Tiny Adventures: June Nature Shenanagins

Ginny,

I explored and played in nature a ton this month. I enjoy summertime in Georgia, but sometimes the humidity does not play around. I'll still go outside and play around though. Nothing can stop meeee! 

Chattahoochee River: Swimming, Socializing, and Sizzling

I took one of my dogs, Obi, to swim in the Chattahoochee River. This was such a fun outing. It was nice to socialize with other people and dogs too. We all shared similar excitement in being there--both humans and dogs alike!

My boyfriend and I used to take our dogs to swim here all the time a couple years ago (when Obi was still a puppy). Obi didn't swim out too far. He didn't have much confidence in himself and was very nervous in new surroundings. But I worked with him on building up his confidence and he has grown so much! And he was able to enjoy swimming out in the deeper end! I even recorded a few seconds of it. :-)

  

  

The Park with SO MANY STEEP and Rocky Trails

My boyfriend went mountain biking while I hiked around with Obi. It felt exhilarating to keep pushing myself on some of those trails. I tested myself with balance, endurance, and a fear of heights. I pushed through any fear or doubt and kept going! I had no idea where I was going for a while and came across a heavily debris-ed area from all of the recent afternoon storms. Many fallen trees and branches lay in the trails with mud and creek all around them. A big creek sat next to all of that, so I had to balance on trees and hop across them to get across. And I saw a tree fall about 10 feet away. Very startling and crazy.

These pictures were snapped while Obi and I cooled off until the lover-pants made it back.

  

Grant Park with Ginnykins and Dani

I have been to Grant Park a few times but only explored the place once. 

That afternoon, we relaxed by a serene pond and created flower chains. An adult-sized turtle kept popping her head up to check up on us. And we also got some pops from King of Pops (first time for me). Very refreshing. And very fun.

 

And that's all I got captured! The rest is locked in my mind. 'Til next time! 

Tiny Adventures: June Food

Dear Gin,

I have been trying new things and broadening my experiences. I am growing and working to become a better version of myself! It starts with attitude and action.

I took a few pictures of some things I did in June. I want to remember that feeling of accomplishment and facing the unknown. Passion and curiosity over laziness!

The Food

When I saw that organic brussel sprouts were on sale I knew now was the time to try them. I didn't follow a recipe to cook this. I just cooked it up the way I thought it would taste good. And it did! I was surprised, honestly. I've always heard people say something like "the only way they'll taste good is if you deep-fry 'em." Well, that's false. 'Cause these are delicious!

Sauteed Sprouts with Onion and Garlic
A bag of brussel sprouts
Onions
A clove or two (or more if you're so bold) of garlic
Seasoning like ground black pepper
A little bit of squeezed lemon
A scoop of white miso paste (for extra flavor which it didn't need)

Quesadillas!

I've cooked this many times. But this time I changed my process a bit, used different salsa, and made a guacamole salad. 

Oh my gosh I should look away from this picture. I'm about to start doing the Homer-Simpson-Drooling-Over-A-Donut-Sound. 

Grapefruit

Why does grapefruit have to look so deceiving?

So juicy and vibrant. Plump and ripe.

I've tried it once before and wanted to try it again. It took me a few bites to reacquaint myself with this bitter citrus taste. I drizzled honey on it to make it a little sweeter, which turned it into a delightful snack. I ate the entire fruit!

And that's all I got for now. Every little bit of progress is better than none at all! ♥ 

Lifescouts #1 | Childhood, Sweet Childhood

Remember Girl Scouts? I was a brownie and junior back in the day, and while the patches were cool, I hated the uniform. But there is something to the idea of giving kids an incentive to do something they might not have otherwise. Lifescouts was created by YouTuber Alex Day to encourage people of all ages to share real-world experiences online. That can be a bad habit for us Millenials, not getting offline enough. Since Blossom Posh is about living a happy and fulfilling life, why not record these experience-stories here too?

 

My Lifescout Badges (so far) 

 

Where better to begin than in the past? These badges are some of my favorite childhood memories. Click on the links to see other people's badge stories. Look at us, joining communities and all that :P

 

Tree-Climbing Badge: Of course I loved climbing trees. My brother and I would hang out with our neighbor in his backyard. We set up a hammock in a tree at one point and made it our hangout. I remember that time like a long stretch of summer days pretending to be a superhero. It's been a long time since I've climbed a tree though, and I miss feeling of bark.
 

Rollercoaster Badge: My 8th grade class took a trip to 6 Flags just before summer. My crush and I went on all the fun rides together, and we starting going out after that.  The best rollercoaster of my life was the Mummy in Universal Studios Florida. This ride had an amazing set design, a freaking story line, and FIRE. After the fire you rode the whole thing backwards. Five star rollercoaster, I'm telling you. Kayla and I went to 6 Flags a couple spring times ago. It was a brain scrambling, nostalgic adventure. I guess we both get this badge, hah!

 

Ballet Badge: Ballet has been a part of my life for 15 years. As I was a shy kid, I sought every other way to express myself through art, writing, and especially dance. What I love is that the body is used as a medium. Dancing the part of the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker with my local dance company has to be one of my proudest moments. I practice yoga more often nowadays, but I'm always thankful for the outlet of wordless expression that dance still provides me.

 

I have roughly three weeks left in Peru. Before I leave though... I'm going to the jungle! *_* Next Lifescout post will be all about new experiences. Carpe Diem, ya'll.

 

<3Ginny

 

Currently Reading: An Introduction to Zen Buddhism by D. T. Suzuki

Lyrics of the Day: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger/ doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone - "Stronger" by Kelly Clarkson

Dear Kayla: hobbies, work, and international living

Dear Kayla,

Dear dear dear Kayla, I miss ya bud. I've finally gotten used to life over here, and I'm busy!

I feel you with the post-grad what-is-my-life-where-am-I-going-what-do-I-want-ahhhhh-anxiety. As much as I prepared for this trip, knowing I needed to escape my comfort zone and challenge myself, being here is far from what I expected. Or at least, I haven't felt the way I expected. Now that's I'm a month in, I am more open to where life will take me. I know to expect the unexpected. Who freakin' knows man. It's scary and exciting. But to make things happen for myself, jobs, opportunities, adventures, friendships, I have to be active. I have to seek them, passionately.

The biggest problem for me is being interested to SO MANY THINGS. They all captivate me. I thought while I was in Peru I would have some much time to read and look for jobs and study, etc. And I have had time, I just worry I'm spreading myself too thin. I'm staying here with my aunt, uncle (tios) and cousin (primo). My tios have four kids, all of them grown (although it's common here for kids to live with their parents until they get married). Anyway my cousin Yulissa plays guitar, but she's living in the States now. So lucky me gets to use her old classical and electric guitar. Woooooo. I'm pretty used to classical guitars, so I've been fooling around with the electric a lot, learning power chords and some of my favorite songs. But I have to write lesson plans as well and REALLY study Spanish. I have to leave the house at 8AM XD and this sucks. It means I have go to sleep around 11 or 11:30, which is so strange for me. My previous bedtime was around 2AM. I have to do all my activities (including blog posts) from 12-5pm.

And it continues. I also read Tina Fey's book Bossypants about a week ago [which I totally recommend to you, Kayla, and all you other readers out there]. I am currently immersed in Ernest Cline's novel Ready Player One. It's kind of a problem [I'm half way through and oh-mah-g freaking favorite book of the year so far]. I had to force myself to stop reading it so I could prepare for my Spanish exam today. So how I'm supposed to be the best teacher I can be, while also studying, reading heavily, playing guitar, and taking in a healthy gulp of Peruvian life? Time to make with the schedule I suppose. As you posted in a WM once, spend your life doing what you enjoy. I don't want to give anything up [in fact I want to add Yoga classes and volunteering as well>.<] but I think after my second month of Spanish classes, I'll stop. I want to learn as much as I can, but just communicating will help with that. Stress is not becoming of a lady either lol and I want to put enough effort into each of my activities.

Also woo Game of Thrones. It's over so sad. The books are amazing I've heard, need to get on that too. I actually have watched Arrested Development, but haven't started the new series yet. I was watching a lot of The Big Bang Theory over here [a student recommend it] but I laid off the juice around mid third season. I'm replacing TV with YouTube and book for now. Also way to lay off the cheese haha I have as well although only because I'm no longer working at a pizza place. Eating my aunt's cooking and the Peruvian cuisine makes me feel in better health that I've been in for a long time. More on that later in a What's in Your Noms? post. I'll leave you with this image of Lima. I'm living behind to the left of those two white buildings.

Hasta luego,

Ginny

Weekly Motivation

So if I feel nervous or scared, maybe it's a sign that I'm on the right track. Woo! So reassuring. Things are going well in Peru. I'll write you back soon Kayla. Enjoy your summer, post-grad adventures. I have plans for myself over here :3

xxxxx

G