Category Archives: Friends

Identity Crisis, or “Real” Food vs. “Weird” Food

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This last year has been crazy. I couldn’t have predicted this. At all.

February 2012: “My position was eliminated” after 3.5 years of hard work. We went up to Washington State for three weeks to see if being at sea level in a cloudy climate helps my husband’s migraines. Found out that it helps his head about 40%. It’s the largest difference we’ve found so far. We also put our house up on the market.

March 2012: Moved back to Utah to live with family. I thought this would last a few months, but we’re still here.

April 2012: I got a part-time job teaching English online to students (mostly children) in Spanish-speaking countries. I LOVE IT.

November 2012: My husband’s “position was eliminated.” We also got an offer on our house! We’re in the short sale process, so it’s taking a long time. It’s still going on. We’re hoping to close by the end of February 2013. My husband is looking hard for work, but nothing has worked out yet.

As I’m sure you can imagine, having my life turned upside down means that I really have to re-evaluate who I am and what my values are. It’s been a long and arduous process, and it’s not over yet! This blog has undergone some changes, too! It initially started out as a way for my extended family to understand my Celiac and food allergies, became an attempt to have a gluten-free wedding planning business, then to product reviews, then to….jam.

As I’ve been figuring myself out and what I want to do with this blog, I’ve realized that I no longer let my life revolve around gluten. I am still 100% gluten-free. As I was trying to build a business, though, I just became overwhelmed by the hard-core gluten-free and allergy folks.

3 1/2 years after diagnosis, I really don’t spend a lot of brain power on gluten-free. Seriously. After the hours it took to go grocery shopping the first couple of times, I never thought eating gluten-free would be intuitive, and yet — here I am. It’s so intuitive that I occasionally FORGET to tell servers at restaurants that I have to eat gluten-free. Crazy, right?

Then I thought about what I could do with this blog that those hard-core folks out there can’t provide. They are recipe-creating masters! They have every bit of advice that a newly-diagnosed Celiac or gluten intolerant person could ever dream of needing. They’re activists, always fighting the good fight against gluten and allergy ignorance. They’re writers. I felt like there wasn’t anything I could contribute. I don’t have kids that need dinner 5 minutes ago. I’m not even working full-time. I don’t eat organic, well, pretty much anything.

Then I realized: I can promote real food. For me, real food is peace. It’s love. It’s life. It’s intertwined with life. It’s part of a balance. It doesn’t define me, just like I’m not defined by any single aspect of my life. It’s a big part of my identity, sure, but it’s not everything.

So — real food. Tonight, I made an almond bundt cake.

Almond bundt cake

Almond bundt cake

It consists of almond flour, brown rice flour, baking soda, salt, olive oil, water, agave nectar and (pure) maple syrup. That’s it. That’s all. Just this week, I’ve made turkey piccata, twice-baked sweet potatoes, pad thai, a “south american” pork dish involving quinoa, coconut milk, turmeric, ginger, cloves, and a tomato-apricot chutney. (I’m missing a few ingredients because I’m listing them off the top of my head, but they’re all real ingredients, too.) Tonight was turkey chili with rice. Pumpkin cookies. Chocolate chip cookies. Ginger wheels (softer than snaps). A pear spice cake made with teff (and to DIE for. I would have made that tonight instead of the almond bundt cake, but I didn’t have any fresh, ripe pears).

For me, real food is worth it. I don’t spend the extra money on organic stuff (unless that’s the only way it comes, like some of the flours). I just make real food with real ingredients. I haven’t been to cooking school, and I’m definitely not a photographer. I just like to cook, and document what I cook, and work it into my life. Even though I never could have anticipated that we’d be living with my parents at this point in life, I LOVE cooking for all of us.

I am grateful for having been diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Yes. I AM GRATEFUL. Without the diagnosis, I never would have discovered quinoa. Or almond flour. Or coconut kefir. Or teff. Or how much FUN it is to make JAM! Or the best pumpkin cookies on earth that also happen to be gluten-free and vegan. Or that pancakes and waffles are not the only uses for maple syrup! Or agave nectar. Or tamari. YUM.

Are almond, teff, brown rice, sorghum, tapioca, garbanzo, rice, amaranth, etc. etc. etc. “weird” flours compared to just boring old flour? Yes. Are they nutritious? Most of them. :)  Are they healthy? Yes! Are they real? Absolutely. Run a Google search on teff flour. Run a Google search on quinoa. Try making a stir-fry, but instead of serving it with rice, serve it with quinoa. IT’S SO GOOD. Run a Google search on tamari. It has a darker, richer flavor than soy sauce, and I LOVE IT. Even if I could, I would never go back to regular ol’ soy sauce.

Thanks for reading, thanks for sticking with me, and if you need any help, please let me know! I’m only an e-mail away. I’m happy to help with shopping or cookbook recommendations or anything at all. cinderellaspear (at) gmail.com. If you’d like to join me on Facebook or Instagram, send me an e-mail. I’m not-so-inclined to add people I don’t know when anybody can read my blog.

Also, if there’s anything you’d like me to cover on the blog, let me know!

Thanks for reading,

Cristina

The Emotional Journey of Pain

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It’s painful to be laid off under extremely challenging circumstances, and to know that the pay and insurance I’ve enjoyed the last 3 1/2 years is ending very soon.

It’s painful to keep applying and applying and applying, have interviews on a regular basis, but not have a new job yet.

It’s painful to have purchased a house a year ago (which is a stressful process in and of itself), only to be trying to sell it now since between the two of us, we just can’t keep it up.

It’s painful that the house hasn’t sold yet, with the aforementioned job ending.

It’s painful to know that my husband feels better in the Northwest, but that we don’t have jobs there yet (and, for that matter, an apartment).

With all of these, there are HUGE timing issues.

Yet, all this looks like nothing when I put it next to my cousin being diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia (in January) and my mom’s cousin (same side of the family) having just been diagnosed with ovarian cancer this week.

This combination of events has really pulled the carpet out from under me. I have questioned so many of the things I’ve learned and taken for granted over the years. I’ve had a tough time returning calls and e-mails, preferring instead to try to hide until it’s all over. People I care about who care a lot about me ask me questions I can’t answer.

I’ve been very fortunate in my choice of spouse. He’s been wonderful, supportive and sweet, and we’ve gotten to know each other a lot better. We both have great parents.

I have the chance to recreate myself, to start over, to re-evaluate my boundaries and values. It’s interesting, scary, saddening and exciting. That’s just for starters, and in the last 60 seconds.

I wish I could take my magic wand and heal the cancer patients. I wish I could tap my husband’s head with that magic wand and cure his headaches. I wish I could make the pain go away and settle my life and emotions.

Instead, I think and pray, think and pray, and think some more. I do sudoku. I read. (The Hunger Games, in Spanish, if you’re curious.) I think and pray some more. I start redefining who I am, what I value, and what my boundaries are. Sometimes I’m able to take several steps forward, and sometimes I slip several more back. I weigh pros and cons, and then I question the measure.

It’s hard, but I’m growing. I still can’t answer any questions, but I know there’s a plan, and I know the pieces will fall into place someday. Hopefully that day will be soon, but it’s not in my hands. Not really. I can apply for jobs and apply for jobs, but thinking and praying is about all I can do after that.

To those who care about us and have helped us, thank you. To all of you who read my blog, thank you. Your love, prayers and thoughts are felt and appreciated.

 

 

Migraines and Washington, or Why I’ve Been Missing in Action

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I have been missing in the online world. Haven’t been blogging, and have been spending minimal time on Facebook and Twitter. A lot has been going on in my life, but now I have something that resembles a plan.

The Background:

In May of 2009, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Over the July 4th weekend, we went up to Idaho to spend the holiday with my family. We came back that Sunday, and in the middle of the night, I got up to go to the bathroom. Just as I was almost back to sleep, my husband got up, too. I heard a loud, long, extended clatter in the kitchen of our small, one-bedroom apartment. Half-asleep, I called out, “Honey, are you ok??” No response. So I got up, went out to the kitchen to find my husband standing by the kitchen table, holding a mug of water, and wiping blood from his nose. I asked him if he was okay, and he responded that he thought he’d fallen down.

“You fell down?!”

“I think I’m just dehydrated. Some water should help.”

He took a step toward the kitchen sink and passed out again, hitting his head on the sink. (Have I mentioned he’s really tall?) He was only out for a few seconds, but didn’t remember anything between me calling out from the bedroom, and me hovering over him, asking, “Are you okay? Are you okay? Are you okay?” So…we called the paramedics. He went to the ER and did every test imaginable, but everything came back normal. Ever since then, though, he’s had a migraine. Not kidding. On a really good day, at the best part of the day, his pain is at a 3 (out of 10). Most of the time, it’s higher than that.

The Struggle:

We have tried SO many things, to little or no avail. We consider ourselves VERY lucky that he’s able to work full time, with a wonder drug called amitriptyline. We have paid lots of money in trying different medications, different combinations of medications, and many other things.

For Christmas 2010, we went out to his grandmother’s house, which is in the very northwest part of Washington State. We had a great time, but the most miraculous thing was how good he felt! It’s the best I’ve seen my husband feel in 2 1/2 years. We were at sea level, the sky was cloudy, it was warm, and the air was clean. I cried on the way back to SEATAC. I did NOT want to come home to the inversion gunk in the air and my husband feeling terrible again, but back we came.

In February 2011, we bought a house. We love our house. Unfortunately, though, my husband has been getting worse, making taking care of the house and the yard very difficult. Washington has always been on the back burner of my mind, with a big “what if??” What if we moved there? Would he feel better more of the time? Was that just a fluke, since it was Christmas and he wasn’t working and was around family?

We talked about it extensively over Christmas, and decided that when he went to his checkup with his neuro-ophthalmologist just after the holidays, we would ask her. (She’s one of the three neuro-ophthalmologists in the Intermountain West.) When we got to the appointment, she asked us before we could ask her!

I told her about Christmas, and she was very interested in that. She said that altitude can really strongly affect migraneurs sometimes, and that it would be worth trying it again to see if it was just a fluke, or if he could feel better being at sea level.

That was what we needed.

The Decisions:

1- We will try the experiment, because it’s worth it! His grandma is being so kind to let us come stay with her. Both of our families have been amazing and so understanding.

2- We are selling our house. We’re very sad about this, because we LOVE our house, we LOVE our neighbors, we LOVE our ward, we LOVE the area. It’s beautiful. Wonderful people. (Seriously — I mentioned at church that my husband wasn’t there because he’d made the “mistake” of shoveling the driveway. Since then, some neighborhood angel has been clearing our walks and driveway. THANK YOU, WHOEVER YOU ARE.)

3- If going to Washington works, we will move there. I am ready to move on with my life. If he doesn’t feel ALL the way better, that’s okay — as long as he feels a LOT better. We are both ready for him to be more functional than he is, even though we’re both grateful he can at least work full time.

4- If Washington doesn’t work and we end up staying here, we are still selling our house and buying a condo or renting an apartment that doesn’t require yardwork. Our realtor is amazing, and she will be taking care of some house things while we’re gone.

Life change is never easy, and this has been no exception. It’s been a lot of thinking, a lot of talking, and a lot of praying. I believe that God has been guiding us, and looking out for us. I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who loves us and supports us. I really can’t tell you how much it means to me. It’s a little overwhelming (in a good way).

Please pray for us and send good thoughts our way as we make these preparations and as we travel. It’s an exciting adventure, and I’m really looking forward to it.

Making Holidays and Events More Enjoyable with Food Issues

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October, November and December are all about events. October is about Halloween parties, November has the big (and sometimes ominous) Thanksgiving, and December is about Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and others. Parties galore!

For the last few years around Christmas, I’ve struggled. With Celiac Disease and other food allergies (especially milk and corn!), most holiday goodies are on my “bad” list. Bowls of candy set around the room? Nope. If they don’t have milk, they have corn syrup. (Candy canes, anyone?) Corn chips and salsa? Nope. Most baked goods (that I’m not bringing myself) have gluten in them. I’m having a tough time coming up with things to list here since I’m so used to not having them.

When I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, I was self-conscious about letting people cook or bake for me, for two main reasons. 1- It’s very difficult to do gluten-free cooking and baking correctly, without any cross contact and 2- I hate putting people out. Ever since the other food allergies made themselves known, I’ve just assumed that any party I go to won’t be able to accommodate me, so I eat beforehand. It’s habit, now.

The holidays are especially difficult because it seems that all of a sudden, people are very emotionally tied to their food! People usually have at least one dish, without which, it wouldn’t be Christmas or Thanksgiving or what-have-you. It also can’t be just any rendition of the dish, it has to be Grandma’s recipe. (This is true for my family and pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving.) It also seems to suddenly be that if a food is eaten, then the maker of the dish understands that you like it, and that you appreciate their efforts. Not eating someone’s dish is just not okay!

To help everyone understand each other a little better, I’ve come up with a few suggestions. The level to which these work is dependent on how well the host and guest know each other, so please adapt accordingly.

* Guest: Please don’t be offended if your host doesn’t accommodate your food issues. If they haven’t had to deal with any, they might be intimidated at the thought of attempting something and then having you get sick anyway. If they’re going to try, and you’re comfortable with their efforts, consider it a gift.

* Host: If the guest says they’ll eat beforehand, please don’t be offended. They’re looking out for their health, not condemning everything you cook or will have at the event. Take it as a BIG compliment that they’re willing to come, even though they won’t be able to eat anything.

* Guest: Don’t try something you know isn’t safe for you just because you’re feeling pressured to do so. Getting sick isn’t worth it. Just politely decline and mention you have food allergies. In my experience, people are pretty understanding.

* Host: If your guest is more comfortable eating beforehand, don’t force the issue. It’s not code for “please try harder.” It usually means that they don’t want to put you out, and would rather make food a non-issue.

* Guest: Understand that your host and the other guests mean well, even if you’re uncomfortable. Most people care very much, but aren’t used to dealing with food issues, and may not be aware if they’re saying something insensitive. It’s also been my experience that most people are seeking to understand something they’re unfamiliar with. If you’re comfortable, be willing to talk about your food issues. We can increase understanding in others if we are willing to talk about food in a calm and positive way.

In this season of holidays, parties and events, may we all be more considerate and deferential to each other. May we find ways to love each other and to appreciate the people who care for us. May we especially be kinder to ourselves.

NaBloPoMo: Gluten-Free + Twitter = Fun!

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Today’s National Health Blog Posting Month prompt is to talk about the awesomeness of our individual communities.

Let me tell you: I have had SO much fun joining Twitter. I haven’t had an account for long, because I didn’t see a reason for it. Now that I have a business, though, there are SO many great people to connect with!

I love the gluten-free community. It seems that we all want to make each other’s lives better, richer, easier and as “normal” as possible. We all have different talents, but we all chip in. We’re online a LOT. So many people are coming up with recipes like there’s no tomorrow, and they share. People take pictures, tweet tips, offer love and support. When you’re having a bad food day, or it seems like you’re alone and going to be left out forever, we can understand that. It doesn’t matter whether they live by me or not — someone else understands. They’ve been there, too.

We research and post our findings. We blog. We call companies. We stand up for each other. We sign petitions. We help people find each other, because the more, the merrier!

Connecting with the gluten-free community via Twitter has enriched my life so much, and I couldn’t have predicted that.

Thanks, everyone. Much love.

Cristina

NaBloPoMo: Celiac Disease, food allergies, gastroparesis & perma-migraine

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Having Celiac Disease, food allergies, gastroparesis and my husband’s perma-migraine has changed my life.
– Medicine is a combination of both Art and Science. Many people in Medicine really want to help people, but we don’t know everything! There are many areas of specialization, and no-one is perfect. My health is my responsibility, so I have to take care of me, even if that means switching doctors (though I’ve been personally very lucky in this respect). Doctors don’t know every single answer, so I can’t expect them to just fix me.
– Everyone’s situation is personal. We all have our own health issues, and we can only do what we can do, regardless of what others want from us. My sensitivity to gluten is different from my co-worker’s down the hall. Some people are less sensitive to gluten, some are more. I can understand how that becomes confusing for friends who are trying to keep it straight, but just because Susie down the street can eat ______, that doesn’t mean that I can by default.
– You can only do what you can do. My husband and I don’t take many trips. It seems that the perma-migraine weakens his immune system quite a bit, because he’s gotten sick after the last two return flights. We don’t drive much, because having to pay attention to the road, and the light coming in does a number on the perma-migraine, even if he’s wearing his dark, wrap-around glasses. For me car trips are a little scary because I never know when my stomach is all of a sudden …. not going to be cooperative, which can be a problem when one is on a long stretch of road with nary a bathroom in sight. Sometimes we have to bow out of events early, or not even go, depending on how we’re feeling. We essentially tell people when we’re invited that we’d love to go….if we’re feeling well. Sometimes we don’t know if we’re going to be able to make it to something until an hour beforehand. This also means that we don’t buy expensive tickets to things. That way it’s less disappointing if/when we end up not feeling well enough to go.
– We are always re-evaluating our priorities. We were just talking about this tonight. Many people aspire to visit Italy or France or wherever. Europe is pretty much awesome about gluten-free stuff, but I have the other food allergies, too! And seeing all those sightsoutside? Yeah, no. Not good for the perma-migraine. Why spend all the money to get ourselves over there, only to have Matt frustrated about not being able to tour, and me frustrated about all the fabulous food that I wouldn’t be able to eat? Granted, if we moved there for some (awesome) reason, I’d figure it out, but travelling and having to deal with that just wouldn’t be worth it for me. Realizing that is a big deal. We have to re-evaluate what’s important to us, and move down that path.
– People are a lot more interested and caring than I gave them credit. We both often feel very self-conscious about our health issues. As I mentioned in my last post, we long to be “normal.” I’m often afraid that people judge us, or think we’re faking, or what-have-you, but I’ve found a lot of people to be genuinely curious and sympathetic. It’s also interesting, slightly weird, and pretty cool to have people think of me when they go to the grocery store and see an increase in gluten-free foods, or when someone goes to a restaurant and finds out they have gluten-free items. I’ve had friends and family recommend my blog to people who all of a sudden are diagnosed with Celiac. (Thank you.) I’ve had two people I care a lot about mention that they changed their lives and health for the better after reading my blog, which was very touching for me. I just want to help people, so when I’m successful, I feel successful.
Taking care of one’s self is very important. We only have one body, so we have to take care of it. I hope we can all find the motivation and courage to take care of ourselves and those around us.

NaBloPoMo: Dear 18 Year Old Me

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Dear 18 Year Old Cristina,

You know how you don’t care much for rolls at Thanksgiving, or how you don’t pick up a roll at family gatherings when there’s a meat and cheese plate? You know how you think it’s gross when Dad makes scrambled eggs and toast when Mom’s not home?

It’s because you’ll be diagnosed with Celiac Disease, and you’re allergic to eggs. (And beef, chicken, milk, bananas, carrots and corn.)

You’ll luckily be married to a really awesome guy who is very, very supportive. It’ll make life tougher, but you’ll grow in ways you can’t possibly anticipate right now, and you’ll meet some really great people who are going through the same thing.

Don’t put so much pressure on yourself, and try to enjoy the moment more. Go out on a limb and try something new, but don’t be afraid to defend yourself when you know what works for you. Don’t worry so much about what your friends think. Most of them won’t be nearly as important later on in life, and this cool thing called Social Media has yet to really take off. (It helps keep in touch.)

You know how you’re tired all the time? Even though that’s normal for you, it isn’t actually normal, so it’s a good idea to get that checked out. You’ll wish you’d figured that out at the beginning of high school, because feeling better (even though you think you feel fine now) would have made high school better and easier.

And even though night time is YOUR time, try to get as much sleep as you can. You’ll wish later that you had.

Also? You have anxiety (trust me — you do). Start now to teach yourself how to relax. It’ll curb the monumental amounts of stress I’ve been experiencing. Find the things that you like to do, and do them. Keep swing dancing. In a few years (close to ten), you’ll discover some new hobbies (like canning!) that you’ll LOVE. With passion.

Most of all, take it easy on yourself. You’re pretty dang awesome.

Love,
2011 Cristina

Halloween Party + The Gluten Free Consumer Giveaway!

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A few weeks ago, I was asked to write a Halloween party article for a new publication called The Gluten Free Consumer (http://www.allergymenuspecialists.com/). Halloween is only 11 days away, so if you’re still looking for a few Halloween party tips, now’s the time!

The Gluten Free Consumer is published here in Salt Lake City, and has lots of coupons and product reviews, which are very helpful to the gluten-free community. It’s so frustrating when I pay a small fortune to try a gluten-free product that swears it will be awesome, only to have it fall…..short. I write product and restaurant reviews for the same reason. As a community, we have so much to share with each other. We just have to get the information out and about. They didn’t ask me to write about The Gluten Free Consumer in this way, but I wanted you to know why I like it and think it’s a great idea.

Writing the article was really fun! It’s being published in this month’s edition, so check it out and let me know what you think. Rodney and Celeste have been great to work with. (Thanks, guys!)

Rodney, who’s the CEO, is generously giving out five 1-year subscriptions of The Gluten Free Consumer to you, my wonderful readers!

To enter, I want to hear why you think you should win one of the copies! You can leave your very persuasive argument in four places:

A – Comment on this blog,
B – “Like” my page — Cinderella’s Pear — on Facebook and comment there,
C – Follow me on Twitter (@CinderellasPear) and Tweet about why you should win, or
D – Find me on Google + and leave a comment there!

(And yes — you get 1 entry for each one of these that you do — but the max is four.)

Don’t forget that I need some way to contact you if you win! Send me an e-mail at cinderellaspear (at) gmail (dot) com if you have any questions!

The drawing will take place Monday, Oct. 31st …when I get home from work. :)

Best wishes and thanks for reading!
Cristina

Gluten-Free Expo 2011

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I’ve tried to start this post several times, but struggle to come up with what to say about it besides “Um…it was awesome?” I also updated my iPod to the new operating system without saving my pictures to the hard drive, which includes pictures of my booth! Sorry to disappoint, but I will come back and post them if I end up finding them.

It was a LOT of work to get ready for that Expo, and it was a great experience. Some of the major work (and money) was for one-time things like my banner, my business license, and my table decorations. I ordered so many business cards that I’m tempted to call them a one-time expense even though they’re not, because I won’t have to re-order them for a while. (More on my business cards later.) 
I would like to say, at the outset, that Debbie Deaver (who owns and runs this Expo) is amazing to work with. She was very supportive and was a great help, in addition to being very pleasant to be around. 
I showed up on Friday afternoon to get things set up, and was impressed by many of the displays around me. After browsing through the displays that were in the process of being set up, I realized that my table didn’t look the way I wanted it to. I realized I needed to make it look like elegant — like a table you might see at a very nice reception.

I went to several different stores and collected a black tablecloth, some fake red rose petals, some confetti that looks like little diamonds, a bottle of Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider.

So, imagine this:

Black tablecloth, with three red/burgundy cloth napkins — one in the center, and two on either far side of the table. If you’re “looking” at the table, on the center napkin, there are my flyers and business cards, with index cards and pens close by for the drawing. On the left-hand napkin is a 16×20 engagement picture of me and my husband. In front of that, there’s a little box we wrapped to look like a wedding gift to hold the drawing entries. On the right-side napkin, there’s a place setting with the fourth napkin folded on the plates, and the bottle of Martinelli’s. Scattered throughout the table are the diamond confetti (which really sparkled under the lights against the tablecloth) and the fake rose petals (for those, like me, who have allergies). Behind me, hanging on the black curtain, was my big banner.

It was a lot of fun, and people were really curious about what I’m doing, and very positive. I had a lot of people, after hearing my “spiel,” tell me that they think this is a great idea. I even had a few people who looked at my table and materials and “got it” before I even opened my mouth. I had several people tell me they’d already found this blog (thank you!!) and a few told me they wish they’d known me a year ago.

Here’s the “spiel”: I’m an event planner — weddings, anniversary parties, holiday parties, funerals, any family gathering. Big events are tough enough to plan without having to take the time to research all the caterers and find out which one can handle your needs. I understand about having lots of food needs. I’m allergic to beef, chicken, eggs, milk, bananas, carrots and corn on top of having Celiac disease, so I know how to talk to restaurants and caterers about food issues and make sure they know what they’re doing. I believe that people should be able to sit back and enjoy their events without wondering if they’re going to be sick later because they got glutened by their caterer.

I do anything from consult for an hour to make sure a client knows how to handle things all the way to planning an entire event.

I look forward to future business, and thanks to all of you who came to the Expo, and who love and support me.!

Thank you.

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This blog post is to say Thank You.

I still have my days when I wish my life could go back to “normal” — where I had more energy in general, and didn’t have all of my food and health issues. I still have days when I’m angry and bitter. (I’m also just generally angry between the day after Thanksgiving and January 2.)

However, I have amazing friends. My current friends have been wonderfully supportive, and I’ve met some fantastic friends via Twitter and Google Plus. These friends are going through similar things that I am, and we help and give each other ideas.

I was lucky to meet a few people yesterday that have found this blog and mentioned it to me at the Expo. I was so flattered, and it was wonderful to meet you!

I also could not do this without the constant support of my wonderful husband. Thank you, Matt, for taking good care of me.

I’m a richly blessed person. Thank you, friends, for your support. May we continue to love and support each other, making this world a better place to be.