Let's Talk About Labels

I am sick and tired of going grocery shopping and getting glared at when I have to stop and read a label. I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO EAT IT! IT IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH! And no, I am not being overdramatic. Sure, my local grocery store, and workplace, label most things that are already labeled Gluten Free. But that doesn't mean they have labeled everything. Maybe I want to try a new soup and you haven't gotten around to labeling it, therefore I must read! What a concept!
But I'm polite. I pull my cart to the side, pick up what I need to read, look around me for anyone trying to look where I am standing, and move on with my business. It does not help that aisles in grocery stores suck. And my work stocks during the day, so there may be someone stocking and then there's me trying to read a label.
Everything would be a hell of a lot easier if all companies went through the process of labeling the allergens that are in their product. I know it may be a struggle, but so many people nowadays are not eating gluten, dairy, eggs, or nuts. Therefore, in order to raise sales, one should label their products. It's only common sense.
I honestly can't stand the fact that in this day and age, I need to read the labels. With so many people getting sick from certain foods, you think the FDA would come up with some guidelines for allergens.
Meh.
This has been a rant about my Celiac Life.
~Courtney

Very Exciting Birthday week!!

Hello there everyone! It has been less than a month since I last posted, which is good! It means I'm not really a slacker at blogging anymore. I am writing today to tell of my very exciting news. 

I'm turning eighteen.

Wow.

18.

FINALLY!

It's only taken about eighteen years to get here, so I'm very happy that it is happening! :P Typically, as lame as it sounds, I celebrate birthday week. A week where I am invincible and nothing can bring me down. 

Sunday: Work, but it really wasn't that bad. I got to be in the smoke shop and not have to do too much time on express. Lovely.

Monday: (Wait, that was only yesterday?!) I, yes I, got accepted to college!!! AHHH!!! 

Wilkes University has accepted me into the school, just not the program yet. But still, the thrill you get once you finally have an idea of something you can do next year is astounding. It feels like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders and everything is going to be okay. At least until audition stress kicks in in about 3-4 weeks... But nevertheless I have recieved $10,000 a year to attend :D Thank goodness I kept my grades up! So make sure you do that too ( if any younger people read this) I automatically qualified for money. Awesome.

Tuesday: Not an amazing day, but not awful either. Let's just leave it at that. Although a shout out must go out to.... LEAWNDRA!!! HAPPY 17TH BIRTHDAY BABE!! 

Tomorrow: I have dance class, which is always good.

Thursday: Going out to dinner after rehearsal with Leawndra and Taylor to celebrate Leawndra and I's birthdays!

Friday: BIRTHDAY!!! Everyone is coming over for cake and fun! Plus, I will be doing all of the fun things you get to do when you're 18. Kinda.

Saturday:... I'M GOING TO NEW YORK CITY!!! My favorite place in the whole wide world. Everything is magical and I cannot wait to go ice skating, and see a show, and and and gah! I love it. We're leaving early Saturday and hopefully picking up my best friend from UCONN so she can stay the night with us! It is going to be magical <3

That's all I have for you today! Remember, stay healthy, stay happy, and stay beautiful!

<3

Courtney :D

This week kicked my butt.

Okay a little over a week since I last posted. I will also actually WRITE type a post. I'm just too lazy to go upstairs and get my webcam, and I'm listening to music... so why would I want to stop? :)
Anyway!
Wednesday the 9th. A lot happened. My friends and I were all anxiously awaiting the cast list, and finally at about 7pm, the director sent it to my friend Samantha. Oh boy! And I jumped and screamed like a little girl when I found out I had gotten the part I wanted :D

meet the original Rona Lisa Peretti

She hosts the 25th annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

So that's me

Thursday I visited Pace again! But the rest I don't want to talk about.

I miss NYC...

Friday I worked... joy.

Saturday I worked... woo! Then went shopping :) Because shopping cures all problems, right? Right. 

Sunday (and a little bit of Saturday) I worked on my AP Psych paper. I am learning so much in that class. I love it. Except I feel like a nerd when I relate it to conversations with people who aren't in the class or just don't care. But that's how I remember things, by putting them to use in my everyday life.

Monday I passed in the paper and went to the first rehearsal! The cast is pretty wonderful and I'm excited. I just hope they kick our butts. I would really like to experience a bit more rigorous rehearsals please... (hint hint)

Tuesday got my paper back... 181/200 points. I almost screamed. I was excited. I really did not think that I was going to do so well. Now if only I could use that paper for my writing sample...

Wednesday I took my AP Psych test and rehearsed. Then went to dance :) I do love my dance classes, just have to keep working and pushing myself. I will get this. Just keep promising myself this...

Which brings us to today! Got the test back and almost cried. I am getting it! Psych will no longer kick my ass, I will kick Psych's ass. And now I'm going to get ready to go out with some family :) 

I'm hungry.

Until next time!!

~ Courtney <3

Auditions

Audition for the musical just happened. Cool.
More on that when I get the cast list.
For now... Psych homework...

Wednesday=Crazy!

Here's my mini-vlog for the day! Super super busy tonight!

Enjoy! I will try yo make a longer post tomorrow I just have a ton of stuff to do tonight and should probably sign off now!
xoxox. Courtney

Courtney Attempts Vlogging!! :D

There you have it! An attempt at vlogging...
Below are some pictures from Senior Year!! (so far...)

Night of the Living Dead cast!

(from left to right) Karen, Helen, Harry, Johnny, Barbara, Ben, Judy, and Tom.

Oh how I loved this cast...

Sam, Mary, and I! 

Mary drew the picture, so we created it in real life!!

First Day of Senior Year!! :D

Freshman Reception/Homecoming

Visited my best friend Kelsey at UCONN <3

We didn't plan on matching, we're just best friends, so it happens.

That's all I really have for you today! Sorry the pictures aren't in order, but that's me, frazzled. I shall now study and continue applying to college!

Byeeee! 

~Courtney

Saturday

On Saturday I will give a full update of my life and such. It's been busy, so be prepared for a detailed account :) But tonight, I rest my voice and body, for I have a show tomorrow and Saturday night!!!
<3

Last Monday...

I met Sutton Foster.

I just thought I would post this here.
I shall relive this moment for you all later on in a post on plan on writing Wednesday :)

Whaddup Irene??

This week has been a long one. Sort of. I mean, it was still a week in terms of 7 days, 168 hours,10,080 minutes, or 604,800 seconds. If you want to make the value of a week in terms of time. Or maybe money? In my case then, this week will be worth a lot. Hopefully.
Anyway! There really isn't much to post about because I have seriously been at work for most of the week. It has sucked. And it has been rewarding, all the same time. I have been exhausted every night, but for once, I am okay with that. I cannot wait for school to start.
Call me crazy. Go ahead. Okay good, now that that's out of the way, I can explain why.
I have always loved school. It sounds insane, but remember, even you said it, I'm crazy. When I was younger, I wanted to be a teacher, as most kids at the elementary school age wish to be. I even had a classroom. I did. My brother and sisters used to be my students, and even kids from around the neighborhood. But something happened in sixth grade. I tried out for the musical. It was the only chance you had in my town to be exposed to theater. The rest, is as they say, history.
Fast Forward to today. I was on my lunch break, a well earned one. Thank goodness I am good at biting my tongue. I checked my phone for texts (none, shocking), tweets ( loads) and voicemails. Woah. I had a voicmail?! Who is calling me! Yay!! It was the owner of the dance studio I shall be attending soon. I had a wonderful chat with him and I *officially* ( i think) start taking tap and jazz classes on Wednesday! I'm super excited!
Anyway. Now I just sit on my couch writing this. While preparing for Hurricane Irene. Oh wait. It's just gonna be a bunch of rain and super strong winds. That's my prediction. Yes, we're going to lose power, that I'm sure of. But the way people have been "preparing" for this, are ridiculous. It's super big storm warnings that make me hate my job. Nah Just kidding. It's some of the people.
I will continue to live in my penguin pajama pants (given to me by the best friend a girl could ask for. ) and eat trail mix until this "hurricane" passes.
School starts Wednesday
Dance starts Wednesday
Senior Year. 4 Days away.
Bring It.

This is going to be difficult.

For three years, marching band was life. It took over theatre, it took over my job. It was everything that I did. My grades began to drop, my job barely gave me hours, and the dream was not being focused on. That being said. Something had to go.
Unfortunately, it was marching band.
I feel as though a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. Soon, hopefully, a new weight will be added with dance class and vocal lessons. But that is a burden I can handle. I wasn't focusing on my dream. It really hit me at rehearsal on Wednesday. When our drill instructor said "You're here because you want to be. You cant put marching band on your resume." And he's right. No one is going to care that I spent most of my high school life marching around playing an instrument I was not very good at. Colleges will care how well I can sing and dance. I have no training. That realization came to me in New York City this weekend. But more on that in a moment.
Band. I loved it Freshman and Sophomore year. But things were slowly declining. The quality of the band was becoming bland, the instructors were yelling more, you weren't allowed to have fun. If you risked having fun, you got yelled at. I was sick of it. Not to mention the people. I can't stand most of them. I know that is an awful thing to say, but it's true. I used to be so invested in the band. I was always there. It was the biggest commitment I had ever made. But all good things must come to an end.
So I quit. I turn in my uniform on Monday and then I'm done. I feel as though a part of me will be missing for quite some time, but it will get easier. I just don't want to be talked about. I really don't. I just feel as though I've let people down. But it's too late to change it. I don't want to change this decision either.
So on to my dream.
I want to be able to perform this.
Chorus or lead. I want to perform. I get the biggest adrenaline rush every time I'm on stage. I'm crazy. Most theatre people are crazy. I fit there. I'm not fit for marching band anymore.

NYC!
On Sunday August 7, 2011 my mother trusted me and my good friend Kevin to go to New York City for the day all by ourselves :) I'm sure she was a nervous wreck all day but that's okay. She will get used to her baby being in NYC soon enough. We had a lovely time. TKTS in Times Square was a life saver. We were able to get Anything Goes tickets for 50% off! And they were amazing seats! Row 14 left orchestra, you can't really beat it! Then we had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square. It was really cool in there! Then we headed over to see the show and were blown away. Then of course we hit up the stage door! We met someone from California and she was pretty cool, we chatted at the door while waiting for the magical Sutton Foster. Who of course... did not come out :( But that's okay, I have a plan :D
Then we just kind of did a walking tour to find some theatres and see who was at other stage doors still. Then we went to a small diner and had dinner. And off to the bus we went. 2 hours into the 4 hour bus ride, the bus broke down. Awesome. It was absolutely awful, and I was terrified because we were on the side of the highway and giant tractor trailers kept driving by and shaking the bus. Sweet... Finally we got on a replacement bus and were homeward bound. We finally arrived in Boston at 3 am. Longest day of my life. Did I mention we took a 6am bus TO New York? Well, ya. We did. I slept from 3:30am- 3:30pm on Monday. My sleeping pattern was a bit messed up for the next few days. Thanks to sleeping pills and my comfy pillows, I am back to semi-normal. Because, let's face it, I will never be normal...
Here are some pictures from NYC!
Then I will be on another small hiatus seeing as I am going on a much needed vacation next week. But I will bring back lots of stories!

Times Square!!

 Daniel Radcliffe looking adorable in Times Square!

Kevin at the Hard Rock Cafe!

Anything Goes!

As close as we got to Sutton :/

:D

Kevin's first Broadway stage door!

Laura Osnes and I! She made a wonderful Hope Harcourt. 

Josh Franklin and I. Yum :P

So until I can write again, love you all!

Woops!

Wednesdays are exhausting. I have band rehearsal. But since my life isn't back into the schedule it usually is, I'm exhausted. Sure I get tired in the school year, but I don't have time to be tired. Oh I know! Let me take you through a typical day during the school year. With my Senior classes :) ( assuming these are still them)
6-6:30 am ~ Wake up
7:10 am ~ Leave for school.
7:30 - 9:00 am ~ Independent Study in Theatre
9:05 - 10:35 am ~ AP Psych
10:40 - 11:05 am ~ Lunch
11:05 - 12:35 pm  ~ Physics
12:40 - 2:10 pm ~ Band
3:00 - 5:45 pm ~ Actors' Guild
6:00 - 9:00 pm ~ Band Rehearsal
9:30 - whenever o'clock ~ Homework.

I need my life to be that busy again. When things were that busy I had no time to think, I just had to do. This post really isn't much but that's because nothing has happened. All that has happened recently is that I've changed my life. I've changed who I am friends with and it was for the best reasons. Even if they never understand, that's their loss. And I just don't care anymore.
Until next time, Peace Out!

Pizza Muffins

When I woke up this morning, I had no recipe to give you. I had no exciting meal tip, or food related adventure to talk about. I knew I had to have one by the time I left work.
That didn't happen.
But when I came home and began surfing the web to find a recipe to alter for you all, I stumbled, first, upon this. Awesome. A baker who is my age that I can alter recipes and give credit to. Okay, so those aren't exactly the words that ran through my head, but essentially, that's what happened. I saw a recipe she had for Pizza Muffins. I was instantly intrigued. I love pizza and it is so difficult to find a good pizza. So you have to make it of course. So there is her recipe and mine is not much different. I just substituted the whole wheat flour for Bisquick Gluten-Free Baking mix. So simple.
Here's how mine turned out!
Pre-Oven:

Post-Oven:

Dinner is served:

They were really something! 

Upon further searching I found out that this recipe actually came from this blog. Check it out. It is amazing. I spent a good portion of the afternoon bookmarking recipes I want to try! I will let her amazing biography tell you all about her.

I truly love helping people. I hope that one day, I can. 

That's all I have for you tonight. 

Until next time, good night <3

Always Saturday.

I just realized that Fridays in the school year are going to be super busy, therefore it would make much more sense to write on Saturdays before band competitions.
Today it's just before work. :/
Yesterday was a lot of fun with two friends I had lost a connection with. We had a great time walking around the mall and bought socks. Awesome. You will possibly come to learn that I have a thing with socks.
Afterwards I went home and relaxed. I was supposed to go to a concert, but by the time my Grandmother got home to bring me and all that jazz, I thought it was too late. She thought otherwise. Next thing I know I was being whisked away to the magical land of Cambridge, Mass. Now I hate Boston. I hate any large city that is not NYC. Therefore, I didn't really like Cambridge. We were going to see a Harry and the Potters vs. Draco and the Malfoys concert, but it was not what I expected. It was actually really lame. So we walked around and such. Then I remembered that a cupcake place said they would be offering Harry Potter cupcake toppers. I wanted one. So I went in to see if they had any left and if they would just sell me a topper.
They were sold out.
I was upset but then my grandma asked them if they had anything Gluten-Free.
They did.
Best part was that they had Red Velvet cupcakes! Now I'm not a huge fan of Red Velvet, but for some reason I had been craving it for at least the past two months. It's typically not a cake one with Celiacs can indulge in. I was so excited. It was 7$ for two cupcakes, but it was worth it. They were so sweet and the frosting was dcelicious! Check them out here Sweet!
Hopefully next week I can go somewhere exciting and bring you guys another Gluten-Free hidden treasure.
until then, Arrivederci!

Woo! Wednesday!

Hi there! I don't really have too much to say ( that could go on here) tonight. The past two days have been kind of boring and meh.
BUT I did discover a new place to eat. I love it. I can not wait to go back there soon.
Popovers on the Square
Check them out. Seriously. Even my mom said her gluten-filled food was delicious.
Located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Popovers is located in the center of the town just near the church. They have both indoor and outdoor seating. It was a bit chilly and I liked the atmosphere inside, so I made the decision to stay inside. They were very friendly and accommodating. After much decision making time I chose to indulge myself with a Turkey Panini. It's quite something. I have noticed that I often enjoy the classics more than some new sandwich seeing as I do not get sandwiches often. I was super excited! It tasted amazing! I washed it all down with their homemade lemonade.
After that, we went to a comedy/improv show. My director, Buj ( who you will probably hear a lot about on here as the school year progresses) and my tech director, Mrs. Theile, were both in it. I surprised them and even entered their contest to win a free sweatshirt. I won :D I was proud of myself for being incognito and them having no idea I was there until the very end :)
Overall I would say a successful evening.
Here's a few photos from the night!

The Popovers buzzer 

My sandwich and lemonade :)

Prescott Park near the Theater

Woo! Tuesday night Improv!

Mrs. Thiele, Buj, and I!

Everyone did such a great job at the show and I truly loved Portsmouth. I can not wait for the next day trip my mom and I or someone and I take there!

Until Friday, Auf Wiedersehen

Crepes

Let me go on the record right now as saying... I absolutely love Crepes.
Yes, they are just flat little pancakes, but I adore them. I love making them. I love serving them. I love them. Needless to say, I have eaten 5 in the past 24 hours. Not too bad, but the fact that I filled 3 of them with Nutella and bananas, 1 of them with Nutella, and 1 of them with chicken and cheese... let's just say, I should probably go to the gym.
Now, before being diagnosed I would rarely eat crepes. Sure I would make them occasionally and fill them with something sweet for dessert, but lately, they have crept into my diet more and more. It is not a bad thing, unless you count the calories and such. But who's really counting that when you already can't eat a large amount of things? Not me.
I found my basic crepe recipe about 3 years ago. I found it somewhere online. I truly can not remember. But I am assuming that a crepe recipe is a crepe recipe and I altered this gluten-filled one to a gluten-free lifestyle :)
It is as follows:
1 cup of gluten-free flour ( I tend to use Bisquick Gluten-Free baking mix)
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of water
2 eggs
1/4 tsp of salt
Butter


1) Combine ingredients.
2)Heat skillet and melt butter in skillet.
3) Pour enough batter to cover the bottom of the skillet.
4) Wait until you can see bubbles.
5) Flip!( the fun part if you get really good)
6) Allow other side to cook.
7) Viola! A crepe.

This recipe usually makes about 4 crepes in my small skillet pan. I usually cut the recipe in half seeing as I am the only one in my household who likes crepes. It is such a shame. But it wasn't until this morning that I realized how easy they make breakfast for me.
I was rushing, once again, to get to work on time. Mind you I woke up at 8am for my 9am shift. I needed some sort of food in my stomach. I am not a pleasant person when kept hungry. I remembered I had leftover batter from last night in the fridge ( It keeps well for a few days) Perfect. One banana left, a large jar of Nutella to still finish and away I went. I had enough batter to make two, but time to eat one. Hmm... I didn't care. If my boss got mad, so be it. I needed nourishment. I successfully made one crepe. Doing my thing, flipping it a few times in the pan all whilst watching the clock. Time for number two. Oops... I guess I had too much batter. I attempted to drain the little bit of batter into the trash. All was going well... until the crepe fell into the garbage can. I was devastated and contemplated picking it up. But I didn't. My love of crepes tried to get a hold of me, but that did not happen. That would have been nasty. So I settled for the one crepe and some orange juice.
That was my breakfast. Yum :)
Lunch was a salad with Ceaser salad dressing, watermelon, fruit punch, and a Snickers bar.
In between work and dinner snack was yet another crepe with Nutella and one with chicken and cheese.
Dinner was pork, mashed potatoes, and corn. Not exciting, but delicious.
Mealtime Monday... I like sound of it.
Bring it on.

Sometimes Saturday...?

Yesterday was super duper busy. I worked from 9-3, then went to a birthday party until 9:30! None of us expected to stay that late, but it was worth it. To hang out with my friends who I haven't seen all summer, amazing. It was basically the same as every year. But I like that. I like that we have a tradition. That it always happens.
I got pizza! his mom ordered me a gluten-free pizza from the local pizza shop. I was super happy. I ate more pizza than anyone else. Oh well.
I also(hopefully) finished my college essay on Wednesday. What I am not a fan of is the limit. I had 795 words written and a conclusion to still go, and Pace's maximum is 700. I was so aggravated. Needless to say, I hope the end doesn't sound too thrown together. I tried to make it so it flowed. Here's to hoping!
I MUST give a shout out today to St. Julien Macaroons . A local macaroons shop that has wonderful cookies :) Their no flour, no fillers, and NO COCONUT ( i was shocked) macaroons are super sweet and delicious. I think I have eaten half the tub in just two days! Probably not a good thing, now I should go to the gym :P Order some for yourself on their website and see for yourself!
Today is going to be me just kind of realaxing. Maybe do some errands before work. Who knows.
I do know one thing... I'm making Asian Hamburger Helper for lunch :)
Until Monday!
<3

Woah! Wednesday.

Time is flying this summer. It truly is. Well. Except for this week. This week is all about relaxing and figuring out college stuff. The dreaded college application process has already begun in my mind. While my friends are out having fun at the beach or playing video games, I'm at home scouring the four colleges I'm applying to's websites. They are as follows.( In order of really like and not so much)
Pace University~ The New York City campus.
Rhode Island College.
Wilkes University.
Plymouth State University.
I have toured three out of the four but plan on getting to Wilkes University soon. It's right near my family in Pennsylvania, so it will be nice to have some family close.
Each school has their pros and their cons. But Pace is in the lead. So today, I focus on my college essay.
The college essay, I'm finding, is the hardest part of the process. I have already written a rough draft and had my previous English teacher read it and give her feedback. I recently got it back in the mail and was heartbroken. I thought I had a good idea for an essay. I thought it was developed enough, at that moment, to be a good rough draft. Essentially, it was crap. Awesome. I'm keeping my topic. But she was able to give me a question that relates to my topic, therefore, I should be able to form a better outline and essay. That is what today's focus will be on. Writing the essay.
Wish me luck!
:)

Decisions and Plan Making.

I had a very nice night. After creating this new blog, I went out scrapbooking with my mother. I worked on a project that I have one month to finish. Ugh. It is taking quite a long time. But I am hoping the recipient will love it.
So, we just got home. Awesome. I was able to do some future planning for this blog. In the fantasy land called my brain, I would love to write on here everyday and make this a quality blog. But in this little place called reality, I know I will not be able to. So I have devised a plan. Three days a week. And then if I have something that I want to put down on Tuesday and Thursday, I can. This is mine after all. :)
So I have decided that every Monday I will post a gluten free recipe. This could be a recipe that I have found online, or maybe even something that I or a family member has created. I'm constantly on the go, so you can expect a few recipes that will be easy.
Wednesdays will be a catch up kind of day. Because it's the middle of the week, I feel like a quick catch up will be necessary. Wednesday.
Friday, when I have a spare moment between rehearsals and football games, will be a review. Whether it be of a product, or a restaurant, I will tell you my opinion. I'm very opinionated.
So that's all for now. I suppose I can go to bed? Look at me, a seventeen year old in the summer and all I want to do is sleep. Oh wait, that sounds pretty typical.
Decisions: Made.
Plan: Made.
Sticking to it: Hopefully?
Challenge: Bring It!

Welcome!

First of all, I'm Courtney. But you could probably guess that from looking around the site already. It's a little bare, I'm working on it. This is my first of many blogs that I have. But it the only one with a true meaning.
Living Gluten-Free.
It is a pain in the butt. It truly is. I'm not sure what it is like for adults with a gluten intolerance, or Celiac Disease, but I'm sure it may be a little easier. Being a teenager with Celiacs is not fun. School lunch ladies don't care, your teachers care, but to an extent, your mother and father try to help, but they don't truly understand. It is difficult. With little income, it is hard to buy food, and even harder to find restaurants that will accommodate you at a low budget. Catch my drift? It's difficult.
So during my April vacation of my Junior year in high school, I began to search for colleges. With my intended major being Musical Theatre, my choices were already limited. But now, with a whole new disease, my choices became even more slim. It was then that it struck me! I should create a blog about living with Celiac Disease as a teen and trying to go to college. There's my thesis statement. That is what this blog is all about. Hopefully, it will stay on that track, but no promises. I am a teen after all, I tend to ramble.
I am going to try to do a whole thought with getting the blog up and running this week, so stick around! Hopefully this ride can be a little easier together :)