I left the gym yesterday with burn marks and bruises down my arms. Ava and Georgia (my 10 year old twin daughters) got very upset when they saw me. “Did someone hurt you?” “Were you in an accident?!” My explanation sounded strange: Mommy is squatting holding a 40lb bag of sand and then flipping it up on to her arms and swinging up on her toes. I showed them the movement with flair to try to get...
This project has been an exercise in stepping in to the unknown. To say that I’ve had a few moments of self-doubt is the understatement of the century. In fact, the ugly truth is that I’m frequently filled with self-doubt and fear when it comes to what I’m tackling with Norway. Frequent means that I probably question something major on a daily basis. The fears range from, will I be able to do the skiing...
This past week I got to experience the very different experiences of alpine downhill skiing and Nordic cross-country skiing; and sometimes on the same day. Cross-country skiing can divide people into a group that loves it or hates it. Which one are you? So, the kids are on spring break and we headed out to Vail, Colorado this week. Beautiful Gore Range Mountains Kai and I try to take the kids skiing when we can...
Stretching has always been one of the most undervalued components of my workout routine. It has been this way for years. I was an athlete as a child and through my young adult life, and not to finger point, but my basketball, soccer and tennis coaches in the 80’s did not exactly consider stretching an important part of our practice time. We held poses for a count of 20, and got through the simple, rushed...
A disease without a name is a disease not on the map. 85 years ago, this year, Dr Asbjørn Følling put phenylketonuria, aka PKU, on the map. Følling’s Kennedy award It may sound like a small thing to describe and name a disease, but with a name comes discovery, understanding, and a future. People who live with undiagnosed disorders spend a large amount of their time searching for answers and help. Once a discovery is made, a...
Below is a typical and very personal exchange of questions when two PKU parents meet for the first time. I learned this week that this happens in America OR in Norway. It is unusual to get so personal with a stranger, but there is a bond that parents of rare diseases share. I felt this in Norway. It was automatic, even across cultures. You get real, and you get real fast. There is no reason to...
Norway rocks! Oslo is beautiful, especially the architecture and waterfront situation. Norwegians love their cross-country skiing, so I’m excited that they are excited about my project. My friends Kristie and Ida had told me several times before I came on this trip that Norwegians love skiing. It took about 48 hours in Norway to confirm that the love is real. Here is my proof! On my first afternoon walk around Oslo, I counted 3 people walking down...
Tia had some tough moments on a recent trip to Montana. Traveling can be hard with PKU. Traveling can be hard with many restricted diets and health concerns out there, but traveling with PKU carries some unique challenges. Take her formula, for example. Tia drinks a prescription based medical formula 4x a day. Ideally the formula is refrigerated. This formula is everything. She has had it since birth and it gives her 80% of...
I skied for about 3 hours yesterday on the pristine cross-country ski trails around Big Sky, Montana. If you haven’t been there and love to downhill or cross-country, I HIGHLY recommend it. There are miles and miles of the best groomed x-country trails I have seen anywhere in the US to date. Kai and the kids said the downhill skiing was stellar as well. I’ve been getting into podcasts lately on my cardio days. I...