Wednesday, October 29, 2008

great news

Had some great news from the doctor today. It's been a year since I was first diagnosed with Type II Diabetes and, as many of you know, I have struggled with getting things under control. Finally, some positive results:
  1. I have lost 22 pounds since July!
  2. My A1C is down to 7.2 from 7.9 in July. (A1C is a picture of your average blood glucose control for the past 2 to 3 months and gives you a good idea of how well your diabetes treatment plan is working.)
  3. The doctor says that if I get my A1C down below 7.0 I can reduce or cut out one of my medications.
  4. The doctor predicts that at my current rate, and if I'm 'fairly good over the holidays', I can lose 40 more pounds by the time I see him again in April. (We'll see about that one...)

So, in typical Teresa fashion, I came home and celebrated with pizza and a handful of Dark Chocolate M&Ms. (Oops!)

Back on the diet tomorrow!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

It's okay, I'm from Iowa...

You know you're from Iowa if...

  • Vacation means driving through the Amanas or going to Adventureland.
  • Down South to you means Missouri.
  • You have no problem spelling or pronouncing "Des Moines".
  • You know the answer to the question: "Is this Heaven?"
  • You know where all the Yoders live (or Andersons, or Van den Bergs).
  • You know what "Hawks" and "Clones" are.
  • All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit or vegetable.
  • You can locate Iowa on the map.
  • You've ever been on a "Geode Hunt".
  • Your idea of a really great tenderloin is when the meat is twice as big as the bun and is accompanied only by ketchup and a dill pickle slice.
  • You say "catty-wampus" instead of "kitty-corner".
  • You've never taken public transportation.
  • You know what "uff-da" means and how to use it properly.
  • You know what "Amish Country" is.
  • The only reason you go to Wisconsin or Missouri is to get fireworks.
  • You know exactly where "Field of Dreams" was filmed.
  • When someone says they are going out for dinner or supper, you know which meal they are talking about.
  • You're pulled over and asked by the cop, "Had a little to much to drink, (insert your first name here)?
  • You can use the words, 'crik', 'holler', and 'skunk weed', all in the same sentence.
  • Your Christmas gift when you were ten years old was a shotgun (a BB gun if you were a 'townie').
  • You've had sex in the back of a truck ... amid cows.
  • You know that cows don't sleep standing up.
  • You're concerned about the rates of corn growth in Illinois as compared to that of Iowa's.
  • You believe that trees in Iowa lean towards Nebraska ... because Nebraska sucks!
  • You know several people who still refer to Japanese cars as "rice-burners."
  • "Styx" plays a concert at the county fair, and people actually show up.
  • You don't get nervous when you walk into a biker bar (unless you're an Iowa City cop).
  • You judge distance by the time it takes you to get somewhere instead of by miles.(Example: Des Moines is about an hour from Creston.)
  • You say pop instead of soda.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

it's a new car!

Remember how the announcer on The Price Is Right yells out, "It's a new car!"? Close your eyes, hear it in your head, and then have a look at my new baby! After many test drives, too many opinions of friends and family and some serious financial haggling, I finally brought home a 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe. It's black w/ gray interior, has 65,000 miles on it, power everything including a sunroof/moonroof and a 6-disc CD changer. Both Consumer Reports and J.D. Power & Associates rank it really high on their list of best used vehicles. I love it, love it, love it! And, isn't the car salesman cute?

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

crash and burn

Okay, nothing really caught on fire, but it might as well have. Last Tuesday I was 't-boned' at an intersection on my way to work and the Kia Sephia was totalled! Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, although I did make a trip to the hospital, as my head received a severe smash to the door frame. [I still wake up with a headache.] Two days later, I was salvaging my little baby at the junkyard for $300. How depressing! I made a visit to the bank, got approved for a car loan (tricky business in these economic times), and am now car shopping - yuck! Stay tuned for pics of my new ride...