Thankful for SOLDIERS and FAMILIES who serve and selflessly leave their homes, their extended families, their comfort, their possessions and follow orders every day!!!
Family members who have served.......
Major Bobby S. Nicholson, Steve D. Bodak, Sr., John B. Bodak- USS Argonnaut, James Bodak, Andrew Bodak, Edward Lohr, Charles Lohr, David C. Nicholson, Corporal E-4 Steve D. Bodak, Jr., CSM Randall Johnston, William C. Sale, Sgt. E-5 John Raymond Bodak, Rex David Nicholson, 1Lt. David Bodak, LTC John Frink...with many others I've forgotten or never known! 

Friends who have or still are serving........
CSM Rodney Caesar, SFC Dick West, Marcus and Morgan Luttrell-brothers and Navy Seals, Bill Henderson, Fred Yakush, Carl Dooley, Joseph Laehu, Richard Pine, Dan Baumhardt, Richard Bartosh, Clint McWhorter, Stewart Taylor, Robert Boone, Steve Burzlaff, Frank Morrisey, SFC Tom Hordnes, Patrick Schanley, Jesse Pratt, Peter Schrantz, Jonathan Moss, Col. Kirk Eggleston, Jesse Steltzer, Dennis Coker, Michelle Smith, Patrick Buckley, CPT Keith Herzog, Seth Hill, Jesse Brewer- Navy Seal, Micah Ables- West Point, Katherine Hill, Drew Schroeder, Alan Martinez, Patrick Morrisey and many others. We honor you today and every day!

#DBlogWeek-Day 4-Fantasy Device/Little Things

Today let’s tackle an idea inspired by Bennet of Your Diabetes May Vary.  Tell us what your Fantasy Diabetes Device would be?  Think of your dream blood glucose checker, delivery system for insulin or other meds, magic carb counter, etc etc etc.  The sky is the limit – what would you love to see?

there have been some awesome ideas running around the DOC with today's prompt! some companies should take note. Kim over at Texting My Pancreas had one of my favorite ideas. A Bigi instead of Siri. oh yes! 

when i was younger i always wanted a meter that would let you play games on it. if you were within range for 5 consecutive bg tests you got one life star kinda thing. last year i saw that childhood dream come to life. Bayer Didget has something very much like my idea. *i even have one to play with* 

then as a teen i thought how cool it would be to have a meter that could double as a cell phone. iBGStar, anyone?

these days i tend to want things like an artificial pancreas and seemingly little things that will make life just that much easier. while many things are in the works, the FDA is a little slow on the get it done-ness...

the APP is something that excites me because, like many others, i don't expect a cure in my lifetime. honestly, i am ok with that. while i hate that so many people live with Type 1 Diabetes, and many more are diagnosed daily, for me the promise of a cure is a little far fetched.  what i want are things that will help us right here and right now. low suspend for our pumps, better accuracy for our meters, faster acting insulin, smaller CGM "harpoons", and an Artificial Pancreas. those are my Fantasy D Devices. seemingly small when the sky is the limit, but life changing nevertheless.  

*disclaimer-ing: none of the companies i mentioned above asked me to blog about any of their items, nor do i have any benefits by doing so...not that i would mind it. :) * 

#DBlogWeek-Day 3-One Thing to Improve

Yesterday we gave ourselves and our loved ones a big pat on the back for one thing we are great at.  Today let’s look at the flip-side.  We probably all have one thing we could try to do better.  Why not make today the day we start working on it.  No judgments, no scolding, just sharing one small thing we can improve so the DOC can cheer us on!

i am pretty sure i am not the only one who had trouble picking just one thing. sometimes, well most times, i feel like i am terrible when it comes to diabetes control and care. there are so many things i could improve on..on yesterdays post i listed some things that i am not so good at...remembering to bolus, changing sites regularly (i DO rotate faithfully though) checking before i start my car...not halfway down the drive, logging..you name it, i prolly need some work on it.

but one thing i would improve would be testing first thing in the morning. somehow when my alarm goes off at 5:30 everything but testing enters my head. i know i really need that starting number, especially since my students don't really need a low and sleepy teacher...

goal: test every morning for one week (baby steps, right?) before i put my feet on the floor. 

one great thing-day 2

 One Great Thing - Tuesday 5/15
Living with diabetes (or caring for someone who lives with it) sure does take a lot of work, and it’s easy to be hard on ourselves if we aren’t “perfect”.  But today it’s time to give ourselves some much deserved credit.  Tell us about just one diabetes thing you (or your loved one) does spectacularly!  Fasting blood sugar checks, oral meds sorted and ready, something always on hand to treat a low, or anything that you do for diabetes.  Nothing is too big or too small to celebrate doing well! 


hmm well....fasting Bg checks? nope. remembers to bolus for everything? nope. takes meds on time and daily...sometimes. never forgets pump on the bathroom sink while leaving for work? well...nope...doesn't over treat lows? yeah..not. logs? you mean like writing down bgs or cutting down trees? well, either way its a big fat NO. though cutting down trees might be the more likely thing to happen. 


after a running discourse of all the things i don't do and kinda feeling like i am a pretty lousy PWD sometimes, my sister came up with "most likely to have every supply you could possibly need at any point in time" yeah, pretty true. i over pack. i am over prepared for anything diabetes related. i can supply all my friends with at least a days worth of supplies when i travel.  

so my one great thing is i am totally prepared about 90.2% of the time. 

diabetes blog week post 1-find a friend

better late than never, right?

 i am excited to be joining the crew for Diabetes Blog Week! Karen has done a great job putting this all together for three years in a row and i am glad to be part of it for the first time....even if i am a little late to the party.

Find a Friend- It seems the most popular thing about Diabetes Blog Week is that it helps us find blogs we weren’t reading yet and connect with some new blog friends.  With that in mind, let’s kick off Diabetes Blog Week by making some new connections.  Think about the d-blogs you read that you think we may not know about and introduce us to one that you love!!

oh my stars! pick just one? no way...it's impossible. the DOC is so very full of wonderful, fabulous, caring, funny, strong, encouraging, bright, knowledgeable (i could go on) people who all have different things to offer. i am blessed to have met a handful of the bloggers in person and hope to meet many more.

*after sitting here for much too long thinking about one blog..* 

i can't. i haven't had the time to find too many new blogs, just keeping up with the "oldies" is enough right now and there is no way i can pick from the long list of blogs (and people) who have helped me along the way. 

there is Kim who's blog was the first one i stumbled upon. if i remember correctly i randomly googled "adults with type 1 need support too" or something along those lines and then spent the next few hours shedding some tears and nodding my head. relieved that i was not the only one and excited to find a WHOLE BLOG ROLL of PWD that i could relate to. not to mention her cartoons and just self in general are pretty stinkin' awesome. 

from Kim's blog i found Scott who posted all of his A1Cs online...reading them made me feel empowered. knowing there was someone else who was not always the "perfect" 6.0 but still worked at it was a great kick in the pants. 

from Scott i found Kerri and pretty much wanted to jump on the first flight to her state, just to hug her. Kerri is awesome and is always good for a laugh or some nitty gritty, hit home kinda posts. her's is prolly the one blog i don't skip a day...and from hers i found and find a whole crew of other wonderful people.  

like Jess.  Jess made me cry. lots. in a good way. she was able to put into words some of the emotions i felt/feel when i first found the DOC. Jess is every bit as sweet and caring in person as she in online. always encouraging and often the first to comment or reply with a kind word. her blog is full of tear jerking honesty, some fun moments, lots of great pictures, fun tweets and just lots of DOC love. Jess also was the first to volunteer when i tweeted i needed some help putting in an arm sensor in FL...that's just what friends do...they shoot each other with harpoons and make the process just that much better. 

then last summer i got to meet all of these bloggers and many more at CWD FFL11. 

there was George who i like to blame for my addiction love of Goofy's Sour Cherry Balls. (the perfect low treat..ment.)

and Sara who taught me how to use Tweetchat for #dsma (life changing moment right there!) Sara is an awesome woman who seems to live every moment to the utmost...all of which i enjoy reading about. 

oh and C and Brian...who i actually thought were siblings for the first day...or two...after i met them. they aren't by the way. both are super hilarious both in person and on twitter...(#complexcrabs still crack me up) 

 of course there is Karen who was the very first PWD i saw in FL when i went to FFL. we were standing in line to get on the shuttle and either i checked and she bolused or vice verse, either way we were both there in line, knowing pretty much what we were both doing there but not sure enough to say hello (hi, my name is Shay and i am too durn shy sometimes). anyway, we got on the shuttle and i got on twitter to see if it really WAS Karen. yeah, it was. and we were tweeting the same things on the ride to the hotel. i will forever regret not being a bit more bold...

and Martin and Scott and Lorraine and Jacquie and the list could go on and on in an endless scrolling motion..

seriously, each of these blogs and the people behind them have added something to my life in one way or another. Helped me to laugh, changed the way i care for myself,  helped me see the silver lining, and have been there-done that. and this is only a small portion of the blogs and people i love. we all share the "me too" factor and that, dear friends, is powerful.