Sunday Shoutouts: May the Fourth be with You!

Apparently I got married and stopped doing Sunday Shoutouts every week. My last one was three weeks ago. :( I'm sorry! I've been distracted!

As all good nerds know, today is Star Wars Day. May the Force be with with you... May the Fourth be with you... Yeah, it's fun. Beau and I celebrated by buying a few items off ThinkGeek. A baby shirt that says "Size Matters Not" on it for some friends and their baby. A Death Star tea infuser for me. And while not a Star Wars product itself, we rounded out our order with an unofficial Harry Potter wizarding hat charm for my Pandora bracelet. 

My tea will be the strongest in the Empire!

But enough about all our nerdiness! Let's take a look at what I read last week.

#BringBackOurGirls refers to the schoolgirls in Nigeria who were kidnapped by religious terrorists several weeks ago. While I have read some good news coverage from traditional sources, two blog posts on the tragedy really humbled me and inspired me. Melissa Atkins Wardy, who writes my favorite feminist parenting blog, wrote the piece "Where Are Nigeria's Stolen Daughters?" She reminds us that this particularly horrific act is part of a larger culture that devalues girls and women. 

The other blog post is one that I found on twitter, and I'm not familiar with the overall blog. "Everyone is an Expert on Nigeria Now" points out that even in our (American/European) outrage at the lack of (American/European) news coverage, the way we discuss this massive kidnapping perpetuates our feelings of superiority. Reading this blog post was a needed reminder even to me to check my privilege and to remember that the United States is not the center of the universe. The writer points out the continuous news coverage in Nigeria and in other African countries, along with the local efforts to find the kidnapped girls. 

That was depressing. Let's talk about Star Wars again. I don't have the emotional or mental energy to focus all my attention on the horrors of the world. 

If you are anything like my husband and me, you are dreading the upcoming Star Wars movie. You know, the one that you plan to attend at midnight in costume. 

The principal cast was just announced. The six original stars are returning to reprise their roles. Seven new actors will join them. A principal cast of thirteen! Awesome! 

Guess how many are women.

Two. Carrie Fisher will be back as Princess Leia, and Daisy Ridley will play a new role.

This article explains why exactly the gender disparity is so disappointing and why we need more kickass women like Leia in our sci-fi/action movies. 

Finally, not that I really need to blog more on blogging, but I loved this post by Bonnie on criticism. It's definitely hard for me to accept criticism, even constructive criticism, so I admire Bonnie for recognizing the different forms of criticism and learning how to respond to them in a healthy way. 

What did you read this week? Did you write something extra-awesome that might be worthy of a shoutout? Share in the comments below!

P.S. Did you know that virginity is now a four-letter word? Yeah, I had no idea either. Read my post from yesterday on how Facebook and Bloglovin have both tried to censor me. 

Indulging in French Memories with Caramel Tea

I have always been a big fan of hot tea.

My junior and senior years of college, my best friend Rose and I would brew up an entire pot of tea every time we hung out. Anytime we had friends over, we immediately put water on to boil, and we offered our guests a selection of tea.

When I moved to France after graduation, it was my first time experiencing a real winter. Already an avid tea drinker, I found myself drinking 4-6 cups of tea every single day. My favorite was thé au caramel, a delicious black tea that my boss kept in the house. She and the kids quickly learned how much I liked it, and they always remembered to buy me more at the grocery store.

After spending the better part of two years obsessed with thé au caramel, it was with a heavy heart that I returned to the States, where no such tea existed. Then I interviewed with the French family in New York, and my future boss offered me a cup of tea. To my utmost delight, her tea selection included thé au caramel! It was her favorite tea too, and she always stocked up when visiting France. First in New York, and then in Toronto, I enjoyed several mugs a day of my favorite French tea. But all too soon, my second au pair job ended.

I moved to the Midwest to be closer to Beau. Together we discovered Fast Lane,a black tea sold exclusively online and at their factory by Celestial Seasonings. It became my new favorite tea, and soon, thé au caramel was just a distant memory.

Beau surprised me with an entire case of Fast Lane and Sleepytime!

Until now.

Red Rose sells a line of tea called Simply Indulgent. I had the privilege of sampling their Créme Caramel tea, and it was simply heavenly. A single sip took me back to France. 

Next time I'm at the grocery store, I plan on stopping by the tea aisle to buy a box of Red Rose Simply Indulgent Tea in Créme Caramel. 

While I still plan on drinking Fast Lane with breakfast each morning, my afternoon treat will now be a relaxing mug of caramel tea. 

*Post contains some Amazon Affiliate links if you like tea as much as I do. Influenster sent me the Red Rose tea in exchange for my honest review.