Challenges in Place.

I have some challenges that I want to set for myself. It always makes things more fun when I am challenged, rather than doing things just for the sake of doing them. Sometimes when there isn't a challenge or motivation behind something, I let it fall to the way-side. There is a lot to be said about "The 30 Day Sugar Detox Challenge", "The 31-Day Blog Challenge", "52 Weeks to Organized Challenge".

This Blog Challenge really opened my eyes to the power of the challenge.

Also, any challenges I set for myself, I will document here which will hold me accountable.

It's just a fun way to work on myself while having that tiny extra kick to keep it going.

So! Without further ado:

The first challenge is I am going to set for myself is to walk on my lunch break at least 4 days a week. I used to walk ALL THE TIME before I was working full-time. I would walk at least two hours a day. It felt great, I slept better, I was much slimmer, I had some stamina. It really felt like I was doing something great for myself. Once I started working, I felt like I never had time. I would wake up at 5:30 am, get ready, go to work, get off at 5:00 pm, go home, have dinner, relax, go to bed. No time.... Except I have just as many hours in the day as every other person in the world. So I started to realize that I could easily go on a walk on my lunch. 45 minutes to an hour. Bring my tennis shoes and just walk around. It gets me out of the office, gets my movement and exercise in, and I'm already in work mode anyway. So I did that this week, to try it out, and I love it. It also gets me out of the office and helps me to clear my head. Plus! Bonus! I get to listen to my audio books which adds to the happy me. I would say this is all around a good challenge for my mind, body, and soul.

The second challenge I am going to set for myself is not stepping onto a scale until my birthday. My birthday is on June 8th. I will be 27 years old. I get so hung up on the number and if it isn't going down every day, I freak out and get upset. So, why continue to do that to myself? I'm not going to. I will weigh myself at the doctor's office (they always do that! I turn my head every time). I think there are some changes that come from other things besides the number on the scale. The No-Number Victories. I think it will be beneficial to my psyche and my self esteem. It will help me focus on the other changes that happen.

The third challenge is all about reading. My goal is to read every night before I go to sleep. At least a little bit. Even if that is 2 pages before I fall asleep, I want to do this because it will allow my brain a chance to close out screens and electronics and give me a chance to wind down before bed. 

The fourth and final challenge I have been thinking about is less television. It's so easy to get caught up in a show and watch 4 hours of it before bed on a week night. Or to watch television while you eat dinner. But I don't like it that much. I don't have shows I need to watch on television on certain nights. I was Netflix. So I want to keep the television off three nights a week. I want to see how that goes. This will all Chris and I can make dinner together and play games and talk. That connection time, instead of always just being with one another, this will allow us to be present in our together time.

Blog Challenge: Day 22.

What Do You Miss (Person, place, thing or time in your life)

Something that has recently come up for me, is missing how things used to be. I have always been close with my family, extremely close, and because of that I was happy to live at home until I was 26 years old. This isn't something I am ashamed of, or something that I hide from people. I branched out, went to college, moved to Los Angeles for 8 months. However, I was never ready to live on my own because the relationship I had with my parents was so great.

I think there is a lot to be said about all the things that I have left to experience in my life. No one knows what is going to happen in the future, and I know that at some point in the coming years I will miss this moment. But that's part of life. We miss the things that are comfortable and familiar. The future is unknown, so when you think back to how things used to be, it is easy to get nostalgic.

I miss when my brother was little and how we used to play trains all day.

I miss when I used to go to school instead of work and always had something fun to talk about.

I miss my grandparents,

I miss liking things that didn't make me one type of person or another.

I miss summer vacation.

I miss my parent's old dog.

I miss not worrying about so many things.

I miss being a kid.

Blog Challenge: Day 14.

5 Things You Can’t Live Without

1. Insulin

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2. Books

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3. Naps

 

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4. Cereal

 

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5. Art 

 

 

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Blog Challege: Day 11.

React to This: Letting Go

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Blog Challenge: Day 7.

Five Recommended Reads (blogs, books, websites, etc.)

1.House of Rose is a blog that I recently started following. It was something that I stumbled across, searching from one blog to another. Similar to when you get stuck in YouTube and go from funny cat videos to how you use sand to clean your tires. I digress. I stumbled up her blog and I couldn't be more thankful that I did. She is an amazing woman and mom who writes in a way that is so relate-able. She is honest and humble with her daily struggles with motherhood and marriage. I instantly felt like I knew her when I started reading, and have been reading ever since.

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2. Room by Emma Donoghue is a book written from the perspective of a five year-old boy who lives in a room. He lives there with his mother and has never known anything else. This book is so different from any books that I have ever read, and when it was recommended to me I was hesitant. However, after reading just the first couple chapters, I was excited to continue. I was engrossed in the language that the author uses. This a heart wrenching book with some SERIOUSLY tough circumstances. I tortures you emotionally and all you want to do is give the characters a hug. I believe part of the reason I enjoyed it so much was because it was outside of my comfort zone. Because of this, I went in not knowing what to expect. The synopsis also didn't really explain much to me, so when I dove in head first, I couldn't put it down.

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3. Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner is the best book I have ever read. I read it while I was in High School and it engrossed me. I wanted to be an adult so I was trying to relate to older people, yet I was so inexperienced with life that some of the scenarios seemed more like fantasy. However, now being an adult, I know there is so much truth to many adult themes that are touched on in this book. Losing love, cruelty of strangers and friends, and the kindness of strangers, and relationships blooming in unlikely places. However, this is also a book that relies heavily on the theme that loving yourself is a long road, but everyone can achieve it. I recommend this book to everyone. I also am going to get it in hardback so I can read it time and time again.

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4. PostSecret is a website I was introduced to when I was 18 years old. A friend of mine, whom I met in college, had been reading PostSecret every Sunday since she was 14 years old. I looked it up, began to read, and have been hooked ever since. It was a project that a man started where he offered strangers a chance to send in their secrets anonymously. Every week he posts ten to twenty secrets from people all over the country and all over the world. It offers a beautiful place for you to read and send in your inner most thoughts in a safe space and helps you to relate to people form all over the world.

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5. tudiabetes: Diabetes Forum is a very recent find. And I couldn't be happier that I found it. It is a place where diabetics of all types can come together to make friends, ask for advice, read articles, and just search for support. I have two blog posts on my pages and emails from several people relating to my story, helping me cope, and answering my personal questions. I have really enjoyed it, and I can't wait to continue with it.

Blog Challenge: Day 1.

Tell Your Life Story in 300 Words or Less.

I was born June 8^th, 1988.

I still remember what it is like to be an only child.

My brother was born on January 3^rd, 1993.

My mother’s name begins with S.

My father’s name begins with S.

My brother’s name begins with S.

My name begins with L. Go figure.

I attended Kindergarten at a Montessori School.

I spent first grade through fourth grade at a private Catholic School.

I spent fifth through eighth grade at a public school.

I spent high school at a private Catholic School.

I worked in a restaurant during my Junior and Senior year of high school.

I spent college at a public university.

I graduated with a bachelor’s in Liberal Arts.

I have always been close with my parents.

I moved to Los Angeles, CA for 8 months with my best friend.

I’ve worked in retail several times and, although I hate it, I am really good at it.

I went to beauty school to become an esthetician and a make-up artist.

I found out I am Type 1 Diabetic at the age of 24.

I was a nanny for one and half years.

I met the love of my life through a mutual friend.

We are no longer friends with her, but we are still together.

I found a wonderful, full time job with Benefits (necessary with T1D).

I moved in with my boyfriend and we couldn’t be happier.

We got our first Christmas Tree, real Christmas Tree, together this year.

I have recently started building a relationship with God again, and it makes me very emotional.

I love music, movies, ice cream, and grilled cheese sandwiches.

I have been told I am an artist, but I say I’m more of a crafter.

I love to be clean and organized.

Blog Challenge.

Good morning folks!

It is a new year, a new me, and a new blog!

I was trying to think of something I could do to start my blog off strong!

What better way then to work through a 31 day challenge that allows me to talk on several topics and offer a true sense of who I am as a woman, person, heart, soul in this world.

I already posted my introduction but I wanted to dive right in.

When I am excited about things, I need to go full force into it! And blogging feels like something I will really enjoy.

So welcome to my 31 Day Blog Challenge! January has 31 days, so I am going to do a blog post a day for 31 days. Here is a list of days and what I will be writing on! Feel free to link your own blog or any challenges you have done. I am always happy to chat and make new friends.

31 DAY BLOG CHALLENGE (found here):
Day 1: Tell Your Life Story in 300 Words or Less
Day 2: 5 Super Cool Things About Your City or Town
Day 3: Favourite Quotes or Song Lyrics
Day 4: 20 Facts or Things About You
Day 5: 9 Guilty Pleasures
Day 6: 5 Random Acts of Kindness That Inspire You
Day 7: 5 Recommended Reads (These can be books, websites, blogs etc.)
Day 8: Discuss Something You Have Read Online & Link to It
Day 9: Tell Us About An Interesting Documentary You Have Watched
Day 10. Dinner Party Wish List (Anyone dead, alive or fictional )
Day 11: React to This: Letting Go
Day 12: 5 Amazing …(Songs, films, artists, books, websites etc.)
Day 13: 5 Spectacular ….(As above, but choose a different category)
Day 14: 5 Things You Can’t Live Without
Day 15: 5 Things That Make You Uncomfortable
Day 16: 5 Best Things About Being a Woman or Man
Day 17: 5 Film or TV Shows You Would Recommend & Why
Day 18: Something You Find Fascinating
Day 19: Favourite Faery or Folk Tale
Day 20: React to This: Positivity
Day 21: Finish This Story in Under 500 Words:
              The flash of light momentarily blinded him, and he wondered how it had all come to this.
Day 22: What Do You Miss (Person, place, thing or time in your life)
Day 23: 5 People Who Inspire You
Day 24: Things You Made (This can be a craft, piece of art, website, film, music video, song, poem etc.)
Day 25: 5 Favourite Blogs & Why You Love Them
Day 26: Happiness Tips: Spread the Joy Around
Day 27: In Pictures: Things that Inspire You
Day 28: 5 Pieces of Advice to Your Younger Self
Day 29: How You Have Changed in the Past 5 Years
Day 30: 5 Things You Achieved in the Past Year
Day 31: 5 Goals for the Next 12 Months

Welcome.

Diabetes is not a fun condition to deal with. It is hard, complicated, and has no cure.

BUT!!

That doesn't mean that we can't work on making things a little bit better in other areas!

I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in October 2012.

Between then, and now, I have done so many things that are Diabetes related, and so many more wonderful things that have nothing to do with Diabetes.

I felt like this coming year was a great time to start whining blogging about my journey. I have been through a lot, and there are still so many more things to come.

I need to be held more accountable for myself: my health, my heart, and my life. I need to take better care of Lindsey, and put less care in what other people think about me. I am me. I can't apologize for that.

 

 Happiness isn't always a choice. At least, I don't believe so. I think there is a lot to be said for people who make their own happiness. It is hard to be happy in a world such as ours. There are so many things that bring us down; so many negative things that affect us every single day. And, as humans in this world, we are conditioned to look at the negative and dismiss the positive. 

An example I always use: when I get together with my girlfriends and we start talking about our significant others {whether they are girlfriends, husbands, boyfriends, or fiances}, it tends to center around things they have done to wrong us.

"He didn't take out the trash!"

"She left dirty dishes in the sink for 2 days!"

"He hasn't surprised me with flowers in months!"

"He spends so much time on video games!"

And the list continues on and on.

However, when was the last time they we praised the person we share our heart with? It is so much easier to commiserate with our friends about wrongs, and feels so foreign, strange, and sometimes shameful to share all the wonderful things about them.

"He came in after I was asleep, and held me."

"She called to see if she needed to bring home dinner."

"We ate Oreos and shared the milk after we made love."

These are the things we need to share. Spread goodness, hope, and love. It feels so much better to share the good, without sharing the bad.

I have been very guilty of this since I was diagnosed. Having T1D sucks. It isn't a Ferris Wheel of Fun to have to constantly be aware of food, stresses, exercise, environment, the time, supplies, etc. The Diabetic Life isn't something that I would wish on anyone.

HOWEVER!!

Just because it is THE BIGGEST PAIN IN THE REAR END a challenge, doesn't mean it has to be an excuse for me to use at will. It is a very real condition that I am faced with, and it isn't anyone's fault. It is simply something that I need to alter my life style for.

The guilt comes in when I use it as an excuse for things that I should NOT use it for. 

My friends plan something I am not interested in. My blood sugars are too high, I'm not feeling well.

I want to eat something I know I shouldn't. I need to eat because I am diabetic.

Gym time is important. I didn't eat properly and my blood sugars will get weird.

I might as well just claim I am in a vegetable state and can't be bothered with anything.

{Please don't misunderstand! I know these are all legitimate issues that we all, as T1Ds, face. But just because they DO happen, doesn't mean I should use them as an excuse in they AREN'T actually happening. I am the girl who cries Diabetic.}

 

Where is this blog post going? I don't quite know. I am COMPLETELY new to blogging. I think this post is just to get me over the threshold. It start the blog, and then from here, I am make this exactly what I envision. Everything starts out a little awkwardly, and then when we know better, we do better. 

[Maya Angelou paraphrased quote]

My small thing, that I want to do in a great way, is open up my soul, my life, and my journey to you. There isn't a TON of resources. I mean there is a lot of research out there. There is a lot of help out there, dos and don'ts, and things like that, but there isn't a lot of support from diabetics living for diabetics.

ESPECIALLY Type 1. The struggles are real, and my friends don't know what I need, and the support I need. Shoving medical advice in my face, or worse... Hard candy when I am high! **CRINGE**

I appreciate the thought, and I usually just smile and say thank you. But communities of people who know exactly what it means to have a low or a high, or people who love chocolate cake, but never know how to dose insulin for it. Bouncing diets and snacks, and just sharing the highs and lows (literally and figuratively) of Type 1 Diabetes.

 

Isn't this little girl adorable?

And she is so right. 

Diabetes aside (because that always needs a plan.), this is something that people need to do a little bit more. The most pertinent example I have is love. For me, all the cliches about it happening when it happens ended up being true. But it goes with anything. When you want something SO MUCH, you lose sight of everything around you. So, we all need to take a step back sometimes, breath a little, trust the universe, God, yourself, fate, destiny, the stars, and you are more free to see what happens.

 

So with all this ramblings, I would just like to say, WELCOME. I am so glad you are here. I am hoping this will be a place to talk about my diabetes, but also to talk about my life.