I have been receiving hostile messages from some of you regarding my lack of blogging the past few weeks... :) My computer died. It is fixable, but I am trying to stick to my budget at the moment. We can't blog at work, obviously, so I have had limited time to blog over the past few weeks. Here's a few things to catch up...
At the end of May, I traveled to Fort Lewis Lodge in Virgina for the wedding of Kim, my dear college friend. Kim married her boyfriend of 6 years (Jacob Gregson). It was a wonderful time! I was one of maybe 5 people there who weren't family or in the wedding party. It was small, intimate, and set in the middle of Virgina's beauty.
Of course, traveling with me is never dull. I managed to get lost between Friday brunch in Stauton to the lodge in the-middle-of-nowhere, Virginia. I ended up in West Virginia at some point, and the wedding party was starting to seriously worry about me (no cell coverage). Virginia back roads are absolutely crazy, and there was a rock slide that required a detour, however I was given the wrong directions for the detour. The way back was much less eventful, though I did take a nice, albeit unplanned detour through the George Washington Forrest. I guess I can check that off of my places to see.
One more note of my trip... This was my first big trip to unknown territory since my Celiac diagnosis. It went GREAT. I didn't get sick once, thanks to my extreme caution as well as the unbelievable hospitality of the lodge. When I called to make a reservation, I mentioned my gluten allergy only in passing to find out if there was a little fridge I could keep my "just in case" food in. When I checked in, the manager/cook said "Oh, you're the one with the gluten allergy." It blew me away that she remembered b/c I was planning on making no big deal of it whatsoever. She pulled me aside before every meal to tell me what I could and couldn't eat. I thanked her a million times, and she said, "Oh it's no big deal. We get this ALL THE TIME." I told her that although it seems like just another day for her, it's a HUGE deal for those of us who often feel like the odd man out in these situations.
I learned a valuable lesson. You never know how people can help you unless you give them the chance... Mention your allergy! I just assumed that a small lodge in Virginia wouldn't be able to cater to my needs, but they did had a strong desire to do just that. They made me scrambled eggs as an alternative to breakfast casserole. They brought me a bowl of delicious fruit when others were eating peach pie. Another guest with lactose intolerance received the same treatment.
I was thrilled! And it goes so much deeper than just having a normal meal. It was the fact that these people took extra preparation and planning off of my mind so that I could focus on why I was there... To honor Kim and Jacob and enjoy in their fabulous day! My job for the weekend was to prepare lunch for all 60 guests on Saturday. That was fun! Everyone there took advantage of being in nature in one way or another with hiking, soaking in the hot tub under the stars, fishing & kayaking, dancing, and just enjoying each other's company.
Here are a few pictures of my precious friend's special day (all taken by other people). The first one is of the two of us when she came to visit this past winter. I don't have any of the two of us from the wedding quite yet.
At the end of May, I traveled to Fort Lewis Lodge in Virgina for the wedding of Kim, my dear college friend. Kim married her boyfriend of 6 years (Jacob Gregson). It was a wonderful time! I was one of maybe 5 people there who weren't family or in the wedding party. It was small, intimate, and set in the middle of Virgina's beauty.
Of course, traveling with me is never dull. I managed to get lost between Friday brunch in Stauton to the lodge in the-middle-of-nowhere, Virginia. I ended up in West Virginia at some point, and the wedding party was starting to seriously worry about me (no cell coverage). Virginia back roads are absolutely crazy, and there was a rock slide that required a detour, however I was given the wrong directions for the detour. The way back was much less eventful, though I did take a nice, albeit unplanned detour through the George Washington Forrest. I guess I can check that off of my places to see.
One more note of my trip... This was my first big trip to unknown territory since my Celiac diagnosis. It went GREAT. I didn't get sick once, thanks to my extreme caution as well as the unbelievable hospitality of the lodge. When I called to make a reservation, I mentioned my gluten allergy only in passing to find out if there was a little fridge I could keep my "just in case" food in. When I checked in, the manager/cook said "Oh, you're the one with the gluten allergy." It blew me away that she remembered b/c I was planning on making no big deal of it whatsoever. She pulled me aside before every meal to tell me what I could and couldn't eat. I thanked her a million times, and she said, "Oh it's no big deal. We get this ALL THE TIME." I told her that although it seems like just another day for her, it's a HUGE deal for those of us who often feel like the odd man out in these situations.
I learned a valuable lesson. You never know how people can help you unless you give them the chance... Mention your allergy! I just assumed that a small lodge in Virginia wouldn't be able to cater to my needs, but they did had a strong desire to do just that. They made me scrambled eggs as an alternative to breakfast casserole. They brought me a bowl of delicious fruit when others were eating peach pie. Another guest with lactose intolerance received the same treatment.
I was thrilled! And it goes so much deeper than just having a normal meal. It was the fact that these people took extra preparation and planning off of my mind so that I could focus on why I was there... To honor Kim and Jacob and enjoy in their fabulous day! My job for the weekend was to prepare lunch for all 60 guests on Saturday. That was fun! Everyone there took advantage of being in nature in one way or another with hiking, soaking in the hot tub under the stars, fishing & kayaking, dancing, and just enjoying each other's company.
Here are a few pictures of my precious friend's special day (all taken by other people). The first one is of the two of us when she came to visit this past winter. I don't have any of the two of us from the wedding quite yet.
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