I keep a journal at my bedside, so I do occasionally hand write an entry when I am in bed, but usually those thoughts don't make their way here...
So, here's an update to some of the happenings that have been going on in my life, such as eating gluten free/my health, moving into my in-laws home temporarily, and my food blog. I will probably take another break after this post, but will update at some point :-)
Eating Gluten Free
Today marks 23 weeks of eating gluten free! I have been with it so long, that I usually have to check a calendar to count the weeks now :-) I was tempted to test it out yesterday morning (by eating something with gluten) because I decided to make the kids pancakes with regular wheat flour. Part of me is just curious to see what reaction my body would have after all this time (if any)...but, I changed my mind and had a bowl of frozen blueberries and sliced bananas instead. I feel so good most of the time, that I'm scared to test it. Has anyone that has gone gluten free - for reasons other than Celiac Disease - ever tested the effects of gluten after being free from it for a long time? I'd be interested to hear others experiences.
A side note, as far as my health goes... I am still battling my foot injury issue. It could be that I'm a busy momma and can't stay off my feet long enough for it to heal, or maybe the cause is something else. Sometimes I worry that maybe there is another underlying cause that I should be getting checked out - but I just feel so stuck, I don't know what to do. In mid-November I decided to return to the chiropractor that I've worked with many times over the years...hoping there would be something they could do. I went for a couple weeks, and it seemed to help for a short time, but overuse just aggravates it. Then, the last couple of weeks have been so busy with running around (kids to school, my dad to doctor/physical therapy appointments, etc...) that I haven't wanted to add one more thing knowing that it will just undo any help I get with it. I set up a care plan with X number of visits, so I will return - maybe around Christmas break when the kids will be off school for over a week. There are some other nutritional options I am interested in there, but I need to wait for 2013 to come before I pursue them.
Our Temporary Living Situation
It has been about 3 1/2 months since we made our move. Overall, things are going well. My in-laws are nice to be around and helpful with the kids when we need it, and there haven't been any major issues. Every few weeks I get in a rut where I am overly anxious to be back in our own space, but I know we have a ways to go before we can take the next step. We watch the house listings that our awesome realtor set up for us to receive, and we even looked at a place last week. We could possibly afford something right now at the low end of our price range...unfortunately the house we looked at was a mess. We're ok with a fixer upper (my hubby is amazing), but this place was more of a 'bull-doze it down and start over' kind of house. The yard was nice though :-) Anyways, we'll keep saving until next spring/summer and then we should be able to get into a house higher up in our price range a.k.a. a bit more move in ready, a bit more space, more preferred location, etc.
I have to admit that I think about our old house from time to time... Sometimes I feel like I might regret our decision, but then I think about all the good that has already come out of this whole situation and the feelings of regret disappear. We had a fantastic house 'up north'. It was beautiful; we (ok...really my hubby) made the house our own by finishing the basement, adding a deck, installing a fence, etc... By the time we sold - it was perfect. We had installed new counter tops in the kitchen, cleaned windows, cleared it of all clutter, etc... I often wonder what it looks like now. I've had a few dreams about it (where we decide to go check it out, even though we no longer live there) but it looks different each time.
The couple that lives there now reminds me of when we bought the house back in 2004...young...early-mid 20's...buying their first home...starting a new adventure together. Each year since brought us new excitement and joy. 2004-we got engaged shortly after buying the house. 2005-we got married. 2006-I got pregnant. 2007-our daughter was born and I got pregnant again. 2008-our son was born. 2009-hmm...???. 2010-I quit my job to stay home with the kids, and spent 3 weeks in Finland. 2011-hmm...maybe there were a couple years nothing overly exciting happened. 2012-we decided to sell our house and start a new adventure.
This past Monday the kids and I went up to visit my friend and her two boys (the family I did daycare for in our old town). As we approached our old street I was overcome with a flurry of emotions. It was the first time I had been back to our old town since we moved. It almost felt like I was headed back home after an extended vacation. We drove by the house (at the request of my daughter) and it looked the same, except for they have a different garbage service. It was a very weird feeling.
I miss the house, I miss our neighbors, I miss the feel of an old small town. I wish we could have just picked it up and moved it 30 miles south. I know He has a plan for us.
The good that has come from the move has come in the form of family. We get to see our family so much more, now that there isn't a 45 minute drive each way. The kids get to see their cousins A LOT, and that was one of the major deciding factors in our move. It's so great to spur of the moment meet up with my parents to do some outlet mall window shopping, or come by for dinner on short notice. Sometimes the small things are really the big things.
Food Blog
I started my food blog in October. I wasn't really ready to get it up and running, but there was a food challenge I wanted to participate in so I decided to just go for it. Although I haven't posted since the challenge, I do have quite a few recipes written up as drafts, and a few still handwritten. The photos are ready to go, I just need to find an easy way to watermark them (I don't have Photoshop). I've created a few unwritten recipes lately - and I really should get back to writing everything down and taking photos. With so much going on in the non-technical part of my life, I haven't taken the time for blogging, here or there.
What's To Come?
Eventually I would love to make blogging a regular
In case I don't make an appearance before the year runs out...I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season filled with family and love!
p.s. Remember my 2012 reading challenge? I met my goal quite a while ago, and have slowly continued my reading. My list (linked at the top of the page) will be updated in the next few days-you'll notice I didn't read much of what was on the original planned-to-read list (and now most are packed away until we move again) mostly because I have a library addiction. I have a few weeks to decide what my reading goal for next year will be!
