My Sister Lives in a Van

I promised good characters in this adventure, right? So here’s one. My little sister (seven and a half years younger than I am, far for more freckled, much better metabolism) and her boyfriend live in a van. 

For real. So does their dog.

Van Dog. (Dog van Dog?)

They used to live in an apartment, but earlier this year, they decided to take their show on the road. Literally. They sold most of their stuff, bought a van, and started driving around to see the country and peddle their music. With their powers combined, Van Sister and Her Boyfriend form a band called Scuttlebuggs,and they recently released an album. It’s great and you can listen to it for free! Even better, after you listen to it, go ahead and pay the few bucks it costs to download your own copy. They live in a van, people. They need your dollars.

Here are some additional pictures of said van, in case you need some proof:

Bed van Bed...

Sister van Sister...

Can you spot the Toilet van Toilet?!

Recently, they headed down South, including through our neck of the woods, so all members of Scuttlebuggs (dog included) stayed with us for a few days. The stories they shared of their couch-surfing and van-sleeping adventures made the Fiancé and I feel really, really dull by comparison. While we’ve been living in a rental townhouse with sad old carpeting, they’ve been shacking up with Sexual Libertines in New Orleans! Sharing camping space with toothless ex-cons in the Ozarks! Sleeping in Walmart parking lots and going for days on end without showers!*

This is not the first time my sister and her dude have done something crazy. And had it work out. You should ask them about the time they spent 6 weeks trekking through Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Or the time my sister basically inadvertently landed a national Walgreens voice-over gig - yeah, she's the voice in this spot (and several others):

Basically, as my brother says, the sis and her dude are magical-fairies, and things just don't work the same way for other people as they do for those two.

That's my sister. Who lives in a van.

Van Sister and Her Boyfriend were officially the first family members to see us post-engagement. They brought a bottle of champagne, and we toasted with mimosas all of the good times and giggles and potential madcap antics ahead. Because with a supporting cast like this**, you know this show is destined to be epic. Or at least marginally bizarre.

My sister's boyfriend (Boyfriend van Boyfriend)
gives The Fiancé  & me two thumbs up.

*This is 100% true, but in this instance rather than feeling dull by comparison we felt squeaky clean. Sparkly, even.

**Seriously, fun and fascinating as Van Sister and her boyfriend are, they’re not the only colorful characters in our pack of friends and family. And we’re not actually all that dull ourselves…