Steve and Kevin got back to the apartment in Key West to find ants in their bread. Steve put the bread in the refridgerator. Kevin said ” Steve why are you doing that?’. Steve’s answer ” you dont want to eat the ants alive do you?”. So we are now calling Steve Wherry, Steve Grylls. Our Coyote Ugly Survivorman.
Grateful for Dora my housekeeper. I have had 4 kids sleeping over for the last few nights and my house is a disaster. I have OCD about keeping my kitchen and living room neat . I feel like I can’t keep up with the mess. It’s creating a lot of anxiety for me. I never was like this but in the last few years I have noticed a change in me. Dora comes on Tuesdays . I cant wait. I need Help!

We finally got our building permit in Key West! Bam! Finished the 2013 Coyote Ugly Calendar ! Bam! A lot accomplished this past week. I would like to give my gratitude to all the girls who came to the calendar shoot. We had absolutly NO DRAMA. They were all on time. They were respectful, wonderful young women! This is the first year I didn’t have either Lee or Chantel helping me keep things organized. We got everything accomplished but it is a lot more work by yourself. So universe thank you! What a great experience for everyone!
Me: Hello
13 year old girl: Miss Lil I would like to invite Jackson out.
Me: Well where and when?
13 year old girl: well its for my birthday.
Me: That’s nice. Where would you like to go with Jackson?
13 year old girl: I would like him to be my date to a Cage Fighting event. My dad will be there too.
(Has the world spun off of its axis? My son’s first date will be to a cage fighting event? )
Me: I will get back to you.
What happened to going to the movies? What happened to guys asking girls out? This is nuts! Lol

Right now I am watching Killer Clowns from Outer Space with my son and his friend . This is painfully bad! Lol
Tomorrow starts the 2013 calendar shoot. I am grateful to the girls who didn’t gain weight before the shoot!
I can’t take this blog seriously when people are getting killed by cotton candy in this movie

Pinky just told me that he lost a dear friend in the Aurora shooting and a former Denver Bouncer. They both died heroes.

Pinky: Here is a little bit about my friend Alex, and a former BMF Jon who were
taken from us way to early.

Alex Sullivan (Sully), who I’ve known for about 8 years or so. I met him
through Bryan (Big Sexy) because they were high school friends. He was
celebrating his 27th birthday, and a few days short of celebrating his 1st
wedding anniversary, when this awful incident took place. Alex was a
gentle giant. A big man with an even bigger heart. He was easy to talk to
and made friends with everyone. He had a smile and a laugh that were
contagious. He was a very funny guy as well. He loved cooking, collecting
comic books, and watching movies. Above all, he was one of those rare
people who always put others before himself, always making sure that his
friends, family, and wife were taken care of before worrying about
himself.

When it comes to Jon, I knew him but i didn’t know him all that well. He
was a BMF with us just a little over a month. From what I gather, he
leaves behind 2 kids, a 4 yr old daughter and a 2 yr old son. He was a
military vet who served 3 tours in the middle east between 2004 and 2009.
He had plans of re-enlisting in the navy with the goal of becoming a NAVY
SEAL. He wanted his kids to look up to him, and wanted nothing more than
to be a hero. Which he was, he died shielding his girlfriend from the
bullets.

What makes someone go ona killing rampage? I don’t know if anyone can really understand mental illness like that. Aurora, colorado . The simple act of going to the movies becomes a death sentence .
My baby boy comes home from camp tomorrow ! I miss him so much.
Hoping this week is more positive then last week. I owe a lot of gratitudes. I was kind of down last week. Today I was able to catch an earlier flight home tonight! When I landed I found out that my original flight was delayed. That’s got to be a gift from above!
Key West is going to rock!

Let’s just say that yesterday was one catastrophe after another. 1. Jeff wouldn’t budge on a point in a deal and the other people wouldn’t budge either so deal is scrapped. Playing hardball sometimes doesn’t work in your favor. Back to the drawing board! 2. Ceiling caved inside the office of the NY bar , landlord doesn’t want to fix it. 3. I got to Key West just to find out that Kevin hadn’t even left Atlanta with our swag.
Good news. I GOT MY PERIOD. Now while some women would say” damn I got my period. ” I say thank god ” ? It seems like there are children being born all around me. Lee has had two girls in less then 2 years. Chantel has had a daughter and son in 3 1/2 years. And a friend of mine in her 40s had two sons within a year and a half of each other. While I love all their children in my mind I think those poor bastards getting up 2 or 3 times a night while I sleep peacefully in my bed! Obviously all these births around me has affected Jackson. Even his friend’s mother just had a baby with her 2nd husband. All of a sudden it dawned on Jackson that I could possibly have a child that wasnt from his dad. So jackson has gone on the offensive stating repeatedly that he doesn’t want any siblings. Last week I said to him ” your dad has a young girlfriend perhaps you should be worrying about him having a kid.” That thought had never occurred to him. Lol poor kid.

I want to give thanks and praise to Tahnee in NY. Wow she has stepped up when we needed her. I am very proud of her. It’s more then that. She is genuinely a good person. Her inside beauty matches that of her outside.
I want to give thanks to Judy my assistant. She is an unbelievable worker but also a good friend.
Judy and her husband Lynn live in a 1 bedroom apartment in the French quarter. A beautiful place. It’s perfect for two people . Kids are all grown up so they have a nice life . They have a way of meeting very rich people. This one couple that they know is ultra rich. I haven’t met them but Judy says that they are very nice and giving. The rich couple has invited Judy, Her husband and few other couples on a cruise in the Mediterranean on a private yacht. Holy shit I am completely jealous!

Kevin and I played an increble prank on Lee. Lee left Key West a day early. For the couple of days that we were all together he talked longingly about how he wished we had time to jet ski and do fun beachy things. After he left we decided to Torture him a little. I wrote him an email and said that some vendors came down and gave Kevin, Steve, and I free passes to go use a jet pack. Free passes for Jet skiing. OMG we just got biplane passes that tour the Keys.
He almost caught me when I called him and was bitching about Kevin in regards to the painting debacle . ” Lil you stayed behind while Kevin went jet packing? He just texted me 5 minutes ago saying how cool and scarey it was. ” So I quickly changed the topic.
Even Last night , before I went to bed I texted him and said ” the sunset cruise was incredible . We got to swim with dolphins” . Lee was beside himself. He was so jealous. Today I decided to really put the screws to him. I pretended that I went into the Key West Starbucks and that Ami James from Miami Ink came up and talked to me. I continued it by saying that they wanted to film B roll at the bar and use Kevin and Steve. Lee was tortured!! Finally we told him the truth. It was pretty awesome. Punked!

Chantel had a little boy, Domenic! So freaking cute! She has got some good looking kids. Niko her daughter is gorgeous . She is what I picture in my head an angel looking like. And Domenic looks a more Mediterranean version of Niko. Beautiful family.
I am grateful for Lee. Not just because he is a good worker but because he can soothe me after Fucking Kevin pisses me off. Really Lee is the onky one who can calm me. I actually said ( said is the nice word for yelled) to Kevin that I wished Lee was in Key West to monitor and break up our fights.
Yesterday we spent hours painting the wainscot and the wall above it. The day before I picked a couple of color combinations that we all agreed on . Two colors one for the wainscot and another for the blank wall above the wainscot. We have decided ( as a group) to go out of our comfort zone and have a more beachy feel. Well low and behold after Steve and I painted the main wall, Fucking Kevin said ” I think we should pick the same colors as the other bars on the block. It’s not biker enough.” . ” Really Fucking Kevin, it’s not biker enough.” ” I let you and Lee have carte Blanche on the Milwaukee bar. Milwaukee being the head quarters of Harley Fucking Davidson. And I walk into black and red wallpaper on the walls. Don’t tell me about what’s biker like !” just writing this is getting me mad all over again.
So to appease him I walk to 4 different bars to show Kevin what colors they are using and how they all frame out their decor”. I then mix two different color combinations to show him how it would look . Then I show him how it would be a bit harder for us to do the same thing. Well he keeps complaining . So finally , I blow up! I walk outside , call Lee. Lee then calmed me down and backed me up on the original colors we picked. Fucking Kevin won’t beat me down!!
Positive vibes . Peace and tranquility .

I am grateful to Steve Wherry our Coyote contractor. He goes the extra mile to come up with creative ideas even when we have no budget to cover it.
The term Lil’d
Kevin: oh I was just Lil’d. = someone exaggerated a story about him
Daniel: “that’s Lil’d up”= that’s fucked up
Trey: ” god damn it I got Lil’d” = someone did not properly twist the cap on a lid so while shaking it he gets that liquid all over his clothes.
Personally I resent the first two Lil’d definitions. But Kevin got Lil’d tonight cause I didn’t shut the lid of a paint jar. Bad habit Sorry lol

I am grateful for Pinky, am of Denver. He actually quit for a few months . He’s come back with so much grace and a real appreciation for the bar business as a career. Sometimes we humble ourselves and it makes us better. He is a good egg!
In Key West ready to rock and roll.oprning date is pushed back ! Well damn

Let the games begin. Only 24 hours of happiness after signing Key West and the tension starts.
Jeff: I hate dealing with the insurance
Daniel: can I take vacation
Kevin: Lil and Lee pick the signage you want
Lee: I like the wings
Lil: I like the plain one
Lee: well Lil, I can tell you from a design prospective why the wings are better
Lil: lee we both knew that we wouldn’t like the same one so your game won’t work on me.
Lil: Kevin grow a set and back me up
Urgh. It’s just a fact that Lee and I don’t envision the decor of Coyote Ugly the same. But I was expecting the fighting to start in about 2 weeks not one day after we took possession of the space.
I am grateful for Miami new GM of Nashville. You rock girl. Set a routine for yourself and know that your bar rocks ! The hard work will be worth it!
Heading to Key West tomorrow

Big news! We just signed the lease on a spot in Key West! Hot damn. Opening will ( if forces for good prevail ).be the Wednesday before Labor Day Weekend! Awesome!
I am grateful for Jeff.even on vacation he makes sure to keep his phone and email available so these deals don’t get stalled! Thanks Jeff excellent job over all the years!
I think I owe 2 gratefuls.
I am grateful to Alberto in San Antonio. He’s such a strong AM that I can have Marsha travel to other cities knowing that the bar is running like a well oiled machine under his guard! Thank you
I am grateful for Juan in NY. He has been the porter for 13/15 years. He works just as hard now as he did 15 years ago. I consider him one of the best assets we have at the NY bar. Thank You
Oh and thanks Daniel for calling me 5 times a day everyday on my vacation! I think I may need a do over because you don’t feel like you are one with nature while your hiking and your email and phone keeps ringing. ” I didn’t realize you really were on a mountain hiking”

Today I am very grateful to Ernie. I am not going to lie we have struggled with the Milwaukee bar. Ernie , little by little is bringing the numbers up. That coupled with bare bones managing has made that bar profitable . I was so pleased with the dividends from Milwaukee for June! Hot damn Ernie!
I think this happiness thing is working. I have thrown up multiple times today ( possible causes salmonella , mercury poisoning , or Ecoli lol). But after I throw up I am hungry . So I made myself a hot fudge sundae. Chicken and spinach parmagian , and peanut butter and jelly sandwich . It’s like the universe has given me bulimia. But I don’t need to go to therapy to get rid of it! ( I know that’s not funny but it is a little)
Got a series of suspicious emails from Daniel and Tommy. I think they like each other, if you know what I mean! ( not that there’s anything wrong with that).

I couldn’t be happier. I just worked out. I am drinking a delicious coffee and checking my emails . Every Single bar Rocked last night! I am humbled and blinded by the awesomeness of all my staff! Plus an added bonus that I am pretty awesome today ! Happy 4th of July. I am sitting outside in Park City, Utah listening to the sounds of nature. Drinking a coffee and thanking the universe for my perfect son sleeping inside.
Today I am grateful for two people, Jess and Tish of Austin. Jess flew to NY to help train the new GM but she also made sure Tish was trained for the busy week in Austin! Thanks Jess great job. ” And Tish thanks, you got thrown into such a busy week and you are handling it with composure and authority.”