Chena Lakes

Yesterday was hot enough- for Alaska- to go to the local beach! Yep- folks- a whopping 74 degrees here and people head for the water! The kids and I headed over to Chena Lakes rec area for an afternoon of sun and sand. As usual, when recreating, I worry if the d-monster is going to behave or decide to act up. Upon arrival, I checked Jada and she was 69- a little low, but nothing to panic about. I gave her a 100 calorie snack pack (those come in so handy!) and had her sit for a little bit before playing in the water. My mind went elsewhere while they were playing and I managed to forget to check her! Bad mom- I know- but obviously she was fine! By the time we left, she was at 112 and still full of energy. Jada fell asleep on the way home and by dinner she was 189. After dinner, we headed out for ice cream and she was at 212. The novolog just hadn't had the opportunity to work yet- but I knew that it would. We went to a local ice cream place called "Hot Licks" and they did have a sugar free pistachio ice cream. We got her a little cup and I crossed my fingers and hoped that we weren't setting her up for a high. We ran to Walmart, and then came home and got the kids ready for bed. After Jada brushed her teeth, she came to me saying she was "SO firsty mama!". Crap. I just knew she was high. Checked her- and what do you know- 79. And by the way she was acting, falling pretty quickly. So- I gave her a piece of bread and butter- brushed teeth AGAIN- and sent her off to bed. At her midnight check she was at 167 and she woke up at 180 this morning.
Here are some pics of our fun yesterday:

Eli being overly dramatic about "starving"- after he had eaten an entire bag of chips!

Gettin' some fuel!

Sisters!

Trying to Get Caught Up! And.....Happy Mother's Day!

Wow- what a week it's been!!  Trying to get unpacked, connecting with friends, Jeff adjusting to a new job, sleep schedules being way off, trying to get used to this crazy sunlight.......the list goes on and on.  Where do I start?

On the Jada front, she's doing great!  We've had a few crazy moments over the last week.  On Tuesday, we went to Sam's to stock up on groceries and decided to have lunch there.  I had checked her about an hour before and she was in the 170's, so I hadn't been concerned about a nose dive.  Right before we got in line, I checked her and she was 24!  And once again- walking around like nothing was wrong.  Over the last two weeks her insulin to carb ratio has gone from 1:10 to 1:15 and then to 1:18 and still having problems with some lows.  I'm wondering if our eating schedule has something to do with it- but our schedule hasn't been horribly off either.  We'll see as we get into a more normal routine this week.

I've got an awesome recommendation for a doctor!  He's local- not an endocrinologist (have to go to Anchorage for an endo), but LOTS of experience with Type 1.  Three of his children have Type 1 Diabetes and he's the director of the Diabetes Clinic.  I've heard great things about him and am excited to meet him.  

I've left Jada twice in childcare for church events this last week.  One was for the women's Bible study and the other was for  "Queen for a Day" (a spa event held yesterday to celebrate Mother's Day).  David was an AWESOME big brother both times and helped me out by checking her blood sugar at some specific times and then calling me with the numbers.  I was a little nervous about leaving her because the child care location is about a 5 minute drive from our friend's house where both events were held, but David rose to the occasion and I had no need for worry.   She was away from me for four hours and NO problems at all!

Ahh....Queen for a Day.  Food, massages, facials, pedicures, manicures, friends and no interruptions.  Our church puts this event on every year for Mother's Day and it is absolutely amazing- and you don't have to be a mom to come- just a woman! :)  I met new people and had a good chance to sit and visit with old friends.  It was like the ultimate girl hang out time.  Already looking forward to next year.

We are starting to get settled in our house.  I will post some pictures just as soon as I can find my USB cord!!  I had it with me the whole trip up here and as soon as we moved in to the house I lost it! grrr....  We still need a kitchen table and will be getting a sofa and love seat this week.  We have folding chairs and a Cracker Barrel rocking chair to sit on currently! :)  

Well- this is just the beginning of getting caught up on my blogging.  I've been tagged twice the last couple of days and don't worry ladies- I'll do them! :)  

Oh-and last but not least- Happy Mother's Day!

Scary Low(s)

This trip has had it's challenges for sure.  We had the vehicle break down, then ran into a blizzard which delayed us by a day and we decided to make up for it by driving over night again and now we are back on track with beautiful weather.  Oh- the trailer we are hauling got a flat tire yesterday because we hit a huge pothole that seemed to come out of nowhere!  

Yesterday, we arrived in Ft Nelson, British Columbia after a long 20 hours in the car.  Jada had been sleeping- before she fell asleep I checked her and she was 99.  I gave her about 3/4 of a granola bar (I think the whole bar had about 30 grams of carbs)- I actually thought I was giving her too much, but wanted to be safe as we've had some lows that were too low.  She slept for a couple of hours and woke up when we arrived here at our hotel.  We unloaded, Jeff took a cat nap and then it was time to go swimming.  The kids were excited because the pool has a waterslide.  Naturally- I checked Jada before swimming and she was !!!29!!!  I nearly freaked out- I couldn't believe she was walking and talking like nothing was wrong.  I gave her 3 glucose tabs and as she began to eat, the effect of the low began to set in.  I was holding her and she could barely lift her head up and kept telling me that she was tired and wanted to go to sleep.  I kept talking to her and after about 5 minutes, she was doing better.  After ten minutes, I checked her again- good ole' rebound effect- 435! :) We went ahead and went swimming, but she continued to drop steadily and by the time supper came around, she didn't need a shot because she was around 100.  I even had to wake her up at midight to have a snack because she was 105 and she still woke up at 60 this morning.  Oh- and before that scary afternoon low- she hadn't had any fast acting insulin since breakfast.  Any suggestions?  Now- I will expect some lows today with all of the swimming activity she's had and am prepared to feed her the extra carbs.  The other lows don't make a lot of sense to me as she has done nothing but sit in a vehicle almost constantly the last 3 days.  

Well- I'm glad to have got that off my chest.  The hotel we are staying at has pretty sketchy internet service and I hadn't been able to open up blogger until a few minutes ago. I have been unable to catch up on everyone's blogs this week and I really feel like I've missed out.  So- hopefully, I'll get a little reading in before we have to check out.

We Rocked Our World

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned that we were going to be "rocking our world" when we announced to our family and friends about some upcoming changes to our life.  Well- we did it and now I feel free to share with you about our life change coming.

We are moving back to Alaska.  We are so excited yet a little nervous.  We began to pray intently about going back after Christmas and  much to our surprise (really- we shouldn't have been surprised)- God began to swing the doors wide open.  Jeff has taken a job with a restaurant in Fairbanks and we will be back in Fairbanks by the end of March!!  Winter won't even really be over when we arrive!

Some have been very supportive, but this decision has also brought on some criticism from some of our family and friends.  Some are calling us "irresponsible" with Jada- moving to a place where healthcare isn't as top notch as it is in the lower 48.  My greatest fear about this move- was Jada.  I was concerned about healthcare for her and called the Diabetes Clinic in Fairbanks.  I talked to the inpatient educator who informed me- that in a town of 35,000 people, they have at least 1 new diagnosis a month of Type 1 diabetes.  To me- that's a lot.  There is a good support group that meets once a month and even though there are no endocrinologists in Fairbanks, there are a number of pediatricians that specialize in diabetes AND we can go to Anchorage if we feel the care is not adequate.  So- that's where we are with moving and diabetes.  Jeff and I are confident that we can take care of her and we will get the support that we need in order to do so and to do so well.

We are moving back to the place that we love and the people that we have a heart for.  Jeff is a recovering alcoholic and I- a recovering codependent. Those two just go hand in hand so well! :)  Alcoholism is rampant in the far north.  Actually, any addiction that you can think of is rampant and families are torn apart on a daily basis because of this.  God has given us a heart for the families of the far north.  He changed our life and because of His grace- we are still married and in love with each other.  I look at what we went through and I'm amazed that our family is still intact.  It's not because of us- but because of Him.  Our passion is to come alongside others who are where we have been and give them encouragement and hope.  Why Alaska?  Because people there are hurting, lonely and ready for their life to change- unlike anywhere we've lived.  Also- we believe that God has led us there and He it's obvious that He is once again making a clear path for us to go back.  When we committed going back to prayer, He immediately opened a door and continues to make that path straight.

So- go ahead and call us crazy! :)  Living for ourselves is empty but living for Him has filled our lives with peace and joy- even when it doesn't seem right to others.

Heavy Heart

I wish tonight that I could be cheerful and rattle off my Thanksgiving thankfulness list, instead, there are a few people that are weighing heavy on my heart. It's been a tough week for some that I love very much. And I couldn't/can't physically be there for them.
My dear friend Kim lost her brother this week. He was only 47, I think. She lives in Alaska, he in Denver and she had to make an emergency trip (not an easy task when you live half a world away). She managed to make it to the hospital four hours before he passed away. I can only imagine the grief that Kim, her siblings and parents are feeling tonight. His memorial service was earlier today. Tomorrow- she picks up and heads back home to Fairbanks.
The other person, who will remain nameless at this point, last night discovered something that will change her life forever. My heart aches for her and my prayer for her is that she will cease to believe the lies that Satan is telling her and really understand that her wholeness comes from Jesus Christ. Hopefully, I'll be able to share more in the future. I would appreciate any prayers for this sweet, sweet person that I have come to love and appreciate so much.
Jada's blood sugar today was goofy. I'm not sure why- so frustrating. She even had an abundance of excerise! Tonight, we got off schedule and didn't have supper until about 7:30 pm (usually, it's at about 6) and rather than being low, she was much higher than she should have been. We were out getting shopping done for Thanksgiving and I checked her a couple of times, and I thought that by the time we were home, she would be on her way down, but no such luck tonight. She was up by 60! I just hate giving her a shot that late in the evening, but we had no choice. I'm thinking I'm probably going to have wake her up to feed her at midnight to prevent a scary morning low. I won't be able to sleep until I know that she's going to be fairly stable tonight.
Thanksgiving is just a few days away- the holidays are upon us! My sister and her family are coming from Iowa. I can't wait to see them! I have much to do before then! This house needs cleaned from top to bottom. The boys don't know it- but their first day of Thanksgiving break will be spent helping their mama get ready for company! I'm sure they'll be grateful for the opportunity to help me out!