On Being 23

When I was younger, I always thought by now I'd be set. I'd have a great apartment, a well paying job, maybe even married? In reality, I'm currently living at home, working an okay job, and marriage, well I'm not even looking at that right now. I think we all thought when we were younger your life plan should be set when you're in your 20s. You should know where your life is headed and what your next step is. But what I've learned this year is that it's okay to not know. It's okay to still be planning.

This year I spent a lot of time figuring out what I wanted to do with my life and where I wanted to end up. I had a career goal in mind, but I wasn't sure how to get there. I always thought at 23 I would be on the path there, but I won't be starting that until the fall.

You don't need to have your life planned out at 20. Or 25. Or 30. It's okay to take your time. That's what I've learned this past year. No one has their life together. Everyone's still working towards something. I think our generation is "growing up" a lot later than our parents did. My mom got married and had kids at 23. I don't even see that in my life until my 30s.

I spent two years after college figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, and I want to tell everyone that it's okay. Seeing people I went to high school with already there would usually frustrate me, but I realized there's no rush to figuring out what is going to make you happy. I'm not saying go travel around the world and ignore your responsibilities, but hey if you need to wait tables for a year before you figure out your career path, do it.

In the end, it's important to take time for yourself. Everything will work out in the end if you take the time to plan it out. Your happiness comes first.

Dallas Day 3

Our last day in Dallas was spent mainly at the art museum (which was probably my favorite part of the whole trip). Before we went though, we wanted to go to the Sky Lobby, which gives you a view of Dallas, but that ended up not working out so well.

The art museum definitely helped our day though. It had a great blend on modern with more classic pieces. Here are some pictures I took there.

I also picked up some postcards they had on sale which I think I might do a DIY post with in the future!

Overall I had a great time in Dallas and it was nice to have a vacation/spring break. I definitely recommend going, but in the warmer months where there are more people around, though it was nice not having anything crowded.

Rival Bros. Coffee

When I heard about Rival Bros., I knew I had to make a visit. Located on 24th and Lombard right in the heart of Filter Square, it's a great place to go. I love the location because, from what I had seen, it's not by many other coffee shops or restaurants, so it really feels like you're in a small neighborhood cafe.

Decked out in shades of blue, Rival Bros. gives you that old time-y feel and feels like a place where you could walk in and they would know your order. It's on the smaller side of coffee shops, so we didn't find seating inside, but if you get there early enough or at the right time, it's great. It's very cozy and has a great atmosphere.

I went here with my friend Samantha before we spent a few hours taking photos around Philly and both went for plain lattes. They were delicious (because what latte isn't). They also had a variety of pastries that looks absolutely scrumptious as well. If you're ever in this area of Philly, I highly recommend making a visit.

Dallas Day 2

Hey guys! I'm here with my next post on my trip to Dallas! The second day we decided to explore an area called Deep Ellum (I'd compare it to South Street in Philadelphia). There were so many cool shops and restaurants here.

For lunch we went to a place called Serious Pizza. The inside and atmosphere of the place was very cool. It had that almost "punk" vibe to it... and the pizza slices were HUGE.

We then went to Lulu B's antique store after were I picked up a vintage Jack Daniel's glass and a Wrangle denim jacket. There were so many amazing knick knacks here that I wish I had the space in my luggage to take home more things.

We also just walked around an explored and came across some cool things in the area.

Lastly, probably the highlight of our whole trip, we had the infamous In-N-Out. Because we were so close to one, we had to (seems like all we did this day was eat). It was amazing, though after I felt like I could never eat again. And of course I had to get it animal style.

What I'm Listening to Vol. 2

So a while ago I did one of these posts and I decided why not do one again with all this new music coming out!

"What Kind of Man" - Florence and the Machine

Florence is currently making the rounds of most of the music festivals this season, and her new song will be killer on those setlists. Florence is a powerhouse vocally and she never fails to deliver with her music. I've been anticipating her album for quite a while now so if the rest of it is anything like this, I will definitely be pleased.

"Let it Happen" - Tame Impala

I wasn't even aware Tame Impala was working on new music, but they released this track about a week ago and it's been on repeat since then. If you're a big fan of The Beatles in their "psychedelic" phase, then you'll really enjoy Tame Impala's music. I've recently gotten into them (thanks to my sister) and have been hooked. I'm really bummed they won't be making a stop in Philly this summer but hopefully they'll be here soon!

"Rango" - Catfish and the Bottlemen

I can't remember if I mentioned these guys in my post last year, but Catfish and the Bottlemen have been starting to blow up since I first saw them in June of last year (also I've seen them two more times since then... no shame). They bring that old school english rock vibe to their songs and are great performers live. I'll be seeing them for a fourth time in June and I can't wait.This song is probably one of my favorites by them, but I really suggest you listen to their whole album because it's great from start to finish.

Dallas Day 1

If you guys didn't know, last week I went on a short trip with one of my friends to Dallas, TX for a few days. No particular reason why, we just saw a cheap flight and wanted to see a city we had never been to before. I thought it'd be fun to share a photo diary of what I did and saw there!

The first day we decided just to wander around downtown and were shocked by the lack of people. What we did not realize is in Texas, if it's below 50 degrees, everything almost shuts down, which is a big contrast to Philadelphia where you see people walking around in blizzards. The plus side to this was being able to take as many touristy shots as I wanted to without being judged.

After walking around downtown for a few hours, we decided to head uptown to some shops. We also stope for a latte at Sip-Stir which was an adorable cafe (and also huge compared to the ones I've been to in Philly).

After that we went back to our hotel  for a bit, then headed out to some bars in uptown for the night. Another contrast was that nothing was packed (trust me, I've been to packed bars on a Sunday in Philly), and we were able to just relax and enjoy a drink without it being crazy.