Gluten Free Trip to Disneyland!

So I've felt pretty bummed out since I've lost my job. Dave's been really great about it. And honestly, I've enjoyed the time we've been able to spend together. We've been wanting to do another trip to Disneyland for a while now, and since I no longer have to request work off, we figured, why not? We researched dates that were slow times for Disneyland. We wanted to be able to ride lots of rides, and just enjoy the park together.

With the exception of our honeymoon, we always drive to Disneyland. It saves lots of money, and honestly, it's not that bad of a drive. Dave and I have found things we enjoy doing. We talk a lot (I always insist on playing the question game. Pretty much we ask each other questions about each other like growing up, random interests, silly stories, etc.), but most recently, we've enjoyed listening to audio books while we drive! Especially Game of Thrones. We already are obsessed with the show, we figured we should start reading the books, and listening to them makes it so much more enjoyable.

We drove through the night, arriving in California early in the morning. We couldn't check into our hotel, so we decided to simply head over to the park. We rode our favorite rides, and looked around the park for other fun things we may want to try. Around 2 PM, we felt pretty dead, so we checked into our hotel, and took a nap. We woke up several hours later feeling much better. We went back to the park to hit a few more rides. We left when the park closed.

We were at the park for May the Fourth. No, it's not Cinco de Quatro like in arrested development. It's May the Fourth (force) be with you - from Star Wars!! The park was pretty slow on the morning of the fourth, but Tomorrowland was PACKED. Disney releases new pins and T-shirt every May 4th, and in limited quantities for those that are in the park for those dates. 

This was my first gluten-free trip to Disneyland, and we had no idea what I would be able to eat! So we drove to target, grabbed some tortillas, turkey, cheese, and cereal, and made wraps that we could eat in the park. (We always buy rice crispy treats and jerky from Costco before we leave on trips). This trip, my darling mother-in-law made me some Churro Chex Mix. I'm not even kidding, I think I heard angels when I had the first few bites. I am addicted to Disneyland Churros, and this was even BETTER!!!!

Om nom nom nom

Other Highlights of the trip:

+ Cindy (my darling mom-in-law) gave me a super cute Mickey and Minnie shirt before we left. I loved wearing it around the park

+We were able to stay for a few days.

+We had the chance to just relax, and walk around the park. We even rode some of the kiddy rides this time around!!!!

+ Dave played the fun game with his friends "Guess What Ride We're On?!" So we tried to take pictures of ourselves on all the rides.

Big Thunder Mountain

Splash Mountain

Tower of Terror

+We rode teacups! (Which we never do because they make Dave and I a little queasy)

+ I ran into an old high school friend in Disneyland. (Tyler, that seriously cracked me up!!)

I can't believe I ran into Tyler in Disneyland of all places!!!

I'm so happy Dave and I got to take some time to go to Disneyland again. It's always such a magical place for us. I'm grateful for my husband taking the time to make me feel better about my job situation. Until next time Disneyland!!!


All my love,

Alex

XOXO

I love this guy

Winnie the Pooh!

Beauty Favorites: February 2014

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24 Hour Makeup in 140 Ivore - $45.50 

Foundation is always hit and miss for me. I have very fair skin, and I am in between a yellow and pink undertone. A lot of the time, I end up too yellow, orange, or pink. This foundation has been a perfect fix. it blends like a dream and it has amazing staying power! It doesn't wear off throughout the day, so I only have to apply once. It's a bit pricey, but good foundation is definitely worth the splurge!

Clinique Pink Chocolate Eyeshadow Quad - $28.00

I've had this quad for a while, and never really used it. Recently, I've been obsessed with eyebrows. I love the way they frame the face. The dark brown color in the quad is the perfect color for my eyebrows. the two brown colors are matte, and blend very well with the shimmery pinks. It creates such a pretty soft smokey eye look. Clinique is hypo-allergenic, so if you have sensitive skin like me, it won't make you itch.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Lipstick in Rose Tea - $26.00

Lipstick is my favorite thing. I've been wearing lipstick since I was 12. I love this color so much. It looks pretty dark in the picture, however, it's a fleshy pink color. It's great if you're looking for a pretty nude that goes with just about anything.

Revlon Parfumerie Nail Enamel in Wild Violets - $4.99

I love dark vampy colors. This color is a beautiful dark purple, and for its price, it's actually pretty nice polish. It dries quickly and smells wonderful after it dries. 

Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gioia - $88.00

I have always loved perfume, but I didn't really start wearing it on a daily basis until just recently. This perfume was a gift from my mom for my birthday last year. It smells heavenly. It's a really bright scent that's not quite floral or fruity. It lasts all day, and I've noticed the scent doesn't change too much as it warms up with my body. I love wearing this to work, out on dates, or just day to day. BONUS: It usually comes in a gift set with a full bottle, a roll on, and lotion.

Gluten Free and Quest for CornDogs!

So in case you haven't noticed, I am the worst blogger in the world.

It's not totally my fault. I have lots of moments where I'm like "I should blog about that..." but then I decide it's stupid, or too personal, so I neglect the blog even longer, and la la la. Anyway. I have felt the desire to blog recently, so tada! Here it goes.


After feeling sick a lot, never having any energy, and gaining some unexplainable weight, I decided I should probably call my good ol' GI doctor and see what was going on. After an endoscopy, and blood tests, it showed that I have mild gastroesophagitis...which is a really fancy way of saying heartburn, and a possible lactose intolerance. My test for Celiac disease came back negative, however my doctor informed me that for every 1 person with Celiac disease, there are 5 with gluten intolerance. The only real way to test and see if you are gluten intolerant is by eliminating gluten altogether.

After attending a GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) seminar, and reading up on the FODMAP diet (a diet that eliminates gluten, sucrose, and lactose), I felt I had enough information to cut out gluten completely. Within the first 3 weeks I had lost 12 pounds. It was nuts! My body was no longer in a constant inflammatory response. It wasn't until I had been off gluten for about 6 weeks that I started to notice my body feeling better. I had more energy, my digestive system was more regular, and I didn't feel sick anymore.

Eating gluten free can be really hard sometimes. Not all restaurants have gluten free menu's readily available, so I've had to figure out on my own. (And sometimes I feel like obnoxious ordering gluten free when we go out, but I feel better, so too bad.) And finding gluten free products has been interesting. It's easy to control whether or not there is wheat and gluten in my foods when I'm cooking, but sometimes, I really just want some chicken nuggets.

Or a corndog.


For about the last 2 weeks I have seriously been craving a corndog. I think Dave and I watched something, and they were eating corndogs. And I've wanted one ever since. The problem is, corndogs are not gluten free. Freaking hot dogs aren't gluten free. So I turned to the internet for answers. I discovered that there is a brand that carries gluten free corndogs. (It happens to be the same brand that carries gluten free nuggets...) APPLEGATE.

Last night, I could no longer tolerate my desire for corndogs. I had to have one. So I packed up my things and headed to Harmon's. I called my mom and announced the beginning of my quest for a corndog. She wished me the best of luck, and sent me on my way.

I arrived in the Harmon's parking lot, and hoped that they had them, because I really didn't want to have to run to walmart or target, or anywhere else. I went in and headed to their healthy lifestyle section, where they carry the majority of their gluten free products. I slowly searched every item in that freezer section, only to be disappointed. There wasn't a corndog in sight. I scanned a second time. Even slower. Still. No Corndogs. I was about to leave the store all annoyed. I really didn't want to go to Walmart. When it dawned on me.

Corndogs aren't healthy. Why in the hell would they be in the HEALTH section?

I laughed at myself, and headed towards their freezer meal section. I searched both lanes of freezers. Still, no corndogs. I was starting to get super irritated, when I realized there was an open freezer thing that had fries and tater tots in it. They would probably be there. I went halfway down the aisle. And then....I saw Applegate products. I started to feel crazy excited. And then I located the item of my affections. 4 beautifully boxed gluten free corndogs.

 I took my prize, and marched to the cash register. I proceeded to tell the cashier about my excitement, and he talked to me about how wheat is a completely different plant and that GMO's have single handedly screwed over the food industry. Yeeeeaaah! After 5 more minutes in the conversation and spending 7 bucks on 4 corndogs,  I went straight to my parents to cook to corndogs.

After 40 minutes of preheating the oven, and cooking the corndogs, I finally ate them. They had a strange texture, but damn, was it delicious.


Happy Friday Eve!

XOXO,

mrs. shuey

Happy Monday!

I generally don't like Mondays. It's a bad weekend hangover, except without the alcohol.
For some reason today, I woke up already having a great Monday!

To give you an idea of how smoothly my morning went:


AM snuggles with Dave (:
Perfect eyeliner day.
Good hair day.
Recycling my outfit from yesterday. Because no one saw me anyway.
Restless all night, woke up totally refreshed.
Got out of the house on time.
Green lights all the way to work.
Lorde, Led Zeppelin, and X96 on the way to work.
Rachel's cute baby bump.
Salt and Pepper Rice chips and ice cold water.
Looking down at my hand and seeing my anniversary band.


I'm off to a great start. Hope it stays!
Here's a comic to make your day as bright as mine.

Go home Monday. You're Drunk.

Today has seriously been the worst! And it's only 1:30!!

So here's a picture of a my bunny in her spaceship

Bunny, New Job, and Feeling Nostalgic

I've been meaning to update forever. So I'm going to give every update in the last few weeks in 1 single blog post. YAY.


Disneyland-
Dave and I went to disneyland for the fourth time this year. I feel sheepish admitting this, but I blow up my instagram with Disney anyway, so what the hell. We have become obsessed!!! I never grew up going to Disneyland, so I feel like a little kid every time I go! I still get excited when I see Mickey Mouse with a huge line of kids waiting for a picture with him. My favorite ride remains Pirates and Haunted Mansion, and Dave loves Indiana Jones and Space Mountain, but he always rides Pirates over and over again with me (:

Krieger-
.....is a girl!!! Before we went to Disneyland, she had been acting a little funny. Very antisocial and cranky. And her poops were teeny!!! We took her to Dave's mom's to be babysat, so we figured she was probably just stressed, and that she would get back to normal. Cindy (Dave's mom) was giving us updates, and poor Krieger wasn't eating, drinking, or going potty. We had her feed Krieger some lettuce, as we were on our way home. The following day, Krieger wasn't feeling any better, so we took her to the vet. She has what is called GI stasis. Basically, nothing is moving. We had to get prescription food, and appetite simulator. I've been feeding her with a syringe for the last 4 days. She's not getting much better. So chances are we are going to have to take her to the vet to get hospitalized....poor little bud.

New Job
My uncle started working for a company, and offered me a really wonderful opportunity, so I jumped. I had to become licensed in Health insurance. And after hours of studying extremely detailed material, 2 tests that I missed the mark  by less than 4%, I finally passed. I had orientation today, and I start my training tomorrow.  This is such a big blessing. Though I'm worried that Dave and I are never going to see each other anymore, as we will work completely opposite schedules. But somehow we always see each other, so I know we'll be just wonderful.

Nostalgia
Today marks 2 years with Dave. We've been a hot item for 2 years. And I couldn't be happier, or more blessed, for that matter.  He has been with me through A LOT. And I can honestly say I love him more each and everyday. There's something about being married that completely changes the way you can love a person. There is a vulnerability that is accepted. You know when you're partner is happy, sad, or has explosive diarrhea. It's really different than what I expected, but so much deeper and more enjoyable than I ever dreamed. I wouldn't suggest that every girl marries at 18 years old, but it seems to be working well for me. I regret nothing. And look forward to my future and Mr. and Mrs. Shuey with nothing but excitement.
That was the other thing. For a long time, I had to mutter my name under my breath while I signed my name, so that I didn't sign my maiden name. Recently, I stopped doing that. Shuey is feeling more natural. And for just a split second, I was kind of sad. It's letting go of a part of myself or something. But it's not. I'll always be a Judd. I'm Alexandria Katherine Judd Shuey. I just didn't hyphenate my name because:
A) When you say it at a normal pace, it sounds like a sneeze.
and
B) When my future babies are learning how to write their names, that would be mean.

Chai Tea
I've always loved Chai tea, but recently I've been making it myself, or mixing it with cocoa. And it is delicious. I love the spicy nature of Chai. (Which is quite shocking if you know me. I usually hate anything spicy.)

Sweats
I need cute sweats. I always jam in my leggings. I'm one of those girls that wears them as pants. But with my new job, I am not allowed to wear them at all, unless they are accompanied by a knee length dress. (Which at that point, they aren't worth wearing...) So I want to get some cute sweats. Any suggestions?

Sleep
Sleep is a precious commodity that seems to not want to cooperate with me. I've been taking melatonin, which usually knocks me out. But it hasn't been recently. I have to wake up at 8, and it doesn't ever feel like a possibility.

Babies
I've had a few people ask me when I'm going to be reproducing. Which quite frankly, is none of their business. But for now, Dave and I are happy being us, and making too many trips to Disneyland, and eating far more Sensuous Sandwich than we should.

Sep 19: Pulled Pork

Dave and I both love pulled pork, so I figured it was a good way to start out my cooking adventures!!!



Ingredients:
1-2 lb pork roast
BBQ sauce
1-1/2 cup water



Cover bottom of crockpot with bbq sauce, and add water. Mix until the bbq sauce thins. Put roast in crockpot. Smother with bbq sauce.

Cook on high for 3 hours, then cook on low for 2 hours.
Shred and place on buns. (Add more bbq sauce if you like...I did)