Day 1 - Memphis, TN

We managed to leave Guthrie about 5:45 a.m., missing my departure deadline by only 45 minutes. I have our entire trip mapped out—complete with itinerary and a binder full of information =). Trying to factor in how much time we would need for stops with two little ones was somewhat tricky. I knew from our trips to Texas that they could both handle a 5 hour trip no problem, but beyond that I was guessing. Obviously it could go great or go very very badly. Fortunately day one turned out to be absolutely amazing. The girls travelled SO well. I pray that the rest of our trip will go as smoothly.


Liberty colored almost the whole way. I also bought “gifts” for Liberty and Emory to give them along the way. This is my attempt to keep them entertained. At our first stop I gave Liberty a set of color change markers. Each marker has three different color tips. She loved it and colored with the rest of the day. Emory got a cloth book about barnyard animals. Each page makes a different animal noise when you push the buttons. Liberty pushed the buttons for her and told her the name of the animals =).

We blazed right through Oklahoma and Arkansas without a peep from either of the girls. Emory slept the first 4 hours and they we stopped to feed her, put gas in the car, and take a potty break. Our next stop was Memphis, TN where we stopped to visit Graceland. Even after getting lost twice coming into Memphis, we still arrived at Graceland and hour and a half early! Thank God for iphone GPS and a husband who can navigate without getting carsick (I cannot so I was driving).

Scott and I aren’t huge Elvis fans, but I couldn’t see driving through Memphis without seeing Graceland. I must admit that it was nothing like I had imagined. What passed for luxury in the 1970’s was horribly ugly and cheap looking. There was actually green carpet on the walls and ceiling. Scott said that he had torn down houses less ugly =). It is so crazy to see how much the world has changed in terms of celebrity houses. Graceland would NEVER make it on MTV Cribs today! Looking at all the gold and platinum records was unbelievable. There are so many that they don’t all fit in one location. They are scattered in different building throughout the grounds. My favorite part was going through the car museum. Unlike the hideous mansion, a classic car never goes out of style. My fav was this Lincoln with the gold alligator top! Liberty was patient, but was less than thrilled looking at a bunch of junk that belonged to someone she’s never heard of. She kept asking me “Why is he important?”

Liberty like this gold suit =)

Pink Cadillac

My favorite was this Lincoln with a gold alligator top =)

Next stop was famous Memphis BBQ restaurant, Marlowe’s. Once of Scott and my favorite things to do is eat at new restaurants so I had to factor this in when I was planning our trip. We decided to do a mini tour of Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Marlowe’s was in the “Memphis BBQ” episode. Tomorrow we are eating at Pizza Palace from his “That’s Italian” episode. The BBQ was absolutely amazing and they had these deep fried sourdough rolls that absolutely changed my life. Definitely recommend it if you are ever down in Memphis.

After we ate, we decided to get back on the road for awhile. We ended up stopping about 8 p.m. By that point, Emory had had enough and she screaming at the top of her lungs and refused to be consoled by sweet Liberty who was do everything possible to calm her down. Despite the fact that the hotel we stayed in was far from 4-star accommodations, both Liberty and Emory thought it was great. Liberty jumped on the bed and Emory laughed and played. We relaxed for a bit and then turned in about 9:30 to get ready for our early morning. I think Liberty was asleep before we even turned out the lights. I was an awesome first day of vacation!