wasting away again in margarita-ville

my phone ring tone is Jimmy Buffet's quintessential chill song...and funnily enough, I am not really a fan of Buffet, and even though I lived in Ft. Lauderdale a while, and my mom has lived there since 1984, I had never been to Key West.  Figured it wasn't much more to fuss about than the New Orleans' French Quarter (been there), San Diego's Old Town (been there); Galveston's Strand (been there), New York's Greenwich Village (been there), San Francisco's Haight (been there), Paris' Latin Quarter (been there) and any one of a hundred other quaint little tourist traps... I have been there and I have the t-shirt!

So, back in June, when mom asked me to go to Key West with her and a couple friends over Thanksgiving, I wasn't too enthused but said "sure".....Something better was bound to come up and I totally forgot about it...until October when she asked when I was arriving...oops... and had I made the hotel reservations she had requested (back in June). Double Oops.  So I got on the stick, cashed in a frequent flyer award and made a triple point earning booking at a nice hotel where I get upgrades and free stuff.

My  mother and me, together.....can we just say that I may not have coined it, but I LIVE the phrase, "if it's not one thing, it's your mother."  She is a strong, beautiful, creative woman, who can handle anything. In fact I have never seen her cry...Indeed, I rarely see her have any emotion at all.  She has the ability to make me cry with just a word and I DO live in fear. I spill water on the floor and cringe that she will say something scathing. I broke a lamp one time and called a friend to see if she could take me to the airport (3 days early). I think it all goes back to when I was about 6 years old and my sister accidentally broke a plate or something, and my mother RIPPED the leg off her dolly and said something like "you don't take care of my things, so I am not going to take care of yours."  

Anyway, I always let these things go and go forward with hope and optimism, and while more often than not, I am punished for my naivete, this time it wasn't so bad.  She only made me cry 3 times in an entire week!!!  it was actually a fun time, and I won't need reconstructive surgery on the inside of my cheek. Nor will my tongue have to be stitched completely back on.....

Here are a few photos of the trip...more to come when I figure out to upload them from my new camera....

me and mom and her friends at thanksgiving dinner - Pier House

Conch Chowder and fruit plate with no honeydew - Give Thanks!

do i really need to write a caption?

we have our moments...

Thanks for a great trip, Margarita....(not that she reads my blog.....thank god)