1 00:00:36,470 --> 00:00:41,369 KT: Hi, everybody. It's KT here on the Women and Money podcast. 2 00:00:41,380 --> 00:00:46,389 KT: December 24th, 2023. And are you wondering what happened to 3 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:49,049 KT: Suze School? Well, here's what happened to it. 4 00:00:49,630 --> 00:00:54,740 Suze: Nothing because I'm still here. But tell them why KT... 5 00:00:54,759 --> 00:00:58,520 KT: I said, Suze, you can't do a money podcast on, 6 00:00:58,529 --> 00:01:01,979 KT: on Suze School on Christmas Eve. You need me with 7 00:01:01,990 --> 00:01:06,370 KT: you so we can wish everybody a very merry Christmas 8 00:01:06,379 --> 00:01:10,349 KT: a happy year ahead and really give this Christmas joy 9 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:13,259 KT: and spirit that we feel today. But I have to 10 00:01:13,269 --> 00:01:16,330 KT: share something. We talked about gifts. I guess it was 11 00:01:16,339 --> 00:01:18,220 KT: Thursday and gift giving. 12 00:01:18,510 --> 00:01:22,050 KT: And one of our podcast listeners wrote back the best 13 00:01:22,059 --> 00:01:26,449 KT: response to Suze and it said the best gifts that 14 00:01:26,459 --> 00:01:29,768 KT: we give and share in our family are either you 15 00:01:29,779 --> 00:01:33,080 KT: make it bake it, grow it or sew it. And 16 00:01:33,089 --> 00:01:36,209 KT: I love that I loved it so much. 17 00:01:36,489 --> 00:01:41,440 KT: So within that spirit, we are about to indulge tonight 18 00:01:41,669 --> 00:01:47,480 KT: in our traditional Christmas Eve festivities. But before I do that, 19 00:01:47,489 --> 00:01:51,629 KT: I want to ask Suze if she has something in her, 20 00:01:51,660 --> 00:01:53,750 KT: she might want to share with all of you. 21 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:54,669 Suze: Like what? 22 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:58,110 KT: I don't know your thoughts. You're very good and very poetic. 23 00:01:58,400 --> 00:01:59,980 KT: So what can you come up with? 24 00:02:00,489 --> 00:02:03,489 Suze: Are you telling me? You want me to make up 25 00:02:03,500 --> 00:02:04,260 Suze: a poem on the spot 26 00:02:04,629 --> 00:02:07,099 KT: Yea go for it? How do you feel Suze? 27 00:02:08,529 --> 00:02:11,270 Suze: So just, you know, today is also a day that 28 00:02:11,279 --> 00:02:12,979 Suze: it would be nice for you to know a little 29 00:02:12,990 --> 00:02:17,839 Suze: bit more about me and KT. Why not? Because you 30 00:02:17,850 --> 00:02:20,679 Suze: all write and say, tell us more about yourselves, tell 31 00:02:20,690 --> 00:02:24,500 Suze: us stuff beyond money. So one of the things that 32 00:02:24,508 --> 00:02:26,380 Suze: I do all the time 33 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:29,190 Suze: is I'll be sitting there and I'll just break out 34 00:02:29,199 --> 00:02:33,100 Suze: into a poem or sometimes into a song. All that 35 00:02:33,110 --> 00:02:34,419 Suze: I have made... 36 00:02:34,429 --> 00:02:35,660 KT: The poems are better than the songs. 37 00:02:37,630 --> 00:02:39,820 Suze: KT the album that I made you... 38 00:02:39,839 --> 00:02:44,490 KT: Oh, that was fabulous.  I am talking about you singing. I think the poems are more... 39 00:02:44,619 --> 00:02:46,279 Suze: But my words are great. 40 00:02:46,729 --> 00:02:47,149 Suze: Your words are brilliant. 41 00:02:47,580 --> 00:02:49,710 Suze: All right. So I didn't say I sang them but 42 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:53,759 Suze: I can write them. So you want me just to 43 00:02:53,770 --> 00:02:56,080 Suze: on the spot right now? Whatever comes out. 44 00:02:56,089 --> 00:03:00,799 KT: Make me a poem. Make me a holiday, Christmas Eve poem. 45 00:03:01,100 --> 00:03:03,440 KT: Come on , Suze, you're a writer. 46 00:03:05,008 --> 00:03:08,889 Suze: So, it's the day of Christmas Eve. And for me, it's 47 00:03:08,899 --> 00:03:10,029 Suze: hard to believe 48 00:03:10,779 --> 00:03:14,960 Suze: that another year has almost gone by. And as always, 49 00:03:14,970 --> 00:03:19,940 Suze: I'm amazed at how time flies for me. The greatest 50 00:03:19,949 --> 00:03:24,750 Suze: gift of all my KT is that we are together for, 51 00:03:24,758 --> 00:03:28,839 Suze: I know in my heart we make each other better. 52 00:03:29,089 --> 00:03:33,089 Suze: That was good, Suze. For all of you who have 53 00:03:33,100 --> 00:03:35,139 Suze: listened to us this year, 54 00:03:35,919 --> 00:03:40,899 Suze: we both wish you a wonderful day of joy 55 00:03:40,990 --> 00:03:41,699 KT: And cheer. 56 00:03:41,710 --> 00:03:44,449 Suze: Oh, that's good, KT. You did it. See, you're a 57 00:03:44,460 --> 00:03:51,929 Suze: writer too. So that's my impromptu poem for all of you. Alright. 58 00:03:51,940 --> 00:03:53,820 Suze: What else should we talk about, KT? 59 00:03:53,839 --> 00:03:56,559 KT: Well, let's tell everyone what Colo and I did to 60 00:03:56,570 --> 00:03:57,679 KT: get ready for the week 61 00:03:57,794 --> 00:04:02,845 KT: weekend, we decided that we were gonna completely light up 62 00:04:02,854 --> 00:04:06,494 KT: with lots and lots of Christmas lights and all these 63 00:04:06,505 --> 00:04:10,214 KT: laser lights, all these things in the front of our home, 64 00:04:10,225 --> 00:04:13,735 KT: which is filled with palm trees so that when the 65 00:04:13,744 --> 00:04:17,294 KT: Children drive by on the golf carts, the Children of 66 00:04:17,303 --> 00:04:20,725 KT: the staff that work here year round, they can have 67 00:04:20,734 --> 00:04:23,454 KT: a little bit of fun and joy and because it's 68 00:04:23,464 --> 00:04:25,743 KT: empty on Christmas weekend, 69 00:04:26,070 --> 00:04:29,130 KT: we decided to make this as festive as possible. So 70 00:04:29,140 --> 00:04:34,130 KT: tonight after dinner, we light the lights, Suze sits on 71 00:04:34,140 --> 00:04:38,010 KT: the porch and plays Christmas carols really loud and we 72 00:04:38,019 --> 00:04:41,320 KT: just have a lot of fun watching everyone come by 73 00:04:41,329 --> 00:04:43,690 KT: and then they must tell each other in the village 74 00:04:43,769 --> 00:04:47,029 KT: and more and more cards come by, they stop, they 75 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:51,609 KT: take photos. It's fun. We love that. We love doing that. 76 00:04:51,869 --> 00:04:54,010 Suze: The other thing that happens tonight, 77 00:04:54,559 --> 00:04:58,678 Suze: obviously, as you can tell KT isn't just celebrating more 78 00:04:58,690 --> 00:05:03,359 Suze: than me, but what to tell you. Right. So, tell everybody. 79 00:05:03,369 --> 00:05:05,609 KT: I grew up, I grew up that can all get 80 00:05:05,619 --> 00:05:08,529 KT: this many of you will understand. I grew up in 81 00:05:08,540 --> 00:05:12,739 KT: an Italian household and we had a tradition that I 82 00:05:12,750 --> 00:05:17,178 KT: maintain every year no matter where I am in the world. 83 00:05:17,399 --> 00:05:20,700 KT: And that tradition is the seven fishes dinner. 84 00:05:21,178 --> 00:05:24,880 KT: And I don't have exactly all of the ingredients that 85 00:05:24,890 --> 00:05:29,730 KT: I need. But we have definitely seven types of seafood 86 00:05:29,738 --> 00:05:30,479 KT: and fish. 87 00:05:30,738 --> 00:05:33,479 Suze: So, what's funny about that, I don't eat seafood. 88 00:05:34,238 --> 00:05:38,428 KT: But I prepare it anyway and Colo loves it. But 89 00:05:38,700 --> 00:05:41,899 KT: it's a really traditional dinner. And to today tonight, I'm 90 00:05:41,910 --> 00:05:47,320 KT: creating something fabulous with lobster, our fresh tuna, yellow tail 91 00:05:47,329 --> 00:05:50,880 KT: stone crabs that we just got from some of the fishermen, 92 00:05:51,260 --> 00:05:56,000 KT: um, a shrimp rice, some pasta with squid. I'm creating 93 00:05:56,170 --> 00:06:00,118 KT: everything I possibly can in the tradition of what my 94 00:06:00,130 --> 00:06:05,279 KT: grandfather used to do, which was unbelievable. And I just 95 00:06:05,290 --> 00:06:08,839 KT: love that holiday. So we'll have the seven fishes and 96 00:06:08,850 --> 00:06:11,220 KT: Suze will probably eat the rice 97 00:06:12,709 --> 00:06:17,230 Suze: In the past, you have written in and you've said Suze, 98 00:06:17,309 --> 00:06:21,839 Suze: you were so close to Jimmy Buffett, but you haven't 99 00:06:21,850 --> 00:06:27,200 Suze: talked about him since his passing on September 1st. One 100 00:06:27,209 --> 00:06:29,760 Suze: of the reasons that we haven't talked about it is 101 00:06:29,769 --> 00:06:33,980 Suze: it's been too hard to talk about. It truly was 102 00:06:33,988 --> 00:06:38,419 Suze: a devastating loss for both me and KT and it 103 00:06:38,428 --> 00:06:40,109 Suze: will be hard to even get through it 104 00:06:40,660 --> 00:06:44,959 Suze: because it was one year ago on Christmas Day, which 105 00:06:44,970 --> 00:06:49,959 Suze: is his birthday, happy birthday to Jimmy, right. That he 106 00:06:49,970 --> 00:06:56,558 Suze: sat here and he did a podcast about fishing with me. 107 00:06:57,380 --> 00:07:02,299 Suze: So it's been interesting for us and we're very, very 108 00:07:02,309 --> 00:07:07,839 Suze: close with his daughter, Savannah and, and her husband Josh 109 00:07:08,070 --> 00:07:10,739 Suze: and he has two other Children as well and obviously 110 00:07:10,750 --> 00:07:15,160 Suze: his wife Jane, but Savannah and Josh, who we are very, 111 00:07:15,170 --> 00:07:18,920 Suze: very close to. And one of my ideas for this 112 00:07:18,929 --> 00:07:21,269 Suze: podcast was Savannah, 113 00:07:21,769 --> 00:07:25,839 Suze: come on with me and let's talk about stories about 114 00:07:25,850 --> 00:07:30,290 Suze: Jimmy that only, you know, fishing, fishing tales, but it's 115 00:07:30,299 --> 00:07:33,519 Suze: still a little bit too tender for her as well. 116 00:07:33,529 --> 00:07:36,000 Suze: So she's not quite ready for that. 117 00:07:36,739 --> 00:07:39,239 Suze: But I just want to let all of, you know, 118 00:07:39,250 --> 00:07:45,410 Suze: that Jimmy and me in particular had very, very honest 119 00:07:45,420 --> 00:07:50,100 Suze: and close conversations about what he was going through and 120 00:07:50,109 --> 00:07:52,359 Suze: what he expected was going to happen. 121 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:55,459 Suze: And he said to me, you know, Suze, if I 122 00:07:55,470 --> 00:08:00,260 Suze: can't sing, if I can't perform, I don't really want 123 00:08:00,269 --> 00:08:03,010 Suze: to live anymore because it's what I live for 124 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:08,089 Suze: and I just have to, I want to do it and, and, 125 00:08:08,100 --> 00:08:11,250 Suze: you know, I hope that never is taken from me. 126 00:08:11,950 --> 00:08:15,049 Suze: And as time went on, it was just a few 127 00:08:15,059 --> 00:08:19,519 Suze: months after that, that Jimmy had a hard time talking 128 00:08:20,329 --> 00:08:24,880 Suze: and his vocal cords weren't really working because of things 129 00:08:24,890 --> 00:08:29,589 Suze: that were going on. And then what started to happen 130 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:33,919 Suze: was the last time we spoke with him was just 131 00:08:33,929 --> 00:08:37,589 Suze: a few days before he passed and he was in 132 00:08:37,599 --> 00:08:39,469 Suze: the hospital and 133 00:08:40,020 --> 00:08:45,359 Suze: he couldn't speak Savannah his daughter. However, he wanted to 134 00:08:45,369 --> 00:08:49,200 Suze: facetime us, he was like, he would like mouth the 135 00:08:49,210 --> 00:08:52,840 Suze: words of what he wanted to say to us. 136 00:08:53,309 --> 00:08:57,770 Suze: And at least we got to see him and essentially 137 00:08:57,780 --> 00:09:05,890 Suze: say goodbye to him and always smiling. But we used 138 00:09:05,900 --> 00:09:09,280 Suze: to spend a lot of time with Jimmy here on the, 139 00:09:09,409 --> 00:09:10,369 Suze: on the island 140 00:09:10,619 --> 00:09:14,190 Suze: and he was really so fabulous. He would ride his 141 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:17,039 Suze: bike and leave it on the front porch and then 142 00:09:17,049 --> 00:09:19,710 Suze: just walk in and leave his little flip flops, his 143 00:09:19,719 --> 00:09:22,479 Suze: famous little flip flops all over the place, 144 00:09:22,530 --> 00:09:26,059 KT: Make a mess with sandy feet all the time. Make 145 00:09:26,070 --> 00:09:28,559 KT: a mess here. So let's tell everybody, one of the 146 00:09:28,570 --> 00:09:32,580 KT: greatest parts about being neighbors and having this fun friendship 147 00:09:32,590 --> 00:09:35,039 KT: with Jimmy is that he'd come over and test his 148 00:09:35,049 --> 00:09:36,159 KT: songs out on us. 149 00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:39,510 KT: And I remember he would come and say, what do 150 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:42,020 KT: you think of this girls? And sometimes he would play 151 00:09:42,030 --> 00:09:45,219 KT: a couple bars or he would have his little recording 152 00:09:45,359 --> 00:09:48,530 KT: that he did in his own home studio and we'd 153 00:09:48,539 --> 00:09:51,109 KT: listen to it. It would be the poorest quality of 154 00:09:51,119 --> 00:09:54,549 KT: sound ever, but it didn't matter. He just test it out. 155 00:09:54,559 --> 00:09:57,150 KT: And Suze would say, I don't like that one so 156 00:09:57,159 --> 00:10:00,000 KT: much Jimmy or, and then he'd say, what about this one? 157 00:10:00,049 --> 00:10:01,750 KT: And we, we like that one, 158 00:10:02,080 --> 00:10:07,059 Suze: But the two that I really liked one was why 159 00:10:07,070 --> 00:10:11,929 Suze: can't you love me like my dog? I loved that one. 160 00:10:12,869 --> 00:10:16,380 Suze: And there's another one that, 161 00:10:17,450 --> 00:10:20,840 Suze: it's almost as if he knew what the future held 162 00:10:20,849 --> 00:10:21,539 Suze: for him 163 00:10:22,260 --> 00:10:26,979 KT: To close this wonderful Festive podcast... Suze. Can you play 164 00:10:26,989 --> 00:10:30,289 KT: a little bit of our favorite song? Bubbles up from 165 00:10:30,299 --> 00:10:33,719 KT: Jimmy's last album, it's called Equal Strains on All Parts. 166 00:10:33,940 --> 00:10:37,030 KT: And for all of you listening, if you don't have it, 167 00:10:37,210 --> 00:10:38,718 KT: go and get that, 168 00:10:38,809 --> 00:10:43,179 KT: it'll make the best Christmas and birthday gift ever, you can 169 00:10:43,190 --> 00:10:46,109 KT: find that album where you buy all your music. It's 170 00:10:46,119 --> 00:10:49,270 KT: the best. Come on, Suze, give them a little taste. 171 00:10:49,419 --> 00:10:55,229 Suze: I'll do that and listen everybody. We wish you a very, 172 00:10:55,700 --> 00:10:57,590 Suze: very what, KT? 173 00:10:57,640 --> 00:10:58,750 KT: Merry Christmas. 174 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:03,190 Suze: We love you also very, very much. All right, Jimmy 175 00:11:03,250 --> 00:11:07,909 Suze: in heaven. It's for you. So take it away.