Maddison's Musings

Another year, another move across the country. Okay, that makes it seem like we move each year, but we actually don't. Just the last two summers. But now I'm back in the lovely state of Texas and I'm not moving out of this state until after college when I want to move to England, but that's a story for another day.

We've gotten to the point where moving is pretty easy for us. A lot of our stuff was still partially in boxes except for the stuff in our rooms, so all we had to do was just organize the boxes and pack everything. We packed all of our stuff in around two days, then it took about a day and a half to load the POD, and then we were done and sleeping on mats until we moved.

My little brother and I flew out on the 11th of August, and since we were unaccompanied minors, we got extra attention and those media players for free. It was fantastic. The flight flew by pretty quickly, which was nice. We sat next to a nicer older lady who just read the entire flight, so that was good. My favorite part of flying is the takeoff and landing, as it's filled with adrenaline and excitement. Plus the plane goes really fast, so that's a plus. But, I figured out that I also kind of enjoy turbulence on a flight. I don't know why, but it makes it seem more fun and daring. I'm pretty sure not many others would agree with me, but hey, I like it and that's all that matters.

The last week or so has just consisted of unpacking, organizing, and getting stuff set up. My room is almost done- I'm just waiting on a piano. I found one on craigslist that we're getting and it comes either tomorrow or Tuesday, so then once I have it, my room will be complete. I might post pictures once it's done, but I might not, who knows. My room has a travel theme to it, and my furniture pieces like my desk, bed frame, bookshelf, etc, are all white, which gives a clean feel to my room. I want new bed sheets that have a travel theme, but I'm waiting for my birthday in October to get them. I really like the feel of my room, it's really nice.

Something I'm definitely not ready for is school to start tomorrow. I'm entering my junior year of high school, and it's supposed to be the hardest. I'm taking multiple AP classes, plus I have to take the SAT/ACT later and make some of the best grades I can since this will be the year that will be on my transcript when I apply to college next fall. Thank God I already know which college I want to go to, so I don't really have to worry about that as much, but it's still pretty stressful.

It's not even so much that I'm not ready for school, as I'm actually pretty excited to get back to school and learn stuff, I just know that the workload is going to be insane, Plus, I would enjoy a little bit longer summer, since I didn't get out of school back in Washington until June 18th and my friends back in Texas got out June 4th or something. But, at least this will give me a regular schedule back, so that's a good thing I guess.

~Maddison

How has it already been two weeks since VidCon? It feels like just yesterday that I was surrounded by tons of content creators and viewers and hanging out with some of my best friends. This year, the creators of VidCon did meetups a bit differently, but I feel like it worked out pretty well. Basically, about a month or two before the event started, you could rank your top 15 creators for the signing lottery. Once the ranking section was over, they put all of the data into a computer and let it work for a while generating everyone's results.

People got between two and four signings, varying for each person. I was really happy with my results as I got Dan and Phil, my two favorite creators, but I know that some people were dissapointed that they didn't get their fave. When you think about it though, the lottery really does make a lot of sense. I'm not saying that it's perfect, as it definitely has some flaws, but it's a pretty good system. That way, you go into the event knowing exactly who you're meeting and you only have to wait a few hours, not twelve.

I had three signings, one each day, and I was really happy with my results. On the first day, I met Josh Sundquist, author of the book We Should Hang Out Sometime. He was super sweet, and I got to meet his fiance too, since she walked around the line and hung out with some of us during the wait. He signed my book, we chatted a bit, took some selfies, and then it was over. He seems like a really sweet and down to earth guy, which was really nice being able to see youtubers as real people.

My second signing the next day was with PJ Liguori, Chris Kendall, Mitchel Davis, and Olan Rodgers. Everyone was so sweet, lovely, and tall. We got a group picture and then I got to hug each one and since there were so many people, this was definitely one of the more "say hi and bye" type meet and greets, but they were still all really nice and gave good hugs.

On the last day of VidCon, I had my most anticipated signing: Dan and Phil. I had asked people on Twitter and Tumblr to send in little messages for them, and before I left for California I typed them all out, printed them, and put them in a jar that I later decorated. The jar was filled with so many Tumblr urls, Twitter handles, and notes. When I met them, I had to put the jar on a table before walking up, but it's okay because at least they got it. Dan and Phil are some of the sweetest people. Hands down some of the most genuine and caring creators out there. When I walked (okay, ran) up to them, the only thing I could think about was how tall they were, so of course that's the first thing I blurted out. They give such great hugs though, like Phil leans down and puts his head on your shoulder and Dan hugs you, but it's just the best feeling in the entire world. They looked so good too, plus again, they were sosososo sweet. Also, Dan took most/all of the selfies, so he held my phone, so that was another thing that happened. Meeting them was by far the best thing that happened at VidCon and I'm so glad that I was able to.

Walking around the convention is also a great way to run into people. I met Phil's brother when I went to the Dan and Phil shop booth since he owns/manages it, and he was also super nice, but no surprise there; everyone was amazing. Also, sometimes youtubers (especially the smaller ones) will have their own impromptu meetups, like Ben J. Pierce did. He tweeted it out the night before, and lots of people showed up, myself included. He was so nice and lovely and meeting him was super cool.

VidCon was hands down one of the best times of my entire life, and I can't explain how amazing this event is in words. If you enjoy YouTube/the internet, I would definitely suggest going. Not only can you meet some of your lovely internet friends, but you also have the chance of meeting some of your favorite content creators as well. 

~Maddison

Dan and Phil, my precious little sons 7/25/15

Phil's brother Martyn and I 7/23/15

Josh Sundquist and I 7/23/15

Left to right: PJ Liguori, Chris Kendall, me, Olan Rodgers, Mitchel Davis 7/24/15

Ben J. Pierce and I 7/23/15

(also, all of the pics are on My Instagram)

Last week was the 6th annual VidCon and I was able to go. I had the best week of my entire life while at VidCon. Not only did I get to meet so many of my favorite youtubers and internet friends, but the entire atmosphere of the convention was amazing. Most people were vlogging the entire time, which was pretty funny at times because you'd just look and see hundreds to thousands of people talking to a camera. This was my first VidCon, but I'm definitely going to go again.

If you're a parent reading this little post and trying to decide if you should allow your child to go to VidCon or not, please let them go- you can even go with if you want (you just have to buy a ticket). Even though there was about 20,000 people, it was so well organized and secure. There was tons of security and staff everywhere, plus info booths and a first aid station with a Registered Nurse. My mom and little brother accompanied me as my mom was a bit nervous sending me alone to VidCon, and even she was totally impressed by the whole event.

The day before VidCon officially starts, you can go and check in to get your badge, guide, and bag filled with different things. Check in opened at noon and it went by super quickly. If you had your QR code that they emailed you printed out, you just showed it to them and they scanned it before giving you your badge and signing wristbands. After getting all checked in, you would go and pick up your bag and event guide on your way out. Once I was finished, I met up with some friends for the first time and it was so much fun seeing them all in person. I would go to VidCon just for the ability to hug all of my friends because there's nothing like the feeling of finally meeting someone you've been talking to for so long.

The first official day of VidCon is filled with excitement. I got to the convention center around nine in the morning and explored the expo halls for a while before heading to an event I wanted to go see. The entire event has this laid back/chilled type of atmosphere to it. Even though it's packed full of fangirls and creators alike, everyone is super kind and easy going. The opening ceremony is one of the main events of the day, and it really gives of feel of what VidCon is all about. From Tyler Oakley releasing his book cover to Miranda Sings dancing around, it's definitely not something you want to miss, even though I missed most of it because I had a signing, but I wish I could have gone to it.

The second day of VidCon was the busiest for me. I had stuff I wanted to do all day long, with the first event I had planned starting at 9:30 am, so I got to the convention center right around when it opened at eight so I could have enough time to wander the expo halls some more. I did so much stuff on the second day, but it was definitely one of the most fun. While my brother left me for a few hours to go to his signings, I met up with some friends and walked around before heading to a panel. There's a difference between watching a panel of your favorite people with your mom and brother and watching a panel of your favorite people with your internet friends. I loved being able to watch this panel with my friends because it was basically just an hour of us fangirling, laughing, and taking as many pictures as humanly possible when our fave came on the screen. It was a great experience and it just furthered our bond being able to be total dorks around each other.

The last day of Vidcon was the least busy for me. The first thing I wanted to see didn't start until two, so I didn't get there until noon. It felt so nice to be able to sleep in and actually have time to wake up, get ready, and eat something. Although I missed the closing ceremony due to a signing, I at least watched everyone live tweet it, which is just as good. If I don't have a scheduling conflict like a signing again next year, I'll definitely make sure that I make it to the closing ceremony because I heard it was really good, plus Troye Sivan announced his album "Wild," which I'm beyond excited for.

I have so much to talk about when it comes to VidCon, so I'm going to try to upload once everyday until I've said everything I wanted to say about it. I have it planned out already, and I might write a few of the drafts now while I'm still up. Also, as I just watched the clock change to midnight, happy August everyone!!

~Maddison