Author: Lexi Elliott Page 2 of 3

The Outsiders

On November 2, 2022

As we have established, I love reading. If I could get paid to read books, then I would never have to worry about my future career ever again. All that being said, I was never fond of being told what I had to read. I’ve gotten over it as I’ve gotten older because I recognize that required reading material is just a part of life as a student. The first time I remember running into a major required reading that went with a class was in 6th grade. The book was The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Here’s the thing, when I first heard the name of the book, for some reason, I thought it was about football. Don’t ask me why, I have no idea. So I was not looking forward to it, I was actually sort of dreading it. So imagine my surprise that it is now one of my all time favorite books that I recommend everyone reads at least once in their life. The Outsides, contrary to 12 year old lexi’s thoughts, is not about football, but instead is about gang and socioeconomic tension in Tulsa Oklahoma in the 1960’s. It’s written from the perspective of 14 year old Ponyboy Curtis and we find out at the end of the book, that the entire story was written by him for his english final project. Ponyboy writes about the traumatic events that have unfolded that involve the death of two of his close friends. Throughout the book, he attempts to understand his place in society and his friend group and come to terms with the fact that life is rough regardless of where you grow up. A big key takeaway from the book is that everyone struggles. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you live, at the end of the day, we all see the same sunset. This book had such an impact on me that even now, 7 years later, I still think about it. Each character in the book has their own unique personality. I think the two characters that stuck out to me the most were always Dallas and Johnny. They’re so interesting to me because they’re two sides of the same coin. We learn in the book that both of them have been through some pretty rough and painful lives. That pain caused Dallas to become hardened and tough while it made Johnny timid and afraid. Dallas is cool and angry and dangerous while Johnny is soft, quiet and keeps his head down. I just always thought that it was interesting that they were both so different and yet their fate of death was ultimately the same.

The Outsiders by S.E Hinton is an absolute classic that is going to always be applicable to life no matter how much time passes because at the end of the day, we all see the same sunset.

Disney Peaked with Tangeld

By Lexi Elliott

On November 2, 2022

In I Love These Things!

In the great year of 2010, an eight year old Lexi Elliott was exposed to a piece of media that would forever change her life. This was of course the movie, Tangled. I genuinely believe that Tangled is the best movie that Disney has ever created. Let me tell you why.

Rapunzel has such a great personality and no matter how old you get, you can always see yourself in her. She has dreams that may seem small to others, are the entire world to her. Dreams that are only possible to achieve if she leaves her tower. That’s another great thing that I love about this move, the symbolism of the tower. Young or old, we all have some sort of Tower that we just can’t seem to get out of. I was Rapunzel when I was eight and my tower was my house. I was Rapunzel at the age of sixteen and my tower was the town I had lived in my whole life. I am still Rapunzel at the age of 19 and now my tower is my own head. I will be Rapunzel when I am 25 and who knows what my tower will be then? My point is, Rapunzel teaches us that while the Tower may be comfortable, if we want to live the life that we dream of, we have to be willing to take the risk of leaving.

Don’t even get me started on Flynn Rider aka Eugene Fitzherbert. When I tell y’all that this man is the blueprint for what I base my type around. I adore this man. His character development is top tier. He goes from caring about nothing more than stealing and getting rich, to willingly giving over the crown and dying in order to free Rapunzel. I would also like to point out that there is a part in the movie where the man who has never honestly bought a thing in his life buys a small gift for Rapunzel because he can tell how much she likes it. There’s also the fact that he goes from saying this his dream is to be by himself on an island surrounded by money to telling Rapunzel that she was his new dream. That is the sweetest thing that I’ve ever heard and I will never get over it.

As I’m writing this I have the overwhelming urge to watched Tangled for some reason. So that’s what I’m going to go do, if you’re reading this and bored, you should also go watch Tangled and come to the conclusion that it is a cinematic masterpiece.

All my love,

-Lexi Elliott

Sorority Life!

By Lexi Elliott

On October 24, 2022

In Life Updates

When I told people in High School that I was planning on going through recruitment when I got to college, it would shock them. I guess, for some reason, people did not associate me with the typical look of a future sorority girl. This made me a little bit nervous, what if the mixed reaction were a sign that this was a bad idea? Let me tell you, I have never been more grateful that I decided to go through with something.

The actual recruitment process was a whirlwind and honestly, I don’t remember a lot of it other than just being exhausted. What I do remember though is already meeting some really sweet girls that I’m still friends with now. That’s the main thing that stuck out to me while I was going through, just how nice the girls around me were. If you needed anything at all, there was a girl offering to help you. It was really sweet to see girls supporting girls in action and something that I think gets majorly glossed over when people talk about the recruitment process. What was even more fun was once Bid day rolled around, I was able to see where everyone ended up, and even got to see some of the girls that I had befriended end up in the same house as me!

Now that I’m done with recruitment and initiated, I can look back at my decision to rush and confidently say that it was the right choice. I think that sororities have a negative connotation associated with them due to the way they are portrayed in pop culture. No one ever talks about the real side of being in a sorority. The philanthropic events that you get to be a part of, the incredible people that you get the opportunity to connect with, and the best memories that make college life incredible. I’ve met some of the most amazing people because I joined a sorority, people that have changed my life and inspire me to be a better person. People who push me to grow, and check up on me when I fall. I love being involved in greek life because it has helped me grow as a person.

If you’re considering going through recruitment, do it. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I adore it.

All my love,

-Lexi

Sarah J. Maas if you’re seeing this please write another book soon.

By Lexi Elliott

On October 24, 2022

In Lexi's Library

Sarah J. Maas is the author of some of my all time favorite book series. She has written A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass and Crescent City, all of which I have read in their entirety and love. Here’s my issue, the last book she released was the second book in the Crescent City series, House of Sky and Breathe and it ended in perhaps the biggest cliffhanger that I have ever read in my entire 19 years of living. (Spoiler alert from this point on, just so you’re warned) This woman had the audacity to separate Hunt and Bryce, the two main characters, at the very end of the book while putting them both through extreme pain. She then has Bryce escape through a portal in an admittedly very confusing chase scene, to disappear into what she thinks is Hel. When then figure out alongside Bryce that she is not in Hel, but in Prythian, the main world for the A Court of Thorns and Roses Series. The final line of the books is Rhysand introducing himself to Bryce and then boom, book ends, just like that. When I tell y’all that I wanted to throw the book across the room. Did I do that? No. I just stared at the page in disbelief. The way I have had the suspicion that all of her worlds are connected for years and now it’s being confirmed? Iconic. I have never been more excited for the next book in a series in my life. I personally am hoping that SJM doesn’t only combine A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City, but also throws in Throne of Glass. I feel like there are a few characters (Mannon and Dorian) that didn’t quite get a clear ending, and it would be incredible to see more of them. I also think it’ll be interesting to see how Mrs.Maas combines the futuristic setting and technology of Crescent City, with the medieval and fantasy setting of her other two series. There are so many intersting ways to take this crossover and I cant wait to read all about it!

All my love,

-Lexi

You’re on Your Own, Kid

By Lexi Elliott

On October 24, 2022

In Uncategorized

I would like to start this off by saying that I never doubted Taylor’s new album would be incredible for a single second. Each song on this album makes me feel a different type of way and it’s beautiful and sad and I absolutely love it. Originally, I was going to write about the entire album and attempt to break it down, but I’ve come to realize that that may be a little ambitious, even for me. So instead, I figured I’d start with one song and work my way up from there.

My favorite song off of the album is “You’re on Your Own, Kid” for a multitude of reasons. The song is about Taylor’s rise to fame and how she’s grateful for her success, but how the things that she struggled with on the path continue to haunt her. When I tell you I have never felt more called out by a song. I swear she wrote it about me. The song highlights how it feels to leave behind your hometown and growing into a new person while leaving behind people you love. Taylor talks about how writing love songs in her room to help her get through heartbreak grew into something so much larger than her that she didn’t see coming. It’s an ode to her childhood and what it took for her to get to the point that she’s at now.

The part of the song that really gets me is “So take the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it, you’ve got no reason to be afraid”. As a nineteen year old girl who has been through her fair share of heartache and still has a lot of growing up to do, it’s comforting to hear that you don’t have to be afraid of branching out even after you get hurt. It’s something that everyone needs to learn, but can be hard to accept.

This song perfectly encapsulates what it was like to grow up the friend that was the victim of the joke. It’s for the girl who hosted the parties but never got invited to them. The girl who bent over backwards for others at the price of hurting herself. It’s for the girls healing from that. The ones that have grown up and moved forward in their lives instead of letting the past hold them captive. It’s for me and it’s for you too.

All my love,

-Lexi

College is Strange.

By Lexi Elliott

On October 18, 2022

In Life Updates

College is strange. I moved five hours away from the only town that I had ever known to move into a smaller room with girls that I had only ever met once before. I put myself through the traumatic experience that is recruitment and joined a sorority, where I’ve met some of the most incredible people on the whole planet. Those people have introduced me to others who I now can’t believe that I haven’t known for years. Me and my brother are closer than ever and yet we never see each other despite now living in the same state again. I can randomly decide to go to Whataburger at midnight on a Wednesday because I don’t have class until 10:30. I can just eat lunch whenever. That’s been a real strange one for me personally. I sobbed as I left my hometown that I hated because I knew that I had painstakingly found my best friends after years of feeling alone and now I had to leave them. I had no idea if I would find people in Norman Oklahoma that understood me the way that they did. Yet, here I sit in my dorm room typing a blog post that was inspired by me realizing how much love has entered my life because I had the courage to leave my hometown. I have people that have known me for less than 4 months and care whether or not I sleep well at night or if I have eaten anything that day. There are people here who inspire me to pursue my relationship with God and make me want to be a better person. I guess all of this to say, I was terrified of college. I never told anyone that. I only ever told people how excited I was to move away and get out of my hometown. The truth was that I was terrified. Now, on the other side of it, I realize that behind that fear, there was something incredible waiting for me and I’ll forever be grateful that I left my hometown.

To conclude, college is strange. There is love here. I’m going to be okay.

All my love,

-Lexi

Howls Moving Castle

By Lexi Elliott

On October 17, 2022

In I Love These Things!

I’m using this blog post as an excuse to talk about my absolute favorite movie that I could talk about for hours and hours. That movie is Howls Moving Castle. I’m a firm believer that everyone needs to watch this movie at least once in their life, if only just purely for the experience.

First of all, this film is simply visually stunning. I’m not being dramatic when I tell you that this may be the prettiest movie I’ve ever watched. One scene in particular where Howl takes Sophie to his field of flowers that he’s been using magic to protect from the war leaves me speechless every time I see it. The colors are amazing and the animation of the wind blowing and rustling the field is incredible. Don’t even get me started on the soundtrack for this movie. The main theme, “Merry Go Round Of Life” is consistently in my Spotify wrapped and I’m not mad about it because it is one of the most beautiful and comforting songs I’ve ever heard. Sad? Listen to Merry Go Round of Life. Happy? Listen to Merry Go Round of Life. Need some background noise? Oh boy you know what time it is. It works in every situation.

To go on to why I really love this film so much, aside from the music and pretty visuals, I love this movie because the theme hits close to home. Howls Moving Castle is about self worth and love. The main character, Sophie, see’s herself as plain, ordinary and nothing worth looking at. It’s not until she is forced by a curse to live as an old lady that she learns how beautiful she really is. Sophie learns that beauty is not defined by outward appearance, but rather by who you are inside. It’s stored in how you carry yourself and how you treat others. I love this lesson, and what I love even more is that when Sophie breaks the curse, she isn’t transformed into some stunning, glowing and made up version of herself that looks nothing like how she did in the beginning of the movie. Instead, she looks the exact same, sending the message that Sophie was always beautiful, she just needed to realize it. Another thing I love about this movie is that Howl, our other main character, loved Sophie from the beginning, even when she thought she was plain. His love for her never changed, he just helped her grow in her confidence and I think that’s really sweet.

I adore this movie, and now I kinda want to rewatch it but that’s besides the point. I love Howl and Sophie I can’t recommend this movie enough.

All my love,

-Lexi

Taylor Swift Songs that make me Feel Something

By Lexi Elliott

On October 12, 2022

In Music

In honor of Taylor swift releasing her new album Midnights, I decided that I wanted to blog about some of her songs that have had an impact on me. (I’m talking about, altering my brains chemicals, type of impact here). Some I have a lot to say and others I feel like I’ll never be able to put my love for them into words.

“You Belong With Me”
- This is the first song I remember being absolutely obsessed with, so its only right that this list starts with it. I vividly remember sitting in my room, with my little pink mp3 player, playing this song over and over, memorizing all of the words. To this day, whenever I hear this song, suddenly I’m that little girl in her childhood bedroom, screaming about being in love even though she has no clue what that means. I think she’d be happy to know that this song still makes me happy to this day,
“Champagne Problems”
- We all have our champagne problems, I think that thats why this song is so impactful to me. I’ve listened to in in multiple seasons fo my life and each time it means something different to me. You see this one gets me because of how painful the lyrics are. “Soon they’ll have the nerve to deck the halls that we once walked through” and “”She would’ve made such a lovely bride. What a shame she’s ****** in the head, ” they said. But you’ll find the real thing instead. She’ll patch up your tapestry that I shred” makes me wanna scream every time I hear it. The emotional rawness of accepting the fact that we can inflict pain on people who love us and then we just have to move on with our lives matched with still having a love for them and wanting them to live a great life is beautiful and painful and I love and hate it at the same time.
“It’s Time To Go”
- I listened to this song as I drove away from my hometown to move away for college and when I tell ya’ll that it was an emotional one. “The snaps from the same little breaks in your soul. You know when it’s time to go” is so relatable. You can love something to death but it still puts so much weight on you that you can feel yourself aching from it. The whole course about how giving up and running can be the strong and brave option is incredibly validating when it comes to leaving someone, something, or a place that you love. It takes strength to leave, with nothing except for the hope that there is a brighter future waiting for you on the other side.
“Cardigan”
- This song is an emotional rollercoaster. The way Taylor compares herself to an article of clothing that brings a sense of comfort to someone who loves her will always make me feel something. And then the insinuation that that person leaves, “I knew you tried to change the ending, Peter loosing Wendy.” and the pain and anger that follows with being left. I don’t even have the words to describe that. “You drew stars around my scars but now I’m bleeding” is quite literally poetry and keeps me awake at night. All of this ending in that love that left coming back and finding the same comfort that was there before because love doesn’t just completely go away. It lingers like an old cardigan that you forgot about and once you put it on again you feel so much better. This song is beautiful.
“Mad Woman”
- This song is for the girls who feel a little jaded. Like broken glass or a storm that has been kept in a bottle. This song is for the girls who got called crazy. It’s for the girls who notice the little details. The ones who defend their friends because they’ve been in their situation. The ones who won’t let anyone treat them like a doormat ever again. The ones who can’t fit into their old frame that they were forced into.
“Mirrorball”
- I have such a strong emotional attachment to this song. It’s a beautiful song about how we are beautiful because of our brokenness. It’s about how we use that brokenness to bring joy to others. Performing for others in spite of our own pain. The lyrics “I’ve never been a natural all I do is try, try, try.” give me a feeling I can’t quite put into words. In short, it’s me. I’m the mirror ball. But at the end of the day, aren’t we all?
“The Archer”
- This song is for my girlies with imposter syndrome. I love how Taylor acknowledges the duality of heartbreak in this song by calling herself the archer and the prey. Singing about how sometimes we hurt people that love us, but hurting them hurts us too. Neither side of heartbreak is an easy one to be on. And the part of the song where sings about being see through and worrying that the one she loves can see right through makes me scream along in my car every time without fail. We all try and have this facade around us, and when we meet someone who see’s through it, it’s scary.

I have about 20 more songs that I could put on this list, but if I did that we’d be here for weeks. Needless to say, I’m very excited for Taylor’s new album and you can for sure expect a post all about it!

All my love,

-Lexi

OU vs. Texas: let’s unpack that. (yes I’m upset about it.)

By Lexi Elliott

On October 9, 2022

In Life Updates

I am emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted.

Since I’m a freshmen, I had only ever heard stories of OU/TX weekend. I was told it was long and tiring but I thought, “its just another football game, how bad can it be?” Poor sweet Lexi from a week ago had no idea. The word for the weekend is “humbling”. I woke up at 6:00 in the morning to get ready to go to a football game where we were beat 49-0. After that, I kinda just wanted to go back to the hotel room and contemplate what had just happened. I did indeed go back to the hotel room, but promptly a nap (which is how you know something is wrong with me, because I can never take naps) because I was too drained to begin processing what we had all just been through. A moment of silence for Sooner Nation as we deal with these challenging times. On a serious note, this year is a rebuilding year for our team, and it’s our job as a fan base to stick with them through this, even if some of us (me) feel like banging our heads against a wall after game day. We feel that way because we care, and I’d rather have that feeling than not care about my team at all.

The weekend wasn’t all bad. In fact, it was actually kinda great besides from the actual game. I started the weekend off with two stepping which, in my opinion, is the best way to start any weekend. I got to go shopping with friends and walk through a giant mall, which is always fun, and I got to hang out with some of my new favorite people. They’re the kind of people that make the losses not hurt so bad and I count myself very lucky that I got to experience my first OU/TX weekend with them. <3

To conclude, the actual entirely of the weekend was a solid 9.2/7, the actual game we don’t talk about.

All my love,

-Lexi

BeReal

By Lexi Elliott

On October 9, 2022

In Misc

Social media makes me wanna crawl into a hole and die most of the time. However, there has been one app that has become popular recently that doesn’t make me feel horribly drained after using it. The App BeReal was launched in 2020, but it seems that only got really popular this year. The premise of the app is basically this: every day at a random time, the app sends you a notification letting users know that it’s time to “Be real”. You then have 2 minutes to take a picture showing what you’re doing in that moment. After you post your Bereal, you can then see the posts of your friends that you follow and send reactions. The whole idea of the app is actually really fun. In an age where all social media platforms seem to be highly edited and posed, Bereal is a refreshing break from that trend. To repeat what I said at the beginning of this post, I don’t feel absolutely drained to the point of nausea after scrolling through it. I like to see what my friends are up to in their lives, especially the friends that I’ve moved far away from. Bereal helps keep us connected and makes it feel like I’m not so far away. I think that it also has the potential to do a lot of good in the field of mental health. Platforms such as instagram and snapchat, while fun and good in their own ways, use a lot of filters and users tend to only show and see the good parts of life. Bereal has no filter options, you can’t edit before posting at all, and you don’t get to pick and choose when it’s time to post. All of these things make the app have a much more rooted and authentic feeling it it. At the end of the day, I think that there should be more apps that feel that way and I hope BeReal isn’t just a trend and that it sticks around for a while!

All my love,

-Lexi