Vacation Diaries, Part 6: Final Musings

Well, folks, it's time to wrap up my vacation diaries. I was only in Arizona from Thursday night through Monday morning after all! My mom has no idea how good it is for me to get out of my routine and come visit once a year by myself. It is easy to get into a rut when you are a mom, wife, Realtor, and human in general. It is also nice to be taken care of once in awhile and that is exactly what my mom does when I visit....take care of me. It makes us both feel better for me to visit, so I can pick on her and make fun of her for a few days. She likes it. Trust me.
This was my first trip to Arizona where another person was around...that person being Bruce. Bruce has been in my mom's life for maybe eight or so months, but this was only the second time I have met him. Geography is cruel like that. I think Bruce and my mom need each other. Two lonely souls with a lot of life and love to give. Bruce lost his wife of 26 years to cancer two years ago. I thought about not mentioning that very personal detail, but I think it is important because I know how that can change a person firsthand. For me, losing a loved one to cancer made me value life more and taught me to never take life and love for granted. I know one thing for sure...my mom is special. She deserves happiness and love and companionship. Now I know that Bruce is special too. Bruce and his daughter Alex have been through a lot together. However, I think they have bright futures ahead of them.

My mom and Bruce were excellent hosts. Except for when they try to make their guests coffee....did I tell you about that? They were as excited as kids on Christmas morning to show me their trendy, new Keurig coffee maker (the kind that makes one cup at a time). On my first morning there, Bruce dumped out a basket filled with lots and lots of different coffee flavors. I was thrilled to have such a large selection to choose from until Bruce and my mom started sorting through them. "Oh, she can't have this kind." "Oops, better take out that kind." "Oh yeah, we don't share that flavor." By the end of this sorting process, I had about three flavors to choose from! I forgave them though when I saw Bruce make my mom a cup of coffee "just how she likes it." That made my heart melt a little and I forgot that they took out all the yummy flavors and left me with the leftovers.

Thank you to mom and Bruce for having me over. I loved everything about my trip. I loved being a first class passenger. I loved meeting all the waitresses that know you guys as regulars. I loved the Rhythm Room, where you guys go to watch people play the blues.

WAIT....I forgot to tell my readers about the Rhythm Room. The Rhythm Room is a little hole-in-the-wall blues club. Apparently, my mom and Bruce are regulars. Oddly enough, their waitress is always Lindsey (of the e variety). Or maybe it was Lyndsey. When you walk in to the Rhythm Room, you get a hand stamp so that you can go in and out. The hand stamp must be made of permanent ink because all three of us walked around for days with the word "Party" boldly stamped on our hands. Bruce scrubbed his hand so hard it bled just to try to get it off! The people at the Rhythm Room don't mess around! This interesting place attracts a very diverse crowd. There are many, many older couples (fifties and up) who crowd the dance floor and dance in ways that are highly inappropriate for old people. Hehehe. There is the guy who looks like Kenny Rogers and dances with lots of ladies. There is the woman who was maybe forty, but moved as slowly on the dance floor as an eighty year old with her huge 80s blonde teased hair. She was extra special and that's all I will say about her. There was "Charlie Sheen" as Bruce calls him. There was the nerdy accountant guy dancing like a total fool by himself all night.

Then there was the very strange Vietnam vet who is a regular at the Rhythm Room. The man is known as the "Most Annoying Man in Phoenix" according to a newspaper article that Bruce told me about. This guy wears roller skates all the time. He skates around the small dance floor to the blues while occasionally getting down on the floor to pick up things that obstruct his skates. The man's clothes are written all over with marker and say things like, "F*** the Police". He looks like all kinds of crazy while he skates non-stop with a huge smile on his face. I love local flavor like that.

I mostly just love that my mom and Bruce are doing fun things and that they are "regulars" in many interesting places. I called my own hubby and told him we need to find a Blues Club around Indy. I love when music brings people of all ages and walks of life together!

Thank you, mom and Bruce.....
for being greedy with your coffee
for the intro to sushi (which rocked my world by the way)
for the laughs

And for being first class hosts!

This concludes the Vacation Diaries! I hope you enjoyed coming along for the ride!

Part 1: First Class Flyer
Part 2: The Zoo McHugh
Part 3: Spa Faux Pas
Part 4: The Vortex Ain't Just a Roller Coaster at King's Island
Part 5: Brothels and Saloons