Returning to the scene of the crime

I want to start this post by pointing out the new feature on our page.  I am now keeping a somewhat updated list of reservations.  It is growing fast!

And I also want to thank the classmates that helped determine our Sunday night location – Theresa Demers Wyatt, Susannah Conley Sayre, Arthur Jenkins, Alexis Wade Guindi and Tiffany Wheeler Salvilla met, researched, discussed, visited…and really dug into many options in Knoxville.  When the group settled on Gettysvue, Tiffany and Alexis met with a catering coordinator to set the preliminary menu and pricing.  I was super helpful during this whole process, offering such sage advice as “whatever you guys think,” and chiming in with “that sound great.  Thanks!”  What leadership.

So when the final decision was Gettysvue, I was a bit crushed.  Don’t you worry.  Gettysvue is lovely, perfect really.  But my darling husband Andy, who graduated from Farragut in 1988, had his 20^th reunion there a few years ago.  And it wasn’t our best date ever. 

True confessions:

Andy made me cocktail before we left for the party.  As usual, it was very weak.  I am a complete light weight.  And when we got to Gettysvue, he bought me another.  I immediately sensed that the second drink was going to my head and stopped drinking, but it was too late.  I am not sure of ingredients here.  We may have had gin instead of my usual vodka…this is important because…

I was missing some key information at this point.  I hadn’t yet been diagnosed with Celiac Disease.  Yes, gluten is my kryptonite.  But I didn’t know that.  One reason I was hard to diagnose – many celiacs are discovered because wheat makes them crazy.  Not me, though.  At least, not until that night.  Never have I felt so angry.  It was scary!

I managed to keep it between the lines at the reunion, although I can imagine that I wasn’t a stellar conversationalist.  The car trip home was UGLY.  I am reminded of Bennie, a character from the book I am currently reading, A Visit From the Goon Squad.  Bennie torments himself by revisiting moments of terrible humiliation.  Rather than shoving the memory away or suppressing it, Bennie dives straight in and suffers through it.  Poor Bennie.

Anyway, I have been relatively sane since going gluten free.  There was an incident with some “calming tea” (it had barley malt) that I managed to survive.   Oh, the irony.  Andy and I can laugh about all of this.  And I feel okay about returning to Gettysue.  Deep breathing will help.  Just please, for goodness sake, don’t slip me any bread!