Time Flies…

I had no idea it was my blog-iversary. What a nice reminder.  ❤

Saturday Night Serenade–Happy!

Welcome to the unofficial start of summer!  It’s a three-day weekend, and I’m only two work days away from retiring.  Starting June 1, I’m a full-time writer.  Hopefully that means that this neglected little blog will get a bit more attention.

We’re taking a big chance, Mr. R and I.  His fledgling real estate career is just beginning to bear fruit.  By retiring early, I’m walking away from a sure paycheck every two weeks.  But life is short, getting shorter every day.  So we’re seizing the day, taking the opportunity to try something new.

For now, that means he’s selling houses in Palm Beach County.  And I’m working from home, writing and promoting steamy romance.  On the other hand, we may consider selling everything and taking to the road.  Recently Mr. R showed me a video of the island of Mauritius.  “Here.  Let’s move here,” he said.

I can write from Mauritius, y’all.  And I imagine someone has to sell houses there.  Or work in television news.  Or whatever he decides he wants to do.  It’s thrilling to know that we don’t have to settle for the status quo.

Confession:  I’m hedging my bets.  I’m packing into the garage everything I’d need to start a first grade classroom again.  Worst case scenario, I end up going back to teaching at some point.

But it’s a beautiful day today, I’m in love with the love of my life, and dammit, you know what?  I’m happy.  Hence tonight’s serenade.

I wish for you all the happiness in the world.  Hug those you love and enjoy your weekend.  Happy Saturday night!

Saturday Night Serenade–I Don’t Get It

It’s happened again.  We’ve lost someone who seemed to have it all.  At his own choosing, apparently.  And so we wonder why.

Tonight’s serenade is footage from that last night, that last performance, and as we watch, we know now that these were his last few hours on earth.  We search his eyes for clues.  Did he know?  Was it all part of a plan?  Or was it just an impulsive thing?

We search the lyrics.  Was there some underlying message of despair?  All grunge songs are pessimistic, aren’t they?

The reality is, there’s no way we could have known, no way we could have realized what was going on inside.  Deep down in the pit of our souls is where each one of us faces our own worst enemy, ourselves.  If we’re blessed, we have people around us we can trust and confide in, those who won’t judge us if we cop to being less than fabulous all of the time.

We’ll probably never know the whys.  The best we can do is hope that Chris Cornell has finally found the peace that eluded him in his day to day life.

And we can remember that life is a fleeting thing, to be grasped and appreciated.  We can remember to say the things we need to say, mend the fences that need mending, and hug those we love.

Happy Saturday night!

Black Hole Sun

In my eyes
Indisposed
In disguise
As no one knows
Hides the face
Lies the snake
And the sun
In my disgraceBoiling heat
Summer stench
‘Neath the black
The sky looks dead
Call my name
Through the cream
And I’ll hear you
Scream again

[Chorus:]
Black hole sun
Won’t you come
And wash away the rain?
Black hole sun
Won’t you come?
Won’t you come?

Stuttering
Cold and damp
Steal the warm wind
Tired friend
Times are gone
For honest men
And sometimes
Far too long
For snakes

In my shoes
A walking sleep
And my youth
I pray to keep
Heaven send
Hell away
No one sings
Like you anymore

[Chorus 2x]

(Black hole sun,
Black hole sun)
Won’t you come?
(Black hole sun,
Black hole sun)
Won’t you come?
(Black hole sun,
Black hole sun)
Won’t you come?
(Black hole sun,
Black hole sun)

Hang my head
Drown my fear
‘Til you all just disappear

[Chorus 2x]

(Black hole sun,
Black hole sun)
Won’t you come?
(Black hole sun,
Black hole sun)
Won’t you come?
(Black hole sun,
Black hole sun)
Won’t you come?
(Black hole sun,
Black hole sun)
Won’t you come?
(Black hole sun,
Black hole sun)
Won’t you come?
(Black hole sun,
Black hole sun)
Won’t you come?
Won’t you come?
Won’t you come?

I’m Hooked!

This is a blog about date night. How can I resist this guilty pleasure?

Pandora Spocks

I’m write steamy love stories.  I read steamy love stories.  So obviously, I love romance.  But I never thought I’d get hooked on a new reality show.

Have you seen the new NBC show, First Dates?  I never intended to become a fan, I promise.  But it happened to be on one night, and after a few minutes, I couldn’t look away.  The premise is that couples meet at a trendy Chicago restaurant for a blind date.  The hopeful romantics are diverse in age, race, and sexuality, and watching them struggle through awkward introductions is both funny and heart-warming.  I can’t look away, and even my love is hooked, much to his chagrin.

Airing Friday nights on NBC, it’s the Americanized version of the British program of the same name.  Ellen DeGeneres is the executive producer, and the episodes are narrated by Drew Barrymore.

Here’s the official description from the…

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Happy Mother’s Day!

To all mothers everywhere, I wish you a very Happy Mother’s Day!

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Saturday Night Serenade–Mamma Mia

I’m so excited!  Next Saturday, my best girl Mo and I are headed down to Ft. Lauderdale to see the farewell tour of Mamma Mia at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.  Mr. R has graciously offered to drive us down, mainly because the thought of driving further south than West Palm Beach really makes me nervous.  And he has no interest in going to the show.  I can’t understand why, LOL!

I’m old enough to remember ABBA, although admittedly I was not that much of a fan back in the day.  But when they put the songs into the context of a romance, I was hooked.  I’ve seen the movie dozens of times and it just makes me happy.  The songs are catchy and fun, and I’m all about the ‘happily ever after’ ending.

For tonight’s serenade, I’ve chosen one of my favorite sequences from the movie.  It starts out silly, but toward the end, it’s a delightful street ballet that feels feminist and empowering.  I just love it, and I can’t wait to see it live on stage.

And it seems fitting to post a song from Mamma Mia right here at Mother’s Day.  Be sure to hug your loved ones tonight, especially your mom, who loves you more than she can say.  I know, because I’m a mom, too.  To all the moms, I wish you a very happy Mother’s Day.

And happy Saturday night!

Saturday Night Serenade–Saturday Night in Paradise

It’s May, glorious May, and I couldn’t be happier.  We’re nearly to summer.  In a mere 25 days, I will be leaving the glamorous world of public education to become a full-time writer.  As I unexpectedly explained to my administrator this week (long story, but suffice it to say, the cat is out of the bag), with Mr. R starting his own real estate business, it’s time for a new adventure.

Having been in school in one way or another most of my life, for me summer is long lazy days spent relaxing, reading, going on vacation, hanging out at the beach…  This summer will be a little different in that I won’t quit working–my work will just be here at my computer.  Which isn’t different from the last few summers, but now there’s the added pressure of needing to see lots more sales so that this becomes a viable operation.

But I’m thrilled for the opportunity and for the support of my love, who says I should go for it.  That brings me to tonight’s serenade, Zac Brown and Jimmy Buffett in a joint venture.  Don’t we all wish we were knee deep in the water somewhere, finding our own kind of paradise?

I hope you enjoy a beautiful and relaxing weekend in your own kind of paradise.  Happy Saturday night!

Cat 5 Hurricane at Guanabana’s

Juno Beach

Juno Beach

Juno Beach

In the Interest of Keeping It Fresh…

The title of this blog is Adventures in Date Night: Keeping It Fresh Well Into Our F-Word Years.  Originally, we posted about our weekly excursions out and about in Palm Beach County.  Economic factors, however, have caused us to scale back our outings, so we often have less to tell you about.

But the truth is, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have fun as a couple.  Case in point, Christina Mandara, one of my sexy author friends, put me onto this new app for couples and I thought I’d share it with you.

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No matter your age, sexual orientation or relationship status, iPassion has developed a new kind of app (by the same name) that will get people talking about fantasies, turn-ons, turn-offs etc.

It launched less than 9 months ago and according to the startup founder, more than 200,000 people have used the app since then.

The app is designed as a game where you play on your own phone and your partner plays on his/hers. After you’ve created you username and your partner has done the same, you can connect in the app for the game to start. Then, you’ll have to answer 2 questions about your sexual preferences and guess what your partner answered for his/her questions from his/her turn. And so it goes on, each player having their turn and finding out more and more hot facts about their partner!

And here’s the kicker – every time you guess your partners answer correctly, you’ll get 10 points and the first player to reach 100 points in a round, gets to select a hot prize like a a sexy massage, a hot night in a hotel etc.

During the game, players can chat within the app. For added privacy, the app utilizes a PIN code, meaning users can create their own PIN number which is required to open the app once it has been closed.

“The idea came from my own relationship experiences where I, despite having been with my girlfriend for more than 7 years, discovered that we could still learn a lot about each other when asked some of the questions that are in the app. And a lot of our users have stated the same,” explains J. Martin Moeller, the startup founder.

iPassion is currently available at the App Store and the Play Store and is available for both smartphone and tablets.

The app is currently available in 8 different languages including English, French and Spanish.

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Full disclosure:  I talked Mr. R into downloading the app and we gave it a whirl.  While I found it fun, he was less patient with the learning curve.  But give it a try and let me know what you think.

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