My heart is bursting wanting to tell you everything about the Deidre Currie Festival. (Wait 'til you hear what advice Sally Fallon gave me…YES, I actually got to chat with Sally Fallon!)
If you want to skip to my notes on the talks, find those here:
- Milk comes from cows, not beans – by Karen Lubbers
- Sally Fallon – Dirty Little Secrets of the Food Industry
- Autism, ADD, ADHD, constipation, candida, asthma, learning / behavioral problems & depression – Natasha Campbell-McBride: Gut and Psychology Syndrome
- Sally Fallon – The Oiling of America
First, I'll start with the reason we were all there…
What a perfect little face looking up at his Daddy
The morning began with a welcome from Archie, looking handsome, but sad, up on the stage holding he & Deidre's son, Jack, who is now 8 months old. As a Mom it especially ripped my heart out seeing Jack sleeping in his Daddy's arms, as Archie tearfully spoke about Dee and last year's conference, and how emotional this day was for he and Dee's family. Archie: “I can't think of anything more sad than a new mom dying before holding her first child.” (Read about how Archie was able to keep Jack on breastmilk throughout his babyhood.)
As God always does, He has taken a heartbreaker and brought some good from it. To honor Deidre's memory, Archie and many others (most who also knew and loved Dee) took on the huge job of putting on this conference, in hopes of getting the truth about traditional food out to more people – which was Dee's passion.
They all spoke my language!
It was great spending the weekend with Ann Marie from Los Angeles, and Diane from Maryland, my friend Julie who lives near Kalamazoo, more old friends, and some new ones too – many people introduced themselves and said they read my blog!
The best part was that everyone there “spoke my language” – not one person thought I was a weirdo. (Well, maybe they did…?) Normally I'm the only one (or one of a very few) in a room who care about the perils of things like GMO's and pasteurized dairy or who know the benefits of healthy fats and pasture-fed meat, this day was so refreshing!
Kelly, Julie, Valerie, Catherine, Diane, Ann Marie
BBQ at the Farmhouse
Then, GET THIS, because Ann Marie and I helped Archie a little with promoting the conference, he was sweet enough to invite us to dinner that evening at an Ann Arbor Bed & Breakfast in a neat old farmhouse where the speakers were staying. We were able to meet Dee's family (visiting from New Zealand), talk with the speakers and other friends of Archie's, and even get our picture taken with Sally Fallon: 
Ann Marie, Sally Fallon, and me
Guess what Sally suggested?
OK, so I'm actually drinking a cup of hazelnut coffee as I write this, if you want the truth, but Sally was telling me what a number coffee does on your adrenals. I asked, “Can I drink decaf?” “Well, it's better if you drink a dandy blend or something like that…” Just the night before at dinner, Ann Marie was giving me the same spiel. Oh fine, I'll read up on my adrenals, but that's as much as I'm promising right now. At least I only drink it 3-4 times a week. Talking to Karen Lubbers at dinner, she told me she drinks coffee three times a day, and she's healthy! (Another reason to love Karen: she also likes chocolate.) Yes, I know, I sound just like someone trying to justify their diet pop or some other nasty habit…
I learned so much!
If you're wondering about all the amazing talks I heard there and what I learned, over the next week or more I'll be posting all of my notes. (See above links.)
If you were at the Deidre Currie Festival, please comment below and tell everyone about your experience there!
- See more pictures of Archie & Dee in my original post about the Deidre Currie Festival
- Best Prices on Coconut Oil
- Caring for your baby/Natural Mothering
- Who is Weston A. Price?
Both photos by Cheeseslave
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
Holly, I’m so bummed to have missed you! Maybe my coffee stained Kitchen Kop shirt wasn’t as loud and obnoxious as I thought if you couldn’t even find me?!
Kelly
Anonymous says
Hi, Kelly,
My husband and I were at the conference and hoped to meet you, but didn’t see you anywhere.
I just started reading your blog about a month ago and love it.
The conference was fantastic and it was really great for my husband to hear first-hand what I keep preaching!
Thanks,
Holly
Canton, OH
Michigan Mom2three says
Kelly – that is TOO funny! You just proved you’re the REAL MCCOY, that’s all! Witty, wise, and real-life practical! 😉
How COOL that you got your pic with Sally Fallon! I forgot to mention that….
Shauna
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
You girls are singing my song! I wanted to do the “la la la” thing when talking to Sally, but decided against it. (Shauna, I’m picky about my coffee, too, and I think Starbucks is disgusting.)
I forgot to tell you guys something – want to hear what made it even more “special” when meeting all these new people? (NOT!) I spilled a whole cup of coffee down the front of me first thing in the morning – oh yah, it’s as bad as you’re imagining, BIG old brown spots all over my pants and my Kitchen Kop shirt for the whole day. Yep, that Kitchen Kop, she’s a class act…
Thankfully I could change before going to dinner.
Kelly
Julie says
I too would have great difficulty giving up coffee, but this may be a better way to make it: For years I have been making coffee extract using the cold “toddy” method. The extract is made using cold water. After 12 hours of soaking you drain it and it filters through a felt filter to a container. You use the extract as an “Instant” coffee. About 2-3 tablespoons in a cup of hot water, add cream. This is the best coffee in the world. I have heard it is good because of the way it digests. It’s more like a fruit than a grain this way ( in the way that it digests).
Liz says
I only drink about 4 – 6 oz of black coffee a day. I really, really like my coffee. Each year I give it up for 6 – 8 weeks, just to prove I can perhaps, but always go back to it because I miss it and I can’t say I feel any better without it. I “might” be willing to give up coffee if there was hard evidence indicating it was bad for my body, but I’m with Shauna in thinking it’s been around for a very long time and this is something my ancestors drank on a regular basis! Next you’re going to tell me I have to give up those ocassional glasses of red wine….
Michigan Mom2three says
Nooooooooooooo don’t make me read about my COFFEE!!!!!!!!!!!! la la la la la (plugging ears) I’m not listening! I’m not listening!
Okay – well, how’s this for justification….. I always tell myself that “atleast coffee is a natural beverage that’s been around for a VERY long time”!
I’m with Karen – 3x a day sounds good to me! (Here’s my “dirty little secret”…. I drink nearly a whole pot MYSELF in the morning – and sometimes I have tea in the afternoon!) Honestly – the only thing that got me off of pop was GOOD coffee (I’m picky!) and REAL tea (not that dust stuff in the tea bags – good loose black teas from my favorite little mediterranean store here in town, or gunpowder green). I do drink a lot of water and raw milk every day too.
Shauna
FreedomFirst says
Glad you had a great time! That IS very sad, a mother dying in childbirth, especially the first.
I briefly knew a girl whose first child died at birth; not stillborn, but died shortly afterwards from inhaling meconium. He was unable to breathe. I thought that must have been the most horrible experience as a mother, to go through all of that for 9 months, give birth to a healthy first child, and have it die immediately. I think that would have killed me.
As for the coffee, I make Mate tea for my husband. It has all the caffeine of coffee, but is healthier. I’m not sure how much healthier, but it’s definitely easier on the system than coffee. I love coffee but simply can’t drink it. His favorite is the Mate Vana blend from Teavana.