I wanna live this festy over and over

I don’t even know how to write this without wanting to tear up due to the fact that a. Firefly is over, and b. that it was one of the most beautiful, soulful, and mind-blowing things I’ve ever experienced. I’m a huge sap, I’ll admit, but guys, it was everything I thought it would be and so much more. Never have I been somewhere with that many people where it wasn’t a competition or a game, where no one was going to leave upset or miserable (not counting the USA soccer game, which I’ll get to in a little bit), in fact it was the opposite. It was pure and true love and all that mushy stuff. Not in a Woodstock, ferking-in-a-field type of way, although maybe that was going on and I just didn’t stumble upon it. It was the most joyful human experience. People coming together to really celebrate music and ultimately each other.  I just typed that. Who am I?! ITS TRUE THOUGH.

Where to begin? So Firefly had 7 stages. One Main Stage, then ones that branched off: The Backyard, The Lawn, The Porch, The Forest, and then the Big Break Stage and the Coffeehouse. The Porch, Lawn and Forest were good size stages, reserved for smaller acts but could still fit several thousand people in to watch. The Lawn was giant, hell I thought it was the Main Stage at first: its sits right as you walk in the festy and has the iconic Firefly hot air balloon perched next to it. The field that stretches out before it lasts for at least a quarter mile and has jumbo screens to see the acts. This, though, was nothing compared the Main Stage, which was all the way in the back of “The Woodlands” and loomed ominously in the distance. This thing was a monster. The only thing I could think to compare it too is the Taj Mahal or those sand buggy things from Star Wars – just a massive stage, the top of it must have been 100 feet high. Sometimes I zoned out of the shows and just stared at it and wondered how they made it/where they’ll take it when the whole thing is over. Where can you store something like that?! It was truly awe inspiring, especially the first time I saw it. I think my jaw dropped and I kind of nervously giggled, as though someone just bought me a brand new luh-sury car as a surprise. 30,000 people could easily stand before it and have a good view. 

Rather than totally recap every single moment, here a few of my favorite lil moments:

I would not consider myself a huge Imagine Dragons fan, but the main guy and the last 30 minutes of their set might have converted me to a diehard. The lead singer was so humble, so grateful to be playing the Main Stage during a prime spot on Saturday that he may or may not have cried a little bit, then broke into On Top of the World and really made us all feel the same way. And don’t even get me started on Radioactive – it ended up being 10 minutes of giant drums and Cage the Elephant coming on stage to scream the chorus along with the rest of us.

TAKE ME HOME BC UR THE ONLY THING I KNOWWWW

We skipped Foo Fighters to nap (HAHA jk nobody napped) and gain energy for Girltalk/Cash Cash, which was playing at 1:30 in the morning on Friday night. We got to Girltalk (played on the Lawn), dance circled and then congo lined over to the Porch, where Cash Cash was playing. We met these two self proclaimed “ravers!” who were 20 and were convinced that I was 17 and Julia was 14. Oh honey. Well we all joined forces to make a giant group who all fist pumped our lives away. This isn’t much of a story, I realize, but I had to include that hearing 4,000 people belt out the lyrics to Take Me Home was a magical experience. (FYI the guys in Cash Cash are total bros, you know what I mean, the Jack Johnson listening, Game Cube playing kind of guys) The next night was The White Panda, and at every. single. drop, thousands of glow sticks got launched into the air. This was where a crowd surfer fell on me and made me hate all crowd surfers. Seriously if you’re not 15 and tiny, don’t crowd surf. Also, if you’re a 35 year old man, DEFINITELY don’t crowd surf you weirdo.

The dance circle to end all others

We wandered over to watch Goldroom at one point and instead ended up in the most wild dance circle thing. Our group started one, a group next to us started one, and we merged. Suddenly we were dancing with 45 people, dust getting kicked up all over the place, a guy in a wheelchair was spinning around in the center, and we even did one of those arm tunnel things. Afterwards this little girl in a Minnie Mouse shirt came up to me and said "THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR THIS MEMORY I'LL NEVER FORGET!" She might've gone to her tent and sobbed at the beauty afterwards. It was pretty cool, I'll give her that. 

Portugal. The Man played a cover of the Nightman song in Its Always Sunny, so you know that’s a highlight. The lead singer of Young the Giant told us he was wearing harem pants because his balls were so big. Ummm….a girl took off her top during that show? And the crowd went wild. Then a guy on someone’s shoulders next to her took off his shirt and the crowd went ape shit.

Silent Discoing like our lives depended on it

One of the coolest little “sideshows” they had was the silent disco. You walked into the woods and got a pair of headphones. There were two Djs spinning different sets, and you got to hear both depending on what station your headset was on. Well, lets just say the green station was being Djed by the most attractive guy I’ve ever seen. May or may not be following each other on Instagram right now boooooyaa! Everyone was just going crazy, singing and dancing along to the sets. My favorite part was occasionally taking the headphones off and listening to everyone sing. We all sounded like dying cats but its okay! We sounded like dying cats together!

Kerkie learning that Smallpools can be good pools. SIZE DOESN'T MATTER

Cute little sister moment: A bunch of us were walking to...Third Eye Blind I think?...and on the way we passed by a stage where Smallpools was playing. Smallpools may only have 4 songs but dang those are 4 awesome songs. It wasn't in the plan to see them, but I couldn't help myself. I peeled away from the group like a moth to the flame. Caroline ended up getting dragged along coming too, and we danced and sang and even limboed with some guy who had one of those rhythmic gymnastics ribbons. Go listen to Over and Over if you want to feel like you were there too!

Before we started rapping/after we got spray tans

The final day, Caroline, Julia, Phil and I went to see the Lumineers at the Main Stage, then stayed to watch the USA v Portugal game which was being played on the big screens there. A riot basically broke up during the second goal of ours, so much so that this dude table topped me and I ended up flipping over him and falling into Caroline and/or Julia. The guy just bounced up and screamed along with the other 10,000 people there and off into the crowd he went. We were going nuts, hugging randos, hugging each other, generally feeling pretty good. Then the last 20 seconds came and went and we left feeling like the wind got completely knocked out of us. THANKS FOR NOTHING USA. Anywho, Phil had gone home at that point, so the little ones and I went to the hammock forest and cuddled (which if you know my family IS A BIG DEAL BECAUSE JULIA NEVER CUDDLES WITH ME) and then went to lay on the Lawn and watch Childish Gambino. It turned into us giving each other words to freestyle to and at one point I was crying I was laughing so hard. Also probably because I knew it was all ending. 

Basically, it was top 10 greatest events of my life. I can’t recommend it enough! The bathroom situation was INCREDIBLE, thousands of portapotties EVERYWHERE but they were hidden…really it was wild. The food was all pretty cheap. You could wear whatever you want and you’d fit in. The crew was good, and it was lovely being there with my little sisters, who are just the cuddliest, cutest things in the whole world.

Just a little yoga break

OKAY I’m out – I’m sick as FERK and still gotta go to kickball and pack and clean and UGH FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS!

OH WAIT! I saw Lindsey Stirling with Caroline last night and it was mind blowing. She’s everything I want to be! Look her up, this is my favorite song of hers at the moment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49tpIMDy9BE&feature=kp

Also, she does covers of the Lord of the Rings soundtrack, Zelda, Pokemon, Game of Thrones, Skyrim, Thrift Shop, etc. You know you wanna listen to it all.