3. drink only water (for the entire week)

whoa. i actually did this. *gets cocky*

okay, well, sort of. *hangs head* i drank only water all week with the exception of one cup of cranberry juice and one cup of orange juice, all together. how awesome is that? i have never done that before.

i definitely thought i was going to die. i love juice too much! much more than the average person, i'm sure. which is good, but it's actually bad, too.

monday, i kinda forgot that i was doing the only water diet, and jesse bought me something spicy (jamaican jerk chicken) for lunch...as we all know water does absolutely nothing for a spicy mouth. that food actually made my head feel like it was going to explode.

...but it was so good. i'd tolerate that spice all over again, just to have that jerk chicken from this awesome place in northwest dc.

so i had a couple sips of jesse's tea, just to knock out the spice that was taking over my life for about 5 minutes.

the orange juice. my favorite drink in the entire world, honestly. i drank less than 6 oz of it on wednesday morning because i'd just been in a car accident and went to breakfast for some comfort. it was a not so awesome morning, and i had to call out of work (which i hated) to handle claims and blah blah blah.

another segue--the car accident. i was in shoulder to shoulder, bumper to bumper, rush hour traffic on i-495 on wednesday morning. this...woman (i had a few other words in mind, but i'll leave those to your imagination)...drives onto the shoulder, only to return to the lane by sideswiping my car.

she was originally driving behind me in the far left lane. i put my signal on so i can attempt to get into the next right lane, because it seemed like the "fast lane" was not moving at all. i never got a chance to get over because none of the cars driving in that lane would allow me to do so. so i take my foot off the brake and start to creep up a bit, when pow! dumb ass the lady strikes my car on the front driver's side.

now, being the hot headed cynic that i am, my first reaction was to stare at her car as if to say "are you kidding me?" she puts her car in park, gets out, looks at my damage, looks at hers, then yells, "oh okay!" um, no ma'am! pull over. thanks.

when i got out of the car and looked at my damage, this is how the conversation went:

me: ma'am. are you serious right now?

her: what? i thought you were getting over.

me: ma'am. really? did i ever leave the lane? no. what in the world were you doing on the shoulder?! it's not a passing lane!

her: well you had your blinker on--

me: --ma'am, because that's what people use to let other people know that they are trying to yield into the next lane. it doesn't magically place my car in the next lane!

her: well didn't you get back over?

me: *hardest sigh ever* ma'am, that would insinuate that i left the lane, which i never did, which is why you found yourself on the shoulder. who does that, ma'am?! are you kidding me?

her: oh. well, i'm sorry.

me: yeah are you, ma'am? are you serious right now?

*pause*

me: should i call the police? is that what would help you decide what to do next?

her: no! it's my fault, we can exchange insurances.

me: *sigh* fine.

so i spared her, because i'm guessing she didn't want a couple of tickets and fines for being in the shoulder and using it as a passing lane, especially during rush hour traffic.

it gets even better. i called her insurance company about 4 or 5 hours after the accident, just to give her a chance to call them first and file the claim. she never called and they had no idea an accident had occurred. so i had to file the claim with the rep, talk to the claims adjustor, and the appraiser, all before she'd even called them. now the adjustor's called her at least 5 times and she's returned the call and left a message once, and he hasn't spoken to her live once.

mind you, i've already had the car appraised for damages. while they are menial, i still want them repaired because i'm still considering trading in my car in about a year or so.

so that's why i drank orange juice. i also had a ny strip steak with eggs and home fries that morning, too. with biscuits. it felt so good.

then friday, i had a glass of cranberry juice, accompanied by water, at dinner with my twin, keturah (i'll talk more about her in another post).

we went to an italian restaurant called brio. i highly recommend it for the atmosphere and of course, the food! everything on the menu looks amazing, and the prices aren't too bad, either. we got appetizers, entrees, and desserts for around $60.

so, i purged my entire week, just by telling you what i drank. how exciting.

are you trying out the 52 in 52 challenge? if you've completed some of your adventures, what has been your favorite one so far?

book update: the help

so i got a chance to finish reading the help over the weekend.

hands down, the book is so much better than the movie--and i loved the movie. it's a lot more detailed and has more exciting moments than the movie did.

i have a few favorite parts in the book, but the one that still sticks with me is when skeeter's mom said, "don't let him cheapen you."

leading up to that, skeeter was dating stuart, the local senator's son. he'd just gotten out of a relationship where his ex-fiance cheated on him and then moved to california (from mississippi). they'd been dating a few months when his parents invited skeeter and her parents to the house for dinner. it didn't go all that well because stuart's mom talked about patricia (stuart's ex) the entire evening, directly and indirectly, making it awkward.

afterward, skeeter told stuart to go find himself (paraphrasing) and that she knew he still had feelings for patricia. she didn't hear from him for a while, considering they'd been seeing each other twice a week for months at this point.

out of the blue, stuart calls skeeter. after the phone conversation, that's when her mother (mrs. phelan) says, "don't let him cheapen you."

in a nutshell, it meant that she deserved better from someone who claimed to love her. she's not a "piece" and she shouldn't make herself available just because he is. also, he doesn't get to have his cake and eat it, too, and that he needed to choose where he was going to place his efforts because skeeter didn't need to settle.

all of this coming from her mother, was really amazing. mrs. phelan rode skeeter about shoes, accessories, her height, her hair, her clothes, the fact that she smoked cigarettes, the fact that she wasn't ready to get married...pretty much everything. and there was always a negative connotation to anything she said to skeeter. so to hear her build skeeter up, telling her that she could do better, was really touching.

there are so many great things about this book, especially the fact that the book help was published (within the book), and exceeded the publishing company's expectations so much, that they printed a second run of 5,000 copies. pretty awesome.

so, i would highly recommend the book! and the movie!

i also saw columbiana over the weekend. amazing.

52. write a [good] haiku

feeling low today?
talk to a good friend who cares.
never give up hope.
**
i wrote this saturday after a very emotional friday night. i was feeling a bit depressed about a few things going on lately, and out of the blue, a very close friend checked on me and i was able to talk to her about some things. to have a girl friend who can relate to what you're dealing with, not judge you, and not make you feel crazy for feeling the way you do, or even more depressed, is truly a blessing.

today i am feeling so much better about life...i feel like i have a new outlook on life and i'm ready to start working on some lifelong goals.

mood: extremely grateful and humbled.

6. update on "jesse only" weekend

the weekend was amazing! jesse treated me to an all expense paid hotel weekend at the springhill suites by marriott. really nice place, great service.

and (!!!)...they had a pool! and a hot tub. i got to sleep pretty much all weekend. i ate good food, i swam to help my knee a bit (and it worked!!), and we really just finally had a chance to unwind and be alone. we never get alone time unless we're in the car to go meet someone related.

i read more of my 2nd book this month the help. and it's going really well. i should be able to finish within the next few days. it's actually better than the movie!

jesse and i watched a few really good movies on saturday (the rainmaker, the pelican brief, and the terminal), and we also ate pizza and pasta salad and had some really good merlot (sutter home).

we didn't completely nix the cell phones...we used them to keep abreast of football games, facebook stuff, etc. but we didn't do any calling or much texting. i'm proud of us! if you know us, you know how much we use or phones.

it really was an enjoyable, relaxing, well spent weekend. i wish every weekend could be that awesome. no real responsibilities, no crazy amounts of driving without any reward, just me and him, chilling.

i couldn't have asked for a better, more necessary weekend. or a better boyfriend.

6. enjoy an entire weekend with jesse with no cell phones

this weekend, starting immediately after both of us get off work today, jesse and i will be spending some long overdue and much needed (deserved, appreciated, etc), quality time. just us, with hardly the use of any cell phones.

location: i don't even know yet, that's how secret it is (lol).

the weekend will be over as of sunday afternoon, because i'm going to do my goddaughter's hair (in walkersville) and then we are going to spend some time with a few of my cousins until it's time to get ready for work on monday.

i'm stoked! i will definitely update on sunday for everything that we did! right now i'm just hoping we can swim (somewhere), eat good food, sleep randomly, watch movies, and play phase 10. anything else is even more awesome.

oh, and i have to get new tires put on my car. stupid maintenance.

melting pot chicken noodle soup

this weekend, i tried my hand at a homemade chicken noodle soup.

...

it turned out SO good! i want to share with you what i did. feel free to try it. it's quick and easy.

p.s. don't worry if you don't have a crock pot/slow cooker. a big stove-top pot will do just fine. although you can get one at walmart for less than $20.

what you will need:
2 full chicken breasts, cut each into thirds then thin slice
30-40 spaghetti noodles, break into thirds
1/2 cup of corn*
1/3 cup of sliced mushrooms*
1 cup of carrots, broccoli/cauliflower, and squash* (or you can buy a bag of mixed veggies like i did)
4-5 chicken bouillon cubes
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp onion powder
1/4 celery stalk, diced*
10 cups of water
4 tbsp of olive oil
a crock pot (or a big stove top pot)

*optional, depending on your taste

directions:
pour 10 cups of hot water into the crock pot
add 4-5 chicken bouillon cubes
add garlic powder and onion powder
add 2 tbsp of olive oil
add corn (if so desired)
mix well, allow to simmer until crock pot is hot (high setting)

in the meantime, cut up your chicken and add your preferred seasonings to the frying pan with about 2 tbsp of olive oil on a low-med setting. cook while stirring occasionally for about 5-7 mins, then add to the crock pot. stir well.

add mushrooms (if so desired). stir.

cook for about 15 mins (crock pot), then add carrots (if so desired). stir.

add celery stalk. stir. cook for additional 10-15 mins.

add spaghetti noodles. cook for 30-45 mins.

add the rest of your choice veggies. cook for 20-30 mins.

done! :) enjoy.

i know i did! it was awesome!

chicken parm, my absolute fave

i love chicken parm...especially the pasta dish and the sub/sandwich. it rocks my entire world.

so of course, i like to make it, too.

this past weekend i made it from scratch for the first time! take a look. enjoy :)

**
serves 4-6

what you'll need:

4 chicken breasts (or 8-10 tenderloins), whole
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 cup of flour
1 cup of bread crumbs--you can buy these pre-packaged from progresso(tm)
old bay seasoning*
ground black pepper*
stewed tomatoes
your choice of pasta (i toggle between bowtie, rotini, and angel hair)
tomato sauce (ragu/prego is fine)
grated parmesan cheese
4 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
parsley flakes or basil*

*all seasonings are added by you to suit your own tastes

boil 4 cups of pasta (1/2 box of typically any pasta) thoroughly; drain

mix 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of bread crumbs well, add seasonings & stir.

heat 1/2 cup of olive oil until hot enough to deep fry

take each chicken breast and coat with flour and bread crumbs mix (you can use an egg to coat first if you'd like, typically i don't use the egg unless i'm baking)

place chicken breasts one by one into hot olive oil. cook for 3 mins on each side or until golden brown; drain.

add stewed tomatoes to tomato sauce and simmer on stove top for 10 minutes. add basil/parsley flakes (if you like).

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

coat the baking pan (glass is best for pasta dishes) with pam or another non-stick material
spread the pasta to coat the bottom of the pan
place the chicken to coat the top of the pasta
pour the tomato sauce on top of the chicken
coat the dish with mozzarella cheese
bake for 15 mins
let stand for 5-10
sprinkle parmesan cheese on top, add basil/parsley flakes as a garnish

enjoy!

it is soooo good...and for you spice lovers out there, try adding cayenne peppers, jalapeno peppers, or crushed red peppers to your tomato sauce. it is *that* much better, i promise!

16. read 2 books per month

i am currently reading the coldest winter ever and i will start the help once i finish it.

i figured i would go ahead and start writing this entry, since i committed to write once a week by saturday.

the coldest winter ever is a really good book. i know i know, i'm late. but! to my credit, i am really picky about reading books and watching movies. it's hard for me to get into a book that starts too slowly or doesn't give enough detail.

*becomes nostalgic*

i remember being assigned to read ordinary people in my senior year of high school by one of my favorite teachers to date, mrs. reickel. she was such a good teacher. this book, however, sucked. i may have read 3 total chapters--the first one, the last one, and maybe a random chapter in the middle.

because i have shiesty ways, i knew i would need to find a pinch-hit way to read this book. sparknotes was the thing back then when you were trying to avoid the above and beyond stuff, and there were none on this book. shows you how great it is, right there.

i ended up finding the 1980 version of the film. score, right? not so much. it was such a bad depiction of the book because it showcased parts of the book that weren't written in detail. so there i was, thinking i was doing the book justice by writing so passionately about the movie, that i ended up stepping in my own trap.

mrs. reickel--because she is awesome--graded my paper an A because of how well written it was (i used caps back then because i had to). but she wrote an extra note stating the A wouldn't stand because the part of the *ahem* "book" that i chose to write about, wasn't a big deal or a chapter's worth of writing in the book. she even mentioned that the scene i chose to write about, was actually much bigger in the movie. then she asked if i had read the book. i felt, maybe, 2 inches tall at that point.

she did give me a chance to rewrite the paper on the same horrible, god-forsaken book, but the book was so bad that i declined. she gave me 50 points out of the 100 possible, which i thought was generous, and i took it. i still got an A in that class. that's how i knew i wanted to write.

or embellish.

same thing.

so i said all that to say i am a picky reader, and this book is totally worth the effort. it's a bit raunchier than the books i typically read, but it has this amazing sense of reality.

it's about this druglord princess, winter santiaga. her father is big time in their area for his quality drugs. he employs many people in this business and is looted down. at the onset of the book, winter, her parents, and her 3 younger sisters are still living in the projects in brooklyn. her father eventually moves them to long island to this huge mansion.

winter's a young girl; she's under 18 and doing a lot more than i could imagine doing at her age. she's very street smart and could probably be book smart if she tried at all in school.

the book is actually pretty sad. i haven't finished it just yet, but i'm almost done. it seems like things will turn out good for winter, but i almost feel like she is doing everything she wants to do now and even with an epiphanic moment, she won't be rewarded or allowed to prosper off good works. something about the book just gives me that feeling, but i could be wrong.

she has done everything from drinking excessively to having sex, getting in fights and stepping on people to get ahead. using men for sex and money, stealing money...and she brags a lot about the things her father has done for her with illegal money (did i mention that their long island home eventually gets raided by the fbi and her father is sent to prison for tax evasion and purchasing items with illegally gained funds? i didn't...oh).

so yeah, in a nutshell, it's a good read that will make you want to keep reading. if i could, i would sit and finish the book today, but i don't have enough free time! i should be done by the weekend, though, and i will update.

next: the help (and i've already seen the movie and heard rave reviews of the book, so i could not be more excited. just waiting on it to be delivered from amazon!)