Unconditional Love

Wow. So I have sucked at blogging lately, eh? It's been over a year since my last post! That's not to say I haven't done blog-worthy things, because 2015 was oodles of fun! I'll go with the "I was too busy having fun to blog about the fun I was having" excuse.

Now, here on Tuesday, March 15, 2016 at 3:06 AM in this post-shoulder surgery state where I find myself - just awake enough to think I'm having lucid thoughts, just on the cusp of misery because I slept past my next scheduled dose of painkillers, and just tired enough that I could close my eyes mid-typing and wake up two hours later - I find myself contemplating the idea of unconditional love.

Pretty heady stuff for someone so loopy!

If you've never owned a dog, this post may not resonate with you...but it just might inspire you.

You see...up until five days ago, the biggest concern for my dog, Oscar (a 14.5 year old German Shorthaired Pointer) was whether to take a nap on his bed or in his chair. Or maybe it was whether he should angle for a hard cookie by staring at the cookie jar on the counter or tap dance in front of the pantry door in the hopes of getting a Pupperoni or Snausage soft treat. Because, you see...until last Thursday, life was pretty good for my spoiled rotten ol' pup! All he needed to worry about was dog stuff - where to nap, how many cookies he could get, when to pee.

But last Thursday afternoon, that all changed when I came home bandaged, slinged, and drugged up. Oscar immediately noticed "something was wrong with Momma!" and has been in guard dog mode ever since. He has hardly left my side since I got home from my surgery.

It is incredible. I would swear on a stack of Bibles that his concern is palpable... tangible... REAL. In these first few nights when sleep hasn't come as readily or as long as I'd like, Oscar has been here. I'm getting my rest on my recliner couch and Oscar either sleeps on his bed at the foot of the couch or across the room in his chair (yes, HIS chair).

When I wake, he wakes. He looks over at me as if to say, "Are you OK, Momma?" so I say out loud, "Yes, baby...Momma's OK." The first night I was home, I got up to use the bathroom and when I opened the door to leave, there was Oscar waiting for me...seemingly making sure I hadn't fallen in. This is the same dog for whom the "Aunt Bethany" principle applies - you know...from "Christmas Vacation" - "you wouldn't hear a dump truck driving through a nitroglycerin plant!" Yet if I shift in my spot or rearrange the blanket or whimper in pain...he's right there for me.

Friday night into Saturday was simply awful for me. I was restless and in quite a bit of pain. I was wide awake at 3:30 AM (not unlike right now, ha!) and downright miserable. I truly believe Oscar sensed this and knew I needed help, even if I was too stubborn or proud to ask for it at that hour of the night. He simply paced back and forth between the kitchen and the foyer until he woke Chris up with all of his toe-tapping on the floor. Again, I'd swear that when Chris showed up in the kitchen asking if I was OK, Oscar looked at me like, "I helped you, Momma!"

It's actually moved me to tears a few times already which, admittedly, isn't hard to do. I tend to be quite weepy in the days following any kind of anesthesia. To be getting this kind of love and attention is crazy! I'm not the alpha in this house. Hell, I'm not even the beta. The power rankings in this house put me at #3...maybe even #4 behind the Betta fish! Oscar and I have always been snuggle buddies, but he has never exhibited this level of devotion to me before.

When he's looked at me the past few days, with his eyes clouded by cataracts...when he's nuzzled me with a muzzle full of white whiskers...when he's sighed contentedly after he's stretched out on his bed once I've settled into my resting place...all of these times, I have felt his unconditional love.

And that kind of love does wonders for the soul!!!

My handsome home healthcare hound takes a well-preserved break from guard dog duty.

Welcome, new readers! And hello to my current readers!

Since the latest issue of Facilities Manager Magazine has reached offices worldwide in recent weeks, I suspect that I may have picked up (or will pick up) a few new readers because I made mention of Pineapple Ponderings in my "Emerging Professionals Profile" (featured on page 33, if you can get your hands on a copy!).

So to my new readers, welcome! I realize my profile in FM Magazine noted that I chronicle Chris' and my motorcycle adventures and they are here...you'll just have to click on the "ride report" label on the right index to find them since this winter's weather has not been motorcycle-friendly AT ALL! I do have a six-part "In Search of Bourbon" ride report from last fall that I think many of you will enjoy. Give that a look-see until the weather breaks and Chris and I can resume our two-wheeled adventures. 

And while you're here, feel free to explore all of the other old posts while I work on content for new ones!

And that's where I beseech my current readers to "standby" because I do have some new content I need to get written and posted. My baby niece turned one in January; I have pictures and stories from that! Also - and my new APPA readers will appreciate this - I was in Dallas, TX in February for training with APPA U. While I was there I ventured out to Southfork Ranch on one of my half-days...and boy, oh boy do I have stories about that!!!

It's my hope to get new content posted before the end of the weekend. Heck, with temperatures forecasted to be in the mid-40s for this weekend, I might even have NEWER content to post if Chris and I can get out for some kind of adventure.

So I ask all of you - new readers and old friends - hang in there! I'll be bloggedly entertaining you very soon!

What happened to this cupcake? Come back this weekend to find out!

Where did I eat this? And what's in that tasty beverage? Stay tuned!!!

Doing It the Right Way

Maybe you've been able to tell over the past few months...maybe not. But since March 4th, I have lost 31 pounds! And I am pretty damn proud of myself for it! (And I'm not done, by the way...not by a long shot.) It hasn't been easy, but then again, it hasn't been all that hard, either. And the best part of all? I'm doing it the right way! No gimmicks, no fads, no pills, no programs, no boot camp, no DVDs with barking mad instructors - I'm just eating modest portions of wholesome, clean foods and riding my bicycle. That's it!

You know, when I bought my bike back in March, I never imagined that five months later I would be as completely and utterly hooked (addicted, really) to bicycling as I am. A 10-mile mix of trail and road after work for an hour (54:08, actually...and getting faster!) is a piece of cake. A 25-mile ride on the weekends or in the morning at the beach? Easy-breezy. I got a CamelBak, new grips, new gloves, a spare tube, and tire levers for my birthday. I buy Lara bars. I leave the office wearing a bandana on my head a few times per week (and people SEE ME looking like this). I've decided to train for a 100-mile bike ride next year. I rented a bicycle on a business trip earlier this month because I hadn't ridden a bike in a week and just felt the need to ride.

WHO AM I?!? WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME?!?

Who am I? I'm someone doing it the right way! I happened upon something - a form of exercise, a means of physical activity - that doesn't feel like work. I have, in the last five months, never not wanted to ride my bike. When I belonged to a gym, there were days when I didn't want to go. When I'd find an excuse not to go. Any day that my bike is on my car, that's a day I'm going to ride. 

When I'm on my bike, I'm free. I don't think about work. I don't think about home. I don't think about upcoming conferences or travel. I don't think about the grocery shopping, or the laundry, or the start of football season, or anything other than not wrecking. And there are a lot of times I don't even think about that! I just go. I pedal, pedal, pedal...and then I pedal some more. I fly down the hills and grind my way back up them. And I love every, single minute of it! Just Tuesday, I was rewarded by a bald eagle flying overhead and landing in a tree above me. Pure. Majesty.

But I don't want this entire post to be about bicycling. Because there's another piece that's been pretty key to my success and that's "eating clean." By that, I mean I eat largely whole foods. I still buy some packaged foods, but even those are whole foods - rice, oatmeal, beans, tuna. I generally eschew packaged foods with more than five ingredients, unless I can pronounce them all and the ingredients themselves are clean (Lara bars are a good example).

I just about gave up soda 18 months ago...and I say "just about" because when Chris and I go to the movies and split a pretzel bites combo (no cheese!), we share a soda. But it's pretty vile and I drink just enough to wet my whistle. (I really should just start smuggling in a bottle of water, because $4 for a bottle of Dasani is ridiculous.) I'm pretty much on a water and tea regimen now - hot tea in the morning, water all day long at work, seltzer water with dinner, and the occasional herbal tea in the evening. If I eat out, I may have an unsweetened iced tea with my meal. Artificial sweeteners? Gone. Added sugar? Gone. The occasional teaspoon of honey? Maybe. If I can get some local stuff to help with my allergies. Yes, I still enjoy an adult beverage (or two) from time to time...mainly when I travel. I'm not that strict.

And that's the point. I'm not strict. It's all about moderation. I had cake and ice cream at work yesterday to celebrate a co-worker's 40th birthday (er, I'm sorry...1st anniversary of her 39th!). I enjoyed it...until I didn't. (It didn't sit right.) But the point is, I don't deny myself anything. It's never a philosophy of "I can't have _____" but rather one of "I choose to have _____ or not have _____." Two weeks ago when Chris and I hiked and biked at Parker Dam State Park, we capped our afternoon off with an ice cream cone. A small one. Which we'd both felt like we'd earned. I didn't feel bad about "cheating" because it wasn't cheating. I chose to bust my ass on a strenuous bike ride and hike around the park and then I chose to have an ice cream cone. It's that simple. 

It really is that simple. Seriously. It's not rocket science. It's not brain surgery. It's eating good food and moving my ass. Which is smaller these days, thankyouverymuch!

Wanna hear something else pretty spectacular? I had blood work done on Tuesday. It's been just under six months since I started "this whole thing" and since I'd last had it all checked. I was curious to see what progress I've made during this period of time. How about 28 points shaved off my cholesterol?!? From 203 to 175! And how about 55 points off my triglycerides?!? From 219 to 164. That's without drugs, folks. That's simply diet and exercise that achieved those results in less than six months. Pretty damn amazing, eh? 

And proof that it can be done. Medication doesn't have to be the answer; it shouldn't. There are no magic pills. Yet there are magic foods. But they don't come in a box in aisle 15A. They're berries and spinach and oats and beans and lean meats and eggs (yup, I said eggs) and fish and tomatoes and on and on! And ice cream can be magical, too, if it's enjoyed occasionally if for no other reason than to cap off a kick-ass day of outdoor activity!  

Folks have asked me "how are you doing it?" or "what have you done?" and I answer, "I eat clean and ride my bike." But now you know just a little bit more. A few people have told me that I'm an inspiration, which is amazingly flattering and completely embarrassing all at once. I've only found one person to inspire me and she stares right back at me each morning in the mirror. 

Every day that I cinch up a belt one notch tighter, every day that I notice my face looks a little slimmer, every day that I pull up next to my car on my bike after a great after-work ride and catch a glimpse of myself in my helmet dripping in sweat...those are the days I inspire myself. It sounds so incredibly selfish and self-centered, but I realize now that all of the other times and attempts I've made at losing weight and/or getting healthy, I've done it for other people or reasons that weren't my own. 

This time, I'm doing it for me. And only me. And I think that's the ultimate "right way."

Ice, Ice (Arena) Baby!

Much like American Express membership, being a Penn State Office of Physical Plant (OPP) employee has its privileges. Today, the crew from Financial Support Services (Accounting & Payroll), plus our director Terri, fellow analyst Ryan, and I had the opportunity to tour Penn State's new hockey arena - the Pegula Ice Area - which is scheduled to open this fall. 

The Pegula Ice Arena will be the new home of Penn State's NCAA Division One men's and women's hockey programs. The arena will house two sheets of ice. Main rink seating will consist of 5,700 spectator seats coupled with state of the art accommodations. In addition, the arena will also be an invaluable year-round recreational and education asset for members of the entire University community as well as for children, youth, and families throughout central Pennsylvania. (source: www.opp.psu.edu)

The arena is named for Terry Pegula, owner of the Buffalo Sabres NHL team. Mr. Pegula donated $102M for the construction of the arena; he also donated $12M toward the construction of a sports complex at Houghton College in western New York. Mr. Pegula made his money through his natural gas drill company - East Resources - with the discovery of deep layers of natural gas in the Marcellus formation. He sold Pennsylvania, New York, and Rocky Mountain assets to Royal Dutch Shell for more than $4 billion dollars. (source: Wikipedia)

Ground was broken on the project in April 2012. The architect is Crawford/Bohlin Cywinski Jackson with Mortensen serving as the Construction Manager. OPP's own Marv Bevan is the project manager for Pegula. 

Speaking of Marv, we met him at 3:30 just outside of the construction site to begin our tour, after we'd stopped at the East Area Locker Room Building to pick up our personal protective equipment (PPE) - hard hats, safety vests, safety glasses, and gloves. 

On the construction site, heading toward the entrance.

Oh, the irony...an ice machine outside of an ice arena.

We entered the building through "Gate C," which will be the entrance for the community rink. 

Just inside Gate C.

Listening intently while Marv explains what we're seeing.

The large "hole" in the center of the picture will be the skate rental "window".
The "hole" to the left of it will be the concession stand.

The arena will be home to PSU's D1 hockey teams, club teams, IM teams, State College Area High School's hockey team, PSU figure skating, community skating, and on and on!

We moved further into the arena and to the community rink. The community rink is NHL sized, but the boards differ from those of the main rink. The community rink boards have aluminum stanchions and the "glass" doesn't flex like that of the main rink. There will be seating for 350 at the community rink.

Still quite a bit of work to be done on the community rink.

The scoreboard for the community rink.

From the community rink, we wormed our way through the building to see the training and locker room areas.

The visiting team's locker room...pretty plain!

Making our way to the PSU locker rooms, we passed the entrance to the main rink.

The strength and conditioning room for the men's and women's teams.

The continuation of the "Penn State Hockey" from the previous picture.

The state-of-the-art RapidShot Hockey Training System.

In here, the players can work on their one-timers!

And with the RapidHands equipment, they can work on their heads-up stick handling.

The entrance to the men's locker room.

On the left will be the lounge area of the locker room; on the right will be a drink station.

The men's locker room, complete with ventilation system to (hopefully) avoid that awful hockey locker room smell!

This wall will hold a "smart board" where coaches can review plays with the team.

Pretty awesome PSU logo on the ceiling.

Marv shows off the hockey stick storage area. Sticks will hang above as players come and go. Additional sticks will be stored in the cubbies underneath (they're deep enough...it's pretty neat!).

The ice bath and hot tub area.

The women's locker room.

This floor logo is pretty freakin' sweet! The men's locker room has one, too.

We made our way to the main rink, and I must say that anyone who plays on that main rink ice is going to feel like a rock star. What an amazing rink and atmosphere! The student section is VERY steep to allow for 1,000 seats and is located behind the goal that the opponents will have to defend for two of the three periods. Couple the student section with the design for the entire arena which will maximize crowd noise, and it's going to be a rip-roaring good time at Pegula!

This is how the PSU teams will approach the ice from their locker rooms.

Marv pointed out the student section, the club seats, and the suites.

The new scoreboard.

The main rink at Pegula Ice Arena.

Fresh off of what will soon be the main ice, we walked around the concourse level.  

Directional signage on the concourse level.

The concession stands are all named with hockey terms.

I'll be curious to see if they serve different things, or just all have different names?!?

A look at the main arena from the concourse level. (And there's Ryan!)

Gregg gives the new ice arena a big thumbs up!

The words on this sign are spelled out with hockey pucks.

The border will eventually be filled with hockey pucks from any/all teams that contribute one, which I think is an awesome idea!

Gregg, Mary, and Jolene check out the view from the top of the student section.

One section of the concourse level contains exhibits about Penn State hockey, past and present.

Roaring into D1 competition in a SWEET arena!

An exhibit explaining the progression of PSU hockey.

Another concession stand - this one is "Icing."
(For the record, they should totally sell blue & white cupcakes here.)

This is the main entrance to the arena. It has MAJOR WOW FACTOR!

Makes me wonder...does the Lion have to be able to ice skate for appearances at games?!?

This wall will be dedicated to Terry Pegula. It's meant to look like the Marcellus Shale with natural gas drilling. Can you see it?

Next, we walked up to the club level. The club level boasts cushy seats and swanky restrooms.

The view from the club level.

Cushy club level seats.

Oh. Hey. Check me out in my PPE!

Swanky sinks in the club level restrooms!

Checking out one of the suites on the club level -sinks, fridge, and storage.

Drink rail seating with 12 seats in front.

Back down on the ground floor, we walked to the Zamboni area.

This is where the Zamboni will dump its ice shavings.

Zamboni access to the community rink.

And Zamboni access to the main rink.

Our tour ended back on the community rink floor, where Marv was kind enough to take a picture of our group.

Front: Jolene, me, and Mary G.
Back: Gregg, Penny, Kristin, Terri, Ryan, Mary W., Shelby, and Lora Lee

I think everyone in our group was in agreement that the Pegula Ice Arena is a spectacular venue. It sure puts all of the change orders and certificates of payment that have crossed my desk into perspective. The arena is worth every penny that's been spent! 

Personally, I can't wait until I get the opportunity to attend a hockey game there and skate on the community ice. Is it hockey season yet?!?