On names, friendship, and cookies, part deux

Friendship is the same as a name, in my book. Someone has said, "The best mirror is your best friend." With whom do you spend most of your time[voluntarily]? With whom do they spend their time, when not with you? What are their likes and dislikes? Why? What is the common bond between you? In those questions, you can find what you value most.

So, I promised a radio station I would make them some cookies and bring them this weekend. Ive been dying to try out a new recipe, and thought it would be cool. Bad idea. Ive made 3 different batches of the cookies, and they all spread out WAYY too far. As in, you can't tell what shape they were supposed to be they look so terrible. So I thought I should make them thinner. This helped, but not as much as I had hoped. Now, they are paper-thin cookies that sort of, kind of, if you squint hard enough resemble ice cream cones. I am disappointed, to say the least. They do taste great, though :)

Hopefully, through all the madness of today, I will have a chance to bake the rest of them and decorate before tomorrow. I have to work in the morning, so I will have to take them to the radio station as soon as I get off work. Any suggestions on how to make the dough stay...shaped?

Sincerely,

Alice

On names, friendship, and cookies.

Dear Blogging World,

Robert E. Lee said, "My name is not for sale, at any price." Another famous quote, this time by William Shakespeare in his play "Romeo and Juliet", asks," "What's in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." But what is behind a name? When I, removing my own name and calling myself Alice, write, I have not changed bodies or hearts or minds. I am still the same person, with the same convictions and outlooks and worldview. This girl, Alice, is just another side to the circle of my whole character. A different speech pattern, perhaps, but still the same.

Why is it so important to protect a name? Proverbs 22:1 reads, "A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, favor is better than silver and gold." Why does a good name matter? After all, its what we do right then that counts, right? Wrong. Think, for example, about Starbucks [yes, this is a strong subject on my mind right now, I still haven't heard from them!]. What comes to mind when you think of the name "Starbucks"? For me, I think: wow, their drinks are delicious; ouch, they are so expensive!; I love how friendly everyone is that works with Starbucks. Why? Because from personal experience and from what I have heard from others, I now know Starbucks has delicious drinks and great service at a fairly high price. Lets say that today, though, Starbucks all around the world have a new policy: frappes are $1 for one hour, but you have to come blend it yourself, and wash an already used cup to use for your own drink. That would be ludicrous, right?! Starbucks' reputation would be ruined. Who would want to go to a place that makes you wash your own cup after someone else just used it? It doesn't matter that Starbucks learned its lesson, and never does that deal again. It was that one time that brought them down. [NO worries: Starbucks is NOT doing this policy, and I totally made it up. Feel free to go buy as many frappes as you want from them, the cups will be new and unused every time :) ]

Its the same idea with your own name.

[Ok, I have to stop here in the middle of my thought process, but I'm going to go ahead and post this.. hopefully I will remember to come back and finish!]

[Sincerely, Alice]

Chapter Twenty-Six, the last day

Dear Blogging world,

Due to not wanting to spend a weekend on bananas and apples, I stopped my gluten-free diet on Friday, the 24th of September, and the 26th day of my diet.

I am so excited- I had cereal for breakfast this morning!!! :D

In all truth and sincerity, I have been so grateful for this gluten-free dare. I have come away from this feeling more confident in using self-control, and have discovered a few healthier options to my typical diet. I have also discovered that I have no allergy or sensitivity to gluten whatsoever, and I am supremely thankful for bread :)

sincerely,

Alice

Chapter Twenty-Five

Dear Blogging World,

I have come to the realization that I need to be an adult. I am almost twenty [less than two months to go!], and still do not feel "grown-up". I have narrowed the reasons down to three:

1. An inordinate love of cupcakes and cookies. Not something adult, like a moist and decadent slice of chocolate cake, covered in a creamy drizzle and served with a silver spoon.

2. a young face. [but, hey, lets "face" it, this reason cannot change. No matter how many chin exercises I try.]

3. a strong distaste for mushrooms and squash. Now, I know, squash is a universal disease that must be destroyed, so its understandable why I [typically] dislike it, and its relatives [except in Wisconsin, where a dear friend grows and makes the best tasting squash and zucchini ever! I think its really sugar hidden in a squash-like form.] But for some reason, Mushrooms seem to be loved worldwide. This phenomenon explodes the mental capabilities, but is true nonetheless. Therefore, I see it as my duty to learn to love mushrooms.

Sincerely,

Alice.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Dear Blogging World,

I am in utter shock- I actually passed the test this morning! Now, mind you, I did pass with the lowest possible score one can get and still pass the CLEP test, but still...I passed. That counts for something, right?

Alright, so the US History II test was much harder than I anticipated, because it concentrated on areas that I was not expecting. Studying for this test? Study the presidents. Study wars. Know the major leaders in different "isms" [marxism, darwinism, evolutionism, feminism]. Know how music changed, when, and what major songs were popular [and who wrote them!]. These all sound like "duh" statements, but in truth I thought the test would concentrate more on what the "isms" meant, and have more law cases brought up. Court cases were brought up several times in both US History tests, though, so these are quite important to know the details, and the effects these cases had on American Culture.

Ok, thats about as much of a "cheat sheet" I can give without breaking any CLEP test rules ;)

This weekend is going to be so much fun! Im helping out my sister and brother-in-law with a staff retreat his office is doing. I get to play with all the kids! Yay!

Have a wonderful weekend, I shall try to update tomorrow but Im not making any promises.

Sincerely [relieved and breathing once more],

Alice

Chapter Twenty-Three

Dear Blogging World,

Three very important items have occurred today:

1. my dear friends Audri Vernier and Benjamin Botkin were married this afternoon! Praise the Lord for the future of the musical world. :)

2. I put in an application to work at Starbucks, at least seasonally. While not as important as the first item, this could be a turning point in my small, insignificant life. Or it could lead to nothing but empty hopes dashed like the last few drops of a drink are thrown away.

3. I am about to have a nervous breakdown over the CLEP test I am taking tomorrow morning.

Ok, alright, so this last item hasn't happened just yet, but it feels like the dam of emotions will break at any moment, and I will be lost in the whirlpool of fatigue, nerves, and hours frittered away that I should have spent studying. Not to say that I haven't been more faithful studying for this test than the last test. But I know nothing about the Vietnam War and President Carter [though he IS from Georgia], could care less about the feminist movement, and have a strong disillusionment with Teddy Roosevelt now that I have been made aware of his politics.

I think I need sleep. Or maybe I should stay awake all night and study. Or perhaps it would be wiser to sleep now, and then wake up at Three am and study. Or perhaps I should just admit that I shall probably fail this test, and have to retake it in six months.

I don't know that I can handle studying about "The Feminine Mystique" anymore. I am a female, shouldn't I know whats mysterious about me already?!

Sincerely [fraught with terror, and could possibly collapse in a puddle of tears tonight],

Alice

Chapters Twenty-one and Twenty-Two

Dear Blogging World,

I was re-counting how many days I've been on this..and realized, that somehow, I had missed two days! This is day Twenty-two!! :D

This is a very pleasant thought. :)

My goal is 30 days, because I think a month of gluten-free is reasonable. Especially when you really haven't noticed any health differences whatsoever. And you really miss cereal. and cupcakes. But mostly, just cereal.

I've had some amazing gluten-free pizza, and have learned to enjoy salads {for the most part}. I no longer feel like a sissy if I order a salad instead of a giant juicy hamburger. There are some ridiculously amazing gluten-free chips at Publix, and with some wonderful guacamole and slices of cheese, its my new favorite snack.

Yet for some strange reason, I really miss cereal. Its not that I had sugary cereal- my favorite cereal was cheerios, or mini wheats, with cut up strawberries. But its something I really miss.

Maybe I shouldn't stay up so late, I think it may be messing with my brain.

Alright, Cheerio! .... wait..ugh... *sigh * well, maybe you can enjoy a bowl of cheerios for me.. what say you?

Sincerely,

Alice

Chapters Nineteen and Twenty

Suggestion for the week: Don't play on auto. Live life manually!

Sincerely,

Alice

Chapters Sixteen, Seventeen, and Eighteen

Dear Blogging World,

Ive been thinking I want to check out Sally's Bakery soon. Ever since the gluten-free pizza @ Pizza by the Sea, Ive been craving something with texture, taste, and tangibility. Here is my problem with fruit and vegetables and proteins- they disappear too quickly. Bread is one of those amazing quantities that fills you up as you chew. Its incredible! And typically not gluten free. And if it IS gluten-free, then its dry and tastes something similar to sawdust.

I'm coming to the realization that I am not at all sensitive to gluten. I haven't been able to detect any differences in how I feel, how my day goes, how I sleep. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Praise the Lord, right?! But I have been shown how much I depend on gluten. I am in love with carbs. Breads, pastas, pizzas, muffins, cinnamon rolls [major love!], cupcakes... ahhh the List continues. But its not healthy for me. That much I know. I think I need a new challenge. What else is there besides gluten-free and dairy-free? And believe me, I really don't know how possible it would be for me to avoid dairy. I love the stuff! So, Im probably too weak to try avoiding it, just for a challenge. What else "unhealthy" can I avoid? I rarely do fast food, Im not a big coke fan, or any sodas for that matter, and I don't put quart-fuls of sugar in things [anymore]..

Suggestions?

Sincerely,

Alice

Chapters Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, and Fifteen

Dear Blogging World,

Sorry Ive been off the radar these past 5 days! Its been crazy over here. Actually, here AND there, but that is neither ... here NOR there at the moment. [well, it is here, but thats beside the point. And it didn't flow right without the third "here"...]

I got home from the beach last night! It was quite fun, and I came across the most darling places ever! Pizza By The Sea has some of the MOST delicious gluten-free pizza EVER! If you are in the area, or have a chance to go there, this is the place I would recommend. Kid friendly, date friendly, cute and quirky romantic evening out friendly, this is the best. Plus, they have hula-hoops outside, if you feel like working off those few carbs you just ate!

Another fantastic eating spot, though a bit pricier, is Alys Beach's George's. Delicious, fun food in a "hoppin" place with wonderful staff. If you are into laid back atmosphere [i.e. you don't mind having to flag the waiter down once or twice, and love quiet soul music], comfy seating, great views [including and especially the food!], and tastebuds that beg for more once the meal is over, this is the place for you!

Ok, so Tomorrow is day fifteen in Gluten-free world, and it can only go uphill from here. whoohoo!

Happily munching on my gluten-free chips, I wish you an amazing Tuesday.

sincerely,

Alice

Chapter Nine

Dear Blogging World,

I have some exciting news on the health front! Firstly, my gluten-free diet [did I already tell you this? Maybe I should be taking some ginko instead of skipping gluten..] time-table has been cut down to October 7th as the last day, as Im going to be out of town visiting a friend, and who doesn't want to have fun then?

But on to the real news. Today I realized I have become unconsciously healthy! I had two delicious fried eggs, and a glass of yummy "organic" apple juice for breakfast; Lunch consisted of a mixed greens salad with tiny tomatoes, cut up chicken, and amino acid dressing, with water; I had a snack of 2 tiny [seriously, they were so small!] gluten-free chocolate chip cookies and a green-tea frappe [ok, ok, maybe the snack wasn't the best, but hey, it was B&N cafe, and I needed some brain power!]; and dinner was another, bigger salad, once again with chicken and water! And Im happy! yay!!! We should celebrate! Who wants Ice Cream??!?!?! ... oh.... wait..

Sincerely,

Alice

Chapter Eight

Dear Blogging World,

I am so in love with handwritten letters!

Ive been writing some friends back this morning, and decided to be creative. . .

The yellow tape is from Papermash [I think I chatted about them in Chapter Three] . Its an excerpt from Wordsworth's The Daffodil .

How do you like this? Yes, its backwards, but you should try to read it anyways...Give up? I'll make it easy for you, it says: "Care to join me for a cup of conversation?" .

What do you think? Any favorite nifty ideas you've had for card fronts?

Sincerely,

Alice

Chapter Seven

This evening, I went back to reading a favorite collection of mine, the Anne of Green Gables series, by L. M. Montgomery. . .

Is it terrible to want to name your future children because of charac

ters in a book? Oh how I wish they were real, though!

I am trying to determine what Anne would do, if she were in my position. Probably write a novel...

Sincerely,

Alice

Chapter Six

Dear Blogging World,

I will confess...I cheated tonight. *sigh* *another deep sigh* I had half of a newly baked brownie, and Im fairly certain it had gluten in it. But have you ever smelt a newly baked, fresh out of the oven brownie, and known you couldn't have any, even though you weren't allergic, just plain stubborn?

So , I guess the good news is that Im not that stubborn. The bad news is that it had to do with brownies.. and my lack of conviction that this is what I need to be doing.

So, I may be changing my diet back to include brownies, and other delicious gluten-filled things sooner than I planned. Namely, because Im hopefully going to be seeing a friend in Nashville the 8th through the 10th of October! And that will require gluten. :) Therefore, Im thinking, as soon as my shoulder is healed up, I still won't have gluten in the morning, and if I can help it not for lunch either, but once October 8th comes, Im breaking my gluten-free 24/7 deal.

Alright, Church tomorrow!! I am so grateful for this day of Rest the Lord gives us. Not just physical rest, but emotional as well, since we are to especially focus on Him. This is a very endearing thought tonight.

Sincerely,

Alice

Chapter Five

Dear Blogging World,

Todays food was not the greatest. So far, of all five days Ive been "gluten-free", Ive had salad for a main meal five times. I think I'm turning shades of green. . . However, dinner tonight was great, the gluten-free store-bought pasta was delicious, and worked really well with cut up carrots, celery, a quarter of an onion, some chicken, and some chicken broth. [Sorry, no pictures, but as soon as I get a camera, I will post more!]

On a plus note, Im checking out this site for facts of the 20th Century, studying up for US History II. Its been a great resource, and Im pretty stoked by all the links. I hope to go to a library soon and research using the references .

Ok, thats all. Sorry Im not interesting today! :/

sincerely,

Alice

Chapter Four

Dear Blogging World,

Im so sorry I didn't get to post last night- for some reason, Blogger was acting up, and was speaking in Japanese! Since I am not fluent in Japanese, I was unable to post. :/

On the plus side, however, yesterday went well. I was able to read through my REA book on CLEP History, part II. [But thats only impressive if you don't know how big the book is...] I still haven't tried to sneak any gluten. ;) And I had a lot of fun editing that photo shoot from the other day!

Alright, so here is today's plan of action: This morning, "laze around", working on my computer, and, since Dad had a speaking engagement in another state tonight and won't be back until tomorrow, I thought it might be fun if Mom and I got to do a crafty thing together.. So Im going to look for a crafty thing for us to do tonight. :) I'll work on some studying today, and we may get our nails done! [first time in 3 years. yay!] Oh, and tonight Im going to make some Homemade Freestyle Chicken Noodle Soup. Freestyle, you say to yourself? What does a swimming stroke have to do with Chicken Noodle Soup? Well, my aquatic loving friends, I call it "Freestyle" since I won't be going by a recipe, but instead will just be making it ..."freestyle" . :D I'll try to post pictures later!

sincerely,

Alice

Chapter Three

Dear Blogging World,

Today's going-ons have filled me with an excitement beyond the typical! Firstly, Im finishing up I Peter, and starting II Peter, which is joy in itself. God's Word is always a soul refresher. Secondly, I've been wearing this sling since last night, and my shoulder is starting to feel better! [I did tell you its separated right now, right? Just checkin...] and Thirdly, I am enjoying a delicious lunch made by some lovely Panera Bread people - Ironic, right, that this gluten-free-for-three-days girl is eating at a restaurant that has the word "Bread" in its title? Well, their salads are delicious. At least this one is. Its the 'NEW!' Strawberry Poppyseed and Chicken Salad [with no nuts on mine..I'm not a fan of plastic.]. So this day has been full of joy: God's Word, a good morning chat with my mom :), paying someone to play with my hair for two hours, and now some scrumptious food.

I have some news on the crafty side of life! Papermash is celebrating its 1st birthday!!! Yay for this great UK company, which sells all things lovely paper. I even bought a few rolls of cute tape for myself... For this 1st birthday, they are giving a great discount: for every £25 you spend, Papermash will give you free travel gift tags. Just remember to put the word "birthday" in your "comments" section when you check out. This completely joyful gift is open until Sept. 5, so use your time wisely! ;)

Also, This is a great article on the site The Art of Manliness [hey, women should check this site out too, right? Its important to know what you guys are thinking...]. It covers the topic "How To Fire A Gun Safely and Correctly" . Definitely hoping for an opportunity to apply this soon..

Alright, have a joyful rest of your day!

Sincerely,

Alice

Chapter Two

Dear Blogging World,

It is now the end of Day Two, and so far so good. :)

So yesterday a friend of mine came over to do some photography work with me :) And we decided to have a delicious snack... cheese, gluten-free chips, and yummy organic guacamole

dip. mmmm ;)

Does anyone have a good recipe for guacamole?? Its one of my very favorite snack items.

[I don't have any pictures of dinner, but it was some lovely salmon and greens... ]

Today we decided to do an old-time 19th century photo shoot,

complete with old dresses and a tea party picnic by the river.

It was so much fun! Just the reprieve I needed before getting ready to study for my next CLEP, History II.

*gluten-free peanut butter cookies*

Another thought that entertains my mind is the possibility of getting a part time job at maybe Starbucks, or maybe an evening restaurant. Im trying to save up for a new camera, and possibly a trip to Egypt? Hmm, I wonder if they make gluten-free cookies there?

Rest well dear whoever-is-reading-this!

Sincerely,

Alice