Concert Tips

Hi Hello

If you are anything like me, you are a concert junkie. I thrive at concerts, I just love the atmosphere, the common bond between everyone, the chance to discover new music and meet new people. When I'm at a concert I am taken to another world, its like being teleported and I just get into this state of mind where the people at the concert disappear and I am emerged in the music and the vibe. I am at my happiest state at concerts, even though it might not seem that way from an outside perspective (but thats because people are dicks...which I'll discuss later).

Recently I went to go see The 1975, Young Rising Sons, and Cruisr at The Rave/ Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee. This venue has a special place in my heart since it is the home of my first ever concert and it was really the start of my love for live music. The venue holds so many memories for me, from seeing my favorite bands, meeting new friends, band members, deep chats about life with the members of The Maine as well as marrying Kennedy Brock (long story for a different day). Although I love going to concerts I can't help but loath the idiotic people that come with it. No matter the band, the venue, or city, you will get those people who just wreck your experience...those are the people I would love to drop kick. It doesn't matter if you are an experienced concert goer or if this is your first concert, it will happen...and sadly you have to deal with it. But I am here to give you some tips on going to concerts in general to help your experience be a great one, because no one likes seeing a great band but surrounded by idiots.

Concert Preparation

Although you are dying to wear your band shirt and go all out on make-up and clothing to make you fit in or stand out, you do not have to put much effort or time into your outfit. Trust me, what you wear is not going to make the band members see you in the crowd or get you on the tour bus. Yes, you want to look good incase you do meet someone and get a picture, but you need to look like yourself and be comfortable.

Outfit Choices

1. The Shirt: Now, I'm not big on wearing band shirts to the concerts, I don't have a reason, I just don't do it..but if you like to, go for it. But a simple shirt will suffice. For the concert that I just attended I wore a black t-shirt that had a skull hand on it with the words "I don't trust me either" from Choies. It was comfortable but not too heavy to keep me cool during the concert. It is best to keep in mind the weather on the day of the concert. If it is a summer show, its nice to wear tank tops so you do not over heat and to prevent those sweat stains in your armpits. If it is a winter show, you want to wear a t-shirt and bring a jacket to wear when you are in line outside and after the show walking back to your car. I wore my leather jacket with a gray sweatshirt hood to the concert and since I had a t-shirt under I did not have to take it off since it wasn't too hot where I was sweating.

2. The Pants: Wear what is comfortable. If you are into skinny jeans, wear your skinny jeans. If you are into flare jeans, wear your flare jeans. You really cannot go wrong with the pants, just whatever is comfortable for you to wear and that matches the rest of your outfit. I wore my basic black skinny jeans (if you can't tell I wear a lot of black). Keep in mind the weather as well. Summer shows, I suggest wearing shorts. If you insist on wearing a skirt, wear spanks, leggings or tights on underneath because you never know what creep will be trying to flip up that skirt, or if you are at an outdoor venue..you never know when a gust of wind will pick up. I'm not a big fan of wearing dresses to concerts, but if you are dress person...take the same advice for the skirts..wear something on underneath, trust me.

3. The Shoes: THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. If you are at a concert, especially general admission concerts, you will be doing a lot of standing. Please, for the love of all that is good and mighty in this world do NOT wear stilettos. Your feet will be screaming by the end of the night. I cannot even count how many concerts I've been to where women try and wear heals and by the end of the show they are walking out holding their shoes because their feet hurt. Now, if you are wearing a small, chunky heal, that is okay because there is more support there, but no pencil thin heals that are 6 inches tall. You're trying to hard and you will most likely regret it later. My suggestion would be comfortable flats, boots or converse (or any type of trainers that you have). They are the most comfortable because they have the support in them and you're feet will be feeling fine by the end. I wore my black combat boots that are practically worn to bits. They have a half inch heal, great support, warm and black. What more would I need?

4. Accessories: Go with whatever you feel is appropriate for your outfit and that you're comfortable with. This could be rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, headbands, hats, whatever. Really, you can go no wrong in this area. For my accessories I wore two rings (the ones I wear everyday) and two necklaces. One was my Ohana necklace from Taylor Jardine's Never Take It Off line and then a harmonica necklace from Hot Topic and a belt to keep my pants up.

Food and Hydration

I always make sure that I eat something before I leave for a concert. For one, most venues do not have a concession stand so if you get hungry during a show you have to wait to go somewhere after. Second, its cheaper. If you make something at home you do not have to worry about buying food afterwords. Now, you do not have to make something big or small..make whatever you are hungry for at the time. If you are hungry after the show, which happens to me all the time because I'm always hungry like for real, stop somewhere quick if you have to, otherwise pack some snacks and leave them in the car. Make sure they are nothing that has to be refrigerated or that melts easily because they could go bad in your car and make a mess. Chips, granola bars, pop tarts, cereal...snacky stuff.

Also, drink lots of water! I cannot stress that enough. Its going to get hot, the air is going to be thin, you will get dehydrated. Drink water! Now, I know you cannot carry in drinks to venues, and water at shows can be deadly expensive. So, what I suggest is to bring a water bottle and drink plenty before the show, then leave it in your car, so when you get out of the concert you can rehydrate on the way home. But always bring some cash with you just incase you need water during the show because that does happen sometimes.

At The Venue

Placement

I know you want to get as close as you can to the stage, but you must weight out your options. Yes, being up by the stage is an amazing experience, but it can also be very dangerous (depending on the crowd) and uncomfortable. But if you are short, like me, placement is everything. You paid to see the band, not the back of someone's head. And whether you like it or not, you will get those dickheads that are 6 foot or taller and they will look you in the eye and stand right in front of you because they want to get closer to the stage. In this situation you have two options, to move, or yell at the person who just stood in front of you. If you are me, you do both but you have to be careful. If you go for the yelling option you might yell at the wrong person and get into something you don't want to get into, or the person could be a bit understanding and move. If they do not move, then you have to move.

Throughout my experience at general admissions concerts, it is usually always just best to move. I have been front row many times, I have been in the pit, I have crowd surfed, I have been in the mob of people unable to see, but from what I have found is that actually standing in the back is not only allows for more room to move and dance, but you can see everything! More specifically, in the back and off to one of the sides is ideal. Once we moved to the side and to the back at The 1975 concert I was able to move to the music, wave my arms, get into the zone, and see the band.

Another great tip, when you go to general admission concerts, everyone is spaced out fairly well before the first act starts. Once the first act comes on they all rush the stage and if you stand towards the back and do not move, you will be able to see better and have plenty of room to see.

Enjoy Yourself

The most important thing about going to concerts. Enjoy yourself. If you do not enjoy yourself then that was a waste of money. I mean, I have seen bands that sucked but because I was having fun with friends, meeting new people and having a great time at the concert I did not care that the band I paid to see was horrible live. Also, don't worry about looking a fool at shows. Yes, people will judge you. They will judge what you are wearing, how you are dancing, how you are singing, and the amount of selfies that you take at the show. But you cannot let that get to you otherwise you will not have a great time because you are worried about everyone else. When I'm at concerts I love to dance and get into it and sing along. I know there are people behind me thinking I look stupid or that I'm "uncool" but do I give a damn? No. At The 1975 show there was a middle aged man dancing and hip thrusting with his lady the whole night. I loved that guy. He was probably somebody's father who drove them his kids and friends to the show and decided to make the best out of his night. Right next to my friend was two middle aged women who were jumping and dancing the whole night as well (props that they didn't spill their beers) and did they care if kids half their age were talking about them? No. So have fun, and don't worry if you look like an idiot during the show. The people who are judging you are the cynical hot heads who think they are better than everyone else anyways and show no emotion at concerts.

After The Concert

Be Patient

Most people after the show is done rush out of the venue like a stampede. This for one, gets you no where any faster. When we left The 1975 concert it took us nearly 5 minutes just to make it off the floor because everyone was leaving at the same time. Now, I knew that we should have waited, but everyone in my group had things to do the next day and some of us were up early and needed sleep, so we left with the crowd. But, normally I wait until it clears out. Sometimes you can catch band members hanging out in the venue because they were watching the headliner. I've actually met all of the members of The Maine for the first time doing that (I've met them like 3 times..but thats irrelevant). Also, it makes getting out of there a lot easier. Now some people will tell you to leave early before the band is done playing so you can beat the crowd but I'm going to tell you to stop right there. Why would you leave early? Most bands play their best songs last, or they do something awesome as a finale in the last moments of their set. So why would you leave and miss that? Also, I paid money to see them, I'm going to see as much of them that I can get.

Bathrooms

Now, you would think it would be a great idea to go to the bathroom on the last few songs because the majority of people go after the show. Although this works sometimes, I would suggest going at some point towards the middle or 3/4 way through the show. All the times that I've gone around this time I have noticed that hardly anyone was in the bathroom. I think there was one time that I had to wait behind like 3 people for the bathroom but that was it. Now, if you don't want to miss any of the show, you can wait in line after the show...but if you have to go and don't want to wait (because ladies we know that it takes forever in those lines) just hop on over to the closest gas station or store that is open and go there.

Meeting Band Members

Probably the most memorable thing about going to shows. If you meet a member of the band you are going to be telling your friends for years to come. I still do. I have told all my friends about my meetings with band members. I can't tell you what songs they played or what they did during the show (unless that was also unforgettable) but I can tell you if they put on a great show or if I met one of them. Now, this all comes down to the status of the band. Some bands do meet and greets, which is one way to meet them, or you get that nice random meeting in a more one on one way. If it is a more low-key newbie band they will most likely be selling their own merch at their table after the show because they cannot afford a merch guy. So going to their merch table is ideal after the show. Its how I met most of the musicians that I've met to this day.

If they are a middle status band, meaning that they have played multiple shows there and have a few albums out, they will sometimes be hanging out around random areas of the venue, inside and outside. Sometimes they will be hanging out by their vans or busses, and sometimes just in the parking lots. Its is all based on luck and hanging around the venue for a bit after the show. Yes, I've met plenty of people this way. At The Rave they usually hang out in the front parking lot or on the side road by their vans. Or inside just randomly in the room where the concert was. I met Gabe Saporta of Cobra Starship by literally running him over coming out of the bathrooms. We were both coming out of the bathrooms and ran into each other and I actually knocked him over because I was kind of rushing. A bit embarrassing but a cool story to tell.

High Status bands. You either need pure luck or a thick wallet. These are bands that are popular on radio, people that you always hear on the radio. A-list artist. Most of the time they wait until the crowds clear out after the show to leave or they sneak out fairly quickly after the show. So if you meet them just randomly it is pure luck. The other way to go is to pay out a whole load of money to meet them at meet and greets where its basically a "hi" *picture taken* and then "bye" type of situation. No fun.

But do not get discouraged if you do not meet anyone, its not the end of the world. There will be other concerts that you will go do and have a chance. Trust me. But if you do meet them, stay calm and cool. Do not be one of those annoying fans that just talk about how much they love them and blah blah blah...actually be a normal person and talk to them as normal people. I've had some pretty amazing and deep conversations with some bands because we talked like we were just two normal, everyday people having a conversation. Not once did we talk about the show or how much I'm a fan. We talked about everyday things, yes music was a topic but it was bands that we were both into and since music is something that we are both passionate about, we would talk about the technical stuff of it all. Because of these conversations, and my "marriage" to Kennedy Brock of The Maine, the second time I met The Maine, Kennedy actually remembered me and what we talked about our last meeting like we were old friends. Those are the moments I live for and tell my friends about.

_____

Wow! This post was longer than I expected, but I hope you retained some of that information and that I gave you some tips for when you go to your next concert. If you would like to hear some of my concert stories, or how I managed to marry Kennedy Brock, just comment or share this and I will maybe do a bonus post midweek.

If you have any concert stories, leave a comment and tell me about them. I would love to hear your concert experiences!

Until next time my misfits,
Stefanie

Michelangelo is a PCP Baby

Hi Hello,

So its finally October! Yayyyy *faint audience cheers in the background* And that means that I am in full on Autumn and Halloween mode right now. This weekend I will be painting my room (finally) and getting some lovely Autumn and Halloween decorations to put up. I will also be preparing for this Fun Fall Activities Party thingy that Im going to with my friends. There will be lots of fun fall and Halloween related foods and crafty stuff and decorations and just plain FUN. So that I am looking forward to!

But, that is not why I brought you all here today. (by the way, this blog is brought to you by my new laptop which was made possible by my school) No, the real reason why I'm typing this and you are reading is because I had some messed up dreams last night. And when I say messed up...I mean, they had no direction or point or plot or anything. Just a whole bunch of random happenings and scenarios that would never happen but hey..its my brain so you know..things happen.

So first, I had a dream that I was being chased by this crazy queen lady. In the dream, it felt like I was of some type of importance to her, like I knew the secret to something..i don't know, and she had me locked up in her mansion. But then I got away because the butler did not lock the door (i think he did that on purpose) and I started running and trying to get out and I kept having to hide behind things because I would see her walking around. But once I ran out the front door (why I went to the front door and not a side one Im not sure) all of a sudden I was in a mall. But the mall was part of her house as well and I had to keep running to get out. Last thing I remember is seeing a patch of grass outside the mall and running towards it when the security guard told me no running in the mall and then threw me in jail. End of dream. I think that security guard overreacted a little bit...but either way I never escaped and Im not sure what happened to me after that. Forever alone in a jail cell.

Second dream I had was I was in this hotel looking place and I was with all my close friends. Im not sure if we were on vacation or not but we were there and trying to find the pool. But we were avoiding someone for sure because we kept talking about this girl who we did not want to see there. But I remember having to go to the bathroom in the dream and walking in there and my friends following. And I had an awkward moment in my dream..(why does the awkwardness follow into my dreams?) I sat down on the toilet and my friends came in and just kept talking WHILE IM SITTING ON THE TOILET TRYING TO PEE! And I have shy pee syndrome in real life, like I cannot pee if someone is talking to me..so this was a true struggle in my dream. So I turned around and said, "excuse me, but can I have some privacy" and my friends just walked out and said "fine, we're going to the pool." Of which, I could not pee in my dream, and I decided to go to the pool with them and picked out a very odd swimsuit and put it on over my clothes and then proceeded to take my clothes off underneath my swimsuit as I was talking to my dad, Nathan Fillion. (Nathan Fillion is not actually my father, duh..i was just watching Castle before bed so that is probably why he made an appearance) Then I woke up actually having to pee and made the cold walk to the bathroom.

My last dream however is the strangest, but yet the shortest. I was in a department store, just minding my own business when this pregnant lady came in and started throwing stuff around. And I mean, like she was picking up check-out counters and throwing them across the room and just causing a big disturbance. While the cops arrived and they said that she is the pregnant PCP lady that they have been trying to catch for months. While right as they were trying to arrest her without dying, she started going into labor. And she gave birth right then and there and who pops out of that PCP raging body, but Michelangelo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And he wasn't like a baby version, no, it was the fully grown holding his nuncucks in one hand and in the other a slice of pizza. End of dream.

Im not sure what I ate, or what I watched before bed last night, but I had a series of messed up, strange dreams last night. They started out just odd and random and then got strange and messed up as the morning grew closer. I just don't even know what to make of it. I'm not even going to try and figure out what they mean or anything. Just leaving them as is...

If you wish to decipher my dreams, or tell me strange dreams that you've had, pop them into the comments. I'm interested to know your thoughts.

Until next time my misfits,
Stefanie

The Direction and How Many Seconds of Summer?

Hi Hello

I was scrolling through my photo gallery on my phone and remembered that I never posted a blog about my trip to Chicago at the end of the summer. So Imma do it now. Legggooo!

At the end of the summer a group of friends and I took a road trip to Chicago before school started (for them). But it wasn't just any random trip, oh no, we went mainly to see One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer (judge us). But we decided to make it a whole trip instead of just going down there for a day to see the concert.

When we got there we went and did the traditional Chicago tourist thing and went to Millennium Park and took selfies in the big bean. I mean, its not a trip to Chicago without doing that. I also found out that I was the only one in the group that has seen the big bean before, so I got to watch everyone else's first experience which was cool. We spent the rest of the day just walking around downtown Chicago and taking in the city.

Cherry and I taking bean selfies

 The Trump Building

 Over looking the river on Michigan Ave.

The Jay Pritzer Pavilion

The next day was the day of the concert. But we needed something to do during the day, so we decided to go down to Navy Pier and take a boat tour. It was such a beautiful day and the boat tour was very interesting and relaxing. We took the architectural tour, which I know my friend AJ would have loved because he's going to school to be an architect. It was nice to just sit back and cruise down the river and look at some buildings and also take in a little history and see the city in a different way. 

Then it was time for the concert! Even though we spent 2 hours in heavy stand still traffic and spent 50 dollars in parking, we made it into the stadium just as 5 Seconds of Summer started their first song. But finding our seats was a struggle, stupid Solider Field, and the security guard that we asked for help was extremely rude and asked me if I could read. Excuse me? I was inches away from initiating bitch mode and slapping him with a Packer fan comeback to his rudeness, but I was not about to get kicked out of this concert, so I just gave him a judgmental look and walked away saying thanks for nothing. But once we got to our seats we were all good to enjoy the concert. 5 Seconds of Summer was great as well as One Direction, but those pesky fan girls behind us were not. The decibel of their screams were high enough to cause me more hearing problems then the actual concert. And every time Niall started to sing they would scream, and I mean they screamed so loud it rattled my eardrums to the point where it hurt my head. There were a few times that I looked back at them and gave them the bitch face, and there was one time I wanted to turn and tell them that I did not pay this much money to hear them scream in my ear but to hear the boys sing. Like what is the point of screaming when an artist starts to sing? Don't you want to hear them sing and not yourself screaming? Like I don't understand the logic of a fangirl. But, besides all of that, the concert was very pleasant, and it was Liam's Birthday as well, so it made it a little special. Judge me all you want, but I was so happy that I got to experience a concert like that. Even if you don't like One Direction or 5SOS, it is an experience in itself to see a music group that big live in concert. And, to just shoot down al the haters, they do sing live (trust me, I know the different between live and recording) and they gave a great performance. So shut your hating mouth. We all have our own opinions, if you like them you like them, if not you don't. But don't talk shit about an artist or make false acquisitions about them just because you don't like them. Overall, it was a great night.

Zayn, One Direction.

Harry, One Direction.

Niall, One Direction.

Ashton, 5 Seconds of Summer.

Michael, 5 Seconds of Summer.

The next day we were all pretty beat, so we just went home. It was a great trip and I'm glad that we made it into a whole weekend trip and experienced the city. It had been a while, a whole year, since I had been to Chicago and it was nice to go back and see this concert. But now I have no concert planned to see in the near future and that leaves a hole in my heart. I need to see someone live soon. Time to go searching for bands to see!

If you have seen a concert recently, leave a comment below about your experience, good or bad. I want to know what you guys are up to!

Until next time my misfits,

Stefanie.

Milwaukee Irish Fest

Hi Hello

Here are just a few photos from Milwaukee Irish Fest that I took. I really only saw 2 bands because that is all I really wanted to see. So here we are...

The High Kings

The Red Hot Chilli Pipers

The Feels are Strong With This One

Hi Hello

Its been awhile. And I want to say that the reason for the lack of blogging was due to my life being super busy because of an awesome social life....but its not true. I have no social life.

I have just gotten back from one week of training at camp (home for a week of vacation before the intense stuff starts) and I have been sitting around doing absolutely nothing. I mean, I did hang out with my friend Cherry within six hours of me being home. *we have separation problems* But that was the only social interaction that I had since Friday.

Now I don't know about you, but when I have nothing to do and I'm home all day being lazy I sit on my computer searching bands and movies and going on Tumblr and Twitter and Youtube and so on and so forth. Sounds normal, but I take it to an extreme. I don't just go on Tumblr, I invest my life into it. I don't just go on Youtube, I watch videos of people until I feel like I know their life. *creepy but they put it out there in the videos* It gets real.

During this time I experience something that is known to the internet world as "The Feels". The Feels are when you feel so many emotions at once about someone or something that you just can't take it anymore and you feel bad about your life because you are not this person, you are not with this person or you are not in this situation. You just can't deal with life because you are so overly emotional. Some will say that the best way to understand "the feels" is to observe a "fan girl" of a popular band or artist like One Direction or Elvis Presley. These girls are feeling so many emotions that they appear to be crazy or just really excited to see the particular band or person that they experience "the feels."

Now having the feels can be portrayed in different ways. You can go crazy fangirl, like the majority of the One Direction fandom, or you can just sit in a corner quietly thinking "damn I wish I was dating this person." I experience this phenomenon on a daily basis and this week it got real.

Now I am a huge fan of the band McFly . They are a British band that has been around for awhile time but they are still such awesome people and musicians. Their guitarist and singer Tom Fletcher just received the award for Marvel's Celebrity Dad of the Year and the photos of him with that award just made my heart melt. You may know who Tom Fletcher is if you have seen his Wedding Speech video or his most recent hit video, From Bump to Buzz . Either way, he is probably my favorite human. And this week I got the feels for him so bad. Just the way that he loves his son Buzz and his wife Gi just makes me all warm inside and I just wish that I knew him personally.

He seems like such a great dude to just chill with and to make you laugh and to pretty much just hang out with in general. I am just sat here in my house, doing nothing for the week, thinking about how I wish Tom and I were friends. Like why is this not a thing? WHY? Now, don't get me wrong, I love all the members of McFly and want to be all of their friends but these past few days I have just been having the "Tom would be the best friend" feels and I just cant seem to shake them. *not that I would want to*

Anywho... if you know what I'm talking about with "The Feels" phenomenon and have experienced some version of them please leave a comment below and tell me who. If you don't thats cool too, some people don't get the feels and thats probably the simpler life.

Until next time my misfits,
Stefanie

May Playlist

Hi Hello

Something that you may not know about me, or maybe you do I don't know, is that I am a huge music person. I am going to school to be a music manager because I love it so much but have no real talent to be an artist. *reflects on my talentless life* Moving on....

Since I'm always listening to music and sitting on the internet discovering new bands and such things...I have decided to make a monthly playlist of the songs that I have been listening to non stop. So lets get started....

To start off is a song by an up and coming band called 5 Seconds of Summer, who with their recent recognition from One Direction fans, are starting to build up a world wide fan base of their own and I'm absolutely loving their EP!

The song is called "Heartbreak On The Big Screen" and its just a song that I like to jam out to in the car and I always find myself turning on that song when I don't know what else to listen to. And, it helps that there is a part in the song where Luke's voice just makes me melt, the music slows down and his voice goes low and he does this little run with his voice and its just....you'll understand what I mean when you listen to it.

Next is a song by Fall Out Boy, a long time favorite band of mine, and although their new album has been out for over a year now, I am always listening to "The Phoenix" while I'm driving. I mean, put that song on while you drive and you automatically feel 10x more badass. Trust me. Just do it.

The third song on my May playlist is "Afraid" by The Neighbourhood. I honestly don't know what it is about this song, but I just love it. I like the melody and the all around vibe of the song and it just puts me into a mood and makes me feel very chill even though the lyrics would not suggest a "chill" vibe.

My fourth pick is a song by my favorite artist. This man is extremely talented and I don't think people realize exactly how talented he is. His fame hit the states with The A Team but I caught wind of him before then when he was just singing about Cold Coffee. And now he is selling out stadiums around the world and I have to say, a few years ago I got the opportunity to see him perform live and it was honestly the best show I've seen in my life. The man sounds better live than what he does in studio and that is something that you don't get anymore.

If you haven't guest it already, his name is Ed Sheeran and is song "Thinking Out Loud" is my fourth song off my playlist this month. The song is on his upcoming album X and although it is not released yet, he sang it live for a show and it instantly became my favorite song. Its simply a beautifully crafted song.

And finally, my last song on the playlist is a song that I'm pretty sure is not released in the states, but I heard it on a Spotify playlist with my friend Cherry and we loved it so much that it somewhat became our theme song for our friendship. Its not a serious song, its more of a fun, dance type song and we laugh every time we hear it come on our ipods. The song is called "Bonkers" and its by Dizzee Rascal and its just one of those songs that makes you wanna dance.

Well, there is my May playlist, I will link videos to these songs below so you can listen to them and hopefully understand my love for them and maybe they will become your new monthly jam.

If you have a song that you have been loving lately, post a comment and let me know! I will look up the songs that I don't know and maybe they will be in my next playlist??? But you don't have to...I'll live..

Until next time my misfits,
Stefanie

1. Heartbreak On The Big Screen
2. The Phoenix
3. Afraid
4. Thinking Out Loud
5. Bonkers

A New Leaf

Hi Hello

So today's post is going to be somewhat serious, something that I've been feeling really passionate about lately and I feel like the best way to express it is writing (or typing) it out.

We've all had those moments when we sit there and we plan our dream vacation or we talk with our friends and say how we wish we could travel here or do this or that someday. But with all that planning and dreaming, nothing gets done. Those plans and dreams remain plans and dreams and no one makes the move to go forward with anything.

In the past few years my friends and I have always been saying "Oh I wish I could just go to California, or London, or anywhere BUT Wisconsin." But we never sat down and really said, okay lets plan this out and start saving up. There has always been excuses. "I have bills to pay" or "i have to focus on school" or other lame excuses. And I'm sick of it.

I'm absolutely sick of the excuses and the plans that never leave the ground. You cannot live your life on dreams. You cannot just sit in your house saying that you're going to do this or do that but then never make any initiative to actually get that plan going and do it. If you want to achieve anything in life you can't just sit around and wait for it to fall in your lap, you have to work for it and make it happen. So why should your travel plans be that way?

In the recent months my family has experienced some medical hardships. My uncle was just diagnosed with cancer and thinking about his life and all that he has accomplished inspired me to write this post. I have been saying for the past year that I've been wanting to travel to all of these different places and just really experience life, but I never made an effort to save up my money and work hard to make these plans reality. Until now.

I made a deal with myself. The deal is, whenever I think of an idea, or create a dream in my mind I am going to write it down and start working towards it. If I think of a place to travel to, I'm going to write it down, start planning it out financially, and then start working and saving up my money to go to that place. If I think of a life goal or career goal that I want for my future, I will write it down and start working towards it. I do not want my life to be a list of unfinished plans and unachieved goals. I want it to be a list of accomplished goals and finished plans.

So no more "I wish I could go here" or "I wish I was doing this right now" and more of "I'm working and saving to go here." In fact, as I'm typing this I am currently planning a trip out of state with a few friends. We wanted to go on a vacation and I sat down and said, why don't we just go. So we planned it all out and in a few weeks we are leaving for vacation. And you know what? It feels good. It feels great to just plan a trip somewhere random and actually make it turn into a reality.

This one trip is simply the beginning of many more to come. Which is another reason why I started this blog. I want to be able to document my goals and travels as they happen and it all starts with this first trip.

Its the start of something new and I'm ready for you to join me in this experience. So you can either live in envy of other people's adventures, or you can start your own. Its your choice.

Until next time my misfits,
Stefanie

Experience my travels in real time on my social media:
Twitter
Tumblr
Instagram