Jumping Right In (After a year or so of pacing)

Enough blog-trepidation. Time to jump in and sink or swim (or float for awhile until I get a feel for the water). I don't know why I put off blogging for so long. I guess it's the way I approach anything new. That first step is a doozy so I justify my procrastination by telling myself I don't have enough time to take on a new project or I don't need the headache of wrapping my brain around something that I am ignorant about. Frustration is not my friend.

It is perfectionism that drives me and it is perfectionism that, at times, can hold me back.

Once I have tackled the 'first step' phase I tend to take off running with a whole-hearted enthusiasm, often missing important steps along the way. So here I am. My first blog entry on my first blog site, with the settings put on "private" until I find my feet.

What to blog about? My passions of course! Food and Fun! Where to start? Haven't a clue! For now I will simply write down my thoughts, eventually add photos and somewhere down the line I may end up with something worth sharing.

I love every aspect of food. The simplicity and the intircacies. I love experimenting with different flavors, using unusual combinations to create little symphonies in my mouth.

I recently found myself on a new mission - to search out food in its purest form. How do we know when food has not been ‘contaminated' by chemicals or industrial processing?

This past year after a major surgery, followed by a gastro-intestinal virus I caught while traveling abroad, I noticed increased difficulty with my body reacting adversely to certain foods. After a bit of research I believe I may be gluten sensitive or even possibly have Celiac's Disease. My doctor, a specialist in Internal Medicine is on maternity leave, so I will put off testing until her return. However her nurse suggested I cut gluten from my diet. If that doesn't help, I will also add dairy to the "do not ingest" list...I pray it doesn't come to that!

I am the type of person who moves into a new home and the first thing I do is set up all of the furniture and decor before I even unpack the toilet paper. My first instinct with this blogging is to delve head first into the graphics. However, per the advice of many seasoned bloggers I will squelch that urge and concentrate on content. Does this mean I can bring pictures in now? Pictures are content, right? And if a picture is worth a 1,000 words, then that's even better! Too bad I don't have any food to take a picture of just yet. Here, I'll see if I can figure out how to put a picture of myself in here. Give me a second. (Who am I talking to?)

Okay, I can't find anywhere that has an add photo option, so I will have to wait until I can talk with my dear friend, and avid foodie-blogger, LadyJayPee at Eating, Etc"...". You may notice, however, that I did what I said I wasn't going to do and at least got some color onto the page. Couldn't help myself. But much better, don't you think? Nothing wrong with black and white; just not when discussing such a vibrant topic as food. =)

Well, with this I will end my first posting. My husband is on his way home and dinner needs to be made. What's for dinner you ask? Spinach and Jarlsberg omelet with a side of asparagus roasted with rosemary and julienned Vidalia onion. My meals have been especially simple the past few days as I research what foods can and cannot be eaten in a GF (gluten-free) diet. In the beginning, I am avoiding all processed foods and even meat until I find out how to know where it came from and how it was raised. Living gluten-free is not as easy as I thought it would be. No more white bread, no big deal, right? Not even close. But we'll save that topic for another day. Who knows, gluten may not be the source of my ailments, but the way I figure it, eating food au natural is still a move in the right direction.