Graceland
Last Tuesday morning Audrey and I loaded up our van along with my mother, sister, Mary Catherine and her friend Kendall and headed to Memphis to visit Graceland. This was fabulous and well needed break from all the day-to-day chaos. This is a short summary of the fun time had by all:

Day 1 - We stopped in Hattisburg for breakfast at one of the many Cracker Barrel Restaurants. With only a few restroom breaks to go, we finally made it to Memphis around 3:30 Tuesday. We had adjoining rooms at the Courtyard by Marriott. I do believe this was one of Audrey favorites of the entire trip. She loved the fact that she was able to go from room to room. After getting cleaned up, we decided to go for dinner at the Olive Garden, requested by Mary and Kendall. After dinner we rode around (briefly), then headed back to our hotel for SLEEP!! Our hotel was across the street from a train track that was very active and busy. For a moment I felt like we were right in the middle of the scene from "My Cousin Vinnie". Thankfully, the trains didn't bother us at all. Audrey loved watching, and would say, "Here comes Thomas the Train again."

Day 2 - Let the fun begin. We all got up without any problems, loaded the address for Graceland in my GPS and we were on our way. Graceland is so very interesting. I've watched many movies, documentaries, read many books, about Elvis and Graceland, but nothing can compare to being there. We were all given headsets and we could tour his home at our leisure. Many would say that his decor is a bit on the tacky side, but given the era he had it decorated to a tee. My favorite part of his home was the Meditation Garden. This area is on the grounds of Graceland and was filled with complete tranquility. I could feel the peace within. Elvis was a very strange man, but the love he had for his family, especially his mother was very obvious. Our tour included his car museum, both airplanes, his Hollywood years, and "Private Elvis", which was about his days in the military. We had lunch at the Rock-N-Roll Cafe, which was a replica of a 50's dinner. Very quaint, and really good. Before leaving Graceland, we each signed the brick wall that surrounds this magnificent place.

Sun Studio's - After our tour of Graceland we headed to Sun Studios where it all began. Unfortunately, Audrey wasn't old enough to participate in the tour, so me and Mom sat this one out. Kathy, Mary, and Kendall did the 45 min tour and said that it was out of this world. The history of so many that got their start at what looks to be a "dive" is just unbelievable. Sam Phillips sold Elvis' contract to RCA for a mere $35,000. and many believed this to be his biggest mistake. Not really, this paved the way for many more to come out of Sun Studios as gigantic stars, like Jerry Lee Lewis, who by the way had the two biggest hits with "Great Balls of Fire", and "A Whole Lotta of Shakin".

We ended our night on Beale St. This is kind of like Bourbon Street, but oh so much cleaner. We didn't know it at the time, but Wednesdays are considered "Bikers Night". We watched some guys do stunts, and to my surprise, Audrey loved it. We took a 30 minute buggy ride and learned a lot about the City of Memphis. The Hard Rock Cafe was our choice for dinner, you can never go wrong at the Hard Rock. After dinner we went to our hotels and all of us collapsed.

Day 3 - The Memphis Zoo!! If you like zoos, this is certainly one to visit. The Memphis Zoo has been voted one of the best in the country. We saw every animal known to man. The monkeys were fantastic, the penguins were precious, the snake exhibit was awesome, and the sea lion show was too cute. Audrey rode the carousel, she chose the giraffe. She played on the playground for a bit...she loves all playgrounds. We had lunch at one of the many cafes the zoo had to offer. We walked a thousand miles. Luckily we took Audrey's stroller. She did her share of the walking, but toward the end of the day, she kicked back in her stroller. I let her pick out something from the gift shop, and settled on a stuffed penguin.

After the zoo we headed to the best Bar-B-Que in the world. We went to Neely's. The Neely's are featured on the Food Network, "Down home with the Neely's. It is family owned and operated, and totally out of this world. Me and mom share the rib platter, and both ate until we could barely breathe.

Day 4 - Before heading back home to Mobile, we visited Tupelo, MS...the birthplace of Elvis. This was by far my favorite of our trip. The tiny little house where Elvis was born was only 430 sq.ft. Two rooms, no electricity, no indoor plumbing, and only one bed. The Presley's lived there for only 3 years, when they were forced to move because his dad couldn't repay the $180.00 that he borrowed to purchase the materials needed to build this tiny little abode. The home sits in the exact same spot that it was built in 1934. The church where Elvis found his love for gospel music has been relocated and now sits next to the house. We were able to tour both the home and the church. It is hard to believe that when Elvis was 13 years old, his family moved from Tupelo to Memphis only so his dad could find work. Eight years later, Elvis returned to Tupelo, performed at the county fair, and was already considered "The King of Rock-n-Roll".

So many are fans of Elvis for different reasons. For a long time I was a fan because I loved his voice, all of his music, and the fact that he was really good looking didn't hurt either. After this trip, my views have changed...I am more of a fan because the way he dreamed and made it happen, the way he believed and loved his God, the love for his parents that he always displayed, how he never forgot his roots, and especially how he ALWAYS gave back to those in need. This was truly an eye opener for me.