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Happy Birthday to me!!! On May 12th I turned 19. Here's how I celebrated! Michelle and I have always talked about going on a road trip together. We always thought NYC would be fun, and it's not too far away from where we both used to live. Our favorite artist announced a show in NYC, scheduled on my birthday! I can't express how perfect that was. So, she drove the 16 hours from her state to go to the city with me!! DAY 1 We ended up missing most of the concert, but we made it eventually and it was awesome! After the concert we went to grab some food. We had an AMAZING margherita pizza- so fresh!  I bought a s'mores cupcake for my birthday from a little store down the road. Happy Birthday to me!!  We were so tired when we took this picture haha! We stayed at the most charming hotel, Hotel Giraffe, which is on Park Ave. in lower Manhattan. It was a beautiful hotel, I'm so glad I found it! I'm definitely going to stay here again when I'm back in the city. The staff was genuinely friendly and they always had a huge smile on their face. Some other perks: Free breakfast Free wifi Free snacks/wine & cheese hours Free bottled water Booking age is 18+!!! One other note: Check out is at 1PM, which is completely amazing.. we didn't want to carry our bags around all day after we checked out so they stored them for us while we explored! It's great that they offer that service even after you check out.  We opened the French doors and let the city enchant us. We couldn't stop staring at the city- it is so full of life and opportunity! Hotel Giraffe is in a great location- I wish I could live there! DAY 2With nothing else planned the day after the concert, we went everywhere!! The Statue of Liberty....  Little Italy.... Chinatown....  "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere" -Frank Sinatra  More pics of my trip!Here's to being 19!! I'm so excited to see what this year of life brings me to! Two must-have apps for traveling!
1) Uber I know that most people already use this app, but it is definitely a must-have if you're not planning to drive your car everywhere! It's super fast and easy, and not very expensive! Our driver was very nice and had a cool taste in music! Use my referral code: emilyb16575ue when you sign up to get your first ride for free! 2) Hotel Tonight Our trip to NYC was very spontaneous, so this app was completely a good luck charm! I found the most charming and hospitable hotel I've ever experienced, in a great location! Book a room on Hotel Tonight by signing up with the promo code: EBRETZ2 and receive $25 off your first stay! This is a great app for business and traveling spontaneously! Last week I had the amazing opportunity to attend Camp Electric in Nashville, TN! For those of you who have no idea what Camp Electric is, it is a rock and roll music camp started by the one and only Toby Mac. It was awesome! I have been wanting to go for a few years, and this was the year it finally happened, after a lot of hard work and tons of planning.  I got to worship with Worship Together Band and Sarah Reeves multiple times each day! It was amazing. One of my new favorite songs from the week: New friends, many, many concerts... getting to hang out with artists like B. Reith, Bernard Harris, and Mikey from 7eventh Time Down.. it was so amazing! Such talented musicians just walking around, eating lunch with the campers, and joining jam sessions.. too cool. No paparazzi, no bodyguards. Just a bunch of musicians, on every level, coming together in worship and music and learning/experiencing everything together.  B. Reith, you guys!! It was so cool to see him around and be there LIVE for a Periscope... just me and my friends were there! He is so laid back and slightly introverted.. it's cool.  Mikey, lead singer of 7eventh Time Down... this guy is so cool! He talked to my friends and I about some pretty deep stuff.... telling us his story and why he pushed through lots of let-downs in his music career to do what God wanted him to do! So inspiring, and overall just a really great guy. NF, KJ-52, Mr. Talk Box, Sarah Reeves, Toby Mac, Crowder, Veridia, 7eventh Time Down, Worship Together Band... so many artists to admire and relate to ! Check them out when you get the chance! My new favorite artist!!! All of his music is so deeply personal and EPIC. I LOVE NF. I am so grateful that God gave me this opportunity to learn from the very best. John Nix, Tom Jackson, and so many others poured their hearts into this event and I am so blessed to have been a part of it. Workshops, concerts, more concerts, great friends, morning worship sessions, lanyards, artists, cameras, great food.... and a million instruments in sight whichever way you turn your head. SO crazy and amazing!! Defininitely worth the money. If you're interested, check out their website here. Thanks for clicking on my site! A few more pics from my trip: This was one of the greatest and most epic events of my life. So excited to see what God has for my future, in music and otherwise!!
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