Key West at a glance.....Day 2

Thursday, Oct. 30


We slept in on Thursday morning, finally went to lunch with the Emmon's around noon at Carolines on Duval. Enjoying daytime on Duval was interesting. We all tried the calamari and conch fritters!! Both were very enjoyable! At this point, the Emmons wanted to hit the beach (something Ive Never done in KW!) and Craig and I went to the Conch Farm to hear James Sunny Jim White. We spent some time listening to James, reliving our Jamaican vacation, then decided we would take Tall Paul's advice to come to the Southern Most Cafe for a singer/songwriter gig hosted by Matt Wahl. What a pleasant surprise!! Upon arrival, we were greeted with big hugs from Paul and Kristie then entered to find our good friends from Milwaukee, Rick and Sherry!! We sat at the bar on the edge of the beach, listening to wonderful musicians! We heard a little of Matt, then Mike Broward (formerly of Stars on the Water), The Cedar Island Band (featuring our very good friend, Doug Rassler!!), and also our newest favorite musician John Reno!! When John sang his song, Magic Chair, Craig looked and me said, "Wow, I really like his voice" This was the first of 8 cds I brought home from KW. We ended the show with Paul. What a Great show!!!

Our next stop was the Lighthouse Court. This is another artists gathering hosted by Kelly McGuire! Luckily, we were there when Kelly was singing. He launched into one of Craig's favorite songs, Daddies and Daughters. It was so moving, brought me to tears! Rob Mehl came by to talk to us...its always so nice to be recognized and spoken to. Rob is a key reason for Craig and I signing up for the Sunset Cruise on Sat. night. I love Rob's music. I bought the new Cd, Havana Good Time. Also, at the Lighthouse, we had the privilege to hear John Reno again. Yeah!! I was also introduced to a very VERY good looking pans player, John Patti! The photo describes all..... (Ohhh Jamie... you would have loved him. )




On our way back to the B & B, our friends, Rick and Janice had called to say they had arrived and were ready to see Key West!!! We re-grouped at the Bed and Breakfast, we set out to show them a great time. We met up with the Emmon's at the Lazy Gecko to hear Don Middlebrook!! What a great, fan involved, show! The lazy Gecko is a great place to see a show, you can watch the traffic on Duval while enjoying some wonderful music!!



After Donnie's show, we all loaded up into a very small cab and headed to Louie's Backyard!!!! Wow, the landscape there is beautiful!!!! We had drinks out by the beach while waiting for our table, our table overlooked the beach. One highlight for me was glancing at the table near us, I saw the author Tom Corcoran!!!! I was speechless! Ofcourse, I shared who he was with the table, nobody had heard of him with the exception of Craig. I was so impressed... It took all I had not to speak to him. I respected his quite night out with friends and didnt say anything, but wow... I would have loved to shake his hand!! Our dinner was simply amazing!

Fully stuffed, not knowing if we were able to even drink, we headed back to Hog's Breath to end our night with Hughie! Upon arrival, one highlight for me was standing near the bar and the friendly bartender looks at me and says, "Hey, I remember you..Indiana right?" Seriously... this same bartender remembers me every year! I must have really Really had a GREAT time my first year at the hog. *Those of you who were there, no comments please!!! hahahaha* We were met with all our friends again, Mike and Joe were holding down those bar stools ready for a great show. We all gathered together our nightly Key Lime Shooters and take in Hugo's show! It's always exciting with Greg "Fingers" Taylor on stage. Amy Lee also joined Hughie this year! He never ceases to amaze me! My all time favorite Hugo song is: Between you and Me. Don Middlebrook showed up at the show to party with us. What a night! On our way home, Craig and I made it to the nearest pizza stand. ughh....still No Mr. Z's!

Key West at a glance.....

It's hard to sit down and really reflect and blog all of my MOTM memories. There are soo many! You get to that little island and time seems to move so fast, its uncanny! Before I knew it, it was Monday and time to come back to my 'current reality'. Ughh.. Soo in this segment, I am going to try to take you through my key west experience. There is no way to discuss all the wonderful new friends and musicians we met, but ...im gonna try!

Wednesday, Oct. 29

We arrive in Miami around 2pm, after getting the rent-a-car, we took off for our first drive down through the keys! I was anxious wanting to be there already, but at the same time wanting to take my time and really enjoy the drive! I can say, I am so glad we drove down. It is so beautiful and yet so different than I expected. I wanted to stop every 20 miles or so., but when you travel with Craig Kirk you go from destination #1 straight through to destination #2 with minimal stops! We finally arrived in KW around 6pm. I love our Bed and Breakfast, they are without a doubt the most friendly and wonderful staff. If you travel to KW and need a cozy place to stay, I recommend the Key West Bed and Breakfast! Jody and Liz will take Great care of you! We checked in our cute little room with a huge king size bed with white sheer curtains draped over the 4 posts and canopy. It was lovely! We hit the ground running to one of our favorite restaurants on the island, Conch Republic... the locals call it the Conch Farm. As we approach the building, I can already hear Don Middlebrook crooning the crowd. We found a seat near the band and ordered our first Landsharks! Don yells from the mic, "I was wondering when you were gonna get here, Teacher of the Year!"... ahhhh life is good. Bring on the crab cakes! As we were sitting listening to Don, we received a text from friends from Indiana asking how we were doing. Craig responds where we are and what we are doing..ending his text with "wish you could join us'.... shortly later, 2 friends come running and sit at our table...its our friends from IN... The Emmon's!!!!! Little did we know, they had planned on coming with us all along and kept it a secret! What a fantastic surprise!!!

After Don's show, we headed to Margaritaville to catch some of the Boat Drunks show. It was rumored that Mike Miller, the former base player would be sitting in. I love walking down Duval Street at night. There is simply nothing like it! As we get to Mville, I look up and smile, seeing a reminder of why I was there... a tiny sticker that started my love for trop rock: St. Somewhere... We found a table and they were rocking! I noticed the new base player and was kinda disappointed not to see Mike. I glanced around the full bar to find Tracy Golub, (Howie's wife) and didn't see her... so I sat and listened. Jake announced Mike was there and ready to jam. I looked up and saw Mike appear from the crowd without his signature hat (someone brought it for him) and with A LOT of curly hair and full goatee....he looks so different!! I found myself moving to the side of the bar next to the stairs so that I could see Mike without a ton of people in front of me. I was standing right next to Howie.... There were other people there too... Howie spoke to me.. and I watched in awe at Mike as he sang, "This Aint Duval St."... while taking many photos, I noticed Howie looking at me, then motioning me to look aside, there beside me was Tracy! We were standing next to another and didn't realize it, both were watching Mike! What a funny episode...Howie just laughed at us when we saw each other! Mike went on to sing my favorite BD song, Hollow Man. I can honestly say that song is one of my very favorite songs!! Mike also sang Southern Cross like nobody else can. It brought chills to me... Once I returned to our table, I found our friends were already tired and headed back to their hotel. It was only midnight! Seriously, we hadn't made it to Hog's Breath! Later, John Frinzi joined the Drunks on stage. I so love John's voice. What another wonderful suprise!!!!!

Again, we headed down Duval... so much to see and enjoy. We reach the World's Smallest Bar and know we almost home. Turning the corner and hearing Hughie drifting through the night-air... makes me shudder. I stood at the corner of the parking lot briefly to take it all in. Walking up to the Hog, its like coming home to a disfunctional family reunion! Suddenly people are popping out of nowhere to say "HI". Milwaukee Mike greets us with big hugs!!! Its so great seeing him again, we always have a Great time with Mike, what an amazingly wonderful friend! He is with Joe from South Carolina whom Im sure we've met before. Next, we see IOWA... nothing Beenblossom to come running up for a full body, wrap her legs around me hug! Mike leans over and says, "hey, can I get a hug like that?" Welcome to Key West! Next, I see my favorite dance partner coming... I love Steve and Gayla Mitchell! Steve and I always save a dance at the Hog. We met the Mitchell's several years ago in Jamaica with Sunny Jim and Matt Hall. Steve and I seemed to leave those last impressions on everyone. We can always count on spending quality time with Steve and Gayla at the Hog at least once a year! Wonderful people! As the night progresses, I walk through to get a drink aware of the Hogcam and wondering if anyone sees me, I signal to say Hi.. then I turn my attention to Hugo, he notices me and nods or waves. Hugo's music speaks to me, the energy, the feel of the crowd.... Life is good...im Home!

Finally making it back to the B & B around 3am. Mr. Z's will have to wait till tomorrow.... And to think...this is only DAY 1~~~~~

Fall.... sports, activities, and vacation

I love Fall!! The months leading into fall this year have been absolutely wonderful!! Even though it was a bit warmer than normal, the cool air is a refreshing welcome! This year, fall has been the beginning of several new activities and opportunities. We started volleyball season with Lauren, and soccer season with Carly and Hallie. Basically that means we played a volleyball game 2-4 times a week and then spent the better half of a Sunday afternoon at the soccer field. Would I change it for the world? Not at all!! I guess I really enjoy being a sports mom! Lauren is a fairly good volleyball player, because of her strength, she stands 10 feet behind the line before she serves the ball, otherwise, it will go out on the opposite side of the gym. Friends laugh and say we are going to need to take out a wall soon. Hopefully, she will learn to control that strength and serve more normally in the years to come. Regardless, she is tall and can spike the ball fairly well. Im very proud of her. Carly and Hallie love soccer. (of all the sports my girls play, I can honestly say....soccer isn't my favorite.) Carly really enjoys playing soccer. She is aggressive and has success with the sport! Hallie is the tallest girl on her 5-6 yr old team. She scores anywhere between 3-7 goals a game. She is very aggressive and often pushes opponents and teammates out of the way to get the ball. We are working on this!

This fall has been the year of re-connecting!!!! Several months ago, my friends and I began planning our 20 year class reunion. (Seriously, am I that old?) In the hunt to find friends and save money, many of us joined Facebook as a means to reconnect. It has opened a world of the past!! We found so many of our high school classmates. Prior to the reunion, many has posted old pictures from High School on their page. We would chat about old times and what we are doing now on Facebook. I can't tell you how much fun it has been hearing from good childhood friends. This small gesture has lead to some other 'old friends'. I've reconnected with several friends I went to camp with in high school. Others that I knew from other schools. It really has made me reflect to my youth. Good friends are always there, even if you haven't seen or spoken to them in 20 years. I also learned of some things I didn't know had happened while we were in college. Ask me about the guy I went to high school who also went to IU with me. My freshman year roommate read my diary to him (regarding another high school classmate) one night when I wasn't there!! I had no clue this happened until my 20 year reunion! Seriously!!!!

Finally, the last sign of fall...is KEY WEST!!! Yep, I am going again this year! I can't wait!!! We leave very soon. We are attending the Meeting of the Minds Parrothead convention! It's a Buffett weekend full of amazing entertainers and good friends from across the US. We are staying at the lovely Key West Bed and Breakfast. The excitement this year, is that we are flying into Miami and driving down through the Keys this year! I've never done this, I have always just flown into KW. I am so excited to travel down through the keys! I am anxiously waiting to spend the last few hours of the day listening to one of my favorite musicians HUGO at the Hog's Breath. He is so talented and full of energy. I honestly can't wait! Sitting at the Conch Republic, listening to Donnie is another of my all time favorite things to do in KW. I am counting down the days, and before I know it... I will be back in my Indiana chair reflecting on it...it will be over so quickly...I hope I can stop and take it all in.....

I truly love fall!!

Today is a Good Day!

Saturdays... such a wonderful day. Typically, we are busy watching some sporting event for the girls. But today, Craig went out to the softball diamond to mow. Lauren went to the Cross Country meet with a friend, (only after being dumped at 7:30am, her freshman boyfriend sent her a text message with the news.) Carly, Hallie and myself were at home relaxing.

The morning was spent watching the Ryder Cup and cleaning. I mean, Really cleaning. We cleaned out all three of the girls rooms, their dresser drawers and closets. What a MESS!! But now at 4pm, the rooms are momentarily spotless. (realizing these will only last a few rare minutes.) I just sat down to focus all my attention on the football game.

There is nothing like University of Tennessee Football!!! Go VOLS!! It's funny, we have been Vols fans for many years. I guess we can blame Kevin Wiley for this, but several years ago, Kevin and Craig were talking sports and Kevin's love for the Vols. It became contagious. The first time you are in Knoxville on game day, you are Hooked! The entire city wears orange. I mean Everyone!!! If you get the chance, go! Even if you don't attend the game, being downtown on the strip on game day is absolutely breath taking! We walked up and down the street in our orange with everyone else. Awesome!! However, today we are playing Florida, and currently they are kicking our ass... hoping for more offense, soon! Go vols!!

In about an hour, I will start prepping for Gumbo. Craig and I were eating lunch a little cafe here in town a few years ago, we both had the Gumbo and loved it. I came home to find a recipe. After looking online I did what most people do, I combined all the ingredients that I like and created my own Gumbo recipe. It is without a doubt, the one meal that Craig and both love!! We typically have company on Gumbo night, frankly due to the fact that its not really that great the next day. Soon, I will get the soup on, I love to let it simmer for hours, the scent is wonderful! Tonight friends are coming over to watch the IU football game and eat gumbo. I am hoping it will be cool enough to build a fire outside. Who knows...

All I can say, is its a good day!! My house is clean, we are watching the Ryder Cup and the Vols, soon we will have the scent of gumbo, hear the pop of Landshark Lager, and good friends to share all of it with.

Life is good... enjoy it!

My new job!

Ya know, often I found myself wanting a new job. One that doesn't travel all over southern Indiana, one that puts me home when the girls get off the bus, one that (craig's favorite) secures a paycheck every two weeks is a job that I need. Two weeks into school, I received a phone call asking if I were interested in a job here in town at the local school district.

I was hired as a curriculum coach for five elementary schools. A Coach works in each of the elementary schools as a resource to help meet the needs of all the different types of learners. My job will provide teachers with resources and strategies to use in the classrooms.

I am excited about my job!! I am anxious to get back into the classroom to occasionally work with students and watch them 'learn'. There is nothing more rewarding than watching a child grow over time and reveal a concept or skill to them. Seeing them, "get it" makes the job all worth while.

Teachers touch lives!

Seriously mom?

For any of you who read this blog and never comment (which is almost EVERYONE), I wanted to bring your attention to my last post. "My baby is in Kindergarten"

My mother decided it was time for her to 'chime' in on her opinion of why my girls are the way they are. If you get a chance, click on the 1 comment below. If you know my mom, thank her for me!

Who knows, maybe this will encourage some of you others to post a comment!

My baby is in Kindergarten!

*sighs*

Well, last week my baby went to school. On her 6th birthday, I packed her up and took her to her first day of Kindergarten. She was so excited. She had her cute pink and green 'Justice' backpack, A new pink and black outfit, and several cookies to share. I had mixed emotions. At times, I was proud, sad, anxious, and old.

Looking at the moms coming into Kindergarten, I realized Hallie, being my last child, I am probably the oldest mom in her class. ugh!

After a week of school, she loves it! Her only question was if she had to go to school everyday? She really doesn't like getting up in the morning.

Just as I am getting Hallie in the elementary school. I dropped Lauren off at the Middle School. It breaks my heart to know that she is old enough to go! Ugh... She of course LOVES it because there is more freedom and she loves to socialize. *not sure where she gets that?*

anyway,

Life is short!