Author: urbanoutdoorgirl

Outdoor girl making a mark on the world.

Grow Through It

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This year has been a doozy so far. How are you? I have been experiencing a lot of growing, and while growing is by theory wonderful it requires a lot of energy and faith. And if you know me, I am a worrier for sure. I am excited to update on all the things that have occured so far this year, and do a massive photo dump. I’m sure I won’t cover everything but I’m excited to share. Lets start with the winter, though summer is knocking on the door.

I played tennis all winter, except in the snow, which was honestly brutal but the irony is, now I have to get reacclimatized to the heat outside. Has that ever happened to you? I also was forced into doing indoor kickball which was a ton of fun but man some sleep would’ve been great. The not so fun part? The drive!! Do not ask me how far I had to drive.. that is honestly a thing I am going to try to reduce this summer because driving for me is tiring, and at night all bets are off. I have no idea how I make it anywhere and back. seriously.

Next, I have now started a new hobby that I honestly love, and that is bird watching. Yes, you read that correctly, Bird Watching!! It is so fun and peaceful and I have met some lovely friendly people including a wonderful guide who I am excited to partner up with this year. The local park we visited felt like we were somewhere else with the early morning dew. I look forward to going back there and doing a nice walk.

The next sport I have added into my weekly reps is swimming. Which has been great. I have really enjoyed getting laps in at the pool and now I am wondering if I should have auditioned for the Olympics. Joking! Or am I? Can I also say RIP to my hair. I know for a lot of people swimming is hindered due to hair but don’t let it be. Get a good cap and get to swimming. I do feel sad for the baddie in me that wants to have straight hair more often but alas, that is not possible.

Lastly I just finished spring kickball and spring tennis knocked on the door. I have been enjoying daily walks, and just soaking up the weather. With all of this activity I have run into a hiccup along the way. I have had some knee issues that have escalated and am currently in PT. I won’t elaborate here but I am excited to begin the healing journey.

I also did my first solo hike for my birthday, accidentally. Will totally prefer not to do that again, especially when its getting dark, and its raining. For me I don’t feel totally safe, for personal reasons, but it was an adventure that will get it’s own blog post. And overall Im glad I did it (I did not intend to hike alone, and did not dress or prepare for hiking), but I was safe in the end and made a wonderful memory.

Lastly, I cannot wait to share my veggie garden and plants. My plants have currently freaked me out because they decided they wanted act weird all of a sudden. I panicked due to leaves yellowing on my fiddle. So I am doing some testing now, and an array of other things. I hope to start giving my plants rain water again. They were so spoiled and then they switched to tap (boooo). If you have any suggestions on collecting rain water please let me know!!! I feel like my plants really loved it. I am sure they are screaming at me. I cannot collect from my type of gutter, so how do you get rain water? Please let me know. My plants are so big now and require A LOT. I added 2 new plants to the line up by the way, don’t ask me why, or how, or if I have space.

Pretty though right?

I will stop here. Let me know what your plans are this summer! I look forward to sharing more tips, my experiences, outdoor adventures, and health and wellness with an emphasis on children, and senior friendly posts.

I also have a batch of lip balms in the making and some nice body scrubs that I have made in the past. Next post is on being more aggressive!!!

If you have anything you want to see or tips on anything specifically let me know. I am excited to share and grow with you as we grow through it!

cute heart on the softball field. ttyl

Summer 2025

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I started by typing summer 2026… rewind. Hi everyone! So I have a new website layout coming, I know I’ve said it before, but I truly do so stay tuned in the next 2 weeks (hold me accountable haha). How has your summer been?

I’m popping in and I hope your summer has been active, full of love, and hopefully some fresh air. My summer has been interesting. I stepped outside of my comfort zone, way outside, and joined a tennis league *cues cheering*. It has been an interesting and fun learning experience. I have been conquering a lot of fears the last few months. And while it has not gotten easier, I am learning that it is very fulfilling to say I tried and I put effort vs. never trying at all. And trust me, never trying (enough to fail) is/was for sure my safe space in some categories. More on that in a later post.

Top 3 summer activity must haves and dos, basic edition – 1. Eat at least 2 popsicles or ice cream 2. Feel a breeze outside 3. Take a walk! What have you been up to this summer?

Expect some posts on gardening, herbs, vegetables ( I know, blah), wellness, eco and outdoors soon.. back to our roots! And of course, more ramblings, because who doesn’t like a little diary core? Ciao!

Stepping Into 2025

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I hope everyone has had a decent year, and that 2025 will bring you more than you can imagine. I received some not so great news today but it was a reminder to have faith and be thankful for crossing the threshold into a new year. But to also carry faith in your pocket that all of your needs will be met no matter what and things will work out! Definitely! With that being said, how was your year? Any goals? Outdoor plans?

In natural blog style, tonight will be my mini diary.

Here are my 3 of my goals for the New Year

  1. While it is natural for me to spend time outside, I’d like to spend more. Is that possible? Haha. I am gonna try my hardest to make that happen.
  2. This may be a weird one, and i’m sure you’re wondering how this relates to theme of the blog, but more love.
  3. Juice more! I used to juice a lot, and I cut back, but I’m thinking next year I am going to get back into it. As well as smoothies. I love how it makes me feel and it benefits the body in so many ways. Check some of my older posts! It’s great for making sure your health and wellness are in tact, and tons of energy for any outdoor adventure or sports.
  4. Oh and one more bonus.. play more tennis, and all the other sports too haha.

Happy New Year! What are some of your goals?

3 Tips to Get Kids Outdoors

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If you have children, hang with children, or are looking to get yourself, family, or friends outdoors here are a few tips to get you started.

This summer I’ve had the pleasure of being outside with kids of all ages, genders, enthusiasm’s (more on that later), and differing athleticism. From a super athletically inclined 9 year old, to an indoor preferred teenager, to a take it or leave it 10 year old. So the first tip?

  1. Find a neutral activity that doesn’t require a high level of athleticism but can still be fun. The goal is to get everyone outside, and with this goal, we are not trying to produce all star athletes (unless they are inclined to that) but to get some fresh air in the lungs and get off the devices (*clears throat* adults that includes you). Bike riding is something I noticed all children don’t mind doing. Start there!

Next, when dealing with young adults who do not want to be outside, do not pick extreme weather conditions as an intro to this new lifestyle. Be it cold or hot, either extreme is a sure way to get whines, complaints, and outright no’s on being outside. I learned this from my teenager who affectionately and politely (might I add) let me know, she doesn’t like the heat. We drank a lot of water that day. As you can imagine, time outside was short lived. Soooo…

2. Stick to neutral temps! Try mornings, evenings, and now with fall around the corner on the east coast it is the perfect time to kick start things!

Last but not least tip number 3…

Make it fun!

Going outside should be fun. Have a relaxed demeanor, don’t have a time limit, follow the lead of the young adult. When my little cousin was tired, he told me. I could tell he wasn’t used to riding a bike super far. We did 1 mile so I was happy. On his cue… we turned around. This is encouraging behavior and a positive experience. SO he will likely want to ride again in the future. On the other hand, if you have a seriously athletic 9 year old, be sure you are in shape. I think my other 9 year old did 5 miles easy, and when we came back he wanted to do another outdoor activity haha. Good thing I could keep up! Thats all the tips for today! Below is a pic of one of my lovely cousins.

What do you do to encourage the littles in your life to get outside?

Tennis on the Running Route

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So, this summer I dedicated myself to picking up a few things I enjoy or have been interested in for a while. Sometimes you just have to jump in the water and get your toes wet again. I took tennis lessons many moons (eons) ago (as my elders would say). So safe to say, I am new to tennis but wanted to get back into it again. I took local lessons this summer and it has been really fun (more on that later). As an adventure and sport girly at heart it has been such a delight. Did I also mention all the cute dresses <3.

I have learned a lot from playing, and besides needing to find a partner outside of class to actually play with on a regular basis, one of the core principles I was told was fast feet but your swing should be solid and stable. As the tennis instructor would say “find the calm in the storm”. That line is so important. So many things seem like you have to attack it, ambush, hit it hard.. but if you just find the calm in the storm.. you will notice it all works out in the end. Happy Sunday!