The Summer of 2012, A Review

It's that time again... here's the 2012 Summer Review.

Best thing that happened: Stuart and I are together in the same city in the same house!

Worst: Beach trip

Best single day: Spending the day with Stuart going to the animal shelter, walking through downtown Waynesville, and eating at Bocelli's

Worst: Pick a day from the beach trip

New friend: Brandy, one of my staff writers, and Pauline!

Song of the summer: "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)" by Patrick Stump, the entire Trespassing album by Adam Lambert

Artist of the summer: Adam Lambert

Best day trip: Taking Kate and Seth to the WNC Nature Center; seeing the 4th of July fireworks at Lake Junaluska

Wish I had: gone tubing

Movie of the summer, DVD: Safe House, Machine Gun Preacher, Reel Steel, John Carter

Movie of the summer, theaters: Snow White and the Huntsman

Most proud of: Handling The Western Carolinian newspaper, mastering the Frisbee golf game in Wii Sports Resort

Could have lived without: upsets at the newspaper

Couldn't have lived without: Stuart's understanding

Loved: Walking through downtown Sylva and Waynesville with Stuart on several occasions, Nutmeg hysterically chomping on a cherry, playing tag with Sparta, getting away from that crazy landlord and moving to downtown Sylva 

Wished: Slowed down and enjoyed the little things, I could have gotten my security deposit from that crazy landlord in Cullowhee

Dreamed: about the zombie apocalypse

Surprised by: How well my relationship is with my grandmother now, needing to wear long pants in the middle of June and August

Appreciated: My family's support (those that did actually support me), Pauline's generosity and care

Hated: Family drama, not having cruise control in my Honda, the oppressive heat, not enough moments enjoying summer

Stressed over: Family drama, making the newspaper perfect, the newspaper's annual budget

Smiled at: Stuart bringing me Bojangles and flowers, Cherry Berry Chillers, Pauline's amazing ability to make me feel like the most loved person in the world, my aunt and grandmother's constant support, two silly beagles

Biggest change: Alcohol free, threw out my pineapple loveseat

To be continued: Finish my degree at Western Carolina University, continue to make The Western Carolinian an award-winning newspaper, cherish the little things in life, call my grandmother every Thursday

Photo of the Day: August 7

Here's a cute picture of us at the Outer Banks!! I think we might frame this one! :)

The Must List, The OBX Special

This week's Must List is dedicated to the Outer Banks, my favorite place to vacation!!

1. New York Pizza Pub Restaurant
My favorite place!!! Delicious pizza! Amazing strawberry smoothies! Garlic knots that make you want to die in caloric heaven!! It's the perfect mix of NYC and the beach. Half the restaurant is decorated with billboards about fish or the ocean. There's even a gigantic wall mural of the Wright Brothers flying. Then, the other half is decorated to represent New York with subway stop signs and other trinkets. You have to try this place. Make sure to ask for booth seating.

2. Driftin' Sands Motel
Hey, it's cheap and it's really clean!! It has a TV with cable, a bathroom with the most powerful shower ever invented, a comfy bed, and not so ugly carpet. And, the price was totally worth an extra, stress free day at the beach! Peace!

3. Duck Donuts
Yum, yum, yum!!! This place is amazing!! Homemade donuts never got better. Definitely try the cinnamon sugar one. Plus, a decent price for some taste bud-melting, warm and snuggly, sugary sweetness. I'm not a big donut fan, but I would happily shell out cash I don't have for more of these treats!!

4. Sunscents Candles, Body, and Bath
Buy a candle or maybe three. I bought one with a bejeweled seashell pattern on the outside. And once the candle has burned all the way, it turned into a drinking glass!!! What fun!! Kate got herself a behemoth of a candle that was sprinkled with crushed coffee beans. They also had lampshades that fit over large glass candles made of stained glass to cast beautiful shadows of colored light. The lampshades also redirected heat so that your candle burns slower and lasts longer!!

5. Kitty Hawk Kites
You can't go to Jockey Ridge without getting a kite from Kitty Hawk Kites. I bought a sleepy kitten-shaped kite from them long ago, and I still love it and try to use today! They have every imaginable type, shape, and color of kite one could possibly desire!

My kite is on the right

6. Sunset Bar and Raw Grill
The perfect place to see the sunset!!! Plus, karaoke and open mic nights with good fun and crazy drinks! Personally, I've only had a virgin strawberry daiquiri, and it was delicious! They have a large pier and a gazebo situated in the Sound for the most amazing sunset you'll ever witness.

Taken from the Sunset Bar's website

7. Outer Barks
There had to be a number 7 for this one. It's the Outer Barks store - a store catered to dogs... and a little bit to cats. Bring your dog into the store and shop with your pet until you drop! There are treats, toys for you and him, welcome mats, even something for the deceased pet in your life. For animal lovers everywhere, Outer Barks is the place to be.

Movie Minute: Sunrise at the Outer Banks

I took this in Duck, North Carolina in 2010. I purposefully woke up before 5:30 a.m. to make sure I got to see it on our last day there. In July, we're going back, and I hope the trips turns out well.

Photo of the Day January 9

Happy birthday to Stuart!!! He turns 23 today!

Lex's Secret Camping Trip Part 2

Right from the start, the trip started out wild. After loading up the car with a tent, tent stakes, boogie boards, inflating mattress pads, and various other instruments and tools I had never before taken on a trip, we set off in Little Honda across the Coastal Plains of North Carolina.
The night before, the surprise was ruined for Morgan by a third party when he found out we were going to the beach. I was devastated. I had worked so hard at trying to keep it a secret that I sobbed hysterically for quite some time before trying to put on a happy face. Thankfully, Morgan had no idea which beach we were going to. He was quite thrilled to find out halfway to the Outer Banks that that was our actual destination. We stopped at a small gas station/restaurant where we ate a cheap lunch then crossed several large bridges to the Outer Banks.
I momentarily got us lost in Nags Head then turned back around to head down the long stretch of solitary highway through the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. During some spots, you can clearly see the Atlantic Ocean on one side and some sound or the Oregon Inlet on the other as the spit of land is so narrow.
We weren't barely past Bodie Island Lighthouse when things got spooky! I knew it was going to rain as Weather.com had been reporting isolated thunderstorms for the entire length of our stay. What we saw though neither of us were prepared for!
As we headed down the highway, the sky blackened. It was like a thunderstorm brewing over the plains of Africa. Clouds as dark and sinister-looking as Satan's own cape of evil began churning overhead. Suddenly, a deluge of water came sloshing down from the sky. Morgan looked out the window on his side and pointed.
"What the hell is that?" I cried when I saw what had caught his eye. "My gosh, that's a funnel cloud."

It was like I was watching my television screen tuned in to the Weather Channel. About 20 to 30 yards away, the perfectly shaped funnel cloud was slowly drifting down to land. It was your stereotypical image from a Storm Watchers program. Simultaneously, I was scared out of my mind and amazed! If we weren't about to die from being unable to see five feet in front of us from the rain, I would have watched its continued descent, mesmorized.
However, I was driving and had to focus on the road.
"Find a radio station," I told Morgan. If there was actually about to be a tornado, I wanted someone who knew what they were talking about to tell me where it was going to land and what I needed to do.
Then without warning, the funnel cloud disappeared. It was as if Morgan and I had dreamed the same dream.
It was then I realized that the crazy happenstances that followed my mother around wherever she went weren't just hers. It was a gene thing. It had been passed on to me!

Lex's Secret Camping Trip Part 1

I think it's a big thing to make it to 9 months in a relationship. That seems like a ridiculous long bit of time to stay with one person at the young adult stage of life. And, Morgan and I have been through it, man! Long distance for 4 months, family issues, financial trials, past experiences, and the personal journey of being together with someone of dealing with the good, the bad, and the impatient frustrations of little crap. Tell you what, I'd have thrown in the towel a long time ago if it were with anyone but Morgan. And, that's how I know I love him and he's right for me. Because based on past experiences, I have thrown in the towel with people and didn't give them second chances. Morgan doesn't make me want to do that. Instead, I want to work out the problems and have a better relationship.

So, I wanted to do something really special that both of us would readily enjoy for our anniversary on July 7th. My favorite place in the whole world is the small chain of islands off the coast of North Carolina known as the Outer Banks. I have the happiest and best memories there. My favorite restaurants are down there, and I am a deep lover of the beach! I wanted to add to my memories a trip with my boyfriend on our anniversary at my favorite place; I wanted to show him around the place that made me so happy.
At first, I searched for hotels for a one night stay. Well, beach real estate, even hotel real estate, is not cheap! Currently jobless as I am, I decided to take the brave route and planned for a night's stay at the Ocean Waves Campground in Waves, North Carolina.

With Morgan clueless as the entire trip was a surprise, I packed my mother's two-person tent in the back of Little Honda along with a vast array of beach supplies, including the family's magic Barney bag of beach toys. I gathered beach chairs, a colorful umbrella, and sand stakes from Morgan's mother and made a reservation at the campground. Thankfully, Morgan has and enjoys camping as that's what he grew up with. I knew that, as I've never camped anyone except five feet from my house in the backyard, Morgan would be able to handle any situations that arose during our camping trip.
When visiting Ma and gathering the tent, I allowed Morgan a detail of my secret trip: "Baby, we're going camping."
He was like a little boy again, perfectly elated!

Barney's magic bag of beach stuff

Photo of the Day July 9

This was right after we finished putting up the tent. Both of us were exhausted and disgustingly hot! It was at least 80 degrees with very little wind as any air from the beach was blocked by high dunes. We practically ran to the bath house then to the beach right after this picture!!!

Camping in the Rain Part 1

This evening, Morgan and I returned from our camping trip in the Outer Banks, the chain of islands off the coast of North Carolina. They make up my favorite place in the world! I love the touristy essence of Nags Head, the history of Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills, the spookiness of Hatteras, the wilderness of Waves and Rodanthe, and the classiness of Duck!
It was an amazing, unbelievable trip! Morgan and I, celebrating our 9-month anniversary, enjoyed a relaxing though at times exciting trip. We spent the night in a two-person tent on the coast of Waves inside the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
The weather was nice...ish! Thankfully, it didn't thunderstorm all night like it was supposed to. But the next morning, we did see some rain. Here's part one of what happened:

Kodak Moment: Photo of the Day April 11

I am so ecstatic because summer is just around the corner... at least for college students it is!! I am beyond excited because I am drained, exhausted, over worked, and ready to be with my boyfriend on a regular basis! I want to stop living out of a suitcase and stay in one place for a few days. I'm sure Morgan feels the same.

This photo was taken last summer in the Outer Banks. I got stuck a sink hole while walking Candy on the beach! That was such an amazing trip! I can only hope this summer goes just as awesome in Raleigh and Greensboro, NC.

Spring Rehabilitation

Honestly, Stuart and I had been going through a rough patch lately. Long distance was taking a very heavy toll on each of us independently and our relationship together. There were very strong doubts in both of our minds that we'd be able to make it another month.
Thanks to Spring Break, however, we have had ample time to repair and restore the foundation of our relationship. With the time we've had together, we have had quiet moments of togetherness and the fighting has dissipated. In fact, I've never felt closer to another person as I do with Stuart. The second he walks out the door to go to work, I immediately think of a random, silly thought that I want him to know. Being near him makes me relaxed and calm. Sparta adores him! He is a realistic provider, a gentle yet powerfully opinionated person. We share similar tastes in movies and swap music loves. We feel the same way on polka dots.
"I love this jacket," I said while sitting on a sunny hilltop outside Stuart's apartments. "Even though it has stripes."
"What's wrong with stripes?" asked Stuart.
"I'm not a huge fan of stripes. But at least it's not polka dots. I hate polka dots!"

(Without a pause) "I love you!" Stuart said.

I had hoped this Spring Break would be warmer. I packed a bunch of halter tops, a jean skirt, shorts, and a knee-length dress all for it to be chilly in the never-ceasing wind. When we traveled down to Wrightsville Beach for the day, Stuart was dressed in long pants, two T-shirts, and a windbreaker jacket. I had on a bikini top, see-through blouse, shorts, jacket, and Stuart's windbreaker pants. We were both huddled into our beach towels for warmth as the wind badgered at us, but every second was enjoyable because we were together and happy. Stuart built sand over my feet into the shape of scuba flippers, we trod through the tide pools formed by low tide where we found warm sink holes to bury our feet in, and ate a mountainous lunch we packed for the trip. Even with the cold, it was the best day all Spring Break. On the drive back, I read aloud from Three Weeks with my Brother, a memoir from popular author Nicholas Sparks, just like Ma used to do on our drives to our rented beach house when we were all a family.

We might have survived without Spring Break. We could have gotten through it but there would have many more fights. But something tells me that if it weren't Spring Break occurring so early in March thanks to Western Carolina... Stuart and I might not be celebrating our five-month anniversary on Monday.

Hopefully, with all we have gone through and the trust we have built together over these past two weeks, our fighting will lessen and our trust will keep us together while we're apart.

Kodak Moment: Photo of the Day March 4

Morgan and I were attacked by sea gulls while down at the beach!!! It was insanity!! We were the only people there, and those birds desperately wanted our sandwiches!!!! Here is one flying overhead quite close.