An apple a day...

About 2 1/2 years ago, I bought a caramel apple at my kids' school fall fair. It was covered in caramel and drizzled with white and dark chocolates...I couldn't resist! Half-way through, though, my mouth began to tingle. I'd never experienced anything like it.

I wondered if I was allergic to something it was made with. I tried out variations of the ingredients....caramel, fine...chocolate, DEFINITELY fine....apples, not so fine. I had never had a problem with apples, but had a friend that suddenly became allergic to nectarines, so I knew it was possible. The dilemma? I LOVE APPLES!! I mean, not just some apple pie, or the crunch of one once in a while. I ALWAYS have apples in our fruit basket.

So I wondered, since we were in Europe, was it a pesticide thing? A locale thing? A variety thing? Over the course of the next year, I washed apples with soap; I tried Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith, Red Delicious; I waited until we came back stateside and tried them here; I peeled apples; All with the same result...minor itchy mouth and a little phlegm, like with a cold. I tried taking a Benadryl in conjunction with eating some apple, and it did help. The only apple variations that are symptom-free are cooked apples or apple juice.

Plus, when we were moving back stateside, I grabbed a handful of fresh cherries. Mid-way through, I started getting the same symptoms. Uggghhh! I was losing my fruit choices! I did a little online research and found that a fruit/vegetable allergy often stems from an allergy to a particular pollen...for apples it's birch tree. And, with that allergy, there are more items I could have issues with, carrots, almonds, etc. None of which I ate as often as apples. Or I'd miss as much.

So, for the last year, I've stayed away from my fruit of choice. Longingly staring in the produce section...only buying varieties my kids enjoy. This week I was reading an article that referred to it as "oral allergy syndrome" (not to be confused with my allergy to speaking in Sacrament). It explained that my "mild, mouth only symptoms" should go away in a few minutes, and that only classic food allergies (fish, shellfish, soy, eggs, wheat, nuts, milk) should be concerning and warrant a doctor's attention.

I've missed apples so! I've tried to substitute tropical fruits which are plenty where we live now. And, I love them. But, they aren't the same for me...that crunch, that watery juice, the tart of a Granny Smith. And, I know I'm not eating near enough fruit anymore. So, I think I'm going to add them back into my diet. Maybe smaller portions. Every now and then. With a Benadryl.

Sometimes the reward is so worth the mild irritation. I'm sure mothers would agree...(wink!)

Lovin' Lenka

I can't stop thinking about this singer and the cute video I saw last week on someone's blog. She's adorable and has a sweet voice, uplifting songs...Without trying to sound too old, not like a lot you find today. Many times I'll find a song I like and the rest of the CD has stuff on it I wouldn't want my kids listening to.

I just bought the album and even Sabrina is drawn to it. It makes me smile when I hear it.
Lenka
The Show

My Love/Hate with Facebook...

Ok, I've wanted to post this for several days now, and I NEED to get it done so I can blog about the real life stuff.

FACEBOOK: Ok...I did it. I took the plunge and already have 56 friends...which I have mixed feelings about. We all know those aren't "close" friends. Some I may not have spoken to since my teen years. But, I guess as long as we go into this "relationship" knowing it's casual, with no commitments, just to connect and check up to see what our "friends" are up to every now and then, it's all cool. But, some of those ARE people I'm close to. So, can't we keep connected with email and blog? That's my plan.

And, the other side is, if you don't talk to someone for that long, are you really missing out on anything? Just a devil's advocate sort of question...I mean, you're going along fine with the people you actually connect with daily, do you need or want those "blast from the pasts"? I guess it is possible to re-connect and CREATE a relationship, but realistically? I'm across an ocean...or two...from most everyone. How many of you are going to come visit? And, me to you? Not likely, unless you live near family where we most likely will be spending all of our leave trips.

And, what is with this whole "be my friend" thing, anyway? Isn't that so Junior High? Can't Facebook come up with some other way to add people you might know? And, what if someone wants to "be your friend" that you either really can't remember, or don't wish to keep in contact with? What if someone did that to you? It would probably bother me if someone declined my "friend invitation." So, do you just accept everyone's invitation? Then it's not really a true representation of your friends, now is it?

Also, what's with the wall? It's all out there for any of your "friends" so see and post. Where's the intimacy in that? Just send me an email...and it's between us. No one else will get our conversation and connection, anyway.

Just some of the wrestlings I still have with Facebook. I want to keep connected with people, especially being so far away. And, it has been neat to see some of the people that I have found on here. I haven't gotten to go to everyone's page yet, though...that could take me hours to look through it all. Just the emails in my gmail account notifying me that someone has posted on my wall, sent me an invitation, or commented on my photos has really bogged my email. I'm probably just being cynical, and it will probably slow down once the "new-ness" of me joining has worn off. But, I'm barely keeping up with email and my blog, which I really do enjoy doing.

So, be patient with me. I will reply to posts on my wall. Especially ones that ask me questions. I also will post pictures periodically. I will not, however, be responding to polls, becoming fans, or participating in causes or games. It's nothing to do with you, I just don't have the time. I would rather respond to an email from you about what's going on in your life and tell you what's going on in mine. I also will not be pressuring any of my facebook holdout friends to join. Believe me, I've been there.

There, rant done. Love ya!