What Went Down...Shamae's Version

Friday morning Sydney had her quarterly pediatric endocrinologist appt to check her A1C and make any needed changes. Since we weren't completely happy with our current endo, we followed the recommendation of 3 of my Type 1 moms and went to a different guy. We loved him. He was great! Definitely worth the 3 hour trip. Syd's A1C remained unchanged from December which shocked the tar outta me and makes me wonder the validity of the A1C test. She was still rockin' an awesome 6.8 which means her average blood sugar is in the 160s-170s 'ish' range. Awesome!

The culmination of the trip, however, was meeting up with 2 of my fellow D-moms. Wendy--mamma to 3 year old Avery, T1 since May of 2009. And Shannon--Mom to "Little Princess," 5 years old and T1 since Nov 2008. As well as mamma to "Little Man," 2 years old and T1 since Nov. 2009. (These are the names she uses on her blog so, to respect that, I won't use their names on my blog.) I will let them tell you the fancy versions of our day. If you are reading my blog...you will get "My Truth Uncensored."

I was very excited to hang out and have lunch with them BUT I was also nervous. You get to "know" people in cyberspace and you think to yourself, "Self, I wonder how they are in real life. Will the conversation flow like fine wine or will we find ourselves passing the time by talking about the weather and our husband's views on the last presidential election?"

FORTUNATELY, it was like the first scenario. We got together and talked like old friends. We clicked. It was great. So, since you can click on their pages and read a better play by play about our lunch, I decided instead of being repetitive, I was going to give you the real deal. Things I THOUGHT during our lunch that made everyone stand out to me. Enjoy!

~~Wendy texted me the night before our big rendezvous and said she just might cry when she sees me. And, she did. I thought, "I'm not quite sure if those are happy, excited tears or tears of 'Good Hell! Shamae is not what I was expecting.'" But, either way, we hugged and it was like we'd been friends forever. :-) (P.S. I have a blackmail photo of Wendy. I am taking applications if anyone is interested in viewing it. ;-)

~~Shannon showed up after I did. Her and I met last summer at a JDRF luncheon. She is just how I remember her. Funny and sweet. She has a great sense of humor that I love. I thought how calm & composed she is. She also handles T1 x 2 like a pro! I know she doesn't think she does great, but I've seen her in action and she does! (I have a similar blackmail photo of Shannon too...same rules apply.) :-)

~~Wendy likes to tease people. Ask Jake our server about that. She is very outgoing and I thought...hmmm I wonder if her hubby is laid back or outgoing. I know with us, because of my personality, Loren is naturally more reserved.

~~Shannon ate the later part of her pulled pork sandwich with her fork. I thought, "Hmmm that's kinda cute how she is eating that!" Then I thought, "Wow I probably look like a Neanderthal eating my turkey club with my bare hands."

~~Both of them--I thought, Dang! They sure dressed fancy for this lunch. I struggled changing out of my old navy t-shirt to put on a slightly nicer one! Oh well, what ya see is what ya get. :-)

We finally decided it was time for pictures. I was excited. I needed pics for my blog to show what a great time we had--and to prove I am who I say I am--just in case any of you were questioning my personal validity. :-) So I pulled out my camera. Then Wendy and Shannon pulled out their cameras. It was kinda like this...

Pretend your neighbor just had surgery and you decide to show up with some food for their family. You happen to get there at the same time as another neighbor who had a similar idea. You glance and their plate and notice how beautiful it looks. Everything is strategically placed. The colors blend perfectly. It smells fabulous and looks too good to eat. Something like this...


~Then you glance at the meal you brought and it looks like this.

A hot dog on a paper plate. And you wonder, is it too late for me to hide it?

So, we joked about our cameras for a bit...but, in the end, we got some pics to show off our adventure.

~The kids. Morgan is the only one in this group who does not have Type 1. Now let me tell you my thoughts about the children...


Little Man: 2 years old. A FLIRT! Big time. From playing footsies with Wendy under the table and wanting her to hold his hand during his shot to telling me, "I wuuuvvv you." Shannon is in for a world of trouble with him!

Little Princess: 5 years old. She is so cool and collected--she reminds me a lot of Shannon. Her and Sydney got along great. I can see what a great big sister she is and what a terrific example she is to her little brother who is battling the same disease. However, I also saw a little wild streak in her...one that might prove to give Shannon some gray hairs in about 10 years. ;-) (In case you are wondering, YES, Morgan has a similar streak in her.)

Avery: 3 years old. First of all, this boy is TALL! I swear he was as tall as Sydney who is 6. Second of all, what a good natured kid! He is funny! He is one of those kids who you just know is going to be surrounded by friends and get along with everyone--as well as making them laugh. He is a little stud who likes to dip corn on the cob in ketchup. He also seems to have a very tender, kind heart.

~The Gang!


~This was before the kids started playing in the rocks and trying to throw them. We joked about it and I thought...hmmm I hope a Chili's patron doesn't wind up with Rock Soup through the window.

~But there was no rock soup. There were no kids running rampant through the street while we tried to take pictures. There were no kids fighting or arguing. There were no forced conversations. Just kids and adults, united under one common theme: Living and struggling with Type 1 Diabetes. We didn't have to talk about it. It wasn't an elephant on the table. We all just "got" each other. I think some of the most profound conversations we had were the things we didn't HAVE to say because they were already, unequivocally understood.


It was a great end to a great day. These girls are every bit as wonderful, energetic, and delightful as they appear to be on their blogs. We talked and laughed like old friends. And, you know what Ralph Waldo Emerson said about good friends don't you? He said, "It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them." I know none of us felt the need to censor ourselves around each other. We were free to truly be ourselves and know we would be accepted and that, my blog readers, is what is so wonderful about real friendships.