Feeding the masses while avoiding mass hysteria and finding essentials.

The Coach found out that two of the college softball girls that he assists with are in lockdown in their dorms and couldn't get home; they're international students. (New Zealand & The Netherlands) They don't have vehicles and have limited funds.

So, he decided to cook/provide food for them.

Then he found out that there are three more at that school and seventeen more at another local college locked down and away from family. International students have a harder time getting home with all this; because of funds and travel restrictions.

He was up bright and early Saturday morning and fired up his little smoker. *giggle*

He rubbed down slabs of ribs and smoked them to perfection.

Saturday the whole 'hood smelled like ribs.
Sorry, vegetable-tarians. 

Many friends heard the news wanted to help as well; several people stepped up to donate meals, sides, some fresh and a lot that can be frozen that they can eat later.
It was all then delivered by a Professor to the Atheltic Director and then dispersed in a very social-safe-distance type of way.

I know I've said this before, feeding people is his love language.

Hence, my weight prob. He really LOVES me.

When he ran to the Hardware store (Ace is the Place!) for some charcoal, he hit the paper/disinfecting jackpot. Ladies, this is the new sexy; much better than flowers or chocolate.

They would only sell two rolls of Paper towels and three rolls of TP, but hey, it's something.
Clorox is liquid gold.

Of course, I wouldn't be me if I didn't let him know that I prefer NON printed paper towels.
Yes, even in a crisis I can be a booger.

Honestly, paper towels last a long time around here because we use cloth napkins (since 2009) for all our meals.

I would have fit in well at Downton Abbey.

If I were at Downton Abbey, I would HAVE staff and not BE staff, right?

I'd hurl if I had to empty a chamber pot and I don't think they allow hurling at Downton Abbey, so I'd be one of the uppity sisters, but not the one who died tragically young.

How are my people holding up? 

Party party, fill your hearty.

Before another day goes by, if you've not seen a comment from me in a while, it's because of your blog settings. In other words, it's you, not me.

We ended up having 50 guests this year at our annual cocktail party. (I think this marks the 20th year?) It went from 40 to 50 within a day; apparently, it was 'bring your adult child to our party' year. Most said it was to have a designated driver, so what could I say. I like for people to enjoy themselves and I'm against driving under the influence. Unless your under the influence of listening to Duran Duran because that is some good stuff.

We opted to have a photo booth this year which really isn't a 'booth' but it's a standing camera/light that we put in front of a black curtain. I already had lots of Santa hats in my arsenal, so that was fun.

{the Coach with a few of his 'softball Moms'. They do love him}

Our surprise musical guest was Ben Allen, of the Ben Allen band. They are locally famous in SWFL. Ben just opened up for Lady Antebellum and Darius Rucker the weekend before and we've had him perform at our Songwriters for Vets too. He's a great guy who is in great demand in our community. Our guests were thrilled to have a one on one with him at our house.

Ben with the softball moms. Those moms really get around....

{Linds, Nathan, Lolo, Coach, and Suz}

Back in the day when we had parties, I was inundated with hostess gifts; mostly wine & booze. I enjoy the wine, but it really became too much. So a few years ago I asked peeps to forgo the gifts and bring an unwrapped toy that we donated. The following year I asked people to bring in toiletries for the homeless and boy did they ever! I couldn't believe the amount that people brought; turns out, people really do like to give. 

This year, we changed it up a bit more. {the backside of our invite, I was holding it weird, it was printed beautifully in real life.  I still mail invites!}

A while ago the Coach had these walnut drawer's that the shop was going to throw out because they were made the incorrect size. He thought they'd make great boxes for our upcoming party giveaways. On the day of the party, he drilled holes in the sides and pulled rope through for handles, then he went to wally world and purchased random snacks/candies. We threw in shredding & some extra bottles of Crowne Royal we were trying to unload and then let our guests drop in bottles as they entered. Everyone brought at least one bottle, some brought two.

In the chaos of the night, I didn't get a pic of the finished boxes, but I stole a pic from a winner from her FB page. 

This was such a big hit; we had 6 winners in total. (the sixth gift was an eco-shelling-dolphin boating tour that a friend donated)

Ya'll we raised $1340 in a few hours.

I'll split it between the two charities. We will continue this tradition as everyone said it was the most fun party ever!!

It was such a rewarding and exhausting day. We had people show up at 5:30 and the last peeps left at 1:20am.

It was all smooth with my caterers until we realized the bartender was quite impaired. I thought he was weird upon arrival, but brushed it off that he was quite eccentric. It took about 20 minutes and him cutting his hand trying to open a bottle of Tito's incorrectly {it's a twist cap!} to realize he was messed up. Luckily we have first responders as friends; (we had 3 on hand!) our friend T.W took him out of the party area to a bedroom and cleaned him up. He was bleeding quite a bit but didn't need stitches. The caterer was beside himself, sent another bartender over within the blink of an eye and came here himself to oversee the rest of the night.

The next day, I really didn't get much done. I was DONE after two weekends of hosting parties. But I couldn't rest too long because we were then hosting Christmas Eve. The fun never ends!!

I've named her Luna(tic)~The neighbor from hell~part 2

The follow-up to my future neighbor from hell.

Several months ago on a Tuesday morning, I was working in my office and minding my own beeswax. My lawn guys were here cutting the grass, so our electric gate was wide open. We have a keypad at the gate for guests, deliveries, etc. My house phone rang from the gate and I answered it wondering who would call from the gate when it was clearly wide open.

{For reference pic of gate area from my office with the gate closed and now with new palm trees.}

The conversation went something like this:
Suz: Hello?
Lunatic: Hi, I own the property next door and I need your lawn guys to NOT park on my property.
Suz: Oh, Hi. (she caught me off guard) Ummm....Ok. No problem. I didn't realize someone bought the land. I'll make sure they don't park there anymore. No worries. 
Luna: Also, Please STOP throwing garbage on my land.
Suz: What? Ummmm...yes, I see that some people drop trash there from their car, but I assure you, it's not me. I've often walked over there and picked up the thrash myself because it's an eyesore. 
{While also remembering over the last 20 years, dropping the random fallen palm frond over the fence; surely it's composted.}
Luna: I'M TRYING TO BE NICE HERE!
Now, I catch a glimpse of her via my window and she's leaning down hollering into the keypad and bobbing her head back in forth with gusto.
Now, I'm thinking, wow. if you had to SAY you were being nice, then I'm gonna guess you aren't really. *giggle giggle*
Suz: Well, I assure you I'm not throwing garbage on....*gets cut off by Luna*
Luna: I've already called the police twice and.....*click*
Apparently, my keypad wasn't created to have long conversations and the phone line was dropped.
So, I'm sure she thinks I hung up on her.
Whatevs....we weren't making any progress.

She's out there spouting craziness and bobbing her head in anger at me and I'm over here raising butterflies, hugging trees, raising funds for Veterans and championing people with disabilities, while also, minding my own damn business and keeping my corner of the world extremely tidy.
What in the actual hell? 

A bit later I went out and spoke with my lawn guys and let them know that we have a lunatic on our hands and they should just park in our grass. They let me know that they were also victims of her wrath that morning and also, that her swale (and mine, and everyone's) is actually county property.
I agree it's county property, but I don't want her to come at me and park a jalopy or dump truck in my swale, so we'll not park in her area again.
Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

Fast forward a few weeks and again, it was a Tuesday morning; my lawn guys were here and the gate was wide open as I was working in my office. I see a sheriff's car pull up the driveway.
Me: Hmmmm...he's probably coming to tell me how nice my yard is and comment on my blue line flag supporting law enforcement. {I actually crack myself up}

I met him at the door and asked if there was something I could help him with.
He seemed a bit confused and said he was responding to some complaints about someone throwing garbage onto MY property, or that I was possibly throwing garbage onto my neighbor's property? 

I don't know if I could have possibly rolled my eyes any further into the back of my skull. 

I kindly explained to him what had happened a few weeks back with Luna and the gate/phone conversation; I explained that we aren't' littering on their property and that my lawn guys are now parking on my property as he could plainly see for himself.
He smiled politely and kind of giggled to himself. He reiterated to me that her swale is county property and that right now, there were a few vehicles parked there and it's not illegal.

He said there were several complaints filed and not just towards us; the people across from Luna too.
Suz: Goodness, she's gonna get all sorts of housewarming gifts when the day comes.
He laughed as he departed from my porch stoop and agreed that she's not trying to make a good first impression.

A few weeks after this, the Coach was out at our Swale near her property talking with our tree people about the huge project that was about to commence. Our tree people had some trucks in her swale. Lord have mercy on anyone who she comes in contact with.

The Coach said he saw her coming and knew exactly who she was. She parked her car in front of the work trucks and was making her way towards him with a bad attitude and anger written all over her demeanor.
He shut her down immediately when she was within speaking distance with: "we're working on a huge landscape project and YES, trucks will be occasionally parking on the county-owned portion of your land; no debris will be dumped on your land and it will look just like it does now when our project is done". 
BAM!
She nodded, turned and walked away without saying anything.

We've not seen or heard from her since. I'm sure she drives by looking for trouble, but she won't get any from me. I've actually told this story to my neighbors to the north, my bestie who lives about 8 houses down and my beloved Fed Ex guy (he's awesome) and everyone is shocked at her behavior towards us.

Did anyone else see the movie or read the book The Help?
Remember the chocolate pie Miss Minnie made for the evil Miss Hilly?...
the sh*t pie?

I'm conjuring up images of a housewarming gift.


HAHA.
It's funny. But you know I wouldn't dare!!

All the good stuff: dolphins, ducks, zebras, rugs and an eagle.

Last Saturday was an epic day for me. Nothing big or crazy happened, but the small things that happened were ALL positive. I had some good mojo flowing.


It started with my cup of coffee. I was drinking it and looking out onto the bay. (When our little condo isn't rented, we use it when we have time) I saw a porpoise frolicking around our dock and I'm just a tad bit obsessed with dolphins.

What a way to start my morning! I was thinking of joining him in the water, but then I remembered I was still sipping my coffee....what kind of person can have physical activity before they've finished a cup of joe? 


Shortly thereafter I had to head home to release some butterflies. 

On the way home I watched as several cars in front of me stopped to let a mama duck cross with her 6-7 babies. I just love it when people care. It was a very busy street, so otherwise, they might not have made it. 

I had two healthy monarchs and then I checked my gardens. I planted passion vine a long time ago and I always have a lot of Gulf Fritillary larvae on them. I had been reading about Zebra longwings lately as I see them in our yard too, but I've never seen the larvae before....until Saturday! I found one and I thought I might pee my yoga pants.

It doesn't take much to get me excited lately or pee my yoga pants for that matter.
Also, if you plant it, they will come.

On my way back to the condo, I hit green light heaven. If you live in my town and you know of the street I had to take for the 8-9 miles...it's riddled with traffic and stop lights.
I had every GREEN LIGHT. I couldn't believe my luck!

Then there was a Pottery Barn Rug sale event that landed in my lap. (laptop) I got the most beautiful wool rugs for SUPER CHEAP and I couldn't believe how happy that made me. Cocoa had many accidents on our dining room rug and we threw it out months ago, so I've been on the hunt for one there and a matching one for our sitting area. booyah!

Later Coach and I went out to dinner at the Marina. After eating we were walking around and looking at all the BIG boats and just chit chatting, working off some of our dinners when out of the blue a huge bald eagle flies right over us only about 15 feet in the air.
I was giddy with joy! And maybe giddy with that glass of wine too.

I don't recall having a day like that or perhaps I was just more in tune with all the positive things. I'm going to try and relish the little good things daily and see if maybe it's happening more than I think.

Has anything awesome happened to you lately? Sharing is caring.

Saying goodbye is the worst, but sweet memories are the best.

We had to bid adieu to our sweet Cocoa on Monday.
The Cocoa-bean
The Cocoa-nater
The Cocoa-nut
The Cocoa-crispy
Our heart.

She was so full of personality from day one. She had the boxer wiggles when she was happy and she

could easily turn her body into a kidney bean when she was excited to see you. 

She climbed furniture like a cat. 

She lived for bananas, her family and car rides. 

Christmas past-Linds, Ozzie, Cocoa & Lolo

I was probably trying to write a blog right there. 

She would make me nuts at times with her shenanigans back in the day...chasing squirrels or opossums through the woods. She had no issue jumping the four-foot chain link fence if there was some fun involved. 

Her most favorite person without a doubt was the Coach. They had a serious love for each other.

Cocoa and Ozzie about 5 years ago. 

There may have been times that the girls and I dressed her up. Ok, mostly me, but I think she enjoyed it....well, she at least tolerated MY shenanigans.

She made it 13 1/2 years which is about 7,140 years old for a boxer. :) 

The last few weeks have been rough. She's lost a lot of weight and has had to endure medications just to keep food down. We all finally had enough and decided to send her on her way; her work here was done. 

Not only will we miss her, but our sweet old girl Callie will miss her as well.

Take a minute to hug your babies. 

XOXO

Shining bright 2019

Prior to our fabulous trip to the Bahamas, we were busy prepping for A Night To Shine; a prom for individuals ages 14 and up sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation. 
I can't say enough good things about this organization; showing God's love for individuals with special needs.
You might recall I was involved in this last year, and there was no way I wasn't going to be involved this year. We actually started our committee meetings way back in June!

I was again the fundraising chair, but I help wherever we need it....and we always need it. It's such a huge production to put on...kind of like planning a wedding. Except this affair happens in a beautiful church/event center and not at the Elks Lodge. :( But hey, it's the marriage that counts, not the venue!)

We host 170 VIP guests. And each of those guests is paired up with a 'buddy' for the night. Kind of like a date, but it's not a date. :) Meanwhile, the parents/caregivers are treated to a night away in a separate event room from their child/person and have a nice dinner, entertainment/dancing/prizes too.

My girl Kelly drove over to assist this year....she loved every minute of it as well. I was in charge of the limo loading this year and I had several of my peeps there helping. It was awesome. We were able to visit with most of the guests prior to the prom and they were so darn excited!!

 All the dresses/suits/accessories are donated, as well as a hair/make up team. Our guests are treated to a limo ride, dinner, dancing...they're treated like the kings and queens that they are.

 We have a red carpet set up when they arrive at the prom along with a JROTC team who stand proudly as they enter....then, the paparazzi are there cheering and taking photos as they enter. It's a big deal!

 The dancing is my favorite part...they're all so happy. Even the peeps in wheelchairs get in on the festivities. No one is left out.

 This young man arrived and said that he'd always wanted to dance with a princess in a white dress. Well, we just so happened to have a buddy there who came in a white dress; he was in heaven! Yes, there were happy tears all around from the volunteers as we knew this was his wish for the night.

It was such a wonderful night. With all the darkness and despair that we see on a daily basis, this renews my faith in the world.

XOXO

Shining brightly

I had the honor of being on the planning committee for (our Local) Tim Tebow's Night To Shine; A prom held for people with special needs ages 14 and up.
When my friend Lori asked me to come aboard, (as fundraising chair) I said yes immediately.....and then I wondered if I could ACTUALLY raise funds. The Coach assured me that he'd help and we'd do just fine. And we did....mostly Coach reaching out to all the business friends that we've supported in the past.

We started planning in October and the event took place on Friday, February 9th.
We hosted over 200 guests and had over 500 volunteers for this special night.

 All of our guests were offered hair/makeup, dresses, shoes, accessories to make them feel as awesome as they are. We had 'buddies' for each guest, so that the caretakers/parents of these lovely peeps could have a night of their own. The parents/caretakers were offered an evening in the Respite room; dinner, music, manicures, massages, games and were given raffle tickets for gift cards.

Our esteemed guests were paired up with their buddies, given a corsage and sent around the church parking lot in a limousine OR a horse and buggy and dropped off at the red carpet to make their big entrance.....with paparazzi cheering them on (unless they were sensitive to noise) and under the swords of the Honor guard.

They were all greeted as the rock stars that they are!

Coming into this, I didn't really know what to expect, but I did assume it would be mostly 'young' guests. Boy, was I wrong. There were so many who were in their 40's-even 60's.

So many big smiles; it was amazing. I borrowed all of these photos because I was actually on the other end....I was there putting them IN the limo's or the horse and carriage. What a great thrill it was for me to see all of the happy, excited faces as they started the evening.

Once everyone had walked the red carpet, they had dinner and then the party really started. We had a great DJ playing great dance music.

I'm not quite sure who had more fun; the guests or the volunteers. SO much joy in one room. (although, my feet were crying out by the end of the night, and I wasn't even dancing!)
I recall at one point looking out into the dance floor and I couldn't tell who was a 'guest' and who was a 'buddy'.....the joy was contagious.

IT was truly an amazing evening celebrating ALL of God's children. Our committee has already had a post-prom meeting and we've made notes about what we'll do differently next year. This is only the second year in our area, so it's a learning process.

Just looking at these photos again makes my heart swell with love; it was truly a Night To Shine for so many and I can't wait to do it again.

Giving to others is the best feeling ever felt.

Oh boy did the Coach and I have some good feels this weekend.

About a month ago it was brought to our attention that  there were quite a few families in a rather poor community East of us that were really struggling; this is a farming town with lots of families that work as 'pickers'.
This area has always been known as the 'poor' area; but they were even more devastated after hurricane Irma. We were told that the kids were wearing clothes to school that clearly were not meant for them, shoes that were way to large to be for them.
One of Coach's softball players lives in this area and she was telling him about how some families were down to having so little.
The Coach was touched by this and asked her if she could get us some family names and wants/needs lists from these families.
Well, it took her a few weeks, but she (along with her Mom and some school teachers) came up with 15 families that really needed help.

We got the lists and started asking good friends to help us with this endeavor. We sent 5 family lists to  our peeps on the East coast in Jupiter. The Coach and I took on 6 families and I shared the rest with some local friends/family.

Most people asked for clothes, cleaning supplies, personal supplies. (deodorant/soap/shampoo)
Some asked for beds, as a lot of them sleep on the floor. We were lucky enough to have several beds donated; but not enough. Some got beds, all got sleeping bags and pillows though.

It was a huge undertaking that took weeks to get together before we could all meet one morning in their neighborhood to distribute. Coach skipped practice that morning and most of his girls with parents showed up to help distribute everything. It was what I call organized chaos. We had about 30 volunteers to help get everything moving.

From 8am to 10:30 two truck loads were given away to deserving people.
Most of the children could not contain their joy to receive new clothes, shoes and things as simple as a basketball or doll.

No pics of the families as I didn't want to put them out there on the web.

A few pics of us loading one truck the night before in our garage.


We labeled all the items by family name; some had larger piles than others depending on how many kiddos they had.

I was shocked we were able to get so much in one truck. There was another truck that was full of furniture.

The Coach and I, along with our friends were so pleased at how this all turned out.

For it is in giving that we receive.

-Francis of Assisi

Losing Beverly

My Mom left us the morning of Thursday June 11th.
Her last few months were a struggle, but being who she is, she still found time for laughter.
That's how she rolled.
I'm forever thankful for the time we had together.
I'm forever thankful for the team we had in place to care for her.
I'm forever thankful for the Mom that she was.
I'm forever thankful to have no regrets in regards to our relationship.
She taught me many things; how to laugh at yourself, how to giggle at others, how to be a giver, how to be a friend, how to love your people unconditionally. Seriously, that IS THE stuff that matters.
My Aunt Trisha was with her at the time she passed. When Trisha came home that morning she said something that struck me with such veracity.
"We come into this life with nothing and we leave with nothing. The only things that really matter are our relationships and our experiences with people."
She is 100% correct.

I'll post more later; this is all I can muster up today.
I'm blessed to have a lovely circle of family and friends; my people are the best.

RIP my sweet and sassy Mama
4/25/43-6/11/15

Bev and Suz, Thanksgiving 2014

 Go hug someone; it's the least you can do.
XOXOXO