"Mawigge.... " (Princess Bride)

Yay! Tom and I said "I do" on October 5th! It was the most exciting and memorable day of my life, filled with moments of love, laughter, and happy tears!

I have to apologize that I have been absent from the blogging world for the past few months; my only excuse is that planning a wedding is much like having a full-time job!

However, now that things have settled down, I can avert some of my focus to French Onion Soup Blog and bringing you the most cutting-edge and yummy gluten and dairy free recipes.

HUGE THANK YOU to my beautiful cousin Lara and her partner Kevin from BrightSide Weddings for their amazing DJing! The wedding was so much fun and we could not have done it without them! Check out their website here. Much love :)

The new Mr. and Mrs.!

Why I Will Always Be Gluten and Dairy Free!

I don't usually do "selfies", but I'd like to share this one! When I got engaged last August, I was at my very heaviest. I was dealing with an un-diagnosed gluten and dairy allergy and, although I was happy in all other areas of my life, I really wasn't feeling good about myself. So, I decided to make a change. I began exploring the gluten and dairy free diet (and blogging about it!) portioning, and tracking and maintaining regular exercise. Since then I have lost 40 lbs to date with a goal of losing 20-25 more pounds. The feeling is incredible; I feel so much better, more energetic, and more willing to do things I never would have before. My wedding dress even needs to be taken in! All thanks to my diet, exercise, and determination! I can't wait to continue down this healthy road and, through my blog and other activities, help others to get healthy and love themselves for the amazing human beings they are!! I know I will reach my goal soon!

 This is why I will continue to explore everything I can when it comes to the gluten and dairy free diet, and I am dedicated to helping others with their gluten and dairy allergies... and their weightloss!

Stay tuned for more great recipes, tips, etc. as we navigate these allergies together!

Please message me if you have any questions or any recipes you love that you would like posted on French Onion Soup Blog!

Much love,

Katherine

My Daily Dose of... Buddha

"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." - The Buddha

This quote is something I am considering placing on my invitations; meaning our happiness being shared on our wedding day. There truly is so much happiness in our love and we can't wait to share it with the people who mean so much to us.

However, my main issue is tolerance to my beliefs. Usually, at work or with my friends, when I talk about Buddhism and how I am studying it and continually trying to incorporate it into my life, I get a ton of support! My colleagues and my friends embrace me as I am, even though many of their beliefs aren't exactly parallel with mine. 

Our wedding will have hints of Buddhism to it; it will not be a traditional Mahayanic Buddhist wedding, but since it is my way of life, I will be incorporating Buddhist aspects into the ceremony and reception. I think I may be the first member of my family to get married that will not be getting married in a church... which may turn some of my family members off.

My hope is that, because I am tolerant of others' beliefs and values, that the people we love and are excited to share our special day with will reciprocate.

Namaste

Awesome August!

'Awe'-some August!

We went to Las Vegas again, and we got engaged there! (Had a health scare with Riley today, though, she's okay but I'm watching her sleep like a hawk right now and blogging for therapy... so bear with me if I ramble, okay?)

Las Vegas was amazing! We had gone last September for my birthday, but this time we were going with 15 of our fabulous friends for five days at The Flamingo, which was great; so central on The Strip, nice pools, and a great price for the time we stayed! Tom and I were also able to check-in early, which was nice... though our room wasn't a suite, it was perfect! The only downside? I got used to the air conditioning, and when we came home I just about melted!! 

Anyways, Tom and I have been living together for almost two years, and I had been bugging Thomas about proposing for awhile, but I really hadn't said anything for the past couple of months, so I really didn't think that he would be proposing anytime soon. Besides, we are already "married" as per the bank and the government, and I was just going to have to accept that if that was good enough for Thomas, it was going to have to be good enough for me.

However, on the Wednesday (August 8) that we were in Vegas, we had just got back from some activity, and we were getting ready for the night ahead. I had just gotten out of the shower, and was about to do my makeup, when Thomas randomly asked me to search his cargo shorts' pockets for change or cash. I did so, with0ut any kind of hint as to why I had to do it even though he was sitting right there, because he had asked me multiple times to carry his change as he didn't like it jingling around in his pocket, so I had a whole bunch of random change in my purse.  

So there I was, no makeup on, wet hair, digging through his pockets and counting the change when I come across the box. It had "Spence" written on the top and I dropped it in surprise, thinking I wasn't actually supposed to see it. So I meekly said, "Tom?" and he stuck his head around the corner and had this MASSIVE smile on his face!

So I opened the box and saw the ring and he asked me to marry him right then and there, with me doing a serious ugly cry/ laugh. I think I asked him 5+ times if he was sure he wanted to marry me; thank goodness he didn't change his mind!! Anyways, I was screaming and laughing and crying, and Aaron called our room asking where we were. I was bawling my eyes out on the phone and he was asking me what was wrong and I said, "Tom proposed!" and hung up.

We were so thrilled to be able to share such an important time in our lives with our incredible friends and excited to take the next step in our lives together!

Tom & Star Wars: A Love Story

It never fails; whenever Thomas gets home from work (a miracle happened and school ended early for me today) and I'm here, he sits down and plays Star Wars on his computer (we're talking The Old Republic;; Knights of The Old Republic was SO last year....).

Personally, I love Star Wars, but when I'm at school or, you know, I come home and I smell from work, I'll either start homework or go and take a shower like a normal person. I'm not sitting on the couch with my computer deciding whether or not I'll be a Sith Warrior or a Jedi today.

I'm pretty sure we're gonna end up with a Star Wars cake at our wedding; either Han & Leia or just Vader's face.....



Classic.