Friday, April 21, 2017

10 Years & Counting!


We made it to Schaumburg yesterday afternoon.  It was nice to not have to drive in a downpour, like the day before.  We enjoyed a very scenic drive for much of the way, with only a "slight" unintentional detour due to a wrong turn that took us just over the border into Wisconsin instead of down toward Chicago!  We got turned back in the right direction and made it here only a little later than planned.  The hotel is incredible!  Our room wasn't ready yet, but we found a lovely area in the lobby to wait, me with a Cafe Latte from the RENdezvous Cafe in the hotel (yes, they serve Starbucks!!) and a Heineken for Dave.

RENdezvous Cafe

Before long we were able to get into our room.  After several hours on the road, we decided to just relax for the rest of the evening.  Our room is lovely and our view is pretty awesome.

 Panoramic view from our room

Pretty city lights

For the second day in a row, we enjoyed the luxury of sleeping in this morning!  I couldn't wait any longer, so at one point when I woke early this morning to use the restroom, I put out the gifts I had brought for my husband for our 10th anniversary, which is today.  It was fun starting our day by exchanging gifts.  The traditional 10th anniversary gift is tin or aluminum, so one of the gifts I bought Dave has a beautifully embossed aluminum stamp (L for Leisinger) on it.







There were two glasses in this gift - both have an embossed aluminum stamp with the first letter of our last name.
fineoccasion.com

 
This etched shot glass says, "Happy 10th Anniversary 4/21/17" (front) and "D & M Leisinger Est. 4/21/07" (back)
by Candid Nomad

Dave went with the modern 10th anniversary gift of diamond jewelry for my gifts, which works nicely since this is also my birthday gift (my 49th birthday is a week from tomorrow) and diamond is my birthstone, as well. :-)

We love Riddle's Jewelry and use them for all of our fine jewelry purchases.


We ordered a late breakfast from room service after exchanging gifts this morning.  When I called down our order, I placed Dave's order first, which included wheat toast.  I then went into my normal explanation of my gluten free dietary needs before adding my order.  The young man taking my order didn't miss the fact that I had ordered wheat toast and, politely "called me" on it!  I LOVE THAT!!!!  The staff here is very attentive and knowledgeable about the special dietary needs of those who are gluten free for medical reasons, such as Celiac Disease.  The fact that he mentioned this to me to make sure that I was aware that I had ordered something not gluten free is awesome!  I assured him that the toast was for my husband, who does not need to be gluten free.  I could actually hear the relief in his voice as we proceeded with the rest of the breakfast order.  The Renaissance Hotel and Conference Center gets big time kudos from me concerning all of this.  Of course, one would hope that they would be like this, considering that they are hosting the GF/AF Expo this weekend, but that doesn't guarantee anything.  I am so appreciative of the attention and care the staff here takes to take care of their guests, with or without special dietary needs.  For information about the GF/AF Expo click here.

Last night's supper - GF Coconut jasmine rice with peanuts, sriracha, cilantro and skirt steak - SOOOOOO much gluten free deliciousness in one bowl!

 My breakfast this morning - crisp bacon, eggs over easy, OJ, Starbucks coffee and a GF peach crumb cake.
This GF peach crumb cake was so flaky and YUM!

We had big plans to go out and about and see what there is to do in Schaumburg today, since it is the only day we have to do so.  Unfortunately, plans have changed since Dave is now not feeling well (nothing to do with the food).  So, instead of seeing what there is to do around here, I'm blogging and Dave is napping.  So much for a fun anniversary trip.  I feel bad for him because this seems to happen whenever we travel.  He seems to always end up not feeling well at least one day out of our trip every time we go anywhere.  Unfortunately, it happened to be the only day we have free to actually do something together and on our anniversary, too.  Good thing the room is nice, because this is where we are spending our entire day today.  I hope he gets to feeling better soon.  :-(  It looks like the wine I brought (purchased in March at a silent auction benefit for my friend, Dave Saul and his late wife, the first sister of my heart, Sue Saul) won't be opened tonight.


10 years and counting!  For better or for worse, in sickness and in health - Dave has definitely been there for me through a LOT of sickness over the years due to Celiac Disease (undiagnosed until 2014).  Now it is my turn to be there for him.  I think he is much better at that than I am.  Of course, he's had a lot more practice than I have.  I love you, Dave and I'm so grateful for you in my life!


For information about the Schaumburg Renaissance Hotel and Conference Center click here.










Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Road Trippin'

Greetings from Dubuque, Iowa!  My hubby and I are on the first stop of our mini-vacation.  I was tickled to see a Chick-fil-A within walking distance of our hotel.  (For Chick-fil-A's gluten free menu, click here.)  Whenever we travel, I'm always a bit apprehensive as to what gluten free options will be available.  According to the Find Me Gluten Free app on my phone, there are actually quite a few highly rated, Celiac friendly restaurants nearby!  (I love this app, by the way.  It has been a godsend when we are on the road.  Check it out here from the Google Playstore for your iPhone or Android devices.  I've found it to be a very helpful tool in my gluten free arsenal.) 


So, tomorrow we'll arrive in Schaumburg, IL a couple of days before the GF/AF Expo that begins on the 22nd of April.  This will be my first time at a GF/AF Expo and I am very excited to be able to attend!  For information about the Expo click here.  I'm looking forward to not only checking out vendors I haven't seen around the Siouxland area, but I also plan to check out a couple of the classes available at the expo.  Some friends from the area will be coming out for the expo, as well, so I'll be meeting up with them.  Before then, my husband, Dave and I will be celebrating 10 years of marriage on Friday.  Wow!  I can't believe it has been 10 years already - though he would joke that it feels MUCH longer than that.  LOL

At any rate, it is going to be a fun and busy next few days and I'm looking forward to it all!!!!  I will be sharing lots of pictures and info about the expo as it is happening on Instagram (follow me at @siouxlandceliac) and on my Siouxland Celiac Facebook page.  Later on, I will be blogging about my experiences, so stay tuned...