You've Been Served

Last week I had the pleasure of being summoned to jury duty. I think you and I probably have the save reaction when we receive that letter in the mail....dread.

Yes, I needed to find a sitter for my 3 kids and make arrangements for work. I get to the jury room after rushing and found a table where I can set up shop. I was minding my own business doing my thing, but a guy at the table is just going on and on and on. I truly think he liked hearing himself speak. It was funny because he mentioned he was going to go into law school. It seemed quite befitting for him.

Finally, the first round of names were called. I wasn't on the list. A sigh of relief. But is that good or bad? Another hour or two passed and another round of names. I kept hearing my first name, but luckily different last names. Then I hear it...my name was called. Oh, no, not me!

Our group of about 40 were corralled into the court room. We have to sit in the pews in a just so right fashion. Next they go through a bunch of questions that might eliminate a few people immediately. I wasn't one of those. By this time it is around 12:00 noon. My stomach is grumbling. Fourteen names were called. I was #7. Now, I have to move to the jury box. Sweaty palms. Heart rate increasing.

The judge starts asking a series of questions for all 14 potential jurors. Nothing impressive is going on. Finally we get through the 14th potential juror. Yeah! They release us for lunch. I head out to the Thai restaurant up the street, but it is closed. There is another potential juror that had the same idea as me, but to our surprise, the restaurant was closed. I headed to the pizza joint next door and the hostess assumed a gentleman that walked in at the same time was with me. We decided to have lunch together.

It turns out he is an attorney, but also a potential juror. We got to talking about many things. One in particular of how a unique case he is working on should be turned into a movie. You see, we don't really have to pay top dollar to go to the movie theatre to get entertainment, movies are written about characters in our own backyard albeit friends and family. I was trying to rush my lunch when I noticed the lawyers from "my courtroom" were two tables over. No need to rush at this point since they were still eating.

So, now I'm back in the jury box. The lawyers start questioning us. There really was no us, it was just me. They had a field day questioning me. Yep, you got it. I was one of the chosen 7. At that point I was sequestered in the jury room and couldn't leave unless I was walked back into the courtroom. I had to wait back there for the additional potential jurors to get questioned. At 5:30 they finally picked the final jurors. I headed out of there around 6:00 PM.

What made the day a bit frightening was that we were escorted to the parking garage with 2 police officers. Not only did we get escorted, we were taken out the back way, walked to our cars, then they were waiting at the garage exit to make sure we actually left safely.

Day 2 was better planned. I knew what to expect. I could go into great detail, but I won't. The verdict was that the defendants were not guilty, unanimously. The state did not have enough evidence to prove guilt. Yes, we got the same escort to our cars that day, too. It was a one day trial which I thought was incredible.

Although I dreaded the idea of being on a jury, it was a good experience. I learned a lot about the justice system and have a bit more respect for it. I do realize that many of these cases that are publicized on the news are blown out of proportion and the facts of the case aren't even available to the public. It is such a pity what the media frenzy can do to the legal system.

I got to speak with the judge after and appreciated what he does even more. A few days later, I received a letter from him thanking me for my time. It was such a nice and genuine gesture. Who sends personal mail these days? I was really proud at that moment when I read his letter and that I had the privilege to serve on a jury. I felt like I did my American given duty of serving.

Maybe next time I get summoned, I won't have dread, but actually enjoy serving.

My New Favorite Snack

Meet my new favorite snack: Red Bell Peppers!

My two favorite things about red peppers are the crunch and sweetness. Its scientific name is Capsicum Annuum and is a nightshade veggie.  Capsicum is the "hot" part of a pepper, but bell peppers have very little of this, therefore they are on the sweet and tangy side. 

One cup of these crunchy yummy goodnesses only have 1 gram of fat. That is impressive and is chock full of nutrients, phytonutrients, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory properties.

Are you ready to see all the many vitamins and minerals bell peppers have? Here goes in descending order:

vitamin C

vitamin A

vitamin B6

folate

fiber

vitamin E

molybdenum

vitamin K

potassium

manganese

vitamin B2, B3, B1

tryptophan

vitamin B5

magnesium

Did you know paprika comes from powered bell peppers? Yep, that's right. 

Do you know how to choose a good one? Choose those that are deep in color, no spots or dark areas. Heavy and firm are good traits for them to have.

They are sensitive to moisture. If you refrigerate them, cover with a damp cloth.  If you want to speed up their ripening, sit them on your counter.  

I prefer my bell peppers raw, but there are many great ways to prepare them. When we get closer to autumn, I'll post my stuffed bell pepper recipe. Other ways of eating them are sautéed, stuffed, finely chopped in recipes, roasted, and part of the Louisiana Trinity of onions, celery, and bell pepper,  

Just remember that bell peppers are one of the dirty dozen meaning they have more pesticide than other veggies. If you have the option, choose organic for this tasty snack.

Long Time No See

Sorry for my absence. I thought it would be a breeze going back to school, working, raising a family, playing taxi cab to our many family events, and blogging. I sure did think WRONG! Scheduling is sometimes circus like, but we manage (not quite sure how, but we do).

I am getting all the basics down, but the extra things like blogging kind of fell by the wayside. My total lifestyle has changed since starting school. I was always feeding my family a healthy diet, but I now go for all organic, non G MO (genetically modified organisms), and no artificial colors. It had gotten a bit more costly in the beginning, but not so much now because we aren't buying all the other "stuff." I don't buy all the junk food (healthy) snacks. I know what to buy now.

I have become a green juice and smoothie aficionado. You just would not believe how much I feel better after I have my green drink. It did take some time getting used to drinking something green. I first had to start with drinking out of an opaque plastic cup just so I couldn't see what I was drinking. Now I'm a pro and I drink it from a clear glass jar. If I don't get it after a few days, I start getting achy and tired. That drink packs a powerful punch!

Going through this journey, I realized I truly need to downsize and purge. I went through so many aspects of life purging. My girls aren't too happy about some of it, but they will get over it. Here's the start of things and subscriptions we eliminated: housekeeper (twice a month), extended cable TV, Spotify, YogaDownload, and some unknown credit card subscription for an unknown service to a company that no longer exists. I am still working on purging everyone's closets and drawers. It is hard work, but is so liberating when complete. The end result is less clutter and more money in our pockets!

My next adventure has been exercising. I have never been a fan of exercising because it often brings on an asthma exacerbation. Therefore, no running or aerobics for me. I am a low key yoga or walking kind of Bayou Chica. My sister and I started a 30 Day Squat Challenge. Today is Day 8...a day of rest. The first few days were ROUGH. But by the fifth day, I am getting into it and enjoying it. I am seeing great results in just the past 7 days.

I'm off to visualize results then actually get some stuff done. Positive words of affirmation can do wonders for the soul.

Girl Scout Camping

Just realized I didn't share my Girl Scout camping experience with you. I must admit that working part time, mom full time, wife full time, and family taxi driver can get very overwhelming. Then I just threw going back to school in the mix and it makes for an even busier life. Joshua Rosenthal, the owner and one of the instructors said just tell people you are in medical school because that's how busy you will be. I agree Joshua.

Our camping trip was changed from Friday through Sunday to Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon at Camp Covington. I was bummed that we would only have one night, but I think this was the perfect amount of time for the girls. It still boggles my mind all the camping gear one needs for camping for just one night. It was a total of 10 Brownie Scouts and 4 adults.

We paired the girls up with a buddy so they were always to be together. It is a safety check essentially. The neat thing is that we paired them with a girl they didn't necessarily know or hang out with. This turned out to be a really great experiment. Great new friendships blossomed.

My daughter was paired with another girl that also likes to camp and do outdoorsy things like her. They had a really great time. This goes for most of the buddy pairings. There was one exception and there always seems to be that one.

One of the girls was just out right mean to her buddy. We had many talks about this, but I think it was a case of opposites that didn't attract. This was the first time one of the girls was so far away from her parents. In the end everyone had a good time. Most differences worked out.

The truly amazing thing that happen was helpfulness of the girls. This happened organically without any requests. They just started cleaning. This never happens at home. All the girls swept and cleaned their cabins without being asked. Two scouts started washing dishes and 2 more asked if they could help. Hello!!! What planet did this girls come from? My daughter was one of these helpful Girl Scouts. She must have stayed at the campground, because that same helpful, asking how she can participate child never made it back to my house.

I am fine with that, but was truly delighted how naturally things came together with the girls. Part of the rules was that the adults let the girls take the role and they sure did. I was a proud mom and Girl Scout camp leader.

My daughter and I had to rush off at 11:00 AM on Sunday to get back home for a championship state swim meet. She did miss swimming on Saturday, but got to participate Sunday. Their team, the South Louisiana Swim Team (SLST) won the championship meet! We won last year and we won this year. She is a bit disappointed that she couldn't swim on Saturday because that was her best swim stroke day. Life is all about decisions and a bit of give-and-take. Regardless, the team won and it was a victory.

I'll have to write more about the meet because my two younger daughters shined that weekend swimming.

Cookie Time Lessons

We just finished up Girl Scout cookie sales with SG, my eight year old daughter. As you probably know from my previous posts, we traditionally don't eat processed foods. This would include Girl Scout cookies.

This is SG's 4th year as a Girl Scout and her last year as a Brownie. She's looking forward to becoming a Junior Girl Scout next year.

I have read the ingredients on every flavor of Girl Scout cookies. It isn't pretty. There are so many artificial additives and processed ingredients. I do not agree with pushing something on someone that I wouldn't normally buy. But, I needed to look beyond my beliefs and just move past them. There is a bigger picture here.

My daughter has learned so much about money, management skills, mathematics, responsibility, assertiveness, entrepreneurship, goals, manners, socialization, and good life lessons. One of the first things she realized was that you need to be polite or you won't make a sale. This is something that she has been conscious about since her first sale. Being kind can go a long way.

At school, she was known as the Cookie Girl. She ended up taking a small notebook with her daily to take orders for cookies. The students would track her down to give her their cookie order. Some days she would bring a box with a variety and sell what she has. Since this cookie sale, she has made new friends in school that she might not have made otherwise.

She has become more confidant, too. She was more on the timid side, but not so much anymore. I see her little mind moving. In addition, she is a saver and spends her money only when needed. Not the case right now. SG decided to buy her sisters some cookies (I made an exception for this instance). Another lesson learned was generosity.

Despite my thoughts of Girl Scout cookies, I do feel the organization and these cookie sales are teaching girls really great lessons in life.

Vegan Sugar?

Did you know there was vegan sugar? I just discovered that today. I am not a vegan, but it was cheaper than the organic pure cane sugar I've been buying. Who would have thought this since cane and beets are plants?

There was an associate at Whole Foods that I asked why this was vegan. I was really surprised by the answer. When sugar is made, bone char is used. According to Whole Foods' website, "Not all sugar is created equal. Our vegan cane sugar is made without the process of bone char making it 100% suitable for vegetarians and vegans."

I am glad I know now that sure is processed with cow bones. After doing a little research, it seems that there is a charcoal filtering process making sugar and this is where the cow bones come in. The bone char (charred cow bones) is then used as the charcoal filter.

I guess this won't really make a difference, but it is a surprising discovery.