Wendy's (thumbs up) and Taco Bell (thumbs down)

Baked potato with bacon and cheese with a bowl of chili both tastes good and is filling. Tacos, while constructed with a pitifully small amount of ingredients, barely qualifying it as a taco, is wheat free, as well. But I think I'll get take-out from a real Mexican restaurant, and enjoy the wheat free meal.


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Good-byes

The past two weeks have been a roller coaster. Our semester started with a rush to orient new students, order supplies before our budget gets cut, a Cub Scout trip, and the death of my second mom.

I'm terrible for sending Christmas Cards, or letters, or just plain calling. It doesn't mean you're not on my mind...my mind is just scattered.

This part is probably an entry all by itself, but it dovetails with this entry. My 81 year old dad, who acts like a 30 year old, went with us to the USS Yorktown on our Cub Scout trip. While with him in the Medal of Honor museum is when I heard about Mom Lahnstein's passing. It made the rest of the time with my dad that much more special. As much as I hate to admit it, he won't outlive me. I'll have to face life without him one day.

For now, I wouldn't trade a minute I spend with him for all the money in the world. You just don't know when you'll get that call.


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Pardon Me While I Ramble

I don't know, I'm just listening to music and thinking about the paths chosen in my life.

Sometimes I find myself wondering what if...what If I'd chosen path A instead of path B?

I'm not unhappy, disappointed, or the least ashamed of who and where I am. Miley Cyrus gets bad press, but she's right in her song, it's not the destination, it's the climb.

I have many joys, some sadness, and a few regrets.

I love my wife. My two boys are my right and left arms, my job is awesome, and I found out that God is looking after me on His own, wisdom filled, way.

I reconnected with my dad a number of years ago after he and my mom went through a nasty divorce. We're best friends as well as father and son. It took having my own sons to realize how proud a dad can be. I'm not special, but my dad is proud of me. That's worth everything.

I have some really good friends. Their friendship is unconditional.

Sometimes I wish I had handled parts of my life differently. Maybe I didn't know how at the time. Can I revisit those parts and handle it another way? Don't know. I wouldn't trade what I have, or how I got here. But, if I was offered a chance to change anything, I'd seek out those from my life who I may have alienated, scared off, or rejected, and try to talk about it.

I really believe (nothing earth shattering here), that we become different people as we gain life experiences.

Don't know how to reach out to the people included above, or if they even want that. But, if you're reading this, and you think you're one, let's have a cup of coffee. Let's talk.

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It Must Be Working

Well, I just looked at me headache journal. Seven headaches since Thanksgiving. That's less than what I was having per month!

I'm loving this!! I had no idea how great it is without headaches. They were as much a part of my life as rush hour traffic.

Folks, do yourselves a favor, kick caffeine. You'll realize how much you DON'T need it!


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Need A Sweet Snack?

Both plain and peanut M&Ms are gluten free. Crunchy M&Ms, though, are not.


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Brownies!

Trader Joe's has a gluten free brownie mix that tastes great! It also doubles as chocolate chip cookie mix, if you add chips.


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Where to Shop in (and near) Knightdale

Lowe's Foods has a surprising number of gluten free items, as does Target.

In Raleigh you can go to Harmony Foods at Creedmore and Millbrook Roads. While they have an excellent selection, they seem to cost 15-20% more than regular stores. Of course, they are a specialty store, so no real surprise.

You can also go to Whole Foods, which had one side of an isle dedicated to gluten free. Trader Joe's is also a very good source.

Where to Eat in Knightdale

Applebee's offers single-page lists of what menu items it has that are gluten free, as well as other allergens (peanuts, etc.). Unfortunately, not everything on their list is on their menu, or maybe it's vice-versa. It's a good start, though.

Lonestar Steakhouse is reported as having a gluten free menu, but I haven't been able to see it first hand.

Gluten Free

I went to a headache specialist in mid-November who quickly determined caffeine is the most likely culprit as a trigger for my 3-4 migraines a week.

I happily quit caffeine and cut the headaches to about 1 per week.

Back to the doctor in mid-December and my labs showed a class IV allergy to wheat and rye. Not Celiac Disease, just an allergy. This type of allergy has been known to trigger migraines. So, off wheat and rye for a two month trial.

My wife and I have been researching how to avoid wheat and rye. Seems it's in nearly every type of food in some capacity or another. The good news is that I am definitely NOT the first to have to deal with this. And, at least it's not Celiac Disease.

I've found many websites dedicated to gluten free diets, gluten free foods, where to shop, where to dine. I want to be able to offer whatever I find for others living in my neck of the woods.

What Did He Say?...

I should be keeping all of this written down somewhere...

"Where's Ben going?"
"Blake's house to spend the night."
[In tears] "But I'll miss him, I'll really miss him!"

"But I'll cry when you leave me at [preschool]."
"But why would you cry?"
"Because you didn't give me a kiss."
"Of course I'll give you a kiss, if that will keep you from crying."
"But you didn't give me a smile."
"I'll give you a smile, AND a hug! Will that help?"
"Yes."
(It worked!)

My wife and I were talking when my then 5 year old started repeating, "Excuse me." After about six of these I said, "Ben, you only need to say excuse me once. I'll answer you when I'm finished talking with Mommy so you won't be interrupting."
"I'm not trying to interrupt, I'm pooting and saying 'excuse me' each time."