My Style: The Hipster/Mormon Maxi Skirt

Ever since I saw Natural Belle's post with her very cute maxi skirt I've been looking for one of my own. I finally found a brownish pinkish one in a shop in Ann Arbor called $15 Dollars or Less. The shop gave off a distinct air of hipster and smelt of hemp and kush incenses. I saw this skirt and fell in love. It's stands at the intersection of hipster and mormon daughter and I love it.

Eastern Farmers Market

You haven't been to a farmers market until you've been to the Eastern Market in Detroit, Michigan.There were about five sheds the size of warehouses full of all my produce wonders. If the refrigerator at home wasn't already full I would have bought more but I'm tired of playing ispy in my mom's frige. Instead mom and I went there with a couple goals.

• Buy bean custard pie. Ok so about a week ago Andrew Zimmern, of Bizarre Foods, did a show on Detroit and took a visit to the Eastern Market were he tasted and then proceeded to fall in love with a bean custard pie by Love's Custard Pie. My mission was to find that stand and eat the custard. Mission Accomplished!

• Find a plant for mother's outdoor patio. A couple a years ago when my mother was out of town I, along with my cousin, were asked to take care of her plates. They died within the first week because we forgot to water them. Mom, years after the incident, is just now buying more plants. Isn't it a beauty! 

• More fruit. The price of fruit was wild! I would never go to the grocery store if I lived closer to Eastern Market. There really would be no need to shop anywhere, because all my grocery needs could be found somewhere at this market. Oranges were 10 for $5. Strawberries were $1 for 12oz. Pineapples were $1 each. 6 pack of garlic for $1. Amazing prices!

•  After walking around for about two hours mother and I went to get pizza at Supino Pizzeria next to the market. I was...ok. The ice cream shop next to the pizzeria was to die for. Yummmy. I can't wait to take Jua here when he comes into town.

From the Bookshelf: Assata: An Autobiography

I think I have a new found sweet spot for autobiographies. I'm trying to type the words that could explain the emotions that spill off the pages in this book. There are none, or at least I can't eloquently lay them out so I oped for a list instead:

• It is a brilliant illustration of the pervasive, gross, and dehumanizing prison system we have in America.

• It is the story of a political prisoner; a story not unlike many political pensioners that seem to have fallen on deaf ears since the 21st century.

• It is the story of a black woman that made the choice to stand for a cause. 

• It is a must read for members of my generation that are striving for  social justice, equal education, economic freedom so that the pursuit of happiness doesn't seem so damn impossible. 

• It is powerful ad empowering. 

Chakula Tayari: Broccoli and Mushroom Lettuce Wraps

When I was in Tanzania  last year my professor's wife use to always yell "chakula tyari," which is Kiswahili for "food is ready," to call everyone to the dinner table. Everyone ate dinner are 4pm, which was insane to me but the food was always prepared so well by the woman hired that the phrase stuck with me. 

Dinner is ready and on the menu we have broccoli and mushroom stir-fry in lettuce wraps with a avocado and lemon spread. The sides are yummy strawberries and walnuts. This is me trying to be a little adventurous and it worked! The result was mouth watering.

The stir-fry was just a mix of garlic, red onion, mushrooms, and broccoli with a little evoo. For the avocado spread, I mashed half an avocado with sea salt and lemon zest. Next time I think I add some black beans to the wrap.

Just Keep Moving...

I love my Nike+ app

 My goal is to run a marathon by next summer. For right now I'm only half crazy currently training for my first half-marathon with Jua this summer. I'm not really big on pace, unlike Jua, I just want to finish! I started running about four years ago with my friend Jhenny (I just got serious about it in the last year). For a while we just jogged and walked our way to 3 miles and it was a good week when I did that more than twice.

Now I'm working towards that 13.1 milestone. There are days when the couch potato inside of me tells me not to move much less run. But we all have things that push us further; here are two of mine:

• Cupcakes! I know it sounds silly, but I every time I break my longest mile record I reward myself with a cupcake. Its one of many vices I have. The Cupcake Station cupcakery in Ann Arbor, MI has my vote for the best vegan carrot-cake cupcake. 

• My path! Sometimes running ten miles can fly by when the path you're running on is beautiful. 

What I see when I run