Jan.15,2009
Day One-
Had a beer at Appleton Airport and saw that a plane had to make an Emergency landing in the Hudson River. OH MY...MY mom is gonna have a fit. Better call her and let her know we are fine! LOL
At check in they took my Honey Suckle Body Spray that I just got for my birthday! Apparently, it was too big! WTF!!
While putting my shoes back on, I asked Andy to hold my boarding pass. When we are about to get on to the plane I CAN'T FIND MINE. Andy says he doesn't have it...ahhhh. So we leave the line and he reaches in his pocket and finds HIS. He is holding MINE! LOL We had a good laugh about that!
We arrive in Atlanta GA and it is 32 degrees. What?? I thought this was the south!! Had supper at TGIFridays with BEER! HA!
We were so tired and had to travel to Ft. Lauderdale yet...we got in really late and crashed the moment we got to our room.
Jan.16, 2009
Day Two-
I woke up to an email from WLUK informing me that Hortonville wasn't having school again due to the cold temps.
We had breakfast at a little cafe' in Ft. Lauderdale near our hotel. Andy and I held hands across the table. We haven't done THAT in a long time! It was nice.
Then we went back and waited in the lobby for our shuttle to Miami. We sat in the lobby on our phones checking this and that. I actually tried to do a blog entry with my blackberry but I couldn't figure it out. I even called the Blog Expert, Kim. It worked for her but not for me. So I found the hotel computer area and left a message to all of you that informed you that I TRIED!!
The shuttle arrived and Andy and I climbed in while the driver loaded our bags. I heard something fall but didn't really think anything of it as I got in. We travel toward Miami when I realize that I DON'T have my PHONE! OH OH! So the driver is kind enough to take us back to the hotel. After calling my phone, which was on vibrate we couldn't find it in the lobby! GREAT...someone stole my phone...that is what we thought. And then...it dawned on me...that something fell when I got IN the shuttle so I looked under the seat and FOUND it way under the seat! YAY! We are on our way...phew! Luckily this all happened in less than a 10 min. span so it didn't put all of our schedules way off! MAN oh MAN...I don't have my kids to take care of and I fall apart! LOL
This was our view from our hotel window in MIAMI!!
Made it to our hotel in Miami and went to eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. 
It was kinda cool to have the Bayside Market right across the street from our hotel. We found that the Shrimp Co. is expensive and that the Shrimp pretty much taste like they do in WI. That isn't a good thing when you are that close to the ocean!! OH WELL!
This amazing tree was in the Bayside Market Place. The roots actually grow off the branches...strange...
We went shopping for a bit and met up with Jac and Cami. We chatted with them a bit and then they went to eat. We went shopping for the kids and then found me some more BODY SPRAY...travel size this time!!! lol
We went back to the hotel to take a short nap before the PREPARTY!! We met up with Jac and Cami in the lobby and they took us to the free little train deal only a block or two from our hotel. We went the wrong way for a bit but then finally got ourselves going the right way. 
We arrived at the preparty and it seemed that everyone knew eachother. Cami and Jac were nice enough to take us under their wing but shortly we started meeting NEWBIES just like us!
We found out that the beer was EXPENSIVE! So we took a walk and found others carrying 6 packs of beer. We finally found out where they were getting their beer and it was way CHEAPER!! So we went and got some! HA!
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Cowboy Mouth was playing in Ft. Lauderdale and we were totally going to go until we found out how much it would have been to travel back there in a taxi. So we headed back in to the ballroom.
We met Joe and Carrie when searching for beer and headed up with them!
When we arrived we tried to walk in but the security guy wouldn't let us go in because of our CHEAP beer. When we just saw two others right in front of us walk right in. So we split the beer up and shoved them in pockets. We got in just fine and started to listen to Stephen Kellogg and Sixers. Jac and Cami ended up finding us and Cami and I were standing on chairs to see the band.
Andy went to take care of a empty beer bottle and came back with FRIENDS!
I was way surprised because Andy normally isn't very social. That is my role. He brought Mike and Jackie. I took one look at Jackie and knew we were going to be friends! As we were chatting,I spotted a guy walking by with a BUCKY shirt on. I stopped him. I thought he resembled a guy I have seen at Cowboy Mouth shows in the front row that knew all the words just like me! COOL!
Rod introduced us to his friend Carm and her brother Jon and her friend Heather. They were a a hoot and conversation was flowing! We later found out that 6 out of 10 of us were ROCK BOAT VIRGINS! We had lots to talk about!!
I was so proud of myself. I took my phone out and started putting everyone's cell number and cabin numbers in it. Honestly I am horrible with names but I wanted to remember these people! I wanted to party with them on the boat!
We ended up in the hotel bar after the band was done. We chatted there for a while and found out that many were going to The Hard Rock Cafe. Andy and I had had enough though and decided to walk back to our hotel. HA! We walked a couple of blocks in the wrong directions. We had another GOOD LAUGH and decided to stop at a CHECKERS to get fries and a milk shake for our EXTRA long walk back to our hotel.
PHEW! We made it back in one piece and went to our room. Our room key wouldn't work!! WTF!!! NOW WHAT?? Back down to the lobby...YES we had the right room. So the receptionist reissued our cards. We went back up and still couldn't get in our ROOM! AHHHHH! So I sat by our door and Andy went back down. Soon I could hear some keys and got a little nervous...when I saw a man that wasn't ANDY! AHH...then shortly after there came Andy! GOOD GOD! It was a hotel guy to HELP us get in our room! HA! Well Andy says that the the front desk got the order of our numbers wrong...I am not so sure!! HA!
Jan.17, 2009
Day 3-
It honestly felt like our vacation was almost over and it really hadn't even started yet.
I woke up and started TXTing the people we met the night before. Andy asked what I was doing at 8AM. I said "making friends"! LOL He wasn't so sure they would be happy to hear from me so early in the morning.
Jackie txt my back letting me know that she was awake but Mike was still sleeping and that they weren't going to meet for us for breakfast.
John,Carm,Rob,and Heather txt me to let me know they were slow moving and not going to be able to make it either but that we would all for sure meet on the boat.
We checked out of room and brought our bags in to Jac and Cami's room who had an extended check out.
They were dressing up to get on the boat. We chatted with them for a bit and then headed back out to find food. Little did we know they would be serving FREE food right away when we got on the boat. LIVE AND LEARN!
Andy and I had PIZZA and BEER for breakfast! HAAAA!~
Then we got a message from John and Crew and they said they were already at the boat and that they just got called to get on! WHOAA! Andy and I hopped a taxi and headed over. On the way, we called Jackie and Mike and told them we were headed over there. They said we were totally MOTIVATING them to get their butts moving!
We meet up with everyone and started the DRINK-A-THON! John showed us how we could be sure to have an extra beer with us if the boat did go down.
We did the whole life jacket deal and then RUSHED back for the Cowboy Mouth show.
I wasn't going to take the elevator back but then there was only 3 others in it...so I jumped in and pressed the CLOSE DOOR button. It wasn't nice but I got up there really fast and got us front row spots!!
Next are photos of Cowboy Mouth from their warm up and show! They were the first band to play the first night! :) YAY!
/>Then after Cowboy Mouth, we got to see Gaelic Storm. These guys are FUNNY!!
He opened for Sister Hazel and by the time he got done we were so tired...we went to bed. Sister Hazel played another 2 times on the boat...we were beat!!
This is a picture of Andy showing off our beautiful bunk beds. Not sure what he was doing here!! LOL
Jan.18, 2009
Day 4-
We got to the Bahamas.
We got off the boat and headed off to call the kids but couldn't get our stupid phone card to work. So we wandered around the shops(CRAP STORES). Sorry for any of you out there that like that sort of thing but we were not impressed. But we had already been there and wanted to give the island a shot.
We were going to rent scooters but then quickly changed our minds when the prices went from 50 a piece to 100 a piece. Also we had no idea WHERE to go and they drive on the opposite side of the street. So we opted to walk to the beach. On our way we saw a stray dog with a broken back leg. WONDERFUL! So it is walking on the side walk coming straight toward us. I tried so hard not to look down at it so it wouldn't stop. UGH! I couldn't help myself. This poor thing looked up at us with such sad eyes. It was a thin as thin could be. We went to the beach but I couldn't get that dog out of my head. I did manage to take a little beauty away from that area..check this shot out!! :)
So...we headed back to the boat. On our way back we saw Carm, Heather, Rod and John. They were across the street looking at JUNK! lol So we chatted with them a bit and found out from one of the store owners that we could purchase beer across the street. She then told us as long as it was in a bag we could drink and shop. So we all got a drink and finished our shopping. Then Andy and I went to try and call the kids again and found this pretty little area! Andy says I was the prettiest thing in the Bahamas!! AWW~
ALL THE PARTYING...YET TO COME!! I don't want to hurt your heads with too long of a post! HA!~
So Andy and I returned to the BOAT. I think we took a shower then or maybe a nap. I can't remember but that was kinda our routine! Then we headed to the LIDO deck and met up with John, Carm, Rod, Heather!
I don't exactly remember who came and when but we all ended up together by show time!
We were all just sitting and drinking and waiting for the excitement to begin when I heard someone ask if the seat next to me was taken. I was saving it for Andy but when I saw who was asking I was pretty sure Andy and I could share a seat. So she had a seat next to me. I asked her if she was having a good time! And then asked her what her favorite band was. She said she was a little "bias" because she was Zac Brown's step mom. WOW! We later found out she wasn't REALLY his step mom but that she was really close to Zac. She knew all the words to the songs and some great stories as to why the songs were written. We met up with her night after night and saved her a seat in the front row. Funny story: The next day after we met I asked her if she remembered me. She said, "Now Trish, How could I ever forget you?!!" That made my day. And all because I was willing to sit and chat with her and save her a chair! HA! Andy had a good talk with MAMA D too!(if he wants to add any info. he is more than welcome too)She was so sweet and fun to be around. She even stuck around for The Cowboy Mouth show the last night! Too Cute!
Andy and I saw Tonic for the first time and really liked them. Jacki and Mike are huge fans and it was awesome to see them so IN TO the music! That is what is so awesome about THE ROCK BOAT, everyone is IN TO LIVE MUSIC! ROCK ON!
The longer the day went on the sillier we all got! What a fun time with AWESOME people. We found out we are all from the around the same area too. WI, IL, and MN can't get ANY better than that!!
I can't say enough about the people we hung around. GREAT PEOPLE!
The Hanson Brothers were also on the boat! And while some people thought there fans were FANTICAL. I could kinda relate them to my NKOTB addiction. (sigh) Now everyone is gonna pick on me!! LOL We didn't see much of Hanson but we weren't LOOKING for them either. Andy and I laugh at this photo as it is blurry a blurry can be. Kinda like the loch nes monster photos. We didn't see much of them at ALL! ANY WHO...
Did I mention that things continued to get crazier and crazier?? LOL FUN ANYONE??!
I was scanning the crowd and found HEATHER having a blast. Man this is only the first night! WHoAAA!
Lane was a good sport a dealt with our craziness! HA! I think he may have HELPED a little!! Another amazing person we had the pleasure to meet because of the boat!
Jan.19, 2008
Day 4-
We woke up and got prime seating again! YAY US! Anyone that knows us knows we like to be CLOSE to the bands we see! HA
Dont these guys look like they have been friends for years? I tell you...it was meant to be!!
The Zach Brown Band and Cowboy Mouth Meet and Greet coming soon! It doesn't stop there...so stay tuned!! Heee heee!
Andy informed me that I forgot to post this pic when I mentioned that Hanson was on the boat! HA! This is the BLURRY as BLURRY can be pic! Rumor has it that they were actually ON the boat!(they were and played a show. Just didn't see much of them!)
Ok ok OK...I know this is getting long but you wanted to know what the trip was all about, right??! It was LONG for US too! LOL FUN and LONG!
If you are just joining us...you have to scroll down to the post Title,"The Rock Boat Experience" or this whole deal might not make much sense!! hee hee
Ok...Here we goooooooooooooooooooooo!
Another funny story...well at least funny to all of us who were there. HA! I was talking about the MEET and GREET! And when I said it Mike and Andy both looked at me and said,"BAKERY?". WHAT??? Why would I be talking about a bakery..is there even one on this boat?? LOL TOO FUNNY!
On our way to Cowboy Mouth's meet and greet we stumbled upon TONIC having a sound check. I didn't think my camera was behaving so I only took this one photo. I NOW wish I would have taken more...oh well..they are cool...gotta see more of them! :)
So Andy and I finally find out way to the dinning room that Cowboy Mouth is in. FFS! We were ALL over that boat. "Go up one level then around to this level and....blah blah blah"...it was a hidden room I tell you...we finally made it! John came along to get an autograph and to tell the guys that he helped out in New Orleans after Katrina hit!(told ya these are great people we met! :) )
Andy and I didn't bring ANYTHING to get signed so we felt a little dumb up there...we really just wanted to say HI to the guys and tell them how much fun this boat thing really was!! But I did get a hug from Griff...awww!! He was super happy to see us. Andy started talking about...gosh...something...hee hee...sorry honey...can't remember. Anwyays,Andy is a lengthy story teller and we were holding up the line. Of course Griff and JP were listening and cool and Fred was a crabby little bitch about it. Anyways...it was fun to see them and get a chance to say hi!
This was the only NICE NICE day! It was lots of sunscreen and a little bit of sweet kinda day! :)
Holy FISHPASTE!! Is that Trisha in a swimsuit! You got it! I was on vacation!
Is that Andy in a CUBS related T-shirt! You got it! Andy is Andy!! Hee hee! We love him!! (Kiss Kiss)
Don't really know much about these guys but the guy played a little flute thingy...manly I know! HA!
The 19th was St. Patty's Day theme. Some people went all out for this day. I wish I had a pic. of Heather, Rod and Carm too. They were all decked out. Heather was nice enough to give us all beads...green beads...Mike was all concerned about Andy and I with our pasty white skin and kept telling us to put more on. It was funny! "OK DAD"
So I took their spray sun screen and sprayed the crap out of the back of Andy's neck. Ha ha funny...until the beads started to BLEED GREEN. OH OH...Andy had a green mark on his neck and t-shirt. YAY we have a conversational piece! Sorry babe...soon we had Andy cleaned up and got ready for the Zac Brown band! Sweet!
In honor of St. Patty's Day, John whipped out his kilt and did a couple of Irish Jigs for us. Is he even Irish?? It doesn't matter...it's THE ROCK BOAT!!! I hope he had Undies on under that thing!! hee hee
If you don't have their newest CD, get it! Zac looks gruff but when we met him he was soft spoken and very nice. The lyrics to his songs are amazing. I am telling you...go out and get FOUNDATION!
Mama Dee at her boy's show! She was so cute and it was great to hear all her stories about Zach!
Caught Zac right after his show. Another funny story. See the hat Jacki has on? The next day she asked me if I had seen it at all. I hadn't but knew she wore it for the Zac Brown show. It gets a little foggy as the night goes on. Anyways...she said something and I thought she said,"The cat was on the TV!" WHAT?? Did she bring her damn cat on the boat? Huh? She actually said,"THE CAP WAS ON THE TV!" Man I swear my hearing was going from all the music! HA! I have a pic of Zac and I from the WINDY day.(tomorrow) I am going to try and edit my head off! HA!!!!
Jan.20, 2009
Day 5-
We were supposed to go to Half Moon Cay but the weather was not behaving itself so we stayed at sea. This really sucked because we were going to try and
call the kids from land with our calling card. Finally we couldn't handle it anymore and used our cellphones to call them. It was great to hear their voices but very choppy reception!
We woke up and couldn't FIND anyone from our crew. We finally ran in to Jacki and Mike and took up a spot with them. NOT PRIME SEATING..but a ton of laughs! Andy and I bought a bucket of beers to have BEERS with BARACK! And the damn beer fairy kept showing up! HA! We said we were going to take it SLOW this day and well...beer was like soda..I swear!! We really bonded with Jacki and Mike. It was fun to sit and chat!! We love you guys!!
Originally there was going to be a beach party on Half Moon Cay and Sister Hazel was going to do a show on the beach but instead they were on the LIDO DECK...honestly...you hardly had to leave the LIDO! LOVE IT!
Black Berry Smoke was awesome too! This band screams DAVE!! Hopefully my brother likes the CDs we got for him! :)
Andy and I were so exhausted by this point that we decided to call it an early night...which wasn't early in NORMAL time. So we went to bed...
Jan.21, 2009
Day 6-
Because we went to bed early...I was up early. And got up to use the bathroom and came back out and thought I would find Andy standing there like normal ready to get out of the room and start our day. I woke him up and we looked at the time...5:15AM WHAT???!!!?? So we walked down to see if there was any breakfast available. There wasn't...so we went to the pizza bar and had a slice. Then we were going to go back up to the room quickly to get Andy some pants...on our way back to our room we heard music. We walked to the casino area and found people still partying!! Andy and I just stood there...still waking up. Zac Brown was jamming on a little stage and people were having a good ol' time!
After getting his pants and a long sleeve shirt we headed back down and sat on the Lido deck. IT WAS COOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLDDDDDDDDDDDD! I wish I would have taken a pic of Andy and I curled up in a blanket from my BED. We watched the sun come up...but were frozen to our front row seats...this is what photo I got of the sun! LOL
Four hours later the rest of our crew started showing up. And you wonder why Andy and I can't make it LATE in to the night. We were the early risers...and with stuff happening from noon on it was really hard to get a nap in. Anyways...as you can see...no more swim suits...Heather has her gloves on...
FFS It is cold!! I even saw some people wearing the robe from their room for warmth! TOO FUNNY!
Green River Ordinance was the first band to play on this cold ass day. Aren't we in the south?? DAMN... Anyways...we really liked these guys too. The little curly haired guy was so DRUNK or HUNG OVER. He was having a hard time standing and he couldn't even tune his guitar. We had some good laughs watching him stagger around. It was also VERY windy so that could have been part of his problem..but I am thinking...liquor had something to do with it!
These were the guys that played at the pre party. It was nice to finally get to hear them better. They are really good too!
Next was Cowboy Mouth again! I LOVE THIS BOAT!! Andy left to go get a t-shirt signed by the Zac Brown Band for
Dave. He left a little before thinking he would be able to get back in time to catch the Cowboy Mouth show. It was so cold even Griff came out prepared. But Fred had shorts on and no shoes...SO FRED!! LOL
I kept turning around thinking Andy would be right next to me. Nope..no Andy! A Cowboy Mouth show just isn't the same without him there! I caught this great photo of our CREW in our front row seats! I of course was in the front row STANDING seats for Cowboy Mouth. If you look closely you can see MAMA DEE in there! Too cute!
Then suddenly...Fred announces that some special guest are going to join them. So I get my camera out. No way am I going to let Andy MISS this. So I get my camera out and the HANSON boys walk onstage! WHATT??????!!!!!!!! LOL TOO FUNNY!
Fred kept yelling to the drummer boy "DRUM Mother F'er DRUM!!"
As the show was finishing up I turned and THERE he was...MY ANDY! Cute Pic of him...don't you think? LOL
Well that about sums up our ROCK BOAT EXPERIENCE! Oh wait there is more...FFS!!(in case I haven't mentioned what that stand for...it's naught..For F*** Sake)(and if I already stated this...tough...I am stating it again...dang this thing is LONG) LOL
Somehow we ended up with some extras in the photo...they just wanted to be cool like us! lol We had so much fun with you all! :)
I thought this was a neat photo...what do you think it looks like??? LOL OH OH NAUGHTY!! I actually split my beer...and...well...nevermind...LOL
