Snooki's Wedding: Why I Have Hope for MyGeneration

If you know me at all, you know my love for super-trashy reality television.  I seriously can't get enough of it.  I don't know why - maybe it's an escape from my life, maybe it's my introverted personality and need for an almost voyeuristic look at other people's lives.  Who knows.  For whatever reason, I've been kind of obsessed with the MTV show "Snooki & JWoww".

I think a lot of people my age have a guilty fascination with the kids of "Jersey Shore". I was coming into my own the same time they were fist-pumping it up and selling shitty t-shirts on the shore.  And while I didn't take things to quite the extreme that they did, I still felt that early-20's rebellion, and part of me was like "YASS.  Live it up, kids."  Whatever the reason, we all seemed to have a "love to hate ya" relationship with the guidos and guidettes of Jersey Shore.

Fast forward to a few years later.  Snooki and JWoww found their guys, and both ended up having babies out of wedlock.  Oh, the scandal!  But, still.  They stayed together  They didn't run to the nearest abortion clinic.  They embraced this new life and the changes that came with it.  Hello, openness to life!  I like.

And then there were the proposals.  These crazy kids were not only sticking by their baby mamas (in Snooki's case, at least) but they wanted to seal the deal.

And then (for Snooki) there were more babies.  And their TV spot even shows them going through what I can only guess is pre-cana (which all us Catholic peeps have to do) and they are pretty honest about it.  Will Snooki go to confession?  No. Will her husband?  Yes.  Will they cease to have sex until after the wedding?  Well, Snooki replies "I don't see the point - I'm already pregnant with my second kid!"  and I totally get her point.

We were the couple that had to fill out the "alternate" pre-Cana questionaire.  You know, the one for "co-habitating"  couples.  Everything was approached differently for us.  All because we were already "shacking up" and enjoying the "fruits of marriage" (which, I will say, change DRAMATICALLY when you actually do get married).  But our priest also told us that he had never advised another couple that understood eachother and were on the same page as Daniel and I were.  So, we were breaking the rules and fulfilling God's will to the extreme at the same time.  Win some, lose some.

So... all of this rambling for what?  For me to get to the point.  Are Snooki and her hubby perfect examples of Catholicism?  Should they be held up as ideals for all of us to imitate?  No.  Not even close.  But I don't think that's what we're called to do.  We aren't called to be perfect.  Here's what I love about them  - they decided to get married in the Church.  They have a sweet Irish priest, and they have an actual wedding mass, and it is beautiful.  And that was on national TV!  Yay for them!  They could have decided to forgo all that "old fashioned stuff" and get married in a field somewhere with no priest present.  It may not be what you and I want, but it is still a valid marriage and they are still choosing to raise their children in the Church.  They have two kids that have been baptized!  Count up all those blessings and graces - baptized, confirmed, married...  all those make their mark on us as a person.  They are the part of the Church that I think a lot of us neglect - the ones that mean well and continue traditions, and are just one nice orthodox person away from really delving into what it means to be Catholic.

And who knows?  Could we one day be praying for the intercession of Saint Snooki? My brain says "I don't think so", but as a Catholic I believe that we all have the potential of Sainthood... so I won't discount a single member of our faith.  I would hope that I'm met with the same amount of mercy.

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5 Favorite Products to Help You Survive Your First Whole30

Linking up with Jenna at Call Her Happy today for some Five Favorites!

The most important step to ensuring you have a successful Whole30 experience is being prepared.  Especially during those first crucial few days when all the angry feels are going to be attacking your brain and making you want to punch walls and gobble down bricks of cheese, you'll want to make sure your fridge and pantry are locked and loaded.  Here's a quick list of things that I just couldn't do without during this #holidaywhole30!

(1)

Trader Joe's Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil.  You've heard those weirdo hippy friends of yours talking about it and wondered to yourself, "what's all the hubub, bub?"  I'm no health expert, so I can't break down the scientific data for you here.  However, I do know that this stuff is full of all the "good fats" and is a much healthier alternative to those yucky veggie oils you see lining the shelves.  I keep this stuff on my counter for everything from frying eggs, to sauteing veggies, to plopping a little spoonful in my morning coffee (it's good for your brain, yo!)  I like this Trader Joe's oil because it has a pretty subtle coconut taste, and I'm not the world's biggest fan of that "tropical" vibe.  Ya dig? 

(2)

Trader Joe's Almond Butter

Oooh, almond butter.  How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways: on apples, on bananas, in smoothies, right off the spoon... This stuff is just good, you guys.  I may or may not have developed a slight addiction to this stuff, so I try and keep my intake to a minimum.  Too much of a good thing can be delicious counter-productive.

(3)

Wholly Guacamole Minis

It seems like every time I go to the store, the avocados are in one of two states: they're either hard as rocks or total mush-footballs.  This can be pretty frustrating on it's own, but add to that the fact that I'm really good at leaving avocado in the pantry, forgetting about them until they're completely disintegrated into mealy nothingness... it's a lose-lose situation here in my casa.  Enter these little beauties!  For less than $4 you can get a pack of four little guacamole cups, all seasoned up and ready to be added to a burger, salad, mashed with a hard-boiled egg, mixed with chicken for a quick chicken salad, used as a dip for veggies, or just eaten straight-up with a spoon.  With a super-short list of whole ingredients (and a spicy option, as well!) these things are fantastic to have in the fridge.

(4)

Purity Farms Organic Ghee

When I first started researching the Whole30 plan, I was a little worried about the lack of whole butter.  I've been in the "butter is better" camp for quite a long time, and have always given that weird margarine junk-in-a-tub the side eye at the grocery store.  Olive oil and coconut oil were great and all, but no butter?  Well, guess what?  Ghee is butter.  It's just been clarified, meaning all the milk solids have been removed.  This is great news for people with a lactose sensitivity, as well as for my morning scrambled eggs.  This stuff is delicious in mashed cauliflower, sauteed veggies, used to sear steak or get a nice browning on chicken.  It really can be used in any way you would use regular butter.  I just bought the Purity Farms brand for the first time today and have liked it so far.  I've been buying the Trader Joe's brand up until this point, which is a little cheaper where I live.  You can also make this stuff yourself, but I'm too big of a pansy.  I just know I would waste 8 bucks worth of Kerrygold and be ticked off for a week.  No bueno!

(5)

Evolution Fresh Juices

I was a little hesitant to add these to the list, but I'm doing it anyway.  The Whole30 website discourages people from going nuts with juices and smoothies and recommends you just eat your fruits and vegetables instead.  I totally understand that, and I'm not suggesting you go nuts, either.  However, there are times when I just don't feel like physically eating anything, but I know I need something, and these (like the occasional fruit/greens smoothie) do the trick for me.  That said, here's a warning: stay away from the ones that are super high in sugar!  I saw one at the store this morning with amost 30 GRAMS of sugar - you may as well drink a soda!  The juices that are mostly fruit are the ones that can be astronomically high in sugar, and not only is that just a bad idea in general (no matter if the sugar is from a whole food source) but it can also cause a crazy spike in your blood sugar, which can lead to a nasty crash a little while later.  (Remember Halloween night when you were a kid?  Yeah.  Like that.)  My two favorite juices are Essential Greens (7g carbs, 6g sugar) and Organic V (15g carbs, 14g sugar).  Each bottle is TWO servings, so don't sit down and chug the whole thing.  At $4 a pop, these are definitely an occasional treat during your Whole30, and worth having around for those times chewing and swollowing just doens't sound like fun (trust me - that can and will happen at some point!)

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