My Cozy Essentials

With winter upon us, it’s that time of year for fires and comfy sweaters. From what I wear to how I decorate my home, it is all tied to the season and being comfortable. This is especially true for my bedroom which is my favorite room in my house. My bedroom is extremely comfortable and cozy, it really fosters rest and relaxation.

I recently came across some amazing bedding sets on Parachutehome.com. Parachute Home provides high quality bedding at an affordable price and all of their stuff looks so comfortable. It got me thinking, not only what makes my favorite room so comfy but what my cozy essentials are!

Busy Life and in Need of some R&R

Anyone who reads my blog knows how busy my life is. Between work, kids and everyday stress, it has been a long time since I felt well rested. If you walk into my bedroom you would probably say how is that possible!? It’s quiet, cozy and peaceful. My day to day is crazy and while I knew stress effects sleep, I guess I never fully understood it.

I found this article about stress and its effects on sleep along with some solutions on ParachuteHome.com. Parachute Home delivers the best quality bedding at an affordable price and you can find everything you need to make sure your bedroom looks great while also making it the perfect place to wind down.  I looked through their bedding page and they have amazing sets that fit right in with my style. I suggest everyone reading this does the same!

I’m a triathlete. What type are you?

There is so much confusion about people living with diabetes. A lot of folks out there associate diabetics with being overweight, having a poor diet, low energy, being sickly etc. etc. Many people do not realize that diabetes is manageable and those living with it can still live full, active and healthy lives!

That’s why I was so happy when Oscar Insurance invited me to share my story in honor of National Diabetes Month. Oscar provides health insurance in New York and New Jersey and focuses on using technology to make understanding insurance simple and intuitive. They have a fresh approach to health care and offer a ton of features that allow members to be proactive about their health. Any company that offers a gym reimbursement program is seriously playing a big part in helping their members stay healthy!

I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was 10 years old, so was pretty conscious about my health and lifestyle choices at an early age. I was always active as a kid, and I ran track off and on in high school, but it wasn’t until college that I really started to take control of my diabetes. Since I moved away from home,  I didn’t have my parents there to remind me to eat right and check my BG throughout the day. It was up to me to take control of my health, so I dove into learning everything I could about my illness, and started becoming more actively engaged in the online diabetes community. It was also around that time that I started running again. It started off slow, running a mile or two a couple times a week, then I began to sign up for 5k’s with my friends just for fun.

Two years ago, one of my running buddies encouraged me to sign up for a half marathon, and we started a training schedule together. Keeping the consistent workouts really helped me with my health routine–I felt better and had a lot more energy! After that first half marathon, I caught the runners high! I signed up and completed my first marathon six months later and this summer, I completed my first triathlon! I continue to train and push myself to achieve the impossible. Right now, I’m working on improving my PR’s for each event and my new  goal is to run a marathon or triathlon in all 50 states!

I’ve never allowed my illness define me or hold me back and will continue to live a high powered life! After all, diabetes is a word, not a sentence!

 

On the Road to Recovery

Getting old stinks! I’m too young to have aches and pains all the time. I guess thats what an active lifestyle will do to you. Sadly I may have been a little too active having sustained a calf injury while training this week and so close to the Pewaukee Women’s Half Marathon. I was looking forward to running in it this year as I have always heard such great things about the event.

It was such a freak accident that I can’t believe how it happened. We had just had a light sprinkle and afterwards I headed out for my jog. Part of this could be my own fault for running on sidewalks but hey, it helps me map out my distance. Anyway I went to step up onto the curb as I crossed the street and my foot slipped back onto the road. My toes were on the side of the curb with my heel on the ground and my body moving forward. I guess it was some type of hyperextension or over stretching of the muscle. Nonetheless it looks like it’s the couch for me for a couple days.

I quite upset about missing the half marathon as I had been training for it for a month or so now. But to be honest I am most upset about missing the Zombie Mud Run later in the month as well. The concept seems very strange and SciFi-ish but at the same time really fun. It was my thought that being chased by zombies would enhance my “fight or flight” and I could run the race in record time! Haha.

This could be the perfect time for me to catch up on some shows while I recover from my set back. It’s about time I used that Netflix account to its full potential! Hopefully in no time I’ll be back out there jogging around. Happy Spring Everyone!

 

You Fooled Me, It’s April Already!

Wow, you blink your eyes and it’s already April. I guess I’m the fool here. Slow down 2014! But it has been a very exciting past two weeks.  It’s March Madness time and the Badgers are into the Final Four! I may not be the most avid sports fan when it comes to watching them on television but every March Madness something clicks inside me and I just can’t get enough of it.

My friends think I am weird as I am constantly checking my phone for updates or trying to find a television to see the score.  I can’t help it, I have to cheer for my Wisconsin Badgers! I’m not big on gambling so I tend to stay away from those office pools or those online bracket challenges.  I just watch to enjoy the sport. For those of you who haven’t followed along we face Kentucky in the next game and I feel like we have a good shot to make it to the finals!!

GO BADGERS!

 

Happy Holidays!

Sorry I haven’t posted in awhile again. I’m really failing at this whole blogging thing right now! Please don’t kill me anyone 😦 I can say though that I had a fantastic holiday season. It’s always sad when it has to come to an end, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time with my family and friends! I’m so grateful to have all of the people in my life still. It truly is a blessing and one that gets taken for granite. I just hope that I can continue into the New Year healthy, happy, and energized to keep up all the beautiful things I have.

I would also like to add thank you to all of my blogging friends for helping me through all of my adversity this year, and for the advice that you gave me. I’m amazed at how people reach out to me being so kind J

Enjoy! Some of my travels!

The Holiday Season is Here!

 I know I haven’t posted in awhile, and I apologize. Everything has been a little hectic preparing for and partaking in Thanksgiving! I hope all of my readers, friends, and family had an excellent Thanksgiving, because I know I did!

I went back home to my parents house in Cleveland, and brought William with my 🙂 It was nice to finally take some serious time off of work and the world! It truly was fantastic, and I’ am grateful that I was able to do it.  So instead of a long post about everything I did in writing, I thought I would just show some photos of my time :p However, I would like to add that my next great battle is Christmas shopping, yikes! Any ideas for help?!

                   

                   

The Fight Against

I was hit with extremely bad news since my last post. I was hit with the reality of life . A friend of mine was diagnosed with cancer. He always was a very athletic person, which he showed through his collegian baseball career. He was always injury prone though and had been complaining about knee pain for years now.  Though, when he told me about it I was so shaken up that I didn’t know what to do. Yes, I know that millions of people have to go through this, but I never knew that I would be so close to it. It only feels as though it was yesterday when we were taking a walk against cancer and now he has it.

The cancer has spread throughout his knee the doctor said, but he is in high spirits. I hope you take this post as a wake up to not only help the fight against cancer, but to be grateful for everything you have in your life. For your health, your family, and the ability for you to help those in need. Because that is a brilliant thing that should never be taken for granite. I am blessed to have a son who is healthy, and a family that loves me. So please take the time today and smile. Do something good for someone, because I think we owe it to ourselves as humans.

And although you don’t know him, please say a prayer for my friend Pat. I know he’ll win this fight, but any bit can help.  I’m sorry for the depressing post this time around, but I think it helps to explain the reality of life. I think that thoughts and expressions are meant to be seen whether in dialogue or on paper.  I am in good spirits due to such an awesome person. And I hope my blogging community can continue to be behind me til the end.

Thank you and God Bless

Shaye

My First Golfing Experience

I was asked by a coworker to go golfing this past weekend. At first I was very hesitant to say yes, as I have never been golfing before. I had only heard about how hard it can be! Despite this feeling, I thought this was something I just couldn’t pass up so I took her up on the offer and went. I had a blast at the course, which I was not expecting! Yes, I stunk at it, but it was loads of fun and now I know how much fun it can be! I wish it wasn’t already getting so cold or else I probably would try to go more often. However, I think I’ll hold off until next spring!

I’ll stick with my fitness plan, and marathon training. Though now I know to go the next time someone is looking. It is as hard as they say it is, but with a few more outings I think I’ll be able to hold my own! And the course was beautiful! Take a look at the few photos I remembered to snap. Don’t forget that you don’t have to go to a fancy golf course. For only a few dollars you can have fun on the course, and enjoy the outdoors on a beautiful afternoon.

  

Puppy Play Date

When I woke up this past Sunday Sheba seemed to be lagging a little more than usual. So I thought to myself, what could I do to make her feel better? My first thought was to go over to one of my girlfriend’s houses that also has a dog. Sheba has always loved playing with other dogs whenever she see’s them, I just hadn’t had a puppy play date in awhile so I forgot how much fun they were! It was great for not only me, but for my girlfriend’s yellow lab as well. They had so much fun exploring together, and finding different things in the backyard. I was able to catch up with her, and really had a very eventful day. Even William was also able to come with his busy superstar sports schedule and hangout with the dogs!

This can be a fun activity to not only get you outside of the house, but to also get your dog active and happy again. She even made some sandwiches for us to eat for lunch, which was great! The French bread she had for the sandwiches made my tongue yell in happiness.  So don’t forget that your dog can be just as social as you are the next time you’re looking to do something :)! You might be surprised at how much fun you have.