Back to the U of M

So, you've read about it on this blog at least a million times...

The BSU at MSU
which is now the
BCM at U of M!

One of our first stops on our tour of Memphis was the place where Michael and I met. 

And where, 20 YEARS AGO TODAY, he gave me 2 roses, one symbolizing friendship and the other symbolizing love.  We had been best friends for 6 months, and from that friendship, true love had blossomed.

Aw...

Ain't that sweet?

The building was closed and locked tight when we arrived that day, so we had to settle for giving the boys a tour by peeking through windows.  We pointed out the spot where their dad gave me the aforementioned flowers and the board where we pinned daily notes for each other.  The ping pong table, where we did much of our courting, was gone, and the "pit" where we had Bible study every Monday night was mostly floored in.  Ah, progress... it did not seem like the same place, yet, it was as if no time had passed at all.  In my mind's eye, I could see images of Michael and me and the whole BSU crew sitting around talking, praying, eating, studying (yes, we actually did that), and playing spades (yep, we did a little too much of that).

After we relived our glory days, we visited my dorm.  Mynders Hall was one of four dorms where I lived, and it was my favorite.  It was an old, but well-cared-for, building, replete with Victorian charm.  Living there made me feel more ladylike, I suppose.  I had a beautiful, second-floor room, which overlooked the courtyard.  I had a private bath, too.  Really nice.



This is the WORST picture ever taken of me.
Please ignore the washed-out lady,
who's having a bad hair day,
standing behind the sign.



Then we headed for the University Center.  We wanted to shop at the bookstore, which was located in the UC basement when we were students.  Not now!  We looked in horror at the place where steps used to take us down to it.  The steps were concreted over!  Buried!  Our steps were gone!  How were we to get to the bookstore and adjoining snack shop where we bought Jolt Cola?!?  We had promised our kids some Memphis gear and a sip of Jolt so we had to get to the bottom of this problem and that building.  We went inside, hoping to find an elevator, or at least some other steps.

Stepping through the sliding glass doors into the remodeled UC felt like stepping into a futuristic movie.  It had the whole metal-and-glass motif- all very sleek and modern.  And there were coffee shops and cafes and Dunkin' Donuts stores throughout the place. We were like, "Dude, where are the 1970's sofas and Frogger arcade game machine?  And how does one get DOWNSTAIRS to the Jolt Cola and Memphis gear?"

We were completely rattled and must have looked like a couple of old fogies wandering about aimlessly- especially after a gaggle of high school seniors filed into the lobby for their prospective-students campus tour.  We thought about claiming that Orville is a Doogie Howser kid so we could join that tour and hopefully find some Jolt Cola in that newfangled place.  We decided that would be wrong, though, so we kept at the wandering around strategy.  At some point, all those young eyes started rolling at us.  We finally gave up the search because we were feeling tired and...

... AWKWARD!

To escape all those eyes, we high-tailed it to the back doors, and when we stepped out, we saw a new building.  Or at least a new-to-us building.  It was, in fact, the new, non-basement, above-ground bookstore, which just happened to be named in honor of the man who served as University President while we were students.  This place was making us feel older and older with each step we took.

We each took a guess as to how many coffee shops and Dunkin' Donuts stores this building would house as we stepped inside the first set of sliding doors.  The second set of doors, to the actual bookstore, were locked.  At last!  Memphis gear- straight ahead!  And maybe, just maybe, Jolt Cola!!  But we would not be able to access it for another 30 minutes. 

We stood with our faces against the glass doors, dreaming of Jolt, until we noticed the people working inside.  Realizing that they were pointing at us and rolling their eyes, we walked over to a map of the campus to plot our next move.  Michael slipped his glasses down to the tip of his nose and moved in as close to that map as humanly possible.  While he squinted at the tiny words and symbols, I said things like, "Oh honey, look.  They put in a parking a garage." 

I'm not kidding.

That's when the bookstore doors opened, and a very young co-ed approached us.  She asked if she could help us, to which I replied, "Oh, we're alumni.  We're just taking in all the changes." 

With raised eyebrows and a very slow nod of her head, she responded through a forced smile, "Yes, I could tell." 

I wanted to give her a lecture about how one day she would return to campus, trying to find the Dunkin' Donuts store where she and her husband had enjoyed their first creme filled together, only to find it knocked down and replaced with some techno-cafe.

But I asked about Jolt Cola instead.

Evidently, that is a thing of the past, too.  It was like Marty McFly asking for a Tab.  And then a Pepsi Free.

*crickets chirping*

AWKWARD!

So, we moved on.  We wandered around campus, pointing out how this was different and how that was the same while snapping pictures like tourists.  That really helped us look like we belonged.      

I have to admit that I really did like the addition of tiger statues, each painted in a different motif, around campus.  We asked the boys to pick a favorite and we took each boy's picture in front of his selected tiger.  Orville chose one truly representative of Tiger Spirit!

Orville with a Memphis blue tiger!
Go, Tigers, GO!

Wilbur, however, chose a tiger in his favorite color.
Our apologies as we did not see the
DO NOT TOUCH THE TIGERS
signs until after snapping this picture.

As much as I didn't like all the fancy buildings, floored in BSU pit, concreted-over Jolt Cola-selling bookstore, and Dunkin' Donuts shops at every turn, it was good to be back at a place where people cheer for the CORRECT TIGERS!

And I won't put down anyone's team, but if you live where I do, you know what tigers I'm talking about.  Tigers who are also eagles?!?

That just confuses me.

Ahem.

Sorry about that.

An if it's not them, then it's those Cajun Tigers with their faux French words.

Oh, oops.

There I go again.  :)

But, you got me.

I really did like the 47 Dunkin' Donuts shops.  It was just so frustrating because  NONE OF THEM WERE OPEN. 

I bet they didn't sell Jolt Cola, either.

We ended our time on campus by walking through the foreign languages building, where Michael took most of his classes; the education building, where I took most of my classes; and the admin building, where I worked in the registration office.  I didn't take pictures of these buildings but I did capture the beauty of the nearby fountains....

Well, I took a picture of part of one of the important buildings.
The admin building is in the background.
If I had turned just a little more to the left,
you could see the window of the office where I worked.



I sat on the nearby benches clicking away for quite some time.
Evidently, taking pictures of water makes me feel less conspicuous.



And more at ease with change.

It took my mind off the Jolt Cola situation, too.

Eventually, we made our way back to the finally-open bookstore and bought the boys some Memphis pencils.  They didn't want a shirt or hoodie or pants or decal or pennant or anything else... except for a HUGE Memphis Tiger plush toy that cost close to a gazillion dollars.

The pencils were a good compromise, I think.

After that, we made our way back to our car, pencils in hand, but sans Jolt Cola.  Our campus adventure had finally come to its end.

It isn't exactly the campus I remember,
but it is a beautiful place.

Go (not Geaux) Tigers!
Dawn

Back to Our Roots

Before traveling to Memphis, we placed a hotel bid online.  Where was our offer accepted?

At the hotel next door to the hospital where Orville and Wilbur were born. We took these pictures from our hotel room window.

Pretty cool, eh?

Downtown Memphis

Once we got on a trolley that stayed on course, we reoriented ourselves to the layout of downtown Memphis and a good time was had by all.  Here are some highlights of our tour de Frontstreet and Main.

Hernando de Soto Bridge, the Mighty Mississippi,
and Mud Island

Union Court Square
The Memphis leg of the Food Truck Race
on the Food Network
began at this Memphis landmark.



Orville is declaring the start of the truck race-
a race that is occurring in his very active imagination. 
From whom did he get that trait, I wonder...
*sigh*



Stuck on the trolley!



We opted to occupy our trolley at this stop.



The Pyramid and I-40



The Peabody Ducks



The Memphis (turned Georgia) Boys

A Somewhat Brief History of the Absolute Best Sandwich in the World (and eventually a recipe)

During our whirlwind trip to Memphis, we decided to go downtown to ride the trolley, mostly for the experience of riding the trolley, but also to get to the Peabody Hotel to see their world-famous ducks without having to find a place to park or needing to walk a long distance.  It was really important to me that we get to the Peabody in time for the ducks' waddle along the red carpet to their fountain in the lobby.  Even though birds in captivity don't count on one's life list, imho, avid birders should see the world's most famous ducks at least once, particularly birders who were born in the city where said ducks reside.

Well, the trolley, which was supposed to be a quick, direct way to get from a parking area on the north end of downtown to the Peabody, turned into nothing short of a fiasco.  After moving one block, we were stopped and unable to move further because fire trucks, parked in front of the convention center, were blocking the tracks.  Hundreds of people were exiting the building, so there was no way we were going to exit the trolley and fight that crowd.  We sat there for what seemed like an eternity (it was probably about 5 mins, but we were running late and tensions were mounting).  Eventually, our trolley was redirected and, instead of moving south on Main, as planned, it had to travel north, then turn west and loop around to go south on Riverside Dr.  We followed Riverside as far south as the trolley can travel and then turned east to rejoin the Main St. tracks and head north again. 

Orville enjoyed the detour
since it allowed him to see the Pyramid,
where I graduated,
up-close and personal.

Wilbur was less interested in the sights
but he thought the strapy things
on the trolley were pretty cool.

We were back in the right part of downtown but were totally turned around mentally and could not getting our bearings long enough to find the Peabody.  We hadn't been downtown Memphis in over twelve years and were experiencing that I-should-know-where-I-am-but-don't-and-feel-totally-disoriented-and-a-bit-foolish phenomenon.  So we rode the trolley around the loop once more...and again...and AGAIN!

Michael wondered if we would be stuck
on Riverside Dr. for the rest of our lives.

We had missed seeing the ducks march and were getting really hungry and wanted to get off the trolley- just about the time it broke down in front of ...





The Arcade Restaurant!



It is the oldest cafe in Memphis, founded about 100 years ago.  So, yes, it was in Memphis when we lived there, but neither Michael nor I had even HEARD OF IT!  Granted, he rarely went downtown, and I only went there when on a teaching assignment.  Whatever the case, it was new-to-us and, more importantly, right there in front of us (and that trolley wasn't going anywhere any time soon), so we stopped in for lunch.

Now, we're not Elvis fans.  In fact, the boys had no idea who he was before our Memphis trip.  But we sat at the Elvis table...

He's not mad, y'all.
That's how he normally looks
when his wife is snapping his picture over and over again
while saying (in her best Elvis voice) 
Thank ya, thank ya very much
after each click.

...because it was the only table available.  HA!

Hey!  I know who Elvis is now...
sort of.

But also because this school...

...the one where I taught before the boys were born, served the housing project where Elvis had lived before stardom.  In fact, after completing 6th grade, my students went to Humes Middle School, which used to be Humes High School, which was where Elvis attended high school. 

This was my classroom the last year I taught.
My first room no longer exists
because the building was remodeled
and the 3rd floor was removed
during the years I taught there.

So Elvis's history has intersected with our family's history and since our family history was the whole point of the trip we told the boys the story I just told you as we sat at Elvis's table and ate THE ABSOLUTE BEST SANDWICH IN THE WORLD!

No joke.

It was so good that I had to recreate it at home. 

The World's Best Sandwich (Absolutely)

1.  Spread about 1 tsp each of pesto and Dijon mustard on freshly baked rolls.
2.  Add ham- real, home-baked, glazed, yummy-rific, ham.  Add as much as you want.  I won't tell.
3.  Thinly slice a pear and layer 2-4 slices over the ham.  They used Bartlets at The Arcade, I think.  I used Asian pears at home- mmm, yummy, nummy.
4.  Spread cream cheese on the other half of the roll.  The Arcade used melted Brie, which was divine.  However, I planned to use cream cheese since Brie is pricey.  Instead, I spread on some of this cheese ball.

My family referred to this as the cheese BOULDER
when I placed it on our Christmas table.
It is a cross between spinach dip
and a traditional cheese ball.
There's at least 50 servings of veggies in there,
so go ahead and spread away!

I guess it goes without saying there was A LOT of cheese leftover and I had to use it on my sandwich!

5.  When everything is on, close the sandwich and eat up.  Oh.so.good.

Sorry Elvis fans, but it totally beats fried PB and Banana hands down.

In fact, it's so yummy that I totally forgot to take a picture of the sandwich before scarfing it down enjoying it.  (I was hungry, people!)  To make up for my faux pas, please let me end with a picture of the World's Best Ducks instead.  After lunch that day, we finally made our way to the Peabody, and birders met birdies.




We didn't get to see them march
but did get to see them swim!


Happy Eating (sandwiches, y'all, not world-famous ducks)!
Dawn

Merry Christmas (and a bit of family history)

Seasonal Stripes Christmas

Shutterfly Christmas cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Twenty years ago, Michael and I met in Memphis, Tennessee,

not far from Overton Park- pictured in our Christmas card above.

Because this spot was one of our favorite hang-outs,

I dressed the boys up and took them there

for a photo day with Mommy in November 2001.

At the time, Orville was 2 and Wilbur was 1.

Last month (exactly 10 years after I took the original pictures),

we were blessed with a whirlwind trip to Memphis.

We spent one day driving around town,

showing the boys all the spots important to our family history.

I made sure to take the boys back to the gazebo

for updated pictures so we can share

a little of our family history with you.

Merry Christmas!

Leafing Out

Ten years ago, the boys "helped" Dad rake the yard

for the first time, and afterward,

enjoyed their first game of leaf jumping.

How quickly time has passed.

*sniff, sniff*

Today, leaf-chore time quickly evolved

into an exercise in long jumping.

As Orville crashed into the leaf pile,

this is what my mind's eye saw...

...so I'm sure glad my camera caught this....

Then Wilbur took off like the wind...

...and I recalled the days

when all he could do was sit among the leaves

 and clap and gurgle.

He's not so little any more.

In fact, the King of the Mountain

challenged the men

to a jump off.

Oh yeah!

(Boys will be boys, after all!)



BRONzE!



SILVER!

GOLD!!!



Happy Fall, Y'all!

Dawn

Happy 12th Birthday Orville!

Someone is 12 today!  We celebrated a dozen years with a dozen doughnuts. 

No, we didn't eat them all.

Well, almost.
 

The birthday boy enjoys his favorite:
vanilla frosted with sprinkles!

Wilbur wants it to be some one's birthday everyday!

Happy birthday, Orville! 

I love you more than you love doughnuts! :)

Our Day at Six Flags Over Georgia

The boys participated in Six Flag's Read to Succeed Program during the '09-'10 school year.  They completed six hours of leisure reading, and in return, received free admission to Six Flags Over Georgia for themselves and for me. 

This was exciting to see from the interstate!

We started the day in the Loony Tunes kiddie park.

We're not thrill-seekers,

so the boys wanted to start small.

You can see how very unimpressed they were!

Still, Wilbur wanted to drive the kiddie trucks.

It's a truck.

That's all that mattered!

And hello!

Boats that swing...

you can't get any better than that!

They had to ride Thomas the Tank Engine

through Thomas Town

for their three-year-old friend

who really likes Thomas.

They did this for you, Nate!

Not because they used to love Thomas themselves.

So much so that I made a Thomas headboard and footboard

for Wilbur's first big boy bed.

Excuse me just a minute

while I go

cry. my. eyes. out!

**sobbing**

Okay, I'm better now.

Thank you.

Back to Six Flags....

Michael enjoyed bouncing on the very bouncy playground.

And I love water rides!

Or at least, I used to.

The first time we rode Thunder River,

my side of the boat hit every wave

and I passed directly under the waterfall.

I was soaked.

We went to eat lunch and dry out,

and just happened to sit down near

an outdoor performance.

Michael and I weren't that thrilled

to be seated in such a noisy spot.

However, the boys thought the show was hysterical,

and Orville wanted to pose with the cast.

They were so nice to give us

such a great picture.

We rode a few more rides.

Not the one pictured above.

We're not adventurous, remember?

However, we did ride a few lower intensity "coasters".

About the time I dried out,

we reached Skull Island.

This is a great waterpark

with a series of interconnecting water slides.

All of the slides end in pools not much deeper than this.

For those wearing swimsuits,

it is a great place to splash, play, and cool down.

I, however, was wearing denim capris

and a t-shirt and was not prepared to get

soaked.to.the.bone.

I waked in an area under a misting spray,

because on a 95 degree day, I needed to cool down, too.

Just as I stepped into the mist,

a very large bucket

(about the size of a compact car)

filled

and tipped

DIRECTLY OVER ME.

Sorry, again no picutres,

but you can imagine me

standing in the middle of a waterfall,

unable to move

or open my eyes.

Soaked is not the right word for how wet I was.

I was determined not to let

squishy shoes

(seriously, water was squirting

out of them with each step I took)

and water-logged clothes,

(I was saggin', people)

keep me from having fun.

We pressed on 

and even had another summer school session

in which the boys learned 

what a phone booth is.

AND

we rode my absolute favorite ride,

The Bumper Cars!

Unfortunately, the camera battery died

just as Michael was about

to take the only picture of me during the day.

The one where I laugh maniacally

and slam into Wilbur's car.

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Then I got my comeuppance
at the CAROUSEL! 

While dismounting my wooden, unmoving steed,
I hit my knee
on the metal foot rest

TWICE!

It was swollen and sore for a week.

Understanding why we aren't adventure seekers?

Because I was still soaked
with no hope of drying out
within the foreseeable future,
we decided to ride Thunder River again.

Not only did I hit every wave,

and take a direct hit from two fire hoses,

but I hit the waterfall

AGAIN

where the boat got stuck

for a good 20 seconds.

Moral:

If you enjoy being a drowned rat,

click here

and let your kids earn free

Six Flags tickets, too!

Moral #2:

When you go,
wear light-weight,
quick-drying clothes!! :)

Happy Reading, Riding, and Splashing!

Dawn

p.s. Because our camera died,

we had to borrow the last three pictures in this post

from Free Foto .