I promised myself I would start writing more. The truth is I have so many thoughts that live in my head it’s just every time I feel inspired, I can never drop everything to starting writing them down. So today I thought I would take some time for some reflection. 

This year has been really pivital for me. And as we approach the last 90 days I thought I would reflect a little. First can you believe 90 more days??? That’s just crazy to me.

This week I baked something that I’ve tried so many times before and I finally nailed it. It was such a good feeling but it also made me appreciate how far I had come on this journey.

Although I started eating gluten free in my twenties, 7 years ago was when I had to learn how to bake completely from scratch because my son was gluten intolerant with food allergies. What a ride it has been.

Today, I can confidently adapt and bake recipes that make my family feel like they are not missing out. That brings me so much joy.

But I do still have times when I get discouraged and disappointed that this is my life. I constantly think that there has to be more. A bigger reason that all of this has happened. 

Back in February I took a big break from it all and really prayed about the direction of my little blog stayglutenfree.com. I had started it about 6 months after my youngest was born and I’ll admit, I was in the middle of a little postpartum and winter blues.

I’ll never forget, we were snuggled in our favorite chair and I had this idea about how I was going to bake and share my experiences with recipes. I took off running with the idea and started a community that has now grown to over 4000 people. People that I probably would’ve never crossed paths with.

This photo (although not professionally taken) is one of the greatest memories I have of this time. 

But it’s been a lot of work. Work I completely enjoy, but also really do not get paid to do. You know what they say “when you love what you do, you’ll never work another day in your life” — and I do love it. But I also have big dreams for my kids and family. So back in February it was like I was at a stand still.

Then I attended a church service where the pastor said, “take some time to pray about what you want God to show you through out this series, then write it down or text it to yourself” So I did. I prayed that God would show me the next step in my journey with Stay Gluten Free. And boy did he ever.

This is when Gluten Free Complete™️ was born. 

They say an idea goes through four phases. Conception, rejection, resurrection, and ascension. You see, I had had this idea last year, told someone about it and they told me to consider a different direction. So I did nothing.

But when God placed Gluten Free Complete™️ in my heart and outlined all the pieces it completely made sense and I’ve been on the move since.

I share this with you now because I never want to forget this time in my life. This time of self discovery, this time of letting words of wisdoms just pour into me and pushing back on anything that is not encouraging. I share this because we have been on this journey for a while now and I hope you will remember this time too. Even if I completely fail. 

The launch isn’t planned until January of 2020 but it feels very close to me. I am currently working on making each meal, photographing and getting all the information in place.

This has been almost like having a 3rd child for me. My little one currently walks around saying “mom I’ll help you with gluten free, ok”. These boys are my biggest fans and I want to show them that hard work and perseverance pays off.

And you guys are so important to me that from time to time I feel it necessary to thank you for being here through the thick and thin of it. I consider you to be my extended family. And I really hope to make you proud. Thank you for being in my corner.

Being gluten free isn’t just about sharing meals and recipes like I thought in the past. It is also about emotional support. When you feel supported, you can just about do anything in life. I always hope that in my group you always feel supported no matter what. 

Thanks so much for taking this little coffee break with me on National Coffee Day (who knew?).

You can read more about my journey here. I would love to here more about you. Please share something about yourself in the comments below.