Happy Monday! I’m here with Holly today. I hope you’ll join us if you blogged today. First, I want to recognize that today is the anniversary of a very sad day in our country’s history. I hope that we as Americans can commemorate the day by being kind to each other, celebrating our country and the things that make American united and a wonderful place to live.
You may have noticed that I called today’s post Come Monday instead of Hello Monday.
Oh, I still don’t even know where to begin on this one. Waking up last Saturday morning to the news that Jimmy Buffett had passed away was such a shock and so sad.
If I had to pick one artist to be the soundtrack to my life it would be Jimmy. My dad has been a parrot head for as long as I can remember. We used to razz him a bit and complain when he played Jimmy’s music, but now I am so glad he introduced me to Jimmy, his music, his mentality, and everything Margaritaville. I’ve cried more than I thought I would this week as I think about Jimmy’s passing. Just about every song I hear has a great memory attached to it and I am sad that there are just a few more new songs to add memories to. I am also sad that I never took my kids to a Jimmy Buffett concert. This year was going to be the year I shared just how fun the concerts are with Jack and Luke.
So today, I am sharing some fun memories that include Jimmy Buffett and the pictures that go along with them.
In May of 1994, Jimmy Buffett released the Fruitcakes album. We laughed all summer long that my sister would be crazy enough to be “struttin’ naked through the crosswalk in the middle of the week” while we were on vacation in Sunset Beach, NC. Oh did we laugh and laugh. I still tell the boys that song just about every time the song comes on the radio. My parents went to the concert that year and I took my dad’s tshirt ages ago. I still have it and wear it lovingly and gently!
That picture is from the when Jeff and I saw Jimmy together in 2012. He mocked me for wearing a Jimmy tshirt to a Jimmy concert but they are everywhere!
At our wedding reception, there was never a question as to what song I would dance to with my dad. Little Miss Magic was always the choice. My dad sang it to us and with us and on my wedding day we sang it as we danced. We also noticed just how long of a song it is as we were out there for over 4 minutes.
I taught my boys very early into their Radio Margaritaville listening that when Fins comes on, you make your arms into a fin and have “fins to the left, fins to the right” no matter where you are or what you are doing! Radio Margaritaville is always in the number one spot on my radio.
The JMU dorm assigners must have had a little bump from Jimmy when placing freshmen in my hall. I found my roommate for sophomore through senior year and we are both parrot heads raised by parrot heads. In fact, the first concert we went to together was my first indoor Buffett concert. I can’t find any pictures of that show from The Far Side of the World tour in Greensboro in April 2002. I still love that album and we had a great time at the show!
If you know anything about Jimmy Buffett concerts, you know that the parking lot is always a big party! One year a concert venue said they wouldn’t let you in the parking lot without tickets. We were planning to scalp a few tickets in the lot, so in preparation we tested out how many people could fit in my trunk. Turns out 2 people fit and we had a great time at the show!
Another concert memory comes from the parking lot and my knee. This was my high school graduation present to my sister. What better way to celebrate heading to college than a Jimmy Buffett concert?? I can’t think of one! We were tailgating and having a great time, almost ready to go in. Well, the skies opened up and they delayed the show. We danced and hung out in the parking lot through the rain. We had the best time and I ended up with a little reminder of all that fun in the form of a lovely scar on my knee from a tumble.
In 2009, Jimmy came to Nissan Pavilion and we rented a bus with a bunch of Jeff’s brother’s friends. It was the first time I’d taken a bus and I was excited. Well, the bus broke down on 495, the capital beltway, and we had to wait for another bus to get there. We still got a bunch of time in the parking lot to tailgate with the other parrot heads and the show was amazing!!
Also in 2009, Jimmy played at UVA and I gave my dad tickets for Christmas. We drove down one night and it was the best time. I can’t help but smile every time I think about looking over at my dad with a huge smile, clapping along to every single song.
Jimmy came to Baltimore in March 2018. He played at the Baltimore Arena which is a very small arena. Jeff and I went with my parents and it was so much fun! We had great seats and I danced and sang all night. Jimmy sang Beautiful Swimmers and told us it was the first time he sang it in concert. What a treat!
Last year, Jimmy came to Merriweather Post Pavilion, our closest concert venue. He hadn’t been there in a long time. Rumor was that they started cracking down on tailgating and Jimmy said no way to that. I didn’t get tickets because I thought we’d have many summer tours left. At the last minute I started regretting my decision in a giant way. I was fretting about it at the pool and my friend Darla said that she had a friend who was selling two tickets. She connected us and we got the tickets at less than face value. They were the hottest ticket in town, but these true parrot heads wanted to share Jimmy’s joy with anyone. My friend Kourtni went with me and I am so glad we went. I saw good friends, some of the people from that bus trip concert, and heard A Woman Goin Crazy on Caroline Street live for the first time. It was so, so good!
As I sit down to think about my favorite songs from Jimmy I simply cannot! I love them all, I sing along with them all, and they all bring me so much joy! I asked my mom, dad, and sister to share what their favorite songs were and why. All three of them said it was hard, but we all named Little Miss Magic because of the connection with Dad.
My sister said Barefoot Children in the Rain and I love that one too! Scratch my back with a lightning bolt, thunder rolls like a bass drum note, the sound of the weather is heaven’s ragtime band…. One Particular Harbor and I agree too!! Fruitcakes, see above. It’s My Job because it is a reminder to have gratitude on tough days. Yep, that is the spirit of Jimmy – be grateful, have fun, and keep the party going!
My dad said Creola and that song makes me think of him each time I hear it. He also said I Wish Lunch Would Last Forever. I have to agree. I wish lunch would last forever and the lyrics are quintissential Jimmy.
If I must name my favorites, I would say I love Boat Drinks because I feel it in the winter. Beautiful Swimmers, Love in the Library, Delaney Talks to Statues, Nautical Wheelers, Hula Girl at Heart, Changes in Latitudes Changes in Attitudes, Coconut Telegraph, Growing Older But Not Up, Gypsies in the Palace, Bob Roberts Society Band, Margaritaville with the lost verse, Savannah Fare You Well, Tonight I Just Need My Guitar, Coast of Carolina, Duke’s On Sunday, Bama Breeze, Barefootin’, Something ‘Bout a Boat, Down at the Lah De Dah, and the list goes on and on. Please don’t be mistaken, just because I didn’t list it doesn’t mean I don’t love it or that I won’t sing it at the top of my lungs. 😊
I also love his beloved covers of Brown Eyed Girl, Southern Cross, and Scarlett Begonias. I love the collaborations Jimmy has done with Zac Brown, Allen Jackson, Martina McBride, Willie Nelson, and Kenny Chesney.
In addition to the songs, Jimmy has introduced our family to many other musicians that we love and listen to. Jake Rice, Jake Shimabukuro, Mac McAnally, Peter Mayer, and more.
There is more than just music. My parents had a whopper of a party one year all in the spirit of Jimmy Buffett. I might need to follow in their footsteps and have a Cheeseburger in Paradise party, part 2.
There are also the books! Jimmy is an author of two children’s books and multiple adult books. I also credit Jimmy and my dad for introducing me to one of my favorite authors – Carol Hiaasen.
I hope this post shares just how much Jimmy and his music mean to our family. Jimmy released three songs posthumously this week. In Bubbles Up, Jimmy said “Just know that you are loved. There is light above. And, joy there is always enough.” And that is true. If we keep listening to Jimmy and living his songs, there is always enough joy and love. Thank you Jimmy for all you’ve given our family. I can’t help but tear up thinking of all the good times and memories you’ve been a part of. I’m still making memories, still having fun, and am so grateful that Jimmy Buffett songs are the soundtrack. Fins up forever! ❤️
