Monthly Archives: July 2014

Our Baby Valentine

Introducing baby Valentine! Excuse me while I wax personal for a moment:

Pure beauty.

Sleeping baby Valentine

On July 17th at around 2:15am our fourth (and final, so I’m told) child was born. We named her Valentine Nelson. My wife, Tiffany, is doing well. She is an amazing mother and I am so grateful for her willingness to go through with it again, and again, and again—as if once wasn’t traumatizing enough. I just wanted to take a minute to celebrate life, publicly. It is times like these that afford me the rare opportunity to reflect, and to contemplate the things that matter most.

Tiff and Valentine, both doing great!

“Babies,” everybody loves “babies.” Even if they don’t love babies its inhuman, un-American and practically unforgivable to say it out loud. Baby Valentine would be the first of my kids to end up on my Instagram page as a newborn, and judging by the reaction I’d say people are naturally baby fans (at least in moderate doses).  “Family” is another one. Who can argue against anything “family?”

Life on a couch.

Tiffany, Valentine and I on our outdoor Sactionals.

Because of this, there is no special, unique, or original way for me to say it…this will probably just sound like another “nice thing to say.” But in case anyone out there is feeling distracted, stressed-out, stretched-thin, or otherwise confused about things, let me say this: It really is all about our family, relationships, people…love. Everything else is dust.

Everything else is dust

Yeah, we all gotta earn a living and we all gotta make ends meet. I make couches. But in the end, if you really think back, the relationships we build with those closest to us are the things that not only makeup our fondest memories, but they are the only things that endure.

The WHOLE fam

Our baby Valentine is the newest piece of our family, and at just over one week old, she has already joined us for an evening or two on the couch.  (We’ve added another Base to our Sactionals just to make room for her.) I feel blessed and I feel grateful. In case it is not clear yet, this is what #LifeOnaCouch is all about, for me.

 

What does #LifeOnaCouch mean to you?

— Shawny

Twitter.com/Shawny_Nelson

The Lovesac Tour Bus for $1

Goodbyes are never easy. In the case of the 1998 Gulf Stream F5 Tour Bus used for our promotional tours in the first years of this millennium, saying goodbye will be extremely tough. In an effort to focus funds on brand expansion, we’re auctioning off the vehicle which saw coast-to-coast trips throughout the early 2000’s as the brand was built. The auction started at $1 (although it’s gone up a little since then) and there’s no reserve set- it has to go! The list of celebrity visits, near-death experiences, and straight-up lunacy that occurred on this bus is extensive, some of which can be seen on the Lovesac Bus Blog. For those of you who are like me and don’t like prancing around the Internet, here is a list of my most memorable moments from the Lovesac Tour Bus:

What a beauty!

The Lovesac Tour Bus

5. The Trip to Huntington Beach

Each year in the early years of Lovesac, it was a tradition for me to personally visit each and every store across the country. Once we acquired the bus, I decided to just start driving it on these cross-country tours. Most of the tours ended in Huntington Beach, California, where I actually lived for a short time in 2002. Surfing the Pacific Ocean is something I’ll never forget.

The Pacific Ocean is beautiful!

Surfing at Huntington Beach

4. Safe Driving Techniques

Much of the fun we had with the Lovesac bus came just from actually driving the bus. We tried our best to follow all posted speed limits and traffic laws, but it didn’t always work out as planned. That’s why it can be handy to know someone who is an expert on driving laws in Georgia, or where you’re going along the way. One night we rolled upon an iced-over, vacant lot in Omaha, Nebraska, and a little bit of madness ensued- resulting in the Director of Retail who was filming nearby almost getting run over by the gargantuan rear-end of the spinning bus.
These types of accidents can’t be helped sometimes due to weather conditions, even if you allow change to your routine things can still go wrong. However, some people don’t care about the changing conditions and will still drive like everything is normal! This eventually leads to massive accidents and violations, meaning that they may be required to go back to driving school either in person or online, like this driving course website – https://www.myimprov.com/traffic-school/lowest-price/. Luckily no-one was seriously hurt with our accident and we all came out intact, just shows it can happen to anyone at any time.

3. MC Hammer/Vanilla Ice Reunion Concert

In 2009, it was someone’s twisted idea to get MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice to reunite for a 90’s concert in Salt Lake City. We’re not going to mention any names, but someone at Lovesac decided it would be a good idea to sponsor the event. So for a couple days in March of 2009, the touring Lovesac crew hung around with Mr. “Too Legit to Quit” himself on and off the bus and witnessed a whole bunch of Hammer Time.

Hammer Time!

MC Hammer and the Lovesac Bus

2. Winter X-Games Taxi Service

During the 2009 Winter X-Games in Aspen, Colorado, Lovesac was doing various promotional events in the areas surrounding the annual action sports extravaganza. These events required the Lovesac bus driving from the nearby village to the contest itself. At one point we thought it would be nice to help taxi some of the people walking and trying to get to the same destination as us. At one point we had over 50 people on the bus, disco light spinning, and the music blasting. Being at Winter X was definitely a memorable point for a lot of the Lovesac crew- and the bus made that possible.

1. Jessie James Tour Transport

During the rise of pop star Jessie James, we teamed up with Def Jam and used the Lovesac Bus to get her around the country for various shows and interviews. We zig-zagged our way across the southeast starting in Houston, going as far down south as Miami and finally finishing in our Country’s capital. The tour was packed full of radio station visits, performances, Impromptu Lovesac Lounges, pranks, great food, stories and lots of laughter. Easily one of my favorite moments on the Lovesac Bus.

Jessie James on a Sac!

Jessie James on the Tour Bus Sac

The people we met and the places we saw while touring the country on this bus are memories that will last a lifetime. The bus itself is fully-loaded in every way imaginable, from thousands of dollars worth of electronics to Sactionals, Sacs, and pillows- even the motorized disco ball is still hanging in there! Read more about the eBay auction for the Lovesac bus by clicking here. Good luck to everyone bidding, and to the winner- take care of our bus, it helped us become the beloved brand that we are today!

Look at that shag carpet!

The inside of the Lovesac bus

– Shawny

A Soldier’s Couch Life

With the 4th of July upon us, we pause to recognize the extreme bravery of men and women who stand ready to defend this great nation of ours, and our privilege to feel safe–on our couch at home. We think of the soldiers that have given their lives to protect our freedoms and the troops still fighting on foreign soil today, as well as those ready to ship out when called upon. This year I found myself pondering what exactly it is that drives someone to devote their life to something so dangerous as going to battle. What makes a man or woman, a son or daughter, a father or mother give up the safety of civilian life and place themselves in harm’s way?

To understand this I sat down with Lance Corporal Michael Lucas, an Aviation Support Operator for the Marine Corps Reserves. In his early 20’s, Michael took a temporary leave from a fantastic job at Sikorsky Aircraft in Bridgeport, Connecticut and started training to serve our country. Although he is in the Reserves, Michael still devotes his time to training and preparing in the case that he is called upon to fight. During our conversation, I asked Michael what a soldier’s couch life consists of. I also asked him what drove him to join the Corps, and his answer echoed the response that has been given by so many before him- “I love this country”. That patriotism of our troops, that belief that this country is worth giving a life for, is what has allowed us to remain the “home of the free” for as long as we have.

Lance Corporal Lucas at 29 Palms.

Lance Corporal Lucas and fellow Marine near 29 Palms base in California.

It’s sometimes easy to get into the swing of a holiday, grill up some tasty food, and fall into a comfy couch. But it’s so important to remember the true spirit of the 4th of July, a victory of independence from Great Britain, and the lives that were given to gain that freedom as well as the all those devoted to protecting it. Thanks to Lance Corporal Lucas for sitting down with me and telling your story- God Bless you and every other soldier that makes our comfortable lives on a couch possible.

Lance Corporal Lucas after graduating boot camp.

Lance Corporal Lucas with his nephew after graduating boot camp at Parris Island.

I am patriotic–and I am grateful.

— Shawny