Music, love and sun

Found this on Pinterest and thought I would share because so much of it is true. I haven’t reached my late 20’s yet but I can already tell which category my friends or former friends will fall into. What are you doing with your life? Which category will you find yourself in? 

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This is the thing: When you hit 28 or 30, everything begins to divide. You can see very clearly two kinds of people.

On one side, people who have used their 20s to learn and grow, to find … themselves and their dreams, people who know what works and what doesn’t, who have pushed through to become real live adults.

Then there’s the other kind, who are hanging onto college, or high school even, with all their might. They’ve stayed in jobs they hate, because they’re too scared to get another one. They’ve stayed with men or women who are good but not great, because they don’t want to be lonely. … they mean to develop intimate friendships, they mean to stop drinking like life is one big frat party.

But they don’t do those things, so they live in an extended adolescence, no closer to adulthood than when they graduated.

Don’t be like that.

Don’t get stuck.

Move, travel, take a class, take a risk.

There is a season for wildness and a season for settledness, and this is neither. This season is about becoming.

Don’t lose yourself at happy hour, but don’t lose yourself on the corporate ladder either.

Stop every once in a while and go out to coffee or climb in bed with your journal.

Ask yourself some good questions like: “Am I proud of the life I’m living? What have I tried this month? … Do the people I’m spending time with give me life, or make me feel small? Is there any brokenness in my life that’s keeping me from moving forward?”

Now is your time.

Walk closely with people you love, and with people who believe … life is a grand adventure.

Don’t get stuck in the past, and don’t try to fast-forward yourself into a future you haven’t yet earned.

Give today all the love and intensity and courage you can, and keep traveling honestly along life’s path.

Today is good.

Today is good.

Honestly, I haven’t said that enough lately.

I’ve been so let down by my trials and ventures off the path I thought I set out to do the past couple months that I haven’t really taken the chance to just appreciate a good day, no matter how small.

And that’s such a shame.

My life here in Vegas hasn’t been hard. I’ve been extremely fortunate to have the opportunities (no matter how big or small) presented to me. I moved out here with a place to live, a small handful of friends and a job at my feet. I’ve met a couple of people who have become my friends and landed a really great internship that has taught me that I really do want to pursue the PR industry as a career. Call me crazy but I’d say I’m doing well for a kid fresh out of college who didn’t have an exact idea of what I wanted to create with my life.

What it comes down to is the little things, that’s what makes your day good.

I’ve kept my dreams alive with small glimmers of what I imagine my life to be. Every time I get down about my work at Best Buy, about not knowing how I’m going to balance paying the bills with having a social life or with not knowing what lies ahead, simply imagining my future keeps me going.

Daydreaming makes my day good. And every day I am thankful that I can dream about my future because it means there’s a fire inside of me that strives for something better.

That’s enough for me right now.

Today is good because I can dream.

Today is good because I hope for a better tomorrow and a better life.

Today is good because I know tomorrow (some tomorrow) will always be better than my day was today. I feel like it sounds a bit cheesy but I know that because I am driven to make something happen in the future, whether it be in my career, a future trip, with friends or when I finally fall in love, I always have will always have something to look forward to and that makes today worth living.

So recently I stumbled upon an article on the Forbes website titled “40 Things to Say Before You Die” and I was immediately drawn in. As I read through their list I began to realize how many of the phrases on this list that I had either though or said in my life, most over the past year.

I’ve grown so much even since my graduation in December. It really is a beautiful process and I’ve learned so much about myself in that short time frame. 

So after reading this article I was inspired to share my stories or dreams of these 40 things I must say before I die. With that, here is my first blog in my attempt to fulfill this personal challenge and share my story with the world.

The first phrase:

40) “I wonder.”

How simple a thought, “I wonder.” 

What have you wondered about today? Or this week? 

October is a new month for new dreams and new goals. 

For me the past week has made me wonder about the possibility of a new career opportunity. I recently interviewed for a PR Coordinator position with Faiss Foley Warren and it’s all I’ve been day dreaming and “wondering” about. I’m driving myself insane with all the possibilities of my future with this company and how they could simply be the kick start my PR career in Vegas needs.

Aside from my new PR possibilities, I’ve been wondering where my life will lead me in the coming years. I honestly can’t even plan my life past the next couple of weeks so wondering about the next year, the next five years is plenty for me and my imagination to go wild with.

Here’s what I see:

I definitely do not plan on making Vegas my home. Initially I thought I would stay here but after these few months I’ve figured out it’s most definitely somewhere I just wanna jump start my career and get real PR firm experience. 

I see myself moving to Cali around 25-27 years of age. Why? Well I’m 23 now, so that gives me time to get this “experience” I’m talking about as well as kind of figure out what my niche in PR is so that I can successfully apply my passions and talents to that brand of PR. 

Now I want to move to Cali simply because I think that’s definitely my kind of place, my kind of surroundings, my kind of people. It’ll just be an easy fit in for me. I’ve always had nothing but love for Cali and that love grew stronger with each and every trip I took to SoCal. There’s just an endless amount of possibilities and you don’t run the risk of meeting the same kind of people, as you do here in Vegas.

Here’s the thing about Vegas, yes, for nightlife and entertainment PR I definitely chose the right place. However, and most importantly, I just don’t know that there are quality people here I can feel comfortable calling my friends, my partners in crime and that’s just unsettling to me. I live for my friends and not being able to find the kind of people I’m used to surrounding myself with is unnerving and uncomfortable with me. I thrive being in friendships I can depend on, on friendships who depend on me as well and there’s just not enough of that here for me to want to stay. 

Vegas will simply be a place I learned something about myself from. A place that pushed me outside my comfort level. A place that forced me to struggle and helped me become stronger bc I was able to bounce back from my struggles, no matter how small or large they may have seemed. A place that forced me to take a look at my morals and see what I was okay and not okay with. (And there has definitely been a lot of moral evaluation going on in my head the past few months… Since I got here really) 

There’s just so much to simply “wonder” about. It’s beautiful actually. Beautiful and simple. 

My #edcvegas pile after two days… #kandi #craft time! (Taken with instagram)

#pizza making time with @angelhoe87… Soundtracking @deadmau5’s meowington hax tour (Taken with instagram)

Shit just got #real… #Moving to #vegas in 15 days! (Taken with instagram)

One of my #edcvegas shirts… Describes me perfectly! Dream on, little #dreamer (Taken with instagram)

Thank you @michael_woods for an unforgettable set in #abq (Taken with instagram)

Every time I throw on the mix CD I made for my best friend before she left to Europe I almost immediately regret it. Memories flood my brain and I’m reminded that she’s half way across the world.

Today I decided I needed a break from catching up with Above and Beyond’s Trance Around the World and trade the trio’s composition of flowing trance for something more indie.

I turned my iPod to the Hush Sound. Gravitating to one of my favorite songs off the album, The Artist. It was like an instant light bulb went off in my head and I thought, “of course, turn on the ‘Goodbye Mix’ you made Alicia”

Bad idea.

Explanation: The reason for the instant regret isn’t so much a heart-wrenching, sadness-filled type of regret but rather the type of regret that reminds you of where you are currently and where you’d rather be.

So instead of playing the mix in the order I made it, I decided to throw on ‘The Artist’ and put the mix on shuffle. The next song came on, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, and I lost it.

My thoughts were racing and all I could think about was my friendship with Alicia.

I can without a doubt say that she is my best friend. And I can also say that our friendship is the ONLY friendship I have ever had zero doubts about.

Never once have I thought our friendship wouldn’t last. Never once have I thought she would leave me and never once have I thought about leaving her. Never. Once.

Our friendship has more pages than I even know how to write. We’ve been through it all together. We’ve both made mistakes, mistakes that would completely rip other friendships apart. We’ve been there for each other, even when we didn’t ask for it.

With her being in Europe, the biggest pain for me has been that I haven’t been able to get out there to see her. And it’s all been about timing and I love her because she understands.

Ever since she left we’ve been planning our trip and each time something in my life got in the way.

First it was my car payment and finances. They were no were near in check to get out to Europe. Sure, I had saved the money to get out to see her but I completely forgot about saving extra for my car. At the time, my vacation out to see her was supposed to be a fairly long one. Then it was my internship. And finally, it was my decision to move to Vegas in June.

When she decided to leave to go on her adventure almost two years ago, my heart broke. I knew it was going to be a different life without her being say 5 minutes away. But I knew I couldn’t tell her not to go. even though I’m sure she wouldn’t have listened to me. I don’t think I ever even tried to talk her out of it because I knew that her dream was to travel the world.

Moral of the story: We support each others dreams.

So, this mix, this almost perfect mix, is such a definition of our friendship and each time I turn it on, I hear something different.

Today I was reminded that if there’s one area of my life I’ll never have to second guess, it’s Alicia. She really is my other half. The things that girl knows about me and my life, sometimes I wonder if she doesn’t know me better than I know myself, as cliche as that sounds. Even when we’re half a world apart she still knows exactly when to call and exactly what to say. It’s creepy really, but a good creepy… If there is such thing.

I miss her more than life and I can’t wait til she’s back in the states. We’ve managed to figure out a way to live separate lives, pursue separate dreams and somehow, we’ve found a way to make it all work. Even though circumstances and people in our life change, we’ve kept things like they’ve been since day one.

Strong, unbreakable, comfortable and honest.

Coming to Albuquerque I knew I was going to learn a lot of new lessons.

As an intern at the Journal, I figured my writing would improve and I’d learn some new skills in newswriting. As a roommate, I figured I’d learn new life lessons and as a new comer in this city, I figured I’d learn my way around. All of which seem to be true.

Well, aside from the obvious lessons I was expecting I learned a lot more about myself than I anticipated.

I’ve had a lot on my mind as of late, and by a lot I mean planning my life after this internship ends in May. I made the decision to get out of this desert hole called New Mexico and move on to a new life in Las Vegas. Yes, the Las Vegas.While a couple of people think that city isn’t right for me, taking my crazy antics and partying ways into account, I personally think it’s right where I need to be.

The reason I’m not scared to make this leap of faith is because of what I’ve learned here in Albuquerque.

I’m okay by myself. I’m good at being alone and going on solo missions. And it’s insanely easy for me to meet people and make friends on my own.

In other words, I can take care of myself. That’s what Albuquerque has taught me.

I mean, in Cruces it was SO easy for me to rely on my friends. If I didn’t want to face a problem alone (or at all) a friend was just a phone call away. In Albuquerque, that was not the case. Here, in ABQ, I basically had like one friend. I mean, I have more but I had one friend that I knew I could trust whole heartedly. And even though I couldn’t be more thankful to have her in my life, there were still some things that I just couldn’t tell her.

Being forced to deal with my problems, fears and and crazy ideas for the future alone really made me see how strong I am. By no means did I have to go through anything insanely rough but simply adjusting to a new city you’re not happy in can be kind of difficult in its own sense.

Anywho, knowing that I can handle my own has been incredibly life changing. I love knowing that I can go out and have a drink by myself and not feel insecure. I love that I can go to shows and entertain myself and meet new people. I mean, I was basically doing that in El Paso anyway because anyone who knows me, knows that I love to go off and wander by myself but it’s TOTALLY different in Albuquerque. I don’t have that safety net of friends waiting around for me upstairs or on the dancefloor. Here I’m genuinely going out by myself, dancing by myself and it’s all alright. I fucking love it actually.

I’m so excited for these next two months to pass because once they’re done, I’m done. With Albuquerque, that is. I’m thrilled for this new adventure that I have planned for myself. I don’t know what’s going to happen, where I’ll be working, who I’ll meet or how things will play out but I know everything’s going to be fine. It’s the right adventure for me. Something has been pulling me towards Las Vegas for easily the past year and that pull has been overwhelmingly strong and that’s how I know it’s the right move for me. That pull and natural curiosity towards the city is how I know I’m doing the right thing.

There’s so much room for growth for me and I feel like there’s so many opportunities out there for me. I’ve known most my life that I wanted to somehow get involved in the entertainment and nightlife business, so what better place to make my dreams come true than one of the nightlife and entertainment capital’s of the US. It just makes perfect sense to me.

So in two months I’m taking a leap. This may just be the biggest chance I’ve ever taken in my life. I’m pretty much putting it in God’s hands. I’m going to Vegas and I’m going to make it. I’ll accept nothing less.

So the stripes are a lil small but still think this I perf for my Waldo costume for edc! (Taken with instagram)

So during my down time at work I tend to get hooked on this little website called Pinterest. For those who don’t know what Pinterest is, it’s basically a site where you can “pin” articles, photographs, art, just about anything and share them with your followers. I tend to spend a lot of time in the Prints and Posters section because you can find really great and inspirational quotes, not to mention some really funny ones too.

Lately I’ve seen one quote that has particularly stood out to be:

If it’s important you’ll find a way, if it’s not you’ll find an excuse.

Seeing it so often has gotten me to thinking about just how true that small but powerful statement is in every aspect of my life, big and small.

The situation that really got me thinking about this quote is my upcoming trip to California. I’ve been dying to go to Beyond for a couple years and when my friends started talking about going this year, I thought PERFECT! Take me with you! (famous last words, I know)

But timing with my new internship just didn’t feel right. I was hesitant about asking for any time off just because I’m an intern and I felt I needed to prove myself and make sacrifices for this position and my future.

So here I am, crushed because I know I can’t go to Coachella because let’s be honest, trying to get a close to a whole week off really just wasn’t going to happen, so I chose to take a step back and accept the fact that this year just isn’t going to happen for me and Coachella.

SIDE RANT:(I’m sorry Coachella, just know you’re still in my heart and I’ll miss you more than you know this first weekend… because let’s be honest… the first weekend is where it’s at… keep it original)

Anyway, once I figured Coachella was a no-go, I decided to focus on smaller more realistic adventures I could go on

ENTER: Idea #1 Beyond Wonderland and Idea #2 Denver

Faggle Rock and I had been talking more than we’d talked in months when I finally moved up to ABQ. There were talks of me going to visit him up in Denver and him coming down here… And all for what? I don’t know… A hang out sesh, a drinking sesh and a hook-up?! Yeah… sounds about right.

So this goes on for about two solid months and every time, I never booked my flight.

The first time I was ready and willing to hop on expedia and say “hello Denver!” he ended up being super flaky about plans and for anyone that knows me, I’m not one to travel without some sort of plan. I mean what if I got stranded at the airport because he couldn’t pick me up or he worked one of the days I was there and I ended up stuck hanging out at his house with the dogs… Not exactly how I wanna spend my mini-adventure. So FAIL!

Then it just became this game…

FR: When are you coming to Denver?

Me: It was your idea to come here first, when are you coming to ABQ?

and so on… and so on… you get the picture.

So I got over it and moved on to a new mission. Beyond.

During the time I was planning my Beyond trip there was still talks of traveling to Denver but the difference is, and the point I’m trying to make with this novel of a story, is that all it took was one yes for Beyond and I made it happen. With Denver, the yes was there the whole time, we would have found a way to work something out plus we have a mutual friend that lives in Denver and she would have most likely been able to pick me up and hang if Faggle Rock ended up being busy with work but still every time I made an excuse.

So what does that say? I don’t know, I haven’t figured that out quite yet. Maybe my priorities lie in music based adventures, with friends who get my music and enjoy my music, instead of an adventure that I don’t know the outcome of.

With my Beyond adventure, I know I’m going to have the time of my life and I know my perspectives will change or I’ll at least be reminded of why I work so hard. Had I gone to Denver I’d worry about what we were going to do, is FR going to have to work leaving me to go on a solo adventure, was he going to make some condescending comment about my life choices. (and I mean everything from my “shitty techno music” to how horrible Vegas and California are) Having to worry about whether or not he was going to keep his meaningless and pointless comments to himself, not so fun.

And truth be told, maybe they aren’t meaningless and pointless because he manages to get a rise out of me every time he mentions the shit he mentions BUT I just think he should be supportive. Like cool, I get it, you hate my trance and house music but get over it… I don’t give him slack for the things he does with his life… I say do it if it makes you happy, he says I don’t know how you do (enter some topic here)

Long story short:

Do what makes you happy because if it’s important you’ll find a way and if it’s not you’ll find an excuse.

Tomorrow! Tomorrow! Tomorrow! Let’s Dance :)

True story

Source: disneyladiesfromlastnight