Starbuck Secret Menu - Thin Mint Frappuccino

Challenge: Try everything off the Starbucks Secret Menu.

I had a bit of a chocolate craving today, but it was so warm out I thought something minty might do the trick. Like the candy, it was delicious and had just enough chocolate to satisfy my craving, yet not enough to spoil my dinner.

Order a green tea creme frappuccino with chocolate syrup and java chips added.

Zumba - dancing for those who can't dance?

When I was twelve, I tore my left ACL twice. I had the perfect athlete's triad - which basically means I completely destroyed my knee. It was devastating, to say the least.

Now when I try to keep active, I have a hard time balancing between doing what I want/know I'm capable of doing versus what I'm actually able to do. I've been running and doing yoga consistently (and longboarding if you consider that a form of exercise). I love dancing, so Zumba was a great choice of exercise for me.

For those of you who aren't aware of Zumba's existence and/or those of you who have heard of it but don't really know what it is, Zumba is a program in which participants follow a choreographed routine that works certain muscles. The music is a mix of Latin and hip-hop which I can't help but wiggle along to anyway. What's especially nice about Zumba is that it incorporates a warm-up and cool-down into the class which is really good when exercising. It can get hard on my knees, especially during sequences where I have to turn on one leg repeatedly, but most of the time I'm too busy enjoying myself to notice!

It sounds/looks slightly ridiculous, but it truly is a lot of fun. I couldn't really dance before I started Zumba, but it doesn't matter. All I have to do is keep an eye on the instructor and follow his or her moves. There's also Zumba Toning in which participants use hand weights during certain sequences of a routine. I would suggest anyone willing to try it start with light weights, just in case. The first time I tried the toning class I started out with some light weights my aunt brought me, but switched about half way through the class to the heavier weights my aunt was using. I couldn't imagine doing the entire class with the heavy weights - my arms were aching after just half the class!

I'm sure Zumba isn't for everyone, but I strongly encourage you to try it if you have the opportunity. If it hadn't been for a friend of mine who danced, I would've never tried it. Last year I even did it with the entire group of Resident Advisors (and Area Directors!) as part of RA training at Linfield! We dressed up in bright workout clothes (and the occasional tutu) and made an evening of it. Now that I'm back home, I've been dropping in on classes in Tacoma at Studio 6 Ballroom with my aunt. There are classes offered all over - just check the Zumba website for details.

Sunday Drive #1

I was driving today and realized how wonderful music is. Sometimes my mood changes with the music that's playing. Sometimes it fulfills a moment. Sometimes it makes me think about larger picture things. I don't know if I'm making any sense, but I just thought I'd share some of my favorite songs at the moment.

Picture yourself out for a nice, long, relaxing drive somewhere on a lazy summer Sunday afternoon...

George Morgan - You Say

King Charles - Lady Percy

Branches - Helicopter

Finn HP - Chocolate (1975 cover)

Becky CJ - Overjoyed/Kiss You (Bastille and One Direction mashup cover)

Tacoma Ethnic Festival

Today my family and I went to the Tacoma Ethnic Festival. My friend Nathalie (mentioned in an earlier blogpost) was performing so we tried to make it, but by the time we got there they had already finished. Sorry Nat! We had been to Ethnic Fest last year so we knew where we would immediately head - the main stage for music and dancing. They always seem to play great music. And it was perfect weather for dancing barefoot! We met up with Nat eventually and stayed to watch some of the other performers. There were Hawaiian hula dancing, Korean drummers, and (pictured) Korean dancers.

In between performances we meandered around the vendors. Eventually we decided to take the plunge and hit up the food vendor area. BEST IDEA EVER!! By that time I was so hungry - I hadn't eaten much for breakfast because I was anticipating the Ethnic Fest food. There were so many options to choose from! Now I normally am quite practical with spending money, but when it comes to food, I lose it. Whenever I see food that I want to try or food I know I like that I can't necessarily make for myself, I go for it. I wouldn't necessarily call myself a "foodie" but I love food!
I love cooking and eating and conversing about food.

If you, by chance, are like me and don't quite consider yourself a foodie but are a lover of cooking and food in general, check out the book Try This: Travel the Globe Without Leaving the Table by Danyelle Freeman. It is an easy read that provides a great overview of several culture's cuisines as well as some general tips on etiquette and dining. It's definitely opened my mind (and mouth!) to trying new kinds of food. Also, if you have the chance, read Julie & Julia by Julie Powell. It is the novel that the 2009 movie was based on. Although I don't like the book, I liked the idea of setting out on a culinary adventure. Thus, the books inspired me to add the Julie & Julie project challenge to The List.

Anyway, I'm grateful I had Nat and my brother along to help me out. Nat helped guide me through the food vendors and their offerings and my brother helped me finish my selections! Great teamwork, don't you think?

Disclaimer: all the food and beverages I had were DELICIOUS, so I won't waste my time repeating myself.

My first selection was a peach lemonade. I'm a sucker for lemonade and peaches in general, so the idea of the combination was very appealing. I like my lemonade slightly tart and although the peach flavor sweetened it a bit, it was still pleasantly tart. They even stuck half a lemon in there!




My next selection was a corn on the cob. I grew up loving elotes (Spanish for corn on the cob) so this was also a no-brainer! I had always thought that elotes, made the Mexican way, were slathered with butter and sprinkled with paprika and salt. Nathalie informed me that they put mayonnaise on it, so that's what I did. PERFECTION. I'm still not sure what makes elotes in Mexico so freaking good though.


Next we hit up the crêpe stand for a little dessert. If there's one thing you must know about me, it's that I absolutely love crêpes! I don't know what it is about them... Maybe their versatility? They can be served with fruit tucked inside for breakfast, chicken and spinach for brunch, or whipped cream for dessert. Sometimes I simply slather the insides with jam for a quick breakfast. They can be made and stored for later (a college girl's favorite type of food, although they're not as good as fresh-made crêpes).

The crêpe stand had a mixture of both dessert crêpes and brunch crêpes. At this point I was filling up and didn't think I had room for a chicken artichoke crêpe, so I opted for a sweet one. I've been craving chocolate a lot lately - so much so that I recently tried making chocolate crêpes. They turned out great! Granted, I'm not a professional crêpe maker nor am I a connoisseur of crêpes. Nat ordered the fresh strawberry crêpe with powdered sugar and cream and I orded the chocolate turtle crêpe with powdered sugar, cream, chocolate and caramel syrup, and crushed peanuts.

The last thing I ordered was curly fries - because just when I thought I was stuffed, I saw them. Oh the shame.