Tag Archives: Clearwater Beach

Welcome to Your Thirties

19 Sep

I’ve been a bit MIA since I turned 30. No, I haven’t turned into a hermit crab or decided to buck technology in my new age. Instead, I’ve been actually LIVING life, with little time to write about life. And I’ll take that tradeoff any day!

But I had the most amazing birthday of my entire life. I could get choked up just thinking about it. I have never felt so loved in my life … that people would care about me that much to do so much for me on my birthday blows me away. And I’ll forever look back on my birthday with such fond memories for as long as I live.

So, let’s count down the top 10 highlights of my birthday weekend.

No. 1: Holy F Brad Paisley … PoppaNut took me to the Brad Paisley/Blake Shelton concert, which was completely amazing. Half way through the show, PoppaNut took the concert to a whole new level by handing me backstage passes! Holy cow, I almost peed myself. I don’t know if was the gin and tonics or just pure excitement but I got a massive case of hiccups … and I couldn’t stop screaming! And then I got super emotional, listening to that wonderful country music and knowing how much PoppaNut loved me to do that for me … I shed a few tears over it. And the meet-and-greet was amazing. Brad Paisley actually loved PoppaNut’s Captain Awesome shirt, and who could blame him. It does rock!

No. 2: Jagermeister and Pigtails … Yeah, I’m 30 and I drink Jager and I wear pigtails. Get over it. I happen to like both very much and I’m not stopping just because I turned 30. And I was proud of both when I was tailgating at the concert. Maybe I’ll feel differently at 40, but I would place a bet on that.

No. 3: My Pink Palace … Pulling up to the Hyatt on Clearwater Beach was so exciting! PoppaNut had reserved us a room for the weekend, and I was dying for some lunch by the pool. PoppaNut and I spent our wedding night at the pink hotel. I had dreamt as a child that I lived in a pink house with diamonds, built by my dad. Every time we stay at the pink hotel, PoppaNut tells me it is because he wants all my dreams to come true. I have to say that they have.

No. 4: Surprise Party … I have never been thrown a surprise party in my life, and I couldn’t believe I was seeing all of my friends and family in the cabanas at the Hyatt pool. It was so shocking to me! My Aunt Debbie had made these awesome centerpieces (blue balls!) and there was a beach-themed cake. Old and new friends mingled together. I laughed and smiled so much my cheeks hurt. I’ll never forget that day.

No. 5: Family Photo … My brother hates to take photos! And he reminds me every time he stands next to me for a photo. So, it is a miracle that this photo was taken and actually turned out pretty good. It was nice to have the Tam family all together. It doesn’t happen as often as I would like … and it was very touching!

No. 6: Sunset … Who can resist sunset at the beach? PoppaNut loves to capture the sunset in his photos, and I love watching it too. This one, I spent with Kenzie, looking up and down the beach. PoppaNut got a great photo of it.

No. 7: The Presents … I really made out with all the amazing gifts for my birthday! Thank you all so much. I can’t wait to put every one to use. Here are two gifts that PoppaNut gave me: a tablet and a LV purse! Hell, I’ll turn 30 every year if it is gonna be like this! It was a designer kind of birthday!

No. 8: Pool Time … My actual birthday was spent at the pool, just PoppaNut and I.  I got some great sun, I read my eReader and just relaxed. It didn’t take long until my skin was fried, but we had so much fun. I love that relaxation and cool breeze. I want to go back right now just thinking about it.

No. 9: Island Way … PoppaNut and I got all dressed up and headed to Island Way Grill in our grownup car for dinner. I got sushi, which was amazing! Get the firecracker roll if you every go there. I also got a little dessert for my birthday. It was so yummy!

No. 10: Martini Time … Things start to get a little fuzzy around this highlight, but it is still a highlight to me! Martinis and tequila shots … now that is the way to ring in 30 if you ask me!

And that’s life in a nutshell … grabbing 30 by the balls and never letting go!

MommaNut

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Be a Tourist

25 Jul

Living in the Spring-Break capital of the world, Clearwater Beach has no shortage in tourist activities. But when you are a resident, you rarely have the time to enjoy those activities. The laundry and the grocery shopping and the endless list of chores always seem to take up most of the weekend. And that was true of this weekend, too.

On Saturday morning, PoppaNut headed to the gym and I started my Saturday ritual: laundry with a few girl shows I have recorded peppered in along the way. I went to the grocery store, wrapped a baby-shower gift and what not. PoppaNut detailed our two cars (out in the blazing heat!), and came upstairs to relax around 2:30 p.m.

As soon as we got our second wind, PoppaNut suggested we do something different. We thought about going to the Tarpon Springs’ sponge docks, to a movie or the beach. We decided on the beach, hopped in the car and we were off.

Tourist Activity No. 1: Eat a Crabby Bill’s. This place is a landmark on Clearwater Beach. It’s filled to the brim with tourists from every walk of life. PoppaNut had a bigger-than-his-mouth burger, while I had a shrimp grilled-cheese sandwich, which was a special that day. And it was special to me, too … I nearly devoured the whole thing, while I made a mental note to run the next day.

Tourist Activity No. 2: Take a dolphin tour. We headed to the yellow Screamer, and found our seats quickly. A storm was rolling in, so we crossed our fingers and hoping the rain would stay at bay. We passed the legendary Pirate Ship on our way out to the gulf. Then, we saw several star homes, like that of Hulk Hogan. Finally, we headed out to the gulf for the most amazing dolphin show I have ever seen. These dolphins were literally jumping right behind the boat like they were in an acrobatic show! There were probably six or seven of them, just following behind the boat and jumping in the waves. It was amazing.

So, that’s life in a nutshell … take a Saturday and become a tourist in your own area. Your community probably offers a million things you want to do, but have never taken the time to do it. Make the time, because it is so worth it!

MommaNut

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