Best Gluten Free Anniversary Ever!

Today is 1 year since I've been gluten free! I received the official call from the doctor last year on this day and commenced with a GF diet right away. What a year it has been! I've learned so much along the way and still think of the first time we went to Sun Harvest, completely overwhelmed attempting to read labels and decipher what gluten free meant.

I love the way I feel today. I always tell people when they ask how I can eat GF, "I never knew how bad I felt until I know how I feel now." Seriously, I lived everyday with belly aches, a bloated stomach, the worst flatulence in the entire world. One day I would be running to the bathroom because of diarrhea and the next day I would be constipated to no end. I was severely anemic and felt tired ALL THE TIME! I used to chew ice all the time...not anymore.

I feel fantastic today and am so thankful I was diagnosed semi-early in my life. (I was anemic since I was 8, but felt more of the effects later in life. After getting married and moving to Texas, the stress of it all amplified my symptoms.) I turn 27 this month, so it took 18 years to discover my celiac.

Yesterday I posted that it was National Celiac Awareness Day. My gluten-free anniversary is the day after. I think that is a little special. So does my husband because he bought me a card!

He surprised me numerous times today for my GF anniversary! I shed some tears of joy in the process. My husband is an amazing supporter of my our lifestyle. In case I don't say this enough, thank you Justin. Also, thank you to all my friends and family who have helped me along the way whether going to a restaurant that has options for me, giving me a recipe, letting me know about a new product, or making a special meal for me...I love you all and appreciate what you do for me.

Back to surprises...

He bought me a new car!

Ok, it's actually not new, but "new" to us. It's a 2006 Mercury Milan. And he didn't buy it for my GF anniversary. But today we did officially buy it! After we were having some car troubles, we decided to look for a different car and unexpectedly stumbled across this one in the lemon lot on base.

On to another surprise...

I came home to pizza in the oven. This was an amazing surprise because we haven't been to the grocery store in like 2 weeks and it's hard to come up with something to eat! Our weekend trip to Michigan this past weekend for a wedding, left us with an empty fridge and lack of motivation to go shopping. I had a hungry stomach and was ecstatic to have dinner ready!

 A simple set table, with a little gift and card on the side.

He wouldn't admit right away that he didn't make the pizza. While taking care of car stuff today, he stopped at the Little Aussie Bakery and picked up a pizza to bake at home. We've had pizzas from there  on many different occasions, but for some reason today the crust was thick and amazing. It wasn't as crispy as it usually is there. I noticed it to be more fluffy and soft, which I liked!

After dinner was another surprise...

Dessert! Gluten free cake. Yum. (More here about their cake.)

And the final surprise...

My very own GF t-shirt!

From Little Aussie Bakery

What an amazing gluten free anniversary!