Memphis Memories

Last week my family and I took a vacation together, something we haven't done in years. How many exactly, none of us can remember, but it's been at least 15+. We headed to Memphis, TN last Monday. My sister, Courtney, and I drove separately from Mom and Dad for a number of reasons, 1.) to keep the peace, 2.) they left later than we did after boarding their dog, 3.) they wanted to see some different things on the way back, that we were not interested in, 4.) so we wouldn't have to experience my Dad's slow driving or his choice of music. Why Memphis? Court is a HUGE Elvis fan! She has a large selection of music, movies, calendars, and other paraphernalia. Her room is pretty much wall-to-wall Elvis. She's wanted to go to Memphis for years. None of us had been so we decided it'd be a great place to visit.

We spent almost all day Tuesday at Graceland. Court & I were VIP's at Graceland, meaning we paid a lot more money to get backstage passes to wear, saw on extra exhibit, and got taken directly to the front of the line. We toured the mansion, including where Elvis, his parents, and his grandmother are buried, Elvis' Automobile Museum, Sincerely Elvis: Elvis' Jumpsuit Exhibit, the Lisa Marie and Hound Dog II jets, Private Presley Exhibit, ate at Rockabilly's Diner, saw Heartbreak Hotel, and visited many, many, many of the gift shops. That night we drove by to see St. Jude Children's Research Center and ate at Jim Neely's Interstate Bar-B-Que, ranked #2 in USA's top 10 Barbecue by People Magazine and "Best place in America for a pork BBQ sandwich" USA Today. Which is what I had!

Wednesday we visited Sun Studio, the Birthplace of Rock and Roll, where greats such as Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and many others started their careers. It is also still a functioning recording studio where bands such as U2 have recorded in recent years. We went to the Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum, waited inside for the tour for 40 min, and then decided to leave or we'd get no lunch before our riverboat tour. We grabbed a bite to eat, took a riverboat tour of the Mississippi, and then headed to the Lorraine Motel, where MLK Jr. was assassinated and what is today the Civil Rights Museum. It closed earlier than we thought so we just saw part two of the museum, which was the boarding house across the street that the fatal shot came from. It was very interesting. We spent Wednesday night on Beale Street. Beale Street could be compared to a very small scale Bourbon Street. Of course it looks much newer and cleaner but you get the picture! It was fun to walk around. We visited more souvenir shops and ate at B.B. King's Blues Club. There was live music at B.B. King's. It was lots of fun and the food was yum!

Before we headed home on Thursday we went to the famous Peabody Hotel to see the ducks. The Peabody Hotel has trained ducks that live in the hotel and march to and from the hotel lobby. This tradition dates back to 1933. It was fun to see and is a beautiful hotel. Court and I headed home after that and arrived back in Frisco shortly before 9 pm. It was a great family vacation, filled with lots of fun and memories, and only one big argument! Hehe! Memphis was a very fun city to visit and I would recommend it to anyone!

My Day

Warning: I am long-winded so beware! :-P

Today was a very busy day for me. I got up at 7:30, which is amazing for me considering it's Saturday. I headed to the Marriott at The Shops at Legacy to help set-up for The Hope's Door Gala. I was actually the second person to arrive. I was pretty impressed with myself! lol! All of us volunteers helped set out items for the silent auction and then I had the job of making bows. I volunteered, and I was even able to make them without my bow-maker! Hehe!

UT auction item with a bow I crafted

After 4 hours setting stuff up for the gala I left the hotel and changed the oil in my car and rotated my tires. I AM WOMAN...HEAR ME ROAR! :-) Okay, so technically I just drove my car to Kwik Kar and Discount Tire, but still, I did not need a man to do this for me! I felt all empowered that I went and did this stuff for myself, and in record time. It's the little things. However my trip to Kwik Kar added to the dumb, embarrassing moments that seem to frequent my life. When I arrived at Kwik Kar the waiting room was pretty full and I don't like squeezing in right next to strangers. I decided I would sit in the massage chair, since no one was using it. Yes, I said massage chair. No clue, but they had one. So I sat down, it was super comfy, I pull out my book and start to read. After a few minutes this annoying alarm/horn noise started going off. I could not believe how loud and annoying it was. I wondered why the guys didn't just turn it off from whichever car it was coming from. It just got louder and louder. I thought it was rather annoying but figured I'd just try to ignore it. I happened to look up and there was a guy from the garage staring in my direction. I looked away trying to ignore his stares, but he didn't stop. Then the man I had talked to about my oil change came in and pointed at me. I assumed the horn/alarm noise was coming from my car and they couldn't turn it off. What I thought I was going to do, I have no clue. So I motioned to him as if to say "It's my car?" and then he relayed to me that the noise was coming from the chair I was sitting in. You have to put a quarter in it or apparently it makes that noise. I was so embarrassed. The men (yes all men) in the waiting room were just kind of glancing at me as if to say "dumbo". Yes, I do dumb, embarrassing stuff.

This evening I volunteered at the actual gala for Hope's Door, (a full-service shelter and counseling center for families affected by domestic violence). The theme this year was Mardi Gras. It's a formal event so I got to pull out a bridesmaid dress and re-wear it. This was exciting as it doesn't happen that often, and I spend good money on these things! So I got all dressed up and headed to the gala. My job for the evening was a "vanna". Yes, a Vanna White. Another girl and myself were responsible for wearing pearls that would be auctioned off during the live auction. It was our job to go from table to table and make sure people knew they would be auctioned off, and then we were to model them during the auction. Again, to add to the list of dumb, embarrassing stuff I do, another instance happened at the auction. I, along with others, assumed the auctioneer would be going in the order of the insert in the program, so when the second item was up and he announced pearls I assumed it was the ones I was wearing (our pearls were from different jewelers, made different places, yada, yada). So I head out onto the dance floor to model my pearls, but after about a minute the person in charge of volunteers appears to escort me off and tell me he isn't describing my pearls. Awesome! So embarrassing! lol! She understood because the auctioneer didn't go in order, but I felt so dumb. Oh well! Thankfully I don't know any of these people!

The night was a success and super fun. Money was raised, food was eaten, pictures were taken, and booties were shaken. I don't think I've ever had so much fun with people I don't really know. Normally that would NOT be something I'd enjoy. Maybe I'm growing as a person! Hahaha! Oh, and why is it that it's only old men that pay me any attention and like to kiss me on the cheek?!?! Is it something that I'm putting out there? This one guy complimented me on how I looked twice, drug me onto the dance floor, and at the end of the song kissed me on the cheek. Granted he was pretty drunk (free alcohol all night), but still! Oh well, whutcha gonna do?!

Naked Kitty

Sylvest got his annual shave down yesterday. If you've never shaved a cat, or assisted in doing so, it's LOADS of fun! I have the bite marks to prove it. Thanks for helping us Aunt Robin!

Warning: cat my act like a crazy fool for 24 hours after the shave. Results may vary. Shave at your own risk.

87 Years Young

My sweet Grandma turned 87 on Thursday. We celebrated with lunch and cake yesterday. As my grandparents get older and their health declines, the time we spend with them is so very precious! Happy Birthday Grandma! We love you!

50 and still a doll

Barbie was my first love. Some of my earliest memories are of Barbie. I remember going to visit my Mammaw in Azle and I could NOT wait until my older cousin Tara showed up with her trash bag FULL of Barbie paraphernalia. She had EVERYTHING. There were clothes, clothes, and more clothes. She had a trillion Barbies we could all play with. She had the hugely awesome Barbie van. That was the ultimate in Barbie. I remember she & I shutting ourselves in the back room and I sat on top of the van while she pushed me from one wall to the other, banging into the walls and doors. It was fun until Mammaw found us out and we were instructed to stop. lol! I had the Barbie mansion, pool, corvette, horse, dog, paper dolls, Barbie's kid sister Skipper, all Barbie's friends...it was awesome. One of my ultimate faves was Barbie and the Rockers, as shown here. She was just the epitome of cool. She had the curly hair I wanted. My friend Keelie & I always played with Barbies growing up. Our moms would collaborate each year and make sure we bought each other the same Barbie for Christmas so no one would get upset if they thought the other had the better Barbie! hehe! As I looked at my parent's AARP Bulletin (insert laugh here) I noticed Barbie was 50 this year. I thought it was important to pay homage to a classic. The article listed many Barbie fun facts. To check them out visit this site.

I Hate Everything...today

"I hate my job, I hate my life, and if it weren't for my two kids, I'd hate my ex-wife..." ~King George

Okay, so hate is a strong word...at least that's what my Mom has always said. So I guess I shouldn't hate everything today, but I do STRONGLY dislike some things. This week has been pretty crappy so far and of course that makes me irritated with everything. Lucky you, I'm going to vent & share. (These are in no particular order...just the random irritations that pop into my head as I type this.

1.) Work...who needs it? It's sooooo over-rated. Every morning I get up and consider calling in sick. Sad, huh? It's hellacious!

2.) Training a new employee to do a job that I despise. I really want to tell him to "RUN, LEAVE, IT'LL BE MISERABLE, GO WORK FAST FOOD!"...but I don't. I smile, tell him what to do, and sit there and watch him all day, while quietly going out of my mind.

3.) My best bud losing his job yesterday and leaving me there. I'm sad. E.O.S.

4.) The fact that I can't eat whatever I want and be a size 2.

5.) Sylvester just threw up two hairballs on the carpet and I don't want to clean them up. So I sit on the couch and stare at them.

6.) The Frisco ISD job application is 9 pages long and the most in-depth application I've EVER filled out.

7.) That I just turned my air-conditioner on because I'm hot and it stinks. I guess I need a new filter thingy.

8.) That it's only Wednesday and I still have two more days of work. Is that a sore throat I feel coming on?! :-P

9.) That Tatyana just made it further on American Idol. She might be the most annoying person ever.

10.) The commercials on TV are WAY too loud.

11.) That I'll be 30 in about 7 months. :-(

Okay...I should probably go to bed and wake up on a different side tomorrow.