about gluten and school life

Approximately a week ago in the dining hall my friends and I were given comment cards to put our ideas and concerns about the food and service on. Many people do not know this or realize it, but I am "gluten intolerant" which means a couple things. 

The first is that I cannot eat much with wheat, rye, or barley in it.if I eat too much these grains begin to cause HAVOC on my body because of a little protein called gluten.

The second is that eating in public places is hard and slightly complicated and sometimes embarrassing because much of what is served has bread, or cream based soup, or crumbs, or simply has been contaminated by food that does have these things. 

I wrote several nice things about the service and the appearance of the place, but when it asked about the food I filled the entire space with ideas on bringing back the exclusively gluten free foods. 

I get very frustrated as I have a meal plan that allows me to eat in the dining hall twice a day. At the beginning of this semester the dining hall management decided that they were going to "revamp" their system. They began putting out different foods, they started putting hamburgers on buns for us, they dressed things up a bit more. It was all fine and dandy except that with this change the gluten-free section with breads and cookies and bagels and snacks.......was gone. This life bringing section has been missing all semester and I was beginning to get a bit flustered and upset at every meal trying to eat things that were "safe", until today!

The GLUTEN FREE FOODS WERE BACK AT LUNCH!!!!! I had a wonderful sandwich and I was so happy!  

OH Happy Day!!

(also, when I have time I am going to put together an informative post on gluten and the fad diet that I do not understand)

Find Joy.

"Pray For You"

I haven't been to church since I don't remember when
Things were goin' great 'til they fell apart again
So I listened to the preacher as he told me what to do
He said you can't go hatin' others who have done wrong to you
Sometimes we get angry, but we must not condemn
Let the good Lord do His job and you just pray for them
I pray your brakes go out runnin' down a hill
I pray a flowerpot falls from a window sill and knocks you in the head like  

I'd like to
I pray your birthday comes and nobody calls
I pray you're flyin' high when your engine stalls
I pray all your dreams never come true
Just know wherever you are honey, I pray for you
I'm really glad I found my way to church
'Cause I'm already feelin' better and  

I thank God for the words
Yeah I'm goin' take the high road
And do what the preacher told me to do
You keep messin' up and I'll keep prayin' for you
I pray your tire blows out at 110
I pray you pass out drunk with your best friend and wake up with his and her tattoos
I pray your brakes go out runnin' down a hill
I pray a flowerpot falls from a window sill and knocks you in the head like 

I'd like to
I pray your birthday comes and nobody calls
I pray you're flyin' high when your engine stalls
I pray all your dreams never come true
Just know wherever you are, near or far, in your house or in your car,
wherever you are honey, I pray for you. I pray for you 

 

In all reality, I really do pray for people, not like this. I have been upset about some things lately and this song makes me feel a bit better because I think it's funny but don't think this way so I posted it. I have my own personal demons, like anyone, but I try not to broadcast them to the world. These aren't truly my demons, but I wish I were open enough to talk to people when I need help, but I'm not. I wish when I was frustrated I was brave enough to tell people what I think, but I'm not. I wish I were stronger than I am, but I'm not. I have flaws. Because of this I have learned and tried to be tolerant of those around me. I love this life and I am starting to love the person I am becoming more and more! 

 

I would never say these words to anyone in reality, but sometimes I get frustrated and don't understand how other people function. I get upset sometimes and try to hold it down to avoid unnecessary problems with the people around me. I am learning, however, that there is a point when kindness becomes a crutch that other people will take advantage of. There is a point when I have to be completely honest about the fact that some people have been given "enough rope to hang them-self with or climb to the heights." I truly pray that you learn to climb if you find you are standing at the end of your rope. 

 

Climb and then fly! 

 

Joy is the best medicine, this is why I will keep being the joyful young lady that I was raised to be.

 

I want to say now, after my rant, that I am so very grateful to the people around me for helping me to be joyful and keep my head up in the face of anything. Hard times may come, but with help I have the strength to have joy. 

 

I pray you find your source of joy.

Have Joy.

Oh Happy Day! 

Call us crazy. We are.

This entire post is going to be stories that I have been accumulating this year with some of my friends, not all of them however. 

Spacious as a Brick
On campus this year there is some construction being done outside of the student center. In order to get to the building in which I spend ALL my time I am required to walk across the new cement structure they have put in front of the library. The cement is really nice and well done and looks wonderful as an addition to campus. 
However.
The day after the area was opened for access I was walking along with my friends and one of them, Laura, got extremely excited about all the space! She made a graceful show and gesture of joy, proclaiming,"It's so spacious!!" This normally would have been really adorable and fun but in the process of doing this she tripped over the only object anywhere near. Right beneath her feet was a single red brick in the middle of nowhere!
Stolen Identity
Matt always seems to be accused of something somebody else did. The other day, while leaving the parking lot a young man was walking along the exit really slowly. He was right in the way of Kimmi getting out and she had no idea what to do in this situation. The boy glanced quickly over his shoulder and as he did Kimmi called out, "MATT!!!" This caused a chain reaction of her scaring me and Matt himself saying, "I'm in the back seat....."
I Like This Shirt
In the midst of several crossing conversations at dinner one day (this happens frequently when all nine of us are at dinner) we were all being rather rowdy and silly and suddenly. (a wild Austin appears)....Austin popped off rather randomly,"I like this shirt. This is my favorite shirt."    WHAT?? None of us were expecting this as it had nothing to do with anything, but it was ridiculously funny and has now become a pseudo catch phrase for one of the quietest people in this rambunctious group.
two three
Dead Woman's Intuition
DaLynn. A very devious young lady. She is so dang funny though. The other day we were having a completely mundane conversation while texting and then suddenly it turned into this......

And this is the conversation they had. 

What?


Also, just for information's sake "group" not mentioned:
Jessika (my cutie patootie roommate)
Jordan (my bud from down the hall)
Aaron (that guy who moved away)
Jesse (goofiest)
Truman (the NOT hipster)