**UPDate**

Last week we were given the results of Christian's blood work. They reveled that he is allergic to the following:

Turkey
Sesame Seeds
Oranges
Grapefruits
Yogurt
Cottage Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
Cow's Milk
Swiss Cheese
Casein
Whey
Egg whites

Since his tests revealed pretty much mostly dairy we are on a dairy restriction diet for two months at least (among the other foods). Yogurt was his highest followed by cottage cheese and Swiss cheese. We are repairing his intestines with a Glutamine powder twice a day and hoping that he will be able to add back some items listed above in small doses.

This whole process has really opened my eyes to how food sensitivities can really inhibit your moods and overall health. How the doctor explained it to me was his intestinal wall has been destroyed by these foods, therefore, allowing toxins and bacterial to enter his blood stream. This can cause depression, anxiety, ADHD, Autism, etc. I am looking forward to reporting back with some good news. It has been difficult to find non dairy/egg products down here without traveling 2 hours to Atlanta. So far the commissary has been the most helpful place to shop. We have discovered that Coconut milk is bland but Almond milk is pretty yummy. We did find some coconut milk ice cream. I also found a chocolate chip cookie recipe if I can get my hands on some dairy free chocolate chips. My grocery bill however has been a lot cheaper without buying so much dairy.

Keep us in your prayers especially when you are sitting down for your nightly meal.

Spontaneous Weekend

Spontaneous is something this planning girl aspires to be. I want to be more relaxed and a "go with the flow" kind of girl. Slowly I am becoming more so and here is an example of that.

A few weeks ago when talking with a friend I realized that we as a family do not take advantage of the long weekends we are blessed with. With the kids in different schools and Rande's job a roller coaster we are tied to our location for one reason or another. However, President's Day Weekend was a blessing. Rande came home on on Thursday and said, "why don't we go out of town this weekend?" I said, "that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about". So we looked up hotels and booked a reservation in Savannah, GA. (Side note - I would have loved to stayed downtown but because we booked so last minute we were blessed to stay at the quality inn for an amazing price of course- Dave Ramsey would be proud) On Friday Rande picked up Ashlee from school early, (Christian didn't have school) I finished my school work for the week, and packed the car so we were ready to go.

Since moving to Georgia I have wanted to visit Savannah desperately. A little unknown fact about me is I love antiques, old architect, and just about anything that dates back to at least the '60s. If I could, I would travel back in time just for a day. I love how simple things were back then.Well now that you know my passion for things of old you can see why Savannah was #1 on my list of "must dos" while stationed here.

Here are a few pictures from our fun, short and memoriable weekend. First we visited Tybee Island.

A view of the Atlantic Ocean

Crazy and adorable

The weather turned on us, but we bought pails (something I forgot to pack) and a picnic lunch. I think all those cold and chilly days in Washington at the beach prepared us. This was the first time the kids and Rande have been to the Atlantic Ocean. We plan on taking the kids to the Gulf of Mexico in May - Can you believe that at the ages of 10 and 7 they have both seen and touched the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico!? That is one reason why I love the Army.

Our sandcastle

After the beach we visited Fort Pulaski (and Fort Jackson). These were way cool! Here is a little bit of history of Fort Pulaski (again why I love that we are here in the south - the history is so rich!)

Fort Pulaski, built by the U.S. Army before the war, is located near the mouth of the Savannah River, blocking upriver access to Savannah. Fortifications such as Pulaski, called third system forts, were considered invincible, but the new technology of rifled artillery changed that. On February 19, 1862, Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Sherman ordered Captain Quincy A. Gillmore, an engineer officer, to take charge of the investment force and begin the bombardment and capture of the fort. Gillmore emplaced artillery on the mainland southeast of the fort and began the bombardment on April 10 after Colonel Charles H. Olmstead refused to surrender the fort. Within hours, Gillmore’s rifled artillery had breached the southeast scarp of the fort, and he continued to exploit it. Some of his shells began to damage the traverse shielding the magazine in the northwest bastion. Realizing that if the magazine exploded the fort would be seriously damaged and the garrison would suffer severe casualties, Olmstead surrendered after 2:00 pm on April 11. (Heritage Preservation Services)

So if what you read was "blah blah blah" - basically this battle changed how we build our infrastructures for defense.

A visit to the local cemetery. This was actually sad. It was built for the victims of the yellow fever outbreak. Several of the graves were children no more than 2 years old.

And of course, you cannot leave Savannah without visiting Paula Deen's restaurant. I wish I had taken a picture of the front of the restaurant. We are planning a trip to meet some Friends whom we were stationed with in Fort Lewis in June. I will get a picture then. It was amazing! I had Shrimp and Grits and Rande had the Chicken Pot Pie. The kids had something friend and unhealthy - but it was good!