The Life With Dee tagline is “creating a beautiful life”. I truly believe that’s a worthy goal but in all honesty, I sometimes struggle with it. Too often I get caught up in “busy” and fail to take time to focus on living.
Next weekend we will be hosting the 10th annual Happyland Music Fest (HMFX) at our home. It’s hard to believe that what started as a bit of a joke has truly become the most anticipated event of the year for the people who call themselves “Happylanders”.
It began with a couple of dozen friends of our son who decided to have their own music festival. That first year was a one-day event with a few musical acts – some “real” musicians and some who simply wanted to play. It was so much fun that everyone decided to do it again the next year. And that is how Happyland Music Fest was born.
Over the years it has grown into a 3-day event on Memorial Day weekend. Over 200 people attend. It’s “invite-only” or we’d likely end up with 500 or more people here! It kicks off on Friday evening with karaoke and this year we have 22 or 23 bands playing over the course of Saturday and Sunday.
Nearly everyone camps out. There are campfires. Frisbee, hula hoops and bubbles. Music and dancing and an impressive light show. Reuniting with friends who have moved away but come back each year for what has become a family reunion of sorts. I say “family” because that is what we’ve all become…in the truest sense of the word.
There are lots of fun times…
But most of all, there’s love…
So that is why I’m taking some time off. We have another local event we are helping with tonight and tomorrow and then we’ll be in hyper-drive getting ready for HMFX. It takes a tremendous amount of hard work to put on a music festival in one’s backyard but in the end, we are always so glad we did it.
Between now and May 30th there won’t be any new blog posts. Well, unless I pop in quickly to share a photo or something. I will have some posts scheduled on the LWD Facebook page. I will likely be sharing pics on Instagram so that’s where you’re most likely to “see” me the next 10 days or so. For those of you who subscribe to my weekly newsletter, there won’t be one until the Saturday after HMFX.
I am giving myself permission to focus on getting ready for and then enjoying our festival. Because that, my friends, is how you create a beautiful life. Have a great week and I’ll see you soon!
HMFX Teaser:
And this one from 2015 truly captures the spirit of Happyland:
Good for you ! I hope you enjoy the time off, and the festival itself.