Apple Pie

One more item checked off my 25 while 25 list.

I made a pie crust. And it didn't completely suck! (Though my mom's is still SO much better... maybe one day.)

I started off with a bag full of apples from the Farmer's Market...

I used my Mom's recipe, straight from the Betty Crocker cookbook.

And in the end, I ended with this beauty:

Very rustic looking, no? (Rustic is just code for I-can't-make-a-pretty-crust-to-save-my-life)

And the taste ended up quite decent as well!
I shall be making apple pie again!

3-Day Juice Cleanse!

So, I did it. I completed the first task on my 25 While 25 list.

Do a Juice Cleanse!

It was an interesting experience,

with a few low points, where the only thing I wanted to do was cry at the thought of more juice.

Day 1 was probably the most difficult because I was hungry and sick of juice with no end in sight.

I nearly quit.

But with Lacy's encouragement (she wasn't aware what she was in for yet...)

and with the hope of delicious juices in my future,

I pressed on.

This is our counter covered in all the produce that was about to be juiced.

In one day, I'd eat 6 stalks of kale,

3 handfuls of chard and lettuce,

4 golden delicious apples,

1 cucumber,

3 lemons,

a handful of parsley,

half a pineapple,

15 leaves of mint,

1 pint of blueberries,

2 granny smith apples,

3 cups of grapes,

and 1/2 cup of cashews.

All in liquid form.

Heidi's trusty juicer. We became great friends.

Green juice! I hated it in the beginning, and loved it by the end of Day 3.

Isn't juicing beautiful?

Pineapple/Mint smoothies! By far my favorite drink.

My juices lined up to bring to work in the morning.

Lacy and me stoked to be almost-finished, and finished, respectively.

She was my fellow-lamenter, and cheerleader.

Trust me, don't do this thing without a partner-in-crime.

You'll think you're all alone in the world

and fall into a great hole of despair

when you're at your worst moments.

But at your best moments during the juice cleanse,

you may just end up looking like this...

Would I ever do it again?

Perhaps. Give me til next week to answer that question.

When I've had time to reflect.

(And have probably gained back all 5 pounds that were lost.)

Update: I've eaten less than 500 calories for the last 10 hours, and I'm barely hungry. What is happening to me?!

25 While 25

I'm turning 25 today. A quarter of a century. When I look back at the years past... it's been SO long! Suddenly, dying at 75 doesn't seem all bad. That allows for a nice long life, doesn't it?

And I've already accomplished so much. I'm so grateful for the life that I've been blessed with so far. I've been to Europe. Twice! I've been to New York! I've been skydiving and ran a marathon. I bought a brand new car (stupid...) and paid it off! I graduated from high school and university. I was a cheerleader...(what?) I've been a bridesmaid 8 times! I've gained 8 new incredible family members. I won the excellency plaque for French (merci beaucoup), won 2nd place in the 5th grade Spelling Bee (or was it 4th grade?), graduated from seminary and institute, and won a dictionary for the leadership award in 6th grade (again, what?). I've been to countless concerts and movies, seen operas and broadway shows, and have watched long TV series' from beginning to end.

I've been such a lucky girl! How can I even top the last 25 years?! I guess finally starting my own family will be a pretty big deal, huh...? So I have that to look forward to. In the meantime, here's a list of my 25 While 25. I'll check in with you next year in hopes of having this list all checked off!

1. Crochet a full-size scarf
2. Make homemade popsicles
3. Do a juice cleanse
4. Run the Ragnar or a triathlon
5. Receive my endowment
6. Make a pie crust that doesn't suck
7. Visit four new destinations
8. Be the asker for a date
9. Make a successful lasagna
10. Get muhamara at Mazza again
11. Celebrate the Winter Solstice
12. Get a New Year's kiss
13. Make origami out of map paper
14. Learn calligraphy
15. Go karaoking
16. Paint five pictures
17. Get in the 140's
18. Buy a new record player
19. Make a Tolman family cookbook
20. Climb Mt. Olympus again
21. Replace laptop time with reading time more often
22. Make my own vanilla extract
23. Wear red lipstick outside of a costume situation and don't feel silly
24. Play piano for one hour per week
25. Go on a dishcrawl

(P.S. I'm not superstitious at all, but when I was typing this list, I originally completely forgot to type the number 13. Weird?)