National Diabetes Day

Yes, it is National Diabetes Day and November is National Diabetes Month.

Mark has been a Type 2 diabetic since March of 1976, so of course, we have lived with this disease and its effects for a long time.  We have known dozens of people living with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and we have even lost a few friends and family members to this disease, including Mark's mother in 2004.

Today, in honor of Mark and all of these people living with this disease, I will wear the color blue.  I don't know how many people will understand that blue is the color for diabetes.  When I wear pink in October, I feel like the whole world understands that pink symbolizes breast cancer.  Even I never realized until this year that diabetes had a color.  Well, I know now, so today is a blue day!
 
Speaking of the color blue and its symbolism, blue also represents cold temperatures. I know that those of you reading this blog anywhere north of Florida will not consider my temperatures at all cold!  I felt cold enough last night to wear a long-sleeved flannel nightgown and put a bathrobe on when I got up this morning.  How cold is it?  Outside it is 52; inside it is 71.  Brrrr!!  LOL!   It's only going to a high of 72 today.  Yesterday, it was blustery and gray.  I wore sweat pants and a sweater, and outdoors, I added a hoodie.  It was the coldest day around here yet, but it looks like today will be the same.

I loved the new eye doctor at Wal Mart.  Mark had used her about 8 months ago, and he raved about her.  I was very happy with my eye appointment and the glasses I have ordered.  My vision insurance paid more than half of all of the bill, plus the bill was cheaper than Lens Crafters to begin with.  All in all, it was a successful experience.  My new glasses should be ready next week.

We had a productive planning meeting for the H.E.A.L. group.  Then we did our weights in the gym and took a thirty minute walk in the cold, blustery weather.  We had about an hour at home before going to the Democrat dinner meeting with a 90 minute performance by local singer, Martin Gallagher. I think this is the fifth time we had heard him sing, and we always enjoy it.  I ate a small salad with Feta cheese, a dinner roll without butter, grilled tilapia, mashed potatoes, and string beans for dinner.  Mark bought us both a Jameson's on the rocks, and I had three bites of a piece of cake for dessert.  I estimated the dinner's calories to be around 860 and the day's total at 1400.  That's a bit over the amount Lose It! gives me (1321), but the exercise compensated for it.  In fact, Mark and I danced quite a bit at the meeting, and I didn't even log those calories.  I had a great time last night! 

Better yet, I'm down a pound today.  I weighed 235.4 this morning!  That means the first of my four eating challenges for this week is over and I was successful. Yay!  Tonight we have the Chinese restaurant challenge.  There is always a lot of sodium in Chinese food, so I fully expect to be up in weight tomorrow morning.  That's okay.  I think it will come off easily the next day, BUT there might also be a lot of calories.  It's REALLY hard to estimate calories in a Chinese restaurant.  I have never been there, so I don't know what the menu is like.  I'm just going to do my best.

Finally, this morning at 10 Mark and I are going to an audition for the Solivita Theater Group's spring performance of Neil Simon's show, Laughter on the 23rd Floor.  It is mostly a male cast, so I know the director is hoping a lot of men turn out for the auditions.  She had auditions yesterday while we were at the eye doctor.  Later, at the dinner meeting, she actually called me on my cell phone to ask if Mark was going to come today to the auditions!  I think that speaks highly of his talent that she called, concerned that he had not shown up yesterday.