The One With Blues and Basketball

June 7 - 9, 2019

This "weekend" actually started on a Wednesday, as the family loaded up and left out from Stillwater, Oklahoma for a few days in Memphis, Tenessee.  Jake's 2025 AAU basketball team was playing is a big regional tournament on the weekend, so we decided to tack a few days into the front end of that and call it a family vacation.  Luckily, it worked with Lara's Nannying schedule and she was able to come with us!  The weather was pretty miserable the first few days of the trip, and the basketball tournament did not turn out how we had anticipated, but the family time and seeing the sites of Memphis was a blast!  Lots of memories made!  Pictures for DAYS!

Wednesday:

Loaded up and headed east on I-40
Ate dinner at Huey's that night, then swam in the hotel pool.
Resting up for a busy Thursday

Thursday (rained. all. day):

From the top of the Bass Pro Pyramid overlooking downtown and the river. In the Rain.

BEALE STREET!

Family Vacation at it's finest!

Found John Lennon on Beale Street

Spread your wings, Baby Girl

The Cutest!

Photo ops!  The kids were glad it stopped raining long
enough to check out Beale Street

Lara and Jake really DO love each other!

Finn was tired of walking.
Lara agreed to carry him on her shoulders...
When it started raining again, we grabbed
Krystal's burgers for lunch and waited it out at the hotel

First BIRD ride!
We had dinner while it was raining at a neat little
Pizza joint called Aldo's on Main Street.
We sat on the covered patio and people watched.
  Then this....

Friday (rain.  more rain.):

Exploring Mud Island
Scale replica of the entire Mississippi River

Family Vacation!
We loved Mud Island and this 4 block trek
following the scale model of the Mississippi River

Lara Bug!

In the Mississippi Delta (replica)

HUGE letters at Mud Island
After this photo shoot, the clouds were back and we
headed back to our car vis the footbridge over the River.
We stopped for lunch at Gus's Famous Fried Chicken
before heading to Collierville.

This train in Collierville town square was our favorite!
We loved exploring it and having a little photo shoot.

So pretty!

Finn saving the damsel in distress.

This mural was awesome!  Depicted the whole town.

Back down to Beale Street for AET 2025 Team Dinner
at Hard Rock Cafe.  Trite, but so fun!

Saturday (GAME DAY!):

Jake's Biggest fans - all decked out in AET gear.

Between games, we headed back downtown

Sun Studios - the first place Elvis Recorded

 

We took the tour, and Lara posed with the mic so many
rock and blues legends used back in the day!
The boys had gone to Huey's for lunch (Again, but
different location), and brought us to go food to eat in the car. 
We were between games.
Another basketball game, then dinner at
Central BBQ - SO GOOD!

 Sunday (go home day):

So, no pictures in Memphis this day.  We played early
and lost early.  This is lunch at Cracker Barrel in Little Rock, AR
on the way home.
GREAT TRIP!