see: Behind the Scenes

... because I know you like to know.
Happy Saturday!

Meet Hank Jr.

I'm not a fan of dead animals. I like them very much alive and pet-able. For some reason that is unclear to me, men like dead animals to grace the front of their trucks. "But, you guys don't have a truck" some would say with confusion in their voice.... Yes, my dear, you are correct. However, that did not stop the following from happening:

Upon driving the 20 min outside of Austin to visit the Salt Lick (in the post below), we passed a man in a van on the side of the road selling longhorns & skulls. It took every ounce of Kyle's being to not skid us into a u-turn and start the negotiating process right then and there. Luckily, the prospect of BBQ is too powerful & we made our way safely to Salt Lick with promises to return. 

After an amazing afternoon, we piled back in the van to head to San Antonio. I sat quietly in the back hoping they'd forget about the man on the side of the road... but wishful thinking only gets you so far in this van. Forget, they did not... and below is a photo journal of the events that took place in order to secure Hank Jr. on the front of the van. 

The selection: Just horns or horns + skull?? DECISIONS.

a transaction

Securing Hank Jr. to the van. Notice shirts are off since it's 100° out. Awesome.

This was a mistake. I accidentally took this, but it displays my distaste for the situation so accurately that I HAD TO POST. 

In an attempt to correct the above, I took this thinking it would show my unhappiness. Doesn't hold a candle to other. Raw emotion right there.

...and we're finally done. Here he is in all his glory. Ready for the road and tied to a van... just how God intended it. 

Le Van

Oh! hello. I started a post about the wedding weekend... and Omaha... and Memphis, but since that's a little more involved then I'd like to be at the moment, I thought I'd show you the van. I get lots of questions about how I survive on the drives, so I'm here to present it to you in the most natural light!

We travel in a 15 passenger van and there are 8 of us, so it's really not very crowded in here. I take over the third bench seat, so I'm not ALL the way in the back, but far enough away from the front so that I can still do work. Unfortunate truth alert: even though I travel around with a band, I still have to be available during normal business hours to get stuff accomplished. I make my phone into a personal hotspot, so we can have van internets! Technology is the greatest. 

my current set up - editing pics! Usually doing not as fun work

Since I live in a van full of boys, we have to keep the AC on full blast almost constantly so they don't sweat and stink up the van. Being the overly prepared chica that I am, I came armed with a pillow and blanket so I can regulate to normal temperatures when they are freezing me out. Everyone wins! 

Left: Ron taking over my bench; Right: Me, frozen.

And NO - we do NOT sleep in the van at night. For some reason everyone pictures us in that horrible scenario. We use good 'ol Priceline.com to get us into nice hotels every night. (dear Priceline, wanna sponsor us? I use you relentlessly & already tell everyone how great you are. Come onnnn). 

So, see? It's not that bad. We have plenty of bathroom breaks and plenty of snacks.

a sleeping zach (during the day)

a typical view