roller coasters and more East Coast travel

It's been a doozy of a winter for us, in the addition to the normal craziness of ski town winter life we've also been dealing with some very hard stuff. Dave's mother fell ill in December and without going in details it's been a hell of a ride for her and the whole family. Instead of the happy recovery we had all hoped for the roller coaster derailed and she lost her arduous fight.
The bucket of things I can't control overflowed and the little things at work and home were pushed aside. My need for action had me booking tickets, setting up dog sitters, packing for us as we were East Coast bound once again in a 24 hour whirlwind. As you know a glutard must not only pack the usual clothing but also food. I knew some items I could find but had others I wanted plus snacks to navigate the poor selection of airport food with. I set up an email list of friends to keep folks informed of what we- specifically Dave was really going though. We had flown to Boston in early February when one round of complications had us all terrified and spent time visiting her in the ICU. A month later we were back on the plane and it was time to say goodbyes that no one was ready to say.

I have a little travel buddy that's sort of a good luck charm. The turtle found us in the winter of 2007 and has been on many road trips with us. I brought him along this round in hope that he'd bring some good luck on a difficult trip. 

From Droid think outside

 I made only one questionable choice during our airport navigation as we grabbed dinner at Wolfgang Puck in DIA. It ended up being fine but I was a touch nervous that my desire for a warm meal had me making questionable choices.

From Droid think outside

 We spent a lot of time in the hospital and had just one visit to the cafeteria where they had a number of GF options for snack time. This was a goodbad snack- good juices in the Odwalla but the brownie was very bad for me despite it's fudge like yumminess.

From Droid think outside

Each morning I'd have a bowl of Cinnamon Chex and a banana to ensure the energy to make it through the day and make good eating choices despite what the day held in store for us. I'm a person that needs to eat to maintain blood sugar levels so I can deal with life with a level head even when I have a heavy heart.

From Droid think outside

Goodbyes were said by all- It was hell and all I wanted to do was bake but the family isn't a group of stress eaters and my whoopie pies and cookies couldn't fix the real issues as three grown sons, their father and families dealt with the loss of the beloved cruise director.

I had two excellent cookie helpers (ages 8 and 6) and it gave all three of us something to do for a while during a very rough day in a stream of many rough days. They creamed the butter with sugar and mixed in eggs- I like to think that these actions provide mediation and are therapeutic for others like they are for me. Plus I love the smell of fresh baked cookies. I had packed bags of gf flour measured out and labeled with all the dry stuff added in. Dave was convinced that TSA would find them in our checked bag and think I was up to no good so I threw in some prepackaged mixes as well to assert my flour bag needs.
I come from stress eaters so it was an adjustment for me to not have people wanting to eat. All the kids (ages 13 to 5) are well aware of my gluten free needs and each time I ate anything I'd have a small voice (not my own) asking if that was gluten free. I was exceptionally careful (with the exception of DIA) because the last thing I needed during our 10 days on the East Coast was a glutening. I even managed to sneak in a few meals that I love by hitting Flatbread Pizza Company who offer a gluten free crust and organic products.

We also ventured out and hit Not Your Average Joe's in Newburyport. They had a gluten free menu and it was a decent meal- great to know it was safe but it's no PF Chang's.

It was a hard trip but we both needed to be there and were very lucky to have understanding from all back in Telluride. We also had some great dog sitters so I didn't have to worry about my furry monsters even when our trip was extended. Now comes the readjusting to life after a big loss... bills still need to get paid, dogs and people both need to be fed and walked daily and we both have jobs we have to return to... thankfully the furry monsters are helping with the ongoing therapy for both of us. Let the comfort food cooking begin...

Winter waves on a New England beach