And We're Back

Yesterday I came back from Stillwater and today: back in Dallas!

My pledge sister, Aidan, and I ventured back out into the wonderful city, but this time we explored Deep Ellum. What's great about this area is that it has a completely different vibe than the rest of the city. It makes you feel like you're in an Urban Outiftters ad. There's beautiful murals painted all over the buildings and everything has a really artistic feel that I can't really describe. The buildings of Deep Ellum have tons of personality and there's a lot to look at. I loved walking around, taking pictures, and appreciating the artsy vibe (until it got too hot to be outside any longer). I want to go back a lot earlier in the day sometime so my visit isn't cut short again. We headed to Dallas a little before 10am, but that didn't give us enough time to explore before the Texas heat began to take over. However, before we retreated to an air-conditioned lunch we managed to get some cool pictures. 

Aidan has taken a photography class before and showed me how to use some of the settings on my camera. I've had my Canon for a while, but I primarily used it to film segments for my high school's television show. I've never really played with it in a photography setting until recently. I don't ever aim to be a professional photographer, but it would be nice to know how to capture something beautiful without relying on the "full auto" setting. We have talked about going to other locations just to play around with our cameras and take pictures. I hope these little sessions help me improve over time, but I guess we will have to wait and see!

I can't wait to go back and explore some more. Hopefully next time I will finally get to eat ice cream from a food truck at Klyde Warren Park.

Thanks for stopping by, 

Lex

Hello, hello, hello!

Don't worry. I haven't gone anywhere!

It felt weird not having anything to write about over this past week, but I couldn't stand leaving the Lexpedition unattended any longer.

So what exactly have I been up to?

For starters, I have been taking the time to reflect on and appreciate all the positive feedback I received about my post "Here Come the Brides...". Whenever I originally decided to start blogging I planned on this site being strictly about my life. I wanted it to be like an online scrapbook where anyone who was interested could see what I was up to. However, once I began blogging, ideas for opinion pieces and column style posts began swirling in my head. I did not plan for my blog to take that route whatsoever. In fact, I was completely blown away by the appreciation of my last post. It alone got over 1300 views and was read in over 10 countries...the support I received was incredible and totally unexpected. The success with that piece was jaw-dropping, but it also made me nervous to post again. I knew that not everything I wrote would spread internationally like that. Thankfully, I got over that and instead used the positive feedback to inspire me to come up with more ideas.

I want nothing more than to keep people interested in reading my posts. That's why I have also been investing some brain power in coming up with new ideas for the future. I set goals for the blog, began thinking about changes for the layout, and created some drafts for the future. It really sucked not having anything to post over these past several days and I want to avoid running into this problem again. I figured if I start some posts now I can always go back and finish them up when I'm not doing anything exciting. Hopefully some of these concepts keep ya'll excited to keep up with me.

I've also been working...kind of. I watch 3 kids 2 days a week and drive a family friend to drivers ed so the time commitment is not too heavy. However, some of my days start at 6am and I like my sleep. Just trying to keep busy and get a little pocket change.

Finally, I've been overcoming the weight I gained throughout freshmen year. This is a challenge I have been taking on since summer started, but I've recently hit a roadblock and have pushed my efforts into overdrive. Once I reach my goal (aiming to do this before I move back to Stillwater at the end of July) I will be posting about my weight loss journey and what a challenge it's been to get healthier and deal with my 28 pound weight gain. There's been a lot of green smoothies and shakes happening in the Natale household, but it'll be worth it in the end. It's been an exciting change and I cannot wait to reach my goal. If I stay focused I should reach my first milestone really soon. I'm excited to talk about this experience with ya'll!

There is so much coming up that I am looking forward to sharing on here. This weekend I will be headed back to Stillwater to see some friends and possibly go on a float trip. The day after I return home I will be adventuring back to Dallas to explore some more, and the following weekend I leave for back to back trips to NYC and Mexico. I have so much going on, but I promise I won't leave ya'll hanging! This blog has become a huge priority to me and soon I will have some cool things to share.

Stay tuned!

Lex

Here Come the Brides...

If you use any form of social media it is no surprise that wedding season has arrived (and engagement season, too).

Instagrams are flooded with pictures of beautiful rings and weddings that look like living Pinterest boards. Friends and relatives flock to congratulate engagements and newlyweds. Wedding season is like Valentine's Day on steroids. Which makes it really great, but also incredibly overwhelming. I mean seriously; who doesn't love gawking at the beautiful rings and adorable pictures and videos of proposals? It is this time of year that I pick up a temporary hobby of creeping through weddings; imagining the day that it'll be my turn... Which is as equally terrifying as it is exciting. I am nowhere remotely close to reaching that next chapter of my life. I'm 18, single as can be, and still not mature in the ways necessary to be a wife. Or even a girlfriend, for that matter. There have been times that I have lied to myself about this fact. I'm technically an adult so I should be trying to find true love, right? But the thing is...

I have never been so happily single in my entire life.

Sometimes I feel like I am not supposed to feel this way. There is a constant pressure to meet new people and search for a partner. Many of my sorority sisters have gotten engaged during their junior and senior years of college. This means that I would have to meet the man of my dreams, fall in love, and get engaged before 2017 to keep up with them. It used to be a really stressful thought for me to try and comprehend, until I learned to love being single and developed a better sense of independence. I hardly ever used to do things for myself. I always wanted to do things solely to make other people happy and I would put my own bliss on the back burner. Don't get me wrong. I am not some huge relationship scrooge. Love is one of my favorite things in the world and I cannot help but smile at the fact that there is a man in this world who is absolutely perfect for me. It's exciting in every sense of the word, but I know it's just not my time to meet him.

AND THAT'S OKAY.

Learn to love the cards you've been dealt, have fun with the life you live, and make yourself happy.

I feel like a lot of young adults often believe like they need a significant other in their life in order to be happy and feel "complete", but that is not the case. Getting married is not a race. You do not get a trophy for getting engaged before you're old enough to drink a beer. People, it's okay to be single and its just as okay to be in a relationship. Do whatever makes you feel best, just know that you are the one who's ultimately in charge of your own happiness. Being a young adult is awesome. This is the most fun and free part of our lives. This is the time for us to find ourselves, have a great time, be selfish, and make mistakes. Take advantage of this time because these years are all about you. Do what YOU want and what makes YOU happy. There aren't guidelines to growing up. Everybody's life stories are completely unique. Some of your chapters are going to be longer than others, some shorter. You may have extra chapters your peers don't. It's all okay and it's what makes life so exciting to live. There will never be another you and no one's story will ever replicate yours. So do what you can to make your life the best it can be; it will never be repeated. Plus, if we were all getting married at the same time we would all be too busy planning our own weddings to celebrate at anyone else's. You gotta think about these things.

So lets go out there and cheer each other on to our own finish lines, no matter how long some of us take. If you want to sprint, sprint. If you want to walk, skip, or somersault your way to the end that's fine, too. Just be happy, enjoy the ride, and be happy for other people being happy. It's so simple.

All the power to those who have already found love and have all the qualities necessary to be in a relationship. I have trouble figuring out what I want for dinner every night, let alone finding someone I'd want to be in a committed relationship with. Relationships and marriage are beautiful things. I watch wedding and proposal videos on Pinterest like it's my job. Being single is a wonderful thing, too. Being a young adult in general just rocks, no matter what path you're on. 

So happy wedding season to all the brides/grooms-to-be, and cheers to the single kids taking as many breaks as they want along the way before reaching their finish line. We are all awesome; live it up however you please.

Love always, 

Lex

A Day In Dallas: My Personal Crystal Ball

If you stick with me, and this blog, you'll probably see "Dallas Days" become a relatively common occurrence. 

Those of you who live in Dallas, or any of the surrounding suburbs, I highly encourage you to not wait until you're 18 to start exploring this beautiful city like I did. I never realized how much Dallas truly has to offer. I had always taken the city for granted, but today completely sealed the deal of wanting to move into a cozy apartment in the city once I graduate college. I can already see myself walking the urban scenery with my golden retriever puppy, doing my weekly shopping at the Dallas Farmers' Market, and enjoying lunch with my girlfriends at Breadwinners or the Klyde Warren Park food trucks. Today was so simple yet so indescribably enjoyable. I got the most perfect glimpse of what I want my 20s life to be like. My day pretty much went just as I had described above (minus the uptown apartment and puppy).

Two of my pledge sisters and I started off our day with a delicious and perfectly portioned lunch at Breadwinners. I absolutely love little cafe style restaurants. This one is even better because on Sundays you get a free dessert with the purchase of a dinner entree if you go in after 5pm! (Perfect for a date. You're welcome, boys)

So. Dang. Delicious.

Afterwards we drove around and explored. I was determined to finally get a picture with one of the Dallas B&G signs. (Pictured below)

Throwin' what we know in D-Town

There are a handful of these letters scattered throughout the city. Locations include Klyde Warren Park (the one I'm pictured by), Victory Park, and Main Street Garden, among others. Sadly, we did not make any food truck purchases. I'll save that for next time.

We concluded our day trip with a visit to the Dallas Farmers' Market. 

My evening snack of fruit I bought today.

See you soon, Dallas! I'll be spending a day in Deep Ellum soon.

Until Next Time

Weekend Festivities

As mentioned in my previous post, I was extremely excited for this weekend to come. Now that it's already over, lets begin with Friday.

Friday night marked more than just celebrating one of my best friend's birthdays. It was also the first time I had been able to go out with my hometown friends to places where you had to be 18+ up. Due to my incredibly late birthday, it was impossible for me to accompany my friends on their legal adult endeavors. I was not of age until AFTER we all left for college (my 18th birthday was August 11th, 2013). That being said, I was obviously excited to celebrate Julie's 19th birthday; however,  it was also nice to actually go out in Dallas for my first time. Maddie's birthday celebrations were also supposed to be this weekend, but her and I are postponing the shenanigans until a later day (and it will most likely involve a trip to Sprinkles).

iPhone photo quality was seriously a let down. I hate forgetting my camera when it comes to things like this.

 I also took some time this weekend to go outside and appreciate the suburbian outdoors I am surrounded by...

[Hang Loose, ya know]

...and discovered that I share space with some very adorable guests.

Then of course, I GOT A JOB! I am so excited to start Thursday and finally have a set schedule along with a regular source of income. Now I can finally be a little more self sufficient. *Cue the song "Miss Independent"*

Stay tuned for more adventures to come and have a great first week of June, ya'll!