Music Festival 101: Firefly

I had never really considered going to a music festival. I love music, but I’m not a die hard fan of any bands in particular. I am a fan of fun, new experiences with my friends. So when my best friend told me she was going, I was a little hesitant to tag along. But I’m always down for a new adventure, so I decided to go for it.  That’s how I decided to attend Firefly in Dover, Delaware, and I’m so happy I did.

I didn’t really know what to expect. I read blogs, I asked around, but in the end I relied heavily on my friends’ insider knowledge. Now, though, I’d like to impart some of my wisdom onto others considering heading to a music festival this summer.

Bring a backpack with LOTS of pockets.

This was our lifesaver. I have a backpack with a weird secret compartment in the back. The zipper is on the bottom of the bag, so it’s hard to see. We were able to stuff food and alcohol into the back and when looking through it there’s no way you can see anything. It saved us so much money. Some people choose fanny packs, but having somewhere to keep a towel, snacks, water bottle, sun screen, money, and other miscellaneous supplies was really helpful. But be warned, don’t bring in too much stuff because you’ll be stuck carrying it all day.

Decide what your “must sees” and “must dos” are

What do you want to happen at this festival? And don’t just answer have fun. That’s not very helpful.

• See X band
• See as many bands as possible
• Relax
• Be with friends
• Party
• Be front row

You have a limited amount of time, so you can’t do it all. A lot of bands overlap or end right as another begins, and it’s across the festival. You’ve got to have a priority. Some of your friends will want to see one band, while you want to see another. Is it more important for you to see the band or be with your friend? Decide which bands you’re willing to skip and which ones you HAVE to see.

Pick a meeting spot

On the first day stake out a good spot you can all meet if you decide to go off on your own. But if you aren’t comfortable being completely on your own you probably shouldn’t separate at all because there’s no guarantee you’ll find them later. Cell signal isn’t the best. If you’re the type that wants to bring a totem pole, do it. Our group didn’t want to carry it around all weekend, but we could for sure see the benefits. We even used other peoples to find each other. *Go to the Scottish flag*

Secure your valuables

If you are prone to loosing your phone bring an arm strap or something where it’s hard to get lost. Loosing your phone puts a damper on the entire weekend, trust me. Same goes with keys, wallet, or anything irreplaceable. You’ll most likely be intoxicated at some point, and it’s so easy to put something down walk away, and forget about it.

Be wary of gifts

Don’t accept anything from strangers, unless you are 100% okay taking drugs. Alcohol, brownies, chocolate, gum, whatever it is, it could have drugs in it. Most people probably have good intentions and it’s probably just weed. But you never know. Be prepared for anything when you take something from a stranger, even if it looks harmless.

But the most important piece of advice is…

just relax. You’re going to be tired, sweaty, and dirty. You’ll get separated from friends, you’ll miss your favorite band, you’ll lose your phone, your car batter will die. Bad things may happen, and probably will, but try not to let it ruin your weekend. Embrace the hippie lifestyle and go with the flow. Just enjoy the trip….

And get to packing!

FOOD:

On the food front it’s important to bring food that once your ice melts and it gets hot it’ll still be good.

Food ideas:

• Granola bars
• Chex Mix
• Cheese
• Fruit
• PB&Js
• Burritos (no sour cream)
• Protein bars
• Pasta salad (not mayonnaise based)
• Veggies like celery and carrots
• Hummus
• Tuna packets
• Crackers
• Overnight oats

The campsite is usually a good walk from the campsite, so it’s not really feasible to go back and forth. Once you’re inside you’ll probably stay there. Don’t bring a crap ton of food that will go to waste, but you’ll want enough food to to snack on while you’re hanging out at the campsite, before you head in for the day, and at night after the shows.

PACKING LIST:

• Tent
• Tarps (the more the better, we brought 5 and could have used more!)
• E-Z Pop up tent (lifesaver in the heat)
• Scissors
• Flashlights/Headlights/ Lantern (multiple sources of light)
• Cooler
• Camping Chairs
• Blankets
• Pillows
• Air mattress and battery powered pump
• Batteries
• Camping table (not necessary, but much appreciated)
• Towels
• Bug spray
• Sunscreen
• Battery powered fan
• Water bottle or Camelbak backpack
• Portable cell phone charger (if you don’t want to wait at the charging stations bring one for every night)
• Jumper cables for your car (it probably will die)
• Toilet paper (porta potties will run out)
• Trash bags
• Paper Towels
• Shower tent (too expensive for casual campers or festival goers but if you can get one bring it)
• Tapestries (for decor)
• Cups, plates, cutlery
• Watch (besides your phone which may die)
• Baby wipes
• Water (jugs or bottles)
• Dry Shampoo
• Anything you need to get ready in the AM.
• Rain boots
• Poncho
• Clothes
  • Bring clothes you feel comfortable in. It’s going to be a long day and if you’re pulling at your clothes all day it’ll be hard to relax. Light, airy, and easy to walk in are key. Yes, festival fashion, is a thing, but so is chub rub….
  • It can get cold at night though, so throw in some sweatpants and sweatshirt!

All of that will get your through the trip feeling pretty good. You’ll be dry, shaded, and hydrated.

 

Ellie Goulding

Blink182

Campsite Decor

Last day vibes…

 

Take me back to… Edinburgh

Oh how my heart aches for Edinburgh. I did absolutely no research on Edinburgh before going there. The one tidbit of information I knew was that J.K. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter in The Elephant House. Very important information, but still not much to go on.

My first trip abroad was a two week trip to Dublin (for St. Patrick’s Day) and then a hop across the Irish Sea to Scotland. I was so excited about Dublin. I researched. I made a map. I chose restaurants. I knew everything I wanted to do in Ireland and was willing to venture off by myself to do what I wanted.

In Edinburgh I was happy to be lead, to walk, discover, and wander about. There was no plan, no agenda, no list of things I HAD to do (except of course The Elephant House). And what I found in Edinburgh was beauty, warmth, history, and happiness.

I learned something really valuable on this trip. Sometimes it’s important to research, to figure out what you want to do. But it’s also really important to just relax. Let life take you where it wants. Pick three things you really want to do. And let the rest take care of itself. That way you won’t be worried about not getting to do everything on your list and you’ll actually get to enjoy yourself. You’ll walk away feeling fulfilled instead of disappointed you didn’t get to do everything.

We had a rough list of things we’d like to do. Between the three of us we each picked something we HAD to do. Otherwise we asked people where we should go, what they recommended, and decided then if it was something we’d enjoy. If it wasn’t we asked somebody else.

So what’d we end up doing?

1. The Elephant House: The birthplace of Harry Potter. We went at night and there was no line. I love that it is still an authentic coffee house and not a Harry Potter gift shop. We each ordered different types of specialty hot chocolate. Mine was minty and tasted like a Girl Scout Thin Mint and was heaven. We then took a stroll through the cemetery where J.K. was said to have pulled some of her characters names. Unfortunately it started to get dark and we couldn’t find Tom Riddle.
2. Edinburgh Castle: You can see this beautiful castle from almost everywhere in the city. It’s a very good navigation point when wandering around. It’s about $20, and will take you a few hours, depending on how much you want to read. It’s really amazing to see a castle and how it’s basically a town within a city. It gives you great views of the city too.
3. Edinburgh Underground: There are many companies that give ‘ghost tours’ of the Edinburgh Underground. I didn’t even know this was a thing before I went. There’s an entire system of tunnels where the poor used to live. There are lots of little booths set up on the Royal Mile, just pick one and go. I loved ours. It was the perfect mix of history and creepiness that I wanted. I didn’t want anything jumping out at me or chasing me. It’s about $10 and takes an hour or so. I learned so much about the city.
4. The Royal Mile: Just walk it. It’s absolutely beautiful. Go into all the stores, buy a cashmere scarf or some other cheesy souvenir. I’m not sure about the schedule of the fair but try to catch it. During the day their are vendors that set up and sell hand-made gifts.
5. Grassmarket Square: More shops, more restaurants, but with a little more authentic flair. Get a bear at The Last Drop, sight of the last hanging in Edinburgh. Buy a candle at Isle of Skye candle shop. And then hop next door to get a pastry from La Barantine Victoria, so good.
6. If you want to go out, head to Cowgate street. We were exhausted after a week and a half of traveling so didn’t make it out but that’s where we were told to go and while walking around it was definitely lively.
7. Try haggis. Literally anywhere! Don’t wait to the last day like we did, and ended up only being able to eat it once because we waited. We totally would have eaten it every day. Loved it.
8. Edinburgh Botanical Garden: We had originally wanted to go to the Royal Palace, but because it was Easter Weekend, it was closed. Instead we headed to the botanical garden and had a lovely time looking at flowers. It really is pretty impressive. You should definitely pay the extra to go into the greenhouse, the grounds are free.

We had a lovely time. Looking at the pictures makes me nostalgic and I want to start planning a trip back. But I have other cities to discover. Edinburgh holds a special place in my heart though, and I’ll be back one day.

 

The pros and cons of NYC

I can’t even remember what I expected when I moved to NYC. I don’t think I really processed that part. I wanted to work in publishing. I wanted to help put books into people’s hands, and that meant working and living in NYC.

Why wouldn’t I want to live in NYC? Everyone wants to live in NYC! Maybe I did, I can’t remember. But three weeks in and I was already missing everything about home. I’m not the type to get homesick. I never crave my bed when I travel; I can sleep anywhere. I don’t even call back home. I live fully in the moment of experiencing a new place and new people.

NYC is grinding. There is no peace and quiet moment. There is no moment to pause and reflect. There is no easy. EVERYTHING you do is hard. People that have always lived here don’t realize how grueling it is. Yes, they joke, NYC is tough. But I don’t think they realize how easy they could have it if they lived anywhere else.

I do. I know that carrying your groceries three blocks home is not normal. I know that walking 2 miles everyday in rain, snow, freezing, or scorching temperatures is not normal. I know not being able to do laundry in your apartment is not normal. I know $15 for a sandwich is ridiculous. I know how easy it is everywhere else, and so to move here and have everything be so hard, took a while to get used to.

Yes, NYC has so much to offer. Concerts, plays, museums, art, culture, restaurants, shopping are all a subway ride away. It is exhilarating and exciting to live where IT all happens.

A lot of times though, people who live here don’t get to experience these amazing things. They are working, living their life, and unable to take advantage of what surrounds them.

I have not loved my time in NYC. I had to work really hard to stay afloat. And to be able to enjoy the city I had to work even harder. Making friends as an adult is hard, making friends as an adult in NYC is harder. A lot of times I was lonely, tired, and broke.

But there are some things about NYC that I will never forget. In the future when I look back on NYC I will remember it fondly for these reasons.

• Sitting on the MET steps drinking coffee and watching the city come alive
• Seamless (food delivery)
• Crown’s Fried Chicken
• Tulip Trees
• The roof of the Flatiron Building
• That skyline
• NYC Public Library
• Volunteering for the Hillary campaign
• Crossing the bridge on the subway and looking at the skyline
• The beautiful Episcopal churches
• Seeing a Katy Perry concert… by myself
• Seeing a NASHVILLE show concert… by myself
• Early morning strolls down 5th avenue on the way to babysit
• Christmas decorations
• The Rockettes
• Union Square farmer’s market
• Christmas villages
• Waffles and Dinges
• Central Park
  • The Alice Statue
  • The Boathouse
  • Bethesda Fountain
  • The Mall
  • Ladies Pavilion
• The Natural History Museum
• Brooklyn Bridge Park
• New York Botanical Garden
• Beauty and Essex Brunch
• The Hair of the Dog
• Meeting Emelia Clarke at Me Before You signing
• Meeting Tobias Menzies on the street
• Mister Softee
• Broadway
  • The King and I
  • The Phantom of the Opera
  • Wicked
• Central Park in the largest snow storm of the year
• Halloween festival in the West Village
• Seeing things in movies and saying I’ve been there
• Reading an article and understanding the NYC reference
• Seeing famous people (Jessica Capshaw, Jason Alexander, Billy on the Street, Scott Adsit)
• The Chelsea Market
• Smorgasburg
• Window decorations
• Flowers at corner streets
• Ellen’s Stardust Diner
• Shake Shack
• The moment the weather changes, from hot to cold or from cold to hot. Those precious weeks when you don’t need a coat and you aren’t dripping with sweat. Fall and Spring in NYC are perfect.

I’m leaving New York in three weeks. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be back. I’m not sure if it’s somewhere I can call home long-term. Maybe I’ll be back. Maybe a year away will make the heart grow fonder and pull me back in.

For now though, I’m saying goodbye, to a city I don’t love, but has definitely grown on me.

NYC is now a part of me whether I like it or not.

 

Life will keep going without you…

I’m not sure what I thought would happen when I moved away. The whole world would stop spinning? Everyone would freeze in time or melt into a puddle without me? What’s happening is that life is going on without me. People are making plans beyond the date of my departure. Nobody is putting their life on hold so I can have this adventure and come back right where I left off.

I didn’t expect them to, of course, but it’s still surprising that everyone is adjusting so well. All I can think is aren’t I important? Isn’t my presence here, in your life, worth something?

Maybe it is, but I’ve learned something. I am replaceable. I am one of a million people that can do this job. I am not some special shiny person nobody can live without. This seems childish and something I probably should have known. I’m not saying I didn’t know it, but to see it in action, is another thing. Maybe it’s a symptom of my generation. Millennials have been brought up to believe we are super special. But we are just people, like all others.

And while this revelation is a slap in the face, it’s also a relief.

I do not hold the world in place. It will continue to spin without me.

Yes my team at work will struggle a little at first but eventually they will replace me. And that new person might even bring them something I couldn’t provide. I can relax, everything, and everybody will be fine without me.

I am 24 years old and the weight of the world does not rest on my shoulders. I am free. At this moment in my life I am free to do what I want when I want and the only person deeply affected by my choices is me. And that is the most comforting thing in the world.

I’m Proud Of You

Something I wrote a while ago, but it’s still so true.

Ready, Set, Leap

I’ve lived in NYC for a little over a year now. I have a great job in a top 5 publishing house. And for all intents and purposes I’m living my dream. But sometimes I don’t feel that way. I look around and think is this really it? Is this what I’m meant to do forever? I have almost no money, I’m almost constantly homesick and I’ve made about 5 casual friends in the past year. So when people tell me “I’m proud of you” I want to ask them why? People see my highlight reel, and when your highlights are in NYC they look pretty glamorous. Fun nights out with my best friends, receiving a book before anyone else has access, sitting on the beach in the Hamptons, casually seeing celebrities. Take a snapshot of these moments, string them together on an Instagram feed and I look like I…

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I quit

Yesterday I quit a job I love, and I mean LOVE. Two years ago I moved to New York with stars in my eyes and a dream in my pocket. After six weeks my dream became reality and I started working at a big 5 publisher in the children’s digital marketing department. I floated on cloud 9. There were highs and lows of course, but most of them revolved around having no friends and living in NYC, not my work. Today as it finally sets in, as I’m taken off that big meeting with one of my favorite authors, I am heartbroken and holding back tears.

Some people will call me crazy, I call myself crazy, to be giving up my dream job to move to another country for a year. How could I possibly be giving up a position that I love? The answer: I don’t know. The decision was very difficult. Even after I handed in my resignation letter it didn’t feel real, not until I started planning out my last month did it set in. Who leaves a job they love?

I have to remind myself of the reasons I’m doing this, though. While I love my job, it’s not perfect. I didn’t plan to go into digital marketing. Social media was on my mind, but email marketing, website building, and graphic creation weren’t. I’m extremely happy to have learned those skills. Looking back and seeing the websites I’ve built and the graphics I’ve made make me proud of the work I’ve done. But this job isn’t perfect for me, almost, but not quite. I am a social butterfly and this job is spent largely behind the computer. As I grow in the position it has become more social, and I believe it would continue to do so. Honestly, I could probably be happy doing this job forever.

But after two years in NYC, I’m still not sure this is my home. The first year and a half was awful. It’s gotten exponentially better over the past 6 months, but it still isn’t somewhere I call home. When I fly into Newark or Laguardia or JFK and see those city lights, I’m not filled with happiness. I’m filled with dread over the hour long subway and bus ride I have ahead of me before I can collapse into my tiny apartment. I’ve gotten used to it all, but should you just get used to somewhere you call home? I don’t think so. When I go to Tennessee and see those Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance my heart soars, and a smile breaks across my face. Driving down a back road in Alabama with empty fields spread out around me I feel at peace. NYC drains me.

But I LOVE my job. I need to leave it though, to see if I love it enough to ‘get used to’ or ‘put up’ with NYC. I didn’t realize how much I loved Tennessee till I left, so maybe I’ll realize how much I love NYC once it’s gone.