There's nothing I like about winter, especially when I spent this last one in a college dorm room. It's cold, dark and I have little motivation to leave my bed. The only glimmer of hope that shines through the dead of the winter is the line up for summer concerts at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. The second the lineup is announced, I know that some of the best days of the year are ahead of me.

There are infinite things to love about Bethel Woods. The music, the people, the food and the beautiful scenery instantly come to mind when I start thinking about a typical concert. It did not dawn on me until the last concert I went to that I can listen to the music, look at the people and the beautiful scenery, and taste the food and can instantly be brought back to some of my greatest memories.

I look at all the pickup trucks and think about all the tailgates my friends and I have crashed just to get a piece of a sandwich or a handful of chips to make the trek from Lot D to Lot A (we were never told no once).

I look at the line for the bathrooms and think about the time my best friend and I ran into the woods because we just couldn't wait.

I hear the music blaring from speakers at my tailgate and am instantly brought back to dancing and singing my heart out at the top of the lawn.

When it's finally time to leave our tailgates and go into the concert, the second I see the entrance I'm brought back to when I'm 10 years old, going to my first ever concert.

On entering the venue, I walk along the brick pathway that was the backdrop of too many impromptu photoshoots.

I pass the tree I cried next to, the tent I ate way too many chicken nuggets from, the bench I thought I was skilled enough to jump over and a pair of sunglasses on the floor that probably belong to someone I know.

My reminiscing gets interrupted by the sound of the opening act and it's time to live in the moment. All of the pictures and videos of past concerts don't stand a chance to what's happening right now. The sun is setting over the stage. I'm singing and dancing with my best friends while my favorite country song is playing in the background.

At that moment, there are no strangers in the crowd. There is no anger or hate surrounding you. Everyone is in the moment and singing every word to the song. I learned more about life in an open field with pickups than I planned to. Thank you Bethel Woods for letting me be a part of something so special. See you and ZBB on Friday.