Zip-lining (or that time I had to pull my body weight uphill for 200 feet)

When I first made my list of all the adventures I thought I'd do last year, zip-lining was one of the first adventures I thought of.  It certainly fit into my idea of what a year of adventures would be, and I was always seeing LivingSocial vouchers for zip-lining in the Poconos.  Turns out this was on a lot of other people's lists too, so we got a pretty good group going for this.

We visited Skytop Lodge in Skytop, Pennsylvania, which boasts a 3 hour zip-line and "treetop adventure" package, with 3,000 feet to cover.  Here we are, all ready for our adventure in the Adventure Center:

fresh-faced and excited

From here, we headed out on some kind of military grade truck with open space in the back, where we all faced the most dangerous challenge of the day: staying on a truck as it's bumping along uphill in the mountains.  It wasn't a very long ride, but it was probably decently dangerous!

 here we are, trying to stay alive

Before we could begin our adventure, we had to practice how to attach and unattach ourselves to the lines.  I wasn't really expecting this, so it was interesting to realize that essentially, our safety would be entirely in our hands (provided all those cables actually held).  The practice takes place on a pretty low course, so if something goes wrong, you're not super high up in the air.  It took a bit to get used to the backup system, of always being attached to the cable by one carabiner, but we got the hang of it pretty quickly.  It felt like we were seasoned professionals by the end of the day, and it did give a nice feeling of independence throughout the adventure.

Brittany and Lori on the practice course

After our practice, we headed out on the course.  It was mostly a ropes course with several zip-lines scattered throughout it.  While I pushed through with my noodle arms, I found very little enjoyment in the ropes course.  Some of the challenges were easy enough, just needed to walk across the wires, or across some boards, but when those boards started moving... HATE IT.

One of the more unexpected aspects of the course was the landings on the zip-lines.  I had seen videos of people zip-lining before, with helmets on, and brakes on the zip-lines, and even helpers who would stand by in case you needed help as you zipped into the landing.  Here, there was a tiny platform, with a padded tree, and a zip-line that went uphill at the end, to slow your landing. Ideally, you would try to land straight forward, and then hopefully, grab onto the tree.  I believe almost everyone in our group had at least one landing where they came in sideways, and started to roll backwards down the zip-line because they couldn't grab on, which resulted in friends trying to grab each other at the end.  I was feeling pretty confident about my zip-lining abilities, as I came in on MOST of the zip-lines straight forward and was able to stop and grab on.  UNTIL THE BIGGEST ZIP-LINE THERE IS!  On the last zip-line of the day, I came in sideways, fell backwards, and had no choice but to pull my entire body weight uphill for about half the zip-line.  Of course, John continued filming this whole thing and didn't even TRY to grab me (Thanks, John! but it did make for an entertaining video!)  After a challenging day on a ropes course with my seriously underdeveloped arm muscles, this felt like a nightmare that I won't soon forget.

 Halfway through the ropes course and definitely over it.

 One of the ropes challenges

 Cute couple adventure photo.... these two!

 A few examples of challenges on the ropes course

Some of my favorite people in the entire world <3

So what did I learn?   Zip-lining is super fun, until it becomes a test of you against your weak arms.  Zip-lining harnesses are not flattering, so this isn't an ideal date activity (haha).  Ropes courses are a challenge I don't tend to enjoy (although let's be honest, I learned this lesson when I was about 12 years old at Busch Gardens when my brother zipped through a rope bridge at a CHILDREN'S rope course, while I held on to the side because my feet were falling through the ropes!)  But, anything hard is worth doing for the satisfaction you feel at having completed it.

And of course, everything is better when it's done with people you love!  (Especially those who are as uncoordinated and out of shape as you are... you know who you are!)

Only one more catch-up adventure (Salem, Boston and Frankie Ballard) to go!

Musical #tinyadventures

Hello, my friends!  This blog post has been a long time coming, as I basically dropped the blogging without even finishing talking about some of the fun stuff I was able to experience in my 29th year.  I'm 30 now, and 2015 has already been filled with loss (although not rivaled by Spring of Death 2010.  Is that phrase already trademarked by Game of Thrones?)  My family has already lost my Pop this year, my great uncle, and my boyfriend disappeared into thin air.  So, it's safe to say that I am in need of a return to tiny adventures, to help me get back to myself.  Grief and loss seem to have a way of making the world briefly gray.  I also find that they have a way of introducing color back into life with the smallest, most insignificant moments, like the feeling of freedom cruising with music on the first spring like day of the year.  Grief has been a main motivator for me on this journey, always pushing me to try to live life in a bigger way.

When I set out on this journey to live life in a bigger way, I didn't exactly have the intention to get back to being *me* so much, but my musical adventures this year have surely had that effect.  If you're not familiar with my road-tripping history, I have met several country stars.  I have seen my favorite country star (Eric Church, of course) around 50 times, and met him probably 30 times as well.  I have had some incredible experiences through music, like getting to meet friends from all over the country, getting to see Eric play acoustic on the back of a tailgate, and getting to see some incredible sights, like Niagara Falls covered in ice, and the Rocky Mountains.  I have proved my dedication with trips as far as Massachusetts without even staying overnight, with sitting all day in front of a stage at a venue, and even with a musical tattoo.  But, I thought these crazy days were behind me until this year.

 the old days: eric insisted on this picture because he said it was so rock and roll, that we were sinking into mud but STILL rocking out in the front...

eric, me and the tags at red rocks

My first musical tiny adventure of the year was seeing the Light of Day Foundation benefit in Asbury Park.  I had heard that Bruce (who needs no last name mention, clearly) occasionally showed up to play the benefit. Last year's headliner was Johnny Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls, ACOUSTIC.  So, I knew the night would be epic, but mainly bought tickets with the hopes of getting to see Bruce live for the first time, and for my dad's Christmas present, no less. One great surprise was a few songs by Joanna Cotten, who has some seriously amazing pipes and has sang on a few Eric Church songs.  There were several bands in between, and then musical perfection.  Johnny Rzeznik playing acoustic was honestly a spiritual experience that I find tough to explain here.  Truly once in a lifetime.  And then.... BRUCE!!!  He came out with a surprise set at the end of the night that was at least an hour long.  It is always an incredible experience to look around a concert venue and see every person singing along, but it was even more incredible in this case, since I find it so difficult to understand the words!  It was really amazing, and a great moment to share with my dad too.

I also had the incredible pleasure of seeing Frankie Ballard 4 times last year, starting with a Wednesday night show in Dewey Beach, Delaware.  It really brought me back to my crazy road-tripping days, especially when I got home so late and went to work the next morning!  Me and Alex hung out at the venue, keeping a close eye on the stage, because I NEEDED to get her in the front row.  (This is just an excuse, and I'm selfish and need to be in the front, haha.)  I knew Frankie would be amazing, and I was not at all disappointed, as we spent the evening hard-core rocking out.  Spent what seemed like half the concert with his guitar in my face, and it was incredibly inspiring (I'm still no further along with learning either, but it really does make me appreciate guitar playing even more now that I know how difficult it is!)  A few weeks later, Brittany, Alex and I made the trip up to Point Pleasant on a weeknight, as well.  Just as amazing.  Just as inspiring.  Just as tiring for my next day of work.  But so worth it to feel like myself again.  Back to my road-tripping roots!  A few months later, we experienced the VIP experience with Frankie in Philly, and got to hear a few songs acoustic, along with some joking around about cheesesteaks, of course.  He's really going to be a HUGE star, and he was very sweet to meet in person, as well.  He is NOT TO BE MISSED in concert!

I also road-tripped to Boston and Salem with the purpose of seeing Frankie up there, but that deserves its own #tinyadventure blog entry.

Discovering new music brings its own thrills, and I have Frankie to thank for my favorite musical discovery of the past several years, the Morrison Brothers Band!  They opened for Frankie in Dewey Beach, and I have NEVER enjoyed an opener so much.  They are based in DC, and unsigned (although not for much longer, I am sure).  They rocked out pretty hard, with their original music, and it's hard to believe that they aren't getting major national attention yet.  I picked up a cd that night, and it almost hasn't left my cd player since.  I was able to see them at Musikfest last year, as well, and rang in my 30th birthday at one of their shows in the DC area.  I had hoped to take a big trip to celebrate the big 3-0, but somehow ending the year of tiny adventures with the Morrison Brothers Band was more fitting, and so much more me.  A concert road-trip, dancing with my girls, and losing track of time listening to some of my favorite music made it all too easy to accept getting OLD!  The band moved to Nashville a few months ago, and they are going to be huge, so you heard it here first, check them out!

pre-concert, the big 3-0!

I also saw the Avett Brothers for the first time this year at Musikfest.  I had been looking forward to seeing them for a while, but every time they came to the area, I was at another concert!  I took my cousin who didn't even know their music, and even he was impressed by the end.  Not only was it true musicianship on display, they have this incredible cult following, which I was surprised by since so few people I talk to know who they are.  The entire crowd, even in the back where I was, spent the concert drumming and swaying to the music.  Another moment of my year where I looked around amazed at that feeling of everyone singing along and really feeling that powerful music in their soul.

I also saw Dierks Bentley this summer, who was the entire reason I began to listen to country music. He never disappoints, but I miss the old days of tiny bar shows, in little white tank tops!

November and March brought more Eric Church shows, and the opportunity to rock out to the music that really began it all (although technically, I mildly stalked Dierks  as practice before my "Church Choir" days).  Sinners Like Me can still bring me to tears, as can the moments of seeing every single person sing along to the artist that I used to hear "Eric who?" whenever I'd bring him up.

rocking out with an entire arena, my how far we've come!

I hope to continue my musical journey this year, with more road-trips, and hopefully, more guitar practice too.  And maybe a special line added to my music tattoo, that sums it all up for me- "funny how a melody sounds like a memory."

Thanks to all my concert and road-trip buddies, near and far, for all the memories.  I truly wouldn't be the woman I am today, if not for those I've loved along the way.  <3

A Tale of Many Tiny Adventures, and 13 years of friendship.

Well, perhaps more than any other blog, this one has been a long time coming, because it's a summary of many adventures this year with my dear friend, my issue girl Rachel.

Long, long ago, in the summer of 2001, I went to Europe on a music tour.  I only knew one person on the tour, but I didn't know that I would meet one of the greatest friends I've ever had, Rachel.  On our very first day at Millersville University for practice, we both were crying our eyes out, our parents bonded, and we became fast friends.  We recently got together to relive our trip through our very juvenile journal entries, and amazing photo albums.  While going through them, we realized that one of us had marked the occasion of our becoming BEST friends in our journals sometime during that trip.  How amazing that we are still great friends to this day (and we are even more amazed after reading how immature we were back then!)

somewhere across the Atlantic Ocean, as we were falling deeply in friendship love

Now that Rachel is back home where she belongs, I've been loving being a part of her and her little boy Mickey's life.  And here's what we've done this year:

My second wine tasting EVER:

Rachel, her mom Lynne, her sister Sara and I headed out for a day of grown-up fun this Spring.  I had been wine-tasting just one time before in college, and still had no idea what kind of wine I liked, and in preparation for the big Finger Lakes trip in May, I really needed to get my act together when it came to wine.

We visited Sharrott Winery first, which was DELICIOUS.  My favorite wines there were their Blueberry wine, White Peach Sangria, and Red Sky (which is one of the few red wines I have EVER liked- they call it a party in a bottle!)  I tried some drier whites and some sweet whites here, which helped me to conclude that the sweeter whites are where it's at for me.

 Rachel in her natural habitat, not letting food go to waste.... cheese purse!

After our tasting, we had a glass of wine on their gorgeous patio.  Cue to me and Rachel giggling like school girls.

After Sharrott, we headed to historic Smithville.  I had never been before and it was the cutest little place!  We went to Tomasello for a second tasting where I tried a bunch of fruit wines, and a few sweet whites.  I was not a fan of what I tried there, and the gal conducting the tasting seemed like she could care less.  We were not too into it, but we had lunch at Fred and Ethel's tavern which was the cutest historic tavern.  Loved it!

For Rachel's 29th birthday (as she will not let me forget, because she's SO happy it isn't 30!), we headed into the city for dinner and GayBingo!  We headed out to an awesome BYOB place, where we proceeded to recreate the giggling like schoolgirls portion of wine tasting day.  It was a great time, but it DID make the Bingo that much harder because... LOOK how many cards you play....

But, of course, the Bingo isn't really the main event at GayBingo, it's the DRAG QUEENS!  They were so much fun, and the whole night supports the AIDSfund.  I highly suggest that you check it out at some point, especially because of this most worthwhile cause, but also because it's such a good time.  We also really enjoyed the man candy that helped out on stage... including the Temple Men's Gymnastics team who was raising money to try to keep the team going.  Our group didn't win any money, but we DID have a great time.  I am still wondering if me or Rachel might have had the right numbers but been a bit too buzzed to know it...

Event page: http//www.aidsfundphilly.org/events/gaybingo

homemade masks to fit the Carnivale theme

Rachel celebrating 29 years of life, and a life-long love of drag queens!

Last but not least, Atlantic City with my sharky boy Mickey!

First up, we visited the Atlantic City Aquarium.  There weren't a ton of sharks here, so Sharky Megan was disappointed, but they did have a cool touch tank.  Mickey was a bit nervous at first, but once he touched one, he was all about it!  He also got to touch a starfish and he loved that too.

They also have a great observation deck at the top, complete with views of the marshes and bay side of Atlantic City and a ship's wheel that Mickey enjoyed.

me and my sharky buddy enjoying shark time!

...and turtle time!

Making a new friend!

From here, we headed to the Absecon Lighthouse.  I had never even seen the lighthouse before, but imagine my surprise because...

it is RIGHT in the middle of the big casino buildings!  I guess it shouldn't be that much of a surprise to see this, since lighthouses are not always right at the water, but it just looked so weird to me in the midst of modern day civilization!

We took some fun pictures, and we snooped on a commercial shoot that was going on... apparently with lottery winners from NJ.  It was all very official with craft services, wardrobe areas, and the like.  The inside of the lighthouse keeper's building was also pretty neat and very old.

After this, we headed to visit LUCY THE ELEPHANT!  Growing up in South Jersey all my life and spending some time down the Jersey shore in the summer, I should definitely have seen Lucy before this, but this was my FIRST visit, so we of course did the tour up into Lucy's body.  I found it very cool that Lucy had been someone's house at some point.  We also loved Lucy's painted toenails.... pretty sweet.

Aunt Sharky Megan, Mickey and Rachel concluding our awesome adventurous day!

Next up for us is a Pirate Cruise in September... the adventures continue!  ARRRRR!!!!