Next Step

Today I went to AAA to get whatever info I could from them. I was kind of surprised that they didn't have more to offer me, but they gave me a large map of the USA, which I requested, so that I can plot out the major places that we will stop. They gave me info on upgrading our AAA membership to cover an RV once we get one and info on the AAA auto buying program. I have no idea what the hell that is, but I'll find out. I got info on the auto buying program because in addition to the RV the plan is to have a little car that we can zip around in in cities that aren't necessarily RV friendly, plus once we plant ourselves in a campground for a week or for however long, then we'll save a ton on gas with the little car. This is the plan, anyway.


So I mounted the US map on a corkboard. I was going to just tape it to the wall in the living room, but then realized the pushpins illustrating our path will ruin the paint job that took me weeks to finish. And, I decided to move the map elsewhere. To a glorious place where much thinking is accomplished. Some of (hu)man's greatest thoughts were concieved in this place. The map has been mounted next to the toilet where it will get the attention it deserves. Plus, with all the time that Nick spends in there, he will be forced to daydream about something other than the Maxim and Playboy pin ups.

Ok, I have push pinned the cities of interest for me they are in no particular order:

Virginia Beach VA, Jacksonvile NC, Columbia SC, Charleston SC, Savannah GA, Atlanta GA, Nashville TN, Memphis TN, Miami FL, Naples FL, Tampa FL, Talahassee FL, Mobile AL, New Orleans LA, Houston TX, San Antonio TX, Dallas TX, Austin TX, Albequerque NM, Santa Fe NM, Tucson AZ, San Diego CA, Santa Ana CA, Pasadena CA, Santa Barbera CA, Los Angeles CA, The Grand Canyon (this would definitely be an inspiration stop), Denver CO, San Francisco CA, Portland OR, Seattle WA, and Chicago IL.

That's 32 cities. If we plan to keep this trip in a year, that is 11.5 days for each city and don't forget we still have to travel to and from each city. Maybe this trip will take 2 years! Clearly, we have a lot to figure out still. We might want to spend just a day or two in some cities, while other places may draw us in for a couple of weeks. Having a rudimentary schedule is going to be a lifesaver, but we don't want our existential journey to be dictated by time. That would defeat the point. I could lose 3 days of sleep trying to meet a deadline right here in Philadelphia. When opportunities present themselves we don't want to say, "oh we already have plans".

We want to be open and free as birds to meet new people and be inspired by whatever comes our way.

The Me Nobody Knows....yet.

This blog is about chasing your dream. It's about seeing an idea through, no matter how long it may take you; dreaming it true. If you never dream it, you'll never achieve it.

Our Goal in this blog is to catalog the journey, the ups and downs, and the eventual success (we hope) of an RV trip chasing my dream of becoming a professional singer. We are at the very beginning. We have nothing but an idea. We'll see how an idea can become a reality and how a dream can come true. It doesn't always go the way you plan, but that's kinda the point.

A Little History:
I'm Elise. I have been living in Philadelphia for almost 9 years. I came here with $2000 and a BFA in musical theater from Syracuse University. In other words, I was a waitress. After a few years here, I started a pet sitting business because bouncing from restaurant to restaurant and serving unappreciative diners their overpriced grub got old, fast. Since the inception of For Paws Philly pet sitting and dog walking, I have bought a house in South Philly in an "up and coming area" where people like to throw their trash on the street and grafitti neighborhood buildings for fun. After 3 years of both living with a mortgage and running a business I am feeling, what should we call it, TRAPPED? Down trodden? Unmotivated and fed-up? Yes, all of the above. Don't get me wrong, I have good and bad days, but the unfulfilled feeling is always nagging at me. I'm sure there are many of you out there who can relate to how I feel.






My dream since I was a small child was to be a singer, like Whitney Houston. I remember when I was 6 years old singing "We are the World" at summer camp and I knew that was what I was supposed to do with my life. So, how the hell did I get here?





Money is how I got here, or rather a lack there of. When I got out of school, keeping myself afloat financially was the main goal in my life. My dream of singing, dancing and acting was overshadowed by my need to work and support myself. After years of working jobs I hated for money that i could barely live on, I changed my goals. I wanted to make money and be in charge of my own income. Hence, the pet sitting biz. While this has been a great success in my life, it has once again taken away from my true dream of singing and performing.

So, now I am an adult, or at least, that's what they call it. Now it's time for me to take my destiny into my own hands once again and reconfigure my goals, but this time, around my dreams. If I don't do it now, I'll regret if for the rest of my life.

A few years ago I was lucky to run into a hip hop producer named Rooks Star. A young motivated man from the 'hood with a passion for music and dreams of big business in the entertainment industry. He played a track for me that I wrote my first song to. I called it Better off Alone. From there, I got writing fever. I was always thinking of song ideas and lyrics. I had rediscovered the passion that I had lost in my race for financial wealth.

Another twist of fate brought me to producer Tony Moore, who saw me at an audition and chose to produce my solo project. I wrote songs, worked with musicians, booked recording time, took photo shoots (which were painful at first, but thanks to Tyra Banks and ANTM, I figured out how to be in front of a camera), took voice lessons, talked with artists, looked for inspiration and 2 years later my EP Break Open has been released.





Ok, so that brings us up to date for the most part. Now I have my EP, I have my voice, I have photos, I have an EPK (electronic press kit)and I have a camp of artists, from TMmuzix, who are there to support me. However, I don't have a band, which is kind of an important element but we'll touch on these details at a later time.

So, this combination of feeling trapped and unmotivated along with my re-inspired dream and passion for music is pushing me to make a change. There has been a voice in my ear telling me to jump off the cliff and take the risk for over a year now. There is an opportunity in front of me, an open door, a possibility and somehow I have been able to recognize it. It is up to me what I do with it and I think I should take the wager. So, my boyfriend, Nick and I are planning our escape. We want to buy an RV and plot out a course for musical success or rather, exploration. So, here's what we need to do:

We need to save money for this trip. Buy an RV and probably a small car to pull behind it. Rent out the house, find someone to run the pet sitting biz, and figure out how we can continue to have income on the road. Then we need to plot out our journey. Coordinating the time of year and musical events around the country, with where we will be and when. I'll have to start networking with musicians around the country and get my performance tracks, so that I can sing my songs without any musicians, oh and I should probably start picking up my guitar and learn to play it. So, there's not too much to do, is there?



We'll see how it all pans out. We are going to watch where we triumph and where we fall flat on our faces, but for now, we have to start somewhere, so here we go......