Matt's birthday!

Matt's birthday was Friday - he is now officially as old as I am:) We had a great weekend of celebrating. Matt's brother Beau called a few weeks ago and said he and Kate would be coming to Chicago this weekend and wanted to surprise Matt at dinner downtown Friday night.

Matt had no idea! He thought the two of us were just going out to eat to celebrate. When we got to our table, Beau and Kate were there waiting on us! It was awesome!

Beau's wife Kate is also pregnant - we are 2 weeks apart! So there was a lot of pregnancy/baby talk during dinner!

Dinner was fantastic - we went to MK downtown a few blocks from Michigan Ave. Everything we ordered was good. And the service was seriously the best I've ever had. The waiter asked if there were any food allergies and after I told him I couldn't eat gluten he went out of his way to look out for me the rest of the night. He was extremely knowledgeable about everything that had gluten in it - something I really appreciate. Sometimes a chef knows how to make something gluten-free, but if the waitstaff doesn't understand and doesn't make the customer feel comfortable with what they're eating, it is pointless. I ordered the ice-cream sampler for dessert and he even brought gluten-free coconut macaroons with it (that I think they'd just made). It was overall a great experience.

Beau and Kate's flight wasn't until Saturday night so they came and spent the day with us Saturday. Will had such a good time with them, and they even brought him a BIG Woody doll that he LOVES! I'm so glad they could come visit and make Matt's birthday weekend extra special!

Happy Birthday Matt! Will and I love you very much!

Gluten free on tv

I happened to have the Today Show on this week when they did a segment on gluten free diets. You may have heard that Chelsea Clinton's wedding cake was gluten free, and I think that may have sparked a lot of hype. The doctor in this segment explained things very well, and I hope it raises more awareness for celiac and gluten free diets so that more restaurants will start offering gluten free options...

And speaking of gluten free food, here is my favorite snack/meal lately. I love love love Fellini's salads (they're located in Atlanta, and I miss them!) and I tried to make one at home that was as close as possible to theirs. It is VERY simple...but delicious!

lots of fresh tomatoes, loads of freshly grated mozzerella, and a creamy italian dressing

Yum!! I think I'll have one now...

Celiac

Thank you to everyone who prayed for my endoscopy last week. It really did mean a lot to me! It wasn't too bad. I remember the doctor giving me the anesthesia, and the next thing I knew, I was in the recovery room. I vaguely remembered trying to sit up and push people away and the doctor yelling "NO!". It seemed like a dream though, so when the doctor came in, I asked him if I had woken up during the procedure. He said yes, I had been combative! I guess they just gave me more medicine to knock me out. Ha! Afterwards I felt fine, other than being a little embarrassed:)

I heard back from the doctor this morning with the biopsy results, and I do have Celiac disease. It stinks, but I'm trying to be optimistic about it. Matt told me that if I can't eat gluten, he won't either (he said he wants to empathize with me). What an amazing husband I have! I am meeting with a dietician in a couple of weeks, and until then I will try and learn as much as I can.

This is a super busy time around our house...on top of the move, Matt's classes ended Friday and he has finals this week. And we have lots of social things going on as the end of Kellogg draws near and many of our friends move away. Time has flown by...it seems like just yesterday we were moving up here!