Sasquatch! Music Festival.  This is an awesome four-day Memorial Day weekend music festival at the stunning Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington that made me experience all five stages of “The Grieving Process,” which I have officially coined as “The Music Photographer Mom’s Media Pass Process.”  This may not make sense to you, so let me lay it out.

Phase 1 – DENIAL - “Oh my goodness!  I ACTUALLY get to go to the Sasquatch Festival with a Media Pass!  4 days of music and camping and music and photographs and music and people!  I can’t believe it.  And my husband is okay with me leaving for 4 days.  No way!  This is awesome!  Seriously?  It can’t be…” and so on and so forth.

Phase 2 – ANGER – After committing to take on the challenge of covering Sasquatch Festival, and after the Exciting Denial phase, my husband and I sat down with all of the details and our bank statements, and then came the ‘I want to support you, but we really can’t afford this right now.’  Followed by me doing everything in my power to justify this.  “…and Micah just turned 2.  Is it really that good for you to leave him for 4 days?  Is he going to understand what’s happening?  What if he freaks out, and I need you to come home?” ALL completely legitimate concerns, mind you, and I had even thought of them myself, but I wasn’t about to hear it … so I defended my stance.

Phase 3  - BARGAINING – “Okay, what if I drive separately so I’ll have a car there in case of an emergency?” “What if I stay at the hotel with Morgen, instead of camping alone?” “What if I make you a meal plan and cut up all of the fruits and vegetables for you and Micah?” “What if I iron all of your clothes and vacuum and wake up early with Micah every day until then and….” so on and so forth.

Phase 4 – DEPRESSION – “I feel like such a jerk for ignoring my husband’s concern.  I can’t believe I’m going to leave my 2 year old for 4 days!  What if he doesn’t understand, and he thinks I left him?  What is he hates me when I come back?  I feel so selfish.  I hate feeling selfish…”

Phase 5 – ACCEPTANCE – “Dude.  My ducks are in a row.  I’ve done the laundry, made a meal plan, loved on my family, researched and experienced the bands, made a plan, got the funding, packed up, cleaned the house, put my son down for bed, made a ‘paper chain count-down’ so my kiddo can count down the days and naps with daddy that are left until mommy comes home, made my husband his favorite top ramen at 12:30am, and now…JUST now…I can say that I have accepted this ‘mission’ and am so EXCITED to go officially