Here’s the thing… this month’s thrift haul is quite sparse. It’s a combination of only going thrifting once this month, being super picky about what I buy, and not really *needing* to add much to my wardrobe. On top of that, I just did a big closet purge a few months ago, so to add something to my closet means it must really light my fire.
Anyways, all that to say: this month I thrifted just one item.
Vintage cotton skirt, $7.29
This fun vintage maxi skirt is “free size” (aka, one size fits most), 100% cotton and made in India. Which tells me it’s another one of those fabulous mid-90’s finds. What can I say? At least I’m consistent in what I love.
So how am I planning to style it? I grabbed some photos from previous thrift hauls to show you!
Graphic Tee + Skirt + Chucks=
Top + Skirt + Sandals=
Sweater + Skirt = Boots=
So yeah, this month’s thrift “haul” was tiny, but mighty!
Quick recap: I’ve been diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EOE), a chronic immune system disease where certain foods can cause your esophagus to become inflamed. Back in June, I had a bad flare (you can read about it here) and connected the dots to determine that gluten was the/a culprit. I went low gluten, but that didn’t 100% solve my issues. So, I went to an allergist (back in November) who scheduled me for a food allergy prick test at the end of the year.
Ok, all caught up!
So, in mid-December I was so excited to go into that appointment and finally get some answers to what was making me sick. I was 98% certain that gluten would cause a reaction, but I thought maybe there might be something else too that I had been overlooking.
The allergist had already determined that I don’t have a “food allergy” in that I won’t need an epi pen, but I most likely have food intolerances. By doing the allergy prick test, they poke you with tiny amounts of various allergens and if your body releases histamines you’ll get an itchy reaction bump. If a food causes the bump, you have an intolerance and you may want to reduce or avoid it in the future. So, by the end of the appointment, I would FINALLY have some answers.
So, I whipped my top off, laid down on the table and let them scratch me with all the stabby things.
Here’s all the foods they tested me for:
And here’s my “I’m trying not to complain about the itchiness” face:
Finally, I got my results. And I reacted to:
Soy
Sesame
Hazelnut
Lamb
Pork
Cherry
Carrot
All were ‘mild’ reactions. And ALL were not things I’ve ever noticed having a reaction to in the past. But the most WTF of it all… is that I didn’t react AT ALL to gluten.
I feel like there should be a word for happy-disappointed-mad. Maybe something in German?
I mean, it’s great that I’m not allergic to gluten or intolerant to gluten from an allergy perspective. BUT, I know for a fact if I eat gluten after 2pm-ish, I will wake up between 12pm – 1am and vomit.
The allergist recommended I return to the GI doctor for another upper GI scope, but that was pretty darn expensive last time and didn’t really give me any great clarity. So, I’m going to pass for now.
But here’s what I do know:
I do not have Celiacs Disease
I do not have a food allergy
I do have some mild food intolerances
If I eat gluten after 2pm, I get sick
And I’m done. I’m done searching for answers, when honestly it doesn’t really matter WHAT the answer is. What it really comes down to is that it appears that I can control the EOE flare and vomiting 90% of the time if I avoid gluten after lunch. So that’s what I’ve started doing. I’ll eat the occasional gluten at breakfast or lunch and then do no gluten for the rest of the day. I’ve been doing this for a few months now and have only vomited once, so I’m planning to stick with it.
And as frustrating as it is not to have the answers I was craving, as long as I can keep this issue mostly under control… well, that will need to be enough for me.
I’ve been dragging my feet on writing this post because it means that our trip is over. However, I do want to get everything down while it’s still fresh in my brain because I love reading back through my blog and reliving our vacation memories!
As I mentioned last month, we had planned a trip back to Tucson, Arizona that worked around Jack’s winter break schedule. We visited once before in Spring 2024, but decided that there was still plenty to do on a return trip.
Let’s get into it:
Day 1: Fly to Phoenix
Last time we flew directly to Tucson, but with only connecting flights we had the bad luck of having our flight delay so many times that we ended up spending the night in an airport. So, this time we decided to fly into Phoenix instead. We flew out late at night, arrived in Phoenix after midnight and stayed at the nearby Hilton Garden Inn Phoenix Airport North. The hotel was super cheap, very close to the airport, quiet and exactly what we needed for a good night of sleep.
With that being said, we did NOT enjoy our experience with the hotel’s shuttle service, as you have to use an app to call the shuttle and then when it arrived… it said it didn’t see us and left. Sigh. Rather than wait another half hour for the next possible time slot, we ended up paying for a taxi because it was late and I was getting grumpy.
Day 2: Have a Turo rental disaster, Queen Creek Olive Mill and Tucson
Due to a glitch in the Turo system, we found out our rental car was not available when we reached out for the final access information. Thankfully, we were able to get a quick refund and book a replacement car, which showed up just an hour later.
The drive from Phoenix to Tucson is a little less than 2 hours, but we decided to take our time and stop at the Queen Creek Olive Mill on the way. And we are so glad we did – the food was incredible (loved the bruschetta trio and the margherita pizza), the grounds were beautiful, and we even picked up some olive tapenade to enjoy once we got to our VRBO.
Once we got to the house, we settled in and then ran out to stock up at a nearby Trader Joes.
Day 3 – 7: All the Tucson!
We had 5 full days in Tucson, so each day we had a mix of lazing around, visiting a park, hiking, and eating. Oh, and using the hot tub and firepit at our VRBO! We tried not to make our trip *too busy* or regimented, so that we felt refreshed at the end, rather than feeling exhausted.
Here’s what we did:
Saguaro National Park – West
Catalina State Park
Saguaro National Park – East
Mt Lemmon Scenic Byway
Saguaro National Park – West, AGAIN
We purchased a new America the Beautiful annual pass ($80), which paid for both sides of the Saguaro National park. A day pass for Catalina State Park (for 2-4 people in a car) was $20. And the Mt Lemmon Scenic Byway is free.
Once again, we absolutely loved both sides of the Saguaro National Park. There are easy driving pull-off areas, tons of hikes that you can choose from, and neither side felt too crowded. We actually visited the West side twice during the trip. The second time, Jack opted out, so Travis and I did a much longer hike and enjoyed all the cactus.
This was our first time visiting Catalina State Park and there were lots of easy hikes to choose from. It was also relatively close to where we were staying, so it made an easy day trip with plenty of time for other activities.
As for the Mt Lemmon Scenic Byway, it was an absolutely gorgeous ride up the mountain. We pulled off at many of the overlooks to give all the ‘ohhs and ahhs’ and take all the photos. At the top, we grabbed a meal and topped it off with a gigantic cookie, before heading back down the mountain.
Food We Loved:
Each morning. we would make breakfast/brunch at the house and then go out into the world to explore. For dinner out, here are some of the places that we really enjoyed:
We didn’t do a ton of shopping on this trip, but we did hit up a few of the nearby thrift stores. You can find my vacation haul post here. In addition to the thrift stores, we had a fun return visit to Tucson Mineral & Gem World. I also purchased a shirt at the Saguaro National Park Visitor Center, and a bracelet from Mast (a cute shop that has handmade jewelry and leather goods).
Day 8: Snakes & Lattes for breakfast, Queen Creek Olive Mill, Drive to Phoenix
On our last day, we packed up the rental car, checked out of our VRBO and made our way over to Snakes & Lattes, a board game bar, for breakfast. We had visited on our previous trip, and it was on the “must return” list for Jack.
This time we went for breakfast, which was so delicious! We also played a card game that had the three of us laughing the entire time. All in all, the place is a bit expensive but very much worth it for us.
From there we hit the road and made our way back towards Phoenix. We decided to visit the Queen Creek Olive Mill again to wander around the fruit groves and then have another delicious lunch. From there, we drove to Phoenix, returned our Turo rental car, and got situated at the airport for a late night flight back home.
All The Photos:
It was a super fun trip and I’m so glad that we decided to re-visit Tucson. The weather was great, we loved the VRBO house that we stayed in and we did ALL of the hiking!
