22
Jul
Written by Mike on July 22nd, 2010
Lots and lots of people visit the Children’s Museum in Indianapolis on the weekends. A fair number of D-Meetups take place on the weekends, too. And over this past weekend, the Indiana DOC crew did both.
The group, consisting of Cherise Shockley and her husband & daughter, Scott & Niya, Michael Hoskins, Jenny Pritchard, and April & I, met up at the Children’s Museum on Saturday for an afternoon of fun and D-bonding.
We began our museum tour with some arts & crafts time; there was a table where we could create our own musical instruments out of paper plates, Popsicle sticks, a bit of string, and some beads. Cherise had me draw a meter on the front of hers, while Michael worked to create one of his own. That activity was part of the much larger Rockstars Cars & Guitars exhibit, which also included a band of teenagers singing classic rock & roll songs. Badly!
Everyone was rather hungry as it was around lunchtime when we got together, so we decided to take a break and get something to eat at the food court. Big Mistake! I found a hair in my sandwich. I’m not talking about a little short one either. This thing was at least 10 to 12 inches long! So much for being hungry. That ruined everyone’s appetite. I was so mad I couldn’t hardly see straight, and everyone knew it. I do believe I deserve a medal for keeping my composure and handling the situation as well as I did. I simply took the food back to the register, pointed out the foot long hair on my tray, and asked for my money back. I got it, and went on my way.
We resumed our tour from there and made our way to the second floor to check out the big Etch A Sketch 50th anniversary exhibit. That was really cool. There were pictures of Elvis, Michael Jackson, Jay Z, Van Gogh’s Starry Night, and many more. It’s hard to believe that some of the pictures hanging in that gallery were actually made on an Etch A Sketch. Can you imagine how long it would have taken to create those? Would take far more time and patience than I have; that’s for sure. I’ll stick to my sketchbook and pencils. 
From there Niya lead us to the Barbie Fashion Experience exhibit, where she got to dress up in different costumes, and walk the runway like a super model. She was strutting her stuff all over that runway and having a great time doing so. I so wish I could be her age again some times, or at the very least, possess the energy that she has. By the time we left at 5:00 p.m., Niya had lead us through nearly all of the major exhibits spread among the museum’s 4 floors; Dinosphere, Take me there: Egypt, The Power of Children, and ScienceWorks just to name a few.
April and I wandered off on our own for a bit so I could get pictures of the one exhibit that I really wanted to see. Dale Chihuly’s Fireworks of Glass. That piece of work is amazing. According to the information available at the museum, the glass tower stands 43 feet tall, and consists of over 3,200 pieces of blown glass. The entire exhibit contains over 4,800 pieces of glass, and weighs in at a whopping 18,000 pounds. It’s just plain AWEsome!
No D-Meetup would be complete without a group photo, and that was the second to the last thing that happened before the meetup ended. Many thanks to Scott for taking the picture for us.
The very last thing involved me making good on a promise I made to Niya during our lunch break. I had Little G out of the bag, and tossed him over to Niya, and told her she could hold onto him while we were in the museum. She got rather upset by the thought of having to give him back, so I promised her she would have a d-ninja doll before I headed back to Fort Wayne on Sunday. I was simply going to pay a visit a the Hoskins’ house, get another d-ninja, and drop it off to her on the way home. At the last minute, though, I decided to give her mine. She just lit up with excitement. I snapped a quick photo of Niya & Little G for posterity sake, and that was that.
It was a wonderful ending to a rather fun and exciting D-Meetup. April & I had a blast, and it was great meeting Cherise, Scott, Niya, and Jenny for the first time, and great seeing Michael again, too. Hope you all had as much fun as I did. Thanks for coming!
Indy D-Meetup Photos
12
Apr
Written by Mike on April 12th, 2010
Here comes the ruling, friends. And, it looks like the officials have called a personal foul on Me, citing a major delay in posting this D-Meetup Recap. Sorry folks. Life happens.
On Saturday, April 3rd, a day when the Final 4 teams were meeting in Indianapolis to battle for the right to play in the last game of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, another meeting was set to take place just south of Indy, between two members of the Diabetic Online Community’s (DOC’s) Indiana Team.
It was a D-meeting of “Mike-sized” proportions, as Michael Hoskins (#MHoskins2179), author of The Diabetic’s Corner Booth, and I met face-to-face for the first time. And while we weren’t competing for championships or anything of the sort, I still have to say Hoskins definitely had the home court advantage, considering he lives in Greenwood, where we met. I had been on vacation in Louisville, KY during the week leading to the meetup, and my route back to Fort Wayne, IN passed right through Greenwood. Jonathan Byrd’s Cafeteria, which is right off of I-65, made for a perfect meeting place for both of us.
The first half got off to a great start, and was filled with excitement all the way through.
| Mike and I met and exchanged pleasantries outside, and shared a story or two before making our way into the cafeteria. Having made our dinner selections, we found our way to a table. I’ll tell you, that was some of the best cold food I’ve had in a long time. With all the talking, and participating in the BBQ sauce taste test JB’s was conducting, our food was cold long before we were finished with it. The conversation and bonding experience was definitely worth it.
Michael and I are both newspaper guys; he’s a writer and I’m a code monkey (assistant systems manager). So, as you might imagine, work and the shape of our industry were among the many topics discussed throughout the course of lunch.
We talked at length about our love of the Diabetic Online Community, advocacy efforts, and of course, our health. And, when it comes to our health, it’s safe to say we have a mutual respect for each other. Just as Mike can’t imagine what I’ve been through with my double diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes and congestive heart failure, I can’t imagine what it’s been like for him living with Type 1 diabetes for 26 years. I mean, he was diagnosed the year I was born. Amazing!
|
 Our "thank you" gift for participating in the BBQ sauce taste test was a bag of goodies. It consisted of trail mix, Lorna Doones, PB Crackers, Oreos, and a sugar-free lemonade drink mix. |
 After a cool reception, Riley "The D Dog" warmed up to me. She definitely loved the extra attention. Photo courtesy of Mike & Suzi Hoskins. |
At halftime, it was decided a change of venue was needed before the meetup could continue. So, we left JB’s and headed over to the Hoskin’s residence for the second half, which was filled with just as much excitement as the first half.
When we got there, we were greeted by Mike’s wife, Suzi, and their dog, Riley. At first, Riley barked, and even got a bit snippy with me, but as you can see in the photo, she quickly warmed up to me. What can I say, animals love me for some reason. And to further prove that, check this out.
Mike & Suzi’s cat, Shadow, also came down to see what all the fuss was about. Now, I was told that Shadow is anti-social, and that might be true, but it was hard to tell when the cat jumped up on the arm of the loveseat and nuzzled up to me. It’s a damn shame the picture I tried to take didn’t turn out.
We threw a ball around with Riley for a while, as we continued to talk about life. We talked about the highlights of my vacation that was ending, Mike’s love of visiting newspapers and Suzi’s love of visiting zoos. I invited them to come to Fort Wayne sometime, and I’d take them to the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo. |
 The famous Ninja Dolls. Aren't they cute? Photo courtesy of Mike & Suzi Hoskins. |
While I was at their house, Mike & Suzi introduced me to the Ninja Dolls that I had heard so much about. Suzi did an awesome job making those little ninjas. I posed with them for a photo, and when I left, Mike & Suzi gave me one of them to bring home. Way cool! In honor of the DOC’s favorite ninja, George Simmons, I’ve named him”Little G”. Look for more posts on the Adventures of Little G in the near future.
And on that note, I’d like to thank Mike & Suzi for welcoming me into their home as they did. I really do appreciate the hospitality, and the gift. |
| No D-Meetup would be complete without a photo of the participants. So, before I departed for Fort Wayne, Mike and I posed for a picture on his front porch. Thanks to Suzi for doing the honors.
So, that’s it ladies and gentlemen. The D-meetup is in the history books, and what an exciting and memorable time it was.
We may not have battled for championships, but Mike and I both walked away winners. He has his first meetup, and I have my second. We both have photos, and I have a Ninja Doll. More importantly, though, we each have a new diabetic brother.
Rock on! |
 Michael Hoskins & I on his front porch. Photo courtesy of Mike & Suzi Hoskins. |
6
Apr
Written by Mike on April 6th, 2010
Well friends, my Spring vacation has come and gone, and it’s time to get back to the grindstone. It was a great vacation, and while I’m sad that it’s over, I have experiences and memories (awesome photos and souvenirs, too) to last a lifetime. So, with that being said, here are some of the highlights from Spring Vacation 2010.
Kentucky Horse Park
| The day after I got to Louisville, March 27th, my aunt, uncle, and I drove to Lexington, KY to visit the Kentucky Horse Park. We had an great time down there. The weather was beautiful, which made walking around the 12,000 acre park more tolerable. I was wore out by the time we left the park, but it was worth it, just being around those awesome animals, and getting to pet some of them. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to check out the photo gallery I linked to in my last blog post. |
 |
| One other interesting thing that came out of that day happened during dinner. After returning to Louisville, we decided to have dinner at a seafood place called Kingfish. A short while after ordering, my dinner was served to me on a red, fish shaped plate. I thought it was so cool, that I took a picture with my phone so I could show it to everyone. |
 |
My 26th Birthday
 |
My 26th birthday was on March 28th, which happened to fall on a day while I was on vacation. OK, so I planned the vacation so my birthday would occur during it, but whatever. Anyway, I really didn’t put any effort into planning a party or anything to celebrate my birthday, because I honestly didn’t care. I wanted it to be a low key, laid back day. Sure, I had dinner with the family at my grandmother’s house, and we had strawberry cheesecake for desert, but other than that, there really wasn’t much hype. And that’s the way I wanted it. Oh, and my mother fixed chocolate cupcakes, too. Can’t forget them. They were delicious! |
Newport Aquarium
| My April Fool’s Day was spent at the Newport Aquarium, in Newport, KY, with two aunts and an uncle. The cost of admission was a bit steep, but considering that I got to pet live starfish, horseshoe crabs, and SHARKS, I’ve decided it was well worth it. I mean, how often do you get to pet a live shark? It was AWEsome!
Pair that with walking through tunnels with all kinds of sharks, sting and manta rays, and other sea creatures swimming around you, and you’ve got one awesome day. |
|
| Unfortunately, the day didn’t go without a cruel April Fool’s joke being played on me. A park bench, a concrete sidewalk, and Mr. Gravity teamed up and broke the $13 coffee mug I bought in the gift shop. Thankfully, I was able to go back into the shop and get another mug, but I could have done without that little incident. Other than that, it was a great day. |
 |
D-Meetup with Michael Hoskins
 |
The final event, on the final day of my vacation was a special one. The route that I drive to and from Louisville runs through Greenwood, Indiana, which is where fellow D-Blogger and Diabetic Online Community (DOC) member Michael Hoskins lives with his wife, Suzi, and their dog Riley, and their cat Shadow.
Mike and I met for lunch at Jonathan Byrd’s Cafeteria on Saturday, before heading over to his place, where I met Suzi, and their animal friends. We spent a while chatting about everything under the sun, playing with Riley and Shadow, and just having a good time. Look for more on the D-Meetup in my next blog post. |
The Rainbow on the way home
My Spring vacation was filled with lots of excitement, and in the end, Mother Nature wrapped it in a bow. A rainbow in fact.
It had been raining off and on between Louisville and Fort Wayne; it wasn’t when I left Greenwood, but started up again soon after. I was more than halfway between Indy and Fort Wayne when it finally stopped raining. As the storm system was passing on, and the sun was beginning to shine through, a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky, to the east of I-69. While I wasn’t able to get a very good picture of it, I did manage to snap a shot of the rainbow while I was driving.
It really was the perfect ending to a great day, and an awesome vacation. |
 |
31
Mar
Written by Mike on March 31st, 2010
As promised in a tweet yesterday, here are some photos from my trip to the Kentucky Horse Park this past weekend. It was an awesome day all the way around. Hope you enjoy the pictures, and please post comments if you do.
KY Horse Park Gallery
