Gluten-Free Gourmet Weekend

Are you in need of a getaway? Do you long for a weekend of relaxation? 

If you answered YES (as I am sure many of you did!), then I have the perfect weekend trip for you. My friend Erin Smith, of Gluten-free Fun and leader of the NYC gluten-free meet-up group is planning a gluten-free gourmet weekend! 


When: June 21-24, 2012 


What: 

• RT transportation on our own private charter, The Good Bus (NYC only)
• 3 nights lodging at Good Commons (Plymouth, VT) 
• All meals prepared by on-site private chefs, including 4-course dinner with wine pairings courtesy of sommelier Kristen Siebecker
• All activities, including gluten-free baking workshop with chef and cookbook author Olivia Dupin
• Optional yoga classes with Elyse Sparkes
• In-house massage therapist Jessica Ruth Shepard (additional charge)
• and so much more!

Act Quickly: Good Commons is extending an "uncommonly good" offer with a Limited Time $100 Discount (Good until June 8th)! NYC GF Meetup group has a dedicated registration page, just CLICK HERE to take advantage of this offer. Remember... this is all-inclusive

Not only does it sound like a relaxing weekend, but it sounds like this will be a stress-free getaway that guests will be sure to enjoy! 

Advocating for the GF Community!

I can't believe today marks the last day of May! It's been a crazy, busy, and exciting month. In honor of Celiac Awareness month I planned four "perspective posts," and I felt there was no better way to close out the month with one final "perspective post."

Although today marks the end of May, it should not mark the end of us spreading awareness about celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. Those who have been diagnosed are the lucky ones. Yes, the gluten-free life can be hard at times, but I know I wouldn't want to be living my life still suffering in pain and discomfort. Let your voice be heard for the many who are still living with undiagnosed celiac disease or gluten-sensitivity!

There is something about receiving this diagnosis that changes you. For me, I found my voice. Through learning from the many advocates in the g-free community, I learned being an advocate not only empowers others, but it empowers yourself. Being a part of this close, supportive, and powerful community gives me a sense of pride and purpose. 

I was happy when I received my diagnosis, yet there was a feeling of loneliness. However, now that I have gotten involved, the gluten-free community has become a community that I am so proud to be a part of. Through making the change to be gluten-free I not only regained health, but learned so much about myself. 

Back in April, I had the wonderful pleasure of attending the GFAF expo in Chicago. I was surrounded by so many individuals, who have not only been powerful advocates for the GF community, but took their diagnosis and turned it into something positive. This was truly inspiring!


Among the individuals who I had the pleasure of meeting was Brandy Wendler (aka Mrs. Alaska International). From the brief moments that I spent with her, I learned she is incredibly sweet, funny, and so passionate about the gluten-free community. She has truly done so much for the community. Recently, Brandy played a major role in helping to declare May Celiac Awareness Month in Alaska! I wanted to close out the month with an empowering and inspiring post, and I knew Brandy would be the perfect person to do this. Today Brandy shares her perspective about what it's like to be an advocate for the GF community! 

There are sometimes very distinct differences between what we really want and what we actually need. Sometimes, things turn out to be better in the end than what we previously had at the beginning. In the search for answers, the one you get may not always be the one you want to hear but, it may be exactly what you need. 

Four years ago, I received a diagnosis that changed my life. I had been sick and suffering for almost ten years. When my physician told me I had Celiac Disease, I didn't even believe him at first. In nursing school, I was taught it wasn't a very common illness. It mattered so little that we may have spent 15 min talking about it.

No, it had to be something simpler, not Celiac Disease. Maybe something I could just take a pill for and make all better - like thyroid disease (which I was diagnosed with as well but that's another story). 

However, I  had gotten to a point where I felt like I was suffering through life and not living it so I was willing to try being gluten-free. That's not exactly the answer I had been searching for but it was something. As it turns out, it was the best thing that ever happened to me.

All that pain and suffering was a gift. It opened my eyes to a new way of living. It also opened my eyes to the fact that I was one of the lucky ones. 

Only 5% of the estimated 3 million people with Celiac Disease know they have it. The other 95% have no clue. Also, I was in the medical field. I was going through my master's program to be a nurse practitioner and after visiting over a dozen doctors, I finally  had an answer. This knowledge broke my heart. I suffered so long and I was surrounded by medical professionals. How much tougher was it for people just like me to get diagnosed? It wasn't right and after giving up gluten, that was the hardest fact for me to comprehend. I knew I had to do something.

I moved to Alaska about a year after being diagnosed. I decided to start a support group and designed a website geared towards people like me living in Alaska. The group members complained about not having very many restaurant options so, I started contacting restaurants to design gluten-free menus for them. I still wanted to draw more attention to the issue, so after getting the idea from my husband, I entered a pageant. We thought it would be a great (and fun) way to increase visibility to the issue. It worked! After winning, I visited my Senator and asked about working on a resolution (which passed last month) to designate May as National Celiac Disease Awareness Month. I also spoke with the Alaska Dietetic Association and started getting invites to speak at conferences and continue spreading the word nationally. From there, I met and made connections with a lot of movers and shakers in the gluten-free industry. 

If you told me 4 years ago I would be so passionate about something like this, I may have laughed. 

Teaching was never something I felt I was good at. Now, I cannot imagine doing anything else. Having Celiac Disease has taught me not only the value of healthier eating but also given me a sense of pride in who I am. I'm no longer really uncomfortable in front of a crowd and I've learned to be more bold about important issues. I love the gluten-free community and how supportive they are of me. It helps me have more confidence in myself and its encouraging to know that you really can make a difference if you put a little effort into what you're passionate about. I also enjoy many more foods and flavors, I meet amazing people who inspire me, and I have a better appreciation for my own health. Celiac Disease and gluten free living has taught me more about myself and has made me into a better person. 

Being diagnosed with it was not something I really wanted in life. However, it has turned out to be exactly what I needed (and I wouldn't change it for all the bread in the world!)

If This Isn't Happiness,Then I Don't Know What Is

Thank You Scranton!

I sit here in an empty room, walls bare, surrounded by boxes. This is it. My last day at Scranton as an undergrad. Yesterday was such a surreal day. Each moment I was in aw, taken back, and couldn't believe I was now an alumni of the University of Scranton. 

I feel proud and honored

As I woke up this morning two thoughts immediately came to me:


1. I am actually a college graduate. This is not a dream, but a reality. 
2. Thank you Scranton! You left a mark on us. Thanks for the memories, for the experience (both highs and lows), and thanks for allowing me to grow, learn, and transform. 

I feel truly blessed. 

As I sat with my friends last night, I couldn't help but to think how different it is going to be when I return in the fall. However, deep down inside I know I am ready. Ready for this new chapter and ready for new beginnings. Ready to be challenged and pushed. 


Thank you Scranton for preparing me, for showing me what love is, and for providing me with an experience that I will never forget. There will always be a special place in my heart for my Scranton Family and the Class of 2012! 

Agape. AMDG. Royals Love

Go Fourth And Set the World On Fire

As you read this I may be getting ready for my big day. The day I have dreamed about for so long. Maybe you are reading this as the ceremony is beginning, or as I am crossing the stage to proudly receive my diploma. 


There was no possible way I could of written this post the on the exact day of graduation. As I sat to pre-write this post, I simply thought, what do I write? How do I put everything that I am feeling into words, when I still can't believe I am actually graduating? As I sit to write this I feel so incredibly blessed. Blessed to be given all the opportunities I have received in these past four years, and blessed to have so many wonderful people walk into my life. I reflect on the many lessons I have been taught on this campus. One sticks out to me: Everyone has as story. 


Now, I walk through life wondering what each individuals' story is. Feeling honored that I will one day be given the privilege to hear students' stories and impact their life.  Today as we join together as a class one final time, everyone has a story about how they reached this remarkable achievement.  

There were times where I didn't think I was going to make it through. Times where I thought I was going to have to put my education on hold to take care of my health. 

As I think about this day I have to once again thank my parents, as none of this would of been possible without them. 

When I walked into college, I was fearful of not being able to successfully perform at the college level, yet secretly setting the goal for myself to make the dean's list my first semester. Today I graduate magna cum laude. 

As I think about this day I feel so blessed Joe and I get to experience graduation together, and have been able to share our college experience. I will most likely cry when I hear his name being called. I am such a proud sister! 

When I think of college the first three words that come to mine are: Roller Coaster Ride. Consistently having to deal with ups and downs. Now, I stand before you and can confidently say, no matter how bad things get there is always something to be grateful for. 

This week has been beautiful, filled with beautiful people and memories that will last a lifetime. Whoever invented Senior week is pure genius! 

There is no perfect way to write this post, and there are no perfect words that speak to the experience I had during my last four years. The University of  Scranton is a hidden gem, which transformed my life.  

Tomorrow is going to be hard. Though I am fortunate to be able to continue my education here, a piece of Scranton will be missing; the Class of 2012.  But we will not be forgotten, each one of us has made our own mark. As one of our Jesuits, Fr. Rick said at the Senior Liturgy mass, "When you have been loved, it's hard to move on."

I have learned what love is on this campus, and I have learned to spread the Scranton love through serving others. This is my Scranton story.

I am going to embrace, enjoy, and cherish every moment of this beautiful day. I truly feel so blessed. Congratulations Scranton Class of 2012. We did it!! 

#USGRAD12  is  here!! 

Letting My Dreams Take Flight

We are officially one day away from the big day. Today we have our baccalaureate mass and the president's reception party in the evening. As I prepare to graduate I thought I would share and excerpt from a poem that I wrote when I went on my Senior Retreat back in February. Cheers to the Class of 2012!

Dreams and Hopes

Envisioning the future is something I have always done

A plan of some sort has always been in place

When I was younger I wanted to be married and have kids by 30

But through life experience I have learned

life doesn’t always follow accordingly

My visions have changed

My outlook on life has changed

Allowing myself to look at the “bigger pictures”

I didn’t always have hope

But no matter what life put in front of me

I always dreamed

Right now I am hopeful

Hopeful for the future

Not knowing exactly what I want

I believe I will go where the spirit moves me

I will follow my calling

Right now I am called to school counseling

But I envision a future advocating for the gluten-free community

I am a person that will always be helping others

This is my true calling

I can only hope that I will continue

To believe in myself

I will not let fear or adversity hinder my dreams

I dream of traveling

Want to see the world and experience culture

I will let my dreams take flight

1 Day till Graduation

These Have Been Life Changing Years

My Four Year Transformation

I use to be fearful of what was going to come next

I use to be weak, thin, and timid 

I use to be unsure of my abilities 

I use to be depressed 

I use to doubt if I would ever be happy and healthy 

Not anymore 

Today I am hopeful 

Today as we are two days away from graduation, 

I have never been happier and stronger

More confident in my abilities 

Now I

Choose to embrace the 'bumps' in life

I am working to restore my health

And am so grateful 

All these changes are a result of a diagnosis 

And a decision to take a leap of faith 

To attend the University of Scranton 

Who would of thought 

College would transform me

5.15.12 

  2 days till graduation