goal 16 || meet bill murray.

some days you just have to say 'fuck it' and get out of dodge for a few. this summer has been pretty taxing on me and i haven't been able to put my finger on why. i mean, it could be a number of things, i'm unemployed come fall, my job where i felt valued and appreciated for the past 6 years is over, i don't know what i want to do next and even if i did, i don't know where to even start etc etc etc. normally with the summers off i plan at least one trip away or i host a friend from away. this summer i've had nothing planned and it left me itching. with a savings account that'll quickly vanish once my summer job is up, i knew traveling far wasn't really an option. traveling near though, didn't sound that exciting. enter twitter, my bill murray obsession and a few rewritten 30 before 30 goals.

bill is filming a movie in brooklyn. everyone was instagramming their photos taken with him under the hashtag #billmurray. i text messaged my friend sarah, one of the greatest believers in the crazy, and said "so call me fucking crazy but i'm really trying to work this brooklyn thing out. if not to see my 'husband' then to just get away." her response "do it." and so i got to work rearranging my schedule here at home to accommodate a few days alone in a place where i knew nobody. motels were too expensive so i resorted to the site airbnb to find a place to crash and in a few days i had booked a fantastic room and started planning the bus trip there. and then 2 days before my departure my airbnb host canceled on me.... chalking it up to the ever classic "figures, why would anything ever work out for me..." whine whine whine, my search started over with at least 10 new emails to potential crash pads, feeling defeated i went to bed with sarah assuring me via text that i would wake up and have responses. and i did. i was booked by the next night and ready to head out in just a few days. all this while i was following along with where bill was filming but everyday it was in a different location in brooklyn and usually i didn't find out where until late afternoon. i realized my chances of finding him were slim so i tried not to get my hopes up and focused on other things to do in brooklyn.

i arrived in brooklyn early on a wednesday afternoon. it was hot and humid, and i was exhausted having been up since 4am and spending 6 hours on a bus. but, the city was at my feet, i was there, i did it. there was no time for sleep. i dropped my bags off at the crash pad and walked 4 miles to the marine park area to scope out the quieter area of brooklyn. oh, and coincidentally the movie was being filmed there that day:) i arrived on set to find that only melissa mccarthy was on set, bust. with 5 blisters forming on my flip flop covered feet i hailed a $20 cab 3 hours after arriving in marine park and headed back to the crash pad. i went to bed with sarah assuring me that "tomorrow is your day!!" 

i like to think i'm sporadic. i like to tell myself that. i strive to be that girl who gets an idea to do something or go somewhere and just does it. stories like that are exhilarating, empowering and inspiring. with my self esteem quickly dwindling this summer, i knew that doing something bad ass would be the only way to redeem myself. i had to go away, be alone, and do something really far fetched and perhaps even a bit crazy. going to brooklyn where i knew no one, staying in an apartment with complete strangers, navigating the 2nd biggest borough on my own and trying to find bill murray was it.

i woke up the next morning, showered and headed out. today was my day. i arrived on set around 2pm and watched the crew set up. they were filming on a quiet residential street that day and so i walked around chatting with strangers and just taking it all in and at 6:43pm i texted messaged sarah "omg, he just rode by me on a scooter." followed by this photo....

and her response was "holy shit abbie, you did it!!" getting a photo taken with him was a bit more difficult because he had 2 huge body guards with him at all times but, sarah told me she had a good feeling about it so i stayed longer... everyone went to lunch at 7:30 so i knew that was my chance, i had to catch him going to or from his trailer on his razor scooter. i missed him going to so i hung out and waited for his return. at this time the quiet one way street was filling up with on lookers and residents who were getting home from work. there were lawn chairs set up along the street where people that lived in the neighboring houses visited with each other and crew members while drinking. it was perfect but i knew no one so i kept to myself until a little boy zoomed by me on his razor scooter and told me he was waiting to race bill murray on his scooter. his mother greeted me from the opposite side of the street and just like that, i met the sweetest woman in all of brooklyn. i told my new friend lillian all about my trip to brooklyn and she immediately wanted to introduce me to her friends as "this tiny girl came to brooklyn all by herself and is staying on church ave with complete strangers" and before i knew it i was sitting on the curb with 10 new friends, eating food from craft service and just hanging out. one of lillian's friends was the woman whose house they were filming in so it was cool to hear all about how the production team moved in and completely redid her house to fit bill's character. 

darkness was moving in and i was getting nervous about my trip back to the crash pad which i now knew was not in a "little white girl" friendly area. lillian and her husband assured me they'd drop me off at the train station a mile away so i wouldn't have to walk after dark, (they ended up driving me all the way home and waiting on the curb til i got in the crash pad safely, god bless that family.) around 10:30pm everyone was heading back to set from lunch so we knew it was now or never and lillian's 8 year old son was more excited than i was. hard to believe, i know. after hearing contradicting reports as to whether or not bill had returned to set from his trailer, we decided to walk a block to the trailer and see. his 2 body guards were standing outside and within 10 minutes bam! bill fucking murray emerged. 

text response from sarah at 11:07pm: 

HOLY. SHIT. you fucking did it...seriously amazing. like, you just went for it.

so, you know that absurd, crazy stupid thing you want to do? you should go do it. i'll be amazing, i promise.

many thanks to the website on location vacations for making stalking a bit easier and for putting bill and i on your blog post.  

love. its all you need and all you should give.

it's 20 minutes of honesty and heartbreak. you'll probably cry. it's worth it.

goal 29 || take a road trip. #fatherdaughterroadtrip2013. part 02.

part 02. you can find part 01 here.

it's spring break time around maine and this year my dad and i decided to take a week long road trip that took us to nyc, western pennsylvania, central pennsylvania, and bethel, ny. they'll be more photos in other posts because i got accomplished 3 (!!!) of my 30 before 30 goals. here's the first, the road trip, which was hashtagged on instagram as #fatherdaughterroadtrip2013 :)

01. today we hit up every thrift store and flea market we passed.

02. flight 93 memorial. the white wall has each victim's name on a panel, the wall follows the flight path. at the end, at that gate, the path continues to the actual crash site that is marked by a boulder and broken hemlock trees. only family is allowed beyond the gate.

03. beyond the gate leading to the impact site. the boulder marks the spot.

04. there is a small building on the site for people to leave messages. someone left this and it gave me goosebumps. (I covered her's and her son's first and last name because she probably didn't intend for this message to be on the Internet.)

05. left 76 degrees and sunny for this.

06. it's perfect for a rainy 4.5 hour drive.

07. growing up my dad always called rolled down windows when it's cold out "pneumonia holes" as in "Oopa (that's me) roll up that pneumonia hole!"

08. boredom is setting in on this part of the trip. so thankful it's been so sunny the other times we've driven. 30 minutes til our destination!

09. randy and I made a pit stop in bethlehem, pa just to meet a dear friend that I met on myspace 8 years ago. this was our first time meeting after years of calls, texts, emails and letters.

10. back road detour to an unplanned but totally rad destination. stay tuned to see Randy's dreams come true:)

11. his mind? completely blown.

12. he kept saying things like "my heart is beating so fast, I can't believe I'm here" and "my arms are covered in goose pimples" and "this is the best moment of my life and you're here with me"

13. the stage was at the base of the hill on the left, the hill and beyond is where 500k people spent 3 days of peace, love & music.

14. the site of the original Woodstock in 1969 and the Woodstock museum in Bethel, New York. making my dad's lifelong dream come true was my favorite part of this trip and our last stop. 

15. after he took this he said "I'm so proud you're my daughter. thank you for bringing me here. I'm gonna frame this."

16. he was 19 when Woodstock rolled into town and couldn't go because he had to work but I'm pretty sure as he stood looking out on the grounds, he saw his 19 year old self out there.

17. heading home where he'll flash peace signs for days.

18. unfortunately we can't go home through Boston tonight but we did stop here to share our love, prayers, respect and support to this community.

19. he made friends within 10 minutes with the hippie volunteer museum guide. the hippie lady in the gift shop liked him and his ponytail so much she gave him a free poster and peace sign necklace.

the end:)

goal 29 || take a road trip. #fatherdaughterroadtrip2013. part 01.

it's spring break time around maine and this year my dad and i decided to take a week long road trip that took us to nyc, western pennsylvania, central pennsylvania, and bethel, ny. they'll be more photos in other posts because i got accomplished 3 (!!!) of my 30 before 30 goals. here's the first, the road trip, which was hashtagged on instagram as #fatherdaughterroadtrip2013 :)

01. road trip essentials.

02. trust me, he's more excited than i am.

03. george washington bridge.

04. on today's agenda, hanging out with papa and the ponytail in nyc:)

05. basically what i came to the city to see. sadly dave is on hiatus:(

06. a little piece of what feels like could be home, smack dab in the middle of the city. central park, you're my favorite thing here.

07. the daffodil project, one of the city's largest volunteer efforts. over 5 million bulbs were planted throughout the city in memory of 9/11. a living memorial that symbolizing perserverence and restoration. i love it.

08. i'm a huge fan of the architecture of memorials. so much thought and symbolism are poured into these landmarks. the 9/11 memorial, though now finished, surprisingly lacked that heartfelt symbolism i find so touching and i was a bit disappointed. because of the ongoing construction, tickets to the memorial need to be purchased and a full fledge airport-esqe security screening takes place. i feel like that takes away from the sole purpose of people going to pay their respects and instead turns it into a tourist attraction. i overheard someone say that once it's complete, the security and need to purchase tickets will go away. i'll have to go back then. with all the said, it is a beautiful memorial and i certainly respect the area.

09. i hailed this taxi on my first try. it made me a bit cocky for the rest of the day.

10. 102nd floor of the empire state building. 1,250 feet up.

11. it seems as though 95% of nyc is made up of tourists. us included. 82nd floor of the empire state building.

12. the amount of electricity flowing through times square is mind boggling. i would hate vegas.

13. my favorite part of the 9/11 memorial is the survivor tree. this tree stands maybe 50 ish feet feet from the south tower and 100 ish (i'm guessing and i'm terrible with distances) feet from the north tower. i was obviously buried in rubble after the attacks but it survived and is now thriving.

14. annnnnd my feet after walking from uptown to downtown and everywhere in between. (i wore flip flops. big mistake!)

15. out of the city and in my element. location: the prettiest rest stop in pennsylvania.

16. perfect rest spot.

17. the city has got nothin on this.

18. papa agrees.

19. done with my share of driving for the day. this means selfies, possibly a nap and randy's choice of music.. right now we're listening to tutti frutti by little richard:/

20. oh you know, just cleaning our own motel room upon arrival. the bathroom and carpets hadn't even been touched by the cleaning service. 

21. watching a beautiful sunrise in pennsylvania with a heavy heart. my mind is in boston.

22. british phone booth in the middle of the sculture meadow at kentuck knob.

23. the woods will always be my happy place.

24. its ridiculous how incorporated with its natural surroundings this house is.

25. western pennsylvania, you've made me a fan.

26. he's convinced me he doesn't do well with photos.

27. YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!

28. he has supported every dream i've ever had and every step i've ever taken. i'm so grateful that he's my dad.

29. yesterday was 77 degrees. first lunch outside of 2013 at the fallingwater cafe, why not?

30. oh hey coolest living room in america.

31. paradise overlook at fallingwater. well worth the hike.

32. spring is here.

33. sometimes the best parts of vacation are finding spots that remind you of your childhood so far from home.

34. it was the perfect day.

35. topped off with a severe thunderstorm back at the motel. the light outside the window is a flash of lightning.

36. apparently Pennsylvania hits a lot of deer. this was the 3rd one we saw.

37. true story.

38. randy got to choose dinner tonight. he said he was in the mood for "a real meal with meat and potatoes" so naturally he chose KFC. his excitement grew even more when they informed him that Mountain Dew refills are free. I'm making him pay for my food to make up for the fact that we're even here.

continued here.