Haunts, Holidays, Headliners, and Hot Shots

Katie Rae
Feb 12, 2018
6 min read

It's time to catch up on the past few months, life has been hectic and I have lost my drive to do just about anything other than work and sleep. Hence why you haven't heard from me much, but all that's about to change. I'm gonna take you on a little journey back to October. Halloween, Fantasy Fest and Friends, that's what this month was all about.

Halloween here is a spectacle that these folks take seriously, they don't pass up an opportunity to put on a costume ever. The first activity was the Zombie Bike Ride. It happens once a year at the same time, thousands of people dress up like the living dead and bicycle around the island. This was something I just could not pass up. So I got my one of my girlfriends to agree to go with me, took the night off work, got all dolled down and biked off into the sunset for the night of my afterlife. Creativity is an understatement at these events you see just about everything and it's always above and beyond the normal. Naturally since i'm new to the area I went as a Zombie Tourist, but that was nothing compared to what I saw. I mean people turn these bicycles into full on floats. I saw everything from Comatose Cinderella in her Carriage to Perished Pirates on Paddle Boats. Not only was the craftsmanship amazing, but this was the most fun i've had in awhile. We rode all around the island hopping off at different Zombie Stops grabbing drinks then jumping back in the herd of haunts. Along with this event Halloween also consisted of themed bar outings making the duval crawl one strange looking character.

It was my first Fantasy Fest living here in Key West, I wasn't sure what to really expect. From everything that i've heard this was going to be the craziest thing I have ever seen. Key West's weirder version of Mardi Gras, with all this being said I was expecting the works. Since the hurricane scared away so many tourists it was the slowest Festival they had ever had, which was slightly depressing. Slow or not the island worked hard not to disappoint. I tried to take part in as much as possible but working in hospitality I didn't get to see a ton, yet I tried to make do with what we could. The parade which is usually not the highlight (or so i've been told) I thought was great! Beads being chucked at your head, drunks diving in front of you in order to get that piece of candy they just threw. Truly it was like watching a bunch of large children super excited about floats and ta-ta's. Needless to say...it was hilarious. Robert had some friends come and visit at this time too so they also got experience the wild party that Fantasy Fest is, don't believe me take a peek into what our eyes witnessed.

November: The Fam has arrived! Mike, Mom & Dad are now all staying at my house...Crowded, yes. Crazy, yes. Cheerful, most of the time. Even though it was a tad much at times I truly loved having my parents and brother staying with me. I missed them all a ton and it made my house feel more like home. This month my parents did a lot of exploring, went to see the Dry Tortugas, took Mike to meet Robert the Doll (man he's creepy), watched a few Packers Games at a local bar, then took a flight home to Green Bay to spend Thanksgiving with everyone there. Unfortunately for me during this month work kept both Bob and I very busy, we didn't do much of anything. We enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving Pizza from the comfort of our work chairs, with a piece of pumpkin pie from our favorite hotel guests! November was good, but December had a lot going for it!

Countdown to Christmas has begun. Decorations have started to be hung, and Mike's Birthday was upon us. So to kick off this month we went out on the water for the first time in a while (and of course picked a kinda 'cold' day) We snorkeled, drank, and froze to death while getting pelted with water all the way back to shore, but we had fun anyway. Mom came to help out at work as we decorated the hotel for Christmas, "A Very Whimsical Christmas at the Mansion." Our decor even made it in the newspaper as the best decor on the island!

December was a crazy month so don't think it was over just yet, It was just getting started. Next on the docket was getting cast in a movie, what an experience that was. I don't know if I ever want to do that again but it was funny for a day I guess. Beach Bum (starring Matthew McConaughey, Jonah Hill, Snoop Dogg, Zac Efron and More) was filming here in Key West. When mom and I were out bumming around at night we stopped at a bar to listen to my favorite singer, two ladies approached us and asked if we wanted to be a part of a Hollywood Movie. They told me I looked too young to be in a bar so they couldn't use me but Mom they wanted! When we arrived on set the next day they said that I got to be in it too, they sent me into the dressing room to change into my wardrobe and I walked out looking like a dorky twelve year old wearing the same damn dollar tree store shirt mom had on! WE WERE MATCHING Y'ALL! As funny as that was the day just kept getting better, Matthew McConaDOUCHE as we like to call him now was a diva if I ever saw one. I'm not even sure if he said one word in this entire film let alone did any acting that was worth watching. Who knew stroking a cat was so hard, but it sure took a hell of a lot of concentration. Don't even think about making one interruption while he was working or he'd throw a fit. The conversation went a little something like this... (sound of Navy Airplanes flying over head) Matthew: "Don't ya think we can get these planes to stop this" Extras: "Seeing as we live on a Navy Air Base, probably not" Matthew: "Someone make a phone call!" Extras: "Yeah let's get right on that, uhhh hello Navy you wanna stop practicing your drills so McConadouche can finishing stroking his cat, cool thanks"

The rest of the movie consisted of me trying to get everyone to tell Jonah Hill "ASK ME ABOUT MY WEINER!" Which no one would do...slightly disappointing, and just a lot of sitting around. So if you happen to be watching Beach Bum when it comes out, look for me... I'll be eating tacos in the bar, looking at license plates on a wall, and front row drinking a bud light jamming out at his concert.

This wasn't the only crazy thing that happened this month, by some grace of god we got to see JIMMY BUFFETT LIVE for FREE! We were taking a nightly walk down duval popping in and out of stores not really sure what to do, we decided we were going to go home because we were both tired. In the car almost home I got a text from Mike, it was a rare occasion so I read it to make sure he was okay and it said...Jimmy is playing at Margaritaville right now. I immediately did a U-Turn and headed straight back to the bar. We parked and literally sprinted 4 blocks to the bar, we menuvered our way in to see him and it was amazing. Just Jimmy and his guitar so simple yet so wonderful.

So busy we were this month, the remainder of the month we hung out, practiced some henna art, went on the Key West Food Tour, celebrated Christmas (Keys Style) and rang in the new year with lots of love. I cannot believe how crazy 2017 was, so much happened. I made my dreams come true, I can only imagine what 2018 will bring as I conquer each new dream I have!

January & February have consisted of a lot of work so far but be on the lookout for some pretty cool stuff coming your way at the end of this month! We're headed to the Happiest Place on Earth!

See Ya Real Soon!