Turtles, Tea, and History!

Was it just me, or did this weekend fly by?!  Note:  This post is pretty long, so grab a cup of tea and a snack...it's ok, I'll wait...

Ok, are you ready for the recap of this fun-filled weekend?!  Here we go!

Here in Chigagoland, we are finally getting a taste of spring and had some beautiful weather (in the 50's!!) especially on Sunday.

Once in a great while, Andrew and I will get a weekend "off" (by this, I mean nothing pressing going on, but we of course still make plans to do something. 

Saturday was pretty booked because I had a half-day seminar (8am-2pm) with the North Suburban Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.  Since I am on the board, I had to get there a bit early to help set up but it was so worth it because the speakers were wonderful and I was very inspired by them all!  It is always a breath of fresh air to be around like-minded people!!

Here's the line up:

• Our first speaker, Rachel Bassler, RDN, LDN, CSSD discussed the 2015 Dietary Guidelines, specifically the update on the guidelines to dietary cholesterol (another post on that later, this one is already long enough)...
• She was followed by Dr. Kristina Martinez, PhD, RD who discussed the associations between diet, gut bacteria, and metabolic disease.  Very interesting stuff; I love all this new research on gut-health! (another post later on this topic as well; for now, here's a little sneak peak)
• At 10am, Krista Varady, PhD discussed he research on alternate day fasting.  She is also the author of The Every Other Day Diet.
• by 11, we had a break and got to sample some goodies (which my stomach  Iwas very thankful for!!)
• From 11:20-2pm we had a panel of 6 different dietitians from all scopes of practice (bariatrics, eating disorders, home health, an author, pediatrics, and private practice)

The panel was probably me favorite part just because it is so fun to hear about another dietitian's journey and the two RD's that talked about how they got started in private practice and building their own brand of course inspired me the most (as I am doing the same!)  So, thanks Lara and Dawn for great inspiration!

The rest of Saturday was meal prep, and family time with the in-laws!

Sunday was much more chill. Several months ago, I saw a flyer for a Tea and Tour at The Grove in Glenview and immediately booked it.  The cost was by donation and we got tea and a tour of the Kennicott house (which I visited in 4th grade for a field trip!)

Our tour was in the home of Dr. Robert Kennicott (a man of many hats).  He was first and foremost a medical doctor in the mid-1800s, a husband, and a father of 7 children. 

We had some tea and little treats.

The strawberries were delicious!

This is his office.  On the left are medicines followed by his desk, and a dental drill (the tall thin thing...) The table in the foreground is actually the table he'd use to assess patients! Right in his own home!!

A wood-burning stove to feed the family

Can you spot something unique about this picture?  Leave a comment to let me know what you think it is!!

1800's dishwasher

After the tour, we walked around a bit and got to see a small wildlife sanctuary.  The above picture is actually a Black Rat Snake!

So many cute turtles!!

And finally, we got to see the archives (not open all the time).  This is where they keep actual pieces of things from the Kennicott family that they have found on the grounds of the home.  Pieces of history!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend as well!  Don't forget to leave a comment letting me know what you think is unique about the picture above!!