27 Weeks

Well I am finally gaining weight and looking pretty plump. I don't know what I did between weeks 25-27 because this is what I looked like at week 25...

When people tell you, "you will wake up one day and be like 'Oh my! I blew up!". Those people are not lying. I knew I was getting bigger because I was sitting on the floor doing my makeup when I went to reach for something behind me and slowly toppled backwards.  If that wasn't embarrassing enough, you should have seen me trying to get back up.

I am hardly starting to fit in a lot of my regular tee shirts now.  It's really sad because I still have 13 weeks to go and I am realizing I have no clothes to wear.  It looks like I will be living in dresses and tank tops for a little while until I can go out and buy some maternity shirts.  It's just not something that is high on my priority list at the moment.

Now that I am reaching the uncomfortable stage of pregnancy my mind is even more baffled as to why there are people out there who LOVE being pregnant.  I really can't understand it.  It's like having an Alien inside of your body telling you how to feel and what to eat.  I don't find that enjoyable at all.  The only thing I have found enjoyable is when Zoë kicks me, because it's amusing.

Book Review- Beloved by Toni Morrison

So Beloved is actually on my bucket list of books I want to read- "Read All Times 100 Greatest Novels". I had to read it for a class so it worked out well!

So a quick summary of Beloved- A young woman Sethe who is born into slavery escapes to Ohio to meet with her mother-in-law and her children who she sent ahead of her.  While living here the white men from where she ran away from come back to take the children.  Sethe commits a horrible crime which shatters her family.  The book takes place in the future when her mother-in-law has passed and she is still dealing with the consequences of her actions from her past.


I feel like Toni Morrison is one of those writers you either love or hate.  Her writing style is pretty complex, and if you are a reader like me who gets annoyed at a "build up" of action only for it to be interrupted by 1-2 chapters of a stream of consciousness, you will most likely not like Beloved.  The most annoying part about reading book like this is when something big is going to happen- Like Sethe is going to attack with a ice pick- and instead of us reading the action, we are told second hand by another character after the fact.  This probably makes me sound like a sick individual but I want to know the gruesome details!

But as a literature snob, I know good writing when I see (read?) it. The language that Toni Morrison uses is like you are reading poetry one chapter after another, which makes sense as to why there isn't much detail about any of the action of the plot.  “Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined." After reading three books from Morrison, I have noticed that she makes the reader feel bad for her characters and the crimes they commit.  That the reader is forced to accept the fact that someone could commit the worst of crimes that one cannot even imagine, to escape slavery.

Beloved is on the New York Time's list of greatest books ever written.  It is also in the "Black female literary canon" among many scholars- Although Morrison herself would argue that this particular canon should not exist.

I would recommend Beloved for any poetry lover, or anyone who reads for the beauty of words.  Anyone who is trying to read Times 100 novels, and anyone who has a great appreciation for 20th century literature.

#170 Visit the USS Arizona

So on Friday, I actually had the chance to go to the USS Arizona memorial with my History class. I know I haven't been posting much, but please forgive me as I am dealing with the worse morning sickness a human being can have. Anyway, the field trips are worth a great amount of our grade so I sucked it up and went with my class. These are not my photos, I forgot my camera :( I know, I am terrible. My mind has turned into mush.

Anyways, when you first arrive at the Pearl Harbor historical sites you are asked to leave all bags outside of the park. I would suggest wearing something with deep pockets for your wallet, camera and other belongings you want to bring in with you. There is a limited amount of number of persons who are able to get to the memorial each day, so plan on going early so you can "purchase" your tickets. Tickets are free, it's a historical park.

So when your tour begins, everyone is briefed on the history of Pearl Harbor and the attack on December 7th 1941. After, you get into a little boat and sail your way over to the USS Arizona.

Did you know that Elvis Presley held a benefit concert in order to raise enough money for the memorial?

Even though divers removed 10 tons of oil from the USS Arizona, the boat still leaks oil. You can see it in the water, it's almost an eerie feeling that the boat is still leaking oil decades later.

I am hoping to go back again, when I am not suffering from morning sickness so I can enjoy it a little more. If I do I will report back!

#106 Eat something that I have grown

Well I haven't ate anything yet, but my plants have finally started to grow! On the top is my raspberry bush.  I have had this sucker since the beginning of January. When I first got it, it was just a bunch of roots and a little branch sticking out of a bag that I bought at Lowes. At the same time I picked up one of those "greenhouses for children" kits. That is what is in the little pots below. The bigger leafed ones are basil, the smaller leaf ones are oregano and the ones that are barely growing is parsley. 

So the top plant, I have had to pour on a liter of water on it a day which seems to be working. There is also a palm tree root right next to it, so I figured it's competing with the palm tree for water so a liter really isn't that bad. I don't know how long it is going to take for my bush to bear fruit. I am going to assume about a year? That sounds reasonable right? It could also bear fruit before that too because I am pretty sure it was a good sized bush before Lowes cut it down to sell it.

And those little buggers, they have only been growing for about a couple of weeks now. They just get a little spritz of water and direct sunlight and they are good to go. I figure I will be able to use them in about a month or so, when they are big enough to use. I poured the left over seeds in an empty flower bed I had, so if they start growing I might have to put more pictures of them up.

But since I haven't tasted anything from my amateur garden, I can't cross this off my bucket list yet.

#132 Learn how to cook

Above: Garlic and Parmesan baked chicken and baked avocado fries.


Lets start with the chicken...

What you shall need:

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Clove garlic- minced 
• 1 Cup dried bread crumbs
• 2/3 Cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 Teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4-6 Skinless, boneless chicken breast

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish
• In a bowl, blend the olive oil and garlic
• In a separate bowl, mix the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, basil and pepper
• Dip each chicken breast in the olive mixture, then in the crumb mixture
• Arrange chick in dish topping leftover crumbs on top.
• Bake for 30 minutes- or until chicken is not pink and juices run clear

Now for the avocado fries...

What you shall need:

• 1/4 Cup flour
• 1 Teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 Large eggs beaten
• 1 1/4 cups panko (Japanese Bread Crumbs)
• 2 Firm ripe avocados, pitted, peeled and slices into 1/2 inch wedges
• Grated parmesan for serving

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F
• Coat avocado slices in flour, then egg, then panko
• Spread on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray
• Sprinkle with salt
• Bake for 45 minutes or until brown.
• Sprinkle with parmesan cheese

Questions, comments and concerns about this dish. The chicken was wonderful, I have no complaints or improvements for that. The avocado fries I was a little disappointed in because they were so crispy and they didn't seem to compliment the taste of avocado I thought they would. I like my food on the soft side (I know I am weird but I have always been a sucker for mushy french fries too). I saw the avocado fries on Pinterest so I take no credit for that idea.

Oh and when I cooked these together I put the oven at 400 degrees F and cooked the fries 15 minutes before I put the chicken in. I pulled the chicken out at about 25 minutes, and turned the oven on 450 and let the fries cook for about 5 minutes longer until they turned brown.

#132 Learn how to cook

Ok this is a straight up Brittany Laccetti creation. It wasn't as bad as I anticipated! Please don't mind the cheesy plating- I am practically 5 years old when it comes to cooking so it's only appropriate.

So the generous heart shape is some garlic and butter mashed potatoes. Of course easy to make.

Above it is some baked salmon marinated in olive oil, capers and green olives served over a bed of spinach. It was a bold choice, but I was happy with the results.

What do you think? Look good or gross?

#199 wake up before 6 a.m. for a week straight

I should have been more clear when writing this on my bucket list. I wanted a reason TO get up this early in the morning for a whole week.
Well, my wish came true. For the last 9 days in a row I have had to be at work at 4 a.m. Yes, that's right folks, 4 in the morning I had to BE at work.
My alarm went off at 2:45 every morning. Which sucks even more is that the employees at my work were directed to a new parking destination...

So I had to walk along this path to get to that building up there. Who is surprised? This girl! When is the earliest you've ever had to wake up?

#78 Get Married

So there are a few things on my bucket list that are supposed to come natural and I may or may not be able to do them. If you follow my blog, or know me in real life you know that I have been planning my wedding for over a year. And I am sure the limo post below pretty much gave away this post! Obviously I didn't go out looking to get married to cross it off my bucket list . It just happened on it's own. So here is my story with some of the wedding photo's.

There once was a wonderful princess named Brittany. She always surrounded herself with good friends and family.

One day the princess's best friend, met this guy ^ and they fell in love. Well that guy happened to be best friends and share a castle with this guy...

Princess Brittany's friend, urged Brittany to come over to her new castle and hang out with the Prince and watch some movies. Soon The Prince and Princess realized that their goofiness fit pretty well together...

Finally, after many years and days later the Prince decided to put a ring on it. Because he liked it.

Princess Brittany of course said yes for many reasons. One important reason was that Anthony treated his mom like the Queen she is and loves her very much.

After getting permission from the King, the Prince and Princess decided to have a wedding!

On October 7th, 2011 the Prince and Princess exchanged their vows of marriage. They promised to be faithful and honorable to each other for the rest of their lives, no matter how mad they got at the other, in sickness and in health until God separated them from this life.

To make it official of course they had the story book ending...

It's too early to predict the rest of this story, but I am sure like other fairy tales it ends happily ever after.

#192 Ride in a Limo

There really isn't much I can say for this entry. It's pretty self explanatory. I got married and I wanted a limo, so there I got it!

#76 Fly first class

As some of you might have noticed (but probably not!) I have been a little inactive on both my blogs. Well thats because I have been on vacation! A vacation away from the Island of Oahu. I know it sounds weird right!?

Well anyways, I did check off a lot of things on my bucket list including flying first class! $200 for an upgrade to first class for a 6 hour flight from Oahu to Washington, I will take it please!

In the picture above, is me in all my happiness holding up my free Mai Tai enjoying the extra leg room and cushy seats. I was a little disappointed in myself when I fell asleep after my second drink, but we ended up flying first class from NY to L.A. and L.A. to Oahu on our trip back so it was still worth it. I would say flying first class is a lot better then flying economy only because you have room to move. Why do they make planes so small now? I get it, they want to fit more people on the plane to make more money, but seriously the comfort difference is astonishing!

Of course I would recommend this to anyone, and I would most definitely recommend it to anyone flying across the ocean.

The List!

Let's start with the List...

Things I want to do before I die

1.       Drive a racecar

2.       Drive a dune buggy

3.       Drive a 4 wheeler

4.       Learn how to shoot a gun

5.       White water rafting

6.       Watch a NYC ballet

7.       Build a raft and float down a river -Tom Sawyer style

8.       Get a meaningful Tattoo

9.       Abseiling

10.    to a Nude beach

11.   Paris

12.    Nice,

13.   Rome,

14.   London,

15.   Amsterdam,

16.    Venice,

17.   Florence,

18.   Great Wall of China

19.   Get my Scuba Diving License

20.   Go on a Hot Air Balloon ride

21.   Ride a Train

22.   Play Paintball

23.   Break a World Record

24.   Write a Book

25.   Sell Someone a Picture that I took

26.   Watch a NFL football game in person

27.   Perform a Stand-up Comedy

28.   Be in a play

29.   Witness an Eclipse

30.   Become fluent in French,

31.    Spanish,

32.    Japanese

33.   and Italian

34.   Learn how to say “hello” in 50 different languages

35.   Teach English in a foreign country

36.   Learn Guitar

37.   Listen to every piece of Chopin

38.   Learn the Rumba, cha cha, Salsa, Tango, Waltz, Foxtrot, and Samba

39.   Go snorkeling at a shipwreck site

40.   Go on a cruise

41.   Become a published author

42.   Drive a motorcycle

43.   Go on a cross country trip

44.   Drive down Route 66

45.   Ride on the Millennium Force

46.   Swim with Dolphins

47.   Go to the San Diego Zoo

48.   Go whale watching

49.   Go on a safari

50.   Ride an Elephant

51.   Go to the Grand Canyon

52.   Go through the everglades

53.   See the Northern Light

54.   Camp at Yellowstone

55.   Visit Stone hedge

56.   Smithsonian Museum

57.   National Museum of History

58.   The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

59.   The Egyptian museum in Cairo

60.   The Louvre

61.   Climb the Statue of Liberty

62.   Vacation in Martha’s vineyard

63.   Visit Hollywood

64.    Ride a cable car in San Fran

65.   National Cherry Blossom Festival

66.   Oktober fest

67.   Day of the Dead

68.   Marti Gras in New Orleans

69.   Learn not to take what people do or say personally

70.    Get my Master’s degree

71.   Own a Beach house

72.   Shop on Rodeo Drive

73.    Spend a week at a 5 star resort

74.   Sleep in a castle

75.   Own an Island

76.   Fly First class

77.   Buy Jewelry at Tiffany’s

78.   Get married

79.   Have a baby (My baby story)

80.   Go on an amazing honeymoon and check some things off my bucket list

81.   Celebrate my 50^th wedding anniversary

82.   Build a Habitat for Humanity Home

83.   Change someone’s life

84.   Volunteer at a soup kitchen

85.   Donate blood

86.   Start a Charity

87.   Own a sports bar

88.   Become a teacher

89.   Coach a national winning cheer team

90.   Own a coffee shop like Uncommon Grounds

91.   Invent something

92.   Create a successful Blog (50 followers; 100 followers;500 followers; 1,000 followers)

93.   Have my blog in Time’s magazine best blogs

94.   Be interviewed by the Today show

95.   Eat at an undersea restaurant

96.   Go to the Macy day Parade

97.   Spend New Years at Time square

98.   See the Rockettes

99.   Go ice skating at the Rockerfellow Center

100. Watch fireworks over Sydney

101. Get my palms read

102. Win over $1,000 in the lottery

103. Mud wrestle

104. Be a member of the audience in a T.V. show

105. Sit on a jury

106. Eat something I have grown

107. Catch a fish and prepare it myself

108. Make Sushi

109. Invent a dinner dish

110. Be on a reality show

111.Catch a foul baseball at a game

112. Visit a Movie set

113. Have a chance to say “Quick! Follow that car!”

114. Write in a journal for 365 days in a row

115. Learn a new word, every day for a year

116. Spend a week in a small town

117. Ride in an open aired airplane

118. Ride a mechanical bull

119. Go on  a walk through central Park

120. Go on a ghost tour in New Orleans

121. Take a tour at Gettysburg

122. Take a tour at Saratoga Battle field

123. Go to the Kentucky derby

124. Be in a music video

125. Bowl a 300

126. Have my parents tell me that they are proud of me

127. Perform a song in front of an audience

128. Walk on a boardwalk

129. Drive over the Golden Gate bridge

130. Go to a circus

131. See Disney on Ice

132. Learn to cook

133. Run a marathon

134.Learn archery

135. Learn how to golf

136.Learn how to snowboard

137. Learn how to surf

138. Get my black belt

139. Learn sign language

140.Visit all 50 states

141. Make the front page of the Newspaper

142.Volunteer at an animal shelter

143.  See the Northern lights

144. Climb every peak in the Adirondacks

145. Go to a wine tasting

146. Go backpacking

147. Bake an amazing cake

148.Visit a Volcano

149. Dip my toes in every ocean

150. See a kangaroo in the Outback

151. Get my picture taken on Abby road

152. Read the Bible

153. Send a message in a bottle

154. Sing karaoke

155. Enjoy some time in a sunflower field

156. Witness paranormal activity

157. See a monarch migration

158. Be a movie extra

159. Get a real estate license and practice it as a hobby

160. Take a self defense class

161. Ride a jet ski

162. Kiss under mistletoe

163. Make pasta from scratch

164 Get on a random airplane

165. Go on a carriage ride

166. Shop for a prom dress for my daughter

167. See an Olympic game preferably Gymnastics

168. See a comet

169.Watch a space shuttle take off

170. Visit the U.S.S. Arizona

171. Go to the Polynesian Cultural Center

172. Take a tour through the Dole Plantation

173. Go to a luau

174. Have a conversation with Lady Gaga

175. Make awesome chili

176. Have a pen pal

177. Spend some time in Maui

178. Play Black ops and get good at it

179. Fold 1,000 cranes

180. Take art classes

181. I want to be able to indentify constellations in the night’s sky

182. Try P90X

183. Brew my own beer

184. Make a list of 100 books I want to read, and read them all

185. Find a glass float on the shore of Oregon

186.Visit Fiji and drink some Fiji water while I am there

187. Visit Bora Bora

188. Ride the Hiawatha Bike trail in Idaho

189. See some Mayan Ruins

190. Visit Cancun

191. Ride a horse on a beach

192.  Ride in a limo

193. Read Life’s 100 novels of all time (http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,1951793,00.html)

194. Win a game of Bingo

195. Go to a Nascar race

196. Go to Disney World

197. Spend St. Patricks day in Dublin

198. Flip and sell a house for a profit

199. Wake up before 6 a.m. for two weeks

200.  Adopt a puppy