My Happy Place

Please listen to the song first before you read the blog.

The date was July 1st, 2011- almost a month ago now.  I was down in Nashville with my fam and we convinced my in laws to go "out" downtown with us.  Brooke and I love to do this with the girls and knew it might be an uphill battle because going to downtown Nashville isnt really Pop's cup of tea.  Surprisingly enough, they were pretty game at the idea.  We went to Margaritaville Cafe- Jimmy Buffett's restaurant on Broadway.  I of course, ordered a "Cheeseburger in Paradise," and thoroughly enjoyed it.  They really do make a great cheeseburger.  I am pretty confident that when Jimmy wrote the song, he envisioned eating a burger on a dock somewhere, surrounded by the ocean.  That was his paradise for which he devoured his cheeseburger. Or perhaps the cheeseburger is the paradise...or both. My happy place was a hot summer night, at his restaurant, in downtown Nashville.

It was a Friday of a long weekend, end of a fiscal year at work, and I was surrounded by people I love. Mentally I was in a pretty good place.  I can neither confirm nor deny that by the end of dinner Pops was working on his 6th Crown Royal.  Mentally he was in a pretty good place.  Everyone had a fantastic meal, and we were all enjoying the Jimmy Buffett music and videos that were playing inside the restaurant, even if it was a little loud.  We had just gotten our balloon animals from the balloon lady on stilts and the dinner was coming to a close when the above video came on.  Every third or fourth video they would play a song that wasn't by JB but in the same sort of family.  For some reason, with little regard to all those around us, we broke out into a spontaneous dance party to this song.  It was a song that has since been stuck in my mind and in my heart.  After this song, Margaritaville came on which required the entire place to stand up and dance.   So in reality we were just trend setters.  But for a few short minutes, not having a care in the world, not worrying if people thought we were fools, we all danced.  We all had a different girl in our arms, and we danced.  It was my paradise.  The only thing missing were some of the people I love back in Louisville, they would have loved to be there.  Other than that it was a near perfect evening.

After the cheeseburger in "paradise," we took a horse drawn carriage ride through downtown Nashville and then walked on the bridge across the river.  It was one of those nights that all other family nights from here on out will have to live up to.  And yes, I did have to drive Pops home.  Just last week I emptied out my wallet and with it, the receipt from that night.  I gasped at the total bill but then laughed because it was worth every penny.