The Things That Fall Out of Books

I love books. As one would imagine an English teacher would. I also recognize that my family members hate my love of books. Not because they don't like to read, are non-supportive of my career choice or hobby, but because they have moved my books from college living, to an apartment, to our townhouse, to the old house, to storage, to the new house and most recently (tonight) from one room to another in said new house; all within the last ten years.

I love books for many reasons, but tonight as I was re-organizing and re-shelving them, I found another, and surprising, reason to love them. As I was flipping through them thinking about the stories the pages held and the location I was while reading each book, things kept falling out. I found the following:

-a bookmark someone (I think my Grandma or my mom) gave me when I was really young. It has my name, Stacy, cross-stitched in pink on the top with the word "Loyal" underneath. Plus there are a few bible verses. It reminds me of growing up in a very pink rose-stenciled room surrounded by love.

-a white sheet of paper with Cheryl Martin of Edina Realty's information on it. I have no idea who Cheryl Martin is. But she has a nice smile. And I have her business number, her cell number, her home number, e-mail address, and website if I need it.

-a ticket receipt from the University of Minnesota with my college address on it. It's dated December 9, 2002. I think it was a MN Gophers vs. UND Fighting Sioux (when they were still called that) hockey game that I bought my brother tickets to for his birthday. But then my dad also got tickets through work, so Andy, Joe, my dad and I all got go.

-a recipe for cheddar cheese filled (not cream cheese) jalapeno poppers I figured Husband Joe would want to try.

-the DVD cover to The Complete Third Season of Dawson's Creek. And yes, I still have the actual DVD in the TV stand.

-many pages of notes titled, "Student Teaching Book Plan" with a special note on the side in a bubble "e-mail to team to give them deadlines." And a journal entry about how difficult it was to move home to student teach after my very active social life in college. Oh, that's right. I was going to write a book with some friends about Student Teaching. Clearly, that never happened because my notes got lost in some book!

-a Northwest Airlines ticket sleeve (they don't make these anymore) with my baggage claim sticker from LAX in Sept 2002. That was a fun trip to visit my friend Vicky.

-a torn off magazine cover with my address on it. I didn't want some random person in Mexico to pick up my address when I recycled my magazine.

-a blank piece of lined-notebook paper that smells like my college dorm.

-a Lutheran Love Handbook bookmark from our marriage counseling in 2007. It made me laugh only because I remember that we were so much older than everyone else in the class and already living together, so some of the topics seemed silly for us.

-a boarding pass from Cabo San Lucas to Denver from our Spring Break trip this March. A time when I fell in love with Frontier airlines and its movies for purchase.

-half of a thank you card from my cousin Heather after she graduated from high school (in 2003). The p.s. says, "Stacy Ann I still want to meet Boyfriend Joe?!"

-a customer receipt for photos from Shopko in River Falls--Env.# 626892. Remember when people actually had film in their cameras and went to stores to develop pictures?

-an all district employee memo from the Superintendent and Payroll Manager in South St. Paul regarding Direct Deposit. Did you know that "direct deposit has been around for a quarter of a century"? And that, "you are 20x less likely to have problems with direct deposit than with checks"? It doesn't reference how "green" it is for a company to use direct deposit. Then again it was a printed and postal mailed memo.

-a paper clip securing a page in a book I didn't read (but said I did)in college.

-and lastly, a Borders Book Shop bookmark that I must have got in the 90's because the area code for Minnetonka is still 612 on the advertisement portion.

So tonight I learned that as much as books tell stories, teach us things, and remind us about different parts of our lives, so do the things that fall out of books!

What Should I Eat?

Some of you may already know this, but I'm pregnant. Yes, that's right Husband Joe and I are expecting Lil Olstadt in December 2010. Now I also have Celiac. Both happen right around the same time. I got diagnosed with Celiac in February and by April 1st I was pregnant. I'm confident that being gluten-free has helped me have a health pregnancy thus far, but it also presents some challenges.

Challenge # 1: When I gave up gluten in the hope of feeling better, I realized that I was giving up some of my favorite things FOREVER. I don't have an option. If I want to feel well, be healthy and not get a major life-threatening disease, I need to be gluten-free. So I parted ways with pizza, my mom's lasagna, Joe's Chicken Cordon Bleu, Oreos and many other really yummy things.

When I got pregnant, I had to gave up lunch meat, caffeine, soft cheeses, and alcohol. Rightly so--I'll do what I can to help my baby be healthy. But I have to remind myself on several occasions that I don't have to live without my favorite BBQ Chicken Breast lunch meat forever. Or that I can have a gluten-free beer (which actually tastes really good!) again. I have to remind myself that some of my dietary issues are in fact temporary.

Challenge # 2: Before being diagnosed with Celiac and before getting pregnant, I never really cooked for myself. Husband Joe usually takes care of me in that very important way. And he still does--don't get me wrong--he's been my biggest advocate and researcher when it comes to preparing gluten-free food. BUT there are nights, like tonight, when he is not home. So I have to fend for myself. And I've never been very good at that when I had all the food in the world as options (except peas, I've never liked peas). But NOW, now I have to really work. There are a few places I can go out to eat. And there are few meals that I can make quick for myself that taste okay. But on most occasions, as was the instance tonight, I eat a collection of random things.