Check out our June newsletter!
June 2024
AaronMillerLaw.com 214.292.4225
FROM CAMPFIRES TO COURTROOMS A Lawyer’s Perspective on Camping
When I was just a baby, my parents took me on my first camping trip. Following the advice of their physician, they carried me along in a Styrofoam container — with holes poked through it to provide proper airflow — as they adventured in the wilds of Alaska. Now, I would not recommend this course of action for my reading audience, but it demonstrates how long I have been an avid camper, albeit at times unwittingly. Later in life, I would take my own daughters camping — without carrying them around in coolers, mind you — to places like Dinosaur Valley in Glen Rose and Crater of Diamonds in Arkansas. With June being National Camping Month, I thought I would share my experience as a camper and how those trips helped shape who I am today. Scouting Ahead My camping experience properly started when I joined the Boy Scouts. As a member of Troop 499 in Fort Worth, Texas, we would go camping once a month — rain or shine. At times, it got so cold that the eggs we brought with us froze in their cartons or so hot that we thought we would expire in our tents — but our leaders never saw fit to cancel. We would go camping in tents, teepees, or even in the open air. But our perseverance meant we never missed out on a chance for adventure, whether out-of-state in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, down near Houston, or our big yearly jaunt over to Panola County. By the time I left Troop 499, they had been on 400 consecutive campouts.
At times, it got so cold that the eggs we brought with us froze in their cartons or so hot that we thought we would expire in our tents — but our leaders never saw fit to cancel.
Themed Campouts To keep things fresh, Troop 499 incorporated various themes and expenditures for our stakeouts. On one trip, we lashed logs together to make monkey bridges and built zip lines to ride down on; another trip saw us dressing up like mountain men and living life like beaver trappers in the 1840s. This meant we would practice our archery, hatchet throwing, and even black powder shooting skills in the great outdoors. One of our leaders was a ranking member of the Texas State Rifle Association, and at least once a year, we would spend a weekend shooting rifles and learning to use scopes — which was always a blast . Snake Shore At times, we would go canoeing together. During our trips downriver, our tradition was to dump repurposed milk cartons full of water on each other and to splash our fellow Scouts using our oars. These were always my favorite excursions, and not just because my dad would always agree to go as my rowing partner. However, things weren’t always smooth sailing. On one canoe trip, my dad and I brushed against a branch and loosed a snake onto our boat. We had to paddle ferociously to a rocky shore and bail out. My dad ended up making snake sashimi with the help of his oar, and we dumped the remains in the river before setting out again. Our family still goes on camping trips, albeit not as tenaciously and often as Troop 499. Despite the sometimes calamitous conditions, I will treasure my memories of those trips forever and hope my daughters remember our campouts together just as fondly.
-Aaron Miller
AaronMillerLaw.com | 1
Published by Newsletter Pro • www.newsletterpro.com
RECYCLING REIMAGINED Innovative Ideas for Repurposing Household Items
While not everything you throw away is “another man’s treasure,” as the old saying goes, much of it can still be put to better use. The “treasure” may just be the money you save and the help you provide to the environment by utilizing discarded materials. If you have ever wondered if what you are tossing out may still be useful, this article is for you. Here are five everyday items you can reuse to help the environment and your wallet! Cardboard Boxes All of us have spare boxes from moving or an online order. Rather than breaking them down and throwing them out or stacking them up sight unseen, why not use them for organization? Boxes make for great
economical option may be sitting in your car’s cup holder or on a fridge shelf. If you cut the tops off, plastic bottles are the perfect size and shape to contain the soil and roots necessary to start your garden strong and at a pittance of the cost of traditional options. Toilet Roll Tubes Are tangled wires making an eyesore out of your home office space? The cardboard tubes from toilet paper rolls we throw out make for a practical solution. You can turn these tubes into cheap wire organizers, and their shape and length make them perfect for HDMI cords, power cords, and phone chargers alike.
Wine Corks Your wine corks are useful for more than keeping your finest red from going bad. After celebrating with a bottle of Prosecco, you can make these corks into noise dampeners for cabinets and drawers. By cutting up the wine corks and gluing them onto the corners of your cabinets and drawers, you can turn them into impromptu soft-close bumpers, reducing the noise when you close those doors and drawers.
organizers in drawers or closets and can be easily labeled to make managing your possessions easier. Plastic Food Containers If you have ever bought a tub of yogurt, cream cheese, or other foods in large plastic resealable containers, you should know you can reuse them to store various foods, like sandwiches, fruits,
vegetables, and sauces. Whether for storing your lunch or a midday snack, plastic food containers come in multiple shapes and sizes to fit your needs — and you’ve already paid for them. Bottles If you have a garden or are thinking of starting one, you may have realized that planter pots and boxes can be expensive . Luckily, a more
Although you can repurpose some waste for your benefit, that does not mean everything you throw out
is worth the effort. None of us want our houses to look like something out of a post-apocalyptic movie like “Mad Max” or “Waterworld.” However, reusing certain items, typically considered disposable, can be a boon and lead to a more organized, happier household.
2 | 214.292.4225
Published by Newsletter Pro • www.newsletterpro.com
Hosting the Ultimate Outdoor Movie Night MOONLIT MOVIE MAGIC
Whether it’s blocking pucks during a street hockey game or checkmating chess hustlers at the park, traditionally indoor activities take on an entirely new feel and flavor when taken outside. While
agree that watching a movie outside on your phone does not make for a great cinematic experience. Debtrette, a TikTok influencer and mom, has a suggestion. She put a spin on an old classic — family movie night — by holding it in her backyard with all the conveniences you would expect at a movie theater — like an air mattress, pillows, and blankets! If you are looking for a fun way to spruce up a traditional movie night, what better way than to bring it outside under the stars? Here are some necessities to make your moonlight movie night truly magical:
a rare sight these days, movie-goers worldwide
used to enjoy cinema from the comfort of their cars at drive-in theaters. These made a brief resurgence during the pandemic, but now that movies are rolling in theaters again, the fad has begun to die off.
• A portable projector screen, like a sheet on a clothesline • Portable movie projector
• Lamps, lanterns, or candles • Warm blankets • The perfect movie to bring it all together
• Candy, popcorn, and beverages • Some outdoor seating and cushions
You can find screens and projectors to fit any budget, and your movie selection will depend on the crowd. Just make it fun: Lie back on the grass and watch “Antz” or lounge in the pool while watching “Jaws”! The key is to make the experience unforgettable, and all who share in it will be thankful for your effort to make it all possible.
These days, if you want to watch a movie, it seems like you are limited to three options: Watching it at the theater, on your TV, or on your phone or tablet. Now, I think we can all
Summer Chicken Salad Inspired by FoodNetwork.com
Ingredients • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts • Salt and pepper • 4 ears of corn, shucked • 3 tbsp minced dill
Dressing • 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup half and half • 1/4 cup mayonnaise • 1/4 cup sour cream • 1 tsp sugar • Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 stalks celery, finely diced • 1 red onion, finely diced • 1 1/2 cups blueberries • 1 head of butter lettuce
1. Place chicken in a large plastic bag and pound with a mallet to flatten to 1/4-inch thickness. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 2. Heat grill, then grill chicken on both sides for about 4 minutes per side; set aside to cool before slicing. 3. Grill corn until the kernels begin browning, turning regularly for even cooking. Use a knife to shave the kernels off. 4. In a bowl, mix all dressing ingredients until combined. 5. In a large bowl, combine corn, dill, celery, and onions, then stir in chicken and top with dressing and blueberries as desired. 6. Separate the head of butter lettuce into “cups” to fill with salad and enjoy! Directions
TAKE A BREAK
AaronMillerLaw.com | 3
Published by Newsletter Pro • www.newsletterpro.com
214.292.4225 www.AaronMillerLaw.com 1400 Preston Road, Suite 118 Plano, Texas 75093
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1
A Lawyer’s Reflection on National Camping Month
2
Smart Ways to Reuse Everyday Items
3
Host a Movie Night Under the Stars
Summer Chicken Salad
4
Hot Water Is Phenomenal for Your Health?
Revived and Revitalized
The Wondrous Properties of Hot Water We are aware that water drinkers consume fewer calories than nonwater drinkers, and the link between consuming sweetened beverages and obesity attests to this.
drinking some hot water before your meal. Studies also show that drinking hot water 30–40 minutes before you eat can increase your metabolism by 40%, compared to just 30% from drinking room-temperature water! Additionally, researchers recommend drinking 2 liters of water, heated to at least 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, to kickstart your energy expenditure throughout the day. Cleanse Your System One of the first side effects of drinking hot water is increased body temperature, which can lead to sweating and natural detoxification. Additionally, drinking hot water aids in preventing constipation, bloating, and hemorrhoids and helps break down food faster than cold water. If you want to lose weight or partake in some natural detoxification, it may be time to incorporate some hot water into your diet. It may be a hot take, but science suggests that ditching soft drinks for some heated H2O will benefit your health!
Beverage brands may boast the supposedly remarkable attributes of their energy drink and mineral water brands, but none can beat the benefits of water — and there’s research to prove it. Water is necessary to keep our bodies functioning, and drinking enough is essential to live healthily and reach our full fitness potential. However, a new development shows that it is possible to unlock even more of water’s potential — by drinking it hot! Enhanced Weight Loss While many know that drinking enough can make you feel full, it may actually do much more, depending on the temperature of the water and when you drink it. Research shows that drinking water can increase your metabolic rate and daily energy expenditure, which helps you burn calories and lose weight. If you want to lose weight, try
4 | 214.292.4225
Published by Newsletter Pro • www.newsletterpro.com
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator