After yesterday's Debbie Downer post, I felt like I had to come back and focus on the positive.

Not gonna lie though - that intruder training was some heavy duty stuff. I spent some time in the classroom today thinking about my options if something should happen and practicing locking my door with a chair - it really works!

But back to the positive. Things that are just making me happy right now:

- Snapchat. I'm new to Snapchat and only have a couple of friends I snapchat with (read my sisters and one other gal) but I really look forward to the silly snaps that come through each day.

- Gluten free living. I'm at about 21 days gluten free and so far feeling pretty good. I've haven't experienced any swelling in my joints but I have had two days of joint pain in my wrists. Which is far better than joint pain everywhere, all the time. Also, I haven't had any stomach issues for three weeks - which in itself is freaking amazing. Not to overshare but I am one of those people that has to go to the bathroom within minutes of eating most meals. Since I've focused on gluten free foods, my stomach has just chilled out and I don't find myself scrambling for a bathroom after meals.


- I also shopped at the "expensive" grocery store this week because I was trying to find a certain brand of gluten free bread and was just amazed at how they labeled almost every product that was gluten free. It was amazing! (Although after the gluten free regulations that were enacted this week, it'll be interesting to see how many labels remain.)  I'll have to take on a second job to continue shopping there but it made grocery shopping so much easier.

- My birthday is in a week! I'm turning 29 which really I don't care about, I just want to go out to dinner and go shopping. Things on my wishlist include new tennis shoes, clothes for school, and some makeup.

- Plans! Lately Chris and I have been really trying to schedule more "events" in our lives - seeking out concerts, free events, and just being with friends. Last week we went to Forest Park and rented paddle boats - something I had never done. It was so neat! We also went to the zoo.







This weekend we are celebrating a friend's 30th and Chris is participating in a midnight bike ride through STL.

Have a great weekend!

I made it through day 1 of no gluten. Surprisingly it was not that bad. By the end of the night I was jonesin' for my favorite gluten laced snacks- which for me is usually something like a Pop-Tart, powdered donettes, or bowl of cereal which are now off limits so instead I ate some strawberries with Cool Whip and called it a night.

My meals for the day looked like this:

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and sugar free Jello. I only ate the Jello because the eggs made me gag - I made them a bit too runny and my palate just said no.

Snack: Mozzarella string cheese.

I didn't eat lunch.

Dinner: Sam's Club rotisserie chicken, baked potato, and roasted broccoli. I've never made broccoli before, I'm not sure if I'm a fan just yet, may take a few more tries before I can honestly say, "I like it." I really missed having a piece of jelly bread with my dinner. Sad face.

Snack: Strawberries and Cool Whip.

Can I just say thank goodness potatoes are a gluten free food. They are my favorite food group are going to be heavy staple the next two weeks. I already ate one for lunch today.

While I know that going gluten free is not some miracle cure and it definitely won't work overnight but I was a little bummed at how awful I felt yesterday. I kept joking with Chris that it must be the gluten leaving my body. My feet swelled up and my back was aching something fierce.

In other news, I finally got my hair after a year hiatus. Surprisingly, I didn't have to get much cut off like I thought I would. And my package from Wayfair just arrived. I can't wait to put it together and post some pics!

So Chris and I have decided to try a little experiment for the next two weeks (at least)...we're going gluten-free.

Cue scary, ominous tones.

I'm nervous, REAL nervous. I love food. More specifically, I love only certain foods. What can I say...I'm a creature of habit. I can eat the same thing without getting tired of it for months, even years. I've been eating oatmeal and toast every morning for breakfast for about a year and half now - I eat so many oats, I buy 10 pound bags from Sam's every two months or so. 60 pounds of oats per years, friends. And I'm changing it up!

You might be wondering why?

Frankly, we're tired of feeling like crap. We have zero energy to do anything and we pretty much feel sick all the time. Not a day goes by that one of us isn't complaining about a migraine, our joints, or something. I also stumbled across this article, 10 Signs You're Gluten Intolerant, and between Chris and I, we display 8 out of 10 signs. I've got rheumatoid arthritis/psoriasis and he's got fibromyalgia.

So we figured, why not?

If we don't feel any better, oh well. We will have at least not eaten fast food for two weeks and we definitely need to kick that habit.

But if we do feel better (and I'm really hoping we do) - this could mean a lot of good things for us -like maybe not having to take so much medication and being able to enjoy our daily lives. That would definitely be a plus.

So for the next two weeks - no bread, doughnuts, oatmeal, cinnamon rolls, waffles, buns, Pop-Tarts, ice cream cones, fast food, or fun  gluten.

Wish me luck!

Oh, and if you're gluten free, tips and tricks would be appreciated. I didn't go crazy at the store this week buying gluten free this and that, just mostly sticking to proteins, vegetables, and fruits, But I'd love to hear any recommendations you might have. Thanks!