SeRvIcE eAsTeR

We had a wonderful Easter service avtivity for our ward. Nic did an amazing job putting it all together. Families in our wards delivered baskets to new members of our ward or less active members. The baskets were super cute! They had: candy, peeps, The Living Christ, Proclomation of the Family, a dvd of The Lamb of God, and a few pamphlets on the Atonement and restoration. People really enjoyed the activity and it was fun to visit families in our ward. Everyone loved the idea. Kudos to Nic!

FoUnDaTiOnS tRaInInG

April 8-10. Headed to Portland for our state required adoption training classes. On the way we decided to stop at good ol' Klamoya Casino. I was able to cross off #67 on my 101 list: $.05 slot machine.

I walked away with a $.10 voucher. Woot! Nic won $15 but we didn't know it at the time because we didn't even know how to play the game. haha He ended up walking away with a $.10 voucher as well. (I felt so out of place)

Don't ask me why he was an "angry elf." Maybe it was his "smolder" look. haha


On the way to Salem/Portland, we stopped at Trader Joe's in Eugene. I wasn't very impressed with their selection of GF products, but we sill walked away with a bag of food (i.e. tortillas, pasta, etc) I did happen to find my GF heaven in Salem: Life Source Natural Foods. They had lots of GF foods! The foods were easy to find because they were marked with a yellow price label. That's where I got my KinniTOOS. Yum. We got a bunch of other stuff to try as well. We are in the experimenting phase. We need to find what I like and then run with it!


We stayed in Salem at my brother and sil's house. Thank you Ben and Sharon! All of my family was in Boise, ID for Bentley Bug's blessing. We missed out. :( We did have a great time at our classes. They were held at The Boys and Girls Aide. There was probs around 30 people or so. All of the couples except us and another couple already had kids. They were either wanting to adopt more or were fostering and wanted to adopt their foster kids. We always sat at the front table with Becky and Eldon. We learned a lot about a bunch of different things (i.e. development, grief and loss, types of abuse, adoption process through them, etc.) It was a good mixture of lecture, power point, videos and some activities. On each of the tables there were balls and toys we could play with during the classes. haha Our instructor was really nice and funny: Johnathan.

Class schedule.
Friday. 630-930.
Saturday. 830-430.
Sunday. 830-430.

There were 2 breaks/day and lunch. They provided drinks and snacks for us everyday. (I had to bring my own snacks. haha) Lunch was on our own. The Boys and Girls Aide is across the street from a "landing" - shops, business offices and restaurants. We ate at ShangHai Noble House (I thought it said nooble) and McAdams Bar & Grill. I felt awkward ordering because I had to be so specific in asking questions about their items. I still ate so no worries.


Us on our last day of classes.


WE GRADUATED! Cute. Our own little certificates. All in all we learned a lot and had a great weekend.

Dr

I went to my dr yesterday for a follow-up on my celiac's. First and foremost, my BP (blood pressure) was 60/100 - holy low! And my pulse was in the low 60's. How was I walking around and not feeling dizzy and lightheaded?! I was so surprised at how low it was. haha Anyways...my dr asked me how I was feeling. GREAT. Any symptoms? NO. :) They are going away! He said he was happy when he saw that my blood work came back positive. Normally when he tests people, the antibodies testing comes back negative. He also said that I could do a follow up biopsy or other test to verify it, but with the antibodies testing it isn't necessary.

So all is good in the neighborhood. :) Nic and I are adjusting well and he has been so supportive through it all. He is so amazing like that.

Love that boy. <3

KiNnItOoS

KINNITOOS

GF "oreo."

Delish.

101 UpDaTe

I have completed quite a few things on my 101 list that I haven't even blogged about! I will add pics soon. I will also do a post later about this Nic and I's weekend in Portland at our Foundations Training courses (aka adoption training classes). Such a great weekend! Anyways. On to the 101 update:


#2: Make a list of 100 things that make me happy. DONE.
#20: Write a letter to myself for when I'm 35. DONE.
#26: Take a bubble bath with candles. DONE. (I might do this one over again because I only had 1 candle. It did smell delish though)
#27: Make cupcakes and deliver them. DONE.
#52: Make a list of 50 things that make me happy. DONE.
#67: $.05 slot machine. DONE.
#72: Learn how to eat with chopsticks. DONE. (go here to read more about it)
#82: Answer "The 50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind." DONE.

Slowly but surely I am crossing things off this list. 10% DONE.

DaY 1

My first day of GF (Gluten Free) living went well.

Breakfast: orange, grapes, string cheese. Normally I would have something more filling, but I didn't have many GF choices.

Lunch: Taco Time with my rents. I had the Pork Carnita Street Tacos. So good. They came on corn tortillas (which I can have), pork, cilantro, lettuce and lime. No complaints there.

Dinner: Spaghetti and corn. We had the spaghetti with GF spaghetti noodles and they tasted just like the regular noodles. It was tasty.

Dessert: GF cookies thanks to Betty Crocker. I will admit they were a little gritty, but that's because of the different flour they used, but overall I thought they were tasty. I'm not sure Nic was such a fan. ;)

My amazing mom went grocery shopping for me yesterday. She went to Fred Meyers and Sherms - they have an ok GF section. So helpful though! I have also been looking at other stores (on line) and in town to see what my options are. I will have to get creative with recipes. Lots of meat and veggies. How bad could that be?! :)

Day 1 of GF living went well.  Am I still experiencing some abdominal pain? Yes. Will it go away? Heck yes! I think it will take some time for it to completely clear out of my system.  Last night Nic and I cleaned out our pantry. Lots of things were given to neighbors, so it didn't go to waste. I was amazed at how much food has gluten in it. I was surprised that any Cream of... has gluten in it. Crazy! This will be learning experience for me - I have requested 9 books at the library. :)

GLUTEN FREE IS THE LIFE FOR ME!

GlUtEn FrEe

For a few months now I have been experiencing abdominal pain. My doctor has tested me for ulcers, gallbladder disease, kidney stones, and what not. My doctor then tested the celius panel. The results came in today...

GLUTEN FREE IS THE LIFE FOR ME!

This is my new motto. I found out today that I have Celiac Disease. Go here for more information. Celiac Disease means that I have an intolerance for gluten (all forms of wheat). Next step is to clean out the pantry, fridge and spice cabinet (yes there are some spices like taco seasoning that have gluten in it). And we even have to major clean our appliances. Gluten is a sticky protein that will cling on to anything. It will be quite the lifestyle change for me and Nic. Now granted, we will definitely be eating healthier. I'm just glad that I can change the way I eat and not experience this horrible abdominal pain. I have been experiencing the classic symptoms of this disease for some time and now, I can make them go away. Yay!

I do have to give a little shout out to Nic. He was the one that kept asking me over and over to go to the doctor. He knew something was the matter, but I didn't want to go. Thank you Nic. I could be in a lot worse shape without him. Love my Neeko.