Sisterhood of the Travelin'... Hoodie?

I feel like I must tell you all about this BTE hoodie I have... I mentioned it in my photo's comments that I wore my BTE hoodie to the parades after our wedding in NOLA. Well, that poor hoodie has been through the wringer and I'm gonna be sad when it finally wears out! It's been worn just about everywhere I ever go, and on every road trip I've taken since it was purchased for me by Eli at the BTE show at Nashville's Wildhorse Saloon back in January 2010.

It's inaugural donning was actually done by Eli when we were walking around the entertainment block and down by the river after the show. It was cool and foggy and Eli didn't bring a jacket, of course. We ran into Elvis, BTW ;)

Elvis and Eli duet

It gets taken on all the road trips I go on to the surrounding states for friend and hobby purposes. So most notably, it's been to four states in one day (GA, NC, TN, and KY) with a lot of amazing views in the Smokey Mountains.

...and been on the Appalachian Trail in several spots that same day. I was even wearing it when I got to see a herd of elk in the Smokey Mountains Nat'l Park!











Of course it went to Houma and NOLA with me for the wedding in March 2011, wearing it on the plane (so it spent time at multiple airports in multiple states in one day) and to the Houma Mardi Gras parades first that week, I know it was present for my first shrimp po'boy! And then on to NOLA after the wedding for the Krewes of Proteus and Orpheus as our "wedding reception."

Mardi Gras has struck when even the lampposts are festive :)

Dragon Shotgun with Heather

It's been to zoos and aquariums in several states (Nashville and Cincinnati for sure). It's been hiking at Red River Gorge and Natural Bridge, in Slade, KY.

It's also been on tons of trail rides with my pony to awesome places to ride in Kentucky like Mammoth Cave Nat'l Park and Shaker Village. Chances are, if it was cool enough to need it in the morning when we headed out, then it probably got toted along, resulting in hundreds of trail miles with this hoodie in tow!

Competitive ride

One of the vistas it's "seen" on a trail ride

I wore it to the 2013 Kentucky Derby in which finally going was totally a bucket list thing to do :)

The famed Twin Spires of Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, behind me and my BTE hoodie :)

It even came BACK to me when it was stolen along with some other gear from my car a few years ago. I notified a nearby hotel to the business the Jeep was broken into and a few days later, everything not worth money to the thief was dumped behind the hotel and I got my hoodie back! It was honestly the thing I had been most sad to lose that day.

I was probably wearing it when laying my old Border Collie, Fred, to rest... I was probably wearing it the following week when I found Fred's successor, Griffin, at the local Humane Society. And no, Griff wasn't named for BTE frontman, Kevin Griffin LOL My husband dubbed him Griffin since, as a 7 month old BC pup, Griff had quite a mane of hair!

I was probably wearing it when I sold my horse, and I know I was wearing it when I tried out my soon-to-be new horse, Sully. I was certainly wearing it when I brought Sully home a week later!

Sully's first day home

Gotta say, I don't think many items of clothing see this much wear anymore... it still sees regular wear now, it's my first choice to throw on for those cool mornings in the spring and fall when heading to work at stupid o'clock and to cuddle up in on breaks when I get chilly. I'm sad, though, the elbows are finally wearing out, mostly it's the right side where I used to rest it on the center console of my old Jeep Cherokee Sport when I drove. That Cherokee is now sadly wrecked and gone to the great big junkyard in the sky... But I do hope I'll be able to replace this hoodie soon, I will feel lost when it's finally gone after 4 1/2 years together. So thank you Better Than Ezra for licensing the most favorite item of clothing I've ever owned in my life!