As the dust settles

A few weeks ago I sent a cleaning crew in here to clear out the dust.

They did an excellent job *sneeze* and now I'm ready *cough* to begin again.  *sneeze sneeze*


For those who are curious, yes I'm still in an exercise competition with my best friend.  As with years past we have increased the monthly mile goal and added extra components.  The two main items we added this year was stairs and a daily 7 Minute Workout.

I am always excited about stairs, as anyone who has gone walking with me will attest to, so the addition of stairs made me smile.  Then I saw what our monthly goal of stairs was.  For the first few months it was no big deal as we slowly build up.  My office is on the 3rd floor of the building, so achieving 4 or even 10 flights a day can easily be accomplished.  However, come September the daily goal is 20 flights.  So the last quarter of the year if you need me, look in the stairwell.

The other addition, the 7 Minute Workout, was to replace our daily core exercises.  We needed a variety daily and this fit the bill perfectly.  The app was inexpensive and comes with one pack of exercises.  The additional packs can be earned by reaching certain achievements.  For example, after one full month of exercises daily you can earn "for free" the bonus pack 2.  Bonus pack 3 can be earned after two solid months of exercises... or as I like to refer to it as "two months of torture to save 99 cents".  So far, for the year, the various packs have done me well.  The variety is great.  7 minutes is really no time at all.  The problem that I keep having is remembering that I haven't done it as I stand in the shower.  I need to work on that.

A few weeks ago I also attended my fourth Diabetes UnConference.  As always, it was amazing, fulfilling, and worth every cent and second I invested in it.  No group of people on Earth fills my heart quite like my Tribe.


So with this brief update on the life and times of Jenn I leave you with this (it is from a greeting card that I saved and have hanging in my office):

May your days be warm, bright, blue, nice, and full of hugs!

My UnConference Experience

I want to start my saying THANK YOU to Christel for having a vision and a dream and making it real.  I want to say THANK YOU to the UnConference Collective for supporting that dream, adding their own touch to it, and making it a reality. 


Trying to put into words what the Diabetes UnConference meant to me is difficult.  If I could use my hands in a blog post, not only would they be waving all over the place, but they would clap twice, and hug everyone.

Ever since I started on Twitter and dipped my toe into the world of the DOC (Diabetes Online Community) I have heard about diabetes conferences.  The blog posts and twitter posts made me wish I could attend each and every conference.  I wanted to be able to experience that level of "ME TOO" that is so powerful.  Unfortunately, travel is not always in my budget, or my health (have I said I HATE flying?).  So I would read the posts and wish.

My wish came true.

Last year sometime, it was announced that the First Ever Diabetes UnConference would be held in Las Vegas.  LAS VEGAS!!  That is an easy driving distance for me.  I could actually go.  I COULD GO!  Let the planning commence! 

Plans were made and money was saved.  I was going to a Diabetes Conference... and I was nervous as all everything. 

You see, in my ten and a half years of being blessed with this disease, I had been judged and pitied, looked at with weird looks, asked "why can't you do that in the bathroom", been told of every cure, and that I just wasn't smart enough to listen.  Yes.. I was actually told that I didn't have the intelligence to know better.  Talk about a verbal slap across the face.. with a cast iron skillet.

I knew that I wouldn't experience any of that at the UnConference.  I knew that everyone attending understood how much a pain this is, how exhausting it can be, and how no matter how hard we try some days diabetes wins.  I knew that I would come away feeling better and stronger.  What I didn't know was how much I would love everyone I met.

From the moment of my first hug from Bea when I picked her up at the airport, I knew my d-family had grown.  I was adding members to my all important d-family faster than I could remember everyone's names.  There were a few people I had met in real life before, but everyone else I just knew from online.  Thank goodness we all had name tags. 

I learned so much, and yet nothing was new.  I learned that I wasn't alone and never would be.  I learned that some four letter words are standard descriptions for diabetes, and it's okay to shout them as loud as possible.  I learned that we all have little tricks and tips that may or may not work for everyone, after all your diabetes may vary (I owe you a quarter, Bennet).  I learned that the fears I had, others had had too.  I learned that we would be okay.. together.  I knew all this, but hearing someone else say ME TOO, made it that more valid and real to me.

I know that diabetes makes us stronger, not just emotionally and mentally, but physically as well.  I am truly convinced that broken pancreases make arms stronger.  I have never had so many tight, comforting, and totally awesome hugs as I did there.  (Hold on, some #VegasDust just blew in.)

I can honestly say that at all times I felt Welcomed, I felt Valued, and I felt Respected. 

AT. ALL. TIMES.

I will never forget my first ever diabetes conference and I can hardly wait for the next one.