My Gluten Free Wedding! (Lots of pics!)

So, as you probably already know (because it's OLD NEWS by now...lol!), Brandon and I got married on April 4th!

It turned out EXACTLY like we wanted: small, simplistic, and FUN! Oh, and for the most part, it was gluten free!!

There were only like 60 people there, which was great. At first we were concerned that the wedding kept growing and growing, but in the end, the amount of people there was perfect. The weather was not as good as we had hoped, but it was better than every other day that week! Apparently in Arizona, we don't get rain in the Spring, just lots of wind and dust! The whole week (and particularly the day before the wedding--it was the worst) had winds of 35 mph with gusts up to 50! There was dust everywhere. Did I forget to mention that our entire wedding and reception was outdoors in a park? Yeah. Fortunately, the wind died down on our wedding day to about 10 mph and eventually stopped in the evening. It was only about 75 that day (it was 85-ish the rest of the week!) so it got COLD at night. Luckily the rental place (Affordable Rentals in Tempe) were AWESOME. We managed to get ahold of them, AFTER HOURS, and they rushed like 6 or 8 heaters out to us. It made a WORLD of difference, and everyone could get their dance on without shivering!

I made my grand entrance on our Arctic Cat, driven by my dad. It was definitely an original idea and reflected our life/personalities perfectly! It was even decorated by the groom himself with tulle (you'll see it in the pictures!) It was definitely a conversation piece!

We had John Ore, a Justice of the Peace from Chandler, as our officiant. Let me tell you, if you are in Arizona and are getting married, we HIGHLY recommend him! He brought a little humor to the ceremony, which all our guests loved (and so did we!).

And now, to the important stuff. Gluten free food!

As I mentioned before, we had our wedding cake done by Sugarlips Cakery. The cake was absolutely beautiful. It was 3 tiers, with the top tier being gluten free. It was a vanilla or white gluten free cake with strawberry and buttercream filling. It was so good. Then the bottom two tiers were regular vanilla cake and raspberry filling. The groom said it was amazing. AND the best part is, they separated the top tier from the others with TWO plate-thingys (I can't for the life of me think of what they're called right now, lol), one the exact size of the cake, and the other a little bigger to make sure none of it touched! HOORAY!

The catering was done by Crackers and Company Cafe. I will never, ever, EVER be able to sing enough praises for Crackers and Company. Seriously. They were absolutely AMAZING!! From the moment we contacted them, they were completely on board for preparing the meal gluten free. They were so helpful and so detailed in the menu. We ended up having:

Pork loin (which had some sort of apple glaze or something...incredible)
A carving station of turkey breast (with cranberry sauce on the side)
Roasted red potatoes (that had peppers in it..everyone LOVED them)
A vegetable medley
Salad topped with all kinds of goodies: mushrooms, peppers, etc (croutons and dressings on the side)

They had a bread display, away from everything. They had servers at the buffet table and totally understood the importance of making sure that spoons did not travel. These people blew my mind. We spoke with the owner directly (she was even at our wedding) and they went over EVERY single thing that was going into the food. They sent me a fax of photocopies of ingredient labels for everything, even the meats. They faxed me copies of emails they sent with their providers, ensuring everything's gluten free status. They even told me that if the meat was not gluten free they would go down to AJ's the day of the wedding and buy me my own pork loin! Oh, and I had originally wanted lemon herb chicken for the menu, but picky eaters created a problem (read: my DAD), so the chef offered to make my maid of honor and I our own lemon herb chicken breasts, aside from everything. They were so accomodating! The chef called me the day before the wedding to read me the ingredient label of something before he made the apple glaze. The owner went to back and grabbed the ranch dressing container they use at the restaurant and let Brandon read the label himself. And to top everything off, they said if it ended up raining on our wedding day, that we could move our reception to their restaurant (not even 5 minutes down the street) and have it all to ourselves at no cost!! OMG, right? I could not have wished, hoped, or DREAMED for a better wedding catering experience. They are incredible, friendly, helpful people at Crackers and Company, and seriously, if you are in Arizona, stop by their restaurant--they have a few locations. (And no I'm not getting paid to say all this, LOL! They just did a phenominal job and really went above and beyond; they deserve all the business they get! I've never been to a single restaurant where I've gotten such great service.)

And now...to the pictures. Our photography was done by Cayla Rynerson Photography...she did such a great job on these photos! She was also a lot of fun and VERY affordable!

These are in no particular order..they uploaded all funny. But there's too many to go back and rearrange :)

Our first kiss as husband and wife!

The gluten free cake! Neither of us trusting the other to not smash it in our face :)

The Arctic Cat!

I now pronounce you Mr and Mrs Brandon S.

The ceremony. It was beautiful! Everything we wanted!

My maid of honor, Michelle, and I!

I love this picture!

The wedding cake! Top tier was gluten free!

A friend of mine called this photo, "erotic." LOL!

My incredible sexy groom! My favorite pics of him.

The boys!

This is very close to being my favorite picture! It's hard to decide, but I LOVE it. Cayla Rynerson Photography...for real, she's awesome.

Husband and wife!

LOVE IT!

So there you go, now I'm a gluten free newlywed!

My Gluten Free Bachelorette Party!

My bachelorette party was on March 28th -- the weekend before my wedding! I have NO pictures pretty much...I was too intoxicated to photograph! LOL!

It started with Misty (Brandon's brother's girlfriend...got that? Lol) making me gluten free cheese danishes, a fruit salad, and a mimosa for breakfast! It turned out great! Then it was off to a full body massage, which I was a little nervous about at first! I've had massage therapy in the past that left me feeling sore and like my muscles were bruised. I enjoyed the massage though and it was definitely what I needed after all the stress that I was under! Turns out my shoulders were incredibly tense and so was my right arm, which explained the numbness that I'd occassionally have in my right hand! The nerves in my fingers felt like they were dancing in jubilee after the arm/hand massage.

After the full body massage, Misty took me for a facial. I have never had a facial before. It was very relaxing, and included a hand/foot massage. I do have to say that it is very weird to have some stranger squeezing gunk out of your pores, lol. She did tell me that I had very nice skin though, so I got over it quickly. I've discovered that I don't really like my feet being massaged...she would rub my feet then rub my legs and I just felt like I was covered in foot-ness. Yes, I am aware that I am weird. The facial was very nice and relaxing, but the moisturizer she put on me last left me feeling greasy and oily. Yuck. It soaked in though, and was eventually fine. It was a day of pampering!

After the facial, Misty and I went to Dos Gringos for lunch and this is where the boozing officially began. We had 2 tequila shots, and on top of that I probably had 4 margaritas (and I think my straw may have found its way into Misty's margarita at some point too). I was HAMMERED. Lol. Chris came over to hang out for a bit after he got done playing softball, so I convinced Brandon to come by too. He was cracking up at my drunk antics. Then, the boys drove Misty and I to the mall to do some shopping! Brandon gave Misty $100 to give me for shopping money! Isn't he the best?!? We were not at the mall long, though, because we had to get home to get ready for our evening! All I ended up buying at the mall was candy, everything else was blurry! HA!

So I went home and threw myself together and Misty picked me up. She had a very STRONG peach belini waiting for me! Oh man.

We met up with everyone at Picazzo's, my favorite gluten free friendly restaurant! My maid of honor Michelle (whom I have sung many praises about before) put together a great bachelorette party/dinner!

She had fun pink Girls Night Out leis for everyone and shot glass favors on the tables! She gave me a Bachelorette sash and a Bride To Be hat, complete with a veil attached to it! I arrived to dinner still drunk, so I was game for anything!

I even started wearing the bows from the presents on my head!


I had a delicious lemon drop martini, which is MY FAVE (and according to other pictures I've seen, I drank Misty's too...what is up with that! HA) We ordered gluten free pizza for everyone, which everyone LOVED. We ordered Ulimate Pepperoni and the Chicken and Applewood Smoked Bacon (my personal favorite). Picazzo's NEVER disappoints!

We opened presents, which I will not be posting pictures of, because, well, it was a bachelorette party and the pictures aren't for kids. :)

The bartender mixed us up some sort of shot, for all of us, on the house! They were TERRIBLE, but that didn't stop me from drinking two!

Michelle did a great job putting everything together, and I had a blast!! After Picazzo's, we had a bit of a house party, where I never saw my mimosa glass empty, so I couldn't even tell you how much I drank. I think there were some shots in there too, that were awful. Bleh. I had so much fun. Michelle, though sober, danced crazy with me to Lady GaGa!

Looking back, the party should have ended there because I was going downhill fast, but the night was still young. We went to a club in Scottsdale named Jackrabbit. It wasn't long before I was puking in the bathroom! Yuck. We did hang out there for a bit, but I got overheated and had to leave. The night was pretty much unsalvagable at that point; I threw up in the bathroom at the club, in a gift bag in the car, and in a trash can at a gas station. All of which got some small amount of puke on my person. If it wasn't my Bachelorette party, I would be horribly embarrassed about getting that drunk. But I hardly ever drink, and that's just what you do, right? Lol.

At least we didn't get arrested or anything, I mean, THAT, would be CRAZY!! :)

For more stories and pictures from the evening, check out the post Michelle wrote here. She remembers a lot more than I do :)

It's been how long?!

Holy cow, where did a month go?

I figure I need to at least write one entry for February. Lol.

I've been spending a lot of time on Twitter these days, so a lot of the little things I like to say often end up on there. Not following me yet? What are you waiting for?? Click here.

So what have I been up to? Oh man. Let's just say, I have come to the shocking realization that my wedding is 40 days away. Commence panic attack. I admit, I have been slacking lately. I tend to focus on each task at a time and then all of the sudden, WEEKS have passed and my to-do list is still so long! How does anyone survive planning a wedding?!?

As far as the gluten free aspect of the wedding goes..it's going really well. We just had an appointment with the caterers over the weekend and they are more than willing to accomodate me! That is such a relief. I feel like he is really, really taking this seriously. Honestly, I don't really trust most restaurants nowadays, after suffering glutening after glutening when eating out--off of gluten free menus. But he did say that he is taking this very seriously because he does not want to be responsible for sending me to the hospital on my wedding day. I didn't bother telling him that I wouldn't end up in the hospital (just the restroom, lol) because I'd rather he think that's what would happen. :) Maybe he'll think a little harder about double dipping spoons, you know? I'm not sure yet what the final menu will be; I'm still waiting for him to email me a rough price per head. He came up with something special for me that wasn't on the menu, so we're waiting to hear the pricing. As soon as I know for sure, I'll let you know what kind of yummy goodness I'll be enjoying on the big day!

So, against my better judgement, I am on a "diet" right now. Temporary insanity, maybe? We have booked our honeymoon, and we will be spending 6 fabulous days in Jamaica at a Sandals resort. I am beyond THRILLED about this. I cannot wait to be standing with my husband, with our feet in the sand at the edge of crystal blue water sipping on our tropical beverages. It's a dream come true for me! However, beach = bikini, and me + waaaaay too many sweets = one fat ass. LOL! I'm being dramatic, but for real, I am TOTALLY not wanting to be worrying about my cellulite while I'm on my once-in-a-lifetime vacation. To accomplish this, I am making small dietary changes and overall, trying to rid my diet of unneccessary calories. I am eating lean meats, more fruits and veggies, and low-fat dairy. I eat a banana or Dannon Light and Fit yogurt for breakfast. Then, I pack a salad for lunch--topped with hard-boiled egg, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and fat-free feta cheese. I stopped eating Ranch dressing and am now eating Italian dressing, although I will be making the switch to balsamic vinegrette. And, I've switched from Dr. Pepper to Diet Dr. Pepper. And, I've really, really tried cutting back on the sweets. Brandon would argue that I am still eating a LOT, but he didn't see all that I would eat at work. Lol. :) I have cut back. But hey, during "that time of month," I need a freaking caramello (or 12) and no questions need be asked. I am trying though! We even got a gym membership. Look at us, all motivated. :)

Well, I'll leave you with one of our favorite recipes, which is also probably the easiest one I make.

Oven Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Vegetables

1 pork tenderloin
10 to 12 creamer potatoes (I use half red, and half white), halved
4 to 5 boiling onions, halved
2 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (lately I've just been buying baby carrots and halving them)
Olive oil
Dried rosemary
Dried sage
Cracked black pepper
Kosher salt

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Generously spray roasting pan or baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place pork tenderloin in pan.

Place potatoes, carrots, and onions around tenderloin. Drizzle oil evenly over tenderloin and vegetables. Sprinkle with rosemary, sage, salt, and pepper. I just eyeball it.

Bake at 450 degrees for 40 minutes or until tenderloin is done and veggies are tender. Stir the veggies occassionally.

I've gone insane, but brought recipes, so that makes it okay, right?

I have come back from the edge of death! After Friday, I started feeling a LOT better. Those first two days were rough. Looking back, I honestly don't remember much of them except the big parts, LOL! I went through my sent text messages today to delete them, and I didn't remember sending most of them. Good thing I didn't say anything too off the wall. Whew, dodged a bullet there. :)

My wonderful fiance took really good care of me. Friday he went to the store to get me stuff to eat, and surprised me with beautiful flowers and a really funny get well card! I love him. :)

Then he made me AMAZING macaroni and cheese with hot dogs that I will probably be begging for for every meal for every day for probably 3 weeks, because, you know, that's just how I roll. I had previously bought the Tinkyada rice pasta shells, so at the store he picked up velveeta and made me gluten free velveeta shells and cheese. YUM! Then he chopped up a hot dog (Hebrew National all beef dogs are the BEST) really, really tiny and threw them in there. The cheese was sooo creamy (add a little milk). Oh. My. Gosh. I almost died. Mac 'n cheese and hot dogs is my one true love. Very easy to chew too.

Besides that, I have subsisted on primarily yogurt and pudding for 5 days running. I tried some cottage cheese, but have since decided that that was not a smart decision for obvious reasons.

While I was laying around on the couch fighting the good fight, I watched more chick shows than can be considered healthy. I'm talking the Style channel and WE (Women's Entertainment) ALL DAY LONG. I've seen the same episode of Rich Bride, Poor Bride (the one with the Victorian theme...yeah, YOU KNOW WHAT'S UP) 4 times. Seriously, how the hell did they end up under budget by $49?? Unfortunately, I also saw a silly amount of Clean House. They take these people with cluttered houses and redesign them and make them beautiful. Somehow (maybe it it was the pain killers, maybe it was looking at my friend Kortnei's beautiful house on her blog and silently wondering where my chick gene ended up) but I ended up making decisions that should only be made when you know that you will absolutely NEVER follow through with them. I know what you're thinking, what the hell is this broad saying? I have decided...probably against my better judgement...and without fully allowing myself to return to my non-menstrual (sorry, TMI, but girls, you know), non-medicated, non-self depricating (I'm going to be a terrible wife, I can't decorate a house!)...I have made the decision...

To PAINT our master bedroom.

WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING??

I know I am crazy, I know I have just about lost my mind. I got the great idea to paint our last house and I HATED every minute of it. In fact, I'm pretty sure it took us more than 6 months to finish it, and we barely finished it before we had to move out. When we moved into our new house, I told myself and pretty much everyone who asked, that I am not painting for at least 10 years, or until I forgot how bad it SUCKED the last time. And yet, here I am. Someone should really take away my ability to make decisions. And Brandon, God love him, as much as he despises painting, he pretty much let me do what makes me happy. So this weekend we have picked colors. And tonight we painted one wall with a primer. I am excited, but it's still early.

Now, as promised, here are the recipes I made from Food Network Magazine (LOVE IT!) that turned out great. The shrimp will be great for all your Superbowl parties!

Slow-Cooker Pork Tacos

From Food Network Magazine

3 whole ancho chiles (which, apparently, are just dried pasilla chiles)

3 whole pasilla chiles

4 cloves garlic, unpeeled

2 to 3 chipotles in adobo sauce (CHECK YOUR CAN. I picked up one with wheat starch first and had to swap it out)

1/2 medium white onion, roughly chopped

3 tablespoons EVOO (shout out to Rachael Ray)

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Kosher salt

2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably mexican

3 1/4 cups (gluten free) chicken broth

4 lbs boneless pork shoulder (untrimmed), cut into chunks

Freshly ground pepper

2 bay leaves

1 cinnamon stick (use a small one)

corn tortillas

Assorted taco toppings

1. Put the ancho and pasilla chiles and the garlic in a bowl. Microwave on high until soft and pliable, 2 to 3 minutes. Stem and seed the chiles; peel the garlic. Transfer to a blender.

2. Add the chipotles, onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, honey, vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt, and the oregano to the blender; puree until smooth. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over high heat; add the chile sauce and fry, stirring, until thick and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Pour in the broth and reduce until slightly thickened.

3. Season the pork all over with salt and pepper and transfer to a large slow cooker. Add the bay leaves and cinnamon stick, then pour in the sauce. Cover and cook on high until the meat is tender, about 5 hours.

4. Discard the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Shred the pork with 2 forks; season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp with Chipotle Barbeque Sauce

From Food Network Magazine

20 strips of bacon

20 medium-large shrimp, shelled and deveined (about 1 lb)

1/2 cup barbeque sauce (I used KC Masterpiece)

1/4 cup canola oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

3 tablespoons chopped chipotles in adobo sauce (Don't forget to check that can)

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Freshly ground pepper

1. Soak 5 to 8 bamboo skewers in water for about 20 minutes to keep them from burnin on the grill or under the broiler.

2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet until halfway done, about 4 minutes. Drain and cool on paper towels. Wrap a peice of bacon around the middle of each shrimp; skewer with bamboo through the point where the bacon ends meet to keep it from unraveling. Thread 3 to 5 shrimp on each bamboo skewer.

3. Puree the barbeque sauce, oil. lemon juice, mustard, chipotles, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a blender. Set aside a little more than half of the sauce for dipping.

4. Preheat a grill, grill pan, or broiler. Grill or broil shrimp for 5 minutes, basting with the sauce once they begin to turn pink. Flip, baste again, and grill or broil until just cooked through, about 4 more minutes. Serve with extra sauce.

I loved the barbeque sauce from this recipe. It would be fantastic with other things. And, like I said, that would be something great (and easy) to do for Superbowl. Oh please, don't act like you don't look forward to all that junk food, I mean, the big game! Yeah...

Not dead...yet

My body's putting up a heck of a fight. Here is me in all my glory yesterday leaving the dentist:

I actually felt worse that I look there, if you can believe it. Yesterday I was in the most terrible pain. It was horrible. Being semi-conscious through the procedure was also traumatizing. I was fully aware of what was going on during the first tooth's removal (I couldn't feel it though, obviously) and that's just messed up. Knowing that someone is clamped on your tooth with a pair of plyer-looking things at are yanking back and forth is awful. I was making noises and starting kicking my feet, so I think they gassed me more. Because I think I fell asleep and/or was completely out of it for the remaining three. I don't remember them. Once the numbness wore off, Oh my goodness, the pain was unbearable. I started crying because it hurt so bad and the medication wasn't doing anything to dull it. Every tooth in my mouth hurt and I had terrible pain through my entire jaw. Towards the end of the night, the pain was FINALLY diministing and I fell asleep. I drooled a sexy bloody drool all over my pillow. Awesome.

Day 2 is supposed to be better, right? Let me just answer that with a big fat NO. The pain is significantly better, just some left over soreness in my jaw. But, as of 11:30 this morning, I have thrown up twice. The first time was a goody, got it all over myself and all over the bathroom too! Yay! Brandon isn't home so I got to clean everything up myself as my hands were shaking and I had vomit on my face and clothes. I figured that my tummy may be upset from taking my medication on an empty stomach. So I ate some yogurt. Shortly there after, yep that's right, strawberry flavored vomiting ensued. Now the plan is to not eat or drink anything for a bit to avoid any more throwing up. I'm scared that I am going to dislodge the blood clots.

Well I am going to try to nap now, the meds make me sleepy. Hope everyone is having a better day than me!

Dooms Day is approaching...

So tomorrow is the big day. The day that I am 4 teeth lighter. I'm nervous! Everyone keeps telling me their horror stories! The past two nights I have had nightmares about it. I am excited to FINALLY have it over with, though.

I have recently subscribed to the new Food Network Magazine, and got my first issue last Friday. I would like to go on record and say, I LOVE THIS MAGAZINE. Obviously, I can't make everything in there, but I find several recipes that are either naturally gluten free or are very easily adaptable. Plus, they give you great little cooking tips. This past weekend we had Brandon's brother Chris and his girlfriend Misty over to celebrate her recent birthday. I thought it was a perfect excuse to try a few recipes from my newest magazine. I made bacon wrapped shrimp with chipotle barbeque sauce for an appetizer. Then made shredded pork tacos as the main course. It all turned out really good! And I got to spend the day in the kitchen, which always makes me happy! I'll post the recipes for these dishes this weekend when I'm hopped up on pain pills. (Lol) I am a bad employee who is typing this from her desk at work. Way to stick it to The Man, Steph!

Brandon, my mom, and I all went to the Arizona Bridal Show this past weekend, and I'm surprised we lived to tell the tale. It is CRAZY! I hadn't eaten all day too, so I'm shocked that I didn't end up burning the Phoenix Convention Center to the ground during a low-blood-sugar-induced temper tantrum. And, may I say, that those commercials are deceptive. "Plan your wedding all in one weekend!" B. S. And no, I'm not talking about the initials of my gorgeous groom. The commercials should say, "Come to the Arizona Bridal show to get inundated with flyers, stampeded by crazy bridezillas and their entourages, and get bum rushed by people hawking self tanners, lingerie, magic diet supplements, and gym memberships. Walk out grouchy, hungry, and more confused then EVER!" That would be more accurate advertising. You don't "plan" anything there. You get a lot of people yelling at you trying to sell their products/services as you walk though the NEVER ENDING aisles of vendors. You can barely hear anything, and stop in the aisle at your own risk. So my goal of booking all the rental stuff was not acheived. But I do have pamphlets from about 30 companies to go through! Yay!

Ok, so my bitterness at the bridal show is a little exaggerated. True, I was starving and they were serving samples of delicious smelling, gluten FULL food. Not cool. But I did book my photographer, which I think was a flipping miracle. She happened to have contracts with her and I said, Let's book this shit so I never have to make this decision ever again. And that we did.

I made a Wedding To Do list to get myself organized. This was not a smart move for my mentally unstable state. THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO. Who would have thought that MAYBE we should think about the honeymoon early in case we need passports?!?! Ugh. And why can't I just magically know everyone's address by heart?

And to top off my weekend, I got sick from my gluten free haven, Picazzo's Pizza. I have never, ever gotten sick there. I think it was because I ordered their Special Slice of the Day, instead of sharing a whole pizza with Brandon. So maybe something happened during the cooking of my single slice. Who knows. But my tummy is defeated.

Well, it's back to work for this slacker. 4 DAY WEEKEND!! WOOHOO! Who cares if I'm in terrible pain?

Well, I survived.

I survived my dentist appointment today. I do NOT like dentist visits, as evident in my avoidance of them for 5 years (I know, I am such a bad grown up). I went to one dentist about 6 months ago which was a HORRIBLE experience; I walked out of there feeling awful (they told me I had the beginning stages of gum disease and I was horrified) and ripped off. I couldn't help but feel like they just desperately wanted money out of my pocket and my insurance's, so they were just making stuff up. They wanted me to come back to get some super-whizz-bang fillings that would cost me (after insurance) over $500. And they wanted Brandon to come back to get preventative sealings to the tune of $700. Neither of us ever went back. So, imagine my surprise when appointment today at a new office was rather pleasant! By the way, I do NOT have gum disease. I knew those people were wrong. Oh, and those super intense fillings? Not necessary. I have two small cavities that need ordinary fillings...$113 bucks at this new office. That other office in Maricopa was a freaking SCAM, I tell you. Needless to say, I am very pleased with this new office. To get all 4 of my wisdom teeth extracted and be drugged up while they do it is going to cost me less than $200. I was expecting WAAAAY worse. I am very excited! I have an appointment for next Thursday the 15th! Very soon!

Oh, and I am bulb-burned. My whole posterior region of my body is burnt. Not terrible, but I guess I'm going to have to back down the time in the tanning bed. I'm an amateur tanner, what can I say.

So does anyone have good ideas of what to eat while I have to avoid solid foods?

In an effort to be more interesting...

A little post about my personal life..Ignore if you still think I am terribly boring. Lol. :)

I have crossed over to the dark side. Almost literally. As to not be ghostly pasty white on my wedding day, I have ventured into the realm of tanning.

I am admittedly really low maintenance. I get my hair highlighted once a year, typically for my birthday. I get my hair cut not much more often than that either. I don't even style my hair if it isn't a really special occasion. I don't get my nails done, I wear minimal makeup, and I buy clothes for myself next to never. It might sound like I "neglect" myself, but I just don't really feel the need to do all that.

However, trying on my beautiful wedding dress, I realized that my skin has not seen sun since I was probably a sophmore in high school. Even in the Arizona heat, I wear long pants the majority of the time and don't feel comfortable in spaghetti strap tops. So that leaves my legs and shoulders (and everything in between, lol) really, really pale. Not hot.

So today I signed up for a membership at a tanning salon by my work. This is so out of the ordinary for me that I was paranoid in the bed the whole time! Lol. I was thinking, "What are you DOING?! Do you WANT skin cancer and premature aging?!" Oh and my friend/coworker told me that whatever I do, do NOT open my eyes in the bed, while the bulbs are on. WTF, how are you supposed to climb in and close the damn coffin-like door?? So I'm working on my base tan for the wedding, and that's about as far as I'm gonna go. I'm not interested in being crazy bronzed or orange (EEK!). My slightly vain side has to admit that I am kinda excited to have a little bit of color to me, though. :)

In other slightly related wedding news, I have made an appointment with a dentist for tomorrow to talk to them about getting my wisdom teeth pulled. I know what you are thinking, this girl has lost her damn mind! But no. I had braces in high school for two years and afterwards I had the beautiful straight teeth I had desperately wanted growing up (I had terrible crowding in my mouth..I had to get 4 teeth pulled to start). And then my wisdom teeth grow in and mess everything up! It's not nearly bad as it was to begin with (not even close!) but one of my front teeth is pushing forward a little bit and it really irks me in photos. I went throught 2 YEARS of HELL to not be self conscious smiling in pictures, and now here I am. So tomorrow, I am going to the DREADED dentist (did I mention I have a dentist phobia too? Oh man..). Needless to say, I am really nervous! I'll need lots of gluten free ideas for what to eat when you've had 4 teeth RIPPED OUT OF YOUR FACE.

Oh, and to top it all off, I've been craving pizza like nobody's biz.

This Semester Is A Joke

I am so angry right now! I just got an email stating that one of my classes has been cancelled because the instructor is no longer able to teach it. WTF?? We are a MONTH into this semester! I have been doing the freaking homework and turning it in ON TIME. I bought the THREE required textbooks for this STUPID course, and now it's CANCELLED?? And, of course, now it is too late to sign up for any other classes for this semester. So this will potentially postpone my graduation from this dumb program (I only go part time). This semester might kill me. This stress is going to do me in.

On a lighter note, I have been having a fun day perusing other gluten free blogs (at work....oops).

:)

I'm going home now to figure out how I am going to salvage this semester. Sorry for all the caps. I get very upset sometimes. :)