Day 365: Start Writing the 365 Firsts Book

365 Firsts/Day 365: START WRITING THE 365 FIRSTS BOOK. It's the last day!!! 365 Firsts is over. It has been such a journey and I'm forever changed because of it. I just want to thank all of you that followed along or helped me out so much. It means the world to me. It turned into a community thing with people giving me ideas or talking about it or actually helping me do it and I couldn't have done it without you all, so thank you very much. You're only on this Earth once. You can't let life pass you by. I'm oddly emotional making this last post. I feel so many different things at once. This process has been so many different things. It's been amazing and it's been terrible at the same time. Suffocating and liberating. Fun and not so fun. It was an extreme project. I just hope I accomplished some of what I set out to do. I know I have on a personal level. I hope I've maybe pushed some people into stepping out of their comfort zones or also just experiencing new things. It changes you as a person. People keep saying I should write a book about it. So I am. Not necessarily about the individual things I did as firsts, but about the concept and the journey. Hopefully it can inspire other people to try new things or just do good things for other people. I'm going to write a little bit tonight and then take a mental break for awhile before really diving into it. My brain is fried and I need a mental cool down. Again, thank you all so much. It wouldn't have been possible without you. Keep the spirit of 365 Firsts going by always trying new things. Thank you. The End. #365firsts #theend

Day 364: PROFESSIONALLY FILM A WEDDING

365 Firsts/Day 364: PROFESSIONALLY FILM A WEDDING. Professional equipment and I have the Red Pine business behind me now, so, it's a first. Kind of poetic that a wedding is one the eve of my last day of 365 Firsts. It's been such a journey and this has been a great day. Chaotic but great. Only one day left. All of the feels. #365firsts #wedding #weddingday #redpinecreative #videography #a7s

365 Firsts/Day 363: Cut Someone's Hair

365 Firsts/Day 363: CUT SOMEONE'S HAIR. Skylar is a brave soul and let me have a go at cutting her hair. She's an expert with 10 years or experience and I've had exactly zero experience with this so this was really fun. She sent me final photos and it's pretty lopsided lol but nothing she can't get fixed. Thanks a lot for letting me do this! #365firsts #haircut

Day 362: Prepare Real Absinthe

365 Firsts/Day 362: PREPARE ABSINTHE. Travis Thompson smuggled this Absinthe from Italy in 2009. Literally smuggled it. You have to prepare it before you drink it or you basically shrivel up and die. It actually tastes great even though it's 140%. Great first! #365firsts #absinthe #italy #drinks #igdaily

Day 361: Get a Tattoo

365 Firsts/Day 361: GET A TATTOO. Super happy with this! It's a symbol that means "create" and I got it upside down, so to me, it means "create differently" or "think differently". I've always thought differently and always loved to create things and always will. So, this makes perfect sense. @bellamacchina13 did an amazing job and I'm extremely happy with it! She does a great job. If you live around Springfield, head to New Age and make an appointment with her because she's great. #365firsts #tattoo #firsttattoo #newage #ink #glyph #create

Day 360: Put a Penny on the Tracks/Do Karate on the Tracks

365 Firsts/Day 360: PUT A PENNY ON THE TRACKS - ALSO DO KARATE ON THE TRACKS. I'm so burnt out lol I couldn't think of a single thing so I just went to some railroad tracks. My friend suggested I do some karate on the tracks. So I did. Whilst glistening in the moonlight like a damn boss. Then I put a penny on the tracks because I honestly don't think I ever did that as a kid. ONLY 5 DAYS LEFT. Tattoo tomorrowwwww. #365firsts, #honestabe #pennyonthetracks #karatekid

Day 359: Donate to Tara's GiveFoward Fight Against Cancer

365 Firsts/Day 359: DONATE TO Tara Jeannine's GIVEFORWARD FOR HER FIGHT AGAINST CANCER. Here's the link: http://bit.ly/1F2Qgwn you can easily donate and the whole process literally takes a minute. Tara has Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Mixed Cellularity with suspected advanced disease. It was determined she has Stage 3B with active disease on both sides of her neck including a paratracheal mass, mediastinal involvement including an apical mass, abdominal involvement, as well as in her pelvis and left groin. With aggressive chemotherapy treatment, she can beat this, but cancer takes not only a physical, emotional and mental toll, but a financial one. I've actively tried to inform myself about what it's like to have cancer so I can empathize as much as is possible with my best friend, Meghan, who also has Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Cancer sucks. Plain and simple. Financial relief is a huge help. Click below to donate! Good luck with everything coming up, Tara :) #365firsts, #giveforward, #donate, #cancer #fightcancer #beatcancer

Day 358: Shoot a Rifle

365 Firsts/Day 358: SHOOT A RIFLE. I shot an ar15 5.56 NATO, a Ruger Mark III .22 and a Smith and Wesson M&P .45. First time shooting any kind of rifle! I've shot hand guns before but not a rifle. It was great. #365firsts #targetpractice #ar15 #tryingnewthings #igdaily

Day 357: See Lincoln's Hearse

365 Firsts/357: SEE LINCOLN'S HEARSE. So they hid it in the firehouse to get out of the rain. And I wanted to see it so we walked there and peeked in. Pretty cool. It's an exact replica of the original one. #365firsts, #lincoln #springfieldil

Day 356: Cook Breakfast for a Senior Living Center

365 Firsts/Day 356: COOK BREAKFAST FOR A SENIOR LIVING CENTER. This was one of my favorite firsts so far. I cooked breakfast along with a fantastic lady who I met today, Peggy, for a group of seniors that live at Concordia Village. Bacon pancake dippers. Serious stuff. I have zero elderly people in my life and never have since I've been 5 years old, so this was really nice to be able to interact with them and share what I'm doing with 365 Firsts. They seem to appreciate it more than a lot of other people I've come across. They understand life is a ticking clock more than a lot of people and new experiences are important and fulfilling. I also met a fellow Pretzel! She graduated in 1949. Overall, it was a great experience. Thanks Allison for helping me out with this! #365firsts #volunteer #seniorcitizens #springfieldil #breakfast #bacon #nomnomnom

Day 355: Donate to Help Repair Cleft Palates

365 Firsts/Day 355: DONATE TO REPAIR CLEFT PALATES. Pretty much explains itself. ONLY 10 DAYS LEFT!!!!!! #365firsts #donate

Day 354: Read to/Play with a Toddler Group

365 Firsts/Day 354: READ TO/PLAY WITH A TODDLER GROUP. I love kids. One of my Facebook friends was nice enough to let me join her toddler play group she runs on Wednesday mornings. I got to read a gigantic book to a group of 2 to 4 year olds and then play with them later. I also got to stamp all of their hands with frogs which is a win for everyone. It was fun! #365firsts #kids #children #volunteer #play #read

Day 353: Launch my Own Business

365 Firsts/Day 353: LAUNCH MY OWN BUSINESS.  http://www.redpinecreative.com/ The day I got passed up for a job I was essentially guaranteed to get after spending almost a year being turned down by other employers was the day I decided to start Red Pine Creative. It was the day I decided that I’ll be the one to determine if I succeed or fail, not somebody else that doesn’t know anything about me. After I read the email telling me I didn’t get the job, again, I decided on the spot that the idea I had had in the back of my head for years finally needed to happen. I’d start my own advertising business. If you can’t find a job, create one. That’s what I’ve been working harder on than I’ve ever worked on anything for the past 5 months. I have the degrees, the experience having worked at an ad firm, the skills and the drive. Now I have the best equipment and software behind all of those things to bring Red Pine to fruition. I want to thank all of the potential employers that turned me down over and over again. I want to thank past employers who helped me realize that I or anyone else can do a better job than they could or than anyone else if we strive for it. You pushed me into a corner and gave me the drive to do things my own way instead, so thank you. I also want to thank everyone who has supported me in starting Red Pine. It means everything to me. Really. I’m excited to grow RPC into what I know it can become and I appreciate you all for being there for the journey. Check out my Facebook page and website and all of my other social media sites connected to both. Any referrals, likes, shares, follows or shoutouts to get me rolling are greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone!

http://www.redpinecreative.com/ #365firsts #redpine #rpc #redpinecreative #advertising #marketing #socialmedia #video #videography #a7s #twitter #igdaily #fb

Day 352: Blind Darts

365 Firsts/Day 352: BLIND DARTS. I've been watching Daredevil on Netflix lately while I'm working on stuff. So naturally... blind darts. With @3mi1y5 #365firsts #darts #tryingnewstuff

Day 351: Climb a Grain Bin

365 Firsts/Day 351: CLIMB A GRAIN BIN. This one was interesting lol I pulled my car over and climbed up a bin really quick and took a few selfies. Then a truck comes down the road suddenly so I get down as fast as I can and sprint to my car and take off because I knew he would think I was doing something wrong. So I ran to my car and took off and of course, he chases like I knew he would. So, I go very fast (faster than I'd like to admit to you all), and after I get past some railroad tracks, I shut my lights off and coast. The truck reaches the tracks and just sits with its lights on looking around until I finally flip my lights back on and take off as fast as I can down a dirt road. Until I finally lose it and see it give up and turn around. If whoever that was sees this, I know this wasn't my grain bin. And I don't need to be told that by a bunch of people. I'm fully aware. So thanks, but SORRY NOT SORRY. I've got 13 days left. A little trespassing is gonna happen sometimes. 365firsts #run #country #fastandfurious

Day 350: Donate to the Nepal Earthquake Response

365 Firsts/Day 350: DONATE TO NEPAL EARTHQUAKE RELIEF EFFORT. The Samaritan's Purse Organization is deploying a team to go there and build over 15,000 temporary shelters for people. Pretty amazing. A little donation can help them out through this disaster. #365firsts #nepalearthquake #nepalquake

Day 349: Donate to the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign

365 Firsts/Day 349: DONATE TO THE YMCA STRONG KIDS CAMPAIGN. I was suggested to donate to this campaign from a friend of mine I went to high school with. This campaign assists people in gaining access to YMCA programs and services to help improve and enhance their lives. The Springfield branch which I donated to served 17,766 youths last year. It's pretty great. #365firsts #strongkidscsmpaign #ymca #donate

Day 348: Bean Boozled Jelly Belly Challenge

365 Firsts/Day 349: BEAN BOOZLED JELLY BELLY CHALLENGE. There are normal flavored beans and there are disgusting flavored beans. AND THEY LOOK THE SAME. It was pretty awful. @3mi1y5 #365firsts #jellybelly #beanboozled #awful #gross

Day 347: Flip a 500lb Tire

365 Firsts/Day 348: 500lb TIRE FLIP. First time flipping any tire actually. I like flipping tires. #365firsts #workout #fitness #igdaily

Day 346: Inside a Brew Room

365 Firsts/Day 346: INSIDE THE BREW ROOM. Doing a little scouting before I shoot video at Obed and Isaac's. One of the owners showed me the brewing process and the tanks and how everything works so I can make a better video. It was really cool, especially since I'm a beer lover. #365firsts #obedandisaacs #springfieldil #beer #brewing #hops #barley #food #igdaily

Day 345: Donate to the National Sclerosis Society

365 Firsts/Day 345: DONATE TO THE NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY. Someone asked me if I would do this and I can't remember who it was! But, here ya go... person... buddy. #365firsts #ms #nmss #donate

Day 344: The Quiet Place

365 Firsts/Day 344: THE QUIET PLACE APP. Everyone should download this app from the App Store now and do this. I can't even really explain why, but it's so refreshing and great and it's like a restart for your brain and it puts things in perspective. It's free. I'll be using this app several times a week. Especially since I'm starting a business with social media as a huge component. The Quiet Place App is just refreshing in its simplicity. Anyway, try it out. I'm sure it'll be different for everyone. I'm going to do a first very soon where I use no modern technology at all for an entire day. This is a good segway into that. #365firsts #thequietplace #restart #refresh

Day 343: Create a Go Fund Me

365 Firsts/Day 343: CREATE A GO FUND ME. Hey everyone! I created this gofundme for my best friend Meghan @biancomeghan who was recently diagnosed with Stage 2B Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Over the course of 365 Firsts, I've donated to A LOT of places. I'm not expecting everyone to do the same, but it would mean a ton to Meghan and her family and myself if I can get my IG friends to donate to this. She's already swimming in medical bills and it's just the beginning. She has 6 months of intense chemotherapy ahead of her along with minor surgeries and countless tests and scans. It literally takes a minute to donate. Thank you very much :) Here is the link: http://www.gofundme.com/meghanb #365firsts #gofundme #fuckcancer #endcancer #beatcancer #hodgkins #lymphoma #cancer #hodgkinslymphoma

Day 342: Donate to the Lymphoma Research Foundation

365 Firsts/Day 342: DONATE TO THE LYMPHOMA RESEARCH FOUNDATION. Sitting back and letting cancer have one second of freedom to make its mark without fighting back is a mistake. My best friend starts treatment next week. 6 months of chemo and pain. It's going to be rough for her. I know I can't do a lot, she's the one that has to fight. With that said, there's no way I'm sitting back and not doing everything I can, even if it's something this small. I've been through everything with Meghan @biancomeghan. Cancer is for damn sure not going to be the last thing we go through. #365firsts #fuckcancer #beatcancer #endcancer #fight #tough

Day 341: Interactive Mars Rover

365 Firsts/Day 341: INTERACTIVE MARS ROVER CAMERA. There is a site where you can mess with an interactive panorama taken from the Opportunity Mars rovers. I'm completely obsessed with all things space related so I just spun the camera around for about 20 straight minutes. This is really cool. It's through stumbleupon. Google it. #365firsts #mars #opportunity #spacenerd #space #marsrover

Day 340: Feed Cows

365 Firsts/Day 340: FEED COWS. Emily has been asking me to do this since day one. She traveled a 3 hour round trip to feed these cows. She likes cows. Dawn was nice enough to let us feed her cows. It was fun! Thanks a lot, Dawn! And Emily, I'm glad you're life is now complete. #365firsts #cows #country #nomnomnom

Day 339: BYO Kaleidoscope

365 Firsts/Day 339: BYO KALEIDOSCOPE. You get to build your own kaleidoscope and watch it do things. Yayyy. #365firsts #byokaleidoscope

Day 338: Venoscope

365 Firsts/Day 338: VENOSCOPE. This is a device that uses different types of lights to find veins in a patients arm for IV's. The person I used it on has teeny tiny veins. #365firsts #lights #medical

Day 337: TED Talks

365 Firsts/Day 337: TED TALKS. This is one I really can't believe I've never seen. Heard about them for years. Know how great they are. Never watched a single one. I burned through three early this morning and have a new addiction now. If you have Netflix (of course you do), watch some Ted Talks. Great ideas from some of the greatest minds in the world. #365firsts #tedtalks #netflix #brainpower #mind

Day 336: Donate to the American Parkinson Disease Association

365 Firsts/Day 336: DONATE TO THE AMERICAN PARKINSON DISEASE ASSOCIATION. My grandpa died when I was three years old from many complications that arose from Parkinson's Disease. You don't die from Parkinson's, you die with it. Every memory I have of him, he was shaking terribly and I never understood why. I used to ask why, but at three years old, you don't really get it. I wish I could've known him longer because he was apparently a lot like me. A little rambunctious and cared for others a lot. Parkinson's Disease is awful. It can be debilitating to some and it was to my grandpa. It's very sad. It seems they are getting closer and closer to finding a cure or to finding better methods of treatment, so that is hopeful. Anyway, it's National Parkinson Disease Awareness Month and I've had this first planned for a long time now. #365firsts #apda #donate

Day 335: Donate an Emergency Shelter

365 Firsts/Day 335: DONATE AN EMERGENCY SHELTER. I found somewhere where you can donate an emergency shelter than can be deployed to anywhere after any sort of disaster disaster or some big emergency. It can be used here if there is a tornado or in Japan if there is a major earthquake. Pretty cool. #365firsts #donate #raok #shelter

Day 334 Part 2: Pickled Egg and Ginger Beer

365 Firsts/Day 334 Part 2: PICKLED EGG AND GINGER BEER. Both awesome. Someone pay me money to move here ok thanks @_adamjames_ @mikeyreaves #pickledeggs #gingerbeer #clawsonspubanddeli

Day 334: Johnny Cash Museum

365 Firsts/Day 334: JOHNNY CASH MUSEUM, NASHVILLE. Johnny Cash was a pioneering badass. He's someone anyone can admire who has ever wanted to blaze a trail or standout from the crowd and the Johnny Cash museum in Nashville is really impressive and honors his memory in a great way. There is so much stuff in here, it's incredible how much content exists. Definitely one of the best museums I've been to. #johnnycash #maninblack #nashville #tennessee #musiccity #museum #america

Day 333: Shoot Video for Ft. Worth Ferguson

365 Firsts/Day 333: SHOOT VIDEO FOR FT. WORTH FERGUSON. What a diva. "I own Nashville!" Check this guy out. He's doing some pretty great stuff even if he is a drama queen. Put your Miller where your mouth is. http://www.redpinecreative.com/  @ftworthferguson @mikeyreaves @stonesongs #ftworthferguson #bootsandhats #lasso #lassodatasso

Day 332: Write Something Nice in a Bathroom Stall

365 Firsts/Day 332: WRITE SOMETHING NICE IN A BATHROOM STALL. My friend, @photohayes came up with this ingenious idea. Mens restrooms are always filled with, "for a good time, call blah blah blah", and other moronic things. Sometimes it's just plain mean things for no reason. Nathan suggested writing something nice for a change, so on the way to Nashville, I stopped at a gas station and did it. Thanks, Nathan! #365firsts #changeitup #digits

Day 331: Hockey Simulator

365 Firsts/Day 331: HOCKEY SIMULATOR. At Scheel's. Horribly inaccurate lol It was funny to see how inaccurate it was, but hey, it was still fun. It's not like it mattered if it was. 

Day 330: Clash of Clans

365 Firsts/Day 330: CLASH OF CLANS. Gonna try to see what the big deal is. #365firsts #clashofclans #videogames

Day 329: Break Up a Major Fight at Old Navy Until the Police Arrive

365 Firsts/Day 329: BREAK UP A MAJOR FIGHT AT OLD NAVY UNTIL THE POLICE ARRIVED. So, there was yelling. Then punching. Then a knife was pulled. Then a glass bottle thrown and shattered. I run out and get in the middle of it and tell everyone to get the hell out of our parking lot. While I'm yelling at the guy to get back in his truck, he pulls a bag out and starts literally piecing together this baton thing. Like a stick you beat people with and is yelling at the girls, "I'll kill you bitches!" Oh by the way, his children were in the back of the truck watching their father do this. What a guy. Then the girls start punching each other again. I'm continuously threatening them to get off of our property and that the police are on their way. I get the guy to put his stupid stick back and get the girls to get in their car. One girl looks at me and tells me she's going to kill the guy. So I jokingly say, (yes I like to joke in serious situations), "well the police have this big problem with murder, so. And they're literally on their way." She rolled up her window and they peeled out lol then when the police get their, the guy says, "I was gonna stab them bitches!" He was a super intelligent human being as you can tell. Apparently one of the girls cousins killed another one of the other group member's nephew. RETAIL IS THE BEST. #365firsts #oldnavy #retail

Day 328: Shoot Video for Grinder's Gear Review

365 Firsts/Day 328: SHOOT VIDEO FOR GRINDER'S GEAR REVIEW. First day shooting video for one of my clients, @grindersgearreview. Companies like Reebok and smoke send him their products to write reviews on for their CrossFit gear and now he's hired myself as a part of Red Pine Creative to make review videos for him. Jew a look out for the videos at the start of May and check his page out. http://www.redpinecreative.com/ #365firsts #crossfit #rpc #redpine #a7s #manfrotto #nike #reebok #fitness #stayfit #video #videography

Day 327: MIT Opencourse Software

365 Firsts/Day 327: MIT OPEN COURSEWARE (FREE ONLINE LECTURES FROM MIT PROFESSOR). Out of the 12 or so courses available, I picked the one on Economics and Launching a Successful Startup company (hmm). This is a great and free online tool for anyone interested in learning more about various things or becoming more educated on specific topics. It's very cool. There are even readings, quizzes, lectures, assignments and exams if you would like to do the whole course. ocw.mit.edu. #365firsts #mitmitopencourseware #free

Day 326: Frogger

365 Firsts/Day 326: FROGGER. I've NEVER played Frogger. Ever. Out of all of the video games I tried when I used to play video games a lot, I've never played one of the all time classic arcade games. I killed poor little Frogger... a lot. Guys... a lot. #365firsts #frogger #oldschool #videogames #arcade #8bit

Day 325: Donate to the Epilepsy Foundation

365 Firsts/Day 325: DONATE TO THE EPILEPSY FOUNDATION. Katie Williams asked if I would raise awareness about epilepsy last week. She and others are suffering and need donations in order to find a cure. It's debilitating to many people who have it. You can donate at http://www.epilepsy.com. Anything helps! I hope something can come out of this for you, Katie :) #365firsts #epilepsy #epilepsyfoundation #donate

Day 324: First Professional Camera Rig

365 Firsts/Day 324: FIRST PROFESSIONAL CAMERA RIG. Remember that one time I made a lot of soap for awhile years ago? Maybe not, but here's where most of that money went. Into my new @redpinecreative ad agency and this monster. It's finally put together after the last pieces came in and a lot of time and research and effort. Sony a7s, Zeiss FE 4 24-70 f2.8 lens, Rode videomic, Movcam cage, P&C shoulder rig, Kamerar matte box. Good stuff. For my business, http://www.redpinecreative.com/ #365firsts #kamerar #sonya7s #a7s #rodevideomic #pandcshoulderrig #shoulderrig #zeiss

Day 323: GiveDirectly

365 Firsts/Day 323: GIVEDIRECTLY. This is Givewell.org's second ranked charity. Nearly all of the money goes directly to the extreme poor of Uganda and Kenya. Just to sort of clear the air, I've been criticized a few times for mainly donating to people in extremely poor countries instead of America. Simply put, that's for two reasons.  Reason 1, I've already donated to a lot of places in the U.S., so, it wouldn't be a "first" for me if I've already done it. 2nd, I don't see the problem with donating hard earned money to people who are dying from drinking disease filled water. Or dying of dehydration. Just saying :) #365firsts #givewell #donate #givedirectly

Day 321: Sign Obed and Isaac's as a Client

365 Firsts/Day 321: SIGN OBED AND ISAAC'S AS A CLIENT. I met with the owners today of Obed and Isaac's Microbrewery and Wm. Vans Coffee and I've signed with them to shoot 4 videos. Big day for myself and Red Pine. These are my two favorite places in Springfield. Wooooo! #365firsts #obedandisaacs #springfieldil #redpine #rpc #redpinecreative

Day 322: Hold a Rat

365 Firsts/Day 322: HOLD A RAT. Thanks Emily Finley for the rats and stuff. Creeped me out when it went onto my neck but I quickly got over it. Gigantic sewer rats though, I'll steer clear still. #365firsts #rats #rodents

Day 320: Officially Register and Own a Business

365 Firsts/Day 320: OFFICIALLY REGISTER AND OWN A BUSINESS. Tying up all of the loose ends before Red Pine launches. Good thing I don't sleep much. *at all #365firsts #redpinecreative #rpc #redpine #springfieldil #business #owner

Day 319: Give to Give - Jersey Mike's Subs

365 Firsts/Day 319: GIVE TO GIVE - JERSEY MIKE'S SUBS. 100% of Jersey Mike's Subs sales go to charities today so I came in and got a meal. It's really cool that a big company does this. That is A LOT of money. Also, I've never had Jersey Mike's so it's a double first. Great food too, by the way. #365firsts #jerseymikes #subs #food #charity #donate

Day 318: Announce My Business - Red Pine Creative

365 Firsts/Day 318: ANNOUNCE MY BUSINESS - RED PINE CREATIVE. I've been working very hard on starting my own business since the beginning of the year and I'm now only a few weeks away from launching! Red Pine Creative is a full-service advertising and marketing firm. Social media, video production, logo design, print ads, branding, wedding videography, and SEO. I've spent a so much time on this and am extremely serious and dedicated to it and proud of what Red Pine will be. I have a degree in advertising (and one in psychology) and I am a former social media manager with the experience and knowledge needed for this. I haven't officially launched yet and things have been great so far. I've had the pleasure of working with three amazing clients so far and as of today signed with another client, Grinder's Gear Review. Signing with a client who writes for numerous magazines and websites and has been featured in magazine articles himself along with working with ESPN and being in close contact with companies such as Nike and Adidas is pretty great. A lot of exciting things are already happening for myself and Red Pine and look for it to officially launch in the next few weeks. http://www.redpinecreative.com/ #365firsts #redpinecreative #rpc #advertising #marketing #video #socialmedia