the best hockey day in Minnesota EVER!

Laying in bed with the flu all day is a good excuse to give you an update on the blog, right? So join me over some saltines+sprite and enjoy...





Supper with my sis Friday night in Fargo!

There is one way you could get me to happily move to the cities -- give me season golden gopher men's hockey tickets for life (preferably directly behind the U's bench, please+thank you). Every time I go down to visit my friend, Blaine, I contemplate applying to go to school there; just imagine, TWO hockey games every other weekend?! That would be just short of amazing (not to mention the other great cultural aspects the twin cities have to offer!) And I'm SURE he and his brother, Blake, would change my oil and things like that for me...





Speaking of my friend Blaine, there he is on the right! (blurry picture -- sad)
My BFF Haley is on the left. She'll probably make a lot of appearances on the blog.

Here are some pictures of us before the game in our fancy-dancy hotel room. We stayed at the Commons in Minneapolis, which was conveniently located less than 2 blocks away from Mariucci. Super, super nice place with nice-smelling shampoo (haha). FUN FACT: The UND players were also staying there (that's right, of all the hotels in the twin cities, Ogorek picks the one where the Sioux are staying. Go figure.) JUST KIDDING ERIC, it was a great room for just $45 per person per night! And you and Haley got to listen to Joel and I talk in our sleep all night, hehe!

Ugh, okay Joel...I guess we can still be friends. After the game, I said, "Well, we tied; everybody wins!" and he replied, "Actually, no one won!" I guess it's all about your perspective, huh?

So, I mentioned that the arena was within walking distance of our hotel; but HOLY CRAP it was a COLD 5-minute stroll! And this was when the sun was sort of shining! You can imagine how chilly the walk BACK was; all Haley and I wanted to do was go and sit in a hot tub. Which the hotel didn't have. Rats.

Aren't those towels sweet?! Pretty sure when I move out of my parents house, I'm going to have a gopher-themed bathroom and use that as a decorative towel. And my shower curtain will have a big M splashed on it. Booyah.

Love (with a forever maroon+gold heart),

Kalli

"The biggest blizzard since the end of the world."

I left work a little early on Friday to try and beat the storm home (FYI: winter driving is NOT my friend; all I wanted to do was get home and not go anywhere for as long as possible). On the door of the grocery store, Grubb had a sign up that said something about it being the biggest blizzard since the end of the world! Haha, very clever. Dad had texted me at work asking if I would stop by Gullander's for some grass seed. Of course, my reaction was, "Oh, nice day to be planting grass" but apparently, it's for Gus' science fair project. Don't ask. I got another text later asking if I would pick him up some Copenhagen -- and that's how Noel Peterson prepares for torrential snow storms.

Friday and Saturday nights were both spent in my basement watching the Gophs get their first WCHA sweep of the season on the Seawolves. I cannot believe that in less than a week, I'll be down at Mariucci watching them kick the crap out of UND (you can expect a Gopher-themed post sometime soon)! I am seriously more excited for that game than I am for my birthday. On the other hand, I went to bed right after the games were over -- maybe it's time to turn 21 so I stop being so lame on the weekends? (However, having a 9:30 bedtime is a-okay with me!)

I rolled out of bed around 8 on Saturday morning (again, I'm old because I consider THAT to be "sleeping in") to head out and see if my animals survived the 5 inches of snow that were dumped on them. It wasn't so bad until dad and I had to leave our tree-surrounded yard to get straw bales. Brrrr. That's when my cheeks got so rosy, as you can see from the picture below:

Two thoughts on this picture: 1) I look like a boy and 2) I also look like I just stepped out of a Tractor Supply Company ad -- Carhartt jacket, overalls, and hat, Muck boots, and Kinco leather gloves. With a happy heart, I shoveled off the front porch and steps of the house after playing 10 rounds of sequence.

I hit a few bumps with my pump on Thursday and Friday -- Thursday, I started bleeding at my sister's basketball game, so I had to leave right after the second half to go home and clean up. Friday, it started leaking at my desk while I was at work. I'm pretty sure it's a placement thing -- both days, I was wearing it on my stomach. So, the stomach is not going to be my favorite place to wear it, and that's alright because I sleep on my stomach! I currently have it on the back of my arm -- the NE says I should try and rotate sites as often as possible, so I'm doing my best!

I was in Roseau on Sunday for my bro's PeeWee hockey team; their record is 12-0 right now. It's pretty sweet. He is also playing basketball this year, and will have to decide which one he's sticking with before 7th grade in the fall. I don't care which one he picks, because, for me (and this goes for Nannie, too) it's more about watching him play than what sport it is; but I DO love hockey...

Love,

Kalli

Pump pump PUMP it up!

Hey there! Today I'm writing about the one thing my life revolves around -- diabetes.

I was diagnosed with diabetes in May of 2002 (I can't remember the actual date), although my mom had brought me in probably a dozen times before that to get tested for it. It just never showed up. As a kid, I was moody, whiny, and I would throw temper tantrums. A LOT of them. For literally no reason at all. On top of that, I supposedly had a good chance of being born with it because my grandpa Alden also had it (FUN FACT: He had to get his insulin from a PIG!) Around the time I turned 10, I was going to the bathroom constantly (even wet the bed once), had a thirst as unquenchable as that of Tantalus, and had lost 10 pounds. I remember my painfully chapped lips (dry skin from my nostrils to my chin), and my knuckles were so cracked they would bleed from being so dehydrated. After it was confirmed that I was diabetic (with a blood sugar of 525) and we got the insulin straightened out, my personality did a complete 180; I became simply bubbly (okay okay, on occasion I still get kinda crank, but you get the idea).

I have always been very resistant to changing my medicinal routine. Hell, it took me a long time to go from the old-school vial-and-syringe to pens. And, the thought of something hanging on me all the time? No thank you. The pump was NOT the answer. My mother all but begged me to get one, and every time I went to the doctor, she asked if I was ready for a pump yet, and the answer was always nope, nope, nope.

So, it was finally one week last month where my sleep was interrupted 3 out of 4 nights with a low blood sugar at 1am that I decided enough was enough -- time for a pump. I walked up the stairs in the morning and said, "I'm getting a pump. And I don't want to talk about it." My mom was so happy she sent me flowers to work that day.



She can be kinda sweet sometimes.

And now...I cannot get over how FLIPPIN' COOL the omnipod pump is. It's like a pancreas (the organ in your body that produces insulin) that you wear on the outside of your body. I have a little computer-like thing I carry around with me, and I tell it how many carbs I eat, and it tells me how much insulin it's going to give me. I also check my blood sugar on it. The one thing that is so overwhelming to me is how simple it is. I honestly went into the appointment thinking that it was going to be such a huge adjustment and that I was going to be calling my nurse educator day and night because I messed something up. I have yet to mess up with the pump, and my blood sugar is running at a healthy, normal level.



Please pardon the dirty mirror. And the fact that I took a self-portrait bathroom mirror pic.

One more diabetic-related topic I want to talk about: diabetes camp. Yes, it's a real place. Haha. Friends always laugh when they ask me how I know someone and I say, "Oh, we met at diabetes camp." It DOES sound kinda goofy. I can't remember how many years I went -- either 2 or 3 -- and despite the fact that I met my first "boyfriend" there, I HATED diabetes camp. Actually, I just hated being away from home, which is still true to this day. Unless I'm at the beach or in the mountains. However, now that I'm older, I think it would be kind of fun to be a counselor there during their two one-week sessions. Maybe this summer!

Love,

Kalli

2013

Welcome! I don't necessarily love to write, but I DO love to tell stories -- so here's my blog! I also love to read, so if you have your own blog, please let me know!






Yes, it is!

 
I remember, at the beginning of 2012, I was standing in my cousin Nathan's basement when I came up with my new years resolution. I vowed to make 2012 the best year of my life thus far. And it really, really was, although I couldn't tell you what exactly made it so phenomenal. I just plain feel like this year was full of much more good than bad. Last night, I came to the realization that the older I get, the better IT gets! I can't wait to see what 2013 brings to top 2012.

Here are some things I have to look forward to in 2013:

1) Moving OUT of my parents' house.

2) At least TWO U of M Men's hockey games (one in January and one in March). I'm guessing more will be planned for the 2013-2014 season, and perhaps for the playoffs.

3) Reading one book every month (this is a goal).

4) Turning 21!

5) ACHIEVING and MAINTAINING a toned, healthy body.

6) Learning how to set up and take down a pop-up camper by myself.

7) Fishing trips to Buffalo Bay with Granny and Grandpa.

8) These country music fests -- WEFest, Kickn Up Kountry, and (hopefully!) Moondance Jammin' Country.

9) Getting my blonde hair back, learning how to wear fake eyelashes, and getting my cartilage and tragus pierced!

10) Laughing, every. stinking. day.

What did I do to celebrate new years? Steak fry at the Eagles with my parents. Drove around and shot rabbits (I didn't shoot -- maybe next time. I'm not the biggest gun fan.) Begged the guys to put a bunny rabbit out of it's misery (poor thing). I was at home in bed by 1 -- no new years kiss, which wasn't too big of a disappointment, really, considering the group of friend-fellas I was with.

Today, I am enjoying a day off of work just at home with my parents and siblings. Mom is making pancakes for lunch (I love breakfast for lunch) and I have every intention of having a Sons of Anarchy-filled afternoon. Sounds just about perfect to me.

How was YOUR new years? What are some things you have to look forward to in 2013?

Love,

Kalli