I have been thinking a lot of seasons lately. That there are seasons in life just as there are seasons in nature. Time to dig in. Time to step back. “To everything there is a season” or so say The Byrds in their famous song. And here I find myself in the midst of change. Just as most trees around me have shed their leaves to make way for the new growth spring will bring, so too is one part of my life shifting making way for more growth. Make shift happen, they say. So here is my story of change and growth.

It was late September and we saw our camping season start to slip away. We had planned to head north to pitch our tent but the weatherman called for rain. We watched the sky for hours. They were clear blue and the birds were chirping. We made the decision to go around 3:00pm and packed up our gear as quickly as we could.

Our destination was Mohican Adventures in Loudonville, OH which is about an 1.5 hours north of Columbus. Forty-five minutes into our drive it started to pour. Big buckets of water fell from the sky making it difficult to drive. We looked at each other, we were halfway there, we couldn’t turn back. It was adventure time.

From boho chic to upscale Gatsby, as long as it makes the client happy, StR Events is up for the job! “The key is knowing the right vendors to achieve the style and overall design we are looking for for each specific event,” says Founder, Jennifer Drew. StR Events is a “real, down-to-earth, boutique business,” Jennifer continues. “We love getting to know each of our clients, and make it a priority to make sure everyone feels like they are our only client.”

“You never know what it will lead to,” encouraged Kate’s husband. Kate was a was a stay at home mom, “retired” from large scale event planning and a career in higher education. A friend reached out and asked if she would be interested in helping at a wedding that weekend. Someone had bailed on them at the last minute and they knew she had experience. Kate was hesitant but with the support of her family she agreed. After that weekend, Kate worked for the company for 5 seasons and ran the front end of the business for the last two. In 2018, Kate’s boss approached her about taking over.  

Angela Perley and The Howlin' Moons have been making waves since 2009 when singer/guitarist Angela Perley, guitarist Chris Connor, and bass player Billy Zehnal were connected through a “blind band date” via their producer Fred Blitzer. Sitting somewhere between Folk and Psychadelic Rock, their sound is made up of a mix of raw talent, hustle, heart, and experience. I was lucky to sit down with lead singer and musician Angela Perley to learn more about her story. 

These past two years have been some of the most fulfilling of my life. I began alone, working inside nearly every coffee shop in Columbus, Ohio to create the strategy and plan that would become the foundation of this company. Then, there came a time that I could no longer do things on my own. So I built a team. A team of passionate, hard-working, creative people who were willing to drive for hours before dawn to build a world custom-created for our clients. This team would take just as much pride as I would seeing the vision come to life. And we grew. And as we grew our vision grew. 

So we met on a warm summer evening and the house was clean, as promised, and it was beautiful. I was first greeted by the wagging tail and prancing feet of the resident house pup. Later, Nik answered my knock with a big smile and firm handshake. He introduced me to Max Slater, the drummer for the group. The three of us chatted for nearly an hour, the conversation tumbling effortlessly from one topic to another. In the end, I learned a lot about this new band and the “no pressure” attitude of the guys putting it together. 

It didn’t take long for us to walk through every plateau of thought from adventures abroad to love gone terribly sour. Almost speaking simultaneously at times, you could tell these four were naturally in sync as they finished each other’s every sentence. Some responses were compiled as a band, while others warranted individual reflections. Either way, it’s safe to say these fellas were anything but a ‘bummer,’ and had me fully entertained throughout our interview

Emily joined The Campfire Experience late in 2016 and jumped right in traveling with us to Asheville, North Carolina to help produce one of our most magical events to date. She has a tremendous gift as a poet and writer capturing beauty and emotion with such honesty.  In addition to being a wonderful contributor to our blog and our overall communications, she has passionately worn many hats from business development to event production. Take a moment to get to know Emily Rose.

It's winter in Ohio and I'm sitting down preparing for a phone call with front woman Katie Burke of The Lunar Year to ask her some questions about her inspiration, her band, and their plans for the future. To my delight, Katie and I immediately bond over Conor Oberst, Bright Eyes, and all things emo in our younger days. 

“Emotion is universal” she tells me, about her attraction to writing about emotions. "Even those shitty ones that live way way down in the bottom of your heart."

Darin Young, host of the Creative Pursuit podcast, sat down with our founder Amy to discuss how her idea began as a side hustle but eventually led to her quitting her corporate job and venturing into the risky world of entrepreneurship.

This was the beginning of my exploration of and adventures in Ohio. I started to enjoy heading out to explore small towns and back roads without a plan.  Two and a half years later our lives have moved in different directions.  And I have developed a fondness for exploring the unexplored and capturing the often overlooked beauty that can be found all around us.