spare a rose . save a child

oh hey guys. three months later.

clearly i'm lacking in the blogging department (what else is new?), but when i heard about this, i knew it was a must-share. thanks to the international diabetes federation and their spare a rose - save a child program, children who don't have access to insulin, like i'm lucky to have, can get the insulin they need to live.

For children around the world with type 1 diabetes, lack of access to insulin is the most common cause of death. And in some areas of the world, most children with diabetes can expect to live less than a year past their diagnosis date – if they’re diagnosed at all.

This Valentine’s day, the diabetes community is trying to change that. And you can help.

it's really simple. you donate $5 for one rose, and that pays for ONE MONTH of insulin for a child who may not have it otherwise. donate $10 for two roses (two months), and so on. paying for a dozen roses pays for insulin for a YEAR! obviously these are not living roses (that don't live a month anyway) ... this is something way better.

just visit THIS LINK and at the bottom of the page, choose the option you'd like. follow the steps to make your donation. it's that simple! if you'd like to do this for someone you love instead of buying them actual roses, they have adorable print-outs you can give them instead to let them know you made a donation.

after that, spread the word about this awesome opportunity! use the hashtag #SpareARose. post it on your facebook, your twitter, your instagram, your youtube, your vine, your tumblr, your windshield, your forehead ...

i've already donated, will you?

wordless wednesday

2013 jdrf award for fundraising! 

accountability.

ac·count·a·ble. adjective [əˈkountəbəl/]: 1. required or expected to justify actions or decisions; responsible.

when it comes to managing my diabetes, there's only one person that holds all the power in determining how well it's managed. me. 

dr. awesome can talk to me about food choices. go over insulin to carb ratios. review exercise options. discuss not over-correcting lows and being patient to wait for those lows to come back up. tell me how many times a day to check my blood sugar and watch the dexcom ... but it's in my hands. 

i have to make the right food choices, not just the carb-loaded delicious ones that i want. do the math to figure out the correct insulin dose (i'm not a big math person). get off my lazy butt and exercise, not just pin all the great workout plans. make myself sit and wait after drinking a juice box or eating glucose tabs, instead of inhaling everything in the pantry in a desperate moment of wanting that low feeling to go away. take the 30 seconds to get out my meter, check my blood sugar, and enter the number in my dexcom. WEAR the dexcom.

my responsibility.

it's not always easy. it gets old. sometimes it's a hassle. and i slack. and then, i pay the price. i am fully aware of how much better i feel and how much better i function when i have really good control over my blood sugars. 

this isn't something i chose, i didn't do anything to cause my diabetes ... but i have it. i have to keep it under control, because if not, there are consequences. 

i'm the only one that's accountable for my diabetes. 

i've been bad ...about blogging.

i was going to just make the title 'i've been bad' but i had a feeling that might lead to lots of spam comments ifyouknowwhatimean.

i haven't blogged since september. that's awful. i'm not even sure how i go from regular posting to none at all.

excuses, excuses. work's been busy, other things have been going on, etc.

but with all the reasons i may have for not opening up this blog and posting ... diabetes is still there. the blog might fall to the wayside, but diabetes can't. it's always there. i can't take a break from that.

i'm still checking blood sugar, watching my dexcom, counting carbs, drinking juice boxes, trying to say no to halloween candy and sweet treats, trying to make good food choices, changing pump sites, the smell of insulin ... it's always around.

i want to try my best to not neglect my blog, it's led me to a lot of awesome people, a great online community and is a great resource and support when i need it.

prepare yourselves, i'm back just in time for THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

our UofL/UK tree is up!

just got back from a JOG!

yesterday i didn't exercise. well, not officially, but i did walk a lot to distribute some posters for a work event, so that kind of counts.

BUT, this morning, i went for a JOG! i used my brain and didn't run up the first hill that is my only access to the rest of the neighborhood, because that one ALWAYS makes my legs hurt. i walked up, stopped to stretch, and was on my way.

i did stop to walk and stretch a few times, but that's ok. and my legs weren't hard as rocks and tight in the same place they always have been. my calves were tight, so i stretched.

it wasn't a super long run or anything, i was gone about 40 minutes and trust me it wasn't 4 miles or anything, but it's a start!

my bloodsugar was weird after a late night meal, a little on the high side, but was a steady downtrend while i was running. and it has settled and isn't going too low. improvements all around!

now, ice. :)

ps - GO CARDS!