First Wedding Anniversary

So, it is Monday. Typically, I prefer to give my weekly progress reports on Monday, but something takes priority today - the Holt 1-Year Wedding Anniversary!  Additionally, my two-month anniversary of diagnosis is Thursday, so I will give a progress report that day because I like the logic of doing that much better. It is a nice, round number.

I have to admit, I can hardly believe we have been married for a whole year. This time last year, I was with friends, awaiting the big day. I was calm, and I was ready to just be married. I knew the first year would bring challenges because of medical school and law school, but that aspect of marriage has been so easy. If I may toot our marital horn, we do a great job of respecting each other's time and space when necessary. I knew better than to bug Andrew when he was studying for exams or Boards. I picked up a lot more chores in order to take the burden off of him. Likewise, he has been a saint so far during my studying for the Bar Exam. If anything really defined this first year of marriage, it was definitely the mutual rigor of school.

That being said, although only about (7) weeks of our first year of marriage were "Diabetic" weeks, it has been those (7) weeks that have meant the most to me. Andrew was out of town in Belize when I went to the hospital, and it was very hard for me, but my friends and parents were amazing. When he came home, he immediately dove into the whole routine with me. If I want advice, he is there. If I want a medical perspective on something, he will listen. When I know I have to eat around certain times and avoid certain foods, he accommodates. And most importantly, when I am thin on patience or being a neurotic hypochondriac, he doesn't judge me. He talks me through it. One of the things I have tried to tackle after diagnosis is realizing that this disease doesn't only affect me. It affects Andrew every day because he is married to me. We work through the good times and the frustrating times together. You know, when I would hear marriage vows about "in sickness and in health," I always think of one of us having the flu or being 85-years-old and battling the process of aging. I never would have imagined that this part of the vows would become applicable so soon. It may sound like a no-brainer that your husband would stick by your side when you're diagnosed with something like this, but that is something I try my hardest not to take for granted. He has to listen to me when I think my swollen ankles are a product of a blood clot. He has to listen to me when I think the anxiety symptoms I am experiencing mean I have the flu. He has to listen to me when I think both my swollen lymph nodes on the back of my head are symmetrical tumors. I know, what you're thinking...wow, what a head case. Truthfully, sometimes I really am. My worst fear was realized - I had a disease brewing in my body that tried to get me. Now, it isn't so easy for me to ignore even the smallest aches or pains without worrying about something bigger being wrong. So, Andrew also gets to keep me sane. I'll be honest - most days are relatively normal days, days only mildly interrupted by the daily grind that comes with being a Diabetic.

All that to say, it has been a great year of marriage! We accomplished a lot. He survived and aced his Boards. I graduated from law school. All the while, we kept the balance of fitness (Insanity, running, biking), family time, friend time, and time together. Andrew and I are not the type to celebrate these things. We may go to dinner next weekend, but we aren't doing gifts. I do want to get my paws on that wedding cake, though.

I am thankful for Andrew, and I look forward to many long, healthy years together. 

Andrew made lettuce wraps last night. It would take me an entire month of posts to describe all of the meals he has cooked this year. He is definitely a better chef than I! 

This is an example of the small things. Andrew knows that my Lululemon clothes do not go in the dryer. That being said, rather than figure out which of my workout clothes are Lululemon, he assumes they all are and hangs them over the door to dry. This is actually something that makes my day!

This is an array of pictures from this year. The top-left is a picture of us one week ago at a going-away party for friends. The top-right was when we were all in the bathroom during a bout of tornado warnings. He always gets all the pillows, radio, and flashlight. Then, he has to convince me that I need to get in the bathroom because I'd rather be watching the tornado. [Yes, I am more frightened of lymph nodes than I am of natural disasters - remember, it's not logical!] The bottom left is a picture from our Honeymoon in Maui. We decided to go snorkeling. It was a big step for me, and I only lasted about ten minutes before I wigged out. The bottom right is a picture I took when I woke up one morning of his dedication to studying. He puts me to shame in a lot of areas, but his discipline might be the best example.

You know what they say? 

"Happy Wife. Happy Life."

I couldn't be happier with our first year.

Today was a good day, energy-wise. Maybe this multivitamin is a good thing? The days are starting to follow the same formula - shower + breakfast + barbri + lunch + study + exercise + dinner + study + bed. And, guess, what? I love it. Good, old-fashioned predictability. Predictability is a friend of Diabetics as well as Type As. Do I consider myself a Type A? Only selectively, if that makes sense. I am not a perfectionist. I am not compulsively tidy. When it comes to school supplies, Diabetes, and clothes - I am Type A. Type1/TypeA. Let's a have an entry dictated by pictures, shall we? It's allllll randoms...

Lunch = 2 eggs + 1/4 Cup Fat Free Cheddar + 1/4 Cup Black Beans w/ Apple + Peanut Butter.

I love black beans. I opened a can two days ago and put them in the refrigerator. I add them in meals throughout the week for a good source of fiber. Speeeaking of fiber, I have been meaning to mention one of my favorite blogs. Carly, a friend of mine from Rhodes, writes an amazing blog. You can find it here. Anyway, among other things, she does amazing entries about food and fitness. For a great write-up about fiber, read this. I always knew Carly was such a talent :)

I am a lover of apps. This is my "medical" folder.  Yes, one of my Type A tendencies is that I group all my apps in folders. Some of them may seem more diet-oriented, but I use them all to help with my Diabetes. The 267 was my calorie count after breakfast. 

Dinner. Over FaceTime, I showed this to Andrew and he told me that it looked like vomit. It isn't, I assure you. I borrowed this recipe from another great blog, PBfingers. Meet my attempt at protein pancakes. What is in them? 1/2 cup of dry oats + 1/2 mashed banana + tsp of cinnamon + 1/4 cup cottage cheese + 1 egg. Put it in the blender, and viola! Well, my blender is AWFUL, so I got chunky batter. Then, I was having trouble heating them, so they broke. That being said, trust me when I tell you that they are delicious! 

Hi, technology! Andrew and I FaceTiming after dinner. He comes home tomorrow :) That looked like his face when I showed him the pancakes picture. 

This is my new RoadID. I have it in case of an emergency while I am running or out and about. That way, people will know that I am Diabetic and likely need quick sugar. It isn't the most chic thing ever, but it will suffice. 

Type A tendency #2 - color-coded notes. No, I do not highlight just to be colorful. Pink is main topics. Green is a general rule. Blue is for exceptions...you get the idea. 

I took this picture in honor of a thought I had today. Andrew and I have a tendency to over-purchase things that we like/want/need at the moment. Then, we tell our parents about it. Then, they think of us and buy us more. Today's example, my glucose tabs. They are everywhere in this house - nightstand, purse, backpack, kitchen counter. And don't get me started on MiO Liquid water flavors. We have about ten right now. I believe that I also have six coconut milk cartons (thanks mom!)

This is after TurboFire EZ-55 class. I tried to find an Instagram filter than emphasized how sweaty I was, but it didn't work. I don't want to turn into a two-trick pony. By that, I mean that I want to do more than Pure Barre and running. While nothing will replace how much I love either, I want to keep my body guessing. TurboFire is something I have done a couple of times over the years, and I love it. I am glad that I have built up quite the archive of DVDs if I need to torch calories at home. That's the thing with Diabetes. Maybe it isn't a good idea to run sometimes. Maybe it isn't a good idea to drive to Pure Barre. Sometimes you might need to keep it in your living room and sweat it out. 

Livin' La Vida Los Angeles

So, Morgan and I have had this Los Angeles trip planned for months now, and it has come and gone. Our goals:

• Shop - √ Check
• Eat - √ Check
• Visit - √ Check

The hardest part about traveling for me is not getting through the airport. The hardest part is adjusting to a new routine. So much of my success in keeping my sugars managed comes from eating, exercising, and sleeping around the same time every day. In Los Angeles, not only was I adjusting to a new time zone, I was eating at a lot of local places and guessing at my carbs. The result? Well, on average, the sugar was somewhat higher. I didn't hang out in the 200s or anything, but it wasn't the 90-150 I was accustomed to at home. 

But, you know what? I had fun! I got to hang out with great people in a fun city - a heartfelt thank-you to Lee Lenox for letting us stay in his awesome apartment! The one thing I really enjoy about eating in Los Angeles is that there are a lot of places with really fresh ingredients. 

Because of the traveling, I am going to get myself back on track with the diet, and I will weigh-in and do a progress report next Monday. 

The Barbri grind is back tomorrow, so it is a great time to establish a routine that is going to carry me through the next couple of months. 

In other news, Andrew cleaned the entire house while I was out of town. I don't think I can verbalize my appreciation.

This is a menu from the cute little coffee shop where we brunched on Saturday.

This was Morgan's halibut. It tasted like fire...literal fire.

This was my delicious meal. 

Filet Mignon + Basil Mashed Potatoes + Zucchini and Squash.

This funnest thing ever was going to see Grease at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery last night. I believe it is a summer movie series. Everyone brings food and blankets. It was such a great experience!

This was my breakfast this morning. 

Egg White Omelet w/ Ham + Cheese + Black Beans and a Fruit Cup

And THIS, ladies and gentlemen, is just ONE of the projects accomplished by Andrew this weekend. 

In addition, he cleaned the floors, bathrooms, organized his closet, the fridge, the pantry, other cabinets, etc.

I can think of no better way to arrive home! 

Now the burden is on me to keep it clean...err...we'll see...