New Experience #2 & 3:
Milford Pride Picnic & Being an Event Sponsor!

I'm having trouble articulating why it was so important to me to show up this year as an ally. I've been an ally for quite a while (not always, to my great shame - was pretty neutral on the topic for most of my life), but a flag in the yard, a social media post, was as far as I typically went. I would look at photos from friends who went to Cincinnati's Pride Parade and wish I was down there, but my lack of mobility was as good an excuse as any to stay home from this event like I did from most events.

Jeff and I were talking about why we feel so strongly about this and I think for Jeff it comes from one of his biggest values - JUST LEAVE PEOPLE ALONE - and for me it comes from my biggest value - BE KIND. Be a kind person. It astounds me, the level of interest people have in how others live their lives and their subsequent actions that cause hurt and grief.

The opportunity to not only attend my first Pride event, which is practically in my backyard, but also be a sponsor of one of my favorite local artists, Rachel Baker of The Twisting Sister, filled my cup. 

I looked around when I first arrived and the JOY was palpable. Smiles, laughter, kindness: all the things I love. 

I was able to move from booth to booth with the help of Jeff and my fantastic Camp Chair (pictured above) and it felt amazing to be out & about without fear of where will I sit!

Seeing so many local friends made me remember why I love community - being in community with others and connecting with others.

And seeing Tara Means and her family (The Honey Hive at Pivot Realty) never fails to being joy to my day!

I even took the time to create my own custom bracelet with the names of people I love and for whom I want an incredibly bright future. 

And there was no way I was missing the opportunity to have a Kate Albert original right there on my arm!

But why...

Why is Pride Month even a thing. First, a short history lesson. 

How Pride Month Began: A History of Resistance and Remembrance

Every June, we observe Pride Month—a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community’s courage, identity, and ongoing fight for equality. But this month of rainbow flags and parades began not as a party, but as a protest.

The catalyst? The Stonewall Uprising in June 1969.

After yet another police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City, LGBTQ+ patrons fought back. What followed was several days of resistance, led by marginalized voices—especially trans women and queer people of color—who demanded to be seen, heard, and treated with dignity.

In the wake of Stonewall, activists organized the first Christopher Street Liberation Day March on June 28, 1970—the one-year anniversary of the uprising. It marked the beginning of what would evolve into today’s Pride parades.

President Bill Clinton officially declared June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month in 1999, later expanded by President Barack Obama to include the full LGBTQ+ spectrum.

Pride Month is a time to celebrate progress—but also to remember the protests, the pain, and the pioneers who paved the way.

Because Pride is not just a celebration—it’s a chapter of history.

If you'd like to learn more about the Stonewall Riots and the history of Pride - follow Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center.

Why does this still matter...

In case you think this is hyperbole, while almost 10% of US adults now identify as LGBTQ+, 39% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, 40% of transgender adults have attempted suicide in their lifetime, and LGBTQ+ individuals are FIVE TIMES more likely to be victims of violent crime than non-LGBTQ+ people. 

As for me and my home, we will always be a safe place.

This blog post is definitely one of my more poorly written ones. The more I feel, the less I'm able to express it in words. And for that I apologize.

 My Seed Oil Journey - part one...

I have been on a journey - part of me wants to say it's a little over 3 months old...but let's be honest, it's a life-long journey through health and habits and hunger. (ooh, is that a book title in the making?)

I want to start back a few years but I'll simply paraphrase it - was never an overweight child, was probably too thin at times, weighed about 105 pounds when I got married but thought I was as big as a house (body dysmorphia, table for 1), was 140 pounds the day before I gave birth for the first time to Ryan, and that was the last day I saw 140... My weight progressively grew over time - I can blame it on bad habits that caught up with me, my new-found love of the anonymity a larger body provided to me, a larger than life love of delicious food, but does it matter?

The fact is that in my 50's I found myself morbidly obese (what a horrible term for a person), with asthma, diabetes, depression, and a growing lack of mobility. For a relatively adventurous and joyful person, this frankly sucked (and sucks). In 2023 I had open heart surgery for an aortic valve replacement (they assured me this was due to genetics but was it?), 2 bypasses "while we're in there" and a pacemaker. You would think that THIS was surely the turning point in this story, right? How could it not be?

Well...it wasn't really. It was more the beginning of a mindset journey aided by some incredible friends (Shelly, Tara, Andrea in particular have supported my health focus), a bit of therapy, a touch of hypnosis, a lot of reading, some new understandings, and finally...FINALLY...I felt ready to make actual, real, lasting change. 

I went back to Huber Personalized Medicine to see Chelsea Dorsett, RD, and began their 10 week Metabolism Fix program. 

Task 1: Off Wheat

Going off wheat helped in two ways - my brain fog dissipated - a LOT - and that ravenous hungry beast inside me made an appearance less and less often.

Task 2: Off Eggs

Going off eggs, which an IgG foods test had showed a huge reaction to, allowed my digestive system to calm down and take a break.

Task 3: Time Restricted Eating

Eating between 9-6 only allowed my body to have larger breaks where it was not digesting food which proved to be great for my blood sugar as well.

Task 4: Carbs at 50g or lower - GROSS carbs, not net. Big difference I discovered. This change was relatively easy and I LOVED how my blood sugar responded. I went from huge ups and downs to steady BS for the first time.

***

One of the biggest goals was to bring my Insulin down. At 39 (insulin on 2/24/25), it was suspected that it was preventing my body from burning fat which would explain why, despite adhering strictly to the plan, my weight was moving very, very slowly. 

By 4/8/25 I had, among other things, brought my insulin down to 28.6. Phew... Okay, not perfect, but what a change! And I had lowered my A1C in January at 7.3 down to 6.5 in April - Yay!

My weight? I guess it budged about 14 pounds down, which was really disappointing to me. But I could not deny that I felt a whole lot better and my blood sugar was killing it - instead of killing me!

***

Then, about a week ago, I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, 1000 hours outside...

when an episode came on with Dr. Cate Shanahan and she blew my mind. I had never heard about the origin of seed oils in our food supply, the marketing genius behind them, the massive donations to the American Heart Society to expedite their insertion into our national consciousness as a "healthy" alternative, and the impact they have on our body's metabolic system and your ability to burn body fat. 

So far it is making so much sense to me and the constant hunger and nausea inbetween meals and the desire to constantly have snacks at hand are no longer something I suffer alone. 

So I am at the beginning of making this major shift in my life. I'm beginning with going seed oil free as much as reasonably possible. I know that eating out will be a significant challenge, although, I have found through the app "Seed Oil Scout" that it may not be as hard a I feared. I'm also giving up snacking between meals. I will stick to 3 meals per day for now - though dinner will probably be simply nuts and cheese and a piece of chocolate for the most part - and eventually hope to go down to 2 meals per day as my body gets more and more efficient at burning body fat. 

I'm really excited to see if this is the answer I have been searching for and I'm going to drop the covers of two of her books below to show you where I am learning this new information from. Once I have been seed oil free for a month, I will report back and claim that as one of my new adventures!

 New Experience #1

A few days into this new year of mine, I had not yet had a new experience but I was quite busy both celebrating my birthday, finishing up some work, and getting ready to surprise Jeff with a getaway for HIS birthday. His favorite getaway spot is Hocking Hills here in Ohio. He has hiked every trail more than once but that seems to be part of its appeal.

We always return to The Inn at Cedar Falls and have stayed in all but one of their available lodging optiions. We stayed in the inn itself back when it existed (it now houses the spa, I believe). We have stayed in more than one of their cabins, although we have returned multiple times to Pine Grove Cabin, their dog-friendly one, with our friends the Boisens as well as my son and his wife, Julie and their two dogs!

We stayed in their yurts back in January 2021 - height of Covid precautions - and had delicious carryout food from their restaurant. And finally, on Wednesday, we stayed in their geodome. I was a convert from the start. I loved the open space of it and adore the windows - these windows we enjoyed through early morning sunrises and late night thunderstorms.

I was very sad to leave and am already looking at the next date we can return. The food in their restaurant has never disappointed over all these years. From morning oatmeal with multiple topping options to delicious scallops and steak!

During the day I sat in their "Gathering Space" while Jeff hiked - came back and checked on me - and hiked again...

Even sending me a photo of him at Old Man's Cave on his 64th birthday which amused me no end. (And yes, I still need him and will feed him now that he's 64!).

New Experience #1 did not disappoint and I am really looking forward to the next one!

#60before60 or "And so it begins..."

I kept this blog for a few years back in the mid 2000's (which alone is crazy to realize that's over 20 years ago!). I called it "What I Am Thinking About Today" and it was a great creative outlet for me and way to process our experience of first moving to Guatemala and then moving to Bosnia (2004-2009). 

I love beginnings. Easter is my favorite holiday, I love January 1st, the 1st of any month, Monday is my favorite day of the week and the first day of school is always #priceless. I love beginning new adventures and trying new things and turning 59 today has me thinking about the beginning of a new decade. In this, my 60th year of life, I am going to chronicle my adventures. Mostly for myself. But if find something in my journey to relate to, or to inspire you to step outside of your comfort zone, I will be happy to have shared.

My birthday has always been significant. For all of us it's the only day of the year where it truly is "all about us." Birthdays are not usually perfect but hopefully you have had some amazing ones over the years. The last few years my birthday has been disappointing. No matter what I DID do or get, I always felt like something was missing. This was not about the people in my life. It was about me. Last year, I decided I was going to go away alone on my birthday and have zero expectations of anyone else. 

That is not what I did. Having recently gotten a new bed (I love my sleep number bed), I was reluctant to go spend the night elsewhere. I began to plan and focus on coming up with ONE perfect idea for my birthday to make it feel special. Weeks went by and I could not think of any one thing that sounded right. I realized as it got closer (well, I realized two days ago), that there was not any one perfect thing - that a collection of peace-filled and love-filled moments is what I was really craving. A day (or weekend) that was filled with moments that were right for me right where I am WAS my perfect.

So yesterday kicked off my pre-birthday with the most fun hour spent at Salt + Light Wellness with Tabitha Harper and Kate Albert. We just talked and relaxed (and listened to one 10 minute affirmation recording) and it was perfect. 

Then I went to lunch at 20Brix with Tabitha and her husband, Tom, and it was - again - perfect. Conversation. Connection. These are things I pursue often - and they ARE the perfect way to spend any day.

I received incredible flowers from my friend, Shelly, along with a priceless quote.

I sent flowers to myself for the first time in my life - Ranunculas, and they also were perfect. 

Dinner time came and I had planned to order Daughter's Kitchen Pizza for the first time - I have not been eating gluten - but I listened to my body (a relatively new experience) which said "I am not actually hungry" and instead waited and had a few nuts and cheese when I actually became hungry. And it was perfect.

The grandkids spent the night and we woke up early to get Chance off to his first Special Olympics. And birthday morning hugs were...perfect.

My idea of perfection has undergone a profound change this birthday week and I am the better for it. I am so excited about this year. I hope that you are also in a place in your life where you can feel excitement for the possibilities ahead of you.