Connie's Story
Everyone has special stories to share and I love to tell stories. Ours are similar to the ones our parents & grandparents have told! One popular one is their daily 5 mile walk to school in deep snow uphill both ways! (We all have heard that, right?) Well, I will do my best to be accurate...
Early Years
Bill & I married while still students at the University of Illinois! We both worked to be able to pay the rent & buy a few groceries. We had one semester left to finish school & needed to save money on driving, so we decided it would be great to live on campus. There was only one apartment (above a pizza parlor) that looked promising.
The manager made us an offer we couldn’t refuse. If we took the trash out from each floor every morning at 6:00 am, he would give us a 50% discount on the rent. Of course, we said YES!!!
Well, it wasn’t as easy as it sounds, but we managed and were able to walk to our classes. I rode my bike to the restaurant where I waited tables. Bill had a TA job, so every little bit helped. This was just the beginning of a married life that would be full of LOVE and JOY!
Our Family
Bill and I have been blessed with three children Billy, Kristin and John. We have four incredible grandchildren, ranging from 1 1/2 years old to twelve. These days we are best known as Mimi and Poppy. I love how our family always fills us with so much LOVE and JOY!
My precious daughter, Kristin, asked me to blog years ago! Friends encouraged me to share cooking tips, talk about life & recipes. And so began Connie's Truffle House, where I shared my life and love of gluten free baking through recipes, videos, friends and more! I’m still writing my story (as a wise friend reminds me) and sharing recipes.
I Have What? ... Celiac Disease
Major Sad Face here! I was diagnosed with Celiac in 2003, which looking back was a major “God Thing”! Celiac was a major disruption to my love of GLUTEN! I adore everything made with flour, & being a baker, I was always making cookies, pies & cakes!
My eating habits had to change immediately! It was challenging in 2003 to find gluten-free products that didn’t taste like cardboard. This was years before gluten-free products became widely available. I was overwhelmed to also discover that some of the vitamins I was taking, lotions I was using and even some make up had gluten!
My gluten-free journey has been a long one, but it’s also been rewarding and satisfying to know I can survive without gluten!!! There were good days and not so good days experimenting with recipes. I discovered some tools in my gluten-free tool box that have been working pretty well (see Recipes & More)
When I was diagnosed with Celiac, we were living in London when Bill received his next assignment – RUSSIA! Honestly, I wasn’t keen on moving to Moscow & was very homesick to get back to Texas and see our kiddos. Complete physicals were required for both of us before we could go. Bill passed his physical with flying colors, which is no surprise. However, I flunked my physical and was told by the doctor, “you’re not going anywhere”! "Woohoo" was my reply, since I didn’t want to move to Russia anyway. But, deep down I knew we had to get to the bottom of the health issue they identified STAT!
The doctor suggested a colonoscopy and endoscopy which was quickly scheduled. I scheduled an appointment with a great GI doctor in Austin, Dr. Sperling. After answering many questions, he told me he didn’t believe it could be Celiac since I have no symptoms. I remember asking him, “what’s Celiac”? He said not to worry because he didn’t believe I had it.
Shortening my story to the procedure results...YOU HAVE CELIAC, Mrs. Nelson! After leaving the doctor’s office, I got in my car and cried while Thanking God for putting a Russian transfer and physical (which was not on my LOVE and JOY list) in my life.
LoveJoy Gourmet
Fast-forward to 2023...What am I thinking? Starting an online granola business? It took me quite a while to find a manufacturer and a set of ingredients that we could trust to be ALWAYS gluten free and ALWAYS delicious, but we did it! So, here I am, sharing my granola that is well loved and enjoyed in Austin, Texas with all of you.
So, are y’all ready to join me on this journey?!! I’m not sure where it will twist & turn, but the ride will be awesome if you’re enjoying it with me!
Love and Joy to you and yours,
