The Path Of Healing..

For most of my adult life I have managed(or mis-managed) my body with only one concern- how much I weigh. If the scale went down in the morning it was gonna be a good day! If not...well you get the picture. #crazytrain

I can honestly say I kept that mentality until December 3rd of this year. Even though for quite some time I've eaten gluten free(and now dairy free) I never SAW it as a means to heal my body from the train wreck my intolerances had put it through. I merely looked at it as another restrictive diet set in place to punish me for not being born with the glorious DNA of Sandra Bullock. #poutingginger

I'd like to say that some miracle happened and the night sky lit up with pink glitter to illuminate this moment of reckoning that I had on the evening of December 2nd. Alas, it just isn't so. I was lying on the big comfy couch in our living room chatting with Cason when all of a sudden a wave of understanding washed over me. I had to change. A complete overhaul of perspective was in order. Instead of counting every calorie and whining about my situation....it was time to embrace who I am and learn to eat what heals me and makes me the best possible me I can be.(which is a bubbly happy red head that loves to bedazzle everything and soaks up every moment that life has to offer)

I woke up on the morning of Dec 3rd a brand new girl. I've asked myself before each meal if what I am about to partake of will nourish and heal my body. I've felt positively AMAZING ever since! My mind is clear, my Spirit is charged and I am excited about where this path will lead me. All this time Lori has been lovingly telling me this - 'you cannot diet your way to the joy I want for you'. Her words finally permeated. And ya know what? I've actually lost MORE weight. Go figure, right? - The GFG

Into The Darkness.....

It seems to me at the very moment I turn my clock back an hour(who am I kidding here..my iphone did it for me)that some kind of internal shift occurs and I'm immediately thrown into a three month long drive through the doldrums. #carefulMilo #crankyginger

It's not a bad mood really....it's more of a heaviness on my thoughts. Everything seems to take just a tad more effort in the dark cold months of old man Winter's rule. I feel like I'm operating on the last 9% of battery life and at any moment I might just lay my head down and hibernate until Spring arrives and showers me in light and glitter again.

This evening as I sit in my beautiful home and contemplate all the tasks on my 'to do' list...I am aware of the wind licking at my window and the rain slowly saturating the fallen leaves outside. Tomorrow morning the air will be weighted in moisture and the scent of freshly showered earth. It will be beautiful and slowing to me. My pace will gradually lessen as we get deeper into the season. I will find ways to streamline my time spent out of doors and spend as much time as possible indoors where my Summer born soul can stay dry, warm and content.

Bless Cason's heart :) I darn near sweat that man outta the house when it drops below 50 degrees outside. Good thing he loves me, eh? - The GFG

Dreams Do Come True....

On a lazy fall Sunday afternoon while sitting on our 'Hey Arnold!' Stoop and watching the ninja squirrels chase each other from branch to branch my PC and I were doing what we normally do- sippin' on some coffee and just enjoying each other. He got up and walked around to the back yard. I figured he was just stretching his legs a bit. A few moments later while the sun warmed up and began to take the chill off the cement stoop he came back and knelt down in front of me. He looked up at me with his mesmerizing green eyes and asked me to be his wife!

First I cried, second I said YES, and then I threw my arms around him and squeeled with excitement. I get to spend all of my days with Cason! I get to be his forever date! This was really happening to me! I dang near floated off in a bubble y'all :) He tied a blade of grass around my ring finger which I wore all day and then laminated to keep forEVER. (I later learned that he is having a one of a kind ring made for me in Ireland and I should have it on my finger by Thanksgiving).

I have dreamed of a love like he and I have since I was 11 years old and first read 'Wuthering Heights'. Cathy and Heathcliff had a tragic story but their love for one another knew no boundaries and they shared a connection that other people just didn't comprehend. It was amazing! I knew then that I wanted to love a man that fiercely someday without restraint, fear or boundaries. I love my Cason this way....my fiancé :) I really LOVE the sound of that. We've set a date for October 5th, 2013 and will be wed in an Irish ceremony under the magnolia trees of Covington Square. And ya know what? It's going to be perfect :)- The GFG

Acceptance Does Not Equal Defeat

I like to consider myself a decent friend(with moments of awesomeness)and a fairly adequate listener(unless a Chris Robinson song is on and then I will just zone out for a few minutes). I find lately as I listen to good friends or just sit in a room with others in conversation that I may be more aware of my actions and the actions of others than I ever realized. I tend to question why people do what they do and what the driving force behind it is before passing judgment. I am far from perfect so I don't expect perfection from others. I do think I tend to give more understanding to people since at any given moment I can spaz out if I ingest bread. #sigh

I also find it hard to see something as black or white...for me...no one is inherently good or evil. We are all paprika to me :) So, as I find myself listening to or reading about the actions of others I find myself breaking down why folks just tend to(what we call in the South) 'act a fool' in the most precarious of environments like work, church, restaurants and most of all on Facebook. I accept that all people have their own standards of decorum(after all...not everyone could have a grandmother like mine to mold them) yet that doesn't stop me from hoping for better behavior/treatment from my fellow humans. I wake up every morning in full acceptance that the world and people in it can and will disappoint me.....yet my heart always hopes that through a smile, a kind word or just a listening ear that I can somehow change that fate...if even for just today. Tomorrow can hold dissapointment...but today I will hope for sunshine. - The GFG

Looking Up The Mountain

Here I sit after a hot bath all cozy n' junk and thinking about the path I have chosen and where to place the mile markers along the way. The thought pattern that led me to deciding on a nine month time frame(Oct-June)for my 'total Ginger transformation' is simple.It takes nine months for a woman to create a life-so I can change my life in the same time frame :)

I started today monitoring the quantity of my food with an app on my iPhone called 'itrackbites' and eating harmonious foods that fit into my lifestyle. Now don't get me wrong y'all- I eat and I eat well :) Breakfast was pumpkin coffee, eggs, bacon and a banana. (Well, to be honest after sleeping so late that was actually lunch) Dinner was a chicken Caesar salad with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and artichoke hearts. Yum! Tomorrow will be fruit and coffee for breakfast and my friend David's amazing 'egg bake' paired with cottage cheese for lunch. Dinner will be some lovely veggies and shrimp. (Notice the trend of no sugar and no wheat) #gingerfriendly

I look forward to the next few days and logging how the new lifestyle is working for me. Wishing y'all a wonderful week! - The GFG

Operation: Ginger....OH SNAP!

Today I am excited y'all! I've probably experimented with every health path out there and avoided what works for FAR too long because I didn't want to face the facts- gluten and its kissing cousins(gluten alternatives like corn, rice and potato flour derivatives) hate this body I live in. Having tried OVER and OVER again to find a way to still include these foods just make me unhealthy and unhappy. Stuff just got real...real fast. I'm tired of being tired.

After gathering lots of information, picking myself up and learning from the failures- I've tweaked a plan that fits my own flavor of uniqueness :) I will move my body with Jazzercise and Yoga. I will nourish it with good foods purchased from the perimeter of the grocery store and utilize Weight Watchers as a tool for managing the quantity of what I take in. I will NOT be eating the processed foods that the Weight Watcher plan endorses. That is simply NOT harmonious for me. (See Lori- I do listen)

My goal date for shopping to aquire new clothes AND a bikini is June 1st 2013. June is the month I first met Lori and when my life began to grow and evolve. It's perfect for a landmark on this path. I look forward to it! It's gonna be a fun, scary and educational nine months :) Check In with me from time to time. I will update my progress. The total weight loss will be 40 pounds when I am at my healthy Ginger goal. See ya at the finish line y'all. Failure is NOT an option. - The GFG

The In Between Moments....

Hello loverlies! I've been a very busy girl as of late. Cason, Gamer Boy and I moved!
We now call a 1938 Spanish style hacienda our home. It's absolutely 110% ME. It's all hard
Wood floors, French doors, crystal door knobs and even has a secret passage way. #awesome

I've paid for a shiny new header(complete with a cartoon me) to be added to my home page
and was waiting for it to go live to begin posting again but something happened yesterday that
just stirred up the 'word nerd' in me and I had to get it out or explode. Seriously. It really feels
that way when a thought/realization/epiphany hits me.
It's write it out or live with all the words banging around in my head like that little cubby in your
driver's side door that's entirely USELESS except for holding change and you overly fill it and it spills when you shut the door and irritates you. #tangent #focusginger

So.....yeah....back to yesterday. I got in my car after work and before I got off the
street my job is located on my iPhone rings and up pops a pic of Cason with the
words 'Prince Charming' is calling lighting up the screen. I answer and he asks
with his OH Sooo silky Southern drawl for me to join him on the patio at a local Mexican
restaurant for dinner.( did I mention we live in TOWN now and everything, including
work is only FIVE minutes from our house?) #sheerepicness

I agreed- OF.COURSE :) We then said a quick good bye and I continued my drive there.
A feeling washed over me y'all- one of complete and utter gratefulness. I have KNOWN what loneliness feels like. I don't mean the kind where you are bored and can't think of anything to do...I mean The kind that runs BONE DEEP. The loneliness of no phone ringing, no plans made, no one to call and ask how your day was or sit across from you at dinner AND the mornings where no one leaves the lid off the toothpaste :(

That five minute drive was a lifetime of reflection condensed into the summation which equals
and keeps me aware of how precious those 'in between moments' are. Those moments actually happen daily for me. I have an amazing partner who 99% of the time calls to talk to me on the
way home(even if its just a five minute drive). I am blessed to be a girl that sits my phone face
up and anxiously awaits it to light up with his name. I get to be one of those girls you see driving
down the road in cute sunglasses with a smile on my face because I have someone(s)..Cason and
Gamer Boy....waiting to spend time with me. Those little moments make me rich. Those little moments enrich the lives of us ALL if we only stop and acknowledge them. I hope I never EVER have to live without them again. - The GFG

Life In The Ginger Seat

It's 10:30pm on an August evening in the deep South. Here I am..feet propped up on the coffee table(with perfectly pedicured toes..OF COURSE) with my laptop listening to the dryer toss Gamer Boy's school clothes around and pondering the events of the last week. Gamer Boy started high school.(Yes. I. Feel. OLD.) So far he likes it very much :) #relievedginger

As for Cason - he is out for the evening visiting with a life long friend who is here from California. I smile
as I think of the laughter and conversation that must be going on between the two of them :)

As for me - I suppose I am content(at the moment)in my seat. Being 'glutenized' the first part of last week was awful but I got through it. Gamer Boy starting high school was stressful but I got through it. Right now,
as the evening finally begins to cool down and I am winding down, I find myself doing what I always do - looking for something to fix. I am a pleaser by nature. I always feel like I need to make things better for those I love and especially have a formed habit of always working on myself. Impeccably Imperfect is how I see me. Always a work in progress. Always something to learn and experience. There are very few moments where I feel that I am completely fine. There is always something I can try to make better in my world, isn't there? *sigh* Maybe the answer to this question is to just sit here and relax. That sounds pretty good to me. Goodnite y'all. - The GFG

Finding My Way Back...

I've been on sort of a "break" from writing. It was somewhat voluntary and involuntary all at
 the same time. Gamer Boy pretty much has custody of my laptop to do his graphic design
work and online gaming and Cason runs Linux(a NON-Ginger friendly I.T. people version of
the interwebs) on his laptop..THUS..leaving me with only my NOT. SO. SMART. phone or the Kindle(which I canNOT type on) to blog with. #sigh

Alas...my beloved Cason got me this super cute laptop of my very own as a birthday gift and
HERE. I. AM! #happyginger

Along with the break from writing...I've taken a break from being strict with food. (Lori, if you
are reading this..I am very sorry and am paying for my bad behavior. Of this, I am certain you
already know. Love you.)It's not like I went TOTALLY off the deep end n' junk. I just haven't
been so great. Oooooookay...so I may have stopped at Krystal's once or four times.(It's my
absolute FAVORITE "I'm having a bad day and I wanna eat really crappy food" place to stop).
I do believe my saving salvation from going completley into a Gluten induced Coma is the
excercise I've been getting at Jazzercise. Perhaps it helps my system digest and get cleaner faster??

One of my favorite literary characters(probably because I can relate to her very well) Miss Anne Shirley from 'Anne of Green Gables' said  "tomorrow is a fresh new day free of mistakes".  That's how I feel this evening as I sit in my pink chair and type. Here's to tomorrow. - The GFG

Move It And Lose It

Hi y'all! It's been a while since I checked in on my little corner of the interwebs. Life. Is. FULL. :) Cason and I have been going NON STOP for the last few weeks or so it seems. We have the good fortune of constantly enjoying the company of good friends.

I recently joined a Jazzercise class and I PuffyHeartLOVE it!!! My instructor Melody is one of the cutest little things I've ever seen. She is just bursting with energy and welcomed me into her class with a bright and loving spirit. Jazzercise is recess to me. It's teaching me to control my muscles and it is also the best one hour stress reducing therapy I've ever encountered! I've now lost four pounds and I look forward to going every chance I can. Stay tuned for more adventures in exercising. - The GFG

Never Thought I'd Get Here!

Phew! It's been a crazy few weeks. Things have gone well and not so well in my lil' family. Cason has a brand new job that he
LOVES and Gamer Boy(despite his wireless headset dying, may it rest in peace) is enjoying his summer with his friends. I have been making some changes(good and bad). For the good- I'm now free on the weekends! No more working on Saturdays= Woooooo to tha' Hooooooo!!!! For the 'not so good' - I fell off the grid for the last week on eating 'ginger-friendly'. I can't blame any life event or social disaster. I just decided to trip off
Into stupid for a little while and WELL- here I am.

What I did NOT anticipate was my body deciding that it will NOT cooperate with cheat days anymore. In the past as long as I ate clean for a while it wouldn't be so awful to take a few days off from my lifestyle- NOT anymore. It's amazing how my system seems to be 'running the show' now. My body is dictation to me this morning that it won't under any circumstances accept un-friendly food. Just the thought of taking in one more bite of it makes me wanna GAG :(

I have a rather important spiritual event on July 30th. (Mind you, I don't talk religion on here because everyone has an opinion and I have a severe distaste for arguing- its not proper Southern Belle decorum #nufsaid) I am excited about this event and will go along with my body's sudden total domination and be very VERY good to it(pinky swear) as this month goes forward. The motto that came to mind as I meditated this morning - 'My body houses my soul. Nourish
It lovingly'. And that y'all is Exactly. The. Plan. - The GFG

Lookin' For Love In All The Wrong Places...

Sometimes I catch myself gettin' all caught up in the daily routine, schedules and actions of others rather than focusing on me. I watch Cason and others I know living their lives and doing what they love while I retract into the vastness of my mind and analyze(sometimes to death) every action I shoulda, coulda and woulda taken. Let me say- this is NOT me reacting to food. I'm just 2% neurotic and 98% too anxious all of the time.

Cason took me down to Savannah last weekend. For the first time that I can recall I truly relaxed. (He tends to have super powers and make magical stuffs happen like this). I sat on a bench watchin' the big ole boats go by and just 'was'. It was freaking awesome!

I realized then(and of course have analyzed ever since) that its
Time to give some value to ME and what I want for myself on this trip called life. It's time to stop looking outside myself for reasons to be in love with this life and just LET. IT.HAPPEN. Sure- this may involve me breaking Southern Belle decorum(sorry Nannie!) And asking for what I want when I want it and going after things I may never have allowed myself
To believe I deserve. Yep. I do believe change is 'a comin'.
-The GFG

The Road Less Traveled

This morning has me wondering why it took me quite so long to
come to the realization that I have TOO much on my plate.
Without getting into the nitty gritty details(because, after all-
the majority really does NOT wanna know..they wanna ask how
you are and you smile and say 'Fine. How are you?')I will just
say that its time for some cleaning up in my life. I'm finally
ready for somethings to move aside and stop allowing them
to stress me. In the words of my AMAZING boyfriend -
Today. Is. A. New. Day.

Now to make the best of it :) - The GFG

Ginger's Log- Day 6 In Detox Zone

I have placed myself this morning one one of the couches in our sitting area all wrapped up in the blanket that was my father's favorite and I have the morning light coming through the blinds behind me and the low sounds of clothes dancing in the dryer down the hall. I am sipping on my green smoothie as I begin day six in the 'Detox Zone'. Its been an interesting ride so far. As I've said before - each day starts with a green smoothie(which tastes good but the looks of it freaks my co-workers OUT), lunch consists of fruits and veggies and dinner is one serving of meat and more fruits and veggies. In between is raw nuts and seeds.

What I've learned so far - Detoxing can make you QUITE sick the first week. As your body starts releasing all the 'Yuck' from your lymphatic system it can make you feel down right awful. The last two days have been Less. Than. Stellar. To say the LEAST. #sickginger

But I woke up this morning feeling some better.(though this may be the last of the Nyquil that's still gloriously in my blood stream). #brightside - My mind is SO clear y'all! Even through the sick stage my mind has been enjoying this 'house cleaning' ordeal. I've lost 7 pounds as of this morning and don't deal with the crazy food cravings that come when eating carbohydrate loaded foods and dairy products. All in all I have to say its going well. More updates to come! - The GFG

Just. Do. It.

After two years of being 83% good at this lifestyle I live I am finally about to go through a 30 day detox to get myself to the next level on this journey. I've known all along that this was the direction I was begrudgingly dragging myself towards at the speed of snail...but alas- I made it here. Each day will consist of a 'green smoothie', raw nuts and seeds, fruits and veggies and one serving of meat at dinner. That. Is. All. No processed foods, no dairy, no stop at the gas station for a peanut butter snickers(a.k.a.- foodgasm). Its good girl gluten-free Ginger for an entire 30 days.

The goal of this is to get my system balanced. You see- eating foods that are not clean just slowly lead to misery in the world
Of folks like me. I don't profess or promise in any way that I will maintain the strictness of this detox for the rest of my life. I do hope to keep it as my 'home base' and just venture off here and there from time to time. After all- what's life without chocolate every once in a while???

So at this very moment- I am sitting in my poofy pink chair a few feet from Cason who is sprawled out on the bed watch 'The Office'. Its my plan to entice him out for breakfast and to find somewhere cool and shaded to just be lazy with for a while.. #lifeisgood. - The GFG

Scary Stories n' Such...

I am currently reading 'Wheat Belly' by William Davis - and it might very well be the
scariest story I've ever read - AND. THAT'S. SAYIN'. SOMETHIN. As I turn each
page and read more I become angrier about the cloud of ignorance that has been placed
over consumers. We don't eat REAL wheat. We eat a genetically modified 'Franken-wheat'
that is so altered that its breaking down people like me and destroying MY quality of
life. Its in EVERYTHING that comes in a box, bag or can. Items you would never
even think of are saturated with this science fiction food that causes a plethora of health
issues in our world. The hilarity of it is the FDA is patting themselves on the back for
helping to end world hunger with this 'wheat' that grows at an un-natural rate. HELLO!
You've merely swapped world hunger for world wide disease. #youSUCK

And, YES, I am aware that not all people are gluten intolerant on the level that I am-BUT
take a look around you. Just because others don't experience depression, pain, inflammation
and hair loss - they DO have issues with 'Franken-wheat'. Fifty years ago before we
started eating this crap women and men didn't have to get up for a morning workout
and hit the gym in the evening to be at a healthy body weight. They worked for sure
but not as many hours as we do now. The difference is the quality of food they ate
far surpassed the slop we get handed from a bag in a drive-thru window. One in three
people in our current society are obese. Whose to say the other two are actually
healthy and un-affected by this science project gone horribly wrong? Perhaps their
symptoms are just masked or less severe. The food and lifestyle of my home are about
to DRASTICALLY change. I don't plan make Gamer Boy live on Tofu and seeds
but he will see a big differences in the items that land on his snack shelf and what
he has put in front of him for dinner. He may not like it very much - but I am his
Mom - not his friend. Its my job to give him the best of me and that includes
the very best fuel for his body. Sorry today's little blip wasn't very shiny...not
all things in life can be. Butterflies, glitter and better days to come. May you
all have a 'Franken-wheat' free day. - The GFG

Not Alone In This Walk....

First of all - an update on the 'awareness experiment'. It is AWESOME!! Eating just 'enough' is
the way to do it y'all. No more feeling grody n' junk after meals and losing all the energy you
have towards other events in your day! Its now part of the 'Ginger lifestyle'. :)

Now....on another note - Neal Boortz(aka the Talkmaster of talk radio whom I NOW follow
on twitter. Incase you didn't know...you can follow me if you choose @tabbitweets)talked
yesterday for almost a half hour about his battle with gluten intolerance and how living this
lifestyle has improved his mental clarity and over all quality and outlook on life. While it
saddens me that he has to live the way I do..it also reminds me that I am not alone in this
battle. I woke up this morning wondering what sort of gluten free breakfast he may be having
and how relieving it is to know that there is at least one other human being out there that
understands the 'crazy' that descends upon me when I get 'glutenized'. He mentioned
a book called 'Wheat Belly' by William Davis. I'd already been offered this book by my
dear friend David and accidentally forgot to bring it home. I will be borrowing it ASAP
to soak up what knowledge it has to offer me.(FYI-if David offered it - ITS GOOD. He
is like Yoda. Seriously y'all.)

They say misery loves company- guess I am no exception to this well worn statement!
Hope you all have a shiny and happy day. - The GFG

The Hunger Game

So I've been reading about different lifestyles and if you know me you are fully aware that I'm always trying to lose the last 15 pounds....hence the 'hour and a half glass' figure that I rock. Don't get me wrong- I don't berate or dislike myself. I'd just prefer to enhance it to just an hour glass figure:)

I'm interested in leaving the 'dieting' realm behind and learning more about how other cultures maintain healthy body weights and lifestyles. In a rather 'racey' novel I'm currently reading(no, I won't give the title. My grandmother wouldn't like that) there is a pattern or behavior that has intrigued me greatly.
For the sake of keeping things on PG level lets just say that the character in this novel is constantly aware of how much and how often she eats. She choses her meals with the constant awareness that she may need to immediatley 'run a mile or climb a mountain' right after she lowers her fork or spoon. It kinda makes ya think twice about the extra helping or second cocktail, eh?

So I started my own experiment today. For the next three days I will eat as if after each meal I will need to stand up and immediatley 'run a mile or climb a rock wall'. I think its an exciting awareness adventure. The character speaks of how clear her mind becomes and how focused she is able to be by eating when she is hungry, in small amounts and only enough to sustain her for increments of four hours. I plan to document this lil' experiment of mine. #scientificginger

Well now...time to stop talkin' bout it and get to it! Back with details. Laters y'all! - The GFG

Twu' Wuv...

There aren't many moments that have found me speechless in this life. I've always got some thought cultivating in tiny bubbles ready to pop and release some sort of comment or snipet into the air and onto anyone around me. Yesterday evening found this six foot tall red head wordlessly in awe as I watched my beloved friends Paul and Nancy become husband and wife. The love those two have radiates off them and permiates the air like the sweet heated scent of cotton candy at a fairground on a warm summer evening.

I stood in a trance- humbled, amazed and appreciative to have been asked to be a part of their ceremony. It was a gorgeous evening on the beach. The wedding party and guests kept to an intimate number -every detail attended with love from their friends and family. I smiled with pride as I watched Cason in 'full metal photographer' mode as he moved with expertise and grace to capture those precious moments for our cherished friends. As I sit here replaying the events of this weekend I feel bathed and saturated with the knowledge that true love is not just something I've read about...it exists and shines in the hearts, minds and souls of Paul and Nancy and many of the other AMAZING people in my life. And ya' know what? - I don't just read about it anymore. I wake up each day and live out the pages of my very own love story. I will say y'all - its GOOD :) - The GFG

The View From Where I Sit...

I grew up 'poor' if you measure the amount of money that did(or did not) flow into
our household over the years. Our mother worked herself to the bone in a textile mill and gave us everything she could so I am by NO means selling her efforts short. It was just an accepted fact that meat was not a staple at every dinner, clothes were handed down, utilities weren't something we took for granted and we often managed on far less than other households. Yet, riddle me this if you will - kids FLOCKED to hang out with me and my siblings. Our friends had an unspoken understanding to pack a lunch and drink from their own homes and bring it along. They knew to ask our mother(forever dubbed as 'Miss Hazel') for a cold glass of water or tea(since that is what we could afford to keep) instead of milk or sodas and they always managed to find some clothes that 'didn't fit' anymore to give to me and Tonya. After all, there was no use in lettin' those clothes go to waste now was there? #tactfulfriendsforsho'

Gradually through the years I've had the true fortune of making and maintaining some
amazing friendships. I am now approaching my 34th trip around the sun and I am amazed
at how many amazing people saturate my daily life. I have too many to name them all
but there are some that just SHINE :) My longest and dearest friend in the world is
Karrie. Through all my dark and light times she has stood by me like a sentinel. I love
her so much that even I(the word nerd red head)cannot find the words to describe it.
She and I have road this rollercoaster of life right along side each other and no matter
what decisions we each have made along the path(good, bad and really stupid)we are
always there for each other to laugh, cry, celebrate or pre-meditate our next steps.
I hope you read this Karrie - I puffyheartLOVE you for life :)

Through the friendships I've made I've never gone hungry, homeless or cried alone.
I've had constant and overwhelming support. I have no idea how I wound up so
incredibly fortunate. I've never had a single thing to offer my friends but my love,
support and time. Never the less - THEY. STICK. AROUND. For all of you amazing
people that are my friends and are reading this(you know who you are) - YOU. FREAKING.
ROCK. I love you all and thank the universe for allowing me to cross paths with
you. So, if you ever need a glass of water, a couch to crash on or a red head to
just sit and listen to your story - I am readily and at your disposal - ALWAYS. - The GFG

Blahbidy...Blah.............

So its Wednesday.....aka 'hump day'. Boy is it EVER true for me today. The timespan from now until 9:30 tonight when I finish up being a secretary and a waitress seems about as long as FOREVER. #headdesk..............................Perhaps those two(really don't count) bites of pizza last night were a bad choice, eh? Hey, don't judge to harshly...salad(even my boss's EPIC strawberry salad) just doesn't do it all of the time.

Today is one of those days when I wind up at a 'choice' of sorts...after all(stealing from
my friend Steven's birthday post yesterday) "life is merely a series of choices. We all have
them. We all make them. CHOOSE." Right now I am teeterin' between being grumpy for
 a little while or walking outside, taking a deep breath, soaking up all the AWESOMENESS
 of my co-workers and be-boppin' in Abigail on my morning trip to the post office. The
easy choice is the former. Since I always have to take the left-handed path...I am going to
chose the latter. #rebelginger

So here's to a good 80's hair metal song coming on the radio and a good laugh at the
confused collegiates at Emory University on their way to becoming shapers of our
future as they stand on the corners of the campus I drive through to get to the post
office SMOKING cigarettes every day as I passe them. Even though I see it every
day - I. STILL. SAY- WTH? Happy Wednesday ya'll. -The GFG

The Simple Things...

As I sit here this morning sipping on my DECAF coffee...I type with a smile :) I woke up this morning next to the man I've dreamed of since I read Wuthering Heights for the first time by flashlight under the covers over 20 years ago. I got dressed in a warm home, packed a homemade lunch and woke Gamer Boy up for the THIRD time with a kiss, a hug and my standard - "Have a wonderful day. You are the light of my life."

Even running out to the car this morning in flip flops because the Georgia weather decided to turn FRIGID wasn't tooo bad. I HAD to rock them this morning since I'm overdue on my epic pedicure
and will definatley be visiting my girls this afternoon. Yay!! #polishedginger

It's time to tackle the mountain of work I am blessed to have waiting on me and welcome Monday morning with open arms and a big grateful heart. Bright Blessings Y'all. - The GFG

Getting Ready for The Beach!

A near and dear friend of mine is getting married on Anna Maria Island(off the coast of Sarasota, Fl.)
on May 5th. He and his fiance have graciously included me in their wedding so we are off to the beach!
(Its on a weekend that Gamer Boy is to visit his dad...AND..there is the fact that I would be DRAGGING him on a nine hour road trip there when he would rather be gaming with his friends-sigh- or he would be going along with us). Cason and I have another family trip for the three of us in the works on Gamer Boy's birthday to make sure that 1. Gamer Boy knows we love him enough to DRAG him away from his desk kicking and screaming to a family adventure....and 2. That he gets some freaking sunlight. He's bordering on being as white as me. #scarythought

Anywho's....arrangements are made...dress is bought...and I couldn't be happier for the betrothed couple. Their love for one another is positively infectious and the unique wedding they have planned
is a reflection of just how FREAKING.AWESOME. COOL. they are. So Cason and I are on the countdown to a few days..on an island...to have the honor of witnessing our friends first steps as husband and wife...and I am just feeling fortunate. - The GFG

Pondering Ginger...

I've been living 99% pain free(as long as I eat right) and am 97% emotionally
 normal(who are we kidding here? Normal is merely a perception anyway) since June of 2010...AND I've done this with ZERO medication. Before being introduced to my 'good health fairy' Lori(if this is your first visit to my corner of the interwebs you can read all about her at www.internapure.com) my regular doctor pushed me toward anti-depressants. Now y'all...if you have ever met me in person, you know GOOD and dang well that I do NOT suffer from depression. There are times that I need to turn down the volume on my personality but rest assured that its always pretty shiny. (UNLESS. I. DON'T. EAT. RIGHT.)#emoginger

So, you can probably figure for yourself that the suggestion of putting a happy person on anti-depressants just didn't add up for me. I knew that the mood swings and pain weren't always there and that something had to be causing it. FASTFORWARD---->back to present day. I am sitting here this evening pondering the label of 'depression'. I am fully aware that there are people who truly have chemical imbalances and anti-depressants balance their systems just as insulin does for a diabetic. I do not in any way question or discredit their daily battle. What I am pondering is...how many folks have walked into a doctors office and been handed a bottle of anti-depressants when they are in fact NOT depressed but have food intolerances like me? How many women pop a pill once or twice a day to only feel half as shiny as I do when they could meet up with Lori, take a different path and skip on down the yellow brick road?

This thought seems to be growing inside my head like a magic bean stalk. Its rooted, sprouted and I want to get the word out to the world about natural medicine and the importance of keeping your mind open and not always accepting the first diagnosis. After all---they do call it PRACTICING medicine. Our bodies and minds are complex organisms that are capable of doing amazing and REALLY.FREAKING. WEIRD. STUFF...like going into an emotional breakdown on the shampoo isle in Ingles because you ate birthday cake. *sigh* As I go through my own battles I am reminded that we are all the same species. We all breath air. We all bleed red. AND its likely that there are MANY more people like me out there...Bless. Their. Hearts. - The GFG

How Did I Get Here???....AGAIN.

Here I sit - AGAIN in the middle of full blown emotional BREAK.DOWN. from eating sugar and gluten. I am a living, breathing, thought possessing human being that is fully
aware of the definition of insanity.
 YET.....Holy Reese Peanut Butter Eggs Batman!! #shouldstoppedattwo :(

I'm noticing that indulging in ONE(or six) sugary pieces of deliciousness has sent me
 into a few days of eating off the grid and into unknown lands of moodiness that succeeded
in nothing but me babbling away like an idiot and feeling like the Tin Man - left out in the rain- with
no yellow brick road or friendly faces to reach my oil can. #Gingergonemad

Perhaps I should bypass Holidays? Or get my mouth wired shut? Or at least invest in some really INTENSE mint gum to put in my mouth when I am tripping off into the food intolerant spaztastic??
Today. Should. Be. Fun. (NOT) - The GFG

Catchin' Mah Breath...Phew!

Wow!! What a whirlwind of events that have kept me going non-STOP for the last week!! 1950's date night on the 31st of March was an absolute DREAM :) We had amazing food, wine, company and I even got approached by a cast member of "Hairspray" about where I got my dress. #winningmoment

After THAT amazing night we spent a lazy afternoon lying on a blanket at a park in Atlanta for a little while until it was time to pick Gamer Boy up from his father.( My whole life revolves around when I get to pick him back up.) LAWD. HELP. ME. when he goes off to college. I'm sure he will be thankful for text messaging even more then than now so he won't have to constantly have me calling to be all "worried Mom" on him. #can'thelpit

FASTFORWARD---> to this past weekend. I come from a HUGE. SOUTHERN. FAMILY. The matriarchal centers of our universe are my Nannie and my mother. Imagine if you will - two lovely Southern women with their hip length hair pinned up and wearing either plaid or floral(HAND)embroidered aprons in the kitchen cooking up what dreams are made of and there you have it. Except - for this year. My Nannie was scheduled to preach at her parsonage in South Georgia and my mother came down with the flu. Soooooooo-------me and my older Sis' Tonya throwed down a dinner worthy of their praise AND we did it with only a few hours to prep :) We spent the afternoon in the shade of my Sis' two Oak trees playing Full. Contact. Cornhole. (Cornhole mixed with some smack talkin' and an occasional wayward beanbag being purposefully thrown AT the other team). I ate 100% OFF my rocker and am currently awaiting the afterburn to settle on me. But ya' know what? IT. WAS. WORTH. IT. - The GFG

An Overture Of My Adventure Into The Land Of Vegan..

Morning y'all and Happy Friday! Today marks day 10 of 'The Vegan Experience'. Its been hard at times and not so bad at times. I've learned a few things about myself that I didn't know. 1. I am NOT gonna physically DIE without coffee(though I do feel like my loss deserves a memorial service of some degree- perhaps I will pour some coffee on the ground while Cason plays Taps on the spoons?) 2. I have SO much more energy OFF caffeine and land critters(looks like my chances of being a Ginger Snow White just increased) than ON it. Amazing, eh? #enlightenedginger

The sum of this experience brings me to some decisions. I will NOT live an entirely vegan life. I love cheese. I plan to eat it. I have landed in the zone of what's called a 'flexitarian'. I will eat fish and on occasion take part in turkey that has had the chance to live a full and happy life free in nature and has
been 'killed with care' by Lori's brother Craig(a.k.a - my brother from another mother). Seriously y'all - he is like the deer whisperer or some junk like that. He walks out into the woods and the animals just come to him like he has animal crack in his pocket. Mmmm...maybe he does? #theworldwillneverknow

<insert girlie squeel> I have lost LOADS of weight during this 10 day time frame which I fully intend to keep off :) And isn't that just gonna make my 50's 'cheesecake pin-up' dress look just a lil bit better tomorrow night? I'm.So.Excited.I.Might.Die! - The GFG

Day 7 Of My Vegan Adventure...

Holy. Weight. Loss. Batman!! Not ONLY am I successfully off caffeine - I am down 8 pounds. #doin'thehappydance

Its not been as difficult as I imagined(and trust me, I can imagine up some pretty horrific stuff y'all).
Cason and I had an awesome time yesterday. I got all hippie'd up in a floor length 70's dress and we took off up to Little 5 Points. For those of you who are not natives to Georgia - this is a super hip, artistic and fantastically magical little area of Atlanta to go dissapear in for a while. We perused the shops, ate at an outdoor cafe, visited the local brew house( I. HAD.WATER.#sadginger) and took in
all of the wildly over the top dressed folks with all colors of hair(and I do mean ALL), tattoos and places pierced that made my lil' Southern heart cringe from time to time. But my perspective is and
always will be - live and let live. So I think to myself when I see someone with enough metal in their
face to pick up satellite reception - if they feel as pretty wearing that as I do in my hippie dress..then brightest blessings to them in doing so :) #toeachtheirown

This morning there is an organic banana, a bag of raw almonds and raisins and a bottle of spring water sitting on my desk awaiting me to partake of it. I have work to keep my employed, an amazingly smart and funny son that BETTER be standing at his bus stop and one incredibly wonderful boyfriend getting ready to start his day as well. With all of this - I am completely and incandescently - HAPPY. - The GFG

Hello Glorious Friday!

Thank. The. LAWD! Its Friday and I made it through the caffeine withdrawal doldrums :)
Bounced out of bed this morning and my mind is clearer than the Spring water sitting on my desk. Better YET - I am just bubbling with energy. #Loriwasrighty'all

Cason actually attempted yesterday to go caffeine free with me. He made it all of about 12 hours and then sucked down about a liter of Coke over dinner. Amazing. Wonderful. Supportive. Man. #hetried

So now that I am actually off my drug of choice I am pondering at what I shall do
with all the money I will save and(random, I know) how will I still be using 'Rosey'(our Keurig)?
I love her and won't be  boxing her up anytime soon :) My mind wonders to this question - what do hippies drink? Well, duh. Water of course. Perhaps wine(Yay!- screams my inner Goddess), but what about hot drinks for when I just really want to hold my super awesome mug that Gamer Boy gave me for Mother's Day?

Looks like Google shall be my friend on answering this question :) So I am off to the 'interwebs' to find some form of delicious 'replacement ambrosia' for when I finish my 10 day excursion into fairytale hippie'dom. Wish me luck y'all. Happy Friday! #fistpump - The GFG

Who Stole My Glitter?

Today is day two of the hippie fast and let me tell y'all- its not a bright n' shiny morning. I. Want. Coffee. #footstomp. I woke up late, had to get ready in a hurry, get to the gas station to feed all my tip money into Abigail(our Nissan Altima that we adore) and am now looking at this day ahead of me like its a marathon to run - in flip flops. #headhitsdesk
Okay Lori - I get it. Caffeine is a drug. I'm an addict. This is withdrawal. Don't I at least get a cookie? Oh. Yeah. Not gonna get that either. #grumpyginger. (Insert disclaimer for my behavior for the next hour until I naturally wake up). Lawd. Help. Me.
#brightside - this should dissipate in three days. My acute misery and whiny inner brat will get over the fact that she no longer gets her ambrosia IN. THREE. DAYS. Can I please have a fastforward to Friday morning?? I keep repeating in my head that this is for my own good(lip pout) and I am TRULY grateful to Lori. She is gonna help me look like her - a glowing good health infused fairy :) #grateful - The GFG

10 Days of 'Harmonious Ginger'

If anyone has followed along for the last two weeks its pretty obvious that I not only slipped off the yellow brick road of 'Ginger-friendly' eating... I ran like a mad woman into the field of poppies. Poppies! Yes...Poppies!!!(I puffyheartLOVE The Wizard of Oz). Okay...that was getting off on a tangent. So. Yeah. I. Goofed. Poor Gamer Boy and Cason :(  They must really love me when I mess up and wind up in 'The Doldrums'.(yes. I'm also a 'Phantom Tollbooth' kid)

Now, Lori has been 'gently nudging' me for over a year to let go of caffeine and part ways with 'meats and sweets'. I, of course, have dug my flip flop firmly in the grass, put my hands on my hips, poked my bottom lip fully out and and shook my head. NO. Uh uh. Won't do it. I cannot live like a TOTAL hippie.....or can I???(Insert obvious truth of - Don't challenge a redhead) #ponderingginger

So here I sit today - as of midnight last night I embark into the scary, vast unknown of the Vegetarian world for 10 days. My diet will consist of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds and water. Sheesh. By the end of this I should at least be able to summon up small woodland creatures like Snow White, right?
#agirlcandream....Stay tuned for updates on my adventure into full blown 'Hippie Land'. #peaceout - The GFG

Well. This. Is. Gonna. Be. Interesting....

After what I have now come to call 'the hamburger incident', I went back through all of my emails from Lori(incase you haven't read my Bio - she is my holistic practitioner) and actually contacted her. We decided it was time to hit the 'reset' button or in other words - its time to be a good lil' Ginger and stop eating the crap that HATES me. #ephiphany

I have used every. single. ounce. of Southern stubborness I possess with her as she has 'gently nudged' me towards it for over a year - come. off. Coffee. OH-THE-HORROR that arises in my heart when I even think about it. I actually believe my soul cries a little too. This morning I will bypass the hot, deliciously bubbling cauldron(pot) sent down to me from the caffeine Gods(actually it was purchased at Publix by my boss) and instead my cup that Gamer Boy gave me for Mother's Day will be filled with Acai,Pomegranate & Blueberry Green Tea. Yay! I'm so excited...NOT. #gingerinmourning

FASTFORWARD---> fifteen minutes. This stuff tasted like microwaved fruit punch!! #notsobad
It is NOT a comparison to my usual morning nectar of life but I am enjoying the fact that it turns purple as it steeps. (did I mention I am easily amused?) I will say its doing its job as far as waking me up and with the raw Agave Nectar I added it is tolerable and not All. Together. Unpleasant. I'm sitting here thinkin' - now wouldn't my Southern Belle grandmother be tickled pink at me being all proper 'n junk and drinkin' tea? I might have to call her in a lil' while and tell her. We'll just edit out the fact that instead of holding it delicately over a hand-painted saucer and wearing a 'tea dress' that coordinates the colors on my cup and saucer - i'm in a v-neck shirt, pants and flip flops :) #hippieforlife - The GFG

#impeccablyimperfect

I stated once(or five times) that Gluten hates me. You would THINK since I have this knowledge and am fully aware of its effects that I would avoid it like the plague(which 98.3% of the time I do), right?
#notsobrightgingermoment

I decided that since I had been sick for a few days and was craving junk food to just say to heck with it and ate a hamburger on Real. White. Oh. So. Delicious. Bread. Every single bite was amazing! FASTFORWARD----->next morning...NOT amazing in the slightest. I wake up so grumpy I don't even like the feel of air touching my skin and in such a mental fog that I just didn't want to do anything that involved even the smallest effort. Add the stiffness in my neck and shoulders and you have arrived at the sum of this equation - me + gluten = #miserableginger

So I stumbled out of bed(thank the Lawd it was a Sunday) and made it to the couch where I planted myself in all my misery and self-loathing for so long that I'm ashamed to admit it. Its moments like these that I want to laugh at myself but I am just too dang irritable to bother. I have learned that normal human interaction is beyond me when I am like this since I am crippled minus my smile and humor. Those two attributes are(in my opinion) the shiniest parts of me and without them I feel like a kid in art class and someone stole my glitter. #depressedginger

Today is the first day of the fog lifting and I am back to feeling more like a member of the human species. Perhaps this time I've learned my lesson and will never eat gluten again and will be shiny every single day? (highly unlikely) As I said before - #impeccablyimperfect - thats me! - The GFG

That awkward moment....

when you fall face first down in the grass at a public park after failing on an EPIC level to do push-ups.....UGH!! While I could chose to be embarrassed about it because Cason is standing right there watching and instructing me..what do I do? I. Get. Angry. So angry that the red head in me flares and I get all splotchy and begin to talk way too fast and begin devising a master plan to get what I want...which are nice toned arms that look all cute 'n junk in a sleeveless sun dress. (isn't that what all girls want?)

Guess I should back up a bit and tell y'all that since finding out I was gluten-intolerant and changing my eating habits I have lost over 50 pounds. Did you know that if gluten hates you that it will make you fat? #truth ....you can diet your lil' heart out but if you continue to eat the things that hate you it won't do you much good. Imagine a dirty 'ole fish tank. You can add all the clean water you want to it but until you stop, clean it up and stop putting the yuck in it - its just gonna stay grody. Yet again...#truth

So back to this morning- its ON now :) In six weeks I will be a push-up jedi...or at least able to drop and give it 20 and not die. Insert Rocky theme song here. - The GFG

The Pin Up Dress COMETH.........

Imagine if you will a six foot tall(flaming red headed) tomboy/hippie in jeans, a t-shirt and flip flops with a constantly fabulous pedicure - TA DA!! That's me. No more. No less. I've always had somewhat of a difficulty in shopping for clothes due to my height and being....(spoken in my finest Southern decorum)..Blessed.In.The.Chest. Seriously y'all. Just TRY finding anything on a department store rack that understands that I am tall, large chested, have curves but am NOT the size of a circus tent and you will begin to get some clarity to how I wound up living most of my days in cozy cotton t-shirts that actually FIT my waist and give for 'the girls'. #acceptanceisthekeyhere

Much to my dismay- Cinderella and The Little Mermaid did not have a similar problem so dressing up like a fairytale princess was out of the picture - or so I thought. Insert boyfriend that loves my shape and the 1950's and what do you get?? .....Me ordering my very first pin up dress!!! I. Am. SO. Excited. The women from that era really knew how to rock their curves, be sexy(not slutty) and looked put together from head to toe. For the sake of imagery...google Joan from the T.V. series 'Mad Men'. She is SMOKIN hot to me and I hope I live up to the dress when it arrives :) #excited - The GFG

This Is A Love Story. There Are Many Like It..But This One Is Mine :)

It was a typical Sunday in the South for me - I was at the restaurant waitressin' my heart out and my shift was winding down when the bell on the front door jingled. I looked up to see two very out of place looking men(if I haven't mentioned it yet - I live IN. THE. COUNTRY. Y'ALL.) standing there looking around and checking their iPhones. I greeted them with my trademark "Hey y'all, You can sit where you like." They sat down in the other girl's section and she got their drink order. She and I met up in the server's room and within a few moments decided that 1. they must be lost. 2. Due to how sharply they were dressed, how marvelous they smelled and how deep in conversation they were - they MUST be a gay couple.

I was rather intrigued to know how they happened to land out in the boondocks so I began sweeping a little bit of her section. The taller of the two spoke to me and asked how long the restaurant had been there and if I was native to the town. <heart in throat>. The moment I heard his voice it captured my attention like a marching band. (100% serious y'all. This was a straight Bella sees Edward/Sookie sees Bill moment) I caught my composure and began talking lightly with him. Turns out, he and his 'partner' were photographers out on a 'photo fieldtrip' in the country. His partner was also a very nice looking guy but the one with the green eyes HAD my attention. They took some pictures of the restaurants and the sister oaks in the field next door and were gone. Just. Like. That. - Gone :( I shrugged and thought to myself - where is the guy for me that will hold my attention like THAT guy just did?

A few moments later I heard a knock on the side door. It was 'green eyes'. I opened the door and he stared me straight in the eyes and asked for directions. I gave them to him. He reached out to shake my hand, told me it was a pleasure to have met me and gave me his name - Devin(Cason is his middle name which I think is hot) and asked mine. I gave it, and with a smile he was gone again. Okay - insert pouty lipped red headed foot stomp here- WHY in the stars did he have to be gay? #unhappyginger

The following Tuesday he returned with a girl. I, yet again, was waitressing and thought to myself..awwww..he brought his shopping friend in for dinner...how cute :) Ummmm...NOPE. Cut to me busting back through the kitchen door to tell my co-worker two important things - 1. he is NOT gay. 2. He is ON A DATE!! Yet again....#unhappyginger .....Here is where I resolved that she must be a lucky woman, put my big' girl panties on and treated them with the same respect and courtesy I treat all of my customers. FASTFORWARD---to the following week. Cason walks in and sits down at the bar. I am....guess what...WAITRESSING(you see a pattern here, right?) I poured him a drink and asked how his week was and...oh. so. smoothly. asked where his girlfriend was that evening. He looked up and very seriously told me "she is not my girlfriend, we parted ways." (picture now - me in the kitchen doing the happy dance and telling my co-worker he is single). But alas, who was I to think he would give me the time of day? #realitycheck

I waited on him several times in the next two weeks. He had a very good sense of humor and quickly
became friends with the regulars at the bar. One Tuesday morning I received a call from the receptionist at my full time job that there was a bouquet of white day lilies on my truck. I asked her if she saw who put them there and she said no. I retrieved them and asked everyone I knew(since there was NO card) if they had given flowers to what I had come to call myself - 'the divorced girl at work'. Finally I gave up my inquiry and resolved it must have been a mistake. After all, there are hundreds of trucks like mine.

The following Tuesday night I am talking with my boss at the bar and in walks Cason. He sits down and I pour him a drink. He smiles and asks me if anything 'interesting' happened at work this week. JAW. HITS. FLOOR. as I realized it was him that left me the flowers.( Evidentally - I am a classic red head and talk WAY too much, so much that he was able to over hear where I worked at full time.) I will NEVER forget the words he said to me next. They are branded in my memory. He gazed at me with those big green eyes and said - ' I've gathered enough information to know you haven't had the best of luck in love and I know its not easy for you - BUT that's okay. I'm here. Not going anywhere.Whenever you are ready to let me take you to dinner - I'm sitting on GO.'

This was one year ago TODAY. Let me tell y'all. It's been the very BEST. YEAR. OF. MY. LIFE. - The GFG

Once Upon A Southern Evening...

In the mid 1980's..in a little mill house..just after bath time..lived two sisters(me and my gorgeous older sister who is NOT a Ginger). Being that we grew up in a religion where we weren't allowed to cut our hair we often spent up to an hour detangling and brushing our hair. This particular evening we were actually getting along(which was RARE) so we donned our thin soft cotton blend little girl night gowns and took turns brushing each other's hair till it was a long wet mane down our backs to our hips. She had a blue gown with 'My Little Pony' screen printed on it and mine (which was FAR superior in my opinion) was pink with 'She-ra, The Princess of Power' printed on it :)

 Our mother worked second shift in the mill that employed most of the folks in our town. Our father was in the living room watching T.V. so we had free reign of the room we shared. So....what do two bored little girls do on an evening like this?? We brought out our stash of pop records, put em' on our Barbie Pink record player and danced on our twin beds and sang our hearts out into our matching hairbrushes to Whitney Houston's ' I wanna dance with Somebody' and the likes of Culture Club, Madonna, New Kids On The Block, Def Leppard and countless others that we loved and cherished. We made up dance routines(lame, I know, but we couldn't go outside and MTV wasn't 'acceptable' at our house) and pretended we were BananaRama or The Bangles. Such was an evening past in an episode of what we branded 'Lifestyles of the Poor and Shameless :) The thing that still amazes me MOST to this day.....music became the common thread that linked two opposite sisters and formed a bond stronger than we imagined possible. If you ever read this big Sister. I love you( and Donnie Wahlberg would've totally danced with ME first!) - The GFG

The Soup That Dreams Are Made Of....

So I'm sitting here at Los Bravos (a local mexican restaurant in Conyers, Ga) in utter 'Ginger Bliss' after an entirely gluten-free lunch. Their chicken soup is so good I could just weap at the joy of it! Its a broth base with mexican rice, chicken breast, fresh sliced avocado(which I order extra of), pico de gallo and paired with two wedges of lime to squeeze over the top. Jaw. Hits. Pretty. Tiled. Table. My STARS- Its goooooood y'all. And its also dairy free for those of you(this is aimed specifically at my friend Tiffani) who are hated by the Dairy Gods. (Its my own personal touch to add shredded Queso cheese in my bowl. Sorry Tiff!)
Top all this glorious happiness on a spoon with Cason's company and I am One. Happy. Girl. - The GFG

Tales From Our Living Room

Gamer Boy and his best friend 'Alan the Great' are ALWAYS camped out in my living room. Alan on Xbox in front of our television and GB at what I call 'command central'. After a year of this I know two things for certain - 1. One trip to the grocery store a week is a joke. These boys are dispose ALLS. And 2. They speak a modified version of English which I have decided to brand as 'Gamer-nese'.
Throughout my time spent with them I have come to learn that 'camping' does NOT include roasting marshmallows or a tent but instead is a term used to yell into their headsets at their invisible friends for hiding during a battle on their favorite game 'Call of Duty'. The term 'no-lifed it' translates to a person who has spent the majority of their time(with breaks only for eating, minimal sleep and bathroom necessities) playing this game in order to prestige up. There are MANY more modifications made and spoken in Gamer-nese of which leave me laughing hysterically and shakin' my head at these boys.
Its a rainy day here in the boondocks so I'm sure they will teach me more today. This is just part of my every day life and I love it. The things heard in our living room are memories I will cherish always. - The GFG

Fairytale Date Night in Atlanta...

I will start by blatantly confessing that I AM a huge fan of Cason. Having a boyfriend of such a caliber is rather intimidating sometimes :) Being that my schedule is 100% full, going on any type of extended getaway is out of the question for now. So what does he do/?... He gives me a confindent smile and says 'I got this Princess. Pack something pretty to wear'. (My. Stars. He makes me giddy.) A few hours later we are standing in a magical penthouse suite overlooking the skyline of Atlanta as the sunsets and bathes the town in an amber glow. The hue sets a tone of excitement as the city gears up for the night and we have club house seats to see it all. (I did tell you he is awesome, right?<wink>)

I get dressed at a vanity fit for Audrey Hepburn and walk around out to see him leaned against the open door to our terrace looking out at the night sky and checking his camera to make sure its just right to take long exposures of the city. The look he gives me as he turns and examines me is priceless and we are off to have some fun!! Now, its not hard to do that with me since I pretty much grew up in a bubble and haven't experienced much of ANYTHING. He gave me a tour of the Varsity(yes, I ate two onion rings even though I knew better, but they were EPIC!) and then he took me on a tour of where he went to school and to a late dinner at a romantic restaurant down the street from The Fox Theater. The entire evening was like a dream and it continued as I woke up to room service delivering a 'Ginger friendly' breakfast of sliced strawberrries, bananas and him coming through the door with Starbucks for us :) Being that I love strawberries, Starbucks and Cason - it was a perfect moment. - The GFG

Why I puffyheart LOVE 'my' Subway

Each day I walk into my local Subway between the hours of 11:30am and 1pm and the guys 'n girls there smile, ask me how I am doing and immediately glove up and start my gluten free salad. They remark on their morning and ask me how I am doing and we share the 'little things' in life like what we are gonna have for dinner, what we did over the weekend with our significant others and what our children are up to. I have been visiting these people Monday through Friday RELIGIOUSLY for over a year. Once they ran out of salad bowls and I was horrified that I had to go to a different location(not because I had to drive somewhere else but because I actually felt like I was being unfaithful) and it just was NOT pleasing.

There is something to be said about the little things like a smile, a friendly hello and the peace that comes from knowing I can trust them not to contaminate my food. I freaking love these people and if I win the lottery someday I fully intend to take them all on a cruise and make SURE they don't have to make a single meal while they are gone. It would be nice to give back to the folks who make my life a little bit shinier each day :) -The GFG

It Has To Start Somewhere

As I stated before - I start each day with a cup of coffee(a.k.a - the glorious ambrosia sent from Heaven or at least that's my opinion). Once the caffiene is circulating there are at least 15 thoughts rambling through my mind at all times consisting of funny memories(what had happened was...moments), current events in the life of Gamer Boy, Cason and myself or things I hope to see, experience in the future or just accomplish in the very day I am living. This is where I will share a good deal of them. Read. Wash. Rinse. Repeat if it pleases you to do so...... - The GFG

About Me

Hi there! Welcome to my little corner of the 'interwebs'. First let me explain how this all came about. In June of 2010 I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Now, being that I am a redheaded Southern Belle, I was ABHORRED at the thought of breaking off my life long love affair with bread. I cried, pleaded for another verdict and maybe even stomped my foot(just a lil' bit)...but to no avail. The diagnosis from her tests were screaming that the wheat in the foods I had loved so very much in fact did NOT love me back or as Lori lovingly puts it - "Gluten(everything derived from deliciously awesome wheat) isn't 'harmonious' to my unique and amazing system." To my dismay there was NO denying the symptoms of emotional mood swings, depression and constant pain/stiffness in my neck and shoulders. Now that my arch enemy's identity had been revealed it was do or die...or in my case..do without...or at least find another path..which is exactly what I did.

My real name is Tabitha."Ginger" is a nickname adorned(more like branded) on me by my beloved son(ever after known here as 'Gamer Boy') due to my red hair, pale skin and inability to spend much time in the sun being so similar to a parody displayed on one of his favorite cartoons. As soon as he uttered it once in the company of my boyfriend Cason(he is awesome) and our friends it stuck like glue. I figure - why fight it? So I decided to OWN it instead :)

Now, back to learning a lil' bit more about me. I live in a tiny little town in Georgia that consists of a post office, a gas station and an amazingly worldly and wonderful restaurant that I waitress at part time. I am currently on my 33rd trip around the Sun in this life and wear several 'hats'.
I have two jobs. YEP.  I am a secretary for a recycling company as my 8 to 5. I also waitress part time from time to time at a local restaurant. The working situation is temporary but neccessary right now. I look forward to life slowing down a bit soon. Balancing work, motherhood and a relationship sounds hard, but I look at it as my cup runeth over. With all these thing occupying my time I try to find a way to nourish myself in a healthy way without having to spend more than an hour in the kitchen or going broke at the store.

So with all this said - here is my unofficial but good enough disclaimer - I am NOT a doctor. I am NOT a nutritionist. Heck, to tell ya' the truth I am a well read, self-taught, know just enough to be dangerous high school drop out that salvaged somewhat of an education by going back to night school. Every bit of knowledge I have is from reading or real life trial and error. I know enough about this lifestyle to be impeccably imperfect at it. I do not have the terrible, awful, no good, very bad symptoms that some poor folks with Celiac Disease have, so I am thankful for that. To put it in my words - Gluten won't kill me but it SURE doesn't like me AT ALL. This is my story. Mine alone. I type the way I talk and live - Southern. I will share my uncensored view of this lifestyle, my experiences and a plethora of other things(random thoughts) here because this is my safe haven to do so. I am looking forward to opening up and investing my energy into something for a little while that quiets the carousel music I always seem to be humming in my brain. (NO, I am not a lunatic..just a teeny bit hyperactive). So, if you so choose to read my blog, I hope you take it for what it is and enjoy it. Your mileage may vary. Brightest Blessings y'all - The GFG