This is my first remote post – meaning I am not sitting in my own desk chair with a dog curled up at my feet. I am currently sitting at a place called Main Event. It’s an arcade, pool hall, bowling alley, rock gym, laser tag place. It is a fantastically wonderful magical place!
On Monday nights there is a special it’s called Monday Night Madness. For only $20 a kid they get to do unlimited rock climbing, bowling, laser tag, mini glow golf, and video games galore. It starts at 4pm and ends at closing which is something crazy like 2am (btw there is a full bar too). The latest we’ve stayed is midnight – since we are here by 4pm that is 8 hours of fun for them and quiet time for me (even with todays pop 40 blaring from the bowling lanes).
The kids check in every 30 minutes or so to grab some cheese fries, sip some water or if I’m lucky sneak in a hug and tell me how awesome of a mom I am for bringing them to Main Event – if they only knew it was more about me than them. (ok maybe equal me and them).
Tonight I have so much to catch up on. So many DOCers (people involved in the diabetes online community) have returned from the Children with Diabetes Friends for Life conference with stories to tell. My family couldn’t attend this year so I was living through them – all the tweets with quotable moments from different conference sessions were fantastic.
Here are a few FFL posts I have enjoyed so far:
Scott Strange at Strangely Diabetic
Martin at Diabetically Speaking
This is all I’ve read so far – I’m certain more will be posted soon and there may be dozen’s I just haven’t gotten to yet.
Back in April during the Health Activists Writer’s Challenge Month there was prompt that asked if I titled my posts before I wrote or if I titled them after. Normally I title them before because I have a specific thing I plan to write about. For this post I titled it “Freedom” because I had intended on writing about the fact that I dropped my Sweetstuff off at the movies without me – first time. I wasn’t worried about diabetes – I was more worried about her talking to strangers. It was great allowing her the freedom to grow up a bit and not worry about diabetes.
I was also going to write about the freedom a place like Main Event allows me to relax while knowing my kids are safe and entertained. I did touch on that but then I went a different direction – I shared posts regarding the Friends for Life conference. I was contemplating a change in title but realized it isn’t necessary. I haven’t been at the FFL conference since 2009 – but I do remember the sense of freedom I felt after each conference. Freedom to raise strong, healthy, amazing children with diabetes. The freedom to talk about diabetes, the freedom to admit that I do get overwhelmed, I do get sad, I do get very angry and freedom to admit I make mistakes and need help.
No title change necessary – I hope you check out the blog posts I’ve shared and find more and might share them with me in case I have missed them.
Stick With It Sugar 
There are so many FFL posts to read! Great that you have a cool place like Main Event to read them, and you can do so remotely and write about it! Looking forward to reading more of them, and hopefully being able to say hello in person to you down the road!
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That would be fabulous to meet Mike. Thanks for the support – If Ive missed some ffl posts please share. It is still early – many haven’t returned home yet and I can’t imagine how difficult it is to put down in words what ffl really feels like. I don’t know I could do it.
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I really wanted to go this year but it just wasn’t in the cards… I’ve been enjoying all the posts too.
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Plan for 2013 – don’t tell anyone I said so but it’s better when its on Disney property (I only say that cus I couldn’t go this year). We have a gigantic water jug – the kids save every coin – it is our FFL fund.
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It really is better on Disney property. I roomed with Kim (Texting My Pancreas) last year and this year. When we first got to the Marriott she thought that she was going to like it better (more indoor walking) but by the end of the week, she agreed with you and I. 🙂
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I haven’t been to the World Center – the only FFL I attended that wasn’t on Disney property was at the hotel across from Sea World. It was great and extra nice that we could walk to Sea World and all the sessions were just a hallway away but there is something magical about Disney. I always loved the walk from the rooms to the conference hall. The lake is beautiful and the pyramid pool was so much fun regardless of the long walk. It’s Disney – need we say more.
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I haven’t been to the World Center – the only FFL I attended that wasn’t on Disney property was at the hotel across from Sea World. It was great and extra nice that we could walk to Sea World and all the sessions were just a hallway away but there is something magical about Disney. I always loved the walk from the rooms to the conference hall. The lake is beautiful and the pyramid pool was so much fun regardless of the long walk. It’s Disney – need we say more.
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This is awesome, Christina. I don’t often have time to read a lot of blogs. However, I have truly enjoyed and been encouraged by each of these. I’m gonna put FFL on my bucketlist, even if ds refuses to go!! He has not made any negative comments about TLC this year, so maybe he is coming around…slowly!!
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I hope he finds his joy in being part of a community. I know my life has improved in a million ways since I found the DOC. Connecting via FB was great and some of the forums were terrific but being part of the twitter and DSMA has been a real life changer. I know it is different for our kids – Amber has a twitter account but I haven’t let her get on. Basically she wanted to get her username so no one else got it before she started using twitter. I do hope you will attend FFL in the future – you can always just call it a vacation to Disney and tell him at the last minute that there is also an awesome conference at the same time. Gonna pray for you and your dear boy. He will find his place.
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Oh! Thanks for linking to the FFL posts. 🙂 I need to find some time to read them.
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I only just learned about the Friends for Life Conference but I the sad part is that I can’t afford to travel to Florida but the 2012 Canadian version is in Vancouver (I can’t travel there either) but….the 2013 one is being held in Toronto which is only 4 hours away. YAY!!! This year is only the 3rd year that the FFL conference has been in Canada.
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Ive not been to a Canada FFL – considered it this year since it would only be a 10 hour drive up from northern cali but I didn’t get passports ordered. hoping to make FFL13 in Orlando next year – I hope you get to the canada FFL13.
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