Low Snacks and Lip Gloss

Reverb Day #8

2010-12-08T12:54:00.000-08:00

Prompt: Beautifully different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different- you'll find they're what make you beautiful.

I'm of the mindset that it takes all kinds of different people to make this world work and that we should celebrate the fact that each of us is different.

I'm different because I believe that EVERYONE deserves the chance to live an extraordinary life no matter what they look like, or who they love, or who/what they worship.

I'm different because I don't like to watch America's Funniest Home Videos because it makes my heart hurt to think of people ACTUALLY getting hurt.

I'm different because I address all my e-mails with "Hi (whoever)" no matter how many exchanges we have- always "Hi."

I'm different because I got married when I was 23. To someone who I started dating when I was 17.

I'm different because I try and give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

I'm different because my body (especially as of late) has decided that it wants to not work correctly at all.

I'm different because I can remember random details about my friends' lives that they only mention once. I look crazy when I then refer to those details in conversation.

I'm different because I talk to atleast one member of my family every day.

I'm different because in almost every situation I can find a way to laugh. No matter how bad it might be.

Those things make me unique, I think. And hopefully, they make me beautiful.

Reverb Day #7

2010-12-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

Prompt: Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?

In 2010, I grew even more into the community of dog owners at our old apartment building. We spent many evenings after work chatting with our neighbors and letting the pups play. We'd bring a bottle of wine out to our courtyard with a few glasses and suddenly we'd have a mini-party going.

Since our move in June, I seriously miss my apartment neighbors. We now live in a quiet neighborhood and haven't met very many people. Our new community also hasn't hosted anything as new people move in (since we live in a development that's under construction, when sections are finished, new people are allowed to close on their places and move in. We just had a new group close last week.)

In 2011, I've decided I'm going to try and get a position on the board of our newly established Home Owners Association in order to help organize some events for everyone to get to know each other. I also kind of organize events and meetings for a living, so hey! Perfect fit. Hopefully, I work in 2011 to cultivate a community when I live.

Reverb Day # 3, 4, 5, and 6

2010-12-06T12:04:00.000-08:00

(Note: This weekend, my college roommates came into town and I didn't hardly have a minute to myself. If this were NaBloPoMo, I would simply give up and note do any of these prompts. But the prompts actually make me really happy, so I'm just going to catch up and hope that no one tells on me.)

Dec 3rd Prompt: Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year.
I'm not sure that anything this year came close to the intense alive-ness that I felt in 2009 while running my first half marathon. That, for me, was living. It was hurt-filled, want to keel over, dreadful for miles 10-13, amazing, totally great when I finished, LIVING.

I don't think anything will live up to that.

Dec 4th Prompt: Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?
I'm constantly in wonder when I'm with my 4 and 6 year old cousins, K & L. Ross and I spent time with them in October and they are pretty awesome kids. They like to dance and play and they love Ross. It's always just funny kind of see things through their eyes. Kids are funny.

Dec 5th Prompt: Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?
This year, I let go of some of the friendships that I had when I moved into DC. I stopped trying to make things work, because I sort of know they just can't. It's fun to look back and remember the people that were in the picture the first few months that Ross and I lived together, especially as I glance through Facebook pictures. I tried really hard to keep alot of those relationships going, but at the end, it was alittle too much for me. So, I've let those people go. I need positive people in my life. Here's hoping 2011 brings a few more my way.

Dec 6th Prompt: Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?
The last thing I made? I made some cookies and some cinnamon buns right before Thanksgiving. I have a beautiful kitchen in my new house and it makes doing those kinds of things really fun (cooking is way easier when you have more than one counter top to spread your stuff out on!). I've posted my chocolate chip cookie recipe here before (and it's easy to find since it's on the back on EVERY Toll House chocolate chip bag).

Something I want to make? I want to make the bed in our guest room beautiful. It's old, not in very good condition and a dark stained wood. Over the Christmas holiday I'm planning to paint it. I can't wait!

Reverb Day #2: Writing

2010-12-02T09:37:00.001-08:00

Prompt: Writing. What do you do each day that doesn't contribute to your
writing -- and can you eliminate it?

Well, as you've seen in my lack of posting, alot stands in the way of my writing here on this blog. I think that it goes back to the idea that in the diabetes community, which I sort of see as the closest blog community I am a part of, I don't really feel like a part of it. I've been reading blogs for a really long time and (see this post on how I started blogging) I really enjoy writing as a creative outlet, plus it's nice to have a written account of some of the stuff that's going on in my life.

So, what do I do each day that doesn't contribute to my blog- maybe thinking that this blog isn't good enough for someone to read. Negative self-doubt that I really do try and avoid, but that sometime creeps up and says "no need to write that, other people are doing it and their voice is louder, and better."

Ugh. I can't believe I wrote that.

How can I eliminate those thoughts and work toward my 2011 word of happiness? I can write about things here that make me frickin' happy. Not focusing on anyone else and doing something that I've loved since I was a kid along with doodling, and painting, and crafting, and making things with my hands, and coloring, and singing. Letting the imagination and creativity that I have and that I feel gets smothered by my not so creative job and not so creative hobbies (tv watching and reading) show.

So I'll write to make myself happy and if anyone out there in cyberspace finds it and reads it, that's cool. And if no one does, that's fine too.

Reverb Day 1: Growth

2010-12-01T13:46:00.000-08:00

This year, I haven't been good about blogging. I always start out the year pretty strongly, but then things go done hill during the spring and summer. I'm going to attempt the Reverb Challenge with the thought that I have more time in December this year then ever before to write (yay for two weeks off!).

Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word: GROWTH

Professionally, especially in the last few months, I feel like I've been able to grow into my position. I've been in my current role for two years, but I've really gotten the chance to stretch my wings and feel like my supervisors really trust me to take a project and run with it. One of the programs that I manage has soooo much growth potential that we're only just beginning to realize. Sometimes, when everything is going right, it reaffirms that I'm in the right place.

My personal responsibilities have grown, too. I own a house now. Holy crap. I definitely didn't expect that to happen in 2010. And with that comes alot of extra stuff. Like paying more bills and making it a beautiful place to live (something that I really put alot of energy into.)

My relationships with my husband and my family continues to grow. I appreciate little moments that I haven't before. Little things like making my husband laugh by quoting Home Alone out of the blue or text messages from my sister that reinforce that I am beyond lucky to ccount her amongst my best friends.

2011 Word: Happiness

I hope to make 2011 my happiest year yet.

NaBloPoMo Day #4- The House

2010-11-04T12:17:00.000-07:00

In my post a couple of days ago, I told ya'll that I bought a house. Well, it's a townhouse/condo, but to me since I own it and all, it's a house. We moved in at the beginning of June and did a ton of painting and furniture buying the first weeks we were there, but have hit a major wall with the decorating.

My home office, guest bedroom, powder room, and guest bathroom are in serious need of some sprucing. I'm hoping to tackle two of the rooms this weekend and to start working on some art to go in our formal living/dining room.

I'm hoping this dreary weather goes away so I can get motivated because right now, all I want is a nap.

NaBloPoMo- Day 3

2010-11-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Enjoy this video explaination!

NaBloPoMo- Week 1, Day 1 and 2

2010-11-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! Long time, no see.

As is tradition with this here blog, I can't maintain it the way I want. I fall off the bandwagon during the summer when my life gets crazy and gravitate back when the weather starts to get cooler (and holy moses, it was cool this morning!).

But, I'm going to try and do NaBloPoMo and I've decided to try and use some of the blog topic suggestions that my friend Dayle created.

So, here's day 1 and day 2 because I completely forgot yesterday was November 1st.

Monday, November 1 Introduction – Tell us about yourself! Why did you decide to start a blog or share your blog with us?

I started LS&LG in May of 2009 after getting fed up with my old blog, Tales of a Twentysomething. The Diabetes OC was the reason I started blogging in 2007. I was thinking about what I was going to write my senior undergraduate thesis on and I decided to focus on media studies and representation. I analyzed several blogs and compared them to other media accounts of diabetes (i.e. Steel Magnolias and news reports). One of the things I learned was that to do proper research, you have to immerse yourself in the subject, so I started a diabetes blog.

But, about me! I'm 26 years old and live in the DC-area. I'm married to my high school sweetheart and we've been together for almost 9 years. My day job is working for a large health care non-profit in their government affairs and advocacy division(though on this blog, you won't find much information about my job- I'm not trying to get dooced or anything). In June, my husband and I bought our first house and have spent the last few month making it our home. I have a Yorkie-Bichon pup named Tucker who I have decided is the greatest, smartest, cutest damn dog in the entire world. I love carmel macchiatos, zumba classes, Mexican food, my family and Disney World. While I've admitted to being knee-deep in a quarter-life crisis, I remind myself everyday that I am truly blessed.

(I didn't mention diabetes, did I?)

Well, it's because in the grand scheme of life, it doesn't make the list of what makes Allison Allison! I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 17 years old. I remember life before d, even though the older I get, the more memories I have that include a little black kit and glucose tabs. I currently rock the Omnipod with pride and use a Dexcom 7 Plus (a gift from my husband and his extra "life insurance" policy- romantic, right???).

Tuesday, November 2 Election Day – What issues are important to you? If you could tell your representatives one thing about diabetes, what would it be?

Issues that are important to me relate alot to funding. Funding for research (like the Special Diabetes Program, which will provide funding for type 1 research if it's reauthorized) and programs. I also totally support legislation like menu labeling. I love restaurants that have been early adopters (Hello Panera in VA!) who post the calories and fat (and will give you carb info if you ask) and allow people to make better choices (for example, should I get the panini that has 400 cals, or the soup and salad for 390 cals- duh, soup and salad!).

And if I could tell my respentatives one thing about diabetes, I would say that when people manage their diabetes really well, it looks easy and likes it's not important. But gosh darn it, it really is difficult. And it takes up some much time and energy. And will probably end my life prematurely. And I hate it. And I wish he/she would help reauthorize SDP. Or else.

And if I said everything like that, I'd likely get escorted out of my representative's office and their staff would think they let some girl out of the loony bin. But, they would probably say I have passion or something.

What bloodwork?

2010-07-27T11:49:00.000-07:00

I went to the endocrinologist on April 24th and she wrote me a lab slip to get my bloodwork done at a lab closer to my house.

Have I done that yet?

Nope.

Do you know today's date?

July 27th.

My appointment was over 3 months ago. In fact, I'm supposed to go back to my doctor's in less than a month. I have a ton of excuses why I haven't gone and none of them are really good. (Yeah, moving, living 30 miles away, moving again, buying a house, doing house things, work, gym- all of those are pretty terrible excuses).

Why does this bother me, you ask? Because my morning numbers suck the big one. Like 300 mg/dl suck. I've tried adjusting my basals, but something isn't right.

I also own a Dexcom that I am out of sensors for. Again, bad excuses.

Well, excuses NO MORE. For the next month, I am writing down everything I eat and every blood sugar. And I am bringing it all to my appointment in August.

And by next Friday, I am going to get my lab work done.

And in other news...

2010-07-08T07:26:00.000-07:00

So it's been awhile since I've written here and basically alot has happened since then. In fact....
- I bought a house
- I moved out of my apartment and into my in-laws
- I lived there for several weeks
- I moved into my new house
- I painted and decorated and continue to try and make our cookie cutter place look more like "us"

I also got the chance to attend the Children with Diabetes Conference, which was awesome (as always!).

Hopefully, I can get back to blogging and share with you more details about our new house and my life in the 'burbs!

Is it Friday yet?

2010-04-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

This poem sums up my mood about work quite nicely. Is it Friday yet?

An Ode to the Job That's a Pain in my Side

My job is unfulfilling and I don't know what to do
Sometimes I think my office is more like a zoo

Hoping to pull myself out of a work-imposed funk
I filled my cubicle with smile-inducing junk

Minutes tick by and soon it is noon
I sit at my desk, and eat soup with a spoon

Dreaming of being on a beach or cruise ship
I would go for a less exotic type of trip

Doing anything but this, anywhere but here
Being a Starbuck's barista or serving drunks beer

My eyes, they glaze over, as I read some reports
And in my head I think of smart-ass retorts

"You think I'm not succeeding? And you want to know why?"
"Because in my car driving here, I break down and cry"

I don't play the game well and I don't pretend I do
But I want to feel like a person, not gum on one's shoe

Maybe I'm not cut out to be an office worker
Maybe I should just become a famous blog lurker?

Or maybe I should leave it all and go back to school-
I would be a theater major and be instantly cool

I would study acting and give 21 year-olds a run for their money
Because I know how to play a secretary, let me tell you, honey!

Or maybe I'd say "Screw it!", take math, and become a nurse
Because I know alot about diabetes & it didn't get me anything, except a big purse

But to have money to do that you have to work
Even if that turns you into a cold, heartless jerk

Being that way gets you to up the corporate ladder
But your employees are disgruntled, do you hear their chatter?

I work hard, try my best, and hope to strive
But, enough for today, thank God it is 5!

Not feeling it

2010-03-16T10:39:00.000-07:00

I'm really not feeling the whole blogging thing right now.

And that's okay.

Because I'm out there living life and eventually I'll get around to writing about it, even if it's just for me.

January Wrap Up, even though it's almost March

2010-02-18T12:18:00.000-08:00

I'm still trying to figure out where the heck February went. I'm pretty sure it's hiding in the 8 ft snowbank that's outside of my apartment, but I really can't be sure.

So, you know back in January where I decided to write down some of my goals for the month and I gave you updates each week? Well, over the course of the month, I did really well. I drank my water in my awesome Camelback bottle, made a birthday calendar and created an awesome card to send to my family, and visited NYC for the weekend. The whole water thing has stuck and I'm still trying to drink plenty of water each day. Also, I'm off Diet Coke (which for anyone with diabetes will tell you is tough to do). I actually got a DC last week when I went to get lunch and I seriously felt sick after drinking it. I'm not sure if it was the bubbles or not having had any in month, but it didn't sit well and is definitely motivation to stay "soda-free"

I'm happy that I completed these items from my list of 101 things and will start again with trying to knock a few off my list in March.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T10:16:00.000-08:00

Pondering...

2010-02-11T11:59:00.000-08:00

1. I've been stuck at home for the past 4 days. The federal government has been closed because of the crazy amount of snow that we've received over the last week. I need to get out of my apartment. My husband has been working from home and I've had to listen to him on conference calls most of the afternoons. Not fun.

2. I'm tempted to do some baking, but since I'm stuck inside and down to the essentials, I would likely eat everything I bake. I've hit the treadmill several times this week, but I need to get to the gym and get to a class ASAP.

3. I'm reading Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project. I'm almost finished (thanks snow days!) and will have a complete review for you soon. Interesting stuff in that there book.

4. I want carby goodness for dinner. We're going out so I can associate with more people than Ross and my dog. Even if it's just a waitress.

5. I'm ready for spring.

17. Visit New York City

2010-02-09T05:30:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, Ross and I avoided the 1st DC snowstorm and heading to NYC with some of our friends, Jack and Kate. This was my first overnight trip to the city this year and we definitely had a great time.

We left DC at 6:30 am on the Vamoose bus. Normally, I'm loyal to Bolt Bus, but the Vamoose stop is super close to my house and left a half hour before Bolt Bus, guaranteeing more time in NYC for fun. We got to the city and made our way to Times Square to try and get tickets to a Broadway show. After cruising by the TKTS booth, we decided it was worth the money to bypass the line and to make sure we had tickets to a show, so we headed to the Richard Rogers Theater and got tickets to see In the Heights.

After a trek to our hotel to drop off our bags, we made our way over to Hell's Kitchen to get some tasty Thai grub at a place our friend Jack had read about. I had the best KaProw (chicken with basil in a chile sauce) of my life there. Lunch would not have been complete without dessert so we went to Rocco's Pastry Shop s and consumed more delicious carbs and coffee.

Since we were sufficiently full, Jack lead us to The guys consumed several pairs of beers. We hit up another watering hole, Park Bar, before heading back to Times Square, for our show.

In the Heights was everything I thought it was going to be, and more. As a theater nerd, I have nothing but great things to say about the show. It appeals to everyone (including my non-theater nerd husband who came out of the theater singing 96,000) and is such a cheerful show.After In the Heights, we headed to the Lower East Side to meet up with friends from highschool and college. We had a great time catching up with people (and eating a drunk New York slice). We realized after all of this, we'd been up for almost 24 straight hours with no 5-hour Energies to be seen, and quickly cabbed to our hotel.

Sunday, we had a great breakfast (or was it brunch? or was it an afternoon snack?) at Max Brenner's and then explored the MoMA and the Central Park area. Our final stop before dinner was Dylan's Candy Bar (LOVE LOVE LOVE) where I became sufficiently happy then a diabetic kid in a candy store. We had a great tapas dinner before Bolt Busing back to DC....all in time for work at 8:30am Monday morning.

It was a seriously awesome weekend and it was awesome to cross a trip off the 101 Things List!

Things I Love #4 Pizza

2010-02-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

It really doesn't matter what time of day or from where, I love pizza! I would definitely go on to list it as one of my top 5 favorite foods. Unfortunately, pizza is exactly healthy and can be a really terrible on my blood sugar (and alittle crazy on my wallet too if I'm ordering from a takeout place!)

I recently picked up the new Cooking Light Way to Cook cookbook and there's an excellent homemade pizza dough recipe in it. It's not a great recipe for a quick weeknight dinner, but when I have some time (like over the long weekends we've had with the snow) it's great. It makes a 12 inch pizza, but I do personal ones for each of us (since the hubby is allergic to cheese) which is enough for dinner and lunch the next day.

Check out the recipe:

Ingredients
2 teaspoons honey
1 package active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
3/4 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 10 ounces), divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons stone-ground yellow cornmeal

Preparation
Dissolve the honey and yeast in 3/4 cup warm water in a large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes or until bubbly. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 2 cups flour and salt to yeast mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 6 minutes); add enough of the remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel slightly sticky).

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 30 minutes or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If the indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)

Roll dough into a 12-inch circle (about 1/4 inch thick) on a lightly floured surface. Place dough on a rimless baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Crimp edges of dough with fingers to form a rim. Lightly spray surface of dough with cooking spray, and cover with plastic wrap. Place the dough in refrigerator for up to 30 minutes.

Position one oven rack in the middle setting. Position another rack in the lowest setting, and place a rimless baking sheet on the bottom rack. Preheat oven to 500°.

Remove plastic wrap from Basic Pizza Dough; discard. Brush oil over dough. Remove preheated baking sheet from oven; close oven door. Slide dough onto preheated baking sheet, using a spatula as a guide. Bake on lowest oven rack at 500° for 8 minutes. Remove from oven.

Spread pizza suace in an even layer over crust, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Top sauce with toppings. Bake on middle rack an additional 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese melts. Cut into 12 wedges.

Nutritional analysis is for 1 (12-inch) pizza crust. Does not include any toppings.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 1155 (3% from fat)
Fat: 3.4g (sat 0.6g,mono 0.5g,poly 1.3g)
Protein: 33.8g
Carbohydrate: 242.5g
Fiber: 10.8g
Cholesterol: 0.0mg
Iron: 14.3mg
Sodium:n1195mg
Calcium:n49mg

Pondering...

2010-02-03T07:36:00.000-08:00

1. Why is it that even though my office is open today, no one is here? Seriously.

2. Why did I decide to wear a skirt today, even though it's so freaking cold?

3. I decided to wear my pedometer in NYC this past weekend and walked over 8 miles in about 30 hours. My legs hurt alittle (an NYC post is in the works, btw).

4. If I could be anywhere in the USA today, I would be in Disney's Hollywood Studios with my family and husband. I would eat a few Mickey ice cream bars, ride Tower of Terror atleast 3 times, and go to Fantasmic to see the awesome show.

5. I would like to own a house soonish. I'm not sure how that's possible, but I like the idea of being able to paint a room turquoise if I want to.

January Goals Update Week #3

2010-01-26T13:26:00.000-08:00

During the workweek, I chugged my 64 oz of water religiously. At my desk, at the gym, at a friend's house, and even out at dinner. I didn't quite make it to 64 ozs. on Saturday, and I honestly felt different. I wasn't nearly as energized, my mouth was parched (despite a blood sugar check and coming in at 140 mg/dl) and I just didn't feel good. Maybe it's in my head, but I think the extra water has helped me. I've eliminated all soda and I really don't miss it. And I'm not missing the cash I was was spending by ordering a soda when I go out to eat and those 2 liters that I was picking up at the grocery store.

I sent my first birthday card this week to my sister-in-law, so here's hoping she loves the design that incorporates my pup, Little Tuck.

And this approaching weekend marks my longer than 8 hour trip to the Big Apple! And I'm so excited! We have plans to see a show on Saturday night and explore the city with some of our seasoned NYC DC-friends.

January, you've been pretty decent to me so far. Thanks for that!

Unclutter My Life in a Week? Can I Have a Month?

2010-01-26T01:00:00.000-08:00

I've made a conscious effort this month to really think about what I'm doing and start establishing new behaviors. Like drinking water. And sending people cards on their birthdays.

Another behavior I'm working on is turning my Blackberry off earlier and reading an actual book before I go to bed instead of browsing through the day's tweets, hearing about the world ending on CNN, or stalking Facebook. The first book I've managed to read this month is Unclutter Your Life in One Week by Erin Doland Rooney, the Editor-in-Chief over at Unclutterer.com. The book is a super easy read and focuses on uncluttering in order to lead the most remarkable life. And for some reason, I love that idea. (Confession: I am not as organized as I would like to be. In college, I lived with numerous piles throughout my room that NEVER went away. And I was okay with it. Not anymore.)

Doland breaks down the book by day and focuses on organizing just a small piece of your home or office throughout the week. One day, you might organize your closet;the next day, you'll organize your kitchen. And throughout the week, you do some maintenance cleaning so you don't spend your entire weekend cleaning your house because you've let it become a disaster area.

Alot of Doland's tips are common sense (make sure there isn't any nastiness growing in your fridge- DUH). But she goes a step further by telling you how to organize tasks so you're not wasting a bunch of time (clean out your fridge before you go grocery shopping by throwing away stuff that is bad, inventorying what you have, and then making a meal plan for the next week).

So, I'm not completely organized, YET. But, I did clean out my linen closet and bathroom vanity over the weekend and I've sorted through my scrapbooking supplies and went through some of my older computer files, arranging them in folders by topic. So that's a start.

Here I come, more remarkable life!

Things I Love #3 Cardigans

2010-01-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

I love to read fashion blogs. One of my favorites is CollegeFashion.net. Even though I'm not in college (darn), I love to hear what their contributors have to say about the season's cutest boots, winter coats, or even Halloween costumes.

Alot of the time, they talk about finding something that you think defines your personal style. I've watched enough What Not to Wear to know that there are certain things I should wear and things that I should avoid. One of my wardrobe staples has become the cardigan. I frickin' love them!

Seriously, they are awesome. They can be worn over dresses or a button down shirt, or completely buttoned up. They are also one of those pieces that transition from winter to summer really easily (depending on their material). I realize that some people think cardigans are boring (i.e Mister Rogers), but I think they are preppy and cool.

My favorite places right now to pick up my cardigan gems are Ann Taylor (dude, I shop at the outlet, so I'm not even going to link to their site) and NY and Company (they had awesome argyle ones around Christmas-LOVE LOVE LOVE). I love ones that are printed (so chic with a pair of dress pants or a cute skirt!) or that have detailed buttons.

Ah, cardigans. It's the little things, ya know? Do you have a fashion staple? Something you really love to wear?

About friends...

2010-01-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

I've always been a good friend, in my opinion. I'm a good listener, overwhelmingly optimistic, and thoughtful. Oftentimes, I'm the "third" person in a best friend friendship. I remember in elementary school being drawn to people that already had best friends. It was pretty crappy because I would end up getting left out occasionally. Despite that, I managed to always try and be the best friend that I could be.

In high school, I mixed with pretty much every group in my high school, besides the uber popular kids. I had friends that were athletes and people I hung out with because we played softball. When I stopped playing softball, the theater kids accepted me with open arms and I made friends with a group of theater girls. I gained another group of friends when I started dating Ross. In college, I had a very tight knit group of friends who became my second family. They continue to be my very best friends, but most of them don't live close enough where we have the opportunity to grab dinner on a weekly basis and scheduling a weekend trip to see them is tough for everyone. My mom and sister also end up in that group of "best friends" and I get to see them alot, but I miss having a group to go out dancing with on a random Saturday night or meet up with for coffee during the week.

I'm not looking for people to replace my girls, for sure. I'm just looking to expand my social circle and make some quality "DC" friends. I've read that alot of people experience this in their twenties, so tell me: What's the best way to make friends in a big city? Have you had success on sites like Meetup.com? Do you have any advice for me?

January Goals Update #2

2010-01-18T12:17:00.001-08:00

Is January really halfway over? Where the heck has this month gone?

I'm cruising along quite nicely with my goals. My water intake is still right around 60-64 oz each day. To help keep track of all my drinking, I purchased a fancy Camelback water bottle on Amazon for super cheap. It's 32 oz, so all I have to do is drink two of them a day and I'm golden. It's nonleeching and is also perfect to take to the gym with me.

I also finished my generic birthday card to send to my friends and family this year. All I need to do is get some adhesive to attach the photo to card stock. As you'll recall, I created a Google Calendar with all of the birthdays on there and have set up reminders for two weeks before the birthday to fill out the card and put it in the mail. Over the holidays, Ross and I stocked up on Forever stamps, so I have everything I need to be a birthday card queen.

How are your resolutions and goals coming along?

January Goals Update Week #1

2010-01-11T14:04:00.000-08:00

This past week, I did pretty well with my goals. I've managed to get just about 64 oz of water each day. I'm not keeping terribly good records, but I know I'm really close each day, To make sure I'm achieving my goal, I've virtually cut out soda. I didn't even really mean to do this but since I'm spending all of my time drinking water, I don't have much time for soda or tea throughout the day. This is great because I do feel more hydrated, if my numbers are alittle high the water helps, and I'm saving money by not ordering soda when I go out to eat. Win, win, win!

I also created my family birthday calendar this week. I've put everything into my Google calendar and set up reminders for a few weeks before everyone's birthday so that I can get it mailed and they get it before the actual day. I decided to make my own birthday cards since they can get kind of expensive, so I just have to put some finishing touches on the design and then I'm good to go.

How was your first week of 2010? Still keeping up with your goals?

The Christmas Adventure, Part 2

2010-01-07T06:30:00.000-08:00

Where we last left off, Ross and I had managed to hike down to Woodbridge to spend a few days with the fams for the holidays. Both of our families live in the same town, which can be difficult if you're not smart, charming, or flexible (Good thing we're all of those things!!!). We arrived on Christmas Eve and spent time enjoying some serious appetizers that Mom and Dad B had whipped up. We also debated on whether to spike the wassail, but decided aganist it since we had to go to church and stuff.

We churched with my fam, then churched with Ross' fam, which is way more church than we have been to all year. Really.

After church, we headed to Ross' family's house where we planned to spend Christmas Eve and do Christmas morning. As my first Christmas Eve away from my parents, it was alittle tough. But I got to be a part of the "hanging our stockings" tradition and even hear the yearly rendition of "The Night Before Christmas," which was really fun. Christmas morning was lovely- presents, breakfast, and the trek back across town to my family's house where my parents had refused to open any gifts until we arrived. My sister had lost her patience a tad (I got a text message that simply said "WHERE ARE YOU GUYS? HURRY UP!", but I told her that it was awesome that Christmas got to be spread out throughout the entire day. I'm an optimist, yo.

After presents, Ross and I helped my family get ready for Christmas dinner. And then, we were successful two places at once- Christmas dinner with both families- because his family came to my family's for dinner! And it rocked. This was year number two for this tradition and I seriously like it. We had awesome food, all of the rents got to chat, and all the siblings got to chat about college and the gifts they received.

I was asleep by 10pm, which was fine since we had a day of traveling ahead of us, to PAto see Ross' grandparents and "do Christmas" with them. We also fit in a ski day with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law while we were there, that went 100% better than last year. (Maybe it was because I didn't set foot on a snowboard? Or that I could almost lift my skis myself? Or that I made it down that mountain more than twice?)

Overall, my vacation was awesome. I blabbed about it for two whole posts, why don't you tell me about your holiday?

Christmas Vacation, Part 1

2010-01-06T06:30:00.000-08:00

I had a seriously great Christmas vacation.

My workweek before Christmas was cut short because of the snowstorm that hit the East Coast. DC received enough snow that the Federal Government decided to shut down on Monday, so my office was closed. The night before, I reverted to my 12 year old ways and wore my PJs inside out and flushed ice down the toilet because like any disgruntled employee before the holiday, I love myself a snowday (or 12).

That amount of snow meant that I only had to work one day before Christmas. Which rocked, in case you were wondering. On Christmas Eve Eve, my sister and I Bolt-Bused up to NYC to see "White Christmas" on Broadway. That might not sound like a rocking good time to you, but if I had to be on a bus for 4+ hours with anyone, it would be sister (or George Clooney). And if I was going to spend all that time on the bus, it would have to be for a damn good Broadway show, like White Christmas (crap, I would probably do that to see ANY Broadway show), but whatever.

We took the bus and saw White Christmas and managed to fit in quite a bit of NYC Christmas-ness in a mere 8 hours, including dinner at some place called Fat Annie's Truck Stop (which made me not feel like a tourist because we were surrounded by actual New Yorkers heading to the Rangers game), almost getting trampled in Macy's, seeing the tree in Rockafeller Center, and experiencing the frigid December weather.

All of that meant that my sister and I arrived back in DC at 2am on Christmas Eve for a few hours of shut eye before we hit the trail, with my husband and pup in tow, to head south on 95. This was only the beginning folks. We had several days of driving and Christmas-ing ahead of us. Check in tomorrow to hear about how we handled the holidays while managing to spend time with everyone, and being in two places at once!

January 2010: The Goals

2010-01-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's post was about the 101 List and my recommitment to the project. Let's start, shall we?

January's goals include:

6. Drinking 8 glasses of water a day for a month (start date January 4th-estimated completion date February 4th)
16. Visit New York City (trip planned for the end of the month to actually stay the night, as opposed to being nuts and going up and back in the same day)
58. Create a birthday calendar for everyone in my family

The 101 Things List

2010-01-04T06:30:00.000-08:00

Since last May, I've steadily been working my way through my 101 Things in 1001 Days list. I first heard about this project over at Allison's blog and then did more research about the Day Zero project. Some people have "Bucket Lists", I have this project. I thought it sounded like a really fun idea and I thought for quite awhile about the things that I really wanted to accomplish. Some of the things on my list are not going to be feasible, especially not in the amount of time that I have left. Like paying back my student loans, or reading a book every month. I've also done a pretty terrible job at remembering to document my progress.

Like many others, I'm trying to recommit in 2010. I'm going to tackle several goals a month to try and make a bigger dent in my list. I may not see my European destinations this year, but gosh darn it, I will create a birthday calendar and try to get birthday cards out to everyone in my family.

What will January's goals be? Check in tomorrow to find out...

Happy 2010

2010-01-03T13:16:00.000-08:00

It's been officially over two weeks since I've posted here on the blog. I seem to fall off the planet around holidays (or maybe it's just when I'm not chained to my desk). I believe that you have to take some time to have some experiences in order to have some decent blogging material and I had some pretty cool experiences over the last few days that I'll be sharing with you all this week.

But before I get to any of those things, Happy 2010. I can't wait to share with you more in this new decade.

Thinking...

2009-12-16T09:04:00.000-08:00

1. How is it that I haven't posted in over a week? I have alot of things to say, but not alot of time to write them down.

2. Christmas is in nine days. I feel like I just got home from Montana. That was in July. Where does the time go?

3. I am obsessed with the song "Last Christmas" by WHAM. I'm not sure why, but I find it to be incredibly catchy.

4. In exactly one week, my little sister and I will be in New York for the day to see "White Christmas", our favorite movie, on Broadway. It will be a marathon day but I have a feeling it will be very awesome.

5. My current blood sugar is 196 mg/dl. With a straight line east.

6. I don't like potluck lunches very much.

Pondering

2009-12-07T12:12:00.000-08:00

1. Why is it that Monday's creep up on me so fast? Seriously, the week drags by and then BAM, it's Monday at 7:15 and I just want another hour to sleep.

2. Speaking of sleep, why is it that my dog will sleep ALL day long but want to wake up at 7:00am to play ball for an hour and then go back to sleep. I seriously can't figure this guy out.

3. In working on some possible new business stuff I have realized that there is alot about the internet that I don't know. Like how web sites are born. And maintained. And designed. And it makes me feel like a bit of a failure. And that I need to read more.

4. Why is it that my dad is the hardest human on the planet to buy Christmas presents for? He ordered the books I was going to get him for Christmas on Amazon last week. Like 20 days before Christmas. Who does that and why do they torture us gift givers?

5. I got hit in the face with a full can of beer on a party bus on Saturday night. While that may seem like I am an irresponsible 25 year old, I argue that I am not. Not only was I one of the most sober people on the bus, I'm trying to figure out who the guy was throwing the beer to and why I didn't put my hand up? I remain that I wasn't expecting a Miller Lite to fly through the air with the greatest of ease. Anyways, my face caught the beer pretty well. I'm only out a contact and I'm not bruised. Let's add that to the "awkward things that Allison has experienced" file, shall we?

NaBloPoMo FAIL and a Thanksgiving Recap

2009-11-30T12:09:00.001-08:00

Well, this year I didn't complete NaBloPoMo. Again. For the second year. Novemeber always seems to be a month that whizzes by me before I even realize it. And then it's December 1st and I'm jazzed about the holidays. So anyways, hopefully next year I'll be able to keep up with posting everyday.

To recap, my Thanksgiving was pretty great. Unlike many people with diabetes, I didn't have the Diabetes Police asking about everything I ate (even when I ate two Georgetown Cupcakes for dessert). The fam is uber supportive and trust me to make good decisions for myself and I don't think they've ever said "can you eat that?" And no, my blood sugar was not in optimal range for most of the day, but I did what I could and gave my pump a workout and I tried to do better on Friday. That's all ya can do sometimes.

I also got to spend some time with my family, which is the best. Getting coffee with my sister, talking to my mom while she makes tea, and discussing business with my dad was awesome. And I can't forgot my husband and his execeptional babysitting skills when it came to looking after Tucker and Bella (the pups) and Kate and Luke (my cousins). Even after a disasterous trip to the park, in which 3 out of 4 of the animals came back drenched (Tucker, Bella, and Luke-who had slid down a slide and gotten his pants completely soaked), Ross remained patient and calm.

Now, we begin getting ready for December and the holiday season. Our tree is up and we're making plans for Christmas and New Year's. It's sure to be a busy few weeks.

Thanksgiving MeMe

2009-11-19T19:04:00.000-08:00

1. What are the traditional favorites? Turkey, cranberry salad, and mashed potatoes

2. What new recipes will you try this year? I'm making cinnamon buns for breakfast- hoping they turn out okay!

3. What part of the meal do you never compromise? Turkey- always turkey! Thanksgiving isn't Thanksgiving without the bird!

4. Who gets to carve the turkey? My dad or my mom, doesn't really matter in our house

5. Family style around the table or buffet style and everyone sits wherever there’s room? Buffet in our kitchen and then sitting in the dining room

6. How many will be at your table this year? There will probably be two tables this year. My mom, dad, Grandma Kay, Papa Bob, my uncle, my sister, Ross, and me :). I suspect Ross, Beck, and I will be at the "kids table"

7. Three best pies for Thanksgiving dessert? Apple or berry. I think We're having Georgetown Cupcakes for dessert since the hubs has food allergy issues.

8. Cranberry sauce…yeah or nay? Yes, the yummy cranberry salad my mom makes (that has sugar-free raspberry Jello in it!

9. What time do you eat Thanksgiving dinner? In the afternoon, around 2 or 3pm.

10. Favorite leftover? I love them all. I'm hoping to snag some leftover turkey this year and attempt turkey noodle soup. I also love the cranberry salad on the second day. Yum!

The DC Ladies Blog

2009-11-17T07:44:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to give a quick update about an awesome new blog that I am SO HAPPY to be a part of! The DC Ladies Blog covers what is fun, fashionable, family related and fabulous in the DC-area for women. The blog was started by Shelley and Sarah, an awesome mother/daughter team and after connecting with them on Twitter, I managed to get a spot contributing there!

I'll be writing about health and talking about my adventures with Lil Tuck (the pup). My first post will be up next Friday, but please stop by often to read the other ladies cover topics such as food and wine, events, home and garden, bridal, children and family, photography, and fashion!

Monday, Monday

2009-11-16T10:56:00.000-08:00

A few things:

1. I just ate a whole small bag of Sour Patch Kids as dessert with my lunch without even realizing it. I opened the bag and then all of a sudden they were gone. I just had to bolus for 78 grams of carbohydrates and took about 10 units of insulin.

2. I woke up this morning with my dog's paw in my face. He decided to sleep in our bed last night (along with my in-laws' dog, Cooper), so between the puppies and my insulin pump blaring to be changed, I didn't sleep very well.

3. My husband is participating in "Manvember" and is refusing to shave for the entire month. I feel like I am married to a lumberjack.

4. Yesterday, I went to a kickboxing class at the gym. I'm happy that I can kick higher than my husband, but after showing off and attempting to roundhouse kick him in the face, my entire body hurts.

I am not good about posting.

2009-11-10T18:44:00.000-08:00

So this weekend, I got so busy with my friends that I forgot about NaBloPoMo and ruined my streak of posting. Work has been busy and I've been busy in the evenings. Hopefully, I can get back in the saddle and finish up the rest of the month!

Wordless Wednesday #9 Revealed

2009-11-05T19:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's picture was of Tucker on Saturday. We were on our way to pick up my race number for the Acumen 8k that I ran in on Sunday morning. The race went well considering I hadn't really been training and when I was running it was only for about 2 miles. I managed to finish the 8k (5mi) race in 55 minutes. I shaved about a minute off of my average mile time from the half marathon, but I didn't finish in enough time to qualify for the National Half in March. I have to take about 3 minutes off of my 8k time to qualify.

And yes, Tuck is wearing his costume. He was such a sport and rocked that thing all day.

Wordless Wednesday #9

2009-11-04T13:03:00.000-08:00

What I want to be when I grow up...#3

2009-11-03T11:00:00.000-08:00

Today we'll continue to investigate some of my career options (well, I'm not sure any of these things are options right now) and figure out what I really want to do with my life.

When I grow up, I want to be a teacher. I sort of thought about teaching when I was in high school but never thought about it again until I was confined to a cubicle everyday this summer. I'd love to have a summer vacation and to help young people. I think I would like to teach high school English and maybe help with the theater department (secret confession: I am a theater kid deep down inside. I think about performing more than normal people, yet I never tried out for anything in college because I was BLOWN AWAY by the talented kids I saw. I am sure now I should have maybe atleast auditioned for something since I did act in high school). I feel like high school is a pretty amazing time for kids (I always told my sister that it was only the beginning and that she would have amazing opportunities, post high school) and they really have the chance to set themselves up for something really great.

I've looked at programs here in VA, but it would probably mean going back to school for atleast a year. And there's alot of extra work you put into teaching like lesson planning, workdays, and not to mention the added parent/teacher stress. And would I even be good at teaching?

Pretty good hours, interaction with people and not the internet all day, summer vacay, and SCHOOL LUNCH? I might need to do more research....

American Diabetes Month...and my diabetes

2009-11-02T13:16:00.000-08:00

November is American Diabetes Month, as you may have seen in the diabetes-world already. Many organizations are busy arranging events to promote awareness and many diabetes bloggers are jumping at the chance to give back.

Many organizations have rolled out new campaigns. The American Diabetes Association launched their "Stop Diabetes" movement. My favorite piece of the campaign is this PSA. I love the little boxes that pop up with the messages (the one with the mother checking the daughter's blood sugar is especially relevant after the I read about Burger King incident a few weeks ago on Shmae's blog).

I started my American Diabetes Month with a trip to my endo. We discussed how my new exercise routine is affecting my diabetes and how wearing my CGM really helps me to understand how my body reacts to insulin (looks like a sensor is going on tonight!). I'm working to send numbers to the office more often, so I feel accountable and maybe get some of my rates more fine tuned. As I work to improve my diabetes this month, I hope others work to improve their knowledge of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, realize their risk for type 2 diabetes, and make changes to improve their lives.

NaBloPoMo

2009-11-01T17:36:00.000-08:00

Today's November 1st, which means we've embarked on another National Blog Posting Month. Last year, I tried to post everyday, but failed miserably. So, I'm planning ahead a bit and working on some stuff to write about in order to make sure that I complete my goal.

So, Happy November! Let's do this!

Spook-tacular Weekend

2009-10-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Early Halloween from Count Tuckula

The baddest vampire since Edward Cullen

Wordless Wednesday #8 Revealed

2009-10-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's picture was one I took in Boston of the Paul Revere statue and the Old North Church.

One if by land, two if by sea. Got it?

Wordless Wednesday #8

2009-10-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

5 things

2009-10-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

1. Why is it that I watch certain movies every single time they come on HBO? Current choices include Juno, Baby Mama, The Women, and 27 Dresses. I watched Juno last night simply because I didn't want to watch Jon and Kate Plus 8. My life is pathetic.

2. Last week, I had 4 grilled cheese sandwiches since I was by myself most of the week. I have vowed to not eat ANY grilled cheese sandwiches even though Ross is traveling this week, again. I spent my whole day Sunday cooking so I wouldn't have to eat grilled cheese. I made a pot roast, chicken noodle soup, cinnamon buns, and chocolate chip cookies. Please refer to me hereafter as Betty Crocker.

3. I apologized to someone who I ran into yesterday at the grocery store, even though they walked in through the wrong door. As soon as I apologized, I realized it wasn't my fault and that the person should have apologized. Instead, she just pushed by me.

4. I think it's weird when people bring up something I've posted on Facebook or Twitter in real life, even though it shouldn't since I posted it there. Someone brought up something I posted on Twitter yesterday and it took me a minute to realize that he was referring to something I said.

5. I am still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up and I'm not having very good luck. Should you like anything that you see here and want to hire me to do something awesome, feel free to leave a comment and I will send you my e-mail address.

A message from the pup

2009-10-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi LS&LG readers,

Lil Tuck here. I've taken over my mom's blog to tell you all to tell her to not buy me a ridiculous Halloween costume. She said that was on the agenda for the weekend yesterday, but she's obviously crazy. The only thing that should be on the agenda for the weekend is getting me a pup cup and going to the dog park. Not buying a crazy Count "Tuck-ula" cape. Or a "tuckerly" lion. Or anything else girly and dumb.

Off to take a nap and then hide my bones in my parents'bed. Serves them right.

Peace, love, and dog treats,
Tuck

15. Visit Boston, MA

2009-10-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

Ross and I spent this past weekend in Boston, crossing another item off of my 101 Things list. The hubs had business in Beantown and we thought tagging on a weekend trip would be a great idea. We flew up to Boston early on Saturday morning and by 10am, we were sitting at the Sam Adams Brewery in Jamaica Plains, waiting to sample some Boston lager.

After a great tour of the Brewery, we stopped for lunch at Doyle's (where the beginning scene of the movie 21 was filmed). The place was quaint and has been around for over 100 years. We decided to head back to the hotel to check in and take a quick nap before heading out to explore the rest of the city. We stayed in the Financial District and walked to Quincy Market, then through the North End. As we walked, we saw signs announcing the filming of Ben Affleck's new movie and a large Eastern European tour group. Not knowing where the heck we were, we followed the tour group to the Old North Church.

I'm not sure if I mentioned that it was also freezing in Boston. No, really! It snowed on Sunday. That's night, after a night on the town on Saturday and sleeping in, we woke up to heavy rain and the general idea that going out and roaming through the city would be a wet nightmare. We did manage to go and eat in the North End at La Famigilia, a quaint little Italian places where I had chicken parmigiana that would have served four people. And we got some treats from Mike's Pastry. Then we went into a food coma. Sunday night we got to see a Improv Asylum show and enjoy some lighter fare at a cute little restaurant called Hot Tomatoes.

Overall, it was a pretty fabulous weekend. This week, I've been catching up on things at work, hitting the gym pretty hard, and watching all the stuff I've DVRed over the past week. We're laying low this coming weekend, hitting our local diabetes walk, and going to pick out Lil Tuck's Halloween costume!

Wordless Wednesday #7 Revealed

2009-10-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

This picture is one of Ross and I from last weekend's wedding festivities. I think we look pretty cool.

Tomorrow, we're off to Boston to spend the weekend prior to Ross attending a big fancy conference. I'm excited to explore the North End, walk the Freedom Trail, and sightsee in a new city.

Wordless Wednesday #7

2009-10-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Things I love #2- Tiffany Heart Necklace

2009-10-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to wear is my Elsa Peretti Tiffany's Heart Necklace that Ross got me for Christmas my sophomore year of college. It was a huge gift for college kid to give his girlfriend, but I pined after the necklace for many months. I sent Ross pictures of the necklace and reminders to purchase it.

I was very happy to unwrap a bright Tiffany blue box on Christmas Eve and find my BEAUTIFUL heart necklace. I've pretty much worn it ever since. I'm simple when it comes to my jewelry and the necklace matches everything and is very classic. I've worn it for special occasions, job interviews, and to work or class.

http://www.tiffany-sterling-silver.com/images/tiffany-necklaces-P090.jpg

A wedding, a birthday, and a very good time

2009-10-12T07:12:00.000-07:00

I've admitted before that I am deep in the throes of a quarter-life crisis and that continues today as I recover from an amazing weekend, and having to work on a federal holiday. Oh, and my 25th birthday was on Friday. I am officially old. (But I am never too old to have a birthday party, which is what I did on Thursday night before the trek to the wedding.)

But despite all that getting old nonsense, Ross and I headed down to Virginia Beach to be a part of our dear friends' wedding on Friday. Kristen (the bride) is one of my best friends from JMU and Ross became friends with Justin (the groom) during his many trips to visit me at school. Everything came full circle on Saturday when they got married after dating for over 5 years. Both Ross and I were part of the wedding party and got to get pretty dolled up for the big occasion. Hair, make up, sexy dress. The whole shebang.

The wedding was amazing. Seriously. Kristen picked gorgeous fall colors that were reflected in every little touch of the wedding-our flowers, the centerpieces, all of the accents on the place cards. Everything.

And we danced. All night. The wedding party proved to be the group completely dedicated to the dance floor, and to making the DJ work for his money (like having to honor the millionth request for Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA." Yeah, all that "being old" stuff is an act. I am secretly 14 years old.)

Anyways, we had a blast and now we're back to the grind of the work week. I can't complain much since I head to Boston on Saturday to explore the city for the weekend.

Slacker

2009-10-01T08:16:00.000-07:00

So this past week, I've been a blog slacker. Last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I worked at the Congressional Black Caucus event here in DC. It was a great experience, but reminded me of why I'm glad I don't work on tradeshows 24/7 anymore.

Over the weekend, we went to PA to see Ross' grandma and then I took Monday off to do errands and get haircut. I also joined a new gym that offers group fitness classes, so that I can get back on the exercising bandwagon, and get ready for my 8k in November (and hopefully another half marathon in March).

This week, I've been to some of the classes, been organizing an office fundraiser for our diabetes walk later this month, and trying to prepare for next week and the wedding of one of my best friends.

Overall, things have been busy. But, I promise, no more slacking...

Wordless Wedesday Revealed

2009-09-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

Yep, that was a picture of us on a Segway Tour around Washington, DC. Even though we're locals, Ross thought this would be the perfect birthday experience last year. We had a great time cruising around the Mall and seeing the monuments and Capitol Building at night.

My 25th birthday is in 2 weeks and I think segwaying around the city is going to be hard to top!

Wordless Wednesday #6

2009-09-23T17:53:00.000-07:00

34. Learn a new G-rated joke every month for a year (4/12)

2009-09-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

Q: What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?

A: Frostbite.

What I want to be when I grow up...#2

2009-09-18T05:53:00.000-07:00

The saga continues in the quest for me to find out what I want to do with my life.

When I grow up I want to be an interior designer. I think this might go back to the whole art thing, but I love making the space I live in comfortable, inviting, and interesting. Currently, Ross and I live in a small Arlington, VA apartment.

The apartment is beautiful and I love being able to enhance our space with color and texture. I like bold colors mixed with classic lines and I love finding old things and making them work in a new space.

I think I'd be a decent interior designer because 1) you work with someone else's money and not your own which would open up alot of options 2) you get to work with people and find functional ways for them to express their style 3) you get to solve problems (i.e. "I want a round coffee table since I have little kids that run around and I don't want them to hurt themselves")

I love home makeover shows and my new favorite phrase to Ross when watching is "that's what I want in my 'forever' house." Somethings I feel like I definitely will have in my own house (and think I would urge my clients to try) would be: glass fronted kitchen cabinets, a kitchen island with fun bar stools, built in bookshelves (or faking that look), neutral colored walls with bright white molding, roman shades, and personalized or homemade art.

Photo from http://www.interior-design.us/

Wordless Wednesday #5 Revealed

2009-09-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken last weekend at our friends, The Maher's, house in Dewey Beach, Delaware. The Maher's dog, Bailey, is going to be a lobster for Halloween and we decided to try the costume on Little Tuck. He went completely still once we got it on him and looked humiliated.

Doesn't it look like he's saying "Seriously, Mom and Dad? Are you for real?"

Halloween supplies are starting to top up all over the place. Seen any great doggy costumes? What should Tucker be for Halloween?

Wordless Wednesday #5

2009-09-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's there

2009-09-15T06:08:00.000-07:00

There every moment
Every decision
Every choice
Every action

There every day
Every meal
Every jog
Every drive

There every week
Every work
Every play
Every sleep

There every month
Every appointment
Every pickup
Every call

There every year
Every pain
Every ache
Every blur

It's there
And no one knows

Except for me

This week, September 14-20th, is National Invisible Chronic Illness Week. Check our their website for more information on invisible chronic illness, like diabetes.

Things that make me happy- #1 Costco

2009-09-13T17:43:00.000-07:00

This list of things that make me happy are not in order (i.e Costco doesn't make me the happiest...it simply is on the list)

I like Costco. Ross and I head there on a regular basis to stock up on veggies, lettuce, berries, and a rotisserie chicken. We get cereal, English muffins, and snacks to treat low blood sugars. We get things that we need for lunches for the week and to make dinner. No it's not locally grown, and no it's not organic, but we're on a budget and to eat reasonably healthy we get things in bulk as cheaply as we can.

Some of my favorite Costco finds include: chicken burgers, Edy's fruit bars, Sealy pillows (we're attempting to replace our pillows every year) and some awesomely priced wine.

Where are your favorite places to shop? What are you favorite bulk-superstore finds?

What I want to be when I grow up...

2009-09-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

Last night, as I talked to my mom, I realized that I want to be alot of things when I grow up. You might say "You are already grown up, Allison. You are married. You have a job. And insurance. And a car payment. And financial responsibilities. And heck, you have a dog and that's pretty much the closest thing to having a kid, without having one, so you are an adult and a grown up. So shut up, press on, and be happy." (And if you said all those things, I would think you were full of moxie and like you since I've been thinking those things for weeks- no, months- no, the last year, and needed someone to say it again.)

But I don't really know what I would do if I had the choice. Over the next few weeks, we'll explore my career options (or simply things that pop into my mind that I think "YES! I could do that" and then swiftly convince myself I cannot do). Maybe at the end of this exploration, you (my faithful two readers- Hi Mom, Hi Beck!) can vote on what I should do. I realize that pretty much everything on "The List of Possible Careers" is something that would require further education (my undergraduate degree is in Sociology, the quintessential football player major, and my minor is in Nonprofit Studies. You will see from those two things, I am destined to be poor.) and I'm down with that.

So, firstly- When I grow up, I want to be a graphic designer. Why? Because I like art. I actually wrote a paper in 8th grade about how I wanted to be a graphic designer and I took portfolio art all through high school in hopes that maybe I'd go to art school. But, I decided to head to a liberal arts college as an English major and my art was something that I practiced through scrapbooking and acrylic on canvas. Graphic design is something that I just do for fun-like logos for my sister and her friends (see an example above and to the left)-but I think I would enjoy actually doing that for a living.

Do you think I have what it takes?

Wordless Wednesday #4 Revealed

2009-09-03T11:53:00.000-07:00

Yep, that fur ball is my Lil Tuck eating his "Pup Cup" ice cream treat on Saturday, his first birthday.

Lil Tuck came to us at the beginning of November when he was 8 weeks old. You can read about his arrival here. He's my very first pet and I'm so happy that I get to come home every night to that adorable face.

So, happy belated birthday, Lil Tuck! Mommy and Daddy love you.

Wordless Wednesday #4

2009-09-02T08:57:00.001-07:00

I've managed to tap out my creativity

2009-09-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post something interesting today, but after painting last week and working on some stuff for my internship (yes, I have an internship and a full time job), I've managed to tap out my creativity.

Never fear, Wordless Wednesday is coming up tomorrow and hopefully it will be a good one.

Or it will just be a cute picture of Tucker. Like this one.

102. Make something old new

2009-08-28T07:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, so there's not a 102 on the 101 Things list, but if there was, this project would have been it.

Last Saturday, Ross and I went to the largest thrift store on the East Coast, Unique Thrift. This little gem was pretty close to our first apartment, but we had never ventured there. We got there pretty early in the morning and were surprised to see the store packed with people and tons of stuff.

We walked around the general home section for alittle bit and headed back to the large furniture section where I spotted this gem. A beautiful wood table, with a leaf, and four chairs, marked $50. After examining the table and sitting in all the chairs to determine that they were sturdy, Ross and I conjured up a quick plan of what we would do with the set. In minutes, I had managed to convince Ross that refinishing the set and painting it a chic glossy black would look super cute and be easy for us to do.

(FYI, I am newly obsessed with the Young House Love blog and all the great work that John and Sherry do over there. They make me long for a house and motivate me to find joys in the little things, like fixing up furniture)

Ross was in agreement and we headed to the checkout stand where we found it was 50% off on furniture day, so we ended up scoring the set for 25 bucks! After carefully getting the chairs and table into the Corolla, we were off to Home Depot to buy supplies (not without a call to Mom S for her recommendations on primer first!). The past week, we've worked hard on getting the set done. Some may ask "why the rush?" and our only answer is we live in 800 sq/ft and don't have a garage. You gotta move fast to not live in a complete disaster.

We primed, painted, and reupholstered. We learned alittle history (our set was made in 1929) and that we could do a home improvement project without killing each other. Now, we can have more than 4 people sit at our table and eat with us.

Hosting a dinner party is on the 101 Things list, who wants to come???

Wordless Wednesday #3 Revealed

2009-08-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's photo wasn't much of a mystery. The picture was taken just a few short weeks ago at our friends' wedding (Congrats Dan and Rachele!). It was an absolutely lovely affair and a great opportunity to hang out with my wonderful college roommates and their significant others. Awesome food, good music, and wonderful weather.

Weddings also give me a chance to reflect on my own marriage and remember back to our wedding day and how I felt.

Unbelievable happy and so very lucky.

I've been having a rough week job-wise and the hubs tries his very best to be supportive and make my days just alittle bit better, even when I come home and am a grouch. Those vows did say "for better or worse," right?

So tell me, how do weddings make you feel? Do you think back to being a blushing bride (or groom?) and feel nostalgic? Do you secretly wear your "Future Mrs" tank top under your party dress just for kicks?

Wordless Wednesday #3

2009-08-26T13:56:00.000-07:00

5 Ingredient Sticky Chicken

2009-08-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to expand my culinary skills and thanks to my mother-in-law, who bought be a subscription to Everyday with Rachel Ray, I think I'm doing pretty well (confession: I love that magazine. Maybe it's because I don't get a lot of fun mail, but I actually said OUT LOUD when I opened my mailbox "YES, MY NEW RACHEL RAY!" I am officially a nerd.)

Anyways, somehow I've now also started receiving "Working Mother." A) I am not a mother nor do I plan on being one for SEVERAL years B)I've never subscribed to this magazine nor am I being billed for it C)If I was subscribing to another magazine, it would probably be to Glamour or Self or something like that. But I decided that since I got it, I'm not one to waste and I would read through it. Besides articles on raising the perfect toddler and how to use Twitter to reclaim a spot in the corporate world, there was a 5 ingredient recipe for Sticky Chicken Drumsticks. Since, like I said before, I'm trying to expand my cooking repertoire, I gave this recipe a shot. And you know what? It wasn't terrible. Here's some pictures and the recipe.

Mix 1/4 cup soy sauce, 3 finely chopped garlic cloves, 1/4 cup o honey, 12 chicken drumsticks, and 1/4 cup of Chinese barbecue sauce (I used regular BBQ sauce) in a Ziploc bag. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Put chicken on foil lined baking sheet and cook under broiler. Watch chicken closely and turn occasionally. Cook for 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and marinade has glazed.

12 drumsticks for 2 people is crazy, but they made a good lunch.

67. Transfer all CDs from my middle school years to iTunes

2009-08-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

When I was at my parents' house this past weekend, I made sure to gather a pile of my CDs that date back to when I was in middle and early-high school. My tastes in music wasn't amazing- 98 degrees, the Backstreet Boys, and N*Sync all made their way into my CD player. This was the music that I'd listen to when I slept over at my best-friends houses' or when I was writing in our "notebook" (a series of notes to each other that was written completely in code using secret names that we'd made up). This is the music I would listen on DC's "Hot 5 at 9" before I went to bed and music that my 8th grade homeroom (Mrs. Elk's class) would hum as we caught up on homework and now music that is a part of my iTunes collection. I spent Friday night (yes, I am an ANIMAL!) ripping the CDs and dancing around my den to my boy band tunes.

I got to looking at the music I had in my library and took a musical trip down memory lane. Late in high school, I went through an acoustic guitar phase that seems to have lasted straight into my twenties. Memories of washing the dishes with my mom during my senior year of high school (when I wasn't singing a song from "Into the Woods") are accompanied by "No Such Thing" and "Neon." Freshman year of college included Outkast and Little John hits, Jason Mraz's "Live from Java Joe's", and hits from Maroon 5's "Songs about Jane". My sophomore year began my deep obsession with Marc Broussard and the song "Damn It Feels Good to be a Gansta" from the movie "Office Space" on repeat. My junior year began my iTunes purchasing phase where I'd hear a song and immediately need to have it- alot of one hit wonders ended up in my library and bring me back to dancing around my living room with my roommates and hanging out with the boys that lived across the street from us. My senior year was filled with tunes from a mixed CD I created to put in my car on my trips to DC to visit Ross and my family, "Walk it Out," and the Kenny Chesney album I listened to while laying on the beach in Panama City on Spring Break.

I love music and the memories that certain songs conjure up. When I hear the Manhattan's "Shining Star," I think of my Mom and Dad. When I hear "Yeah!," I think of dancing at parties freshmen year with my best friends. When I hear any song from the "Wicked" soundtrack, I think of my little sister.

Do you have special memories of a particular song? Is that song in your iTunes collection? Do you have a secret boy band obsession? Feel free to share, we won't judge.

Wordless Wednesday #2 Revealed!

2009-08-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's photo was a picture I took while we were on vacation a few weeks ago in Montana. We got the chance to spend our last day there 4-wheeling through the Monarch Mountains and through some of the most beautiful country ever. I sent several hours looking at the back of my husband's helmet, but got to drive for about 33 miles. I thought this was pretty artsy looking and like that you can see the tall trees (and me taking the picture!) reflected in his helmet!

Wordless Wednesday #2

2009-08-19T06:00:00.002-07:00

AT1 Happy Hour

2009-08-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, Ross and I attended the DC JDRF's Adults with Type 1 Happy Hour. I've been to the happy hour before, but this time, Ross was in tow and I was alittle more at ease knowing I knew atleast one person. We got there around 6pm and we immediately welcomed by a group of people who are on the AT1 board. Everyone introduced themselves and we got drinks and got to talking about what we did, how long we'd had diabetes, and how we were diagnosed.

There were several people who were diagnosed as children and a group of us that were diagnosed as teenagers. There was a brother and sister pair snd a dad with type 1 whose daughter had been diagnosed in February. We talked about pumping, Omni-podding, and wearing a CGMS. We talked about insurance coverage and health reform. We talked about taking shots and exercising. Ross was a champ; chatting up various people about the benefits of CGMS and giving a bit of his perspective on diabetes technology.

I'm so thankful the DC JDRF started this group. It's always nice to meet and talk with people who know exactly what you're going through.

Ross' observation: "I may have been one of the only people in that room with a working pancreas".

FYI: For those of you in the DC-area, check out http://www.jdrfcapitol.org/adults-with-type-1/ for more information about the AT1 group!

The Big Move

2009-08-17T06:51:00.000-07:00

This weekend, my parents and I ventured to Richmond, VA to move my little sister into her freshmen dorm at Virginia Commonwealth University. As I've mentioned, I still see her as being 6 years old (and in a cast with no front teeth after an unfortunate fall down the stairs in our house), which is completely silly since she's 18, gorgeous, and taller than me.

We managed the unloading and setting up of the room in record time. Kudos to VCU for making move in, especially into a HUGE building, pretty seamless. The streets were blocked off so we pulled right up to the curb and then got to check out one of those big laundry carts like the cleaning staff uses in a hotel. We had all of Beck's stuff into her room in 2 trips and totally tag teamed the room set up, with my mom making the bed, me filling her drawers with clothes, and my dad setting up her computer. We trekked around campus to check out the theater and hit the bookstore. After an extremely emotional "see ya later," we hit the road and left Beck to her next big adventure.

She has decided to document her first year at school, as a theater major, and you can check out her blog at This Little Light of Mine. Tell her her big sister sent you!

What's you fondest memory of your freshmen year of college or your first year away from home?

Wordless Wednesday: Revealed

2009-08-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday photo was a recent snapshot of Tucker, our Yorkchon. We have a futon in our den and Tucker decided to push several of his toys under there. Being the timid little guy that he is, once he got under the futon and couldn't reach his toy, her got scared and wouldn't move. Ross actually had to pick the futon up so Tuck would come out, but not without taking a snapshot of him first!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Hump Day! Today begins a new feature here on Low Snacks and Lip Gloss, Wordless Wednesday (except today there are words!). Every Wednesday, I'll be posting a picture of people that are important to me, things that make me laugh, Tucker, or who knows! I invite you to leave me a G-rated caption in the comments section for the photo and on Thursday, I'll let you know what the picture is actually about.

My Nana Hazel's Curry

2009-08-11T05:58:00.001-07:00

I was fortunate enough to eat a lot of great food while we were on vacation in Montana. Between my favorite greasy tacos, chicken from my favorite bar, bbq fixings, and my Nana’s home cooking, we were definitely well fed.

On Monday, Nana Hazel made a delicious curry for dinner, after Ross and my Papa Woody got home from a long day of fishing (fyi, they didn’t catch a thing except for grasshoppers.). The house smelled absolutely wonderful the entire day and I badgered Ross with text messages to see when they would be home so we could eat:

“Am hungry. The house smells great. Hope you haven’t been eaten by a snake. Please come home soon.Kthxbye”

Nana grew up in Southend-on-Sea, England after World War II. She cooks traditional British food like a champ. Her Sunday roast makes tears come to my eyes it’s so good. Her Yorkshire pudding is something that both my mom and I try and replicate and ultimately fail at, every single time. . She makes Toad-in-the-Hole (sausages baked in Yorkshire pudding) and amazing chips (French fries) and a trifle that my mom talks about in complete envy. She doesn’t use a lot of spices, but the food still is rich in flavor and always memorable.

The curry that she makes is ever so easy and something that she learned to make from her brother, my great uncle, Brian. He was known for making this around Christmastime and having friends and family over to share with him.

It reminds me of family.

First, gather a package of stew beef and chop the pieces in smaller pieces (roughly ¾ inch pieces). Slice an onion and two large carrots. On medium high heat and in a large pot, sauté onions in extra virgin olive oil until they are translucent. Add the stew beef, a few (yes, few-she doesn’t measure) tablespoons of curry powder, and some flour. Allow the meat to brown until most of the pink in the meat is gone. Add three to four cups of water and the carrots. Allow the stew to simmer for several hours (the longer it simmers, the more tender the meat will be). Then add a packet of Golden Curry sauce mix (Nana uses medium hot). Stir to desired consistency. Add more sauce mix as necessary and make sure everything is well combined and heated through.

Serve on top of rice and enjoy in the company of those you love.

34. Learn a new G-rated joke every month for a year (3/12)

2009-08-10T09:10:00.000-07:00

Q. Why DIDN'T the skeleton cross the road?
A. Because he didn't have any guts!!!

14. Visit my grandparents in Montana with Ross

2009-08-03T18:26:00.001-07:00

This past week, we crossed off another item on my 101 Things list. Ross and I had been planning our Montana trip since March and I feel like it sort of snuck up on us. I hail from Great Falls, Montana, thanks to the fact my dad is retired Air Force and met my mom (a Montana transplant via England) while he was stationed here. And while my Nana Hazel explained that “the city is going to shit,” I still love it.

Why? Because the sky is different there. Because everything seems alittle brighter. Because there’s no humidity and my hair didn't frizz. Because some of my favorite people in the entire world live there. Because my favorite restaurant is there. Because people are just alittle bit more relaxed.

They wear boots and cowboy hats. They go to rodeos. They 4-wheel through the mountains and camp. They go to the river and swim in the creek. They fish and they hunt.

Me? I don’t do any of that. But I appreciate the lives that they live and I’m imagining that it would be pretty great to have a house with some land, to be able to look out in the morning and see that big, beautiful sky.

Also, I think I would look pretty sweet in a pair of boots, and an awesome cowboy hat.

How to explain...

2009-07-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

This time, 7 years ago, I was sitting in a hospital room in Walter Reed Army Medical Center learning how to live with diabetes. The plethora of information that my family and I received at the time of diagnosis was completely overwhelming and ill fitting. I wasn’t a kid with diabetes- I was a young adult with established habits that needed to learn how to make diabetes work with my lifestyle. I was initially put on a regimen of NPH and Regular insulin, but for a 17 year old with afterschool activities, a part time job, and a budding social calendar, that simply wouldn’t work. Also, in all the pamphlets and brochures I received, nothing mentioned the emotional effects that diabetes would have on my life. Nothing talked about the social issues that I would encounter from having diabetes. Nothing explained what to tell people when they asked about diabetes.

7 years later, I’m sitting in Montana visiting my grandparents and am thrown into the situation of having to explain how my diabetes is different, why I don’t take shots, why my pump doesn’t have tubing, why I check my blood sugar as much as I do, etc. to various members of my extended family. I’m the anomaly in my family and the only one with a chronic conditions (“yes, I’ll have to do this for the rest of my life”) This is the first time they’ve seen me since I’ve worn a pump and the first time they might be brave enough to ask the questions that they have. And sometimes, despite the fact that I’ve had diabetes for what seems like an eternity most days, I just don’t know the answer or how to explain it to someone that has no background knowledge.

So to you veterans with diabetes, or anyone else- what is the most concise way to explain type 1 diabetes in 2 minutes (bonus points to people wearing the Omni-Pod and can explain that.)? I have a large family bar-b-que to go to tomorrow and it’s bound to come up. I don’t want to give the biology of diabetes (which I can do at work, since I work in healthcare and people seem to understand), just the facts.

Thanks in advance for helping to eliminate another awkward conversation where I might start talking about my islet cells going rogue.

We know their names now...

2009-07-20T07:52:00.000-07:00

Ross and I have been living in our current place for over a year now. I've pretty much loved our actual apartment since we took the tour-the black granite counter tops, the light wood floors, and the gorgeous views. While the management has changed for the worst in the last few months, I love the fact that our building allows dogs, which allowed for us to allow Tucker to become part of our family. We live in a great neighborhood with tons of shops, restaurants, and bars. We're within walking distance to Georgetown and have easy access to the Metro, which is pretty essential to getting around DC.

But what defines this as home for me was exemplified last night when Ross and I spent two hours outside in our courtyard with a bottle of wine and some of our neighbors letting the dogs play. Conversations ranged from credit cards to vacations, jobs to photography skills. While we may have initially bonded over simply having dogs (and we might not have exactly known their names to begin with), my neighbors are by far some of the nicest and most interesting people I've ever met. With our dog park going to shambles and management being less than responsive, someone created a Facebook group and we've "friended and followed" each other to stay connected.

Our neighbors have become more than just people that we acknowledge in the elevator; they're the people that we truly enjoy spending time with and consider friends.

Night and Day

2009-07-08T08:06:00.000-07:00

It's funny to think that we're already into the middle of the month of July. Time flies pretty quickly nowadays. My Nana Hazel says that alot, but it's so true. The older I get, the quicker time goes.

In that same vein, I'm always looking to make sure that I enjoy the time and don't rush it away. I try to live in the moment as much as possible, but being a busybody and worrier by nature, that doesn't always pan out. I'm always worried about what we're doing next weekend and counting down the days until vacations, skipping right by the days in between, which is okay since most of the days I spend at work and I'm not sure that I'm really in the right place. So skip right on by workday, you suck anyways.

But my nights, they've been pretty awesome. Lately, with Ross traveling, they've consisted of long walks to enjoy the beautiful weather with Tucker, conversations by phone with my husband, cooking delicious food just for me, watching some mindless television that makes me really happy, playing my Wii Fit, and just having fun.

Enjoying the evenings. Enjoying my time.

34. Learn a new G-rated joke every month for a year (2/12)

2009-07-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

Q. How do you wake up Lady Gaga?
A. You "pokerface"

43. Learn to make the "perfect" chocolate chip cookies

2009-06-30T08:56:00.001-07:00

Over the past year of being married, I've tried to become more domestic. I've tried to use all of the kitchen gadgets I received as wedding presents and I've attempted to make several things. Unfortunately, every time I feel the need to indulge in a warm chocolate chip cookie with milk, they just don't turn out right. My cookies are never as chewy as I like them or I'll try and substitute Splenda for sugar and they just aren't good. Sometimes they taste like baking powder and sometimes they taste too sweet. I always make a huge mess in my kitchen and end us with nothing to show for it.

The past two times I've made cookies I've followed the Nestle Toll House recipe to a T. Exactly measuring. Using all of the said ingredients. Buying the "baking version" of the "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter". And guess what? They turned out pretty darn good. Good enough that I felt I could share them with my office and send a bag with Ross for his trip to Tampa.

I made these again for my sister's graduation two weeks ago- but I used half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose white flour. They turned out really great in my opinion. Alittle more rustic and hearty-tasting (does that make sense?)

The only thing not so perfect? The way my pants fit and my blood sugar looks after enjoying a couple of these right out of the oven.

Capitol Hill- Type 1 Diabetes Research Hearing

2009-06-25T09:16:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, I got the opportunity to attend the hearing on Type 1 Diabetes research in the Dirksen Senate Building. I'm very fortunate to get to attend some pretty awesome events here in the DC area because of my job and was really happy I got to hear the great testimonies live.

Dressed in my suit, I headed down to the building over an hour early and when I arrived and got through security, I was sent to a line of full of teenage girls, Capitol Hill interns, and staffers. My first thought was "Oh gosh, I hope someone doesn't think I'm hear to only see Nick Jonas" as I straightened my suit jacket and motioned to my work badge. We were ushered into the room and I was happy to find a seat next to two moms of Children's Congress delegates. The ladies were so nice and one shared their son's scrapbook with me. I pointed to my black kit in my purse and told them I had type 1 also and was happy to be there with them.

The hearing started with opening remarks from many of the senators (and screams from the girls as Nick entered the room), some of which have an extremely close personal connection to type 1 diabetes. The celebrity panel asked to testify included Mary Tyler Moore, boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard, head of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Dr. Griffin Rodgers, and Nick Jonas. Mary Tyler Moore, JDRF International’s Chairperson gave moving testimony on living with type 1 diabetes for the last 40 years, including suffering from diabetes complications including retinopathy. She talked about the struggles that she has experienced and also about the new advances in diabetes technology that she wished had been around when she was first diagnosed.

Dr. Griffin Rodgers told the group that even though the incidence of type 1 diabetes is rising, NIDDK is hard at work researching a cure. Dr. Rodgers highlighted advancement in research including the TEDDY study (The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young) which looks for the causes of type 1 diabetes, as well as the development of continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMs) and the artificial pancreas project. I felt like Dr. Rodgers' presentation was so balanced- yes, we're working on a cure but these are some of the tools that we are developing that will assist you in your care while that is happening. To me, that totally made sense.

Boxing star Sugar Ray Leonard spoke about diabetes impact on the entire family and explained that the cost of diabetes (and how it affected his family) is what lead him to professional boxing. He knew that if he went to college after coming home from his Olympic gold medal win in 1975 his family would be consumed by the debt from his father's medical costs. That's when he decided that if he went pro he would be to make money to help his family---and that's exactly what he did. I thought Sugar Ray had a great metaphor (fyi, I love metaphors- give me a visual, I understand!) about living with diabetes: Each day we go into the boxing ring with diabetes and sometime we put up a really great fight. Other days, we want to be like Leonard's opponent, Duran, during his 1980's fight and run to our corner and say "No Mas" (No more). But together, and with the help of Congress, we can look forward to "knocking out" diabetes once and for all.

Pop superstar Nick Jonas told his diagnosis story and explained that he focuses on the simple wins with his diabetes. Nick said that he believes all dreams can be accomplished, no matter the hardships of type 1 diabetes. He read the lyrics of his song "Alittle Bit Longer." After a brief break, the second set of panelists began to provide testimony. Hannah Ryder of Maine, Patrick Lacher, and Asa Kelly all shared their stories. Mrs. Gould, a mother of 4 children with type 1 diabetes, emphasized the importance of participating in medical research: it can't just be everyone else's job to find the cure, we must all participate and help wherever and whenever.

Hats off to JDRF for an amazing Children's Congress. Seriously, this was the first one that I got to see a piece of and it was really awesome to see the families and kids. I mentioned to my mom that thing that seemed to affect me most was seeing two girls (probably around the ages of 5 or 6) sharing their scrapbooks with each other and talking about their diabetes (one was running high and sipping water) and nodding about when they were diagnosed. Mixed emotions ran through me- I wanted to scream because I hate how this disease affects kids who don't have a choice. I wanted to cry because I kept thinking about how I hope someday those little girls don't have to talk to their boyfriends about dealing with diabetes. I wanted to smile because I saw how this disease brings people together.

(photos courtesy of JDRF's website, since I was so far back that the only shots I got were of Senators Collins and Lieberman and they are blurry)

Graduation

2009-06-19T07:48:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, my little sister graduated from high school. Sitting in the stands of her high school stadium, I got to thinking alot about my high school graduation just six years ago. I wish that I would have known a few things then that I know now (isn't that always how it works???). I've tried to impart some of those tidbits of knowledge on Beck in hopes that she won't be sitting in around in six years writing the very same post. Yes, I love my life. No, I would not change things. But knowing that she possesses some of the same hangs up I do, I hope she has what it takes to overstep any adversity that comes her way.

1. You are the only one holding yourself back from doing your heart's desire.
2. Once you get to college, no one really cares what you got on your SATS, if you took the AP exam, or that you were the star of your high school football team.
3. Do not spend a ton of time on stupid girl drama.
4. The grades, they don't matter as long as you pass. Just always try your best.
5. People love and support you more than you will ever know. You do not have to struggle with feeling alone.

What words of wisdom or advice would you offer to a newly-minted high school graduate?

45. Try one new restaurant a month- Sette Bello

2009-06-12T08:39:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, Ross and I celebrated our 1st Anniversary with our families in the morning, then decided that we should forget about cooking and head out somewhere in our neighborhood for dinner. After a quick scan on Yelp, I decided we would venture a few blocks to Sette Bello, an Italian eatery and wine bar, near our local dog park.

For the record, I wish I was Italian. Both of my best friends are and in college I fully took advantage of the leftovers they would bring back after a weekend home. I love good Italian food. (I also love not-so-good Italian food, like the Olive Garden.) Sette Bello had pretty good Italian food.

We started off with calamari. The breading on those babies was awesome. Light and heavenly. The sauce was also pretty great, albeit lacking a dash of salt or two. The greatest thing about the calamari was that the lemon they brought on the side had this awesome cover that kept all of the seeds in (yes, like a lemon condom of sorts). It was great!

Ross had some sort of seafood pasta with mussels and clams. I'm not a huge fan of mussels or clams, but he said it was awesome and it looked pretty.

I had ravioli with spinach and ricotta. The pasta was dense and you could tell it was homemade. The menu said it was served with "tomato sauce" so I thought it would be more of a marinara, but I was happily surprised when I saw big chunks of tomato in an olive oil sauce. It was delicious.

The service was good and who doesn't enjoy eating on a beautiful patio?

We skipped dessert, since we had cake to eat at home.

34. Learn one new G-Rated joke a month

2009-06-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

Q: Why does Snoop Dog carry an umbrella?

A: Fo' drizzle.

101 Things in 1001 Days

2009-06-09T08:31:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting around to posting this, but I started my list on May 15, 2009. I hope to complete my list by February 10, 2012. Alot of the posts on this blog will pertain to this list.

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past – frequently simple goals such as New Year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

The Key:
Things that have been completed are in BOLD with the date that they were completed
Things that are in progress are ITALICIZED

Personal Health and Wellness
1. Establish a weekly workout routine
2. Run another half-marathon
3. Run in three competitive races per year Disney Princess Half Marathon (3/09), Accumen Run for a Cause 8k (11/09)
4. Have A1C less than 6.5 (6.6 on 7/15/2009)
5. Be able to do 25 perfect push ups
6. Drink 8 glasses of water a day for one month January 2010
7. Donate blood
8. Try a spinning class (October 8, 2009)
9. Go a week without fast food

Travel and Entertainment
10. Visit Italy
11. Visit France
12. Visit Tring, UK where my great grandpa was born
13. Take a tropical vacation
14. Visit my grandparents in Montana with Ross July 23-31, 2009
15. Visit Boston, MA October 17-19, 2009
16. Visit Las Vegas, NV
17. Visit New York City
18. Attend a performance at the Kennedy Center
19. Attend a festival
20. Go on a picnic
21. Attend a concert
22. Visit all of the DC monuments
23. Visit all of the Smithsonian museums
24. Go to a hockey game
25. Go sing karaoke
26. Attend a blogger meetup
27. Go skydiving
28. Visit a winery

Creativity and Education
29. Audition for a role in a community theater production
30. Decide what I want to get my master's in
31. Take a photography/art class
32. Take a web design class
33. Learn and use new word every month for a year (0/12)
34. Learn a new G-rated joke every month for a year (2/12) Lady Gaga, Snoop Dog, Skeleton, Frostbite,
35. Learn to drive stick shift
36. Learn to play "Radio Song" on Guitar Hero with my eyes closed
37. Learn the "50 Nifty United States" song
38. Have a piece of my writing published
39. Learn to play poker
40. Learn the rules of football
41. Learn how to create the perfect smokey eye
42. Become better-educated about wine

Culinary Skill
43. Learn to make the "perfect" chocolate chip cookies completed June 20, 2009 Learn to make the "perfect" chocolate chip cookies
44. Create a signature drink
45. Try one new restaurant a month for a year (2/12) Ray's the Steaks (06/09), Sette Bello (06/09), Faccia Luna (7/2009),
46. Bake a pie from scratch
47. Make a pizza from scratch October 31, 2009
48. Order groceries online
49. Create a family cookbook
50. Host a dinner party
51. Make atleast one recipe from a cookbook atleast once a month
52. Learn how to make curry
53. Plan a weekly menu for 2 consecutive weeks
54. Learn proper knife technique

Purchases
55. Buy new artwork for the den October 2009 (bought DC and London prints)
56. Buy and take care of a house plant
57. Buy a DSLR camera

Organization and History
58. Create a birthday calendar for everyone member of my immediate and extended family
59. Write down the story of how my grandparents and parents met
60. Create a family tree
61. Finish my college scrapbook
62. Scan old family pictures and make a photobook
63. Document a "day in my life" in photographs
64. Scan all of my medical records (especially those pertaining to my diabetes diagnosis)
65. Send out Christmas cards to arrive in time for Christmas Completed Christmas of 2009.
66. Organize my closet
67. Transfer all CDs from my middle school years to iTunes
68. Organize my iTunes music collection
69. Organize all of my photos
70. Frame and hang my best photos

Random
71. Enter a contest
72. Mail a birthday card to everyone on my birthday calendar
73. Send my sister (Sent September 2, 2009) and sister-in-law a college care package (sent January 20, 2010)
74. Send Valentine’s to my friends
75. Finish a crossword puzzle from each day of the week, but not necessarily from the same week
76. Attend church services for a month
77. Get involved with another organization that is important to me (not diabetes related)
78. Read one new book every month
79. Organize a flip cup tournament
80. Get a tattoo completed on May 31, 2009 La Dolce Vita
81. Enter DC's Artomatic
82. List 101 things that make me happy
83. Finish paying off my student loans
84. Organize a girls weekend for my mom, sister, and I
85. Stop apologizing for things I shouldn't apologize for
86. Get my passport
87. Write a living will and have it notarized
88. Throw a birthday party
89. Write a book proposal
90. Change jobs
91. Take a train somewhere
92. Get in the habit of writing thank you cards for even the most mundane things just to blow people’s minds
93. Read the entire Bible
94. Buy my own domain and host my blog there
95. Take Tucker to a retirement home to entertain people
96. Find a mentor
97. Become a mentor to someone
98. Write a handwritten letter 4 times per year
99. Establish a blog and write consistently for 6 months
100. Participate in NaBloPoMo
101. Inspire atleast one other person to start a 101 things list

366 Days

2009-06-08T11:12:00.000-07:00

This weekend was more hectic than most. After returning from a funeral in Pennsylvania, we headed south of the city to see my grandparents who are in town for my younger sister's graduation on Saturday. Yesterday, Ross and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. We had brunch at the club where our reception was held last year and spent a ton of time talking about how the past year has really flown by. A year ago yesterday, we walked down the aisle to "When I Fall in Love" and celebrated with our dearest family and friends.

And last night, we cut into our somewhat frozen stale cake and enjoyed a slice together.

Ross, thanks for an amazing first year of marriage. If this was supposed to be the hardest year, then I think we did pretty great. I love you all this world.

Why working in the IT Department is completely dangerous

2009-06-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

(Hat tip to one of my best friends, Jamie, who told me this story through e-mail)

"Thought you guys would get a kick out of this story from this morning at work.

So today my friends Matt, Paul, and I were trying to figure out what the lunch menu would be today. We have a lunch program here that is only $4, but it is kind of hit or miss. I was saying that I really hoped it wasn't tilapia, which I normally like but I don't really like here and they have it every week.

So Matt sends me the email below, but he did his this little IT trick that made it seem like it came from our executive chef, Eric. I freaked out at first sight until I realized it was Matt, and responded back to the email saying, "Oh my god, I freaked out when I read this...etc...". Little did I know that when I replied back it actually sent that email to Chef Eric.

Then Matt had to run over and get a favor from one of our other IT guys so that he could remove that email from Eric's inbox before he saw it. I tried recalling it but it didn't work.

2 morals of the story: 1. Replying to emails without thinking is a
stupid thing to do. 2. Working in IT has tons of advantages!

-----Original Message-----
From: [The executive chef at her company
Sent: Monday, May 18, 2009 10:45 AM
To: [My best friend Jamie]
Subject: Stop complaining!

It has recently been brought to my attention that you don't appreciate the Tilapia I serve as part of the lunch program. Keep in mind that many people around the office LOVE the Tilapia and you are getting a great deal anyway for $4. So in short, keep quiet and just eat what's put out in front of you.

My coffee mug, or "How my life is like an episode of The Office"

2009-06-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

(Disclaimer: I wrote the following post a few weeks ago, when I was developing this new blog. If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen my Tweets about this very subject and if you don't follow me on Twitter, you should...Brook2ar, hollatcha girl. Just so you know, it took one week to get my mug back and I believe the alleged mug stealer may have taken the mug home over the weekend to use it. Finally, one of my beloved coworkers stole my mug back the day I was out sick, wrapped it in a plastic bag, and left it in an empty flower pot on my desk. Yes, it was that bad. Enjoy the following post, and leave me a comment! I'd love to hear how you like the new design, or if you have any blog pointers for this girl.)

So, this week I'm "off" coffee. I had one cup on Monday morning (a sugar-free, extra hot, skim, caramel macchiato), but then decided in my attempt to eliminate the few pounds I've gained since the half marathon, to only drink water at work. I'm fuller, refreshed, peeing like a race horse, and feeling generally better. But yesterday, 2pm struck and I was bored. I decided since I'm "off" coffee, I could still be "on" tea and headed to our kitchen to get my coffee mug that I had put in the dishwasher and knew was in the cabinet (I have two to rotate out- the other mug is my Disney Princess mug with all the Princesses on it). I got there and realized that my mug, my freaking Disney Princess Half Marathon mug, was gone. It's pink and pretty and every time I use it I think of how awesome it was to run a half-marathon in DISNEY WORLD!

As I sulked away from the kitchen back to my desk, I caught a glimpse of pink on my coworker’s desk. And low and behold, there is my freaking MUG! Enraged and confused, I walked swiftly back to my cube only to learn none of my friends put there coffee mugs in the dishwasher because this coworker is a known mug stealer. She will hijack a mug for DAYS and not wash it and uses other people's mugs as opposed to the generic office mugs or paper cups that are provided.

Now, I understand that I'm paritally to blame for allowing it to be put in the cabinet in the public domain. But A) with the swine flu and everything, I don't really want any other people using my mug even if you disinfect it a million times over B) If you're going to use someone else's mug, be SNEAKY! Don't put it somewhere that I can see it C) Why would you think you could use my half marathon mug? Did you run a half marathon that I didn't know about? Did you run the one in DISNEY WORLD? Oh, you didn't? Than get the hells off my mug.

So I had high hopes that today, I would come in to find it in the dishwasher and I would hand wash it and steal it back. But, when I came in, it was STILL on her desk, probably gathering coffee sludge or something.

(This is where in The Office, they would cut to a scene of the person sipping away, using my coffee mug and then would shoot back to me making a face like I wanted to punch the girl).

La Dolce Vita

2009-06-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

This morning has started off kind of rocky (I may or may not have broken into big 'ole alligator tears at my desk). Trying to hold myself together and simply make it to 5pm when I can go home and go on a long walk with Tucker, I thought I would share something big that I did this weekend.

In the past 12 months, honestly, I've pretty much gotten everything that I've ever wanted and done some things I've always wanted to do. Sometimes when I'm in my kitchen or walking my dog, it hits me like a ton of bricks that I have to be one of the luckiest and most blessed people in the entire would. My Nana Hazel says that I'm spoiled, but I feel like alot of the things in my life are things that I've worked hard for. I worked hard to have the relationship I have with my husband and I work hard at doing my best at my job. Overall, I'm really living a very sweet life.

This past weekend, my sister (aside: I am completely obsessed with my little sister. When you spend 3 years throwing a penny into a wishing well at the Great Falls, Montana mall, wishing for a baby sister, you would be as thankful as I am for such an amazing person in your life. Seriously. She's wise beyond her 18 years and I'm not sure you could be more proud of a person, than I am of her) and I decided that we were going to get tattoos. I've always wanted a tattoo but have struggled with what to get (people don't think you're very smart or serious about it when you say you would want a miny Olive Oyl from Popeye on your hip) for several years. Two weeks ago, I decided as a graduation present for my sister, I would pay for us to get tattoos.

You probably are asking "why" and here it is: Everyday, I put something on my body that I don't really have a choice about. (Yes, I could take insulin shots instead of wearing an insulin pump and I could not wear a CGMS, but my control would be awful) And with a tattoo, I got to make the decision. I got to choose what it would look like and what color it would be and the size of it.

We decided against matching ones, because both Beck (that's my sister) and I were attached to different phrases. But we marched in with our family (my mom, husband, and Beck's best friend in tow). Determined to not be a wimp in front of everyone, I went first and then tightly held onto a hand I've been holding onto for the past 18 years as Beck got "Carpe Diem" etched onto her skin.

Me? I got "La Dolce Vita" because at that moment and even right now, when all things are said and done, my life is incredibly sweet.

The funny things about our neighbors is that we don't know their names

2009-06-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

My husband and I have lived in our current apartment for a year now. For the first six months, we didn’t know a single person. The guy across the hall from us would smile occasionally if he saw us on his way out to walk his dog, but otherwise, the only person that really talked to us was the conceige, and frankly, that’s his job.

Then, Ross (that’s the husband) and I decided to adopt Tucker, a 10 week yorkie-bichon mix (or Yorkchon). Suddenly, we were shuffling in and out of our third floor apartment on an hourly basis to the dog park adjacent to our building. Truth be told, this is where all of our neighbors were the first 6 months. While Ross and I were playing Wii and watching Netflix, and going out, our neighbors were drinking beers in the park, throwing balls to their dogs, and trying to keep their mutts from clawing the rest of the pups.

Because Tucker is the cutest, and smartest dog in the whole world, he made friends very early. Several of the dogs have become his very best pals. As Tuck grew, we’d let him off of his leash to be chewed on and chased so that he’d sleep through the night. While our dog was running amuck with the others, we’d talk to the other owners about what they did, where they worked, and how long they had been puppy parents.

But, we didn’t really know anyone’s name. In fact, a typical conversation between Ross and I would go like this:

Me: Did Tuck play with anyone?
Ross: Yeah, Eli and Bailey.
Me: Sweet.
Ross: ...Yeah, and I was talking to Eli’s dad and he’s a huge Caps fan
Me: Eli’s mom was out there earlier and she said they’re moving next month.
Ross: Man, Tuck is going to miss Eli.
Me: His parents are so nice!

So, now it’s awkward because we know every dog, but don’t know any of the owner’s names. We joke that you should have to wear a nametag for your first few weeks in the park (something like “Hi, my name is Allison, and Tucker is my dog, Yes, I know he’s adorable) to avoid the awkwardness that comes with asking someone their name when you know what they do, where they were born, and that they’re dog prefers to go to the bathroom in the left corner of the dog park.

8 things to get to know me

2009-05-28T12:58:00.000-07:00

Hi! My name is Allison and this is my second attempt at launching a blog. You may know me from some of my writing at Tales of a Twentysomething, or from a post or two on Diabetes Daily, or from Twitter. However you got here, WELCOME! As I work through some formatting issues over the next few days, here's a quick 8 things you should know!

Eight random things about me:
1. My dad and mom decided on my name after my dad had a dream where he and my mom named me Allison. I would have made an awful Aubrey.
2. I try to act like I'm open minded when it comes to trying new foods, but I'm really not.
3. I like Disney World more than a 24 year old should. I buy a new coffee mug everytime I visit.
4. My favorite alcoholic drink is a frozen swirl margarita without salt (SALT, SALT, SALT!)
5. I've only ever been on one "first" date. And will probably ever only go on one.
6. My favorite expression of the moment is "Because I'm awesome." I say it at really inappropriate times like if I mess up or do something awkward. Then I pose doing what I think looks like a model stance (with my hand on my hip) and exclaim "because I'm AWESOME!"
7. Currently, E.L.F. $1 lip gloss in Honey Do is my favorite.
8. I've had diabetes for almost 7 years.