8.17.2008

everybody in the whole cell block...

So, not only was last weekend Trae & Coi's wedding, [see below] it turned out to be quite the eventful trip. We were gone for a mere 3 1/2 days, but, as always, we can pack it in. Aaron's visits in Tennessee have always been short-lived and usually just in the bustling metropolis that is Camden, my hometown. So, this time we could be tourists in nearby Memphis.

We rolled into town just in time to check in to our fabulous hotel [thank you Dad!] at the Hyatt Place [if you're headed out of town, check out the HP chains - a very 'posh'-stay for a great value!] ...and head over to the rehearsal at the zoo.
Me & my fréres.
Just nearby was Overton Park, so we had a rehearsal 'picnic' catered with Trae & Coi's favorite - Moe's.

The first night, I'd promised my mom we were 'taking her out on the town'. We headed down to Beale Street, now a popular day & night-spot, but with a lot of history for being the 'home of the blues...and birthplace of rock-and-roll.'

So naturally, Aaron wanted to check out B.B. King's blues club. [Aaron & I saw B.B. himself live in Dallas last year] The house band this night was definitely talented, but unbelievably 'explicit' ...and, I'll just have to leave it at that. Somehow my mom & I get in lots of situations like that!

No thanks to mom and Aaron, I can claim that I still have my dignity having chosen not to 'dance like I was on BET' in front of a hundred drunken strangers.

But, the night was young... we ran into dear friends, Marilyn & Angela, from back home for a bit. Then, we headed over to the Peabody Hotel - quite the historic legend in southern hospitality.

We went on a search to show Aaron the Peabody's famed ambassadors, the ducks. These guys get the royal treatment - a red carpet, a palace on the roof, they even swim in this fountain behind us during the day...but, their 'palace' was locked and we ended up finding the 1970s instead...

Being goof balls. and scaring mom at the thought of being caught snooping on the penthouse floor....

And, for a moment, that I don't have captured on film. Later that night, to fulfill out eventful stay in Memphis... my car was broken into downtown. It's a long and quite humorous tale... remind us to share the story with you sometime. It involves a crazy gold-toothed criminal waiting on us, his 'celebrity' friends, and my 'frugal' mistake of do-it-yourself car maintenance. The happy ending is that they caught the guy & nothing was damaged or stolen. If you're car gets broken into, that's pretty much the best-case scenario, right? Pretty much the only thing it cost us was the inconvenience of standing around a parking lot with Memphis police dept. until 3 a.m. Nonetheless, a few valuable lessons learned.

The next day we headed out to meet Dad & assorted Dedmons for lunch in downtown memphis. Logan, Aaron, & I decided to mosey on over for a tour of Sun Studios, also a mark on the map as the 'birthplace of rock and roll'. We really enjoyed this little part of our trip - the recording studio is still in use today. It was the record company that launched Elvis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis....It's pretty amazing to stand in the same place where so many musicians then and since [pretty much everyone] then have come to record.
This is Elvis's actual mike. I can't believe they actually let you touch it. Aaron performed three verses of 'Hound Dog' before we were asked to leave...ok, maybe he just humored me for a picture. Just a random shot of Uncle Aaron, caught her looking at the camera. :)
Alright, as previewed... we also visited Graceland on our way out of town on Sunday. I won't post a thousand pictures of Elvis's decorating taste, but I will give you this one - the legendary 'jungle room'. The whole place was fun and 'shiny' as you'd expect, but c'mon, it's Elvis - you've seen the jumpsuits, right? We'd expect nothing less. the whole gang.

digital headsets... for your walking tour of the whole estate! way to step up the technology, graceland.

Baby milestones - 3 months: flying. check.

looking the part... Emma didn't want to curl her lip, though.

and lastly, I leave you with this. ...an art form, perhaps?

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