What Makes Me Happy {Stephen Andrew Jones... all things beautiful}

Today, I am happy to introduce my readers to Stephen Andrew Jones of all things beautiful. Stephen has great wit and a great sense of style. In this blogging world, it is always great to find another guy with great taste.

Well since I’ve been invited into a gracious Southern home, I’ll try and mind my manners and pretend I don’t have a bit of a foul mouth.  There are tons of things that make me happy, particularly at this time of year.  I live in Ohio, so May means peonies, vivid green as the trees come completely back to life, and sitting on a patio with a g&t enjoying all of it.  The hectic pace of summer parties and weddings hasn’t started yet; and there’s not even a thought that it’ll all end. Something we begin lamenting in July here in Ohio.  May is also host to my birthday (the 19^th), which is why I remember specifically where and when I learned about something that makes me happy: Yacht Rock. 

Since we know Ron loves some cawfee tawk

My family does an annual trip to Hilton Head Island sometime in May.  Our 2015 trip happened to align perfectly with my birthday.  My sister and I went to lunch and got, predictably, sloshed.  I mean, it’s vacation.  Anyway, we devised a new plan that my dad would drop our brother off on their way back from golf so he could drive his two lush siblings back to the house.  This left us with about an hour and a half to kill waiting.  The restaurant either closed between lunch and dinner or kicked us out and pretended they closed between lunch and dinner.  Luckily, shopping was within staggering distance and swiping a credit card is so easy on vacation.  So into a Lilly Pulitzer boutique we saunter.  Obviously, there’s not much in Lilly for me but I found myself enjoying it tremendously.  As my sister was in a dressing room dividing her pile into yeses or the occasional no, I found myself loving song after song they were playing.  Except…it was all music I kind of hated.  That kind of whiny laid back jazz rock I’d spent most of my life avoiding for things with more exciting beats.  So finally I sheepishly asked the girl at the counter were they playing a playlist or a particular station? She laughed a bit and said it was a “Yacht Rock” channel on Pandora. 

My sister in her Lilly

Funny to me because all of these songs reminded me of my uncle, the type of music he would play when he took us out on his obnoxiously-large-for-Lake Erie-boat.  So the vibe of these songs being curated for a leisurely day on a yacht fit perfectly. 

Then much to my delight later that summer, SiriusXM did a limited-run Yacht Rock channel that was supposed to only run Thursday-Tuesday for Labor Day.  Response was so overwhelmingly positive that they extended it until the end of September.  And then it was back all summer 2016. 

There’s something sooo delightfully tacky and mood-setting about it, I suggest you enjoy some yourself.  With a gin and tonic, of course. 

My top 5 favorite Yacht Rock songs: 

All of Aja is perfect Yacht Rock, but Deacon Blues is my faaaaavorite.
An interesting article on it: here

Okay, actually six. I should do a whole other post on my extreme love for Herb Alpert!

Thanks Stephen for sharing What Makes You Happy!

I too love Nicolette Larson's "Lotta Love". I just had to listen to the tune again.

What Makes {Stephen} Happy, y'all!