Social Media Detox, the Aftermath

My previous blog post was how I was going to completely shut off my social media accounts for a week (minus Instagram... because when I am relaxing on the beach I love looking at pictures) and enjoy a simple spring break. I deleted the Facebook app and Twitter app from my phone to begin the detox.

Day 1= Started off strong. I enjoyed not constantly checking my phone and wanting to know what everyone else was doing. I could just sit back and enjoy my time with my friends and chillin' on the beach. This day was a breeze for me.

Day 2= I woke up and had an urge to read Twitter but obviously couldn't because I deleted the app. Instead I made a bowl of cereal and sat on the porch and listened to the breaking of waves. Needless to say Twitter was off of my mind really quickly. Day 2 made me realize how much of a habit I have made checking my social accounts. I wake up, check Twitter then scroll through Instagram and then if I really don't want to get up yet I'll check Facebook.

Day 3= This day I had less of an urge to check Twitter. I got up and went straight to the beach and didn't even bring my phone with me. However, when I was getting ready to go out to dinner, I was ready before everyone else and really wanted to check Twitter. I slowly was beginning to realize that it was when I was not preoccupied with anything I wanted to turn to social media.

Day 4= Woke up to a text from a friend asking if I had seen this specific tweet... this was a killer. I wanted to hear about what was going on in the entertainment world; however, I had no access. I had to ask for the "low down" of the story and that I didn't check Twitter. She was surprised but quickly caught me up to speed. It is funny that my friends even know my daily social media schedule!

Day 5= I had a lazy day relaxing on the beach and never really had any thought about social media. This was starting to feel like a normal thing... no access to the social world. In all honesty, it felt pretty great not to have to check this or scroll through that!

Day 6= Last and final day of the social media detox. I was eagerly awaiting my arrival home andddd I caved. I was in a car for over 10 hours and really just wanted to check Twitter and Facebook. The only positive thing I thought about was seeing all of the notifications I had gotten during the week.... BUT I really only had a few favorites of a tweet and been tagged in some pictures on Facebook. Major let down because I thought I would have had so many comments and posts and tweets, to my surprise I didn't have hardly any.

To wrap up this whole social detox thing I will leave you with this insight...
Time is now and being with friends and family is precious time you can't take back. Engage in conversation with people OUTSIDE of social media. Relationships are what keeps me going and I took that for granted. This detox definitely brought me back down to earth to realize live in the moment, no really actual the physical moment.

beachweek.

Brrr. It feels like -17 degrees outside right now. Are the winter blues starting to set in? Do not fret, Travel Channel Beach Week is here! All over Instagram and Twitter, #TCBeachWeek is taking over. I'm beginning to think this is the best way to advertise beaches, because it's freezing outside and everyone's mind is thinking about tropical destinations to escape the reality of how cold it is. The Travel Channel is airing some of the hottest beaches of 2015 during their annual Beach Week tour around the world. They kicked it off with the top 101 Sand n' Surf spots. From Matira Beach in Bora Bora to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware, the Travel Channel is counting down to the No. 1 beach in the world! At the end of the week they will reveal the Best Beach Awards of 2015, 10 categories with winners selected by the Travel Channel experts. Follow the Travel Channel on Twitter and #TCBeachWeek to stay in the loop with all things tropical! Stay warm out there! 

Top 10 Beaches by Category

1. Sexiest Beach
Miami Beach, FL 

2. Best Unusual Beach
Red Beach, Santorini, Greece

3. Best Romantic Beach
Little Dix Bay, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands 

4. Best Beach for Adventure
Praia do Futuro, Fortaleza, Brazil

5. Best Beach Bar
VICE, Nissakia Surf Club, Artemida, Greece

6. Best Beach You Haven't Heard of... Yet
Lake Atitlan, Guatemala 

7. Best Beach Boardwalks
Coney Island, NY

8. Best Family Beach
Seaside, Florida 

9. Best Party Beach
La Barra, Punta del Este, Uruguay

10. Best Exotic Beach
Ihlabela, Brazil

cheers.

I have decided to revamp my blog. I am officially dusting it off from 2013 and starting a clean slate. I am completely changing the direction with where I want to take my blog looking forward to sharing my passions and life endeavors.  As a young blogger, freshmen in college, I had no idea what I wanted my blog to be about. It served the purpose of a personal Pinterest page where I can share my thoughts on what I liked and also served as a hub where I could share some of my graphic design pieces. Well, then I took on studying abroad in 2013 and my blog took a shift towards Italian culture and my love of travel. Honestly, after that trip nothing could really top that! Until I moved into my first "college" home with 5 of my best friends as a junior in college and that was where I left off... Here I am now a senior and I finally have a direction to take my blog in. I am looking forward to sharing my love of design and all things creative, my love of food and occasionally a good beverage, my desire to travel the world and local finds, and lastly wherever my life takes me is what I want to share. I am challenging myself to write between the lines about the unordinary and thus the name simply stated was born. I am tackling a variety of topics with one common theme: one word titles. Why you ask? Because if you can share a moment using multiple words, one word can define it and that is exactly what I am going to do. Simply define my life passions with this blog. With that, cheers to new beginnings and picking up right where I left off.

simply,
leah

stuck.

Current mood is frustrated, stuck in Charlotte, North Carolina airport. We walked up to our gate just in time to catch the ending of an announcement... 2 hour delay! So as Caitlin, Hannah and I all sit here thought I would write a post to pass the time. We aren't really sure why there is a delay, however, it's a technical problem so we didn't really ask questions. Pray that we are still able to make our connecting flight to Florence, Italy once we land in Munich. 

Simply, 

Leah 

life is full of adventure.

well, I never thought this day would come but it has. I leave for Florence, Italy tomorrow morning and couldn't be more thrilled. I'm most excited to see where life takes me in a beautiful, rich city of Firenze. I am going to post on here throughout my 6 week journey in the historic country of Italy. Stay tuned to see where life's next journey takes me. Always remembering Jeremiah 29:11, each step of the way. 

Simply,

Leah