"Do Something Dope"

"Do Something Dope"

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Lifestyle, travel

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My younger brother, Eamon, has a category of apps on his phone labeled "do something dope". In this category are some travel apps, map apps, and other activity-oriented apps - stuff you'd look at if you were planning something fun and out of the ordinary.

I learned about this category while Eamon and I drove cross country last week - all the way from Richmond, VA to Portland, OR. In my 2000 Jeep Cherokee. Loaded down with a huge amount of the stuff I've accumulated throughout college. Needless to say, we were really a sight to behold.

We left Richmond in the morning on Saturday and made it to PDX at around dinnertime on Wednesday, making the trip a 4-night 5-day adventure that spanned across the U.S. - a bucket list type thing for me, and an excuse to connect with some awesome people. I feel like if you're down to welcome two college kids driving cross country into your home no questions asked, you're probably a pretty sweet human being - it takes a special brand of hospitable and chill to be about that type of last-minute overnight visit.

This trip was a reminder for me to get out of my comfort zone and reconnect with the world around me, with places like the Flatirons or Utah Salt Flats or the rolling farmland in western Iowa. With people like the sweet family we stayed with in Omaha who fed us bratwurst and fruit salad, our cousins who took us to an Oregon-themed Chicago bar, a mutual friend in Boulder who sent us off with a handmade dream catcher, and a gal in Salt Lake who gave us an evening walking tour of the city. They were all kind and welcoming and awesome in their own ways and were intentional in their hospitality and in giving us a taste of their beloved homes.

After all the amazing scenery, fabulous human beings, creepy roadside stops, soggy sandwiches, repetitive Spotify playlists, and wrong turns, I can confidently say that we did something dope.
Don't let it stop here - don't just chill in your comfort zone.

(thanks for the inspiration and road companionship, E)

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Wait, what?

Wait, what?

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Lifestyle

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This is coming out of nowhere, or so it may seem. What is coming out of nowhere? This post - the fact that I actually opened up Blogger and started to type. Somehow,we went from hitting a couple hundred views per day this summer to a whopping 50 (on a good day) right now, nearly a year later. Strange how these things work - how life starts to change, how you let go and hope that one day you might regain control of something so seemingly insignificant as the lifestyle blog you began almost a year and a half ago in hopes of one day becoming the next Carly Cardellino (if you know, you know) and curating or publishing content at a big shot magazine.

So what's the deal? Does this (The PDX Belle) not matter anymore - all the time and effort, photoshoots, relationships created, and candid words?

Not the case.

This year has been one for the books. If you've been around long enough, you know that I spent the past fall semester studying abroad in Austria - and if you paid attention, you would know that this little semester (so tiny in the scheme of things) had a bit of an impact on my general outlook.

The eating and exercise habits that had me dreaming about competing in IFBB bikini competitions last year (this is a little-known fact if there ever was one) stemmed from a breakup in January 2015 and resulted in me missing out on the vast majority of activities with my friends - tracking every single calorie that went into my body didn't allow for alcohol or late-night Sheetz runs, and working out after closing retail shifts every weeknight (including Fridays) didn't allow for spending much time with the girls. It took spending four months in Salzburg to kick these habits and learn how to love myself (something I still struggle with) with an extra five pounds or a new dress size. Disclaimer - if you love yourself first, there's nothing wrong with working out and counting your macros. That's the key.

So getting to now - breaking up with your best friend of 3 years isn't easy. Watching your family experience some nasty, heartbreaking structural shifts isn't easy. And facing the "real world" after a series of setbacks and quarter life crises hasn't been easy, either. The photo above is from a year ago, and it isn't representative of the way I look now. Getting in front of a camera and smiling to model an adorable boutique's newest dress doesn't sound fun right now, because I know I would look at the photos and dislike what I see. I'm in transition between home (Portland) and Richmond, hoping to find a job sometime soon, and wondering what the next step will be. My suitcases aren't unpacked just yet, and they may not be for a while.

But until then, The PDX Belle (the blog, not me) is going to need a little inspiration and revamping. If you stuck with this post long enough, maybe you have some ideas - maybe you knew The PDX Belle before Austria and before senior spring - and you can help us get back to a happy, healthy place.

Cheers - and thanks for your support!

May

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