Wrapping Up

Last day on the ship! 

Heidi and I got crazy and drank some virgin peach daiquiris poolside. 

When I got back to Florida, I got to spend 10 hours with my dear friend Kristin. She drove four hours round trip from Naples to hang out with me in Ft. Lauderdale. What a time of blessing and encouragement! We shopped, ate, got treats at Starbucks, went to the beach, walked the mall, bought a dress for $6 (marked down from $132!) and talked each other's ears off.

Great to see my friend...

Mexican food time!

A few last bites of heavenly Mexican food...

Extra special thanks go to Kristin's husband Dan, who watched their four kiddos while the girls had hang out time. You're awesome, Dan!

Operation Get Healthy

Warning: This is a long post. Like... really long. I started it about a year ago. Additions I've written tonight are in bold.


Disclaimer: I am not a doctor.


However, I am a woman who just hit 30. About to hit 31.


I live in a cold climate. This May is supposed to be the coldest on record for over 100 years.


I love to bake chocolate chip cookies. Mmm...


I would like to think that I can still fit into my wedding dress, but I probably can't. This was confirmed over the Christmas holidays. Tear...


I am twenty pounds over my ideal weight ("my ideal weight" being the weight my doctor puts on all of my medical papers as "ideal weight"). 


I have Type 1 Diabetes, which makes it very, VERY hard to lose weight.


Here's why:


Insulin is a hormone that helps you process carbohydrates and gain weight. The more insulin you produce (or inject or pump) the more you gain weight. That's why people who cut carbs lose weight. I'm not saying that everyone should cut carbs, I'm just stating facts here.


Anyway, when a healthy person decides to diet, her pancreas just adjusts the levels of insulin secreted by the pancreas, and that's it. Boom. Done. I have to fiddle with my rates manually, which can be frustrating, annoying, and potentially dangerous.


I can explain why if you can hang in there for about one minute of science reading. If you want to read on, read on. If not, I understand.


You're continuing on? Thanks, friend!

Background for Understanding Basal and Bolus Insulin

When food is eaten, it is digested and converted to glucose(sugar) so it can be used for energy. Virtually every cell in the body, including your brain, needs glucose to function properly. The hormone insulin is needed to carry that glucose into cells in all parts of the body so that it can be used for energy.

Some of this glucose is stored in the liver as a reserve fuel (called glycogen) that is released when glucose is not available through food. So, between the glucose that is consumed through food and what is gradually released from the liver, the body gets a constant supply of glucose. This also means that there needs to be a constant supply of insulin in the body to keep the amount of glucose in balance.

Since more glucose is produced after a meal, the pancreas secretes more insulin. When the amount of glucose is lower, such as between meals or at night, there is less insulin needed -- but there is always at least a small amount of insulin present in the body at all times.

Defining Basal and Bolus Insulin

Basal insulin is the background insulin that is normally supplied by the pancreas and is present 24 hours a day, whether or not the person eats. Bolus insulin refers to the extra amounts of insulin the pancreas would naturally make in response to glucose taken in through food. The amount of bolus insulin produced depends on the size of the meal.

In the person with type 1 diabetes, the pancreas no longer automatically makes insulin regardless of the intake of glucose. The beta cells that produce the insulin have largely shut down. Both the basal, or long-term background insulin, and the bolus, or quick bursts of insulin needed at mealtimes, must be obtained through injections or an insulin pump in order to process all of the glucose taken in through food or released by the liver.

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I'm not sure why the science-y bit is formatted all crazy, but I can't fix it. Sorry.


So basically my blood sugar has to be within a safe window. Too high, and I get tired, emotional, and my limbs feel like I have Chinese jet lag. Long term complications from too many highs include eye problems, kidney problems, poor circulation leading to loss of limbs, etc. Too low, and I get dizzy, faint, shaky, and sweaty. There are no long term complications from being too low because if you get too-too low, you go into a coma and die. Don't worry. That won't happen.


Anyway, besides adjusting my levels for healthier food choices, I also have to factor in exercise. Exercise, exercise...We already talked about how I hate it. It definitely affects my levels. It's extra scary because I'm afraid I'll go low and then have to eat or drink sugar and cancel out my entire work out in 30 seconds. Frustrating!


And that's where I stopped writing. I just couldn't finish because I didn't know what else to say.  


I'm revisiting this post because I've recently started (April 23rd was my first day) a new eating plan. I'm not calling it a diet on purpose. It's called Whole 30, and you can read more about it here. It's kind of like a jump start for my body. A detox. A cleanse. A new beginning. It's for 30 days.


The main purpose for me doing Whole30 is not weight loss, but if that happens I will definitely not complain - especially after all of the rich food on the cruise. I just really need to get my diabetes back on track. According to my doctors, it's been just fine (my last A1C was 6.7 if you must know), but I am not happy with it (I'd like it to be around 6.0). They've had to bump up my insulin basal rates the last two visits, which, in an attempt to get blood sugar numbers down, has led to more weight gain. 


So, what do I eat on this Whole30 plan? I get to eat meat, fish, eggs,vegetables, fruit, nuts, and seeds. Doesn't sound too bad, right? The hard part is that there are no grains, dairy, legumes, sugar, fake sugar, or processed anything allowed. I cleaned out our pantry of the no-no foods. Two big boxes went upstairs to the guest room. Grits, cornbread mix, chocolate chips, taco seasoning, ranch seasoning, refried beans, mayonnaise, granola bars, Altoids, peanut butter... and on and on. Do you know what was left after the big clean out? Two cans of tuna. That's it. Yikes.


Like any new change (and I consider overhauling the way you eat a big one) it was overwhelming at first, and I thought about it all the time. However, planning and prepping my food for the week on the weekend before was key. Pinterest was a life-saver. Check out my Whole30 recipe board here. The first grocery shop sticker shock just about made me cry at the check out (a jar of coconut oil is $10!), but luckily we will not have to spend as much every single week because many staples will last a while.  


After only a few days eating this way, I settled in okay. I reached for dried mangoes instead of digestives. I ate every bite of my loaded sweet potato guilt-free. I made my own fruity ice cream for dessert. And you know what? My blood sugar numbers have been perfect. I mean it! PERFECT. And my skin has been awesome. The biggest downside - aside from the cost and the extra time it takes to plan and prepare meals - has been terrible breath. Detox fumes perhaps? Hopefully it will go away soon. Since gum/Altoids are no-nos (fake sugar) I brought my toothbrush and toothpaste to work and just put more mouthwash on this week's grocery list.

A delish loaded sweet potato. Recipe here.

Nathan has been very supportive, and he's eaten everything I've prepared for him. He's always been one to compliment my cooking, but now he adds, "Thank you for working so hard to make our family so healthy." What a pal! He didn't have to do the Whole30 with me, but he said he would (in my presence at least).


We did not start out on the best foot. He put milk in his morning tea on Day 1, and I cried (embarrassing to admit!). I told him that it was really disheartening for him to "cheat" on this 30-day eating plan before breakfast on the first day. We went back and forth about it. I am a major rule-follower, and he is a major rule-breaker/bender. To me, Whole30 was all or nothing, while he thought a tablespoon of milk in his tea was just fine. I told him that I needed him to be fully committed to it - 100% - and gave him another chance to opt out of the plan. You know what he did? He dumped his tea and said he was all the way in with me. He is such a good husband! Now he puts coconut milk in his tea, and he doesn't taste a difference.


Anyway, this is long enough. I just thought I would catch you up on the latest with the Parkers... :)

Haiti

Here we are on our last stop, Labadee, Haiti. It's actually a part of the island that Royal Caribbean owns, so only their ships can dock there. We are parked on the left and the Liberty of the Seas is on the right.

In front of the ships

Lots of wheelchairs needed for the sandy terrain. Cool wheels!

This is the life...

The anchor looked enormous next to the man cleaning it.

My first lobster tail... quickly followed by a second.

These are our neighbors Jack and Jan. They were awesome!

It's a monkey! When Nathan first saw this picture, he said, "Is that George Whitefield?" I guess they kind of look alike.

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Next up, our last day at sea!

Jamaica

Here we are in Jamaica! We were supposed to port in Ocho Rios, but we had to divert to Falmouth. I was actually happy about it, because Falmouth is a gorgeous, brand new port!

In front of the Allure of the Seas

We were originally going to go on the Allure and run the 5K in Jamaica, but we changed ships. How crazy is it that we were in the same port on the same day? We totally could have run it but we got there in our regular clothes right as it started.

A view of the port from our ship

We weren't trying to be twinsies. Promise.

We went to a love and marriage game show, and it was hilarious! It was like the Newlyweds Game, but it was with three couples who had been married for various times: newlyweds, mediumweds, and oldyweds. Question #1 for the husbands (to answer the way they thought their wives would answer): If you were stuck on a desert island with one of your wife's relatives, who would you not want to be stuck with? Yikes...

After the game show was a midnight buffet on the pool deck and some line dancing!

I labeled this a dolphin on my Facebook album, but my dad pointed out that it's actually a swordfish. Noted.

It started raining when were were line dancing. Our favorite was the Wobble. So fun! 

It's a towel bat!

Tomorrow we'll be in Haiti!

56 Up!

The new Up series documentary is coming out next month! 56 Up! YAYYYYY!

Check out a news article about it here.

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If you haven't seen this documentary series. Go get it. Now. You're welcome.

I wrote this post about it when I first got hooked.

Grand Cayman

I just realized that there actually aren't very many pictures of Grand Cayman in this post. However, there are quite a few in a post that has the best of Heidi's pictures. That'll be later this week.

Here we are on a tender boat on our way to the island.

Heidi's new boyfriend

Our beautiful ship, the Royal Caribbean International's Navigator of the Seas

Me and my appetizer

Heidi's entrees

My entrees

Singing and dancing waiters at all three levels of the dining room

Singing "O Sole Mio"

Our five desserts between the two of us... I was beginning to get the hang of this cruise thing! 

Next up, Jamaica!

At Sea

Here we are on the ship, day 2!

My English skin is almost luminescent.

Check out Heidi's six pack! I'm so impressed!

Burgers grilled out on the deck. I didn't realize how much I missed that smell.

Our first stop (of many) at the 24/7 cafe.

First formal night at dinner. The staircase was so beautiful, but we didn't want to wait in line to have our picture taken. Plus, it would have been a little too Titanic, I think.

Stay tuned for more!

Easter in a Football Stadium

I can't believe that I'm already home and posting about my cruise in the past tense. So sad! The next few posts will be all about it. Get ready to see a lot of unflattering pictures of me posing with food. 

I was blessed to be able to stay with dear college friends before and after my cruise: Katy (missions trip roomie and bridesmaid at our wedding), Aaron (my first Taylor pick-a-date), Kaia (who asked me if I loved Jesus within an hour, and then asked me if my husband loved Jesus), and Jamen (who tells killer nonsensical knock-knock jokes).

I went to church with them at a football stadium. Their church has six campuses, and Easter Sunday is the one time a year they all meet together. We got there early, because Aaron and Katy work for the church, and there ended up being 20,000 in attendance. 

After some Easter lunch at Katy's parents' house, she drove me to the port to meet Heidi. I was so excited when I saw her that I almost jumped out of the passenger side window.

This was our first night in the dining room. For some reason, we took this picture after we finished all of our food. There will be many more intentional pictures of us with food to come. 

Until tomorrow!

Quite Like, Rather Dislike, Round 10

What the what? Blogger has a new layout. I'm so weirded out...


Anywho... I'm home from my AMAZING time in the sun and will be posting pictures soon for those of you who are not Facebook friends and haven't seen the album I just loaded.


Nathan and I have spent a few very relaxing days chillin' and getting ready for the summer term that starts on Monday. I'm really glad I've had time to do laundry, grocery shop, go through receipts, file complaints with the airline (story later), write thank you notes, get blog posts ready, etc. instead of barreling right back into work after vacation.


On a completely different note, I found a little list of English words and phrases that I absolutely love and hope to incorporate into my forever vocabulary. Here it is so far...


- Can't be bothered 
- Rubbish 
- Nick
- Proper
- Sorted
- Keen
- Top up
- Chocolate teapot
- Cheeky


And now, a picture of me about to eat my first lobster to whet your appetite (pun intended!) for posts to come.

If Money Grew on Trees...

If money grew on trees, I'd get this photo of my sister and Winnie painted by Paul Ferney. I love his work, and his commissioned projects are kind of like what I did for Nathan and the North Barn.

On Pinterest Boards

I was thinking... "What else can I blog about while I'm on my cruise? I know! I'll put some of my latest favorite pins on."


*an hour later*


"I can't pick my favorites! I'll just link to my boards."


Books


Hair


Food


My Style


Favorite Spaces and Places


For the Home


Celebrity Portraits


Or just a link to all of them at once...


Have you joined Pinterest yet? No? You should. Because then you could find gems like this.

Zooey understands me.

I'll Never Let Go

The Titanic sank 100 years ago today.


Did I mention that I'm on a cruise ship?


I left Nathan a note saying that if my ship went down, he could have all of my CDs.

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I remember seeing Titanic at Edwards Cinemas in the Marketplace three separate times, and covering up my high school sweetheart's eyes during the famous drawing scene. Will you see the film again in 3D? 


What are some of your favorite Titanic quotes? Nathan's is "I'll never let go..." followed by a horrible sound of icy limbs being torn apart just before Jack sinks to the bottom of the ocean.

Lucky

Nathan is slaving away in libraries at Oxford, Cambridge, and London while I'm cruising with Heidi. Even though we are getting a lot of work done/having a lot of fun with friends, we are missing each other a lot right now!





It's Friday the 13th, so here's a song called "Lucky" that talks about being in love with one's best friend. The guy is an a historic European city, and the girl is on some tropical beach. Coincidence? I think not.

Cuban Gynecologist Commercial

I'm probably sailing somewhere near Cuba today, so I have to share with you this incredibly ridiculous commercial. Enjoy...

Dancing the Rainbow

OK Go always has the coolest videos. I don't really care for the song, but I just wanted to see what was next in the video!

WE SAW THE QUEEN!

We went to York last Thursday, Maundy Thursday, and the Queen of England happened to be in town. We walked toward the York Minster to see huge crowds and asked an elderly gentleman close by what was going on.

"Why, you must be the only ones in Yorkshire not to know! The Queen is here!"

Read this short article to find out why.

We waited about 15 minutes while Her Majesty had drinks in the Dean's house behind the cathedral, and then she came out! We were so close! It was amazing!

She's behind the bushes!

Here she comes in that car!

THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND!!! And Philip! And Beatrice!

Here's Nathan with the Queen.

I couldn't believe it! I was seriously tearing up... We just happened to walk up at the perfect time. And I feel so thrilled that Justin and Julie were able to be with us to share our special moment. We were in York for just a few hours, and we got to see the Queen!

Here we are in front of the Minster. We couldn't believe our luck again when we came back in the afternoon to find that it was free entry all day. Woohoo!

We had a drink at Ye Olde Starr Inne to celebrate.

It's the oldest pub in York.

After the pub we had a picnic lunch by the car and then went on a free walking tour, the same one I went on with Amy and Sam.

Here are some pictures from the tour, which was modified because the Queen was in town and we couldn't go certain places for security reasons. WE SAW HER! DID I TELL YOU THAT?!

Here we are on the walls of York.

The view of the Minster from the wall

The Shambles

Justin and Julie

The front gate

The rest of the day we were still in disbelief that we had seen the Queen of England, who is celebrating her Diamond Jubiliee - 60 years of reigning over the United Kingdom! 

"She's got great skin for 86 years old," I told Julie.

"I can't believe we were close enough to her to make comments about her skin," she replied.

If you're English, have you seen the Queen? Are you jealous that we Americans just chanced upon her? :) Has anyone had any celebrity sightings lately (besides my sister, who has an eagle eye for famous people all the time)? 

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