Saturday Night Serenade–Wait. What?!

You know you’re getting old when Publix starts playing kick-ass music.

Yesterday, Mr. R and I were tooling around where ‘shopping is a pleasure’ when this song came on.   We found ourselves in the pet food aisle, both of us singing along to Wilson Phillips’ gorgeous harmonies.  I love this song.  But then I started listening to the words.

This is not a happy little song.  It’s about a couple breaking up, and one party won’t let go of the other.  Suddenly, we’re thinking about gaslighting, stalking, and restraining orders.

“Release Me”

I know that it’s time for a change
Mmm but when that change comes
Will you still feel the same?How many times have I tried to turn this love around?
I don’t want to give up
But baby it’s time I had two feet on the ground
Can you release me
Can you release me
Now that you’re gone I can’t help myself from wondering
Oh, if you’d have come down from your high
Would we’ve been all right?
Release me
Can you release me

[Chorus:]
Come on baby, come on baby
You knew it was time to just let go
‘Cause we want to be free
But somehow it’s just not that easy
Come on Darlin’, hear me Darlin’
‘Cause you’re a waste of time for me
I’m trying to make you see
That baby you’ve just got to release me
Release me
Release me
I’m not going back to you anymore
Finally my weakened heart is healing though very slow
So stop coming around my door
‘Cause you’re not gonna find
What you’re looking for

[Chorus]

What is this power you’ve got on me
What is this power, Oh
What is it,What is it

[Chorus]

Release me
Will you release me
Ah…Release me
Will you release me

But those tight Wilson Phillips harmonies sell it.  So I guess I don’t mind.

I hope you’re enjoying a fantastic weekend, the last one of August.  Be sure to hug those you love.

Happy Saturday night!

P.S. As long as we’re at it, why not enjoy the ultimate stalkers’ anthem as well?  😉

Saturday Night Serenade–Summer Songs #9

Happy August, everyone!  This summer is just moving on along, isn’t it?  I’m feeling pretty happy right now, I’ll just be honest with you.

This is the final summer weekend for all my teacher friends.  They have to show up on Monday, ready for another year.  My retirement officially starts Monday.

I know, I’ve been off all summer, but I would have been anyway.  In all fairness, though, since the end of school in June, I’ve been working seven days a week as I endeavor to make a go of full-time writing, so I didn’t actually take a break.  But I’m happy doing what I’m doing, I’m nearly finished with my new novel, and I know what my next project will be.

Tonight’s serenade is a romantic little song,  I’m Yours by Jason Mraz.  It isn’t a summer song per se, but it always feels summery to me.  Guanabanas, one of our favorite date night destinations, is a tropical paradise, an outdoor bar/restaurant on the river in Jupiter.  On their tiki stage, there’s usually a guy with an acoustic guitar singing Jason Mraz covers.  I love to order a Cat 5 hurricane along with a round of their homemade fish dip and just chill.

Feel free to do the same on this first weekend of August.  Be sure to hug those you love, and tell them how much they mean to you.  Happy Saturday night!

I’m Yours

Well, you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill, but you’re so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks
Now I’m trying to get back

Before the cool done run out
I’ll be giving it my bestest
And nothing’s gonna stop me but divine intervention.
I reckon, it’s again my turn
To win some or learn some.

But I won’t hesitate
No more, no more.
It cannot wait,
I’m yours.

Well, open up your mind and see like me,
Open up your plans and damn you’re free.
Look into your heart and you’ll find love, love, love, love.
Listen to the music of the moment, people dance and sing, we’re just one big family
And it’s our God-forsaken right to be loved, loved, loved, loved, loved

So I won’t hesitate
No more, no more.
It cannot wait,
I’m sure.
There’s no need to complicate.
Our time is short.
This is our fate,
I’m yours.

Do you want to come on, scooch on over closer, dear
And I will nibble your ear

I’ve been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror
And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
And so I drew a new face and I laughed.

I guess what I’ll be saying is there ain’t no better reason
To rid yourself of vanities and just go with the seasons.
It’s what we aim to do.
Our name is our virtue.

But I won’t hesitate
No more, no more.
It cannot wait,
I’m yours.

Well, open up your mind and see like me,
Open up your plans and damn you’re free.
Look into your heart and you’ll find that the sky is yours.
So please don’t, please don’t, please don’t…
There’s no need to complicate.
‘Cause our time is short.
This oh, this oh, this is our fate.
I’m yours.

Oh, I’m yours
Oh, I’m yours
Oh, oh,
Baby, do you believe, I’m yours?
You best believe, you best believe, I’m yours.

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–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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Saturday Night Serenade–Come Away With Me

It’s been a great week and I’m feeling kind of mellow.  I’m at the tail end of my Spring Break.  Come Monday it’ll be back to the grind.  Ten more weeks until I walk out of there for the last time.  Man, that sounds like an eternity!

So I’m daydreaming about Mr. R and I making our escape to someplace fabulous, and by fabulous I mean quiet and peaceful and stress-free.  If I ever find it, I’ll let you know, but it sounds a lot like the lower Keys.

It’s a Norah Jones kind of night, for sure.  One that calls for candles, a glass of wine, and curling up with the one you love.

Happy Saturday night!

Come away with me in the night
Come away with me
And I will write you a song

Come away with me on a bus
Come away where they can’t tempt us
With their lies

I want to walk with you
On a cloudy day
In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high
So won’t you try to come

Come away with me and we’ll kiss
On a mountaintop
Come away with me
And I’ll never stop loving you

And I want to wake up with the rain
Falling on a tin roof
While I’m safe there in your arms
So all I ask is for you
To come away with me in the night
Come away with me

 

Saturday Night Serenade–Is There A Doctor In The House?

We’re in a state of flux in the R. house these days.  I mentioned in a previous post that we’re taking on the adventure of a huge renovation on the foreclosure we bought five years ago.  We’re putting in wood flooring in place of the cheap carpet we bought when we first moved in.  We’re replacing the builder-grade kitchen cabinets and counters with beautiful custom made cupboards and granite counter tops.  And we’re completely overhauling both bathrooms.

Having refinanced the house and taken out some of the equity, these projects will be done with cash.  We’ve met with the contractors a couple of times and we’re finalizing plans to begin in January.  It seems we’re all systems go.

However, there is a monkey in the wrench–two weeks ago, Mr. R. shocked me to pieces by announcing one afternoon when I returned home from work that he’d quit his job.  Just resigned and walked out.  Yep.  It took me a little time to wrap my head around it.  I knew he hated the job.  I just didn’t think he’d up and quit.  Anyway…

The reno is still on.  He’s not sure what he’s going to do to help pay the bills, but he’s working on a plan to start his own media business, including a production company.  He’ll probably have to get a job and do that on the side right now, like I do my writing on the side.

Long-term, we’re talking about completing the renovations and thus increasing the value of the house so that in a couple of years, we can sell it and use the money to move somewhere new.  Mr. R. grew up here in south Florida and is itching to live somewhere with seasons and mountains.  I’m not entirely sure why anybody’d want to leave paradise, but I’m hip about quitting my job, and selling the house will allow for that.  I can write anywhere, and he can do his business anywhere, too.

So like I said, we’re in a state of flux.  Tonight’s song?  We have a man-cold at our house this weekend.  I thought the song was fitting.  In lieu of flowers, feel free to make donations to your favorite charity.  I’ll keep you apprised of the situation.  Happy Saturday night!

P.S.~ Oh, and we will be sharing our adventure in home renovation.  Up first, an unintended project due to self-inflicted Hurricane Matthew damage.  Yep.

Saturday Night Serenade–The Pretty Reckless

It’s been a frantic kind of week, between the hurricane that passed by, a little household emergency, and a bombshell that was dropped in the midst of it all.  I believe these words actually came out of my mouth: “Can’t we just enjoy a hurricane in peace?”  More on that when I can catch my breath.

Anyway, it’s Saturday and I couldn’t be happier.  For tonight’s serenade, I wanted something different.  Before all the hurricane drama, Amazon Prime sent me a “You might like this” message.  And they were right.

Here’s The Pretty Reckless with Take Me Down.  It’s rocking and it’s a change of pace from the moldie-oldies I’ve been posting lately.  I just need to clear my head and hit reset.

Hope you’re safe and enjoying this October weekend.  Keep watching for more October stories.  I have a little chiller to add.  Happy Saturday night!

To-may-to, To-mah-to

Mr. R. makes me laugh.  I love that about him.

He came home from work today in a bit of a snit.  I met him in the driveway as he was backing in and watched as he clipped the gate with his passenger side mirror.  Climbing out of the truck he exclaimed to me, “Did you see those girls?”

I looked up and down the street and shook my head.

“They were just walking down the sidewalk,” he said, accusingly.

“Get out!  Someone had the unmitigated gall to walk down the sidewalk?” I teased, still not seeing anyone.

“There I was, backing in to the driveway, and they just sauntered along behind the truck like there was no one else in the world.  I was stuck halfway in the street and another car came along.  How stupid can people be?!” he ranted.

“Bad day, babe?” I asked, smiling.

“No, I didn’t have a bad day.  I’m just tired of stupid people!”  Mr. R. returned.

I snickered a little.  “Sorry you’re feeling grumpy today, love.”

“I’m not grumpy!” he countered.  “I’m just pointing shit out.”

No more snickering.  I erupted into gales of laughter.

Fair enough, Mr. R.  Fair enough.

To-may-to, To-mah-to

Mr. R. makes me laugh.  I love that about him.

He came home from work today in a bit of a snit.  I met him in the driveway as he was backing in and watched as he clipped the gate with his passenger side mirror.  Climbing out of the truck he exclaimed to me, “Did you see those girls?”

I looked up and down the street and shook my head.

“They were just walking down the sidewalk,” he said, accusingly.

“Get out!  Someone had the unmitigated gall to walk down the sidewalk?” I teased, still not seeing anyone.

“There I was, backing in to the driveway, and they just sauntered along behind the truck like there was no one else in the world.  I was stuck halfway in the street and another car came along.  How stupid can people be?!” he ranted. 

“Bad day, babe?” I asked, smiling.

“No, I didn’t have a bad day.  I’m just tired of stupid people!”  Mr. R. returned.

I snickered a little.  “Sorry you’re feeling grumpy today, love.”

“I’m not grumpy!” he countered.  “I’m just pointing shit out.”

No more snickering.  I erupted into gales of laughter.

Fair enough, Mr. R.  Fair enough.