We are one day closer and I’m a little calmer today than I was yesterday. Maybe it’s because I got a nice text message from my girlfriend telling me that everything would be ok. She’s out of town but she is still here in spirit. Never underestimate the power of encouraging words from someone you care about!

Mom is getting her “beach wardrobe” together. I was really getting myself geared up to take her to the mall and buy her a few things to take to the beach. It gets so hot and humid at night and our condo we are staying in is literally ON the beach. But after our talk yesterday, it looks like she went “shopping” in her own closet. I think her exact words were, “I don’t need to buy anything.” She ain’t got no time for that!

Man, I wish I was more like that. To me, when you are getting ready for a big trip, half of the fun is the anticipation of the trip and the preparations you make leading up to it. New flip flops, maybe a bathing suit, some new walking sneakers, even going to Target to buy the toiletries…that’s all a part of the vacation experience. I think I will still surprise her with a small beach bag and fill it some fun stuff that won’t make her feel like I’m wasting a lot of money. But maybe it will be enough to get her a little more excited. It’s not that she isn’t excited, I just don’t think she’s nearly as excited as I am. I’m so excited, my stomach has that feeling you get right before you are about to go on a big roller coaster ride. It’s HEAVY excitement, mixed in with heavy nervousness.

Spending time with my mom will be great. But the first day and a half that we are there, I will be doing lots of running around for the big Coolio show at my bar there. I don’t know if I mentioned it but he is actually doing two shows for me. One show will be here at my bar this Thursday. CRAP, that’s tomorrow! Wow, time flies! Then on Friday afternoon, we will all hop in a van and head to the airport. Me, Mom, Coolio and a few others will fly to Cancun together, then, we will all hop in another van together and drive 30 miles south to our condo in Playa del Carmen. My sister will join us on Saturday. And check this out. Nate, my brand new bar manager in Playa del Carmen who has only lived there for 3 weeks, set up a radio interview for Coolio in Playa del Carmen. Haha…let me repeat that: Coolio will be doing a radio interview in Playa del Carmen! This will be awesome. YOU KNOW I have to go with him to check this out. And I’ll tape it so we can play it back on the show. In fact, as much as I can, I will document this whole trip on video. I will edit it together and call it simply: Me, My Mom and Coolio in Mexico! Anyway, I assume the interview will be in English. We even arranged for one of those airplanes to fly by with a banner trailing behind it saying: “Coolio Saturday Night at the Beer Bucket.”