Adventure Week

I am very excited about this blog...I love that I can look forward to both reading and writing on it. It is very cool to be able to hear from texts and phone calls on how LoLo is doing, but seeing pictures and reading all about it is something totally different. 

This quote here sums up my week quite well. I have not started working yet so I have to be very careful with what I buy...yet moments don't cost anything (just maybe gas). Since I have not had to go to work I have had the time to go and explore the beautiful area I now live in. I am sure during the winter I will not think it is so beautiful, but I guess there is a season for everything right?

To start my week off I went on a refreshing walk around the neighborhood to just see all that I live next to. I was going to checkout this park, but I could not find it :( The moral of this story is that if you think you have found a park and you turn to notice that your actually in someones back yard RUN! 
On the way back to my place I found this beautiful hibiscus flower. They are everywhere on Guam so when I saw this on my walk I had to stop and take a picture of it.

   

 

Another thing about Guam is that there is not a Walmart out there yet (I know crazy that people are still alive out there). With there being no Walmart there are two major places that people shop...Kmart and Ross! I loved Ross on Guam and I am going to love that I have one near me! I told myself going in that I could not buy anything full price. I walked out of there with two blouses totaling $15, that's less then either one at regular price!

Every day this week I have gone on a run. Whether it was at a park or just in the neighborhood it has felt so good to be in the sunshine. These shoes are my favorite running shoes and this week I thought I ruined them. To save all you guys from being grossed out I did not take a picture of them, but lets just say they got bloody from blisters on the back on my heals. I did not even realize that they were that bad until I took them off at the end of a day of running and walking around. Thankfully it washed off with some warm water andsoap so all is happy again. 

 After I get a workout in I love to make protein shakes! I use a banana, peanut butter, oatmeal, and a little bit of honey (and almonds if I have them).

 

 This is another park that I went to that is right on a river. The Occoquan River diagonally across from
the Town of Occoquan. It has 400 acres of recreational space, there is a field for every outdoor sport imaginable and would be a great place to invite a group of people to grill out. The scenery is so cool and the houses in the area are beautiful. This is a brick kiln and I did not know what it was so I came home and did some research.

Lorton Reformatory was the prison for Washington DC. It started off as a new model for reforming prisoners through work skills. It was meant to be totally self sufficient, but didn't quite ever achieve that goal. Although in many ways it came close. The prison which was funded by Congress in 1910 and had no bars, fences or walls. People described it as being like a college campus. By the time it closed in 1998 it was a nightmarish hell. The prison was built with bricks made in this and eight other kilns. This one was left standing as a monument to the prisoners efforts. The bricks produced here also were used in many public building that were built in Washington DC.

 Some pretty cool stuff!!

 

I loved this gazebo

I am sure this place can get packed with people, but the day that I went there were like 10 other people there. The dock was not busy so I went and sat on the end of it to journal and just watch the fish jump out of the water. The view from the dock was so gorgeous I had to take a panorama to capture it all!

It is confession time..so..this may be my SECOND box that I have eaten since I moved here! The family that LoLo nannies for had them and from then on I was in love! They are spicy, but not to the point that they have no flavor. It is more like they have a little kick to them. They have just been a little too convenient to bring with me and they always have hit the spot. I don't eat junk food all the time, but these have been my kryptonite. 

After the day at the park I went over to the Andersons to get a lesson from Momma Tae on how to make Pupusas (a thick, hand-rolled maize tortilla). Pupusas also known as Pupisio were first created by the Pipil tribes which dwelled in the territory which is now known as El Salvador. Pupusas are now traditionally served with curtido (a pickled cabbage relish, coleslaw , possibly containing hot peppers)
and tomato sauce, and are traditionally eaten with the fingers. We made pupusa de arroz which is
a popular variant of the pupusa in El Salvador and as the name indicates,
and they are usually stuffed only with beans and cheese.

 

 I was taught so much and soaked up everything she was sharing and telling during our "lesson". I have really enjoyed getting to know Mrs Anderson's parents over their visit to the US. They have taught me so much and I love the stories they tell. I could sit and talk with them all day!

See I had my listening ears on! I never made a perfect pupusa, but hey the effort was there ;) 

She is such a sweet lady and I am so glad that she shared part of her culture with me! It is so cool that even something like this gives me a love for the people there in El Salvador. 

These were so good, and I know that if I tried to make them myself again they just would not taste the same. I really liked the cabbage mixture that went on top it married all the flavors together!

 

The next day I was up and ready for my run so I ended up doing about a 3 mile run and a 3 mile walk. This is a before and after picture of me and all my shining glory :P

New Day = New Adventure
On the way to this park there were farms with horses that you could rent and ride on the trails. I think that would be so much fun and something that I would love to do in the future. Another cool thing about going to all these places is that along the way you come across new places and new ideas for the next time.

I like to find the parks that have access to a river/bay/lake as I am sure you have noticed.

This park had a water park for kids in the middle and it was neat because they had a scenic trail that you could take to get there...so I did. On my way back to my car (about 2 miles away) LoLo called me and I did not want to lose reception so I went on road and thought I had gotten lost. I found my way back to the car, but I am pretty sure I scared LoLo just a little.

When I got home I really wanted to make something so I made a batch of granola. It turned out really well and I am exited to be able to take it as breakfast or a snack when work starts!

Now that you have read everything else I have saved the best news for last! I have been blessed with a job with Bright Horizons!!!! I have accepted the proposal and am going in to do paperwork tomorrow! This is something I have been hoping and praying for since December and at this point it is very surreal. I can go on and on with the story, but it all boils down to the Lords timing and not my own. I had much to learn and He has been patient with me. Some days it was easy for me "let GO and let GOD" but other days I would hold to it to tightly and think I could make it work. I am very excited for what this next week has in store for me. I have been loving getting to met new people and I can wait to met my new co-workers. The church family has been so sweet and really tucked me under their wings. They have made me feel so welcomed and made this transition easy in that way. I am blessed to be here in VA and I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for me!

With a pinch of love,

Lil'Chef