And so a new era in my circus life begins-- the beginnings of my own home! Until now, I have always lived in company-provided housing when on the road. At King Cole Circus, this meant that I shared a bunk room (one ninth of a semi-truck) with my sweet friend Torrie. In the semi, seven other compartments were bunk rooms, and the back of the truck was two bathrooms with a sink, shower, and toilet (one bathroom on each side). We never had hot water for showers, but luckily, it was so hot outside that the cool showers actually felt refreshing and wonderful! The rooms were narrow, but with plenty of head room. They had heating and air conditioning. We had bunk beds with a small closet, lots of room under the bed for storage, and self-bought plastic drawers along the wall opposite the beds. There was no kitchen of any sort, but the show had a cookhouse that provided three (often delicious!) meals a day, so we just kept dry snacks around for in-between. During my brief time with Valentine's Might American Circus, my friend Krista and I stayed in budget hotels as we traveled because we did not have our own RV, and the show did not have it's own company housing. Surprisingly, we were able to find some very clean and newly-renovated Motel 6's as we traveled primarily across the vast state of Texas. We had to provide our own meals here. At Carden Shrine Circus, I stayed in the bunk house once again, but here I had a private room. Though small, it still had a couch under the twin "bunk" bed, a table for eating, a small closet that I used as a pantry, and a mini-fridge and microwave. We had to provide our own meals on this show as well, but it was easier to do with the provided amenities. Here, there were no bathrooms in the bunk house trailer, but this show primarily plays in large arenas and buildings, and so we had access to full bathrooms and running-water showers inside. Mid-season, I transitioned into a show-owned travel trailer with four other girls. One girl and I shared the back room, which had 4 bunk beds. We each got two beds-- one for sleeping and one for our things. Another girl and her 9-year-old daughter had the front room, with one queen sized bed they shared and a closet. The final girl slept on the pull-out couch, and kept her things in the cabinets above the couch. It sounds like a lot, but we were actually very comfortable! Here, we had a full kitchen and bathroom, and it was glorious. After returning to my parent's home from Carden, however, I felt that it was time for a change. I bought a starship. Mostly. I traded in my 2014 Jeep Patriot, that had been so good to me on the road the past two years, and bought a 2015 Chevy Silverado 2500HD. It is a very large truck... and I am a pretty small girl at only 5ft2in. But I have to say, I absolutely ADORE my little spaceship! It drives so smooth and, as a 4x2, has surprisingly decent gas mileage. I named him Hank, a good working-man's name. I put a Baby Groot plushie in the center console as my co-pilot. And together, Hank, Groot, and I shall travel the US with the circus. The next step to home ownership is to find the home. It is my intention to find a clean, affordable Fifth Wheel trailer and pull it with Hank. Until recently, I have been happy in the bunk housing, living the adventure and loving the financial freedom it offered. I had thought that perhaps I would meet a nice circus man and we would make a nice circus home together, but now, having newly turned 31 and still being very single, I do not want to wait for a man just to create a more "stable" home for myself. I will create a beautiful new life right where I am, and perhaps a nice man will join me along the way. Adulting at it's finest, Ladies and Gentleman! ... with Groot.
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Brittany Sparklestravelling circus performer, trying to make adventures out of every-day life! Archives
February 2018
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