I was still on my second trip to D.C. when June arrived, still in love with #TheDistrict, the museums, the food, THE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, and the fact that I was adventuring again. I was also still on my #BFFFOREVER high, which never really goes away, but now I’ve been home for a month-ish and I am missing Virginia in a bad way. I have a long list of things to do this summer to prepare for some big life changes and I am determined to check off the boxes! 

 Here are thirty juicy things that happened to me in June:

• The “Futures” exhibit at the Smithsonian Arts + Industries building.
• The Afro-Atlantic Histories exhibit at the National Gallery of Art.
• Lemonberry gelato from Ruby Scoops on a hot D.C. day.
• The “Filibuster Butter” kernels from Capital Kettle Corn.
• Power bars from Grace’s Pastries.
• Touring the US Capital and meeting some fellow Alabamians.
• Getting drenched, soaked, and flooded as I headed to the D.C. metro. My raincoat was no match for that rain.
• The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art and the multiple Buddhas that reside there.
• The Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial in near the National Mall.
• My best friend and I visited Montpelier and it was an excellent teaching experience.
• I’ve had opportunities to visit more friends since we’ve been vaccinated and it forces me to be more social but in the best way possible.
• Airline points!! 
• Watermelon season, both red and yellow flesh.
• I discovered Lehman’s Pizza, a local pizzeria that has vegan and gluten-free options. My build-your-own on a cauliflower crust was delicious!!
• Joe Clausell’s remix of Nina Simone’s Feeling Good.
• PRINCE4EVER day is June 7th.
• Masks, vaccines, and boosters…….
• Happy Father’s Day to all of the new dads in my family.
• Juneteenth Art Discoveries
• The ability to eat Bluebell Homemade Vanilla ice cream, it tastes just like my Mom’s.
• I ordered a shredding service because the past must die.
• The See Jane Write Self-Care Blogger Brunch. Yes, I wore my mask, no I didn’t eat, yes I met some new amazing women.
• Discovering the quote “Someday this pain will be useful to you” originated from Ovid  and not from The Walking Dead’s Deanna Monroe. 
• The takeout from a new Thai restaurant was mediocre but sharing it with friends was delightful.
• Trader Joe’s Hummus Dip is so good and makes a great base for salad dressings.
• Aldi’s Lemon Sorbet has the perfect blend of tart and sweet.
• I’m adding a new “Letter to” feature to my blog called so stay tuned
• Discovering photographer Aria Smith and her beautiful portraits
• Ketanji Brown Jackson being sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice
• Reading the Song of the Feet by Nikki Giovanni:

It is appropriate that I sing

The song of the feet

The weight of the body

And what the body chooses to bear

Fall on me

I trampled the American wilderness

Forged frontier trails

Outran the mob in Tulsa

Got caught in Philadelphia

And am still unreparated

I soldiered on in Korea

Jungled through Vietnam sweated out Desert Storm

Caved my way through Afghanistan

Tunneled the World Trade Center

And on the worst day of my life

Walked behind JFK

Shouldered MLK

Stood embracing Sister Betty

I wiggle my toes

In the sands of time

Trusting the touch that controls my motion

Basking in the warmth of the embrace

Day’s end offers with warm salty water

It is appropriate I sing

The praise of the feet

I am a Black woman

What events and adventures made your June Juicy??