Hey all! Skip the first paragraph if you just want the question.

I'll start with the Lucid, it really wasn't anything special, but still gave me an amazingly strong grin when I woke since I've kept a DJ about 1 1/2 weeks. I was sitting in my room, browsing the internet, when I happened to notice snacks! Snacks alllll around me. Crackers to my right, pocky boxes under my monitor and said "Wait... I don't eat pocky!" and I immedietely lifted my hands and stabed them with my finger. To no avail that failed horribly, but I didn't give up, I grabbed hold of my nose and..."wait, what? I can breath?! hehe-haha~! Hahahaa a dream! Knew it!" luckily I contained my excitement and stayed sitting and breathed. I started with something small, I screamed "FLY FLY FLY!" and used telekinesis and levitated a pillow off of my bed and hurtled it across the room by merely lifting a finger and extending my arm, then gently lifted it back up and slowly lowered it back to its spot on my bed. Here is where my problem came in though. I then tried to change my settings to a beach. I focused, closed my dream eyes for a moment and whispered to myself 'beach...beach...beach" then shot out my arms, opened my eyes and was still at my desk T_T; so I opened google and tried to search of images of beaches (Yeah, I'm that stupid, I'm in a dream thinking my brain is hooked up to the net *facepalm*) ofcourse it failed and at that point I woke up. I was amazed how real it was, aside from the deformed clock and snacks I'd have thought it was real. It lasted about 30 seconds.

So here is my question, How does one gain more control in a dream to the point they can alter the environment? Is it just a matter of experience? Getting more used to the fact it IS a dream and you are its lord? Also I think a reason I may have failed in control is because I live in texas and we lack beaches (ergo, haven't seen one in about 13 years since I left cali at 7) T_T Next time I'll check google before I go to sleep and look at images of them or whatever/wherever I want to explore.

Either way, I have learned the MILD method at my usual 9-10PM then wake at 3-4AM and using WBTB is the way for me.
Thanks for any responses!