Tag: Music

The one where I was content to drink dirt, witness a reptile romance, and still be a good human.

I had an (almost) surprise visitor on Friday morning.

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Linds decided to drive to our neck of the woods and pick up some juice from an open juice bar. She brought me a few, picked up a puzzle, and loved on Max for a few minutes.

Even though Max was adopted by Lolo, he lived with both girls for many years and he absolutely LOVES Lindsay. He was so happy he was whining/crying/moaning; it was cute and weird. But, he’s cute and weird.

Anyhoo… she brought me two fresh-cold-pressed juices of my choosing; one of them contained beet juice. There’s nothing better than drinking something that tastes like dirt; it was reminiscent of my childhood.

****

Saturday morning I opened the door to go outside and I found two snakes ‘gettin’ jiggy wit it’ on my sidewalk.

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They’re common blacksnakes; we have a lot of them and they are essential.

Like healthcare workers for my yard.

I felt bad that I interrupted them, but I suppose I didn’t really interrupt because they kept doing what they were doing, like what my eyes saw didn’t matter.

I stepped back inside and then I wondered if I really saw what I thought I saw.

The next step, of course, was to google: Do snakes have sex? 

The answer was YES and it can take hours or a whole day. I surely hope I didn’t mess up their day; plus, that poor girl!

My life has been so exciting that I actually pondered this for a while.

***

We had a really nice weekend. Our event on Friday night was more fun than we should be having on our couch.

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Aside from the musicians playing some tunes, there is constant chatting on the side with some awesome people from all over the world. (85-90 people were with us)

It was fun ‘talking’ with our friends who we’ve not been able to see while listening to the music and raising funds for Liberty Manor.

***

A lot of you have asked about how I like wordpress.com compared to blogger; so far I really do like it.

I’m going to work on a post about the pros/cons as soon as I feel like I’m a semi-pro.

I hope everyone had an equally pleasant weekend; whether on your couch or on your porch swing.

XOXO

 

Peer pressure at home, you can refer to me as Mother Nature and Doing some good while sitting on the couch.

Can I just tell you all, that your sweet comments really make my day?

I love when someone takes the time to visit my little corner of the world and then leave me a nice note. YOU.ROCK.

It’s like you were on your way home from the store, I just so happened to be at my mailbox when you drive by and we catch up for a few minutes.

{{virtual hugs}}

I was face-timing with the girls earlier this week, as I’ve been doing a lot.

Mostly Linds and I; she’s alone 24/7 and has in the past struggled with some health-anxiety issues; I’m proud to say, she’s killing it during this quarantine. Cooking, cleaning, working on a movie list and calling her Mom whenever she feels like it.

I’m so proud of her.

HI, LINDS!

Sometimes during our face-timing, we can drag Lolo away from her dog and school work.

I distinctly remember when they were little and when one wanted to talk to me, then the other would too.

My head would spin trying to hear both and give equal attention.

Well, that part has not changed.

They both stated that they were waiting for me to update the blog with a new post; but how can I do that if I’m face-timing for hours at a time?

What say you? There are 22 more hours in a day?  

Honestly, I’ll never complain about my girls wanting to talk with me.

During one of our extra-long face time sessions, Lolo began preparing her dinner in the crockpot. Linds was giving directions and then they began to make deviled eggs together.

They asked me to make some too, but I only had 3 eggs.

Later, they sent pics of their deviled eggs via our family chat.

A minute later, the Coach asked for some deviled eggs for when he got home.

I texted that we ONLY HAVE 3 because PANDEMIC.

Being a man of simplicity, he said, that sounds like 6 halves. 

I succumbed to deviled egg peer pressure.

I’m much easier than I appear.

***

Last week I attempted to switch over to WordPress as opposed to blogger.

Why you say? Because I’ve not had a reason to bang my head against a wall until I can’t feel anything for quite a while.

It’s a task that will take me some time, and I hope I don’t give up and succumb to google/blogger for the duration of my blogging life.

The rumor mill around town is that WordPress is not as limiting as the blogger platform and I dream of NOT being limited.

***

Thursday morning we woke up to a nice heavy rain. My first thoughts were we’ve been needing rain and my second thought was: “My garden caterpillars are going to drown.”

I exclaimed this to Coach and he said: it’s nature, they’re used to it.

I don’t know who he is or who he thinks he’s dealing with because I AM NATURE.

**

This morning I woke up and apparently we’ve gone back in time…back to January.

The Coach has all the doors and windows open, it’s 61* and I had to put a sweatshirt on over my PJ’s. THAT Is glorious as it’s been in the high 90’s daily.

We actually have some plans this weekend! *suz shouts from the rooftop*

Do you remember all the events/fundraising we do for our disabled veterans?

Well, it’s mostly the Coach, but by default, I get to be a part of it too.

He’s got two events planned for August and September on the East and West coast of Florida with our beloved songwriters.

Tonight, he’s arranged an at-home event with songwriters via Stageit.com. It’s a ‘pay what you can’ concert with 100% of the proceeds going directly to Liberty Manor.

The mission of Liberty Manor for Veterans, Inc. is to promote the developmental and social needs of disabled, honorably discharged veterans who have fallen victim to homelessness by providing them transitional, supported housing and establishing objectives designed to attribute to self-sufficiency.

Liberty Manor is doing SO much good for our veterans who have served our country and then have through various reasons, become homeless.

Reading the success stories hit my heart in a big way.

So, if you’re not doing anything tonight, tune in. 7:30. We personally know all of the songwriters and you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you hear the stories behind the songs that you hear on the radio.

**

So, that’s all from me. This was longer than I had planned, but what else do you, me, us have to do?

SADLY, NOTHING.

Have a great weekend and thank you again for being my friends who live inside the computer.

XO

Smoking, singing, Thanksgiving-ing.

Happy Tuesday before Thanksgiving!
We’re all a ‘flutter around here and it’s not just the butterflies.

As I type this, we have two guys removing & replacing (banging) some wood floors in the theater/party room, new countertops will be delivered soon and the plumber and electrician are on schedule for tomorrow morning.
All I asked for when we started talking about this project 6 months ago was that it was completed by Thanksgiving. So, if the workers depart 10 minutes before we eat, the Coach has come through. 🙂

The Coach is a busy smoking bee. On Friday he and some of our awesome employees smoked 700 lbs of turkey that will be delivered to the Bahamas, then he and my Uncle smoked 150 lbs of turkey on Sunday for the homeless that we delivered on Sunday evening.

{A freezer full of smoked turkey heading to Hope Town, Abacos Bahamas}
Need anything smoked? He’s your guy. 
Saturday night we headed to a private party where some of our favorite songwriters were performing. 

Wyatt Durrette and the Coach. Wyatt won the Song of the Year at the Country Music Awards a few weeks ago for Luke Combs “Beautiful Crazy”. (I think that makes 17 or 18 #1 songs he’s written) He’s a beautiful soul and we always enjoy our time with him. 

Our Friend Patrick Davis also performed at the party. (along with Levi Lowery) They’re such sweet souls with lots of talent and we’re proud to call them friends because they are also very charitable.

{Suz, Phyllis, Patrick, and Michelle}

It always pays to spend time with good friends. Suz got an unsolicited breast exam from Phyllis. Good news, I’m healthy!

My Aunt and Uncle arrived on Saturday and will spend the week with us, my Cuz Patrick arrives today. We only have 8 of us for Thanksgiving, so it will be small and intimate. Totally manageable and  I won’t lose my remaining 3 marbles.

Wishing everyone a beautiful week and Thanksgiving day with those that you love to hang with and *cheers* to not losing your marbles!!

XOXO

Creating deliciousness for Callie and the reunion with my first love.

This past Saturday night the Coach and I had a rambling good time. We spent over 3 hours making food for Callie. I hope you’re not jelly of all the glamorous fun we have around these parts. I know, last you heard, we were watering trees; I can hardly stand it myself.

Anyhoo, our sweet, old, beat up, wore out, former cattle herder loves homemade food. So, what else can we do, but tend to her every whim and desire?

This was our biggest batch yet; 33 jars which equate to 66 meals, which equates to 66 days of Callie being happy. (If you were wondering, we make a meatloaf type meal for her in big pans, cook it, then let it cool enough to can. Ground beef, ground turkey, eggs, green beans, spinach, white rice, sweet potatoes & pumpkin. The recipe varies a tad depending on veggies available)

FYI: That keto ice cream up there bites; flavorless & textureless, I don’t know what I was thinking. And I didn’t see those chocolate nuggets till I took this pic. This is what happens when I let Coach go to Costco without me.

Callie might not be the brightest bulb in the box, but she knows when her food is being prepared right from when we get out the food processor till the last pan is cleaned up. She’s there to get a few licks from each (8 total) pan. Pretty much like licking the beaters when your Mom makes a cake. 

So, after all that excitement, I drove to Orlando and met up with my girl Kelly; we had a date!!

Who knew I had a thing for guys who wear more makeup than I do? 

It’s been 36 years since our reunion and I just know he was p*ssed that it took me so long. Or maybe that’s just his face.

 Kelly didn’t know ONE Adam Ant song until a few months ago when she agreed to go with me.
That is a good friend! She said I can pay her back by seeing Meatloaf. That’s ok. I don’t mind watching food.

Damn flash and lighting. We really aren’t 90 years old. 
The concert was great. Adam Ant is 64 and can still sing and dance. Albeit, not as fast or sexy as back in the day….but who can? 

More than likely, he’s bald under the hat and scarves.

Did you know Adam Ant’s real name is Stuart Goddard? Well, you’re not a true fan if you didn’t know that. Also, you’d need to know that in order to make a long distance/over seas call back in 1982 to see if the operator could actually get him on the phone so you could profess your love to him when you were 14.

BTW: She couldn’t find his number. Tragic.

My newest pet peeve with technology and change: concert tickets. They’re either on your phone or you print out this ugly piece of paper. 

Gone are the days when I could put all our tickets in a scrapbook for posterity. One less thing I’ll get to burden my children with. 

So, has anyone had as much excitement as Suz this past week? Sharing is caring.
XOXO

A quick little getaway to Nashville to see some awesome people. #Hope4Hopetown

A few days after hurricane Dorain hit the small Abacos islands of the Bahamas our friend Patrick Davis was working on fundraising. These small islands get very little support from the Bahamian government. I HOPE I’m not going to shock anyone, but the government is crooked.
Yes, I’m speaking of ALL government, but today we’re focusing on the Bahamas.
FYI: The Hope 4 Hopetown fundraiser is 100% legit; I can vouch for Patrick Davis and the Coach is also on the board. Ain’t no one less crooked than these guys.

Anyhoo a minute after the fundraiser was in motion Patrick threw together a ‘once in a lifetime’ music event at the Ryman Auditorium.
He had a sold-out show booked, advertised and sold out in 10 days at the beloved Ryman.

I have some great videos and photos of the amazing artists; Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Lee Brice, Kristian Bush (Sugarland), Charles Kelly (Lady Antebellum), LoCash, Florida/Georgia Line, James Otto and many more.
It was perhaps the most amazing night ever. Sorry Coach, our honeymoon was so long ago.
*snicker snicker*
I had sad tears.
I had happy tears.
Much like my high school days.

Hey, I recognize that guy.

Jamey Johnson and Randy Houser

 Dierks Bentley

 Charles Kelly from Lady Antebellum. At one point he motioned for one of the back up singers to come and do a duet with him. It was great. At the afterparty I spoke to the young lady and told her how great she did and she said: “I can’t believe I was up on stage with all of these amazing artists, I was freaking out inside!”

 Florida Georgia Line-Not my favorite band, but they were great to be there supporting.

 Our sweet friend Wyatt Durette singing Toes in the Sand that he wrote with Zac Brown.

Did anyone watch the show Nashville? I keep meaning to…anyhoo this is Charles Esten of that show who also sings. 

Have you heard of Hootie and the Blowfish? 😉 Here is Darius Rucker and Mark Bryan. They just finished their American tour last week and are heading to Europe for another tour. Our friend Patrick Davis is opening up for them for a few shows. The Coach asked if I wanted to go. 
Umm. No. Can we please stay home for a while? 

If you’ve ever listened to country music, you’ve heard this amazing song. Perhaps my most favorite country song ever. 
We’ve heard James Otto (he wrote the song about his Grandfather) sing the song many times, but this was our first time seeing Jamey Johnson (who cut the song recording) sing it. They were amazing together. 

 And how about these rock stars??

It was such a fantastic weekend, but man, when we arrived home on Tuesday night, we were done. Done like dinner. We met some amazing people who are like-minded doing a lot of good stuff for our Bahamian friends. Made some more connections. The Coach and I have a big surprise arriving in a few weeks….you’ll never guess what it is. 
This weekend has been us catching up on all the stuff we’ve been needing to do for the last month. 
Wishing all my peeps a great day and weekend. 
XOXO

That time we had so much fun helping our Veterans.

We held our second annual Songwriters For Vets this past weekend….and it was a doozy!
The Coach came up with this idea to raise funds for our good friends foundation that she started for her late husband; it’s paying off in spades. Kevin is proud.
Do people still say that? Why do I need multiple spades?
Every ticket was sold.
It’s a three hour show with the songwriters ‘Blue Bird Cafe’ style. They talk about the songs they’ve written that are now big hits and then perform them. I can no longer hear Zac Brown singing some of his songs….I only hear the writers now. Same for songs on the radio by Luke Combs, Chris Young and Lee Brice.

Last year Lindsay was in New Zealand and Lolo came with us. This year Lolo is in VA and Lindsay came with us…as well as Lolo’s Nathan and Coach’s parents and just about every friend we have because our friends love the same stuff that we do. Doing good. And good music. 

Next to Linds I look like an average sized person.
Next to Django Walker and Patrick Davis, I look like a toddler. 

The whole famalamadingdong

The faces!!
I didn’t take any real pictures this night, but at least I got my MIL and FIL into one of these this time. 

It was such a great night raising funds for wounded veterans who deserve so much for what they’ve sacrificed for us.

We had a surprise guest this time and I thought some people might have lost their minds with excitement. We were blessed with the one and only Edwin McCain. The next time the Coach and I get married Edwin is gonna sing this song to us. This was our second time meeting him, and he couldn’t have been a sweeter human.

Actually all of the songwriters/performers were sweethearts. It was such a fun and positve night for all involved.
It was a lot of planning and footwork, but well worth it.

The one where I see my ~not so secret~ boyfriend for the thousandth time.

It’s pretty well known that I have a long distance love affair with Dave Matthews. Well, it’s usually long distance except when he’s in our state. Then it’s just a distance love affair minus the LONG.
Dave was on the East coast again and we had plans to see him with our friends.

My husband is the best. He knows about my other boyfriend, but he’s such a strong and confident man, that he’s ok with it. Plus, I know all his passwords and I hold the key to the bank safe deposit box.

It was such a great show! We’ve not been able to attend in a few years, so it was sweet to be reuinited for a night. 
Our faves Kelly and Don have a VIP box and it’s nice to have real seats, food and drink delivery. No crowded riff raff seats for us spoiled people. 
BUT we can still smell ALL the MaryJane. What is it with middle aged people and the pot?

I’m not exagerrating when I say that I woke up  in the middle of the night and all I could smell was POT.  It was imbedded in my nostrils.  I’m sure I’m down several brain cells after every DMB concert we attend. We actually look like we have a contact high in that pic up there.

We brought Callie with us this weekend to Don and Kelly’s and she made herself at home. She took over Milo’s (the cutest boxer boy ever) bed.

Milo didn’t make a fuss…he let the old lady have his bed and he just rested his face on the ottoman. Ya know, sometimes your face gets heavy.

He’s so sweet and funny. He really makes us miss our boxers. *sigh*
Maybe one day.

All in all it was an excellent weekend with excellent people, excellent dogs and some pot.

I hope you had a fun weekend too, whether you were high or not.
XOXO