Lent: the non-Catholic version

Since I was in high school I have participated in Lent...well, sorta.

Growing up in a town that's 95% Catholic, as a non-Catholic, I was surrounded. It didn't mean much to me till I was a teenager and decided that I was going to join my friends in giving up something for Lent.

For me, it was more about depriving myself of something that I thought I could live without. You find out in the early part of that 40 days if you can.

This year, I'm giving up soda. Though I typically drink the diet variety, it's more about money and less about sugar intake. Though I do find that when I drink soda I have a tendency to eat more snacky food. Salty chips go great with a diet Pepsi!

More than anything, I'm hoping this will help me drink more water - which was part of my New Year's resolutioning - and maybe be a little less dehydrated after workouts, and well, in general.

So tell me dear readers, Catholic or not, are you participating in this aspect of Lent? And what are you giving up?

Cheers!

-A

RAVE: Diet Dr. Pepper

Before I get into today's Rave, I'd like to point out that yes, I'm aware that I haven't had any Rants lately here in the blogosphere, mostly that has to do with the fact that I haven't been overly displeased with anything as of late.

Until I have a true reason to bitch and moan about a company, product, or service, I'm going to continue raving about those people, places, and things that bring a smile to my face. After all, there's no reason to complain, just for the sake of hearing my own voice.

Let's get on with the show, shall we?

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For as long as I can remember, Dr. Pepper has been one of my favorite sodas. Growing up, my father wasn't supposed to drink dark colas (read: Coke or Pepsi for those who may not be aware) because they're not so gentle on your stomach.

To break the monotony of drinking only Sprite or ginger ale, my dad turned to Dr. Pepper, since it's not technically a "cola."

From a young age I was hooked. But then I gave up all soda for about 5 years of my existence - that is, until I moved to Texas, where I noticed that Dr. Pepper is in ALL the fountain machines.

Not only that, they actually have DIET Dr. Pepper in the fountain machines. Yummy.

As a girl who doesn't like to drink empty calories, this appealed to me very much. And yes, Diet Dr. Pepper does taste like regular Dr. Pepper. I even find it to be a little more refreshing.

Now the other day, the BF and I were walking through the store and came upon Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry. I immediately thought, "there's no way this can be good. The soda already has so many different flavors in it." But we walked out with a 2-liter, prepared to give it a whirl.

To my surprise, this drink was fantastic! In fact, we went and bought a 12-pack of cans last night, and I'm currently enjoying one of those cans as I type this.

It's incredibly smooth with a distinct cherry flavor that's not overpowering by any means.

There's not much more I can say about it other than you MUST try this one yourself. I've also seen that they have a Chocolate Covered Cherry flavor as well. I may have to get around to trying that one out in the future.

Cheers!

-A