It's Key West Season!

 (Mallory Square Sunset, I may or may not be a little drunk)

***Re-posting my Key West post from 2014 as I am flying to my happy place! I'm sure I'll have lots of photos and stories to share when I return, but wanted to give you a little reminder while I'm away!***

 As this post goes live, I am just touching down in my own personal heaven.  I'm probably sitting with my toes in the sand and a drink in my hand, listening to someone sing to me in Key West.

The Big Guy and I have birthdays in May, and our anniversary is on June 1st - wrap that together with Mother's Day and Father's Day and we pool all our gift money for each other and splurge on a long weekend together.  It's just the thing we need to "fill our love tanks" (who can name the show that quote came from???)

So, while I'm away sipping a cold one, you can join me by reading up on my past visits to Key West...

 (Schooner Wharf Bar)

 10 Stages of Planning an Adult Vacation

 (A "queen" from the Key West "Drag" Races)

Shocking Key West and a Great Grouper Sandwich

 

(Sunset from Turtle Kraul's rooftop bar)

 What to do in Key West

(Smokin' Tuna Bar, listening to Nick Norman...swoon...)

What to do in Key West, Part 2

(Getting silly at Fort Zachary Taylor Park)

Key West, Baby

(Listening to the great Michael McCloud, a Key West institution, at Schooner Wharf Bar)

PS (As I looked over this post's photos, I realized that pink and blue tank top must be part of my Key West uniform. In fact, I already have it and a pair of jean shorts set out to wear on the way down!!!)

Weekend Update and Giveaway!

Business is good!! The Big Guy and I have planned his 50th birthday trip to our happy place, Key West, for April and I had enough money in my Rodan + Fields account to pay for the plane tickets!!!

I know this might sound small to some of you, but I get such joy from being able to provide things for our family and for my hubs who works hard every day to provide for all of US! I love that feeling of independence.  So, now I'm saving up my next paycheck to buy him a day of "flats fishing" while we're there. Squeeeeee!!!!

I have grown my business over the last 4 months or so to 27 customers by washing my face and talking about it, posting on facebook and instagram, and reaching out via email and text message. This new business has really been a blessing so far.

A lot of people have been asking me about my paychecks...I'll just start from the beginning and show you the progression of the last 4 months:

December was a little slow due to the holiday but I have picked right back up in January so far. I'm rollin'!

I'm still using the Reverse Regimen for my own skin and incorporated the Accelerator Pack for my stubborn age spots along with the Macro-Exfoliator. An added bonus was the decreased appearance of my laugh lines! Who knew?? (scroll down for a giveaway!)

Here is my new favorite R+F story for this month - Jamie has been so successful and is such an inspiration to me in my business!

If you have any questions about this business please don't hesitate to email me hopestudios1(at)gmail(dot)com 

If you have any interest in these skin products contact me! I would love to give you a free skin consultation and send you some samples of some of my favorite products!

If you can connect me with someone who might benefit from this business or products let me know and I will send you a little something as a thank you. :)

Did you make it to the end of this post to learn about the giveaway?  Do you also have expression lines either around your mouth like me, on your forehead, between your eyes, or crow's feet?  We have a product called Acute Care - "a wrinkle reducing patch" that can reduce your expression lines after 4 weeks. No needles! Think of it as a needle-free botox!

I have 5 samples for the first 5 comments on this post. I'll pop one in the mail to you so you can try it for yourself!  Check out one of the overnight before and afters I have collected from people who have tried a sample:

Good luck!

What to do in Key West, Part 2

Breakfast - 

We usually eat at our hotel since they offer a complementary heavy continental breakfast, but one morning we always head out to Blue Heaven.  This place has changed a lot since we started coming here 15 years ago, but I still like it just as well as before. 

Play ping pong or shop the quirky art shop while you wait for a table.  We had BLT Eggs Benedict (bacon, lobster, and tomato) that were fantastic!

Lunch -

We never visit Key West without a trip to El Siboney, authentic Cuban restaurant.  When you see lots of work trucks in the parking lot, you know it's a great local place.  I try the roast pork with a side of fried plantains and beans and rice...I dream about their beans and rice...

We usually end up spending one or two afternoons eating lunch while listening to Michael McCloud sing on the little stage at Schooner Wharf.  This ramshackle bar is not much more than a roof with one wall and lots of umbrella tables and sun shades over top.  They have good music, great atmosphere, great beer bucket specials, and a tasty "Miami Vice" (swirled strawberry daqueri & pina colada).  We like to order the Key West Mahi Melt sandwich and the coconut shrimp.

We biked to Stock Island this visit to eat at Hogfish Grill. 

The Hogfish Tacos and the white conch chowder are amazing and worth the ride.  We sat right on the dock, looking over the fishing boats for an amazing lunch.

Sunset -

Everyone thinks that heading down to Mallory Square or the Pier House to view the sunset is a must, but we like the spots that are a little more "local" and less popular.  We like the rooftop bar of Turtle Kraal right on the Gulf.  We had jerk grilled chicken wings that were fantastic and saw the most beautiful sunset.

Looking over the railing into the interior courtyard in the back, we watched some bocce leagues for entertainment.

Happy Hour -

We always hit The Bull for early music and drinks while in Key West.  They had 2 for 1 margaritas and Yankee Jack singing the day we were there.  He pulled me onstage and sang me a song about mothers this afternoon:

It's always fun to have frozen drinks, and we headed right across the street to The Flying Monkey to sample a huge selection of frozen choices.

Dinner - 

We stumbled into Caroline's Cafe for dinner one night and got to sit right on Duval Street to people watch while eating a great meal.

Fun -

We always rent bikes and you can bike just about anyplace you'd like to go on the island!  It's great to get out into the air to really see the island.  Like I said, we biked to Stock Island, and we biked all along the beach.  They have a HUGE paved path that runs parallel to the water that is a beautiful ride.

There is live music in almost every place you enter and that is the huge draw for us since we love live music!  Here we are in our favorite bar, Smokin' Tuna, listening to some of my favorite bands.

To see more Key West posts check out last year's trip:

Shocking Key West

Where to stay in Key West

Key West, Baby!

How to Plan an Adult Trip to Key West

What to do in Key West

The Big Guy and I have been visiting Key West together for the past 15 years or so. We love it more and more, and at this point, it feels like coming home as we step off plane onto the hot runway.

Our favorite place to stay is Simonton Court - a little oasis one block off Duval Street.  You can see the inconspicuous entrance to the left of the building visible from Simonton Street.  This compound used to be a cigar factory that was converted into a collection of cottages, rooms, and townhouses.

The gate is locked with a code once it's dark and this little spot is protected from any riff raff that might wander down from Duval Street late at night.

Look at this front porch with rocking chairs facing Simonton Street!  So cute!  We stayed in a room at the back of this building this year, facing the interior of Simonton Court.

Here is our room, called Honeysuckle.  It was a sweet little room off the front gate with whitewashed walls, a comfy bed, and huge shower.  We try to stay in a different room every time we visit.

Here is the path leading from our room to the interior of the compound.  You won't believe what this path leads to!

This gorgeous main pool is our favorite - there are 4 others.  It used to be an old cistern and the original bricks remain on each of the 4 corners.  You can see the Manor House near the back and the breakfast area in between.

Come on back Monday and I'll tell you about some of the places we visited and fun things to do in Key West!

The 10 Stages of Planning an Adult Vacation

 ("dirty day" in Key West 2012 - no make up or primping allowed!)

Last spring we went to Key West to celebrate (soften the blow) my 40th birthday.  I wrote a little bit about it here. 

Several things went wrong on that trip, some of which were mildly annoying (like the torrential downpours for 24 of our 36 hours there),  and others that have probably scarred me for life.  In any case, I called a "do over".  So, as you read this we are in the air after catching our 6 am flight...smiling and clinking airline cans of Bloody Mary.

As our departure date approached, I realized I was passing through several specific Pre-Vacation Stages.  Planning an adult vacation isn't for the faint of heart, but if you can "work the stages" you will come out just fine.

Stage 1: Suggestion

It all starts with a little comment "We should go away without the kids...ha, ha".  This mere suggestion creates a little niggling that grows and grows.  This niggling can occur over time, but if drinks are involved, the niggling can come on quite suddenly as soon as someone else bites and says "I'm in!".  It never really gets anywhere, however, until they add the crucial..."Dude, I'm serious."

At this point, someone will say "Key West, Baby!" while performing a fist pump.

Stage 2: Denial

You come up with 1,000 reasons as to why this is a bad idea while simultaneously googling everything you can find about flights, rooms, rental cars...

Stage 3: Temporary Insanity

You decide to throw reason to the wind and in a flurry of temporary insanity, purchase the flights and rooms you've been researching while reasoning "Bah! We have plenty of time! It will all work out!"

This stage is usually accompanied by mad giggling and high fives.

Stage 4: Regret

Usually the next day, you come to your senses (or maybe it's later in the month when you look at your credit card bill) and say to your spouse "What the HELL were we thinking?!? WE CAN'T GO TO KEY WEST!!!" but the stage is already set.

Plow on...secretly smile.

Stage 5: Desperation

You begin calling every college student, relative, random grocery store clerk, to find someone to watch your kids.  You call in favors, you beg, you plead, you dangle money...

Stage 6:  Disbelief

Once you get the sitter on the hook, you really can't believe it.  You spend the whole next day watching the phone, waiting for them to call to say they forgot they already have an appendectomy scheduled for that day or that trip to Hawaii they forgot about.

Stage 7: Acceptance

When a week goes by you start to believe this might actually happen so you might as well start to plan. 

You make lists: what to pack, what to do, what to eat, what diets to try...

Stage 8: Procrastination

You realize about 2 weeks before you leave that those lists have become nothing more than words on paper. In fact, where the heck are those lists anyway?  What was I supposed to do? What was I going to pack?  Who is watching the kids again? 

You decide to pack so you can feel like you've something.  As the days go on, you raid this packed bag several times to wear items of clothing you still needed in the meantime.

Stage 9: Panic

Refer to Stage 4 and repeat: "What the HELL were we thinking?!? WE CAN'T GO TO KEY WEST!!!"  but now you can add "The kids have finals coming up! There is a lacrosse tournament that was just scheduled! We have 3 book reports due!  I forgot to start that Suzanne Somers diet!"

There is too much to do, there is too much to organize, there is too much to plan! How oh how will this ever work?  Somehow 3 months of planning occurs in one afternoon, fueled by caffeine and despair. 

Side effects of this stage can be headaches, stomach aches, and the tendency to ravage you children's leftover Easter candy, totally wrecking the diet you never actually started.

Stage 10: Glee

You wake up at 4 am and giddily gather your belongings and steal away in the dark of night for a 6 am flight.  You can't believe you are actually going to get away with it but as you pull out of the driveway you look at each other and an evil laugh rumbles from your very depths "Mmmwwaaaahahaha!  KEY WEST, BABY!"

At this point, you board the plane, read one page of your book and pass out asleep for the next 3 hours only to wake up in Key West, ready for a "do over".

So, tune in next week to read about my "do over" Key West trip!

("dirty day" sunset - still going strong!)

Shocking Key West and a Great Grouper Sandwich

Last week I shared some photos of good old fashioned fun on my birthday trip to Key West, fishing, pool jumping, dancing...

What makes Key West so fun is the eclectic mix of tourists and residents who are there to have fun. On a super rainy day of bar hopping from one pool table, dart board, and tv screen to another, we stumbled upon one of the highlights of our trip. The annual Key West Drag Races!

 Plopped in the middle of Duval Street was an obstacle course and many contestants ready to win it all.

Here is one of my favorite "queens" I named, TuTu Man. Here he is in all his blond wig, full beard, pink tutu, and Dorothy shoes glory:

Here are a few queens waiting to run:

A queen crossing the finish line:

Drowned rat Juniper chatting up this blue glory of a queen:

Aside from drag queens, we also found this little treasure just down the street from our hotel, Bo's Fish Wagon:

Looking like a giant pile of rubbish from the outside, inside is an amazing little spot for the best grouper sandwich in Key West!  Bo sold fish sandwiches on Duval street from  this old truck you see rusting into the decor.  25 years later, he has a thriving business!  Worth a visit for lunch or dinner, and don't miss Friday Night Jams for music and dancing.  This was a great find this trip.

So, that's my Key West wrap up!