Attention Parrot Heads! Only 10 days left to register MOTM 2012

THERE ARE ONLY 41 DAYS LEFT UNTIL MEETING OF THE MINDS 2012 STARTS!!! YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS IT!

Attention Parrot Heads! There are 10 days before online registration closes for this year's Meeting of the Minds! In fact if we hit 3500 registrations, well that door will close! Registrations are rolling in…Don't delay! September 30th at 11:59 PDT is the last date to register! If you are not registered you can't enjoy one of the best parties of the year in Key West!

One more time…Register! Not only do you get a great gift bag and a very cool event shirt but you help insure this event will continue for years to come! This is an awesome value! Time is running out for MOTM 2012 Registration!

Cool fall air is in the air almost everywhere now and you will soon be craving some warm sunshine down South in beautiful Key West! Imagine palm trees, clear water, white sand, and awesome music in every direction. Fun in the Sun! There will be so many Parrot Heads in town the fun will hardly stop from even in the wee hours of the morning. Make sure YOU are there!

Be sure to visit our PHiP page to enjoy discounts at many of the local merchants in Key West. They love your business and look forward to seeing YOU in Key West. Parrot Heads this page is to save YOU money and we are still working to add more benefits for YOU!

http://www.phip.com/MOTM_Attractions.asp

Before I move on I want to remind you of a couple of events at Meeting of the Minds this year. The reason I want you to participate is there will be lots of swag! FREE STUFF!! The Cornhole tournament and the Friday Night Beach Party will feature lots of … COOL PRIZES!!

The Mini Mart will be packed with vendors and lots of cool book authors! There will be almost non-stop music from the beginning of the event until the end. Be sure to sign up for MOTM Blood Drive and the Zonta Walk! Make sure you know we are still doing the Toy Drive! Don't forget your toys! Remember the Paradise Charitable Foundation Auction! There will be some really nice stuff for you to bid on and take home. Mark your calendars, there is so much to do it really is hard to do it all!

http://www.phip.com/MOTM_Schedule.asp

The last time I sent you a note I told you the Casa Marina was almost sold-out. Well as I write this there is still one room available. I will tell you it is a beautiful ocean view suite which is still less expensive than many rooms in Key West and it is very nice! By the time you read this it may be gone! The Reach is almost sold out as well. There are plenty of hotels and other rooms available but you need to book now!

There is a 30 day cancellation policy on the Casa Marina rooms. There may be one or two rooms cancelled at the last minute. I am going to give you the link so you can check by October 1 if you want to stay at the place where the event is happening…

When calling the Casa 888-303-5717 or 305-296-3535 to book your room we would like to remind you to be sure and use the discount code "ZZPAR4" to get the Parrot Head Rate!

Booking online you will need the booking code:

http://waldorfastoria.hilton.com/en/wa/groups/personalized/E/EYWCMWA-ZZPAR4-2012\
1028/index.jhtml?WT

You have to be registered and a member in good standing of a PHiP chapter to stay at the Casa. To register please go to:

http://www.phip.com/MOTM.asp

Meeting of the Minds 2012 dates are November 1st – 4th.

Reminder...Each person must fill out an individual registration form. The $75.00 fee is the cost per person for MOTM. As I said at the beginning of this message, online registration will close September 30, 2012 at 11:59 PM (PDT) or at 3500 registrations whichever comes first! Don't delay because we want to see YOU there!

You have to be registered for MOTM to stay at the Casa. PLEASE make sure that all your guests staying with you in the Casa are registered. Rick Fyffe MOTM registration chairperson is comparing hotel registration with MOTM registration.

Have questions about registration? Please contact Rick Fyffe our MOTM
Registration Chair at rjfyffe1@ymail.com

If you are on Facebook don't forget to "like" PHiP, Inc. We will give you all the announcements from the Parrot Head Club World on there…

That's all for the moment! Meanwhile go ahead and book your flights or have your car tuned up for a fun road trip!

Until next time, I'll see you, down the road.

Andrew Talbert
PHiP Director of Conventions
Meeting of the Minds 2012
"Another Trip Around the Sun"
http://www.phip.com/

Ahoy Tampa Bay Parrot Heads!

I hope you are all friends with out founder Capt’n Harry on Facebook! If not go find him and friend him you might learn a lot about one of our founders. On his Facebook  page today he asked everyone to pass his last post on to everyone they knew.  This is his Epilogue to his most recent adventure, but more importantly it talks about one of the Tampa Bay Parrot Heads original members. Please do as he asks at the end and send some funny cards to Michele (one L).

Your Skipper

Bryan

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Capt’n Harry’s Facebook Post today . . .

IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ ALL

EPILOGUE

The adventure that started out in May from right where I am in Boot Key to the Bahamas, back to Florida to St. Augustine and back down to Book Key has ended.  Gypsy Wind did a fantastic job of safely getting me everywhere I needed to go – though there were some challenges at times – weather, engine wiring problems and mainsail coming down to name a few.

When I started this Facebook thing my first entry was about how since Heidi and I had ended our relationship and due to the fact that we were now back in Florida, I was able to hear about one of my best friends passing and was able to attend his Celebration of Life and be the main speaker. 

Now I want to say something about Heidi and if you believe in karma and these kinds of things like we both do, then maybe things between us happened for these reasons.

Our friends, Rob and Michele live in the Keys.  They met at the Tampa Bay Parrot Head Club (TBPH) that I co-founded with Sarah Sunshine in 1994.  They were two of the earliest, founding members who joined.  One day they asked me to marry them and it was the first of probably ten couples who met through the TBPH that I married.  We have remained very close friends over the years.

Michele was recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of skin cancer that all of the oncologists have said they have never seen in a person so young – 41.  Heidi has been with her day and night, taking her to chemo treatments daily, helping her and Rob in any way possible.  Michele had to go in the hospital for a few days to have a feeding tube put in her and just got out yesterday.  Heidi has spent the night there almost every night.  Michele has two more weeks of treatments that are even being doubled up this week since she couldn’t have them while she was in the hospital.  It has been absolutely hell for Michele and Heidi has been by her side the entire time.  As Rob told me many times these past couple of weeks, “Thank God for Heidi.  I do not know what we would have done without her”. 

If we were still in the islands, neither of the above would have occurred.  We were supposed to be here.  Who knows if Heidi and I will ever get back together again?   But we both know that we were supposed to be here at this time in our lives.

Furthermore, I would like to thank Judith from Singing for Change (Jimmy Buffett’s Charity), Esther from Key West Margaritaville, as well as the folks at Palm Beach Margaritaville for helping me. In addition, big props go out to Steve Huntington and Radio Margaritaville for doing their part.  They will BRING MACK THE MAGIC!  And, of course, none of this would be possible without Jimmy Buffett.  I can not tell you all how much what all of y’all did meant to Michele.  It brought some wonderful joy to her and that is so important right now.  THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH!!!

Finally, every one of you reading this could do something to help Michele get through this.  She still has weeks of hell to go through.  Trying to put a smile on her face (which is very hard to literally do since that is where the radiation is going, but she will feel good inside) is some of the best medicine around.  If each of you and any of your friends and their friends would take a few moments today and go out to a card store and get the “funniest” GET WELL card (or 2 or 3) you can find and mail it to Michele, I would sincerely appreciate it.   You can tell her it is from you as a Parrot Head friend, or a friend of Capt’n Harry’s or whatever.  Just please do it.  You can send them to her at:

Michele White

670 LaFitte Road

Little Torch Key, FL  33042

That is it for now.  I doubt I will be one of those who puts a lot of posts on my Facebook page unless I have something interesting – like an adventure – to write about.  So it may be a while.  Or hopefully, a new adventure will start soon.

Until the next one . . .   Capt'n Harry

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE GREATEST PARROT HEAD CLUB IN THE WORLD!!!

Hey there loyal members......Sarah Sunshine here sending best wishes for a wonderful and fun-filled celebration this weekend from the "left coast" of our great country.  Sorry I cannot be with you but I too am cruising out in the beautiful Pacific on a relaxing Carnival ship for the next few days.  I want to reiterate what Harry has already said that I too am proud of all the fine and meaningful volunteer work, money raised, friendships created and energy expended over these past 18 years.  I don't believe Harry and I ever could have imagined what an awesome result has manifested when we had our first meeting of 8 people all those years ago.   Thanks to EVERYONE who has had a part in growing and keeping the club a reality.....our hats are off to all of you and we hope you keep up the good work for another 18 years!!


God bless and keep the spirit,

Sarah Sunshine

TBPH Reaches Happy 18th Birthday!

Helloooooooooooooooooooo Tampa Bay Parrot Heads!

We're finally legal!  It's been eighteen years since Sarah Sunshine and I founded the Tampa Bay Parrot Head Club.  I'm so proud of all of the accomplishments that the club has achieved since then.  We have truly made a difference in our community, and every single one of us has met some new "friends for life".  While I'm sailing away down near Ft. Lauderdale, and can't be with you this weekend, please know that I'm there in spirit, and want to wish everyone a very happy birthday.  Have a great time at the party.

Finnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnns Up!!!

Capt'n Harry