Mari Ruddy 
I made a promise to my certified diabetes educator, registered dietitian Marcey Robinson 8 years ago when I gave up gluten, meat,dairy and alcohol. The promise was to make a concerted effort to find and try new recipes at least twice a month, to keep cooking and eating at home interesting and engaging. I am … Read more
I have been working on my goals and plans for 2019, and it has come time to get my book out into the world. It’s time. I am ready. Even though I am ready, I am scared beyond belief. I worry about hurting my biological family. I worry it won’t be good enough. I worry … Read more
As you might know, I’ve had type 1 diabetes for 37.5 years and I have recently experienced my first significant diabetes complication. The name on the street for my complication is “trigger finger.” It began about four years ago. A few of my fingers, on both my hands, started catching and hurting. I asked my … Read more
I work at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and every time I log in to our electronic system, I see notices about things happening on the various campuses. A few weeks ago I saw a notice about a training on Ambiguous Loss by Pauline Boss, PhD. I was curious, as the word ambiguous feels … Read more
I love races! I don’t love holidays, but I do enjoy movement and race companies like to create races on various holidays. Here in the USA, Thanksgiving is a good day for 5K races. All the eating that happens this day is excellent motivation to start the day off with some running and walking. I … Read more
Have you noticed that losing weight is hard? I sure have. I am not at my ideal weight. I set a goal for this year, 2018, to get my weight back in my ideal range which is about 150 lbs. I’m not at that weight, and I have had to purchase clothing in slightly bigger … Read more
I’m back! Yes, it’s been a tad over two months since I wrote a blog post. I have lots of excuses and as of today, none of them much matter. At long last, I feel ready to resume my weekly posting and I’ve even picked up the editing process on my book. Here’s one explanation … Read more
Do you spend a good amount of time working at a desk? I do! After all, I’m the Internship Coordinator at the University of Minnesota in the College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Sciences (CFANS) and I spend a lot of time emailing students, supervisors and more. PLUS I am a writer working on my … Read more
Have you ever noticed that entrance fees to races are not cheap? If you ever do an Ironman branded event, you have to plan to spend a LOT of money. At minimum, it’s $600 US for just the race fee. Not to mention the travel expenses if you plan to travel away from your home … Read more
This week I’m in Denver, Colorado visiting a number of my dearest long-time friends. After all, I did live in Denver for both of my rounds of breast cancer. These are many of the people who were there for me during rounds one and two of getting back to health after finding out I had … Read more