Out of the Wild

Stuart and I have obsession with survival shows. Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment and Out of the Wild: Venezuela are my favorites, and we both love Man, Woman, Wild. I'm no "doomsday prepper," but I believe that everyone should know how to at least fend for themselves in the event that they lose their way while hiking, crash their canoe and hear banjos, or end up in Oz. But seriously, knowing how to survive in various situations never hurt anyone. In fact, if some people took survival skill training, they'd finally acquire some common sense. 
I hope to never have to practice the skills I have acquired through osmosis by watching television or listening to Stuart go on and on, but IF I DID... here's who I want to be stranded with and why (in no particular order):

Stuart - my boyfriend: This is The Most Obvious Choice besides like Cody Lundin or Mykel Hawke. He knows his stuff, and if I had him at my side, I wouldn't be afraid of anything. He could shoot us dinner, make a fire in five different ways, and build a shelter that could bear the weight of a teenage boy. He has a strong work ethic and a git-r-done attitude. With his knowledge and attitude, we'd be saved in less than a week.

Kate - my sister: Kate's got optimism like I've never seen. She's family-oriented and loyal... and crazy fierce! Thanks to her regular gym work-outs and cheer practice, she's got the endurance and muscle to pull her own weight in camp. Don't let her pink hair ribbons and perky attitude fool you... underneath she's a mother bear protecting her cubs! LOOK OUT!

Cameron - friend: Cameron was one of the boys back when we were still "a group." He's got mad camping skills, and he provides a moral booster. I don't know about trekking through the wilderness with a guitar, but if anyone's going to do it, it'd be Cameron. Not only can he play some tunes around the campfire, he's got one of the best senses of humor. He can get me cracking up hysterically to no end. Also, Cameron's got fantastic animal knowledge and I bet some tracking skills. Definitely a keeper!

Daniel - friend: Daniel's the guy that came along for the heck of it and you keep him around because he's good company. Daniel's been my bestie for over two years now, and he's the one who would say, "Lex, get the hell over yourself! Stop crying and get some firewood!" He's the strength I need to make it out of the woods. Daniel will also be the one butting heads with Stuart and giving the other side of opinions on how things should be done, but at the same time, he's a good team player.

Pawpaw - grandfather on my mother's side: Stuart can back me up on this claim... if you'd ever met Pawpaw, you'd want him on your team. He's nearing 70 years old, and he just went out and got his concealed carry permit. He was packing at my mother's wedding - a camera on one side of his jacket and a gun on the other!!! He's cool, collected, and he also has ridiculous amounts of knowledge about nearly everything! He grew up in coal mining mountains and has spent the vast majority of his life outdoors. If we lose Stuart to poisonous berries, I'm counting on my grandfather!

Tanner - Stuart's best friend and former roommate: It's not a wilderness trip without Tanner, according to Stuart. With Tanner's weaponry knowledge and Stuart's gun, we most certainly won't die because we were attacked by crazy mountain men or black bears! Also, I would definitely make Tanner entertain me with Sweeney Todd reenactments! Oh yes, Tanner, it's happening, sir!!   

Sparta - the cat: Fresh mice and small rodents, and plus it's Sparta! What more needs to be said? Daniel, you CANNOT eat him!! I don't care if we're starving!

To those of you not mentioned, don't feel bad!! Be glad you didn't sign up on the worst vacation ever!!! Please send help!!!

Lex's Secret Camping Trip Part 3

Our first day went well. We swam in the Atlantic, that was at a nice temperature and had a ridiculous current pulling to the left. For dinner, I took Stuart to my favorite Outer Banks restaurant The New York Pizza Pub and Italian Grill. We shared a pizza and garlic knots!! It was DELICIOUS! If you're ever in the Outer Banks, that's my recommend. Afterwards, Stuart stopped at Logan's Ice Cream Parlor for some ridiculous flavor. The parlor is famous for their "Titanic" ice cream which is six scoops of whatever flavor with four toppings! If you eat it in one sitting, you get your picture on the wall!

Roanoke Island

Back at the tent, I was exhausted beyond belief! The majority of the day was a long drive, putting up the tent under the blazing sun, struggling with the rain cover (which turned out to be a privacy canvas and wasn't used for the rain at all!), and frolicking in the waves! By the time I had returned from the communal bath house, I collapsed on my mattress pad with my head nearly sticking out the tent door for just a breath of a breeze and immediately fell asleep. I only woke a few times during the night to see flashes of lightning streak across a cloudy night sky.
Poor Stuart, on the other hand, slept little. He tossed and turned all night. The tent was so stuffy he felt like was being suffocated. The next morning, he was miserable and grumpy from lack of sleep.
On the morning of our second and final day, the sky was filled with flat gray clouds. I awoke when the blinding sun, uncovered by clouds as luck would have it, crested the dunes and flooded our tent with God's Almighty blazing light. Less than two hours later, the sun's rays were gone and were replaced with a straight downpour of heavy rain.

At first, it was sweet. Stuart and I huddled together eating raw blueberry bagels and a plastic tub of pre-cut watermelon slices from Food Lion. Then, the tent started leaking!! At first it was just a small drip from the roof. Then, it was second drip. Then, it was a large puddle coming from the side seam near my suitcase. And then, it was Stuart, myself, and all of our belongings piled on top of the narrow mattress pads with the sheets draped across our laps to keep from getting wet!! If the rain had been much harder, our tent floor would have been a shallow lake or a deep puddle.
When a break in the clouds arrived, Stuart made a break for it in his yellow slicker and scurried about the car tossing our stuff in the trunk. He jumped back into the tent before the next onslaught of rain leaving my car door wide open........!!!!!

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

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: