Scotch and Such...

Andy and Me.

Uncle Sean...my Dads baby brother

"This ones to Paul...."

Happy New Year!

Well, it happened. I broke my cleanse. I had three Johnny Walker blacks (neat) on New Year's Eve in key west. I don't regret it, and I am grateful for the lesson that it taught me....which is that I love sober living! I don't like the way that alcohol got in the way of me having fun. I enjoy waking up in the morning and feeling amazing! And I like having a clear-head at all times. Let me start from the beginning.....The whole day leading up to the new year was amazing. It started with breakfast at Help Yourself, my FAVORITE organic eatery in Key West (and quite possibly in the whole US!). Then Andy and I met up with my Uncle Sean and headed to the beach. It was the first (and pretty much only) day of sunshine that we had, so we were super grateful. My uncle brought snorkels and masks as well as some food to feed the fish. I haven't laughed so hard in years....between Andy and Sean, I was in stitches! We swam around then soaked up sun. Andy took a rest in Sean's hammock, and while he rested I caught up with My uncle. We talked a lot, about some heavy and important stuff. He filled me in on his life, and I filled him in on mine. We talked about dad a lot, about how much we miss him, and how much he meant to us, but we both embody so much of him that there was a comfort in each other's presence that I haven't gotten from anyone else, and don't think that I CAN get from anyone else. He looks so much like my Dad. He says some of the same exact things as my Dad. And he even does the same hip-swaying "drunk" dance when he's had too many cocktails.... It was the most perfect day and I am crying tears of joy as I relive it to write this. So perfect. We left the beach and headed to happy hour where we snacked on fresh seafood and the boys threw back drink (after drink, after drink). Next up was the Green Parrot for live music, only to end up back at 801 Bourbon Bar for some gay shenanigans and drag queens. The gay men loved Andy, despite him being incredibly straight. Uncle Sean proudly introduced us to all of his friends and made sure that we were well taken care of. As the night progressed we moved the party upstairs to the Drag Queen Show. It was unbelievable and there we ran into all of our friends from the dive shop. Mayhem. Debauchery. Busting splits on stage with the drag queens and dirty dancing with shirtless gay men. So fun. The night ended with a 3am swim in a friends heated pool and sleeping under the stars on a comfortable outside couch. Such fun, such chaos, such love.

It has been a sad and challenging years in many ways, but there has been such growth - and I am so proud of myself. This year my mantra is "I am infinite. I am inspired." And of course, "I am powerful and amazing". Happy 2014 my friends.....