Mexico

Peanut roaster in Tequila






















Town square in Tequila
























Pepe Conwell
















Rich Grant, the king of jump roping













Las tres amigas

The Men Of Miami

Ok, so as you all know, I spent the better part of the last week in sunny Miami for a board meeting. Well, it was sunny and windy, but, still gorgeous weather. I stayed at the fabulous Epic Hotel, a new Kimpton property (more on that later) and we did some amazing stuff when we weren't locked in a windowless board room. I'll blog about some of that over the next few days, but of course, I had to start with the true highlight of the trip...

The Men Of Miami!

Now sure, I was expecting some above-average masculine cuteness in Miami, but HELLO!






Meet Carlos "they call me Wolverine senora."





Yeah, this photo doesn't do him justice, but trust me when I tell you he looks like a Latin version of Hugh Jackman (except a bit on the short side - hey, they can't all be 6'3 and built, right?)

I look REALLY happy there, don't I? lol

But speaking of tall and built...

This is Jared, a bartender at Area 31 in the Epic.

Yeah, I spent a bit of time there.

If you wanna meet him, you'd better go pronto, because he informed me (with a completely straight face, mind you) that he's leaving Miami soon to pursue his career as a professional underwear model.

I'm sure you'll all join me in wishing him much success in his endeavors. :) *ahem*

Easy on the eyes AND he mixes an excellent cocktail.

My kind of man.







Last but not least is Josh...


my personal "mojito mentor."


He is a bartender at OLA in the Sanctuary Hotel in South Beach.


We took a "cooking" class there Monday afternoon.


Yeah, the mojitos and ceviche were only surpassed by Josh's dimples. *sigh*


Recipe for Josh's "Classic" Mojitos


10 mint leaves
1 rounded tbsp sugar
1/2 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
1 1/2 oz DonQ Cristal
Splash soda water
Lime wedge for garnish


Place mint, sugar and lime in 12 oz glass and muddle together. Fill glass with ice, add rum and shake vigorously. Top with splash of soda water and garnish with lime.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

And in honor of the patron saint of The Emerald Isle, allow me to offer you a lovely pint of Guinness. :)

So here it is, the official launch of my blog, and not a moment too soon since I leave for Miami on Saturday. More on that later.

Many of you have been asking about my "girls getaway" up North last month. I had hoped to do a blow-by-blow description while I was there (get your minds out of the gutter!), but yeah, the copious amounts of wine and other alcohol consumed pretty much prevented that. Can you say "Puck Puck Goose" three times and make it a double Chahhhhhlie?

Any way, here are a few of my favorite highlights from the week. Oh yeah, did I mention Jon Bon Jovi was there too? ;)

Now I know, I know, it seems odd that a girl who was born in Georgia, raised in North Carolina, and now lives in Louisiana, would want to spend a vacation in New Jersey. but hell, get a group of women who need vacations from their husbands, kids, jobs, etc. in one place to do nothing but drink and talk about men (NOT our husbands) -- does it even MATTER where we were? So before you go knocking it, allow me to introduce you to a few of New Jersey's finer points...

Long Beach Island: I freely admit that not only am I a Southern girl, I'm also a SERIOUS beach girl. Nothing makes me happier than sun, sand and waves. Now sure, I was in Jersey in FEBRUARY so it's not like I could really enjoy the sun, sand and waves, but I totally loved the incredible sunsets from the deck of my friend Cheryl's unbelievable beach house with a glass of wine in hand (or two...or three...). And I was even brave enough to dip my toes in the water. Once. Sure, my lips turned blue and I ran screaming like a little girl, but I did it. Oh, and if you ever make it to LBI, be sure you stop by the Dark Star Cafe and say hi to Chef Tony, the island's favorite Dead Head. Seriously y'all, this man can COOK.

Everything's close in Jersey: It amused me to no end that every time we got in Cheryl's Mustang, it seemed that no matter where we were going, it was "only an hour" away. New York City? It's an hour! Philly? It's an hour! Jon Bon Jovi's house? It's an hour! Course, perhaps that was also because C drives about 100 mph every where she goes, but still... ;) Oh, and THE rock station that makes all other rock stations sound like crap? www.94wysp.com Check it out. :)

Jersey Girls Don't Pump Gas! Did you know that it is ILLEGAL to pump your own gas in New Jersey? You drive up, hand the man your money and he fills you up. Gosh, that sounds dirty. But any way, I could REALLY learn to like that. Oh yes I could.

Jersey Diners: They say there's a diner on every corner in New Jersey, and I'm thinking it might be true. Now I'm not typically a diner kind of girl. Waffle House at 3 am when I was 22, well sure, but I digress. Any way, you can't GO to Jersey and not go to a diner, so we did, and I had I think the biggest breakfast I've ever had in my entire life. I did not, however, try the pork roll. I guess that means I have to plan another trip so I can solve the great "mustard vs ketchup pork roll debate." Really, who can eat that much sausage? ;)

Chaaahhhhhlie, the bahhhhtendahhh: Ok, so one of the nights we went to this great place called Chickie's and Pete's in Philly. Typical sports bar I guess, but we had a private room in the back with our own personal bartender, Charlie from Boston, and he most definitely had his Claven on. Now y'all know how I am with flirty bartenders and by the end of the night I had graduated from wine to double shots and all kinds of other nonsense. Thank God that Geno, our limo driver, was able to get us home safely. (and without Charlie, even though he asked very nicely) .





See, don't they look purple?






Lasted us about one night....

Did I mention JBJ was there?




Uh huh. Remember that MasterCard promotion earlier this year where you could win a chance to see JBJ play in the place he started?

Yeah well, I use my MasterCard A LOT, but not quite that much.

This was the "dress rehearsal" the night before.

This video was shot by a woman who was standing just to my left. *sigh*