Destination Peach

Where Reality and Inspiration Meet

City O’ City

city o city

Photo by City O’ City

Inspired by my hiking trip from this weekend, I wanted to keep the good vibes rolling. So, I met with friends to enjoy a meal at the vegan restaurant City O’ City in Denver, Colorado. I was a bit nervous about eating at a vegan restaurant because, the vegan food I tried in the past was horrible. Yet I visited the restaurant with good intentions. City O’ City did not disappoint! From the good vibes, abstract decor, and amazing food I was thoroughly impressed! Impressed to the point where I am actually considering going vegan. If food can taste that good without meat, then meat is not necessary right?

Photo of the Tempeh Bacon Hash

I highly recommend City O’ City for awesome vegan food. Here are my top five menu items you should try…

  1. Tempeh Bacon Hash
  2. The Omelette
  3. El Jefe
  4. Breakfast Burrito
  5. Libations

Until next time…

– Peach

Hiking Adventures

photo-1445836356319-82c32ff6e881This weekend I decided to try something new beyond my comfort level… hiking! As a true city girl being in wilderness is not something that brings me inner enthusiasm. The mixture of bugs, mountain animals, and potentially getting lost on a hiking trail is not my combination of fun. I get it, some people love being outdoors and taking hiking trails into the unknown…while some people love doing activities at lower elevation levels.

The morning of the hike it took every ounce of energy I had to stay committed to going on the hike. To deflect my inner negative ego, I spoke positivity into my day reflecting on the benefits of going on a hike. Thankfully, I pushed through and completed the hike. I now understand why people enjoy hiking. Hiking provides a meditative space of stillness. In the presence of stillness you can feel God, it is an unexplainable experience.  An experience that you cannot achieve with the daily distractions of city life. Not to mention, hiking is also a mental, physical, and visual metaphor for overcoming life obstacles. For every step taken you eventually make it to your destination based on the strength of trust and courage.

I’m not sure when I will go on another hike but I am now a hiking fan! If you are interested in going on Colorado hikes I highly recommend the Trails website.

Until next time…

-Peach

Destination Series: Valley Of The Sun Peach

photo-1464839917112-b7a556412fa0

About a day after coming back from Chicago, Ill… I jetted of to Phoenix, Arizona for doctoral residency. Attending residency this year was a surreal experience. Year three residency officially marked the beginning stages of me being very close to receiving my terminal degree (as long as I finish my dissertation). In Phoenix I spent two weeks in class from 8AM-5PM. Being in class for about nine hours a day was not easy. If you’re wondering if I had an off day during the two-week residency the answer is sadly, NO! I have been back home for a few days now and I am still trying to catch up on rest.

I persevered through the two weeks of intense scholarly work like a champ, but there were many moments were I did not think I was going to make it. Thankfully, my family in Phoenix and a visit from my L.A. friend empowered me to push through.

photo-1464800959563-472c0567132f

The new connections I have made with students and faculty members has truly been amazing and unforgettable. I look forward to staying connected with my peers from class as we progress towards the finish line (Dr. Peach coming soon).

If you are in a doctoral program or just going through life struggles…I highly suggest the Seven Habits of Exceptionally Resilient People to overcome any life challenge.

Resilient People:

  1.  Have a strong sense of purpose
  2. Are self-reliant
  3. Have a supportive network
  4. Are accepting
  5. Are optimists
  6. Turn adversity into opportunities for growth
  7. Take care of their health

If you practice the seven habits or have your own go-to mantras, let me know in the comment section.

Until next time…

-Peach

Destination Series: Windy City Peach

FullSizeRenderTo kick off my departure from job, on the very last work day I headed on a plane to Chicago, Ill. I figured what better way to cement new growth then by taking a trip.  Not to mention, I was ready to see Beyoncé and get in formation. By the way…Beyoncé is an amazing performer, during the concert I kept questioning whether or not she was even human (while shedding tears as she performed). When you watch Beyoncé perform she is the direct reflection of what happens when you are directly aligned with your life purpose.

The next day after the Beyoncé concert my friends and I enjoyed everything Chicago had to offer. From great food, attractions, and boat parties… I truly celebrated life! Which speaks to my new goal of truly embracing the great moments in my life, as I do the bad moments in my life. In order to feel the highs of life, I have to be comfortable feeling the lows.

I would have posted this blog sooner, but I have been traveling non-stop since the end of May. Here are a few pics I captured during my festivities.

new

FullSizeRender (2)

FullSizeRender (1)

FullSizeRender (4)

FullSizeRender (3)Until next time…

-Peach

I Quit My Job!

things-found-in-a-school-chs-5

After three years of being a Media-Technology teacher I decided to quit my job. My decision to quit had been a long time coming. For sometime about year to be exact…I had danced with the idea of leaving my place of employment. But my reality of financial security, bills, health benefits, and my students postponed by decision.

As my happiness and mental health started to suffer I had enough. I knew that it was time for me to make a change. No job is worth loosing your sanity. I started to realize that every goal and dream I had for myself could not be accomplished in my role as a Media-Technology teacher. My growth and potential was being limited and I had to be honest with myself. Being honest with myself about wanting to feel happy and purposeful at work was something I could no longer deny.

I don’t have a plan for what I am going to do next…but that’s the beauty about my decision. For the first time in my life I am taking risks and stepping out on faith. The past 29 years of my life have been calculated and planned. It’s time for me to dare greatly and be brave.

For all the people that have asked me what I am going to do next my response is, “what ever I want to, gosh its coo now”- Kanye West.

So stay tuned as I transition into my journey of the unknown.

Until next time…

-Peach

Lemonade Stan

Photo From Parkwood/Tidal

This weekend was incredible! While enjoying the nice weather, spending time with family/friends, and writing my dissertation (still a work in progress) I was anticipating the Lemonade premiere by Beyoncé. Prior to the Lemonade premiere I didn’t know what to expect, but I was hoping it had something to do with a new album release. Like everyone else I was thinking….c’mon B…please drop your album before I see you in concert so that I can be in formation.

Queen B not only answered my request but over delivered. To be honest, I am still trying to process everything that happened in the Lemonade film. Beyoncé was telling the story of my life. The concepts of love, vulnerability, relationships, infidelity, heartbreak, trust, and what it means to be a Black woman in America is a part of my everyday reality. The story Beyoncé told in the Lemonade film was needed. The Black women narrative is so important, yet it is marginalized in mainstream America. Lemonade was a true visual and musical reflection of Black Girl Magic!

My emotions while watching Lemonade was all over the place. Feelings of sadness, anger, and joy all in the same breath was intense but AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL! After watching the film several times and having the album on repeat…here’s what I know to be true as reiterated by Beyoncé in the Lemonade film…

  1. Love is beautiful.
  2. When life gives you lemons make lemonade.
  3. Black lives matter.
  4. In every life struggle you must persevere.
  5. If a man can’t love you the way you deserve then leave him.

Until next time…

-Peach

 

Destination Series: Desert Peach

IMG_2695In mist of writing my dissertation I recently went on a trip to Las Vegas. I figured…taking a trip to relieve stress and refuel my motivation as a student would be the best remedy. The trip was originally planned for a “baecation”. However, shit happens and when it does you just make lemonade out of lemons. Right?

IMG_2699In Vegas my friends and I had an amazing spring break. It was the right amount of turn-up. I snapped a few pics. Only a few pics because as the saying goes…what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

IMG_2688If your visiting Vegas any time soon I highly recommend these five things:

  1. Club Crawls-best way to enjoy the night life in Vegas.
  2. The MTO Cafe-awesome local spot.
  3. Voodoo Zipline at The Rio hotel-scary but fun.
  4. Downtown Container Park-very unique and cool.
  5. Urban Tom’s– the menu is insane!
  6. Uber-cheaper than a taxi.

Until next time…

-Peach

The Struggle Is Real

photo-1443188631128-a1b6b1c5c207

As of lately I have been in hiding but for all good reasons. My dissertation process has started and the struggle has been real.  For the last three years I have been waiting for this moment, and now that the moment has arrived I’m in complete shock. Which is weird considering that I wrote and completed a dissertation for my Master’s program. With being mid-way in the dissertation process I figured I share the top 20 reoccurring thoughts I have while writing my dissertation…

Hopefully some of you out there can relate!

  1. What did I get myself into?
  2. Is this really happening?
  3. I don’t even know how to get started.
  4. Shit, I have writers block.
  5. I can’t find the motivation to even think.
  6. FML!
  7. I don’t feel smart.
  8. Why did I choose this topic?
  9. Why am I second guessing myself.
  10. I’m the Kanye of writing dissertations.
  11. I’m a beast when it comes to finding scholarly sources.
  12. Damn…I’m falling behind the deadline date.
  13. I’ll just pull an all-nighter and get things done.
  14. Who am I kidding…I’m too old to be pulling all-nighters.
  15. I need more computer storage space.
  16. I should buy a backup hard drive for my backup hard drive.
  17. I feel like crying!
  18. Who’s idea was it for me to pursue a doctorate degree? Oh it was mine’s!
  19. Where’s my cohort when I need them?
  20. I got this!!!

For any one that maybe working on their dissertation…remember we got this!

Until next time…

-Peach

The Truth About Love

oh well

As of lately I have been making it my mission to clean house. Not literally “cleaning my house”…but removing people and situations that no longer bring me value. For so long I had grown accustomed to or shall I say addicted to certain situations and people.

One situation in particular was a romantic relationship that I was insistent on making it work. I swear…love is the strongest drug ever. Being addicted to love or to a certain person made me blind to all of the red flags. When I was high off love nobody could tell me nothing. My desperate need to feel loved would randomly come to a halt when lies, disappearing acts, cheating, and lack of communication ruined the relationship.

As I started to wake up…better yet come down from my “love” high, I realized that the relationship was just not meant to work. I truly wanted the relationship to work and did everything I could to maintain the relationship. But, the more I tried the more the person I loved did everything they could to ruin the relationship.

It’s simple! You can’t love someone that is not able to receive love. Sadly, most people grow up not learning how to love. And those people that grow up not knowing how to love oftentimes miss the opportunity of having a non-toxic relationship in their adult life. Broken people reflect broken behavior, and although a person can say they love you their actions have to show it.

When you’re dealing with a broken person they can cause you to question everything about yourself as they chip away at your self-esteem. However if you know you’re worth, broken people teach you a lesson and prepare you for something better.

The best thing to do when it comes to loving a broken person is to let them go, because the inner battle their fighting is far bigger than what you can fix. No relationship is worth loving another person more than yourself. It took me a while to learn and acknowledge the truth about love, but now I finally get the message I was intended to learn after all these years.

Until next time…

-Peach

 

Everything I Did Wrong

everythingPhoto from inkSpotEntertainment

This week has been a short but long week. It was nice having a snow day but after endless naps and dreadful cabin fever, I was completely bored. It wasn’t like I didn’t have any homework or work to do. I honestly didn’t feel like doing any work period. So, during the snow day I searched online until I stumbled across a new YouTube series. For me, finding a new YouTube series is like finding internet gold (bring on the binge watching).

What I like about YouTube is that content creators have the freedom to tell stories from their perspectives. In fact, YouTube is one of the few mediums where content celebrating different cultures is actually supported. As we all know, in mainstream America various mediums lack diverse perspectives and diverse people.

Okay so back to the web series. The series is titled everything I did wrong in my 20’s. When I saw the title I was already lured in, because I have been doing so many things wrong in my 20’s. With the month of March officially marking the last year of my 20’s, I plan to make right my wrongs so that my 30’s can be poppin.

The series is a part of inkSpotEntertainment founded by Kim Williams who also writes/produces everything I did wrong in my 20’s. The series does an amazing job of vividly telling the narrative of women in their 20’s making choices that cause unhappiness later in life. The main character of the series Stephanie Rogers feels like my spirit animal. Needless to say, I binged watched season one and I am highly anticipating season two.

Check out the series below.

Until next time…

-Peach