Day at the Beach

Oh. My. Goodness.

How is it June already? Where on earth did spring go??

Well, technically it's still spring for another three weeks, but I don't think anyone considers early June to be spring.

I spent yet another weekend in Saskatoon the last couple of days, and this one might have been my favourite.

I started spending weekends there in October, while M was at school, and when he left in December, I'd made enough friends and hobbies to have reasons to go back about once a month. This time, I got Friday off work and I drove up Thursday, with plans to come home on Saturday morning, with plenty of time to still spend a weekend with my husband.

A Day In The Life

I haven't really told you about my daily activities in months, mostly because my life got really boring, and my meals got really repetitive, but I had quite the exciting weekend, so I'll share!

Saturday - I worked at my retail job from 10am-6pm, selling lots of clothes and catching up with my coworkers, who I hardly see.

6pm - I left work and drove straight to Saskatoon. Ate "dinner" on the road. I had a pudding cup and a couple chocolate peanut butter cups.

Leyda's in Saskatoon

There is a 100% gluten-free and nut-free restaurant in Saskatoon called Leyda's. I've been wanting to go for months, but I always end up trying on Sundays, and they are closed Sundays! Finally, this past Saturday, Banana and I found a chance to go!

La Bamba Cafe in Saskatoon

On Sunday, my husband, best friend and I had dinner at La Bamba Cafe. It's another one of those hidden gems. It's just off of 8th St, which is a busy thoroughfare, but the restaraunt is in a strip mall that includes a dry cleaner, a pet groomer, a confectionery, a dentist, and a Christian Science bookstore. It looks a little sketchy, and I questioned that I was in the right place, and then I wondered what I was about to walk into.

The Hollows in Saskatoon

The Hollows is this little gem of a restaurant, buried in an iffy area of Saskatoon. Driving by, it looks like a run-down Chinese restaurant. A out-dated neon sign reads The Golden Dragon. Underneath, broken neon lights list typical Chinese dishes this restaurant once served. The large window nearest the door has a new, white window decal that reads The Hollows.

My Trip to Saskatoon

I got back pretty late last night, after a full and emotional weekend.

We drove up to Saskatoon on Saturday, but we didn't leave until after six, so we got there pretty late. I dropped M off at the apartment he'll be staying at, and then went to my friend's house. She had a pretty rough weekend, family-wise, so I stopped at a gelato place on the way. Gelato is way better than ice cream at fixing problems.

We stayed up late, talking, and then driving around, and I slept in her bed and she slept on the couch. She insisted. I was totally okay with the couch.

We went to her church in the morning, went out for lunch, met up with some of her friends who were in town for something else, and then went shopping. After that, around four, I met back up with my husband, spent some time with him, then went for dinner with my friend and husband. After dinner, I dropped M off, said goodbye and drove home.

It was a whirlwind of a weekend, and a blistering mix of happy and sad.

Here We Go Again...

Pros of my husband being in a trade:

1. He loves what he does
2. He makes physical things every day, and feels accomplished
3. He works approx. 10 months of every year, instead of going to school for 8 and only working for 4
4. Every time he goes to school, his apprenticeship level increases, and he earns more money

Cons of my husband being in a trade:

1. Once a year, he leaves me for two months

Do I think the cons outweigh the pros? No. Do I think that is a really sucky con? Yes.

A Summary of my Summer

Hey, remember how I didn't blog for a month and a half? I didn't post once in July, and I missed most of June and August. Well, I said I didn't really do anything, and I didn't make anything, but that's not entirely true. Well, I didn't really make anything. But I did a lot of things. There was a lot going on in my life, though, and I just couldn't bring myself to blog about stuff. I was better, stomach-wise, but worse time-wise. One of the main problems is that I left my one-year-term-job. I had a routine, and it became simple to fit blogging into that routine. I also had a little reminder at work to jot down what I'd done, or what I was planning, and could blog about it later. When I stopped having an office, and a desk, and even a computer I logged onto every day, blogging slipped too. I did post several times after the job, but it all started slipping. I couldn't find a routine, I didn't have a pattern, and then when I did, it was a pattern of constant work. Starting the new reception job puts me at a computer, and better, gives me several hours a day where there is nothing for me to do but read blogs. So eventually, I get around to writing my own blog. It's been good.

Well, I'm sure you're wondering about my summer, which I neglected to tell you anything about.

The first thing that happened was a roadtrip to Edmonton on June 26. Banana and I bought tickets to Taylor Swift, a mere 8-hour drive from here. We spent two nights in a hostel, a half day at the West Ed Mall, a night enjoying the best concert I have ever been to, a dinner at the most hipster restaurant I've ever been to, and the day back enjoying cliche roadtrip things. We went to Ikea, we took a picture with the world's largest Ukranian Easter egg, and we visited a Ukranian heritage village. It was a grand adventure. Of course, I had all sorts of gluten-related anxiety, but everything worked out so well. I also had a lot of "firsts" (prairie girl over here - Ikea is exciting!), but it'd be hard to blog about that now.

Oh, and of course, my birthday was on June 22. I turned 21. Whoo. Now I can drink gluten free alcohol anywhere in the world. Big whoop-de-ding. I had a little bonfire, and had hot dogs and marshmallows. People kept complaining there weren't graham crackers. I wasn't gonna buy them if I couldn't eat them. I was really concerned about my first GF birthday, in terms of cake, but my lovely mother took care of that. She bought a Betty Crocker mix, and made me an amazing pinata cake. The mix was actually spectacular, and tasted totally normal. Everyone kept saying they couldn't tell it was GF. I would highly recommend it.

Oh, and my in-laws took hubby and I out for a birthday dinner, and the lovely waitress at Boston Pizza overheard that it was my birthday, so this happened at the end of the meal. I looooove Boston Pizza birthdays, with the singing and the clapping, and the attention. Halfway through the song, something clicked in my brain and I realized that they had just brought me a cupcake. Probably the most depressing birthday moment I've ever had. When the song ended, Hubby pointed it out, and I started laughing. I took a picture, and then passed the cupcake around and everyone else had some. It was really just a funny moment.

The first week of July, I started my favourite job ever. It's a summer program that runs every year for six weeks, and this was my third year working at it. Essentially it's a drop-in, free, city-funded kid's program. We ran games, crafts, and activities for kids aged 6-12 at a park. My park had a pool, but not every one does. They all have playgrounds and shacks, though. Once a week, we take the kids on a field trip. I wanted to blog about this job every day. We did so many amazing things, had so many adventures, and had so many crazy things happen. But to protect the kids' privacy, I hesitated. Also, this is a gluten-free blog, nobody comes here looking for cool egg carton crafts, or ideas for field trips.

Two weeks into that job, on July 13, I got a tattoo! So that's fun. I've been thinking about getting a tattoo ever since my husband got one done, in February, 2012. He had a celtic rope tattooed on his left ring finger, as a wedding ring. I thought about what I could get for him, and decided to get an M on my right thigh. I wanted it to be easily hidden, but I also wanted to show it off. If I wear short shorts, or a swim suit, you can see it, but that's about it. It's just black, and has filigree all around it. It's probably about two inches by two inches, and it took about forty minutes to get done. PS, that hurt like hell. I almost threw up. I don't handle pain well. But I totally want another one! Someday.

Fresh Ink

Healed Tattoo

We also went to the wedding of two friends of ours. I love weddings. They remind me of my own, and the pure, unadulterated love the newlyweds have for each other reminds me of when I felt that way about my own husband. Not that I don't still feel that way, but let's be honest. Everything slows down eventually. I love the emotion of weddings. The happiness, the joy, the excitement. I also love helping. Most of the recent weddings we've been to, we end up being wedding monkeys, and that is where we are happiest. Both my husband and I rely on being needed, and love helping whenever asked. I'm more like that than he is, in truth.

Crappy cellphone pic of us. And yes, I let him grow that stache.

I got over a couple of things, over the summer. I finally had some alcohol. Not like I was dying without it. I just finally got frustrated enough to start googling, and figure out what I can drink. Now I'm that obnoxious person at bars, who requests mojitos made with bacardi. Oh well. I still don't drink a lot, so it doesn't make a difference to my life.

I also ordered my first real burger, no bun. I got it at Five Guys Burgers and Fries, because they don't make any crap, so it's a lot safer than other places. Also, they were my all-time favourite burgers before. I ordered a cheese burger, with ketchup and mustard, hoping to make it a little less pathetic. It didn't help.

Cheese burger, no bun.

And I discovered my new favourite treat. A dipped cone, in a cup. I know it's not truly safe, because they could get bits of cone in the dip chocolate when they dip other cones, but it's fantastic for the every once in awhile treat.

And I think that's about it for my summer. I'm so sorry for my absence, but I hope this all makes up for it!

My Spontaneous Roadtrip

My summer has been non-stop. I got a six-week job, working 32 hours a week, and balanced my part-time retail job, working usually 12 hours a week, sometimes 20, occasionally a little more. I did it because one job was temporary, so I just had to power through, and then could go back to having days off. Buuuut.... I got another job, starting the Monday after the first one ended, and this one is 40 hours a week. 8-5, Monday-Friday is great, unless I'm also working up to three evenings, and every Saturday.

It's been two weeks at the new job, and I love it. I also love my other job, and I don't want to quit either one. I actually enjoy both, but I am beginning to burn out. My part-time job promised to cut it back to hopefully one evening a week, and Saturdays, but that stills only leaves me with one day off.

But, hey, guess what! It was just labour day weekend! And my full-time job closed their doors for a whole day on Monday. The retail job asked if I wanted some holiday hours, but I didn't. I wanted two whole days off, in a row, for the first time in recent memory.

You want to know what I did? I'm sure you do, since you're still reading. I took a roadtrip to Saskatoon. It's only a two and a half hour drive, and I have a bunch of friends living up there now, so right after work on Saturday, I packed an overnight bag, hopped in the car and left. My roommate, Ann, came with me. Despite working a normal amount of hours, she'd been tired, worn out, and wishing for a getaway for awhile too. Hubby didn't come with me, because the only people he cared about (the couple I stayed with) were going to busy the whole weekend. I made the decision to go on Friday night, Ann made the decision about half an hour before we left. It was the most spontaneous roadtrip I have ever taken.

We drove up on Saturday night, arrived at the apartment, played a board game, set up an air mattress (for me, Ann got the bed - it's a long story) and then went to bed. The couple we were staying with had to leave early in the morning, so by the time I got up, they were gone. We had seen a Target on the way to their place, so Ann and I went to Target. Call us Canadian, but neither of us have ever been to a Target before. We bought bagels (for her) and gluten-free cereal and milk (for me) and then had breakfast at the apartment.

I had lunch plans, so I took off in the afternoon. One of my solitary goals for the weekend was to hit up EE Burritos, which is a Latin American restaurant, and features a little grocery store that sells authentic Mexican everything, and is rumoured to sell crazy cheap corn tortillas. I tried to swing by on my way, but they are closed Sundays and holidays. Naturally. Why can't I catch a break?

I went for lunch anyways, met my friend at her new suite, and then walked a block down to a Mexican-Caribbean resort grill. I had the most amazing guacamole I have ever had in my life, and some really delicious enchiladas. Las Palapas features made-in-house corn tortillas, and I was assured against any cross-contamination.

The whole place feels like you're in a Mexican Resort

After lunch, my friend needed sleep, because she was coming off of a 12-hour night shift, so I was left to my own devices for a little while. I spent awhile driving around near the river, without anywhere to be, and with my GPS just turned off. It was bliss. I stumbled into a Tim Hortons, got a coffee, and sipped it, observing my surroundings, and discovering I was right in the middle of sketchville. Like, that might have been a hooker, and maybe I should sit facing my car, with my purse on my lap, and oh hey, that women is totally an addict, and not to coffee.

So that was my adventure! I later managed to get right in the middle of hipsterville. You know, the trendy street, that has all the fairtrade, organic, gluten free places. I don't have a problem with that! I might make fun of it, and definitely make fun of some of the people, but I love fair trade, organic, gluten free things! I admire vegan things, I check out local things. I love Broadway Ave, for all my poking fun. However, I don't love it at 5:30 on a Sunday, the day before a holiday. Everything was closed, and would be closed the next day, except! A little Mexican grocery store! What if I could find my corn tortillas? They were closed Sundays, but they didn't have a sign about the holiday, so I crossed my fingers and went the following day. Closed. As in, locked, without a single sign or any indication. Sadface.

Anyways, back to Sunday. Ann had the key to the apartment, but she had plans with her cousins, and spent the day out. So I didn't have plans, and couldn't go back to the apartment, which is why I ended up in these places. Eventually, my friend texted me. We had made vague plans for Sunday afternoon, but she hadn't texted me, so I was just waiting. She finally did, and then I went to her place. She also works night shifts, so I'm not giving her heck for not texting me. I completely understand the importance of sleep. Both her and her boyfriend were super hungry, so they found a nearby Asian place, and he called, asked about gluten free options (the answer was about 60% of their menu) and we went. I thought it was sweet of him to call ahead like that. I'm pretty sure he was just that hungry.

The place was called The Asain Bowl, and it was really a hole-in-the-wall Asian place, but it was legit Asian. I think they do Vietnamese, Thai and Korean food, but it was the real stuff, not the American versions of it. The waitress was surprisingly helpful, knew what gluten-free was, and checked with the chef before putting in my order. I had a Pad Thai, which is probably my favourite Asian meal.

My friend dropped off her boyfriend, because he needed to do something, and then the two of us drove around, chatted and caught up. We haven't seen each other in a really long time, but I love spending time with her, because we're a lot alike in a lot of unexpected ways.

Eventually, she needed to nap to work again that night, so I texted Ann, and headed back to the apartment. We sat around chatting until going to bed, and the couple we were staying with got home pretty late.

My morning plan was to get up at ten, get ready, get gas, meet Banana at eleven, check out that Mexican grocery store, and then go for lunch at her favourite restaurant.

I got up at ten, started getting ready, and was nearly ready when the couple was up and about. So I talked to them for a little while, and then realized it was quarter after eleven. So I finished getting ready, and went to get gas. Banana gave me the (ever-loving) gears for being late, as usual, but I didn't even care. The whole weekend was about not stressing out. We went to Broadway Ave, and discovered that the little grocery store was closed, depressingly, and that everything good on Broadway was closed too. We went to La Bamba, her favourite place, and it was closed. We also went to Leydas (an entirely gluten and nut free restaurant) and it was closed. So was The Griffin Takeaway, which apparently has gluten free sandwiches and stuff. Essentially everything local and small was closed for the holiday.

During our driving and hunting, we passed a fresh fruit stall, and I bought some Taber corn, three kinds of fresh fruit, and some potatoes. I love stalls like that.

The biggest onions I've ever seen

We eventually found a place that was open and had gluten free selections. The Spadina Freehouse, which is quite the opposite of free. I don't understand the name, but it is a fancy restaurant. We sat on the patio, and looked up at the Delta Bessborough, easily the fanciest and most prestigious hotel in Saskatchewan. I had a fancy schmancy cranberry apple salad, and we shared some sweet potato fries. Something went wrong though, because we got our food before our appetizer, so then they took the fries off the bill. I know a restaurant like that has an image to uphold or whatever, but I was a little surprised.

Our view, the Delta Bessborough

After that, we went to the Midtown, mostly because I *needed* to shop at Lush. I really needed to, okay? It's somewhere I go every time I'm in Saskatoon, and usually I walk in with a low budget, only buy one or two things, and then spend the next month thinking about the products I should have bought. This time, I just found the things I had been thinking about since last time, and bought them. I spent a little more than I would have liked, but I don't regret a single purchase. This is the second I've been since diagnosis-day, and their appeal to me has raised a lot because of that. Everything is gluten-free, except three oatmeal products (a soap, a body bar, and a face mask - all of which I've heard wonderful things about) and a beer-based shampoo. I can totally trust everything else. (*Disclaimer: I'm sure there are other products, either in the past, the future, or in bigger stores, but they do clearly list all of the ingredients on every bottle, and they minimize the amount of crap in everything, so it's all just a little more trustworthy than the average shampoo bottle.)

We also shopped for some clothes, and I bought one dress shirt. I tried on a bunch, but I just wasn't really in a clothes-buying mood. Banana bought a bunch of stuff, but she starts university right away, so she really did need those boots, and those coloured jeans, and that new purse. As much as I tease her, I actually totally get it. I bought a whole bunch of new clothes before starting my new job. It's just necessary.

I would've bought the boots if I didn't have giant feet

I only made two other purchases. One, I'm really excited about, and the other was probably the most frustrating thing of my weekend. My husband decided, about a week ago, that he wanted a gyroscope. At first, he just sent me a link to one. Then, he said Wal-Mart didn't have it. And then he spent Saturday, while I was at work, going to every store that might possibly carry it, and getting more and more disappointed. When I planned my spontaneous roadtrip, his one and only condition was that I try to find one. On Sunday, during my driving around and killing time, I passed Toys 'R' Us, and I thought if anybody has it, it will be them. So I willingly entered parent-hell. That store is massive, and overwhelming, and I was so thankful that A) I do not have children, B) I did not have any children with me and C) I was not pressured to buy the perfect gift for anyone. I cannot imagine trying to be in that store if anything of those things were different. I managed to escape with only spending $2! (I found baby socks for $1/pair, and had to buy one boy, one girl pair! Hubby wasn't quite as impressed as I was.) Oh, right! So, they didn't have gyroscopes. They were listed on their website, but the manager of that department said they haven't had them in a few years.

When Banana and I were at the mall and went into Go! Toys and Games. I honestly just walked in, walked up to a sales lady, and asked if she had gyroscopes. She squinted, and tilted her head for a second, and I was just waiting for the no, and then she walked across the store, picked up a box, and said, "This?" I bought it and walked out. I was excited that I'd finally found it, but mostly just frustrated at how elusive this one toy was, and how desperately my husband wanted it. I guess I left out how many times he texted me over the weekend asking if I'd checked certain stores, and reminding me to look for one. I was just fed up. But I found it, I bought it, and I was done. This might be why we don't have children yet.

The last purchase I made was red lipstick. I've been looking at red lipsticks for awhile, I've bought a couple really cheap ones, and I hated them all. I decided I just couldn't pull of red lipstick, and moved on. But it's such a trend right now, and I so love the colour red, that I couldn't let it go. I read a blog post last week about finding the right red lipstick, and the blogger said to just go to Sephora, and pay $25 for one. You could buy $5 ones, but you'll probably end up buying five or more before you find the right one. Just give in, and ask the professionals to find you one. So when I saw a Sephora at the mall, I dragged Banana in. "Dragged" is a loose term. She spent more than I did.

I started looking at the lipsticks, looking for the cheapest brand (I'm sorry, I can't squelch the frugal deal-finder inside), and several brands were $23, so I settled for that. Then I found a sales lady, and told her my diemna. That being that I'm insecure, unsure about my skin tone, I have red hair, but I really want a red lipstick. She showed me several on the back of her hand, I pointed at my favourite, and she had me try it on. I liked it, but I was afraid I looked like I was playing dress-up. After much fretting, she got a make-up lady, who reassured me it did look good, and talked about different tones of lipsticks. She showed me a few more in a similar tone, and I liked one or two, but before I tried one on, I had to show Banana the one on my face. She's really good at going, "Oh, Robynne, don't buy that." She went, "Wow! It's shocking, but in a very good way. Definitely buy it." So I didn't even try any more on. I bought the first one, and spent the rest of the day wearing red lipstick... And a florescent pink dress. I'm not sure I would have paired those two on purpose.

So that is officially the most expensive single piece of makeup I've ever bought, but I think it's totally worth it.

Oh, because this is a gluten-free blog, I should mention I did consider buying gluten-free makeup. Sephora does carry a few lines, and the lipsticks run $40+... So I figured just plain lipstick is an okay start.

And that was my shopping day.

It was almost dinner time at this point, so I went back to the apartment, where the wonderful couple we stayed with made dinner for Ann and I. I am jealous of my friend's creative kitchen skills, and access to fresh produce. She recently had several people say "This grew in our garden - here, take it." And as such, made zucchini and fresh tomatoes. We also had chicken, and some of the corn I picked up at the stall. She did everything on the barbeque, so it really was the perfect end of summer dinner.

She spiced the chicken breasts with a variety of italian spices, and italian flavoured olive oil, and tossed them on the BBQ. Next were the zucchini slices, which were marinaded for about fifteen minutes and then grilled. The corn she soaked in water for about half an hour, and then peeled enough to remove the silk, left the husk on, and tossed them on the BBQ. And finally, she drizzled the tomatoes with balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with feta cheese. Isn't it just a lovely meal? Everything was splendid and delicious, and it was probably my favourite meal of the weekend!

Shortly after dinner, we packed up, said our goodbyes and hit the long road home. We got home a little on the late side, but I would have been fine if I'd gone straight to bed. But, you know, when you haven't seen your husband for two days, you don't go straight to bed. We sat up, talking all about our weekends, and then I just plain did not want to wake up this morning. I had plans to do up my hair, wear my new red lipstick, and all that, but no. I rolled out of bed and went to work.

Overall, I feel rested, and relaxed. I'm happy, I'm socialized, and I'm so ready to face another week of too much work. Actually, it's a short week thanks to the holiday! This So I am good to go. I loved my little vacation from life, and my adventures, and my spontaneity. The weekend was exactly what I've been needing. I promised everyone I would visit again, probably the next time I squeeze in two days off. And next time, I will bring my husband. We will take a little trip together. I promise.

Day 58: Earl's

Banana and I made another trip to Saskatoon today. You must think I go there all the time. It's funny. Before this January, I had been there exactly four times. All four of those times revolved around a surgery I had five years ago (MRI, consultation with a surgeon, surgery, and then a check-up). But that's life, I guess. When it rains, it pours, and whatnot.

Anyways, because her hair henna didn't work two weeks ago, she called the store and they said if she could come back in, they would do it again, for her. So we pretty much made a 2.5 hour drive for a hair appointment.

Lush is really amazing though. They told me it would take about an hour and a half, so if I wanted, they could give me a foot treatment while I waited! So Banana and I soaked our feet in water with a bath fizz, and then had them exfoliated, masked, and lotioned. A-maze-ing. Seriously.

Afterwards, we went to Earl's. We have a friend who's going to school in Saskatoon, and so we said she could pick the place. I googled Earl's gluten-free menu, and it was pretty sad, but it did say that the menu varies restaurant to restaurant. Okay, I'm acting like I was optimistic. I was not. I've been to Earl's before, and I don't really like it, I think it's overpriced, and last time, the server was rude. But, I haven't seen this friend in awhile, and she really had her heart set. So we went.

I stared down the menu forever. Not a thing on it said anything about gluten-free (no pasta or pizza alternatives), and everything I studied was not safe. I pulled out the googled menu, and there were only two things on it and on the menu in front of me; a garden greens salad and a blackened chicken dish. I don't like blackened chicken. So when the waitress came by again, ready for our order, I told her that I couldn't have gluten, and she says, "Oh! We have a gluten-free menu. Do you want me to go grab it?"

It was a single sheet of paper, not laminated or anything, and it at one point in time, it was wet. It was wrinkly and honestly felt like either a kid's menu shoved under the front counter, or something they just forgot about entirely.

There were exactly 13 options on this menu. Three of those were steak (I don't like steak either). Three of them were burgers or sandwiches, served without the bun. Pardon me if I don't want a chicken breast topped with lettuce, tomato and mayo. Pardon me if I don't know how I'm supposed to go about eating that. There was the blackened chicken, and then a salmon dish and a chicken dish, both of which had a star that said the sauces would be omitted. Then there four salads. The garden greens, two that would be served without the chicken, and a mexican style salad (beans and such) that would be served without the taco.

The only things on the menu that didn't have something omitted (not alternatives, or subbed out, but actually just omitted) were the garden greens, the blackened chicken and the steaks.

Okay, I know I've talked about good days and bad days before. They have nothing to do with being sick, and everything to do with how much I can handle, how much I want other food. Some days, I can sit there and watch a friend eat a burger or a sandwich and not even bat an eyelash. Other days, I drive past Tim Hortons and tear up a bit. Yesterday was a very bad day. The worst I've had in a few weeks. Today wasn't all that much better.

So I'm really struggling with everything already, and now I'm staring down a menu that says, "You can't have anything normal. We don't care about your allergy. It's obviously a preference, so you can select an inferior dish from this crappy menu, because you made a choice." At least, that's how I felt. All of my options were inferior.

So I ordered a salad, one of the ones that was supposed to have mushroom-breaded chicken on it. It had brie cheese, apple, a maple dressing... It sounded good, and if not for the asterix that reminded me I can't be normal, I would have been happy with it.

When I ordered, the waitress said, "So you don't want it with the chicken, right?" I was kind of like "Uhhh... Yeah. Hello?" But I just said, "Yeah. Also, I have a gluten allergy." She says, "Okay... Allergy... Wait, what kind?" Seriously. I'm holding the gluten-free menu, ordering the gluten-free salad, I want the cooks to know it's an allergy, and she doesn't remember what kind? So I had fantastic hopes for cross contamination...

Banana got the same salad. She had decided on it before I did, but of course she got the chicken. A different waitress brought our food, served the sandwich first, then the "Maple salad with chicken? And maple salad without chicken? Wait, you didn't want the chicken, right?" Oh my gosh. I know I shouldn't be so neurotic about cross contamination, but I am. What if she dropped something on my plate? She'd just pick it up and move on. Ugh.

So, lesson from today? Don't go to Earl's. Ever again.

I think I was spoiled by Moxie's, or something.



But... I do have the most awesome friends ever. I had been talking to a sales girl back at Lush, and found out her mom had Celiac too, so we were sharing experiences. I admitted the one thing I wanted the most was poutine. I could just make it, if I buy gluten-free gravy, but you can't buy good cheese curds here. She said there was a restaurant downtown that had a bunch of great GF options, including poutine!! I really wanted to go there, but we went to Earl's instead. So after we were done, without telling me, they drove to The Hollows, and I had poutine!

It made me so happy. Partly because I was really hungry and really needed something I could eat, and partly because I had been craving poutine so bad. It was fantastic, too. Made with gluten-free chicken gravy, and cheese curds, and it was actually layered, not just slathered on top. Mmm. Best poutine I've ever had. (Okay, maybe not really, but it should felt that way.) I was so glad for my friends. I'm really lucky to have so many people in my life who understand what this all means to me.

Day 44: Moxie's and Saskatoon

A few days ago, one of my friends texted me to inform me that I was going to be kidnapped today and taken to Saskatoon. That's the biggest city in the province, and it's a 2.5 drive from here.

So, today, I was not in fact kidnapped, but I did willingly get in a car with two of my friends and we drove there. Halfway there, we stopped at an A&W because they were hungry (I packed snacks and ate before we left), but all I can eat there is condiments and milkshakes. I got a strawberry milkshake, no mustard, thanks. And then I drove the rest of the way there, because eating poutine or burgers and driving is not fantastic. Lesson learned: A&W is a bust.

In Saskatoon, we had a ton of fun. We spent most of the afternoon at the big mall there, and went jean shopping, shoe shopping, and I made one of the girls try on several pairs of fluorescent pants. We also went to Lush, which is easily my favourite cosmetics store! They have so many amazing smelling things, and innovative products, and everything's natural and handmade.. Okay, I'm not a commercial, but I could spend all of my money there every paycheck and be perfectly happy. But, sadly, I was broke. Both of my friends bought a couple cosmetics, and they both bought henna dye.

I mentioned yesterday to Banana that I wanted to dye my dark hair again, and asked if she'd do it tomorrow. It's been blonde since August, but I guess I'm getting bored of it. I'm actually not. I'm loving being blonde, but I'm not loving the upkeep. Bleaching my roots every six weeks? And it never bleaches the exact same, so I have so many different shades of blonde throughout... Anyways. I decided we'd dye it dark again tomorrow, and Banana said she wanted to dye her hair again too, a lighter brown, or a red maybe.

So we found this henna dye at Lush. I've seen it before, and I'd love to do it, but it says that if you've bleached or lightened your hair, it will come out much more dramatic. So using henna to go red will make me look like Ariel, and that's a no-go. Sigh, I'll just use unnatural chemicals to artificially colour my hair once again.

But the other two girls saw them, and Banana decided she'd try the henna instead of a dye, because her hair is close enough to natural to look fantastic with it, so she bought the red one, and then the other girl thought that was awesome and bought the chesnut one. They're both going to come over tomorrow and we'll all dye hair together. We're all going a little bit red too, which is kind of funny, but I don't think we'll look all twin-sy.

ANYways... So, we had a blast shopping, and then went for dinner! I googled gluten free restaurant options in Saskatoon, and we decided to go to Moxie's. They don't have a dedicated gluten-free menu, or even specifically gluten-free dishes, but a few blogs said they will accomodate and there are a few dishes that just don't have gluten.

Oh my gosh, I loved it. I told the waitress right off the bat that I had a gluten allergy. She said that whatever I order, she'll ask the manager if they can make that gluten free, and then the manager will supervise my dish, and bring it out to me. Wow. I was really impressed. She also said the mango chicken was for sure gluten free, and then other dishes like rice bowls with naan bread could be removed. I debated a few options, but went for the mango chicken in the end.

One of the other girls got the mango chicken too, so when the manager brought our food out, he handed Banana hers first, and then announced a mango chicken, and then my "Allergy". That's what he called it. Haha. But my cooked veggies looked different than the other cooked veggies. Everything about my dish was totally separate and sacred. So impressed. We also got dessert, and again, the manager assured me my espresso mousse was gluten free, and he brought it out again.

Everyone was really nice about it all, and they made totally sure everything was safe. This is by far the best restaurant experience I've had since I was diagnosed. Very impresseed. The celiac forums told me to stay away from Moxie's, but I disagree. I also didn't feel sick once later tonight. Very, very impressed. Why does Moxie's have to be so far away from home?

The other two girls got several drinks, but I have decided not to drink. I know there are gluten free alcohols, but I decided that until I figure everything else out, I'm not going to try to figure that out. It's easiest to just avoid liquor. Soooo, I drove home. Which was fine. Driving for two and half hours at night with two tipsy friends is far superior to driving for two and a half hours with a dog in the backseat, like I did several times this winter.

I had such a blast today. Really good to get out of the city and not have complicated eating times.