


THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:
1. Hanging with Dixie.
2. Canoeing and camping.
3. Softball.

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:
1. Go to the BWCA.
2. Eat something without having to calculate carbs and give a bolus.
3. Sit in the hottub.

THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING:
1. None really… As I’m off for the summer, my job seems great now. ☺
2.
3.

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:
1. Alaska.
2. the BWCA.
3. any hotel where I can get away from home, forget about daily life, and relax.

THREE KIDS NAMES YOU LIKE:
1. Zachary
2. Josiah
3. Katie

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:
1. Move into a new house. A bigger house with room for Dixie to run around.
2. Start a consulting business
3. Become more organized.

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A GIRL:
1. I cry during t.v. shows or for sad commercials.
2. I love massages and other body work.
3. I’m super sensitive.

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A BOY:
1. I love wearing baseball hats. All summer.
2. I love watching sports on TV.
3. I hit people when I’m enthusiastic. (sometimes harder than they expect)



DIXIE TIDBIT:

I gave Dixie her Frontline medicine on Monday. The ticks have been out in full force. I hate doing Frontline because it seems so wrong to use those toxic chemicals. Dixie’s been under the weather ever since. When I woke up on Tuesday morning, there was a huge drool stain on her bed. Then she was just punky all day. She seems better today but still is pretty slow.

She woke me up this morning when I was low, and clipped me in the lip and now I have a scratch. Small price to pay for her work.

MN Nice asked about Dixie’s coat and how shiny and healthy she looks. She eats dog food (Natural Balance duck and potato) with brown rice and a little chicken. Her coat has always been shiny and glossy.

No more pencils, no more books...

We had our first Minnesota OC get together on Sunday. Scott, Amber, Sara, and me.

It was fun. We talked and talked about everything. Lows and favorite low foods. Infusion sets and inserters. The finer points of pumps. The carb value of a Burger King chicken tender meal and bread bowls. We laughed. A lot. It was awesome!

Being around other people with diabetes is so important. It’s nice to be able to talk about what’s happening (diabetes) without having to explain everything in the process. Thanks guys! I had a great time!

Today was the last day of school. Done for another year, and now I have a couple months to decompress. It was a crazy day. I had to say good-bye to my sixth graders who will be moving on to junior high. I saw the joy in the first graders who proudly shared that they were almost second graders. I hugged my special friends and said good-bye to parents who I’ve spent a lot of time in the last couple years figuring out what was best for their child. I said good-bye to a good friend who may not work with me next year and shed tears.

It’s a whirl of emotions. Sad, happy, relieved and proud.

It was a good year. My staff touched kids in many ways and helped them to become confident, strong students. I am proud of our accomplishments.

I’m exhausted.


DIXIE TIDBIT:

The end of school has been difficult for Dixie.

Most of the kids I work with happen to be boys. Dixie so loves “her boys.” (boys who have a special relationship with Dixie) The last week has been a different schedule, as many of the kids have been on field trips, or coming at different times or not at all. Today, no kids came to my classroom; except for quick check ins.

Dixie sat by the door and pouted. She would hear kids in the hall and perk up, only to put her head back down and sigh loudly when she realized the kids weren’t coming in the room. Finally the last hour, several of "her" boys came to see her and say good-bye. She wagged her tail like crazy and smiled. (when she is really happy she opens her mouth and shows her teeth—a dog smile.)

She’ll have a hard time for a week or so, and then will fall into our summer routine.

We both will.