Hiya folks! I know it's been a very long time since I have checked in and I keep meaning to write some sort of witty update about my first 7 months in New Mexico, but frankly, I am having too much fun just living my life!

Big news, I have been in a relationship for around two months now and it is going well! I had just about given up on ever finding someone I was attracted to and compatible with but we started dating in January and have been having a lot of fun getting to know each other and doing things together.

But the big thing for me is that he's been a Type 1 Diabetic since he was 31 (he is now 58). What a challenging disease! I realize that I have never really known anything about it, but I am fast being educated. The constant finger pricking and glucose testing and the emergency bottles of soda and snacks when the blood sugar plummets...and getting it wrong can be deadly for him. Last week we tried to go on a hike but he was having a hard time keeping his blood sugar up so we couldn't go all the way down the trail (who wants to be THAT guy that has to be air-lifted to a hospital because you drop into a diabetic coma or something). Today we went to the hot springs about an hour away from home and again he was having trouble maintaining decent glucose levels.

I am trying to learn a bunch about it to help him - I think he could do a lot better on his diet (he is not overweight at all but he needs to have more home-cooked meals and better snacks instead of the emergency crap he ends up grabbing from gas stations and convenience stores). And that is one thing I am good at, is cooking and eating healthy. I enjoy helping others to eat better too, so as soon as my kitchen gets finished in a week or two, I can REALLY start cooking the way I used to back in Michigan.

But this a big challenge for me - partnering up with someone who has significant health issues. There is a small part of me that wonders if I am really ready to be with someone long term with major health concerns like that (the old me). Then I realize he is the person I think I have been waiting for my whole life and that I CAN accept every part of him, even if some of it is kind of scary. I think as I learn more about the disease and how it is managed it will feel less overwhelming.

Do any of you have spouses or partners that are diabetic? What advice can you give me?