Wednesday, June 22, 2011

life on the road

side stage
My sister (right) and myself, side stage in Indianapolis, 2007.

The title of this post may be slightly misleading. This isn't a piece about my life on the road.  I'm just a designer and blogger who makes clothes and art and talks about pretty things for a living. :)  But for those who don't know, I'm also about to marry someone who works and lives - for half the year - on the road.  And it's a very unique way to live.  It's a life that inspires my work, takes me to amazing places, and makes my partner very happy.  It's also a life that is nontraditional, often challenging, and sometimes quite lonely (for both of us).

Robbie working
Robbie "living the dream" (his favorite road warrior expression)

My fiance, Robbie, has a career as the Stage Manager for a band.  He helps make rock shows happen. 
He meets incredible people and has unforgettable experiences all over the world.  He also lives on a tour bus (and sometimes airplane) with 12 other guys for nearly 6 total months of the year.  He often works 16-20 hours day, and sleeps in a 3-foot wide bunk.  He wakes up in a new place everyday, but rarely sees beyond the back of a truck and side of the stage.  A few times a year I'm able to travel to meet him on the road for a day or two, but most often, he spends a lot of time away from home and his family.  We'll just say that it's far from the idealistic group sing-alongs echoing through the bus of Almost Famous.

Umphrey's Red Rocks
Watching Red Rocks amphitheater fill up.  (When I do go to
Robbie's shows, there's a lot of time to kill while he works!)

I've done a couple of posts about the magical side to this life we live (like our incredible trip to Australia for a festival that the band played there last year!), which prompted some sweet emails and comments asking questions about what it's like beyond the glimpse I've given.  So I decided to ask my wonderful fiance if he'd be interested in sharing a little of his experience with my wonderful readers, and he happily agreed.  In a few hours, he leaves for summer tour, and he'll be documenting some of his daily life on the road for all of you.  (He's quite the photographer, so there should be some pretty pictures involved too).  As creative people yourselves, I think you'll find this behind-the-scenes look into the music industry very intriguing - and probably much different than you might expect!

Umphrey's New Years Eve
Hard at work on New Year's Eve

Saying goodbye when it's time for him to hit the road is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.  He's my best friend, and it's never easy to know I'm about to be far away from him for weeks at a time.  I'm really excited about this new series though, and for him to be part of the blog even when he's all the way across the country.

The first installment will be posted next week, so stay tuned!  










18 comments:

  1. That sounds horribly lonely and you are one tough chick for standing by your man through his crazy life! Looking forward to his blog posts!

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  2. It's heart breaking to be apart from your best friend/lover, I'm sorry you have to go through that. You are quite the woman to support him to follow his passion even if it means you have to be apart.

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  3. I am looking forward to this feature, it sounds really interesting!

    I don't know how you do it though girl, I would miss my man way to much!

    -brittany-

    http://prettylittlevintage.blogspot.com

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  4. aww melissa, as always, thanks for sharing missy!

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  5. Thanks you guys! Yes, I will openly admit that it is a very hard and often lonely lifestyle, and I'd be lying if I said I'd do just about anything for him to be able to be home more often. My job is nontraditional too, and before Bubby dog got sick I was traveling a lot for work as well so we saw each other even less. I can't even imagine how challenging it will be when we start having babies! He is so good at what he does though, and because it's such a creative profession, I think his posts will be a really wonderful addition to the blog. More soon!

    xo,
    m

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  6. haha! and you talk about pretty things for a living. well... isn't that the life ? :D

    dude... your hubby sounds like he has such a busy life but at the same time, it totally pays off!

    -robots in trouble

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  7. I appreciate all Robbie does, as the band he works for is one of my favorites! I'm really looking forward to his posts.

    I know how lonely it is to be without your best friend and partner. My fiance left in May to work in AZ. He comes back in August and I've been counting down the days!

    Stay strong!! xoxo

    Katy

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  8. I love your blog! Your graphics are so cute and you are really inspiring:)! i'm a new follower!

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  9. I am so excited about this new series! I think it's wonderful that he is going to take the time to do it, even though he's really busy!

    I know it's soo hard to be apart... my bf and I lived over 1,000 miles away from each other for a year. It was hard, but it really made us appreciate the time that we did have together :)

    Hope you're having a great day!

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  10. You guys remind me of Brad and Angelina :-). Truly tho, you both have such interesting and creative jobs and I think it's easy for those of us with more boring lives to assume it's super exciting or glamouous! I'm sure it's much harder than we think and I'm super excited to learn more about the behind the scenes of your man's career.

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  11. That will be so interesting- really looking forward to reading! What an adorable couple you are!

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  12. You must have a very exiting life, and get to see many new exiting places!

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  13. This lifestyle, although looking truly exciting from the outside must have its downsides too but hey, the most amazing thing is that you find inspiration and that gives you strength :) I can't wait to see backstage photos. How is your fiancée's hearing, by the way? I can't imagine what it is to be around such loud music for a long time!

    May the force be with you ;)

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  14. Looking forward to seeing his photos!! It will be awesome to get a peek into life on the road :)

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  15. Sonya, he has 70% hearing loss. No joke. A few years ago, he had custom earplugs made to prevent any further damage. Crazy!

    xo,
    m

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  16. I'm excited for this new feature! I love behind-the-scenes stuff for music events. I was in choir for years, touring during college, and I've also helped out friend's bands set up for gigs. It's such a magical time, before everyone gets there, everyone running around with a job to do, wires snaking everywhere and instruments tuning and sounding like a cacophony.

    I'm sure it is hard though, living without him for 6 months! It's too bad you can't go with him. :(

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  17. It's really funny to see 'behind the scenes' of supposedly glamorous lifestyles, isn't it? It's all dirty hard work and no sleep, not all shiny and easy like it's portrayed on TV and in movies.

    That picture with the balloons is SO AWESOME!

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