Tennessee Super Kitschfest! Day 5, Epicness on the way to, and within, Memphis

Day 5 was surprisingly action-packed — it’s best just to count down the highlights!

#1 – Morning run at The Parthenon (Nashville)

So random that Nashville has a replica of the Greek Parthenon. Our hotel was so close (and we needed a run after the crazy awesome dinner we had the night before), so we put Ruby in the stroller and ran the loop around it to get some exercise and sightsee all the same time. How’s that for multitasking?

 

#2 – Loveless Cafe (Nashville)

A quintessential Southern Style Diner. Known for the Hashbrown Casserole and biscuits made from scratch. Delicious and retro – the perfect Ed + Carrie combination.

 

#3 – Loretta Lynn’s ranch (Hurricane Falls)
 
This was a crazy unexpected detour! We saw a billboard off the side of I-40 and knew we’d have to make a stop. It did not disappoint, plenty of Coal Miner’s daughter kitsch and actually, a pretty amazing place. We skipped the guided tours, but snapped plenty of pics on our own.


 

#4 – The Peabody Hotel (Memphis)
The Peabody  is a very old place, and they are known for the ducks that live on the rooftop in the middle of this crazy city. Each day at 5pm, the ducks “walk” from the fountain in the lobby to elevator, and ride up to the rooftop of the hotel. It’s kind of a big deal. We were stoked that we could get a cocktail, while Ruby stayed entertained watching the ducks!

 

 

#5 – Unexpected Flaming Lips Concert on Beale Street! (Memphis)

We were walking down Beale Street and saw a big crowd, then all of the sudden I heard Wayne’s voice – it was a Flaming Lips show! They were trying to break Jay-Z’s world record of the most shows being played in 24 hours. It was crazy to be standing on the street and seeing the show! I was stoked they played oldie-but-goodie, “Vasoline” and my mom even caught one of the big balloons from the show – RAD!

 

#6 – Central BBQ (Memphis)
With so much BBQ in Memphis, there’s a lot options, and a lot of favorites. We went to Central on the recommendations of MANY and were not disappointed! This is not a tourist trap on Beale, and its nothing fancy – just delicious BBQ that had us savoring every bite. I got the brisket, Ed got the pork, and Ruby stuck to her vegetarian ways and kindly asked for hummus. She indulged once we got back to the hotel.

 

#7 – Date night in Memphis

Not gonna lie, it was uneventful. We were just too tired after a long day! We enjoyed another cocktail at The Peabody (after deciding Beale Street wasn’t our scene and being unsuccessful in finding Elvis impersonators!). It was a good drink, though!

Off-roadin’



A few weeks ago, Ed + I got to attend our 1st automotive press event together! We got invited to Calamigos Ranch in Malibu to go check out the entire Jeep lineup and spend some time behind the wheel. As Jeeps are known first and foremost for their off-roading prowess, we even got to take them on a trail and really put them to the test!

The 4-door Wrangler was pretty awesome, and I couldn’t deny how fun it was to drive. One of the auto journalists there gave me my 1st off-roading lesson and even though I was TERRIFIED to do it, it ended up being really awesome! You can see that I am a little tentative here … afterall, at one point I was facing straight down and they told me no gas and no brakes, just let the Jeep crawl! Well, it did … and it was exhilarating … and I kinda can’t wait to do it again! The best part was being able to have Ed as my drive partner. Maybe we will be the “Automotive Power Couple” that everyone jokingly calls us.

I can’t help but laugh when I see myself in the Jeep … this is so not my scene!

Someone had brought an old Jeep to the event and Ed + I couldn’t help be in awe of the retroness of its styling. We wouldn’t mind rocking one of these on a day trip either!

Mother’s Day Picnic at the Korean Friendship Bell


Today was a lovely day for a picnic. We decided to head over to the Korean Bell of Friendship in San Pedro for a great view, open fields of grass and of course, the pretty main attraction.

I love our growing tradition of Mothers Day picnics (check out our gorgeous picnic from last year!), because a) there are no crowds, b) the sun on our backs makes it feel like summer is here and c) it just feels great to be outdoors! Ed bought all my faves … pita, hummus, strawberries, and even some yummy little snickerdoodles. Perfection.

I love my little family.

Yeah, how can I not feel like the luckiest momma in the world when THIS little girl is the one I can call mine?!?