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.