Showing posts with label adventures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adventures. Show all posts
My spring break is officially over and if you have not seen my posts on Facebook or Instagram, then you do not know that my best friend Alyssa and I planned a weekend trip to Miami, Florida. Now in none of my thoughts did I consider going on a beach vacation with my best friend for the first time. Alyssa's mom and my mom were with us when we were discussing spring break plans and we both had time off over St. Patrick's Day weekend.
We kind of threw a dart on the map and chose one of the warmest places south of us. My freshman college spring break happened to be in one of the most popular locations and I wasn't mad about it! Living in Chicago, it still feels like December, so I was eager to fly out and meet Alyssa at our quaint Airbnb.
This trip was definitely a trip of firsts. It was the first trip I actually planned alone and had to figure out where to stay and as far as our itinerary was, the beach was our main goal. Transportation was the main hiccup because we just planned to walk as much and Uber as much. I don't think I've Ubered more in my life—it really saved us, though. You can only walk all over South Miami for so long.
We had perfect beach days and spent the first day at Hollywood Beach and ate at this awesome Mexican restaurant called Mamasitas, and all of the waitresses performed a dance routine for St. Patrick's Day. We got really tan (and sunburned), ate some ice cream on the beach, and enjoyed seeing all of the art deco architecture and neon signs which was something I fell in love with down there.
We ordered sub sandwiches on the beach and laid out for a couple hours until we got too hot and swam in the ocean. This was actually my first time swimming in the ocean and it was pretty salty, but reminded me of Lake Michigan in terms of how calm the waves were. Also, I found a rotten coconut and would advise to not crack it open as it smells of rotten eggs and was an all in a bad idea to begin with.
Besides the fact that it was much clearer and we saw a manatee wading in the shallow end, I was so happy with how we picked the beach to go to and avoid the crazy partiers. In the picture, you don't see anyone in the background swimming. The first night we decided to go to a nice restaurant for dinner called Billy's Stone Crab Grill which I got a plate full of scallops, more than I have ever eaten.
I also was not aware that wall art and murals were really big down there, and I obviously had to take a photo in front of at least one. The first day Alyssa and I had walked all the way to downtown Hollywood from our Airbnb, stopped at a garage sale for some lemonade, almost stepped on some lizards, and got an energy smoothie for breakfast at this really swanky gym downtown.
One thing we both really wanted to do was be immersed in some of the Cuban culture that is prevalent in southern Florida. We stumbled upon this restaurant called Havana on Washington Avenue. It was the perfect place to have our last dinner. They had huge mojitos and plantain chips. It was covered in twinkly lights and set the perfect hoorah on our last night there.
We wished a little that we had started in Miami and stayed there, but being more north in Hollywood where our Airbnb was kind of showed more of the residential area of Miami and southern Florida. I was happy to see a lot of people speaking Spanish, as there is a large population of Hispanic people in Florida. I used my knowledge of the language to my advantage and met some really nice Uber drivers and locals.
I will always remember this trip with my best friend and am so grateful that we got to share this adventure together. I feel more independent and empowered to travel alone now and can rely on myself to figure things out when I'm in an unknown place. It's amazing how fast trips can fly past when you're enjoying it. Alyssa and I were on the beach when she said, "We're gonna be on a plane home in a day," and I almost slapped her (haha). I enjoyed every minute!
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So, I don't remember if I mentioned this, but I planned a St. Patrick's Day trip to Miami, Florida with my best friend. It was such a spontaneous idea and we both have spring breaks off together. It will be my first trip alone and I am so excited for it. We are headed to the beach and my list has gradually gotten bigger. Today, I have a few carry on items specifically for the beach or tropical vacations!
I get really excited for trips and packing is one of my favorite things to do. I know a lot of people think it's tedious and annoying, but something about planning outfits and packing only the essentials seems really fun to me. This trip will only be a carry on trip because it will save me a lot of money and I won't be there long.
I'm not one to have an abundance of swimsuits just because I don't see the point of having a ton of cheap ones. I've always been on the lookout for nice and quality bikinis and to my surprise, Target came through yet again.
I only really buy tops because I just have one nice pair of black bottoms that go with everything. I bought this extremely adorable embroidered halter neck swim top and have fallen in love with all of Target's new swim range. I would highly recommend checking it out. They have a large variety of trendy styles, colors, and styles.
These green and gold round Raybans have been on my wishlist for quite some time lately and I finally found the perfect pair on Poshmark. Poshmark is a buy and sell fashion website/app and it has been an addictive obsession. These are the most classic pair of sunglasses and give off 70s vibes for real. I'm putting these babies on as soon as I land in paradise.
A few beauty products might be essential on a carry on a flight. I always make sure I have some type of roll-on perfume to freshen up and the Victoria's Secret Very Sexy Now roll on that is fresh and fruity. Perfect for a beach vacay. Then I always pack some sort of lip care because I need to have moistened lips, especially in a dry and stale aircraft. The Kiehl's Lip Balm is an unscented goddess of a lip saver.
As a hair refresh, dry shampoo is always a go-to. The one I have been loving the most recently has been the Herbal Essences Bio Renew and it smells so fresh and clean. I never like cucumber scented anything, but this combination has my hair smelling so nice and doesn't weigh or leave oil around when I wake up.
I went ahead and made an investment purchase. I bought the new Apple AirPods and I am in love with them. I was hesitant at spending my money on a small pair of wireless headphones, but I caved and I do not regret it one bit. I can switch between devices, make calls, use Siri to text, listen to music and videos, exercise better, and the charging life is so great. I considered Beats, but not having any cord at all is great. I haven't lost them and I've had them for a good three months. These are great for travel.
I am so excited for my trip and will definitely be taking photos. I don't plan on bringing my camera, but my phone can do just fine. I know this isn't everything I need to bring on my trip, but just a couple little gadgets and essentials I find make the trip worthwhile. What are your spring break plans?
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It's beginning to finally feel like fall around the city and that means pumpkin season has arrived. My family and I went out pumpkin picking and the first patch we went to was actually closed due to crop failure and we went on an adventure to find the right patch. Once we finally googled the right one that had pumpkins, it was the perfect pick! It has been a family tradition to go and pick out pumpkins, so this time was really fun taking Cooper along with us.
It was really cute because Cooper got into all of the burrs and they kept sticking to his skin, so we had to pick him up and put him in our wagon. This specific pumpkin patch was a score. It was "pick your own" pumpkins and each pumpkin any size was only $6! My mom had a blast picking out pumpkins, let me tell yuh.
When we go pumpkin picking, that's when I know it's fall and I can finally start getting in the mood and wear sweaters. Fall is my favorite season and I love it when the air is crisp and the trees start turning. My really soft sweater is from Zara and I am obsessed with it. I love the mustard color and its cropped, so it looks really good with high waisted jeans. I paired it with a vest that I bought from Kohl's a while back.
I always love going on family outings and adventures. I can't wait to carve my pumpkin, so please leave some carving suggestions in the comments! My roommates and I are already psyched for Halloween and already decorated our entire dorm. What do you love about fall?
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Over this past week my mom, sister, and I made our way down to Rogersville, Missouri to visit some really close friends and we had so much fun visiting. It's always amazing how you can have really close friends that live so far away and still have a connection with them. Every visit feels just like the one before (maybe a little height difference), but it seems like our relationship just grows and grows. We forget what grades we're in or what we have to do outside of visiting because whenever we are together it doesn't feel like we've been separated at all. I love those kind of bonds.
This is one out of three beautiful dogs they have, Boot. I don't know why, but I really resonated with this dog. She's kind of a hound and reminds me of my grandma's pup. She would follow us all over their property and would always welcome you when you walked outside of their gorgeous cabin.
On one of the days, we went to Top of the Rock in Hollister, Missouri. It is this beautiful golf resort designed by Arnold Palmer and has a really great golf cart tour of the waterfalls and you go inside a cave with a built in bar! It was really amazing to see some of Missouri's hidden beauties along this mountain.
A lot of our trip was spent relaxing around their house, swimming, and driving their Ranger around and taking some sweet pictures. My best friend Cole actually took most of these pictures and is truly a pro.
Since my family and I live in the big city, it was really nice getting to go south and enjoy some peace and quiet with all of their livestock and actually seeing stars in the sky at night.
As my final summer hoorah and getaway before college starts, this was truly the cherry on top. Before I live in the busy city for the next four years, I am thankful for having to go far away to make these special visits to our beloved friends and family all throughout the year.
I just want to personally thank the Perry family for having us down for the weekend because I think I needed it before I start writing papers and focusing on school. Time has flown by, but time will not break our bond.
I begin school in about two weeks and am beyond excited to see what my journey has in store. As I sit here and write this, listening to my Spotify playlist, I have realized how ready I am to start a new adventure.
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On a somewhat cloudy and overcast Monday, my best friend Ellaby and I decided to go take a trip downtown Chicago for a get together and also because she was gone for two months in Germany for an exchange program. Also, since Lollapalooza has just ended, the city was barren and pretty calm for a girl's day out.
My outfit was kind of grunge chic. I have been loving camo print and oversized shirts and jeans. My Zara shirt is actually a unisex tee and I love the relaxed cut. I paired it with an American Eagle Bralette that adds a bit of femininity to it as well as some layered necklaces. My bottoms are also American Eagle and my Birkenstocks which gave me hella blistered feet, but well worth the look.
Ellaby and I wanted to do some of the "touristy" like things and take a couple pictures in front of the Willis Tower and by The Bean. It's never a bad time for some Instagram photo ops with my bestie! We were happy that it never rained and shopped around before we headed to my main motivation, Bombobar.
While I love paying for aesthetically appealing food, it really did taste good. I have heard many and seen many posts about this cafe place before; I just couldn't resist. They have infused donuts and gelato. I chose pistachio gelato with sprinkles, Fruity Pebbles, and a maple cream infused donut. It was a flavor explosion! Ellaby had a matcha flavored gelato with Carmel and captain crunch. I would really recommend skipping lunch or dinner at the Bar Siena which is the main restaurant and go straight to dessert!
There are still many unknown treasures in the heart of the city that I have yet discovered and I am excited for living four years in the middle of it. I will never be bored or hungry! I had a lovely day and I was wondering what favorite cafes you have in your town? Instagramable? Delicious? Both?
Photo credentials to my lovely friend, Ellaby.
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Over this past weekend, my older sister and I decided to go downtown with my older sister and check out the Wicker Park Fest--consisting of music, food, art, and shopping. I have never really explored Wicker Park in Chicago, but I have passed through it on the way to DePaul University. Wicker Park is kind of known as the "art district" for its detailed murals, festivals, and creative residents. There wasn't going to be only one picture taken in front of a mural.
I wore a simple Adidas black and white tee, some high-rise shorts, and my Birks! This outfit probably is the definition of my style and how laid back I love to dress sometimes. It's comfy and casual.
I love exploring the city and I hope college will allow me to keep on discovering new things about it and I am ready to see how living downtown will immerse me more into the urban culture. Every city is unique and different in its own way. This festival is one of many I plan on attending in the future. What do you love about your city?
I love exploring the city and I hope college will allow me to keep on discovering new things about it and I am ready to see how living downtown will immerse me more into the urban culture. Every city is unique and different in its own way. This festival is one of many I plan on attending in the future. What do you love about your city?
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When do you ever get to say that you've slept in a shed? Now I've slept in a tent, a car, a train, a plane, but never a shed. My family has just put up a new shed in our backyard and it was our neighbor's grand idea to #bless it and sleep in it for a night. Now I was like, "Yeah, whatever. I'm just gonna leave in the middle of the night", but then I was like WAIT. This would be a great story to tell. So, here I am.
Now this isn't any horror movie and no, our parents didn't punish any of us and make us do it. My neighbor friends, my sister, and I pledged to camp one night in the muggy summer to sleep on two queen air mattresses and using one hell of a bug net to keep us sane.
Talking about summer experiences! We kept our selves preoccupied before bed by playing some classic Apples to Apples and had all the snacks you could have. My neighbor was like "Natalie, when do you ever get to sleep in a shed?", and I was like "Never". We did start to feel gross and sweaty--covered in bug spray, but we had some pretty good laughs in that shed. We were probably the most lit shed in all of my town. I wondered if there would be anyone else sleeping in a shed...for the same or different reason as us.
Would I do it again? Not unless I had to. It was hot and being close to four bodies like that was a little claustrophobic. I would prefer a tent more for air flow, we did have an oscillating fan to keep us alive and a net Gorilla taped to the doorway because there was no way we would have lasted. It was one hell of a time. Would you sleep in a shed? Just for fun?
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I just got back from my annual camping trip that my family and I go on every year. We go up into northern Michigan in the Little Traverse Bay Area and camp at one of the state parks. It has been our favorite place to go to and this year we decided to make a pit stop at Mackinac Island known for only it's bike and horse drawn carriage driven roads, fudge, and views. It always feels like we were just camping and I can't believe I am already home (and taking a really nice shower).
I thought I would do kind of the same thing as I did last year with the photo story because many of these speak for themselves. These first few pictures were on the island and we biked all the way around it--a total of 8.2 miles. We stopped halfway for ice cream and met up with some of my cousins and their cute golden retriever pups.
We spent Fourth of July up there and enjoyed time at camp with our new Eno Hammock which my whole family loved. We also celebrated my dad's birthday and had a really nice time enjoying our campfires and s'mores. Many people ask me how I even camp for so long and I ask them why they don't! It's honestly one of my favorite things to do and it's truly not that hard to do. I have been camping for about 13 years now and every trip brings more memories every time.
Even though this trip might have been different than last's without our pup and friends, we still had an amazing time soaking up the sun and going to the beach. We had unbelievable weather and I enjoyed it all. Besides my sunburn, I would say that it was a really nice trip. Have you been camping before?
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Now that it is officially the end to my high school journey, I am off on my way to college! I am so unbelievably shocked at how fast it all went by and all of the great memories I have had with all of my closest friends and I am so beyond excited to start a new journey at DePaul University in the fall.
I don't think I have talked in extent to what I have experienced in high school, but I hope I can help light the way for future seniors and even incoming freshmen. It goes by so fast. Please embrace all of the moments: the football games, the pep rallies, dances, teachers, your peers, and all of the fails or aces you make because it'll all go by like a blink in the eye. I know that when I joined color guard or flags with my marching band that I would forever have an amazing group of friends to be with. Going to Disney World with them was probably one of the best memories I have had from high school.
Thanks to all of the people that helped me along to my graduation and who really made my high school experience a great one. It wasn't about popularity or anything cliche, it was just a roller coaster of new experiences--ones that I will cherish and learn from. I mean, high school is when I started my blog and doing yoga, so I would say it was a success. I never thought I would be on this growing blog today and I am beyond grateful for everyone who has endlessly supported me.
As for this blog, I truly hope to continue writing on it through college and beyond. I want to share my college journey (and especially my dorm room) for the next four years. I am so psyched to be living in my beautiful city and I will be studying communications with a focus in public relations and marketing. Really, not a shocker.
I am currently enjoying my long summer break until I have orientation and move in day later in August. Tomorrow I actually leave for a week long camping trip, the one I blogged about here last year, and will still have posts up next week! I am not sure if I want to post another camping post for the sake of not bringing my camera to camp, but I know I will for sure have some pictures up on Instagram.
I don't know where college will take me, but I know I will always have my family and friends along with me supporting me every step of the way (so cheesy). And you guys! I just thought I would share my future plans, so feel free to share yours! Any new college freshmen out there feeling nervous as ever like me?!
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Hello all! I thought I would take today to reflect on a few things that I have recently been doing over the past month after my high school graduation and update you all on the haps! I can't believe it's already mid way into June and the summer seems like it has only just begun. I feel like I haven't had one of these types of posts on here in a while, so I hope you enjoy.
Over Memorial Day weekend, my great family friends and I travelled about an hour to Indiana to go explore and go to the beach. We had incredibly nice weather during our weekend getaway and I was so thankful for how sunny it was. We stopped at this little farm that had only one cow and a goat. It also had a chicken coop with about twenty chickens. We hiked around the state park and ended up in mud piles and going on a rather regretful route, but had so much fun.
Pictured left is my best friend Alyssa and her younger sister Emily. They're also my back door neighbors. I've been on so many trips with them and it was so nice to just go somewhere for a couple days and discover a new terrain that we've never set foot on!
That following Friday, Alyssa, my sisters, and I went to North Avenue beach in Chicago. I've only been to Oak street beach and have realized that this beach is where all the noisy teens go. It was very entertaining. Not only did we see a 16 year old get pushed into the lake, but we also got to see her chug a whole bottle of vodka and lake water in one go. Now that, my friends, is a show. We left shortly after we got over the fact that it happened.
It was also National Donut Day so we brought this inflatable inter tube that wasn't actually allowed in the lake due to safety and stuff. So, we really just wanted it for cute photos. Can't blame the things you have to do to get a cute insta snap!
The following Sunday, my other best friend, Mikayla and I decided to sign up last minute to run the Color Run downtown Chicago. I was in the city so much!
You can wear as much color as you want, but be careful because the chalk they throw at you literally gets everywhere.
This is my second time running it and my second time running a 5k. Last time we both got lost in the crowd and I kind of had to "re-run" it because we wanted to finish together regardless of time.
I'm hoping that next year I can participate in the Blacklight Run or Bubble Run, too! We both had a blast this year and I would recommend it for everyone. You can run or walk and you also get to be on the streets of Chicago around Grant Park which is so cool.
Each year they have a theme and this year's was based on Dreams and Unicorns. Last year was a Tropical theme and I am excited to see what it'll be next year!
Later, I had my graduation party with all of my close friends and shared it with my older sister who also graduated from college this year. Pictured are my best friends Madeleine and Mikayla trying to keep me up. We had beautiful weather and I had a really nice time with all of my closest friends. I loved only having a small group of people in high school that I could spend time with because I think it's more special than knowing everyone in your grade.
Thank you for everyone who came and enjoyed celebrating this achievement of mine and you can bet that I am just starting my ever-so-more exciting college journey at DePaul this September.
This is not my dog and I wish it was. I just had to add this in because this little guy was the dog of my dreams. Obviously, my old dog Rigy is, but after his passing, it has been so hard for my family and I. So, when my neighbors told me they were dog sitting this little fluff nugget, Harrington, I knew I needed to go meet him.
This post would be longer if I didn't go rock climbing and bust the muscles in my forearms and fingers. Alyssa and I wanted to do something we've never really done before and something that would substitute as our daily workout.
I have so much more respect for avid rock climbers because it takes all of your upper body strength and muscles to force a human body up a body of rocks. We've soon realized how strenuous this activity really is. We loved every minute of finding new rock pathways and reaching the top of the wall. It was rewarding and very liberating to accomplish something like that...even if Alyssa didn't have a bell to ring.
I'm just waiting for many more adventures like these to come and I am so excited for the rest of this summer before I start college. I have so much to think about and do, but I really just want to embrace it all for what it's worth. I have been so grateful for all of the opportunities that I have been given and I am just getting started with my journey. What is something exciting that's happened to you lately?
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