My Awesome Dad

I am just recently back from a trip home. I love going home, and yes, I make that 5 1/2 hour drive willingly rather too often. Any excuse is good enough for me. My latest is a fun one though - my dad and I have been taking some cooking classes together, which has been an absolute blast. This one was "Spanish" themed - lots of sherry vinegar, garlic, roasted red peppers, and paprika on the ingredient list. Good stuff.

I definitely am, and always have been, a daddy's girl. Ever since my dad retired a couple years back, we have had a morning tradition when I'm at home. We head down to the local Starbucks, order our lattes, and sit for an hour or two - just talking. I absolutely adore this routine of ours - I get to hear all about my dad's painting and art classes and his latest trips camping out west. And my dad gets to learn a little about my life, and a lot about diabetes.

When I was diagnosed with type 1, I was two months away from turning 19. Two months away from leaving for college, and living on my own. My pump was a rushed delivery and then a crash course in learning to use it. From day 1, I was in control of my health outcomes. I guess because of the timing of everything, my parents never really absorbed the diabetes memos. They knew vaguely what it was, and that it was bad. But they never had to stick my finger, or give me an insulin injection, or figure out a carb ratio, or learn to carb count like so many parents of diabetics do. So until recently, they were really still in the dark about the realities of my chronic disease, and what it entails.

Over our morning coffee, my dad discovered all about my CGM and how it works. I think he was really blown away by the technology. We talked about the auto-immune part of diabetes, and how that is different than type 2. And he learned how another of our shared activities, running, isn't so cut and dry for me - it takes a lot of planning and testing and replanning.

And I'm excited that he now understands so much more about me.