Category Archives: Traveling

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Dress: Old Navy | Jacket: Francesca’s | Boots: Unknown

It’d been quite some time since I had seen Jenny or been able to venture into Philadelphia, so when I had to get my passport I figured that was the perfect time to meet up! I know what you’re saying … ‘Alexa, you’ve never had your passport until now?’ and the answer is no! I have never travelled outside of the country before and my Step-Father was supposed to have some work offered to him over in Belgium. Sadly, that seems to not be happening as soon as I’d hoped…but at least I have my passport. 

The weather was perfect for going into Philly. It was sunny and probably around 70 degrees which isn’t my ideal weather for October, but who am I to say anything?! Jenny and I walked all over the city before and after obtaining my passport and got to eat at Hip City Veg, which is definitely my new favorite food destination! But more on that later…notice anything different?

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 “Alexa?! When did your hair become candy colored!?” …my parents will wonder (Mommy was okay with it, just shocked. I still haven’t seen Dad or my Step-Mommy yet so we’ll see). My amazing friend Carolyn has done it once again and made my hair super fun. I have wanted pink hair since college but for some reason I never pulled the trigger. I had tried it once before on my own but the pink completely washed out and I had Anna’s hair before it was cool. 

Who Wore It Best? More like Who Wore It FIRST?

Who Wore It Best? More like Who Wore It FIRST?

Now that I know someone who understands hair and it’s alien properties I can go crazy and try new things with a professional opinion and it’s so exciting! Carolyn is seriously amazing and wonderful and I don’t think I can say it enough. 

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My accessories from the day were a mish-mosh, as per usual. The two necklaces I was wearing are both from Urban Outfitters (before I completely stopped shopping there for a multitude of reasons), the one pictured is made of pyrite. It is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry because it looks like someone dug these stones right out of the earth and wrapped them in a chain, like something someone would find in an adventure-type film or show. There’s just something so natural and beautiful about it (even though I know this was made in a factory…obviously). My bracelets are a mix of Alex and Ani, Pandora, my favorite skull bracelet and my “Blaze” engraved bracelet on my other wrist. 

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And then Alexa transformed into a magical girl.

And then Alexa transformed into a magical girl.

 The dress is from Old Navy and is probably one of the best items I have ever purchased from there. It’s a bit of a heavier material but because it’s black I can wear it during every season. It fits perfectly and flows nicely, the only problem I have with it is how easily it started to pill once I wore it a few times. The jacket is from Francesca’s, it is a lovely teal color that goes with almost everything I own currently, and I like it because it’s a bit of a heavier material as well which means I can wear it in the fall, spring and summer without another jacket on top. The hood is a super cute touch too. I got my boots for $20 from a store in South Carolina when I was visiting my parents, and I’m not too sure what the brand name is, but they’ve lasted me up until now since last winter, so I’m pretty pleased!

My name is Alexa and I love food.

My name is Alexa and I love food.

Hip City Veg was certainly the highlight of the day. Not only were Jenny and I starving by the time we got there, but the food was DELICIOUS. I can honestly tell you that I don’t remember exactly what I ate, I know it was some sort of amazing veggie burger Hip City Ranch Burger, sweet potato fries that Jen and I split, and a refreshing green lemon-aid. I just remember everything being perfect and wishing that my stomach wasn’t full so I could eat more, because I’m classy like that. 10 out of 10, will visit again. 


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Labor Day has come and gone, which means that Summer is making a swift exit. With the last “real” summer weekend going by, we all decided to go on a day trip down to Cape May to see the beach and the Brewery.

The night before we left my friends Jon, his brother Matt, Keith, Mr. Ian and I all went down to the Stone Pony in Asbury Park to see The Gay Blades play! I haven’t seen them in quite some time and they really put on a great show. I was first introduced to this band by my boyfriend and long-time-companda Mr. Ian. They are a local rock/alternative group (but on their facebook page they describe themselves as “Genre Trash pop”…I’ll take it) that reside in Brooklyn, NY. Their first two albums are excellent if you’re into that genre of music, and their concerts are like one giant party so I’d also recommend seeing them live if you ever get a chance!

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Here’s one of their most recent music videos off of their second album.

The next morning Keith, his wife Jenine, Mr. Ian and I got up nice and early to drive down to Cape May. I had been to Cape May a bunch of times when I was younger, my family would go with all the kids and make it into a fun day trip or a nice long weekend. It is a really pretty beach town with a lot to offer, and since it had been a while since any of us had gone it was all very new and fresh. We also decided that it would be a really nice wrap up to summer to hit the beach and be kind-of “shore tourists” for a day. Our first stop was a little restaurant called George’s Place. We stopped there on a whim and came to realize that they had an AMAZING breakfast menu (not too sure if it was very vegan friendly, but I remember it being veggie friendly). Whenever I get the chance to go out to eat for breakfast I always tend to lean toward the sweeter side of the menu — which lead to one of the most delicious waffles I think I have ever had.

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This weekend I went to visit my grandparents in rural Pennsylvania. They are located in Roaring Spring, PA. If it sounds familiar that might mean you bought a Roaring Spring Notebook. The town is less than a square mile, and most people living there work for the local paper mill, or the surrounding farms. The “biggest” town near it is Altoona, which is pretty much unknown to people outside Pennsylvania.

On Friday my husband and I drove 4 hours in the middle of Pennsylvania, driving through and up mountains. When we hit Roaring Spring, we passed by street signs pointing to the football field. We joked how it was like Friday Night Lights. Once we got to my Nanna and Pappy’s house, we found out that football is no joke in this town. There were signs everywhere for the big game. The field is near their house, so we watched lots of people park on the street and walk to the field. My Nanna even let a friend park on their lawn for a good parking spot.

Football and cheerleader wasn’t anything big at my school. To me it was an outdated stereotype in movies and shows, like the nerd with bottle-thick glasses and the pocket protector. This was the first sign that I have been living in an urban bubble.

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It made me wonder, can small towns go vegan? It seems obvious to say yes, an individual can order stranger items online, and the internet can help them learn different things. And that is great. Isn’t that what all vegan bloggers do? Try and connect to everyone?

But it became apparent there are lots of reasons why people in Roaring Spring, or any small rural town, wouldn’t go vegan. One being community. Right before leaving, my vegan friend who grew up in Altoona wished me luck. She knew how frustrating it is to try and get her family to make something vegan. Luckily, my mother always cooks when visiting my Nanna, as she likes to try our cooking. What my family cooks were far from normal for the area. Most foods are bland, and meat based. 

I point this out since we made two chilis for one dinner. One was with ground pork, the other was based off of Oh She Glow’s My Favorite Vegan Chili. My grandparents both seemed perplexed by the idea of a vegetarian chili. My Pappy ate two bowlfuls, despite everyone thinking he wouldn’t touch it. I wouldn’t of thought this would be such a novel idea since chili competitions have a “vegetarian” category.

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Last week I thought it would be a good idea to take the train into Philadelphia. I live close to the Patco (or speedline for any South Jersey/Philadelphia readers) so going into Philadelphia only takes 15 minutes. Once I paid for my ticket, went through the gates, I overheard that the trains were delayed. Someone was hit by a train at 8th and Market, and trains were delayed. I was then “blessed” with hearing 40-somethings bitch and moan about “these things don’t happen in other cities.” I even heard (this was my favorite) that “we were all pawns in someone else’s big vendetta.”

And for the record, people being hit by trains is a much more common than what people might think. I am constantly hearing about this from my Mother-In-Law who has a very lengthy 3-hour commute (each way) into New York City. There have been some nights she unable to come home because someone jumped in front a train and delayed trains during rush hour. It was a little insulting hearing some passengers compare delays due to rail-wor to delays due to suicide. 

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But moving on. My train was delayed and I was starving by the time I went into the city. I had plans to stop in the city and grab something from HipCityVeg. There are lots of rave reviews and online hype for the mini-chain. Truthfully, when my friend first told me about it, I remember being frustrated that nothing on the menu clarified what was vegan or vegetarian. It was so hard for me to believe that there would be an all vegan restaurant at the time.

Man things have changed. I remember not believing people that there was an all vegan pizzeria when I was living in Philadelphia. I also didn’t think I could ever get my husband to go to it. Now he told me he is going to have a hard time choosing between Blackbird Pizzeria or HipCityVeg when going into Philadelphia. Little does he know about the many other vegan venues we have yet to go to!

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By the time I made it to HipCityVeg (the Center City location) I was so hungry I couldn’t wait for my food. So I grabbed their seasonal shake, Apple Pie flavored. It tasted a little too “appley” in an artificial way, but I was so hungry it tasted awesome anyways. I also grabbed their Udon Noodle Salad. I wasn’t really reading the item so I was surprised by the faux chicken bits on top. I have to say, they were VERY chicken-y. Actually more chicken-like than some of the cheap chicken that is available.

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Dress: Amanda’s Closet | Earrings: Gifted | Pin: Vintage | Sticker: MetMuseum | Shoes: Modcloth

This weekend I went into New York City with my Mom to go see the Charles James exhibit. I have to say this is one of the few specialty exhibits that really blew me away. Although I like clothing and fashion, I don’t actually know much history. So I didn’t know anything about Charles James. I only really wanted to go because of a video segment on Gertie’s Blog for Better Sewing. I’m glad I went because there was so many cool things about the exhibit.

I thought the trip would be a great excuse to wear my new dress that I got from Amanda’s instagram shop from Junebugs and Georgia Peaches. (My dress is in the bottom right corner of this photo) I didn’t go too crazy since I knew I would be walking around a lot and the temperatures change often in museums.

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Dress: Urban Renewal | Necklace: Flair | Shoes: Nature Breeze

I haven’t done a fashion post in almost a month! So when my husband and I went into Philadelphia this weekend I knew I had to take a photo. Plus, the side streets are always great scenery! I was able to wear this dress my sister handed down to me. It is super soft and quick to put on. We went to go see Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki. It is one our favorite Miyazaki films. My husband says he can’t pick between Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro as his favorite, but I can easily say Spirited Away is my favorite. 

I love how the main character is a female but the end of the story is not about how she fell in love. She saves her parents (spoiler alert her parents don’t get eaten… which is pretty obvious considering it is a kids movie) and helps many people around her. His visuals are amazing, and he uses animation in creative and beautiful ways.

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A few weeks ago I visited Burlington, Vermont for my brother Trevor’s Graduation from College! He attended the University of Vermont and (as far as I know) is going to be teaching Crossfit classes and competing in Crossfit competitions for a living. It was nice to be able to see him and his lovely girlfriend, and I had never been to Burlington before then, so it was an added bonus of adventure! 

My favorite part of the weekend was when we all met up (my Mother, Step Daddy, Trevor, his girlfriend Jules and myself) and walked around the Burlington Farmer’s Market. I already love farmer’s markets, and Trevor had told me that this one was especially nice. 

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 My birthday and 1st Anniversary happened last weekend and Jon and I celebrated by hiking. Our honeymoon we were planning on a lot of hikes, but it rained so much we really didn’t get a chance. It made sense to walk up a mountain a year later to make up for it. Sadly there aren’t too many mountains in South Jersey. We had to drive up two hours to climb Mount Minsi in Pennsylvania.

I first heard of the trail from a list of best hikes in New Jersey. Although the mountain in Pennsylvania, it is only a 3-5 minute drive to trail once you cross the border. When you reach the top you get a beautiful view of New Jersey. Yeah that lump in the photo on top- it’s New Jersey.

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First off – yes, I definitely missed last week’s Tea Time Tuesday!! Shame on me! Moving on though, this week’s review is about one of the new teas that Rook Coffee Roasters has to offer, just in time for summer! 

I just want to start off by talking about Rook as a company. They are based in Monmouth County, NJ with shops set up in Oakhurst, Long Branch and Little Silver. The company was started by two childhood friends (Holly Migliaccio and Shawn Kingsley) who have a passion for specialty coffee. The brews that they make in shop range from fair trade, organic and water processed (a chemical-free way of decaffeinating their coffee). 

I usually frequent the one in the Little Silver Train Station as it is on the way to dropping Mr. Ian off at work. The location for it is great, and the staff are really wonderful people! They always make you feel welcome when you walk in the door, and if you are not used to their different roasts they will happily explain them to you. 

I decided to try the Berry Tea this week, I have had the Black Tea that they offer and it wasn’t really what I expected. It was just more of a regular “Iced Tea” than an “English Breakfast” blend. 

The Berry tea was extremely refreshing! It wasn’t too sweet, and not very bitter. Just perfectly tart after you finish taking a sip. The flavor tastes like there are a few different berries in the blend – raspberry being the most notable (to me anyway…I can’t say for sure what’s in it). I would definitely recommend it on a hot day if you are not feeling like grabbing coffee, but need a little pick-me-up.