Holy Summer!

So I realized today that I have plans, big plans, for nearly every weekend this summer. Already. It's not even June.

Here is, more or less, my summer plans in chronological order: Kelly & Matt's wedding, Ness's birthday bash ( 5th anniversary of her 21st birthday), Anthony's HS grad part, Jessica's College grad part, wedding with Summer (her husband won't go, so I'm her date), Indy?, BROOKS N DUNN & GARY ALLEN w/ Ness @ Blossom, JIMMY BUFFETT in Pittsburgh, Steph's wedding shower, the 5th anniversary of my 21st birthday, Stephs bachelorette party... whooo boy. That's not even mentioning the summer staple events like camping, bonfires and floating at the pit. It's gonna be a good one folks!

Not gonna lie, most excited about Jimmy Buffett though. I've never seen him in concert, but I've been a huge fan for years! He has some of the best lyrics ever, I mean "The weather is here, wish you were beautiful. My beer's too cold, the daquairi too fruitiful." Come on! That's pure genius! My bff from highschool, Heather and I used to blast JB 24/7. If we weren't singing Cheeseburger in Paradise, something was wrong. Or we were sleeping.

I've even read his books. A Salty Piece of Land is probably my favorite. The best way I can describe a Jimmy Buffett book is, like taking a boat trip down a river. You're heading down the river in your boat, then you come to a fork so you head right. You go through some rapids and down a small waterfall. Now you're in a smaller river, more like a stream. Now it's a creek. The creek runs out and now you're going through a swamp. So you stop at a cabin in the swamp for some gumbo with a Cajun family, eat some crawfish, eat some gumbo then head out again. You keep going past the rock that looks like a gator, hang a left by the half sunk bouy, and somehow, miracuously, you're back on the same river you started out on. No kidding, that's how Jimmy Buffett tells a story. But it works for him.

The summer I graduated from highschool we went to Hawaii and got to eat at Cheesburger in Paradise. It was about the coolest thing ever.

When I worked in Florida, we went to Margaritaville in Orlando- LOVED IT! Got a t-shirt there that says TRESSPASSERS WILL BE offered a SHOT on the back.

Then, last summer my best friends from college and I took a long weekend and went to my aunt and uncles cottage on Lake Erie. On the way up I saw signs for 'The Original Margaritaville.' I was pretty excited, so we made plans to go for dinner one night. Turned out to be a cheesy Mexican restaurant. I was highly dissapointed.

But hands down, my favorite Buffett experience (thus far) was last fourth of July weekend. I was in my cousin Allisons wedding at the Science Center in downtown Cleveland. During the wedding I was on a first name basis with the bartender, so to say I was feelin no pain by the end of the night was kind of an understatement. When the reception ended, we went down to some bar that I can't remember the name of- I was even still rockin my sapphire blue bridesmaids dress! Well we got kicked out of that bar because one of the kids with us was too drunk to stand up. So we headed back to the Marriot downtown to drop off the pansy's that couldn't keep up. We were hanging out in the lobby, waiting for everyone to re-group so we could head back out, and being entertained by a man with a guitar.

There were about 20 random hotel guests gathered around him for an impromptu koombaiya session. I, being the supportive drunk I am, decided to start clapping and swaying to the music. I barely have rythm when I'm sober, forget about when I've had a few (and then a few more.) So the man finishes his song, I clap and probably hoot and/or holler. He asked me if I had any requests, so I call out "Cheeseburger in Paradise by Jimmy Buffett!" He replies, "I do not know this Buffett, I'm from Brazil." To which I reply, "YOU DON'T KNOW BUFFETT?!" Then he says the words I'm sure he now regrets, "Sing it, I will accompany you."

And that my friends, is how I came to sing/slur Jimmy Buffett's Cheeseburger in Paradise, wasted, in a sapphire blue bridesmaids dress at 1 oclock in the morning, to a lobby full of Marriot finest patrons, accompanied by a Brazillian on his guitar.

I know Jimmy would be proud.