Gluten-Free and Excited!

(terrible picture quality, but these things happen)

I had a whole big, long post written out about how I've been sick for months, tried eating gluten-free, and now feel a million times better. Seriously, it was long. And pretty sad. Really though, it's just not that interesting.

What I do want to say is: Yay! I feel like a new person! I'm not sick all the time!

Being sick constantly is a serious bummer (and I am the queen of constantly having weird health problems). Switching to a gluten-free diet has been challenging, but I waited until after the semester was over to really get serious about it. Now that I'm home most of the day and have time to experiment with all the recipes my little heart wants, it's been a ton of fun.

Blackberry peach crisp? Made it. Quinoa tabbouleh? Made it. Bacon and potato frittata? Made it. See where I'm going with this? Seriously, it's been a blast. I'll be sharing some of my favorite recipes on the blog whenever I get around to it (but this is the Summer of Lazy, so who knows when that will be). If you have or know of any great gluten-free recipes, send 'em my way! I've been a recipe fiend on Pinterest lately, but I could always use some more.

Tranquil Garden

I've been gardening a lot lately. My shoulders are sunburnt and I constantly smell like bug spray. This is the happiest I've been in quite a while.

Jordan built me a pallet planter where I planted four kinds of leafy green seeds. I potted some lavender, and I planted the rest of the garden. The strawberries from last year are coming back stronger than ever. They're getting ready to give us some sweet little fruit soon.

Homesick

The past few weeks have been perfect. I'm only taking one class right now, and I'm home by 10:30 every morning. That means I have the whole day to enjoy this slowly approaching summer weather and do all the things I miss when I'm in school. For example, the living room is finally painted a bright, light gray instead of the horrible beige/yellow that was here before. Also, the house is clean! Like, really clean!

We spent last weekend at home in Montana visiting family. I got to see some friends who I haven't seen since our wedding last summer, which is basically all of my friends. We stayed with Jordan's brother and his girlfriend, who I adore. Sunday was spent at Jordan's grandparents' house. His grandma, mom, and aunt spent the day giving me gluten-free living and gardening tips. We had a birthday dinner for my dad, my brother flew up from Vegas, and we even drove to Jordan's dad's ranch to visit him and all his rambunctious dogs.

Clearly, I'm more homesick than ever now. To cope, I'm trying to take the things I love about being home and bring them to our life in Idaho. When I'm in Montana, I don't stress about food as much. I never worry about balanced meals and getting enough vegetables. I'm too busy enjoying life to think about those little things constantly. I've starting planting my garden, but I'm taking my time with it. Things will get planted when they get planted, and I'm enjoying the whole process this time.

Basically, the difference between being home and being in Idaho is what I let myself focus on. At home, I'm in the place that I love with the people I love. Because trips to Montana have been few and far between lately, I make sure to appreciate every second of it. In Idaho, my perfectionism provides me with a million daily battles. I've known for years that I'm too hard on myself, but actually fixing it is a different matter. Thankfully, I've been able to relax since spring semester ended. While I'd like an A in my summer math class, I'll also just be happy with a passing grade. (Math is the worst.)

Knowing that we have two trips to Montana planned in the next few months helps too.

My Irish Lit teacher last semester was fond of the phrase, "A person becomes more Irish the farther he gets from Ireland." That's how I feel about Montana. The longer I live away from the place I've lived all my life, the more I miss it. I love the people, the views, and the way of life. Someday we'll move back home, but until then, I'll do my best to love my life no matter where we are.

Adventures with This Handsome Guy

You guys. Now that school is over, I actually get to see my husband! I'm not kidding when I say I only saw him around 6 days a month during this semester. In fact, having surgery was almost nice because I got to take a week off and be at home with Jordan and the kitties haha. How sad is that?

To celebrate the two weeks I have off until summer classes start, we're doing everything! And by everything, I meant spending this weekend in Vegas and next weekend in Montana. SEE ALL THE FAMILY (that is my goal). I get to see my mama and little bro in Vegas and daddy in Montana, along with Jordan's family and our friendos in MT, too. Hooray!

Although I usually stay at my mom's house when I visit Las Vegas, Jordan and I are having a real vacation and staying on the Strip. Of course, we'll hang out with my family lots, but we're also going to enjoy wandering around aaand some beverages. :) If you have any recommendations of places to see/drink/eat, let me know! We'll be staying at The Paris hotel this time!


P.S. I spent a little time reading and napping in the backyard this weekend. Obviously, the 30 minutes of sun I got on Sunday was enough to give me a little sunburn and bring out my freckles like crazy. Vegas should be fun (if I have sunscreen, that is!).