hitting the jackpot

This weekend, my family and I went to Chehalis, WA. My parents were attending an Officer's Christmas Party for The Salvation Army at Great Wolf Lodge. Chris and I didn't stay at the hotel, we instead stayed at my Aunt LeeAnn's house. We all visited my grandma and grandpa and had taco soup and watched a slideshow of pictures Chris and I had from Europe.

The driving - about 5 hours - was not very good on my joints. I was pretty stiff the next morning, but I got along all right without tylenol. We went to Beit Hillel, a synagogue in Tacoma, then we went to Trader Joe's, where we hit the jackpot!

Trader Joe's is a chain in the Western US with organic and alternative foods. It's WONDERFUL!

I got...
1) Trader Joe's Brownie Mix
2) Trader Joe's Pancake & Waffles Mix
3) Two packages of brown rice pasta
4) Cream cheese substitute
5) Veggie & flaxseed chips
6) Two things of Kettle Korn (the best I've ever had)
7) Some tortillas for Chris

....all for only $23! For gluten-free and dairy-free substitutes, that's great.

We made our way back to Chehalis and hung out at the hotel for a while. They had an indoor waterpark, an arcade, and lots of other places where parents could spend hundreds of dollars on their kids. I went down this crazy water slide with Bethany, Grace, and Nancy.

Chris, David, and I then went to Shop'n'Kart looking for vegan cheese. Unfortunately, all the soy/rice/almond cheese they had STILL had milk products in it. Quite the disappointment. http://followyourheart.com is a completely vegan supplier of mayonnaise, chicken, and CHEESE. There is no milk enzymes, proteins, etc - which is exactly what I'm allergic to, not the lactose. We're going to try again today in Walla Walla, a town about 45 minutes away.

But while we didn't gtt cheese at Shop'n'Kart, we stumbled upon a HUGE gluten-free section.

I got more!
1) Namaste Muffin Mix
2) Two Mac & 'Chreese' boxes (no wheat, no dairy, no potatoes!)
3) One Penne % Alfredo 'Chreese' box
4) Four 'Chreese' packets for cheese sauces
5) Two loaves of Tapioca & Rice Bread (very good, tastes just like real bread, but a little more dry)

I am in heaven. I have so much stuff to try!

I woke up sore this morning, probably from the 5 hours on the way back home last night. I popped two tylenols and I'm feeling better. Hopefully I won't have to take any tomorrow morning!