It's been a crazy summer, so I thought I'd give an update post.
1. I experienced the joy of being my sister's maid of honor on August 19th as she exchanged vows with her best friend and boyfriend of the last three years. (For you ladies who are wondering where the pump disappeared to- it was clipped to my bra in the front which worked just fine- no annoying thigh things to worry about). Those of you who have myspace or facebook can see a few more pictures on there.
2. The week before the wedding, my one grandfather had to be hospitalized and needed surgery. He's healing OK and at home now, but he did miss the wedding and was very sad about that. He also has Alzheimer's, which, watching him and my grandmother deal with the changes and struggles that it brings has given me a different perspective on my diabetes. Yes, my diabetes is challenging at times, but I can't imagine not being able to find the words I want to express what I'm thinking or not being able to remember what I was trying to say in the first place. He said to me recently in a moment of frustration, "They need to do something about this", and he was referring to the Alzheimer's. No matter what though, he'll always be my Pop pop.
3. I'm finally gearing up for the ADA Step Out for Diabetes Walk which for us is going to be September 30th. I'm holding a garage sale to raise money in a couple weeks, but some online donations from anyone who can would be much appreciated. http://main.diabetes.org/goto/katequest If you click on my name under the team roster, from my page you can donate. Every little bit counts. My dad and my friend Stephanie are also walking with me, so they are also doing their own fundraising things.
4. I had the privilege of working with great CDE's at the Sugar Free Gang's Kids Camp in June. It is a local day camp given organized by the only support group for kids with diabetes and their parents in the area. We had 40 kids ages 6-12, and about 12 between 13-18. What was so neat was that I was assigned to the group with the one kid who had only had diabetes for a few months, so he was still learning a lot. He led us in our theme song, Lean on Me, the last day, and his parents had tears in their eyes. So many of these kids loved camp because, like those of us who blog about diabetes, they need a place where other people get what they deal with every day.
5. I recently joined Tu Diabetes, so look for me on there. A few of you have already found me. For those of you who don't know, it's like Facebook, or Myspace for people with diabetes.