It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a tall glass of milk. When I was little, a glass of milk with dinner was mandatory. I don't remember hating it, but it was never at the top of my list unless it had chocolate in it. When I moved into the suite in my parents' basement, I had my own fridge, which was mostly kept stocked with frozen fruit, maple syrup, alcohol and orange juice. It is amazing that I am not a diabetic. I'd bypass the dairy aisle at the grocery store because I knew that I would never finish a tub of yogurt or a carton of milk before it went bad. I was no longer forced to drink milk with dinner, so it was kind of involuntarily weaned out of my life. I started drinking soy milk a few years ago - and I don't actually remember why I did - but I've grown to love it and now prefer it on my cereal or in fancy caffienated beverages. Almond Breeze is also delicious, so not being able to drink cow's milk is not really any problem for me.

Dairy products and products with dairy in them are another story. Ice cream, chocolate and cheese are some of my all-time favorite foods, and even though they don't make it into my diet very often anymore, I know they're still there. Like an old friend. We've had so many good times together. Sometimes we get an ice cream on Sunday afternoons. Sometimes we'll buy fancy cheese and make antipasti platters for dinner. Chocolate is...well, it's chocolate. I have always loved it. Mini Egg season is coming up...how am I going to handle that?

If dairy is my allergy - and I really won't be sure until next week - I guess it's not the worst one to have. Yes, it's shitty to have to give up these things I love, but it's better than living in constant fear of a single, solitary peanut being within a square mile, or being terrified of being stung by a bee. No one wants to be stung by a bee, but at least I know that (for now), it's not going to kill me. Still...this kind of sucks.