January 31, 2010

Needless to say, I had an awesome week!  I flew out to Chicago on Monday morning, did some sightseeing, walked around bundled up in the snow, and sipped my favorite mixed drink (Amaretto Sour!) sitting on the top floor of the John Hancock Building (96 floors high!) while taking in the view of the beautiful city! 

The diabetes packing routine before leaving was grueling as usual.  My husband packed the night before we left in 15 minutes flat!  I always start packing knowing that it will be a few hours before I feel confident everything I need is in the suitcase.  Now, that doesn’t mean that I actually spend 3 continuous hours packing.  What generally happens is that I start packing, take a few breaks along the way, and get distracted a few times.  Hey!  What can I say….I am a multi-tasking woman!   You probably do something similar!  Right??  I hope so.  The thing that I always do FIRST is to ensure I have enough reservoirs, test strips, and insulin to make it through the trip and a little longer (just in case something goes wrong while traveling).  My motto is: The only things I MUST have to live on this trip are my diabetes supplies.  As long as I have all of these things, everything else is negligible.  So, when I get out of town and realize I forgot my favorite pair of shoes or my blush, I just remind myself of the motto!

We ended up attending the 7am taping of the Oprah Show on Thursday, January 28th.  It was the show about the Jay Leno/Conan O’Brien fiasco.  Oprah had already interviewed Jay Leno in LA, so we watched the interview in the studio.  Then, Oprah came out and discussed the issues with the audience.   We were sitting on the 3^rd ROW, so we had GREAT seats!  My husband, Chris, was on the end of the aisle, so he got to shake Oprah’s hand when she walked into the studio.  Then, she disclosed that she was sick and came back to give him some Purel to ensure she didn’t get him sick. 

You can watch a video of the show here:  http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Oprah-Talks-About-the-Tonight-Show-VideoBe sure to take note (or fast forward the video) to 31:00.  My husband spoke directly with Oprah on the topic from 30:09-30:39.  We both have on orange sweaters—You can’t miss us!  (We’re the only interracial couple in the audience!)   

Before you ask, Yes, Oprah was just as nice and down-to-earth as she seems on television.  She stayed and talked with the audience long after the video crew tried to usher her out of the studio (She just ignored them because she was so engrossed in the conversations with the audience!)  I guess you can do that when you own the Show! J 

I also have to give a shout out to Oprah Show Staff Member, Freddy!  She has a number of female family members who have diabetes and live in Raleigh and Winston-Salem.  She was excited to learn that there is an organization for women with diabetes!  She immediately understood what DiabetesSisters is all about because she is a woman who is trying to live a healthy life and avoid the seemingly inevitable diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.  She too would like the support, wisdom, and education of other women who are living successfully with diabetes.  I hope to introduce you to Freddy and her family at the Weekend for Women Conference in May!