#4: Ode To Food

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VSCO has become a very good app that I love using. Not only for the editing pictures and the detail that you can show in photos, but to showcase the food and beer addiction that I have. I browse through VSCO and I realize that there is so much that you can show someone, how you see the world by capturing it.

The reason for this post isn't to praise VSCO but to share my absolute love for food! Last night I went on a food crawl with my girlfriend. It wasn't too much of a food crawl since we didn't hit all 4 targets that we had planned, but we did end up going to 2 spots. With moving to Downtown Long Beach you get to experience all the food that they offer, especially it being walking distance. One of the locations we have never tried but have been dying to. Pier 76 is what I'd like to call a creative take on seafood but not on the high end of restaurants that have seafood. Then we ended up going over to Bo-Beau to have the tapas on the rooftop since last weekend we enjoyed the dining for my birthday downstairs. Bo-Beau has a wide variety of not only vodka but beers and man oh man, I LOVE BEER! The only reason we didn't crawl to the other two places we had in mind was because we were not only full, but got the taste of some heavenly beers.

Pier 76's Lobster Roll.

Broccoli Cole Slaw from Pier 76.

Bo-Beau Roof "Tap" Menu with beers.

Bo-Beau's Mussels.

Doesn't it all look just so appeasing? No thanks to VSCO of course.

If you want to see my food journey along with my partner in crime Jes' please take your way over to SmallChicksBigEats.Com #SCBE. There you can find not only the food that we cook but places that we have gone to eat. Most of the recent updates are dishes that we have made, but soon enough everyone will be able to follow our foodie dates.

¡Buen Provecho! 

#3: TestingDahScan

I recently received this awesome scanner as a gift. I had one at my old apartment that my mom had in her house, but I wanted to get one for the apartment here in Cali so I could add love to my blog. Although it's random little bits, they are things that just remind me of a certain day.

Movie tickets. Hello Kitty Go Fish. Long Beach Pride drink tickets and my tutu from that day.

The texture and colors are so interesting to see scanned than when you get to see it in person. It's just something so different and playful. Sarah did scans for a while and I loved her idea entirely. She definitely is an inspiration to me when it comes to blogging and just being yourself. I am working towards getting my .com to that place and just building a digital journal.

Aside from that, happy pride month! To those who support the community, thank you! No one really understands what it means to have the support of others no matter what it is for. As humans we do need some sense of acknowledgement and having people out there backing you is just the plus.

By the way -

If you have yet to check out the food blog please do. SCBE is updated on a day to day basis. Jes and I are doing our best to make sure we share all that of what we cook but also what we go to eat.

Enjoy!

#2: See You Soon NY.

If anyone has followed me on Twitter and Instagram they know that I've made a huge move. Jes and I literally picked up and moved within a month to California. The story within itself is pretty hilarious, but we stuck to our word and we are making a home for ourselves here on the West Coast.

To just shed a bit of light on how it happened:
It was Jes' 24th birthday celebration one weekend and after one too many pitchers we decided that the best idea was to up and try something new. Due to some circumstances it was just about that time for the both of us. Drunken promises are really never kept between many people, but this one was one we were determined in January to make happen. So we officially decided on the 6th of January that it would be that time. We slowly broke it to our family then our friends. February 25th we were on a flight out to LAX and the rest is history.

As spontaneous as the move was, it definitely wasn't the easiest. Having to get rid of everything in your apartment, the place that you created into what you loved, it was hard. Leaving the lady of my life, my mom, all the way back home was another heart breaker. The craziest part of it all is that she was completely supportive of her only child taking this journey and experiencing her life just a little bit. I can't even begin to explain how blessed I am for that woman. The lack of friends wasn't easy, but we figured that we would just wing it all and see where it took us. Taking a risk entirely at a new life and I wouldn't change it.

There's this thing about moving farrrrrrrrrrr away; You end up opening your eyes to a lot of things. A LOT! I am grateful that I was strong enough to just up and go. I remember in 2009 I was going to do this same move, but that didn't happen as planned due to financial issues where I was planning on staying. NOW, it was all up to us. My mom was an large factor in making this a reality for us, but being over here having to battle it out is what shows you if you're capable.

The light shines through for you when you're distant. People booking flights right away to come visit whether it's just for a random weekend or even to celebrate your birthday. The attitude people have towards you because of strenuous situations or how they handle things when you are no longer in the picture. How life can just make a complete flip out of no where but the fact that you had some control over that change. It's unbelievable what you end up realizing. The action and words that follow through with one another or the ones that don't. Although it seems like it takes something so drastic, it was there the entire time.

Either way, New York will always be my home. The people I've met and shared parts of my life with will always be a part of my growing up and learning. My heart will always have a place on the East Coast. It was just time to live a little, try something out of the ordinary, act like I was really still in my 20's.

For now, I'll enjoy living a 15-20 minute walk down to the beach and the weather that SoCal offers me.

It's not goodbye, but it's more of a see you soon NY. Also, thank you. Thank you for everyone who has been there, who has given me the chance to experience and learn things that I never would have before.

Venice Beach - VSCO

#1: The Re-Re-Restart

Time and time again I disappear from my personal blog and forget to update. I've continued to ask myself, how can I get back at this? What would interest readers? Why do I care if people read? lol. Honestly, I just want it to be appealing not only for others, but for myself when I look back at all of this down the line. So here I am, typing what comes to mind.

I've decided that I should no longer over think what I should type about. I should create something that I would just write down in my journal. Yes, random posts on my Tumblr help, but they aren't all directly from me. This .com has been around for too many years to just let it go. Moving it from place to place and it needs a home that I want to make beautiful and creative.

Have you ever thought to yourself, my children might one day want to see what mommy has done? Aside from wanting to know your own personal growth, but hoping that one day people who were once in your life would stumble across your .com just to see what you've been up to in life? Sounds odd, but it happens. It has happened and it does continue to happen. It's not that I want people in my business, but more so I want people to be aware, I am alive and well and living life according to how I want. Yes, there are bumps in the road. Yes, I am still learning something new every single day. Yes, it's never as easy as it may seem in a blog post. BUT, it's a nice way to document everything just in case.

So many thoughts, ideas, drawings, visuals....they'll be here some how. Between Twitter, Instagram, VSCO and Tumblr sharing parts of me, I want to sum it all up here. I'll call this the "re-re-restart" to Ahlexandria.Com.

There's more to come within the next week. The story of the journey that got me across country and the little bits and pieces of me to share in photos, words and randomness.

- Ahlexandria

If you're into good eats please check out SmallChicksBigEats.Com.