TGIV! Thank Goodness, I Vlogged!

This Vlog is a long time coming. I will say no more.

Enjoy!

Here's a link to the Facebook pics.

Move Along Please...

I would love it if you would check out my posts over at dLife. I try to write there a few times a week and so far have posted 6 times this month.

I can't wait until tomorrow's post. Stay tuned my friends. Stay. Tuned!

Dance for Life!

One of my coworkers lost her grandmother to cancer this year. Cancer is one of those words that when I hear it, I shudder. It scares me as it does most people and when I hear that one has it I think, at least this stupid diabetes thing I can manage somewhat. (I say somewhat because it is way harder then most non-D’s think it is but that’s for another post)

Her mom and her aunts joined up with Relay For Life which is a program from The American Cancer Society. You may have heard of this or maybe even walked in one, which we did a few years back, but it way to have smaller local walks that last overnight and that typically consist of music, food vendors, some special presentations. Always a great event to combat a great threat.

One thing her family is doing is planning a “club night” fundraiser. They found a local hotel that has a nightclub in which they are going to hold a private party on a Sunday night just to raise money for the ACS. The hotel doesn’t even open up the club on Sunday nights so for them it’s a win too.

They have a friend of theirs DJ, a guy who makes tacos on the spot for a buck a piece, and of course the bar from the hotel will be opened too. All for a 5 dollar cover charge and all that money goes right to the ACS! So cool!

Jasmine and I already have tickets and plan to dance the night away.

Walks are awesome but dancing is awesomtastical!

In a weird coincidence I got a call at work yesterday from a volunteer at the ADA. He wanted to know why Team Beat the Bete has not signed up for the walk this year. I wanted to tell him that from now on all my walks are going to be for the JDRF and that I need to focus on the organization that is working for my best interests. Since I am a Type 1 and I know I am in the minority as far as diabetes camps goes, the ADA is not really my choice.

Don’t get me wrong ADA, I think you do well what you do for who you do it for. ;) I just don’t think Type 1’s are a major focus of yours.

Anyhow, I told him that my family and I are planning a trip to Vegas the weekend of the walk for my sister’s 40th birthday which is the truth!

So when is the D dance party because I am ready to pay my money and get my dance on!?!

You Tube Tuesday #127

I love movies. I love trailers! I love movie trailers that look awesome.

Here is a movie trailer that looks awesome. And the story may be familiar to most of you. Honestly, I watch this all the time so I figured I should share it with all of you. October can not come soon enough for me. I can't wait to see this one.

Enjoy!

The Weekend Recap

This weekend was a good one. I had Friday off which meant I could get in a game of Disc Golf with my buddies. Sure it was a lousy round. Sure I hit a tree so hard I was almost sure I was going to cut it down. But it was well worth it.

After the game I had some “fix it” stuff to do around the house that I had been putting off forever. For a non-“fix it” guy you feel pretty cool when you finally do fix anything. I am not the guy who tries to fix the impossible. I choose my projects carefully but still, it makes me feel like more of a man (and not a little kid) when I do fix some stuff.

Saturday was awesome. We went out to my sisters house and had a good old barbecue. Burgers and Dogs and it was awesome. I got to hang out with my adorable niece, she 66% of my siblings, and some friends too! I was great.

My sister and her husband love to play games. Every time we go over we end up playing a board game, or a card game, or even an outdoors game. Last year it was Croquet which I am horrible at but this year it was Bocce Ball and it was a blast. My sister’s Father in law (also named George) and I were the Green team and we were kicking some serious butt. This was the end of our winning streak.

Sure it stung a little but going out like this is not nearly as bad as getting creamed.

Fireworks are over priced and are lame. But no one got hurt and there was no fire so yay 4^th of July.

Yesterday consisted of a very moving and yet upsetting church service and then another barbecue for my wife’s aunt’s birthday. This time it was Ribs and Chicken. It was a lot of fun and the cake my cousin made was out of control as usual.

All and all the weekend was a nice 3 days away from work. I always enjoy hanging out with family and this weekend was a great time for doing just that.

Born Again?

Recently I was asked if the “Born Again” in the name of my blog is a religious thing.

It is not.

When I started this blog over 3 years ago it was because I was going to start new. Like a brand new diabetic and get my act together. That has not happened.

But what has happened is that Diabetes is a bigger focus in my life. It is not ignored and pushed aside like it was for so many years. Day to day I struggle with keeping my disease under control but in the end I have stayed the path of trying and trying to get my act together.

But this is not a religious blog.

I am however a religious person. And a spiritual one which I think are two very different things.

I am at church every Sunday. I lead the contemporary worship band by singing and playing guitar and I love it. We attend a Lutheran church and I find that when I do miss a week I feel like my cup is not full. Church each week provides an outlet for my spiritual plug.

Being a church going Christian does not make me perfect, better than anyone, smarter, nicer, friendlier, or holy. I am NOT perfect. I am NOT good at a lot of things. I can be a total airhead. I drop an F bomb here and there when someone cuts me off. And my son was my ring bearer in my wedding so…perfect? No.

But I know who watches over me, who died for me, who loves me, who to thank for my blessings, who to look for when I need comfort, and who is my strength.

For those of you who are not Christians or believe in any higher power, I hope my blog doesn’t turn you away. I am not a judging person and frankly, if I am “Christian” then judging is something I am not supposed to do.

In this place, I am me. This is just me. The imperfect, fat, sometimes silly, sometimes sad, nutty, passionate, God fearing, life loving, diabetic me.

MJ and My BG

I was born in 1973. My parents were 25 and they were both very into music.

Now I was too little to really remember The Jackson 5 except from video clips and of course songs like “ABC” and “I Want You Back.” But for me, my love for Michael Jackson’s music started with the Off The Wall album.

I remember listening to lots of dance music when I was a kid in the late 70’s. Donna Summer, Earth Wind and Fire, Kool and the Gang, and of course, Michael Jackson.

When I heard about his death last week I was surprised how much it affected me. I never thought of myself as a huge fan but when I started to listen to all the songs they were playing on the radio, and seeing the videos on TV, I got really upset.

So many life memories pop into my head when I hear many of his songs. Trips with my family when we all would be singing songs in the RV on our way camping. Dancing in my living room with my sisters to “Wanna Be Starting Something” and even at my sisters wedding last year that sparked a massive “Thriller” dance when the DJ played it.

Even my kids love his music.

There is one song in particular that is not a “hit” song of his but by far my favorite. It is off of his “Dangerous” album and it’s called “Keep the Faith.” The song is not a danceable one but rather like a song you would hear a Baptist church choir sing.

"'Cause you can climb the highest mountain, swim the deepest sea, all you need is the will to want it and a little self esteem. So keep the faith. Don’t let nobody turn you ‘round. You’ve gotta know when it’s good to go, to get your dreams up off the ground. So keep the faith. Because it’s just a matter of time before your confidence will win out. Believe in yourself no matter what it’s gonna take, you can be a winner but you’ve got to keep the faith."

At the end of the song is this amazing vocal breakdown with Michael and choir just working it and every time I hear it, I get chills.

I know this isn’t a diabetes post except to say that dancing to good music always brings down my blood sugar so I can do that and pay tribute to one of the greatest entertainers in my lifetime.