"Super Mini Tour!!"

I was fortunate, and oh so blessed, enough to be able to join my beloved brothers in Outside the Camp on their Mini Tour this weekend. I am not going to water this down at all. It was an INCREDIBLY PHENOMENAL ADVENTURE!! Alright, the tour itself consisted of two shows which weren't too far from each other, but the concept of tour itself was rad.

We left Dallas and headed to my lovely home town of Belton, TX around 11:45am Thursday. We didn't have the typical "van-and-trailer" set; instead, we rolled in Casey's navy blue explorer, and Chris's pick-up truck. I was privileged to ride in the tiny middle seat between Chris and Justin. I'm used to being tucked into small spaces so that didn't bother me much. We arrived in Belton, and within the first hour, one of our beautiful Belton Diehards provided us all with Sonic drinks. AMAZING!!!

The night was great. Outside the Camp opened, followed by a local rapper and the Whitlee Casey Band. OTC had a GREAT crowd that absolutely LOVED them! Since I am from Belton, I was really hoping that more Belton folks would show, but those who did - you ROCK!! Props to Sarah S, Quincy, and Jefte who came out to be a part of FRONT-AND-CENTER!! The rest of the crowd was beautiful too. Beautiful outdoor show.

We technically hadn't eaten all day, either. We were STARVING by the end of the show. If you followed any of my Tweets, you'd know that it got to the point where you just don't FEEL the hunger... you just HEAR your stomach begging. It's pretty intense, no lie.

The heroes of the night. Sarah and her amazing roommate Rachel. They offered last minute to take us in and feed us a FULL BLOWN MEAL. Whoa. Chicken with green beans and Mac & Cheese on the side. AMAAAAZZZZIIIINNNGGGG!!! The guys stayed at the Holley Barn, and I crashed at Sarah's. The following morning we woke up to breakfast cooked by Rachel. Listen to this! Bacon, Sausage, Eggs and PANCAKES!! Not to mention the amazing OJ!! Being "Dieharded" was the most AMAZING feeling in the world. Thinking "We didn't ask for this, but they're serving us anyway." Whoa. Whoa.



Whoa.



We are ever SO GRATEFUL.

We headed up to Grand Prairie after picking up some coffee. Had some lovely encounters while picking up coffee too. Ask me about those in person.

In Grand Prairie, we were welcomed by a crew of free roadies waiting to unload our equipment. Freaken fastest unloading EVER. I set up the merch table while the guys set the stage. Had some funny encounters with some people there too. While I was doing my bio homework for class, a lady asked me if I studied biology while I was bored or "do you actually have a plan?" I don't know what she thought of me. But it was funny. I told her I actually went to college like a lot of normal kids my age. She seemed pretty surprised.

As the only girl on the "super mini tour", I felt and learned a lot of things even in just those 36 hours. I will make a list.

- I felt so comfortable ALL THE TIME.
- I never worried about what I looked like.
- I appreciated bathroom breaks.
- I was free to kick it with the guys or wander off by myself.
- I felt safe.
- Sometimes, I had to ignore my own needs. Like hunger.
- I could be honest with what I thought without fearing to hurt feelings.
- Being a metal head with the windows rolled down on the road is AWESOME!!
- Travel + Shows = Exhausting.
- Travel + Shows = Addicting.
- Travel + Shows = Exhilarating.
- Travel + Shows = I wanna do it again!!

There's obviously many MORE thoughts that went through my head, but I can't recollect them all at the moment.

I want the Belton Girls that took us in to know how APPRECIATED they are. We love you. Thank you SO MUCH for your Love and Generosity. It absolutely meant the WORLD to us that you did what you did. Thank you.

Peace!