Summer 2013 & Other Adventures

May 21, 2013 Filed Under: Everyday Stories, Roadtrips!, SO EXCITING!, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

For a little while there, it kind of felt like 2013 was going to be… boring. I know better than anyone how quickly that can change, but it’s just one of those silly fears I have every time a new year begins.

Was I EVER wrong! 2013 has been wonderful. I think I was worried that if I didn’t travel through as many continents or take as many planes as I did in 2012, this year just wouldn’t match up. But I have been able to keep busy and happy in so many different ways. Through planning charity events with CASA Cares, school, going to concerts, working for CONFRONT, spending lots of time with my family and with friends, and planning small road trips to new cities, 2013 has been treating me really well.

casacarescolorsShowing some school spirit on behalf of CASA Cares at another committee’s event! 

I have a few more road trips planned in the summer months- my favorite kind of road trips- and I also *just* last week finally booked my vacation for the summer. The scary idea that I wouldn’t travel anywhere new this year? Gone! I’ll be visiting FIVE new places-  I’m going on a cruise!

In early August I’ll be hopping a flight to Miami with my family for one week of sun and beach. A potential visit from one of my absolute best blogger friends Stephany, and then my travel BFF will be meeting me on Day 6 in Miami. On Day 7, we board a 7 day cruise with Carnival that takes us through Cozumel, Mexico/Belize City, Belize/Mahogany Bay, Honduras/Georgetown & Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. It seems like a pretty intense cruise with a port city almost every day, but I absolutely can’t wait.

cruisingCan’t wait to see Mahogany Bay in real life! 

Before my two weeks of wondrous travel through Central America, I’ll be heading to Toronto (one of my favorite cities for music) TWICE in June/July, and I’ll be heading to the state of New York for another concert in July as well. I’ll be celebrating my birthday in mid-July (so, maybe it won’t be in Brazil and I won’t have my own personal fireworks, but I’ll get to spend time with friends!) and really, who knows what else this summer has up it’s sleeve?

toI haven’t been to Toronto in almost 2 years. I miss this city so much! 

For now though, I’ll focus on getting myself through my summer class (my motivation isn’t doing so great, neither are my study habits!) and I have a few really amazing concerts coming up here in Montreal before I start visiting other cities. Life has definitely been keeping me busy, and I promise I’ll never start a new year with the same kind of fear that I did at the end of 2012!

What does summer 2013 have in store for you?

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Always, Sometimes Never- The Travel Edition

April 29, 2013 Filed Under: Travel, Traveling Tips Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

I’m stealing this idea from Stephany, who recently wrote this exact type of post, but about cruises! Coincidentally, this happens to be a great way to share some traveling tips I’ve accumulated over the years. Things to do always, things to do sometimes, and things to never do:

While traveling, I always…

Overpack. I think I’m slowly getting better, especially now that I have started backpacking everywhere I go, but I still fill my poor backpack up until it looks like a turtle shell. I can never wrap my mind around not having EVERYTHING with me.

Try the local cuisine. I love food, as a general rule, but I’m not afraid to try new food, either. Unless it has noticeable limbs, tentacles, wings, or whathaveyou, I’m always up for a little bit of a foodie-adventure!

IMG_3195A traditional Brazilian cook-out for lunch! 

Watch a sunset. This sounds a little bit random, but I’ve been in some countries where the sunsets are the most gorgeous in the world. Some of the most memorable include the sunset over the Santorini’s caldera & over the Mediterannean Sea in Italy. I could literally live in those kinds of moments.

IMG_1700Sipping wine and watching the sun set in Santorini

While traveling, I sometimes…

Like to go out & be a little crazy. I mean, as a general rule I “sometimes like to go out”, but when I travel, I’m always up early, which means that going out and partying until late is rarely something I actually enjoy. Sometimes though? A little dancing in a faraway country is *just* what I want to do!

IMG_2548A night out with my best girls in Mykonos!

Sleep in. Normally, I’m up relatively early, because I love enjoying every day to the absolute max. But every once in a while, the long days take a toll on me. I’m a sleeper by nature, so a sleep-in day gives me the chance to really enjoy my trip without burning out.

Try experiences out of my ordinary. In fact, it’s these moments while traveling that have really pushed me to realize that being out of my comfort zone is okay. I am a very anxious person and new things can be intimidating. I will often tell myself that I can’t do something because it’s just “not me”, but then I do it and I realize that it’s all in my head! My stand-out moment for this was when I agreed to do a hike in Cinque Terre, Italy. My BFF convinced me to do it, and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I’m by no means a very ACTIVE person. The adrenaline rush after the four hours was incredible. Jumping off a tiny sailboat into the middle of the Mediterranean sea was another relatively scary moment for me that ended up being a favorite! I try and do ‘out of my ordinary’ experiences as much as I can, and I think I’m getting better at it!

IMG_4612Hiking the Cinque Terre trail, at the halfway point and feeling amazing!

While traveling, I never…

Say no outright. Sometimes, I try and convince myself that “no” is the better answer, but chances are if you make a case for something, I’ll come around. Plus, why say no when you’re in a faraway country? You never know when you’ll be back there. I give everything a fair chance, even if it’s scary.

img017Even though I wasn’t crazy about the idea, I still took a chance and went exploring Mexican caves. It was amazing!

Leave my hotel/hostel without a map. I used to be afraid of getting lost, even in my own hometown. I’ve discovered that with a regular, paper map, I can find my way in even the most confusing of cities. I directed my friend & I through all of Rome without getting us lost once. The one time our map flew out of my bag in Paris? We got lost for almost two hours. It was exhausting!

Book transportation/lodging last minute. I need all of my stuff planned in advance. Sometimes, things can go wrong (like that time I booked a train to the WRONG city) but once I’m away from home, away from trustworthy internet, away from my native language? I want to have the least amount of worries as possible. I research everything in depth in advance, and everything is booked as far in advance as I can handle.

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What would make your list of always/sometimes/never while you travel?

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Looking Forward

April 25, 2013 Filed Under: Everyday Stories Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

manojkesavanI love this photo. Credit: Manoj Kesavan

I’m stealing this post idea from the wonderful Lisa today. I always love reading these, and while I’m studying for finals I thought I might need a little bit of motivation for a last little push to the summer!

Today: I’m looking forward to a lunch date with a friend, and getting out of the house to study for a little bit. I may take a break and run a few errands, just to clear my head, too. I’ve never really gotten the hang of disciplined studying (especially when I am at home) so I think getting up early and having a few things planned will help out. Plus, by the time I go sleep tomorrow, I will have completed another year of University. Hurray!

This Week: Being done with finals is the main thing I am excited about this week for SURE. Unfortunately, summer school is just days away, which means spending many warm evenings cooped up in the building. Luckily I don’t mind spending time at school anymore, but I’d still prefer spending those extra hours reading under the stars.

This Month: Well, the month is basically over! But between the last few days of April and the first week of May, I have tons to look forward to. I got a very last minute ticket to see The Lumineers on May 1st, which is a concert I had been crossing my fingers to get a ticket to since it sold out within about 3 minutes the first time around! I’m also going up North next weekend and we have a huge end of semester party the day before we leave. It’s definitely bittersweet, ending off such a great year, but everyone will definitely make the best of it!

This Year: Slowly, plans are coming together for the second half of 2013. I’ll be going to Toronto in June to see Ed Sheeran & Taylor Swift, and I recently picked up a ticket to see Andrew McMahon (again!) in Toronto in early July. My birthday is two days later, my nephew’s baptism is at the end of July, and in August I’ll be spending a week in Miami with my family! I’m also trying to plan another week of travels right after Miami, right before going back to school in September. Lots of little trips- no Brazil/Europe craziness like last year- but I’m still excited to kick back and enjoy the sunshine for a few months, packed in with a bunch of concerts!

What are you looking forward to?

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2013 Goals- Check In #1

April 17, 2013 Filed Under: Goals Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

dreamswontworkunless

The first 3 and a half months of 2013 have been nothing short of exhausting for me- but also? Amazing. I started off really strong with my goals, and as time went on I sporadically seemed to do a few more. I definitely plan on working on a lot of this during the summer when I have more free time, because the truth is I just *don’t* have time to do it all.

I think a lot of these are definitely still attainable in the next 8 and a half months, and although I haven’t made a HUGE amount of progress yet, I still wanted to look over everything to see where I stand, and what I can stand to accomplish in the second quarter of the year.

Finance

- Save at least 30% from each paycheck & put it in my savings account. No progress. My bad.

- Create a second savings account for the future, 10% of each paycheck. No progress. I’m not so good with the saving money thing.

- Read “Debt-Free Forever” by Gail Vaz-Oxlade. I forgot about this goal! I want to read this when I have some time to dedicate to it, though. Maybe this summer.

- Pay off my credit card; never spend more than I can pay off. I did pay it off, but then a hundred things came up and it’s no longer paid off. Working on it again, though!

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Health, Fitness & Vitality

- Get back to the gym. This is the plan for the summer!

- Exercise at least once a week ( 0/52). Ummm. I’m terrible at this exercise thing.

- Cook 5 healthy recipes (0/5). More plans for the summer!

- Go vegetarian for a month. I’ve been trying to figure out when this would be best to do. I’m thinking summertime, knock off all these healthy goals in one shot.

- Reach my ideal weight through healthy eating & exercise. I am in fact very close to my ideal weight, but it’s not because I’ve been healthy. I’m trying to remember to eat lots of fruits and veggies, but to be honest I’ve lost a lot of weight because of stress.

- Train to run a 5K and choose one to participate in with a friend. I have not trained, but I’d still love to run one in the fall.

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Leisure

- Complete my room project. In progress!

- Print pictures from 2012 to add to my photo album. I have no money for this goal, but I’d still like to accomplish it.

- Scrapbook Brazil & Europe 2012. I don’t really know if I even *want* to scrapbook my trips, or just save my photos in a photo album. I need to print them out first!

- Plan an adventure. Complete! I went to New York City for 4 days, and Boston for 2. I’m also planning two potential trips to Toronto. Yay!

- Get my driver’s license. I’m looking at doing this over the summer as well, when I have the time to start driving and practicing again. Also, I don’t want to do it while there is still snow outside.

- Get a tattoo. I’m going to work on this one. I have a general idea of what I want!

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Reading/Writing/Blogging

- Read 50 books (0/50). I’m about 10 books through at this point, I think!
*5 non-fiction (1/5)
*re-read two all-time favorites (0/2)

- Start a blog feature. Complete! Two months in, I still love sharing everyone’s ‘five songs’ that changed their lives.

- Guest post for 5 bloggers (5/5). I wasn’t expecting to accomplish this one so quickly, but there you have it. The fifth hasn’t been published yet!

1) Five Highlights of Wizard World of Harry Potter

2) The 8 List- Travel Reads

3) Music & Following Your Passions

4) Creative Encounters (An interview about my job for Confront Magazine!)

- Write 5 music pieces outside of CONFRONT Magazine (0/5). I still love this goal, but haven’t had time to make any progress! 

- Write 10 book reviews, including 2 for outside sources like NetGalley (3/10). In progress.

- Start writing creatively again, outside of job purposes (ie: non-music/blog/school). Another goal I love, but no time to spend on creative writing. That makes me sad! 

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School/Work

- Research, plan & complete a server switch for CONFRONT Magazine. In progress!

- Complete the CONFRONT media kit & create sponsorship packages. Kind of in progress?

- Research + apply to summer internships and/or job possibilities (if any). I applied to become the next President of CASA Cares & I got it! This will be taking up plenty of time without any additional internships.

- Plan the remainder of my University degree, class by class & raise my GPA by 2014. Definitely in progress. 

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Time

- Suffer for fifteen minutes at least 3 times a week (0/156). I like how I originally planned to do this 3 times a week, but it’s really tough to keep track of. I did it a lot at first, but have since lost track. I’m going to get back into this though, because I love this goal.
*This goal was inspired by Gretchen Rubin’s book ‘Happier at Home’ in which she tackles those really annoying tasks for 15 minutes a day until they got done, instead of letting them pile up. I’ve got the list of annoying things to do right next to me and I’m weirdly excited to slowly cross those things off!

- Plan “me-time” each week (especially during school) to avoid burning out or getting too stressed. Definitely working on this on a regular basis. I tend to work myself until I can’t keep my eyes open, but sometimes I just sit down and remind myself I’m allowed an hour for myself.

- Create monthly study schedules ( 3/10). In progress!

- Keep a calendar/agenda of upcoming events (concerts, dinner dates, etc) each month (3/12). I bought an amazing agenda that allows me to plan every hour of my day. I’m sad/happy to report that I use it religiously, and would not be able to find myself without it!

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 How are your 2013 goals going? Any progress?

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A Weekend of Music

April 15, 2013 Filed Under: Music = Love, Roadtrips! Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Last weekend, a friend and I drove up to Boston for two nights, and two concerts. Although I didn’t get to see much of the city of Boston itself, I did get a good taste of the awesome music that goes through there every single day, and I loved it. I can’t wait to go back for a few more days someday (soon?!) and visit it a little bit more.

While I was there, we didn’t really get the chance to do much other than go to the shows we had driven up for. I was kind of sad to be in a new city and not get to see much of it, but it ended up being completely worth it, and it just meant visiting Boston in a different kind of way. There are literally ALWAYS awesome shows happening there. I had no idea what a big city it was for concerts and music in general, but now that I do? I have a completely new fascination with the place!

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On the Sunday that we arrived, we quickly unpacked at our hotel & headed to the House of Blues to check out Parachute and Andy Grammer. I know a few songs by each artist, and although I wouldn’t have gone if my friend wasn’t a big fan, it was still a fun experience… Plus, House of Blues?! That definitely made me feel like I was in Boston.

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Monday morning we ended up being very lazy, and only left the hotel around lunch time. It was an absolutely beautiful, warm, sunny day in Boston, so we wanted to walk around the city for a few hours before heading to the Paradise Rock Club to see Andrew McMahon perform that night. After almost two hours of driving around with NO parking to be found, we gave up and found some great parking right by the venue. The upside? We arrived early enough that we were very close to the front of the line for his sold out show!

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After spending a few hours enjoying the sunshine, we got ready to head into the venue. I’ve said this many times, but Andrew McMahon happens to be one of my all-time favorite musicians. I followed his career throughout his time with Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin. I was sad when both bands broke up, but following his career and seeing him perform the best of both in Boston? Such an amazing experience.

There were two opening artists: Kate Earl and a band called ERLAND. Both of them were amazing. I love discovering new music through the first act at a show, and it made the whole experience so much better because I didn’t mind waiting for Andrew to come on stage. I’ve been listening to ERLAND’s album (independently produced with Andrew McMahon’s help, in fact!) since getting back home. They’re such a talented bunch, and they were all super friendly too. I highly recommend checking them out. This is one of my current favorites by them:

Around 9:30pm, Andrew finally hit the stage, playing for almost two straight hours. He played a mixed set between his two past bands, and he also played a couple new songs that I absolute love… Obviously. It’s been a little while since I’ve had the chance to see him live, and I was not in the LEAST bit disappointed. Since 2008 I’ve had the chance to see him 6 times and every single time I’ve left more in love with his music than before.

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 Oh and also? I got to meet him for the FIRST TIME after the show!

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I always thought I’d be a complete mess when it came time to meet him- after 10 years of following his career, I’ve always been ridiculously star struck by him- but he was very down to earth, easy to talk to, and I mean really… I still can’t believe I met him. It’s weird how some people have this effect on us in the world, and he just happens to be one of them for me. I think his music just had such an impact on my life, it’s hard to translate this into seeing him as a normal person, up close, just like everyone else.

Music doesn’t have this kind of effect on everyone, but to me? My life just isn’t complete without these kinds of crazy, beautiful moments. I had a really tough post-concert depression the following day, but luckily getting back into school and general life has made it a bit better!

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 My new lyric-poster kept me company on the very long, cloudy drive back to Montreal the next day!

Andrew’s newest song:

If you happen to be a fan of these bands and want to read my in-depth review on Confront Magazine, you can read it by clicking here!

What musicians/bands have changed your life most? Have you ever had the opportunity to meet them? 

4 Comments

Augustana Sang it Best…

April 7, 2013 Filed Under: Music = Love, My Many Husbands, Roadtrips!, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

If you’ve read a few posts around here at any given time, you’ll know that there are two things I love more than anything else in the world. Music, and traveling. Putting them together? That’s just a bonus! I’m heading to Boston with a good friend of mine today for two days, to see two different concerts, and soak in a little bit of a brand new city.

boston

I’ve never been, but if Augustana’s song ‘Boston’ (a long-time favorite track of mine) tells me anything, it’s that I’m going to love being there.

It’s been a hectic couple weeks as the winter semester comes to an end and finals begin, and I fully plan on enjoying these couple days away, even if I may have some homework to do at the hotel at night. I get to see one of my all-time favorite musicians for the first time since 2011. I’m very lucky that I have had the chance to see him perform live five times since 2008, but it will be the first to see him doing his own thing, rather than with a band. Nonetheless, I’m ridiculously excited for a roadtrip to see Andrew McMahon!

andrew!

We’re also enjoying a spontaneous show by Andy Grammer and Parachute. I hadn’t heard much of either of these bands before planning my trip to Boston, but my friend is a big fan, so we’re making a special evening out of tonight to see them. Should be a good time! I rarely say no to a good show.

I’ll be home late Tuesday night, and hopefully some updates after that about my trip and other random life things. Until then, I’ve put together a playlist if you’re interested in hearing all the bands I’ve mentioned above. A little music for your Sunday.

Boston Playlist by melissapayette on Grooveshark

Have a great weekend!

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The City That Never Sleeps

March 21, 2013 Filed Under: Roadtrips!, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I got home from New York very late on Sunday night (more like Monday morning, really) and since then my life has been one hectic blur. I was right back at work Monday morning, and between working and school, I haven’t had a single moment to just breathe (or blog).

I had an amazing time in NYC, though. It was four MUCH needed days away from the insanity of my life. Although I still checked social media, it was a drastic step back to the 3 hours of answering e-mails I was accustomed to each day. As a whole, the trip was a very good reminder that as much as I love to work; as much as I LOVE what I do, I need to just relax once in a while. It was becoming unhealthy, how much I would push myself to work more, harder, longer hours. Although it was by no means a RELAXING four days, it kind of was. We wandered the city streets, shopped, ate good food, visited tourist areas, and just had a good time between friends.

IMG_5806Dinner and drinks at the Olive Garden on Thursday evening after almost 12 hours in a car!

IMG_5807One of my favorite views; Olive Garden in Times Square was the perfect way to start the trip!

21Mandatory visit to the M&M’s store in Times Square after dinner

1Friday morning was very relaxing; we just wandered around and got a feel for the city before heading out to lunch! It was so nice to just BE there.

IMG_1549The Empire State Building was looking very gorgeous that morning.

IMG_5812On Friday afternoon, I met up with Allison (With Faith and Grace) and she took me and my three friends to the West Village for lunch! We ate at this amazing Swedish place called ‘Smorgas Chef’, and then we wandered into Magnolia Bakery. Afterwards, she brought me to Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment and I just about died. A very wonderful early afternoon!

IMG_1552Vanilla cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery!

IMG_5817Later in the afternoon, the two of us went to the Harry Potter Exhibition in Times Square, where we proceeded to completely nerd out for almost two hours. It was AMAZING. I highly recommend it if you’re a fan of the movies! It’s a huge display of a ton of the original props from the 8 movies, and you can purchase an audio guide as well.

IMG_1569Oh and of course, you can buy pictures of yourself after you’ve gone through the whole thing!

IMG_5834Late morning brunch at Max Brenner the next day was JUST what we needed. One of my favorite restaurants that I know of in NYC.

IMG_5841Strawberries, waffles, whipped cream, raspberry sauce and melted white chocolate sauce. So delicious!

IMG_5851Saturday afternoon turned out to be very gloomy and rainy. After breakfast, we wandered through The Strand’s 18 miles of books, did way too much shopping at Century 21, and then headed to the Financial District to see Battery Park, the Financial Bull, and a distant view of the Statue of Liberty.

IMG_5856Mandatory photo with the Financial Bull!

IMG_1581It’s good luck to touch the Bull’s special parts! We had to take part in the tradition.

4Random picture of us as we wandered NYC on Saturday… We’re good looking, I know.

IMG_1586Saturday evening was St. Patrick’s day celebrations throughout the city. After a bit of relaxation in the hotel room, we all got ourselves dressed up for a night out!

14A much later-that-night, blurry iPhone picture. I love these people :)

IMG_5888Sunday was our last day in NYC, and naturally we needed to spend some quality time in Central Park. It has, by far, the most gorgeous view of the city you’ll find anywhere. The contrast between nature and city is staggering, but so beautiful. We wandered for 3 hours, very cold, but barely realizing that time went by at all.

IMG_5882I adore Central Park <3

IMG_5869We found the famous Alice in Wonderland statue, and randomly stumbled across Hans Christian Andersen a little bit later on. The randomness of Central Park, really!

IMG_5892After Central Park, we wandered around the far too expensive 5th Avenue, and had lunch at Bouchon Bakery in a random mall near where we parked the car. At around 5:30 we said goodbye to the city, and made the 8 hour drive straight back to Montreal!

Although I was happy to find my bed that evening, I miss New York City terribly. It’s one of those places that I’ll never get tired of visiting, and there is ALWAYS something new to see. Four days was a really perfect amount of time to be there, and I’m already planning the next time I’ll get to go back!

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New York, New York <3

March 14, 2013 Filed Under: Roadtrips!, SO EXCITING!, Travel Tagged With: , , , , ,

NYCbaby

I’ve been feeling pretty absent from my blog recently, no matter how hard I try to make the appearance and write especially in this place. Life has been crazy, in the best way possible. This week has been full of highs and lows. Each year, this is the toughest week of March for me to go through, and in fact I can’t remember the last time I ever enjoyed myself and forgot the sad times that this week holds for me. But this year things are changing. I may have been sad to say goodbye to 2012 at first; scared to say hello to a new year that I bore no attachment to, but that is all changing.

This year is filling itself with so many amazing things.

I’m going to save this for a bigger, better blog post. Right now, I’m heading to New York City for four days! First trip of the year, and I just can’t wait. NYC is one of my favorite cities on this continent (after Montreal, of course) and although I was just there in September, I’m going to be properly spending three full days there. There are very few places that make me as happy as the hustle and bustle of Times Square, the shopping in SoHo, and the street carts filled with all kinds of good food.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and take some time to do something a little extraordinary while you’re at it. :)

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Places You Can Find Me {Recently}

March 11, 2013 Filed Under: Blogs & Blogging, What's Goin' On Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Although sometimes it feels like I rarely  have the time to sit down and write for my blog, I am in fact ALWAYS writing. It has taken up so much of my life (and my Facebook/Twitter feed, sorry people!) that sometimes I wonder how on earth I have time to do anything else.

But really? I wouldn’t have it any other way. I get to wake up every single day and write about music, books, travel… Whatever I want to write about, I have an outlet to do so. It’s such a wonderful feeling.

Here are some places and pieces I’ve been writing recently. Feel free to check any (or all) of them out and leave a comment. A lot of them are music related, but all the more reason you should go see, I’ve had the chance to discover so much amazing music lately!

(1) I wrote a list of 8 travel reads of Maria over at I Believe In Story. Check it out heeeere. What are your travel reads?

The 8 List Travel

(2) This past Friday night, I interviewed two amazing bands (one from Montreal, one from Toronto) and then I reviewed their show. It was a really great, underground type of thing. I had such a good time. Read about it riiiiight HERE.

(3) I interviewed Danish rock band ‘The Blue Van’ last week, and they’re freaking awesome. Even if they don’t sound familiar, I promise you’ve probably heard the song at the bottom of this interview. Learn more about them!

(4) One year after going to Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I wrote about it for a blog that specializes in all things amusement parks. Check the post out here!

I’ve been reviewing some albums recently too that I’m in love with… 

(a) The Romantics by Inlet Sound. One of my current favorites for sure, indie/folk. So great.

(b) Would You Change Your Life? by The Blue Van. Not my usual style, they’re like funk/rock, but it really works.

(c) Tightrope EP by Walk the Moon. This short EP is great, upbeat, and ridiculously catchy!

InletSound

More music? Sure! 

- Charli XCX. This girl is like M.I.A meets pop. Loooove.

- This Old Ghost, another band I discovered and immediately adored!

- Talk of Spring have a short EP that is great for those wonderful warm summer days.

- Listen to Stellar Young. I loved this album from the moment it hit my inbox

Thanks for reading! 

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Thank God I’m Leaving the Country in 2013

February 27, 2013 Filed Under: Roadtrips!, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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My biggest *fear* of 2013 was that I wouldn’t get to leave the country and do anything exciting after all the money I spent traveling last year. I’ve been in a travel daze for 6 straight months, getting lost in books about faraway countries & wandering the travel department of the bookstore, planning itineraries in countries I’d like to one day visit.

In the last year and a half of my life, I’ve visited places around the world that I have dreamed of all my life. I spent more money than I had, but it’s been beyond worth it. I’ve caught a travel bug! I’ve been thinking of ways to make 2013 a travel year in its own way, even if it won’t be to more distant lands of my dreams. I’ve said many times that I want to travel the whole world, and that includes some smaller places too.

This year, it’s going to be about making the best of smaller opportunities. So far, I’ve got four cities lined up between March and August, and something tells me I’m not done for 2013 yet!

March- New York City

I’ll be booking 3 nights and 4 days in a city that I’ve been in love with for years. I’ve been twice, but the last time I properly visited was in 2008. In September 2012 I stopped in for one day to see a concert (which was amazing!) but it’s time I go back and spend quality time in Manhattan with some good friends. It’s in the middle of semester, I can’t really afford a trip in a month, but I miss the feeling of packing a bag and being in a new place- even for just a few days. This is a VERY  needed getaway!

manhattan

April- Boston

I think I mentioned this a couple weeks ago, but I’ll be heading to Boston in early April to see Andrew McMahon in concert! He is one of my absolutely favorite musicians, and I haven’t seen him live in 3 years now. A week or so ago, we also added a second concert to our trip (the night before Andrew’s), so I’ll be trying to soak in a little bit of Boston for the first time as well as two shows! I don’t know either of the artists I’m seeing on the first night (Andy Grammer and Parachute) but I’ll get to know them before then. I love roadtrips for concerts, so this is bound to be a really great few days out of the city before finals hit hard.

boston

June- Toronto

A city I’ve been to many times, it’s been YEARS since I’ve had the chance to hop a bus and go back to visit. So far, my only big plan is to see Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift, but it’s a whole weekend of music events when we’re there, so my friends and I will probably make an adventure out of it. This trip isn’t very far from home, but I’m particularly excited because so many of my favorite things will be happening all at once. Music, traveling, and adventures with friends!

T

 August- MIAMI! 

Last year, I went to Brazil with my mom, sister-in-law, baby nephew, and brother. We traveled 24 hours there and back, hung out with family at the beach, and I got to soak in an entirely new culture that I fell immediately in love with. It was a super unexpected trip, and one that I won’t forget anytime soon. I didn’t grow up with many family vacations (in fact my last one was when I was 13, and I can’t even remember before that if I ever had one?!), but it looks like it may be becoming a spontaneous tradition of sorts since my nephew has been born.

Earlier this week we booked an apartment in Miami all together once again for one week! It’s not so far from home, but it’s a beautiful city that I’ve never been to (other than plane layovers) so I’m excited to explore the beaches, enjoy some cheap shopping, and just get away for a week with my family. I can’t quite explain how amazing it was to spend 3 weeks in Brazil last year with some of the most important people in my life, it was at times frustrating and confining, but mostly it was wonderful, rewarding, and I loved waking up everyday so far away with the inability to be truly homesick. I can’t WAIT!

miami

 August is usually the month I like to travel in, so who knows if I go straight home after Miami? A week is certainly not my usual norm for being away from home, and I think I’m going to look into doing something else from there. But who knows?! Right now, I’m just thrilled to have adventures to look forward to almost every month for the next little while. The anticipation of a trip is almost as great as the trip itself!

Where are you traveling to this year?!

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