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Sunday Funday Pool Crawl in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
July 10, 2013
in Central America, Latin American Adventure, Nicaragua, Round the World, San Juan del Sur, travel

Sunday Funday Pool Crawl in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

I stayed in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, for eight nights. That was, maybe, seven nights longer than I needed to but, in that time, I went to some beaches, went to some bars, had a little fun. Really, though, the only reason I stayed...

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Surfing on Hermosa Beach, Nicaragua
July 8, 2013
in Central America, Latin American Adventure, Nicaragua, Round the World, San Juan del Sur, travel

Surfing naked (Playa Hermosa, Nicaragua)

I've determined two things about my desire to be a surfer: 1. I need to take more lessons. 2. I need a bathing suit that isn't broken. Because I can't stand up on a board. No matter how hard I try. And because the straps broke off...

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Playa Maderas, Nicaragua
July 7, 2013
in Central America, Latin American Adventure, Nicaragua, Round the World, San Juan del Sur, travel

San Juan del Sur.

I didn't mean to stay in San Juan del Sur for eight nights. In fact, I really didn't think I would go at all. But I ended up following some friends there, and we got into town on a Monday, and the only thing I...

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13 drink drinking challenge on Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua
July 5, 2013
in Bad Decisions, Central America, Isla de Ometepe, Latin American Adventure, Nicaragua, Round the World, travel

That time my hostel had a free 13-drink drinking challenge…

My hostel in Ometepe had a 13-drink drinking challenge that was free for all guests on their fourth night. I wasn't really all that keen on attempting it but all my friends were doing it (peer pressure, anyone?) and, if nothing else, I figured I...

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Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua
July 1, 2013
in Central America, Isla de Ometepe, Latin American Adventure, Nicaragua, Round the World, travel

Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua

Isla de Ometepe is an island on Lake Nicaragua formed by two volcanoes: Concepción and Maderas. As we sailed up to the port, smoke rising from the cavity, I knew it was a place I could fall in love with. By day, the omnipresent volcanoes loom...

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Laguna de Apoyo, Nicaragua
June 29, 2013
in Central America, Granada, Latin American Adventure, Nicaragua, Round the World, travel

Laguna de Apoyo

Laguna de Apoyo: photos from a day trip from Granada....

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Las Isletas, Nicaragua
June 26, 2013
in Central America, Granada, Latin American Adventure, Nicaragua, Round the World, travel

Las Isletas

Sometimes you are really not in the mood for a tour. You just want to sit back, chat with friends, enjoy the bountiful scenery. But sometimes your tour guide doesn't really get it. And she dresses you up in traditional clothing. And she continues to...

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Masaya, Nicaragua
June 24, 2013
in Central America, Granada, Latin American Adventure, Masaya, Nicaragua, Round the World, travel

Masaya.

Masaya is a nice day trip from Granada, Nicaragua. There you can find a local market. A craft market. A volcano. I ended up buying a little owl shaped whistle to go with a strange collection I've amassed of owl souvenirs from around the world....

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Granada, Nicaragua
June 23, 2013
in Central America, Granada, Latin American Adventure, Nicaragua, Round the World, travel

Granada.

Granada, Nicaragua, was a beautiful town. I could have probably stayed for a while: I had thought about making it a home for a couple of weeks and studying more Spanish. But I ended up spending only four nights there, and then hardly actually in...

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Volcano Boarding at Bigfoot Hostel in León, Nicaragua
June 17, 2013
in Central America, Latin American Adventure, Leon, Nicaragua, Round the World, travel

I went Volcano Boarding in Nicaragua and lived to tell about it.

Let's take a moment to assess the photo above, a picture of a sign describing volcano boarding at Bigfoot Hostel in Leon, Nicaragua. Shall we? In this photo, volcano boarding is described as...

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Hi, I’m Val. I spent most of my 20s in a standstill, unable to pick which path in life I wanted to take. I wanted the nomadic life of a traveler but also wanted the husband, the condo, and the teal couch. Unable to decide which life I wanted more, I did nothing. I lived my life in limbo. When I turned 30 I’d had enough of putting my life on hold and decided to start “choosing my figs.” So, I quit my job and bought a one-way ticket to Europe. After 3 years on the road I’m back in Chicago, exploring the city, learning guitar, decorating my apartment in too much teal, cuddling my cats, and planning my next adventures.

Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā 

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO IN YOUR LIFE?


Feeling stuck? Sick of living your life in limbo? Want to finally do all those things you always say you're going to do? Sign up for the Choosing Figs newsletter now to get a FREE e-book with tips on starting your own life list, inspiration for things to do in life, and worksheets to get your life goals out of your head and into action!


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I turned forty this week and let’s just say I wa I turned forty this week and let’s just say I wasn’t exactly looking forward to my birthday this year 😭😭😭 I guess I just always felt like by now I’d have everything a little more together than *looks around* this. I always try to write a birthday blog post each year so go to the link in my bio if you want to read more of me whining about getting old. 🤣
Today was my 40th birthday so I celebrated the bes Today was my 40th birthday so I celebrated the best way I could right now: by eating my feelings... 😭
1: cupcakes from @sweetmandybs
2: breakfast of a croissant from @laboulangeriechicago and my free birthday @starbucks
3: lunch of chicken and mashed potatoes and corn muffins from @honeybutterchi
4: dinner of pork belly and cauliflower from @thewarblerchicago
5: even more cupcakes from @mollyscupcakes
Am I going to ā€œcelebrateā€ my birthday today? A Am I going to ā€œcelebrateā€ my birthday today? Am I going to witness the start of a civil war?
Either way, if you need me today I’ll be in my bedroom crying under my covers.
Morning routine. 🐈 šŸˆā€ā¬› šŸ› Morning routine.
🐈 šŸˆā€ā¬› šŸ›
How we feel about the Starbucks pistachio latte. šŸ˜‹
So basically I need to stop standing in my own way So basically I need to stop standing in my own way.
Happy 2021! šŸŽ‰ Did you make resolutions this yea Happy 2021! šŸŽ‰
Did you make resolutions this year? I only kind of did because I already spent a lot of time this year reflecting on my goals and how to get there. I wrote more about it on my blog - link is in my bio.
For New Year’s Eve dinner I made myself a lobster tail with zucchini and mashed potatoes that I dumped way too much cream in 🤣 and had a bottle of Welch’s finest grape juice 🤣 (I actually did really good on last year’s goal to cut back on drinking!).
I’m secretly hoping my New Years date kisses me I’m secretly hoping my New Years date kisses me at midnight. 😘 
Happy New Year everyone!
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© Choosing Figs / Val Bromann
2006 –

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WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO IN YOUR LIFE?


Feeling stuck? Sick of living your life in limbo? Want to finally do all those things you always say you're going to do? Sign up for the Choosing Figs newsletter now to get a FREE e-book with tips on starting your own life list, inspiration for things to do in life, and worksheets to get your life goals out of your head and into action!


Your information will be used to send you our Life List e-book and subscribe you to our bi-monthly newsletter. View our full Privacy Policy.



            


MEOW | Is Val in Chicago?

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