d o i n ' i t
weekend plans.
mcfall campfire dinner and drinks, drag show, bar hopping, clo's triumphant return, coco's
...then sunday.
i'm not a big fan of over planning my free time. most of my friends hate this because i'm never able to truly commit to anything; my flakiness tends to intensify as spontaneous plans develop. this weekend was no different.
i stupidly signed up for a weekend class throughout the month of april. it's hindered my weekend life, but it also provided me with a new found appreciation for free time. i was in class on saturday and itching to be released from the power.pointless presentation that my professor developed. hours turned to minutes and minutes turned to seconds and with the final words, "have a good rest of the weekend," i was done. i hustled home, only to realize that bryan had to work, connor was djing his sister's high school prom in iowa, plankis was on a long bike ride, and brown was chillin' at the sports hub across the river.
what a jam.
i needed to kill a couple of hours so, i decided to set up the slackline and catch up with an old friend on campus. we did a couple of passes, when my cell phone rang. i answered and mickey was on the other end, "here's a hypothetical for you... if someone wanted to build a campfire in their backyard, how would you do it?"
*now, let me remind you about mickey. he's the guy that committed to spending spring break in spain, on a whim. he's the guy that loves to do fun shit, without hesitation. he's the guy that comes up with an idea and figures out a way to make it happen.
his hypotheticals are ideas on the cusp of becoming reality, so i gave him the basic 411 on building a fire in his backyard. i wrapped up slacklining and joined him and some friends for dinner and drinks. the fire pit is the perfect example of mickey's unbelievable determination to do the things he loves.
the night continued...
we cheered on jamar, mickey's roommate as he competed in a regional drag show (my first drag show experience, which he won), we ventured on third st. hitting up bar after bar (brothers, impulse, the state room, the helm, etc.), then i received a phone call from connor. dj c-lo was driving back from his sister's prom in iowa and he was wondering what our plans were for the rest of the evening (mind you, it was already 12:58 am). i notified him of our current location and our plans to hit up coco's by the end the night. his chevy malibu towed his trailer full of dj sound equipment at breakneck speeds back to wisconsin; he updated me via text of his approach:
1:20 am - spring grove, minnesota
1:25 am - caledonia, minnesota
1:39 am - hokah, minnesota
1:43 am - la crescent, minnesota
1:47 am - blue bridge... i need 2 shots ready!
connor finally arrived to the bar wearing his typical dj outfit: black pants, white button up, and black bow-tie. a few drinks were consumed, dancing continued, and last call was eventually made.
in most scenarios, this is the end of the night but, connor decided that la crosse's downtown bar time meant that it was time to open the nest for an a-bar of pool, drinks, and popcorn. he unlocked the door to our favorite la crosse establishment and we shot pool while listening to a playlist of our favorite songs. then, mr. plankis drunkly suggested a plan for sunday (which was already upon us because it was nearly 4 am). the plan included canoeing the mighty mississippi and camping out on a sandbar.
on sunday afternoon, we did it.
we packed up the plankis van with paddles, 18 silver bullets, a package of hot dogs and buns, ketchup packets, a couple of sleeping bags, and made our approach to the river. we spent time exploring the channels north of la crosse and enjoyed the setting sun as we landed. we collected wood and kindling, started a fire, had some beer, and slow roasted our dogs.
we were completely in our element, free of worries, free of stress, and focused on enjoying each other's company. the trip was memorable, not only for the actual overnight, but for everything that led up to the spontaneous sunday trip. i love these guys and this was another defining moment for our friendship. there's more to the canoeing story, but i'll leave that for another time.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
how do you allow spontaneity into your life?
i rarely pass up these types of opportunities, basically because i don't want to miss out.
i recently was discussing the logistics of my summer. my summer camp job is 24/6 and the 7th day of the week is usually for rest and hang out time with my camp friends. this erks all of my friends because i usually fall off the grid from the memorial day to labor day. it's awesome hearing stories of their crazy summertime adventures, but at the same time i can't help but wish i could've been there. don't get me wrong, i love my job. the only issue is that i'm unable to effectively balance life, work, friends, camp, and family.
i think i'm used to severing ties in the spring and rebuilding them in the fall... it's a unique method of friendship, but i feel like it's become an indicator of my true friends. the people that understand my love for camp, get it... and these people are the ones that i want in my life because no matter what the issue or the length of time between seeing each other, we will, without a spec of hesitation, return to the way we were.
mcfall campfire dinner and drinks, drag show, bar hopping, clo's triumphant return, coco's
...then sunday.
i'm not a big fan of over planning my free time. most of my friends hate this because i'm never able to truly commit to anything; my flakiness tends to intensify as spontaneous plans develop. this weekend was no different.
i stupidly signed up for a weekend class throughout the month of april. it's hindered my weekend life, but it also provided me with a new found appreciation for free time. i was in class on saturday and itching to be released from the power.pointless presentation that my professor developed. hours turned to minutes and minutes turned to seconds and with the final words, "have a good rest of the weekend," i was done. i hustled home, only to realize that bryan had to work, connor was djing his sister's high school prom in iowa, plankis was on a long bike ride, and brown was chillin' at the sports hub across the river.
what a jam.
i needed to kill a couple of hours so, i decided to set up the slackline and catch up with an old friend on campus. we did a couple of passes, when my cell phone rang. i answered and mickey was on the other end, "here's a hypothetical for you... if someone wanted to build a campfire in their backyard, how would you do it?"
*now, let me remind you about mickey. he's the guy that committed to spending spring break in spain, on a whim. he's the guy that loves to do fun shit, without hesitation. he's the guy that comes up with an idea and figures out a way to make it happen.
his hypotheticals are ideas on the cusp of becoming reality, so i gave him the basic 411 on building a fire in his backyard. i wrapped up slacklining and joined him and some friends for dinner and drinks. the fire pit is the perfect example of mickey's unbelievable determination to do the things he loves.
the night continued...
we cheered on jamar, mickey's roommate as he competed in a regional drag show (my first drag show experience, which he won), we ventured on third st. hitting up bar after bar (brothers, impulse, the state room, the helm, etc.), then i received a phone call from connor. dj c-lo was driving back from his sister's prom in iowa and he was wondering what our plans were for the rest of the evening (mind you, it was already 12:58 am). i notified him of our current location and our plans to hit up coco's by the end the night. his chevy malibu towed his trailer full of dj sound equipment at breakneck speeds back to wisconsin; he updated me via text of his approach:
1:20 am - spring grove, minnesota
1:25 am - caledonia, minnesota
1:39 am - hokah, minnesota
1:43 am - la crescent, minnesota
1:47 am - blue bridge... i need 2 shots ready!
connor finally arrived to the bar wearing his typical dj outfit: black pants, white button up, and black bow-tie. a few drinks were consumed, dancing continued, and last call was eventually made.
in most scenarios, this is the end of the night but, connor decided that la crosse's downtown bar time meant that it was time to open the nest for an a-bar of pool, drinks, and popcorn. he unlocked the door to our favorite la crosse establishment and we shot pool while listening to a playlist of our favorite songs. then, mr. plankis drunkly suggested a plan for sunday (which was already upon us because it was nearly 4 am). the plan included canoeing the mighty mississippi and camping out on a sandbar.
on sunday afternoon, we did it.
we packed up the plankis van with paddles, 18 silver bullets, a package of hot dogs and buns, ketchup packets, a couple of sleeping bags, and made our approach to the river. we spent time exploring the channels north of la crosse and enjoyed the setting sun as we landed. we collected wood and kindling, started a fire, had some beer, and slow roasted our dogs.
we were completely in our element, free of worries, free of stress, and focused on enjoying each other's company. the trip was memorable, not only for the actual overnight, but for everything that led up to the spontaneous sunday trip. i love these guys and this was another defining moment for our friendship. there's more to the canoeing story, but i'll leave that for another time.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
how do you allow spontaneity into your life?
i rarely pass up these types of opportunities, basically because i don't want to miss out.
i recently was discussing the logistics of my summer. my summer camp job is 24/6 and the 7th day of the week is usually for rest and hang out time with my camp friends. this erks all of my friends because i usually fall off the grid from the memorial day to labor day. it's awesome hearing stories of their crazy summertime adventures, but at the same time i can't help but wish i could've been there. don't get me wrong, i love my job. the only issue is that i'm unable to effectively balance life, work, friends, camp, and family.
i think i'm used to severing ties in the spring and rebuilding them in the fall... it's a unique method of friendship, but i feel like it's become an indicator of my true friends. the people that understand my love for camp, get it... and these people are the ones that i want in my life because no matter what the issue or the length of time between seeing each other, we will, without a spec of hesitation, return to the way we were.
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