This outing was a bit impulsive, so I don’t have pictures. I was having a normal kids with their Dad Tuesday. I went to the gym after work, and then straight to my friends’ place for dinner. I mosey over there every couple of weeks and we have dinner and visit. We call it Boozeday Tuesday.

I’ve had Karaoke on my date idea list since the beginning because I love it, but have always been terrified to do it. I love listening to the good, the bad and the ugly because I appreciate the courage that it takes to get up there in front of an audience and put it all out there. I really love seeing people performing with reckless abandon and I’m also always curious about why people pick their songs. There are some really random song choices out there. I have often thought it would be a great idea to do a Karaoke blog that features Karaoke people and what their song choices mean to them.

I was on my way home doing my usual car concert as I drove, and felt the need to sing it to a microphone. I don’t know why. I just decided to indulge the urge, and pulled into Margarita Bay. They do Karaoke 7 days a week.

I’ve never been to Margarita Bay. I sauntered in there, still in my gym clothes. The atmosphere was really relaxed. A handful of people was there, and they looked like they were most likely regulars. The Karaoke emcee was singing and she was AMAZING. I ordered a glass of wine and put myself on the list.

The atmosphere was so warm with the small group of regulars at this place. The emcee, Devon, was encouraging and so nice. She would challenge the regulars to stretch their singing skills. It was like a vocal workout group, and Devon was the coach. She would sing with people if they wanted accompaniment or moral support, and she would give song opinions like my CrossFit coaches give ability based weight training advice.

I thought I would go in there, sing one nerve wracking song and leave. I actually ended up singing 6 songs. I did an alright job with Fleetwood Mac Dreams, Noah Cyrus July and Zombie by The Cranberries. I pretty much butchered the other 3 songs. I need retribution for those because I know I can do better. They’re songs I know so well, but it was my first microphone, not singing with the singer experience and they were hard songs.

There was a sweet and supportive camaraderie with the regulars. It was such a friendly and small group that I felt like I could just put it all out there and see how it worked. I didn’t feel stage fright at all. I felt like I do when I’m getting ready to do something more challenging at the gym. I know it may be a stretch and I might fail, but I’ll have information needed to improve my next attempt.

This was a fun and eye opening date! I think I’ve lost some of the performance anxiety that I used to have. That’s some personal growth that I’m excited about. It felt no different than showing up for a challenging workout or bike ride. I knew I would do pretty well with some songs and REALLY need improvement with others, but it didn’t feel like the teenager with stage fright that I used to be. There shall be more Karaoke adventures!

20 Dates down! 5, or 30 to go!