Modern Day Bonny and Clyde

I must post this.

Again. For Everyone to See.

"Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as its accomplice. Instead of vowing to honor and obey, maybe we should swear to aid and abet. That would mean that security is out of the question. The words "make" and stay" become inappropriate. My love for you has no strings attached. I love you for FREE."

Tom Robbins

Speaking Auctioneer

She's the picture girl. Sorry. No pictures.
But, Auction today in Mt. Morris.

Nothing Good.

I hate auctioneers whom (who?) you can't understand.

I've been to dozens of auctions,

and this one I can't understand for the life of me.

I did manage to steal some

jewelry for her. Well, by steal I mean exchange for moving heavy stuff.

Then to dinner at Poor Pauly's Pub.
Not that great.

It was wonderful to spend some time with my parents though,

they were in a funny mood.

Well, thunder, means lightning, means I have to unplug her 'puter.

"Life is good today"

Camp food!

Food is easily the best part of camping (actually, the best part of anything). And camp food is usually delicious. I am missing quite a few meals here (like the kielbasa and potato melange I made Saturday night) but I included the best meal of the day: breakfast.

Peaches and bananas!

Banana & honey peanut butter.

Fried eggs

Bacon!

Hash browns, tomatoes, green peppers, and onion.

Back from camping

Our tent and tarp - it rained our first day :(

Saturday morning hike.

Best camping amenity ever - hammock.

Human sun dial. Doin' it wrong.

Did not want to leave!

But we did come home to these!!

Glutino Mac & Cheese

In my preparations for camping this afternoon, I had to eat. I was running around all morning (WalMart, Aldi, and Valli) and picked up something I normally wouldn't: Glutino Mac & Cheese in the freezer section of Valli. Now, I don't normally buy microwave meals (or gluten free renditions of "normal" food, for that matter). But I was very hungry and knew I would not have much time to prepare a meal.

I am extremely disappointed. I did not think it was very good at all. The noodles were very chewy and it was not nearly cheesy enough. And for over $4, I should have been satisfied. The calorie count was absolutely extreme, but against my best judgement, I bought and ate it anyway. That is one product I will never buy again. Amy's Mac & Cheese is actually pretty good (especially during Lent) & cheaper, too. Oh well... I guess that is what I get for being nostalgic about my gluten filled childhood.

- Monica

Campfire.

FINALLY! Adam and I go camping every summer. I don't think we can go one summer without camping somewhere. I think a big part of the fun, for me at least, is the food. I love camping food. Maybe because I grew up on meat and potatoes or maybe because gluten can easily be avoided (as opposed to traveling where being gluten free is extremely difficult). Here are some photos from last summer's adventure:

GAH! Adam with no hair!!

Last summer, I think I read three books in two days. That was pretty memorable because I read what became one of my favorite books (Johnathan Safron Foer's Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. I also read Metamorphosis... I know, long over due...) This summer, I have Tana French's In the Woods and I may or may not try to actually get through Kerouac -- I think I have tried to read On the Road about 6 times, and I can never get farther than 20 pages. Maybe I should go to Barnes and Noble before our trek just so I have enough to read... But if that fails, I have My Life in France by Julia Child as a backup.

I love reading while camping because there are no distractions. No cats, no cell phone, no TV. I love reading any time, but camping is nice because you are outside and it is quiet (unlike reading in our yard... very loud). Bless my twee little heart...

We are going somewhere new this summer (we usually go to the same place)... Adam has never been there but my parents used to take us (brother, sister, and I) here when we were beh-behs. And it is gorgeous. And unlike the campgrounds we usually go to, this one actually has a body of water. I think you can fish in it but there is no swimming allowed (boo).

Special food for special people

I have celiac disease.

There, I said it. I have been gluten free since November of 2008. The Celiac Disease Foundation (www.celiac.org) describes celiac disease as:

A lifelong digestive disorder affecting children and adults. When people with CD eat foods that contain gluten, it creates an immune-mediated toxic reaction that causes damage to the small intestine and does not allow food to be properly absorbed. Even small amounts of gluten in foods can affect those with CD and cause health problems. Damage can occur to the small bowel even when there are no symptoms present.

Gluten is the common name for the proteins in specific grains that are harmful to persons with celiac disease. These proteins are found in ALL forms of wheat (including durum, semolina, spelt, kamut, einkorn, and faro) and relate grains rye, barley and tritcale and MUST be eliminated.

The National Institute of Health's definition:

Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten is found mainly in foods but may also be found in everyday products such as medicines, vitamins, and lip balms.

When people with celiac disease eat foods or use products containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging or destroying villi—the tiny, fingerlike protrusions lining the small intestine. Villi normally allow nutrients from food to be absorbed through the walls of the small intestine into the bloodstream. Without healthy villi, a person becomes malnourished, no matter how much food one eats.

Celiac disease is both a disease of malabsorption—meaning nutrients are not absorbed properly—and an abnormal immune reaction to gluten. Celiac disease is also known as celiac sprue, nontropical sprue, and gluten-sensitive enteropathy. Celiac disease is genetic, meaning it runs in families. Sometimes the disease is triggered—or becomes active for the first time—after surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, viral infection, or severe emotional stress.

Well, there ya go. This disease has hundreds (no joke - check it out) of symptoms. So I avoid gluten like I avoid small children. With all that said, what is left for me to eat, you ask?

TONS! Fruits, veggies, my beloved coffee, plain meats, some ice cream, a few types of candy... and...

Turning our black thumbs green.

This is the first time I ever grew sunflowers. And they are absolutely massive & so colorful. They will definitely be planted once again.

The mystery thing... it grew magically from our compost pile in our pumpkin patch. My money is on watermelon.

These will soon be strawberries. And they will be mine -- all mine!

The most delicious thing in the world: home grown tomatoes. There is really no food that can beat it.

Daylillies infiltrate our home. Seriously. They grow like weeds here. Luckily, they are gorgeous & will always signify summer for me.

White snap dragons, next to the mystery flower.

Snap dragons in possibly the most beautiful color I have ever seen.

Tell Love

Tell love you are going to the Junior's Deli on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn to pick up a cheesecake, and if love stays, it can have half. It will stay.

Tell love you want a momento of it and obtain a lock of its hair. Burn the hair in a dime-store incense burner with yin/yang symbols on three sides. Face southwest. Talk fast over the burning hair in a convincingly exotic language. Remove the ashes of the burnt hair and use them to paint a mustache on your face. Find love. Tell it you are someone new. It will stay.

Wake up love in the middle of the night. Tell it the world is on fire. Dash to the bedroom window and pee out of it. Casually return to the bed and assure love that everything is going to be all right. Fall asleep. Love will be there in the morning. --Tom Robbins

-- Adam

hellos!

This is Adam:

Adam met Monica:

They dated, went to a Christmas party, moved in together, adopted two cats, carved a few pumpkins, visited Florida, and got engaged.

And they hate speaking in third person.

So this is Monica typing. I met Adam way back when in November of 2006. We immediately hit it off due to our mutual love of cheese and horror movies. Oh, and his friends did not scare me. So we dated while I lived in Chicago and he lived here in Rockford. I moved back here (where I grew up) in May of 2007. That summer, we adoped Morticia, nicknamed Murder Kitty for obvious reasons. Seriously. She plots murder all day.

Later that fall, during a particularly rough personal rough patch, as I will refer to it, Adam adopted Styxe, aptly nicknamed "Tricks".

Styxe patched things up for us. For reals. After a particularly long winter, I turned 21 (we are in 2008 now). Adam was working 80 hour weeks. Then things magically dropped off. Both of our work schedules were drastically cut. I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease (probably way more on that later). We celebrated Christmas. Adam dropped down on one knee on March 30, 2009, one day before his 23rd birthday. We planted a garden, ate some tomatoes, bought a hutch, and (attempted) to plan a wedding.

Whew. I neglected a lot of stuff. But that is okay. The interwebs will accomodate my updates, I am sure.

-- Monica