I Can't Help Falling in Love....

December 31

Wow! The last day of the year, and here I am at Graceland with my children and my adorable grandson. Such blessings the Lord has showered me with this year!  2013 has  had it’s challenges, the blessings, the heartaches and the day to day. God is always so faithful and always so good to me.

On this last day of the year, and the last day of our family vacation, we will tour the mansion. We have saved this treat for our last day. Everyday we have walked up to the mediation garden and each night we have admired the beautiful lights on display, but today we will walk through the doors of the place Elvis called home. You may say we have saved the best for last….

My love for Elvis began as early as I have memory. Each Sunday after church when we would go to my Grandmother and Papaw’s house, we would hear Elvis singing gospel. My Papaw’s favorite song was “Peace in the Valley”. I was the oldest grandchild one of my fondest memories is sitting in his lap as he sang “Peace in the Valley” and rocked me. He sang to all his grandchildren, and when I became a parent, I got to enjoy hearing my Papaw sing his favorite song to my own children as he rocked them. These memories have only strengthened my love for Elvis and his music.

My husband Eddie and I used to listen to Elvis when we dated. He is as big an Elvis fan as I am. He swears that if he and Elvis had met they would be best friends and I have to agree with him. There are lots of similairies….

When you begin your tour at Graceland, you board a bus and you are given headphones. As the bus heads up the driveway, Elvis begins singing in your ear, “Welcome to my World”.

When you enter the front door…I’ve heard it said….and I have felt it every time…You can feel his presence.

Cam was listening intently as our tour guide explained how Elvis purchased Graceland in 1957 for just over $100,000. I think Cam may be in training as a contender in a future Elvis Quiz Show!

At this point in time I have been to the mansion numerous times, but every time I walk through that day….Wow!

The livingroom ….

The diningroom….

The kitchen….

The television room….

The poolroom…

The jungleroom…

Some of my favorite songs, Moody Blue, Way Down...were recorded in this room!

When you go out the back door at the jungle room, you are in the backyard and where Elvis parked his cars. Vernon had a small building behind the house which he used as his office. It is small and he and two secretaries handled all Elvis’ business affairs from this office. Look at the sign in Vernon’s own handwriting…

If you read Priscella’s book , “Elvis and Me”, remember where she mentions the sign Vernon placed on the door to keep her from hanging out with Elvis’ cousin Patsy who worked for Vernon. Vernon was all about work and taking care of Elvis.

Next, the trophy room. No man has ever achieved as much in the music industry as this man….

The Trophy Room is lined with Gold and Platinum Albums and Singles! Wall to Wall, Floor to Ceiling!

He was as generous as he was talented!

There are walls covered with checks he sent to charities around the Memphis area. He was a great philanthropist! 

Out the back door and...

Back to the meditation garden…..”Peace in the Valley”.

The last stop on the tour was a stop by the Lisa Marie Presley exhibit ….”Elvis Through His Daughter’s Eyes”. Our favorite…

Here you can see Lisa Marie's Crib and many of her baby toys and clothing.

There is a bible that was a gift to Lisa from a cousin. It once belonged to Lisa's Grandmother Gladys.

There is a scarf that Elvis wrote a personal note on to "Yesa" as he called her.

I love this plaque that Elvis gave Lisa for her birthday one year....

Today is our last full day at Graceland. This trip can not be put into words. I am a mother who has been blessed to travel back in time for a little while and have all my children with me-to wake up with me, eat meals with me, laugh and be silly with me, seek out new adventures with me, ignore my silliness and just let me be mom-all I've ever wanted to be. I am one blessed Mom. God has ended my 2013 in an amazing miraculous way!!!!!

All Shook Up!!!!!

December 30

What a day! Clan and I started the day early with a walk to the meditation garden at 7:30 a.m. It was COLD!  This has to be one of my very favorite things about coming to Graceland, and I don’t think I could ever get my fill of quiet time at the graveside of Elvis and his family.

Before Graceland opens each day, the meditation garden is open to the public-free of charge, and anyone can walk the driveway of Graceland and visit Elvis’ grave. The Meditation Garden was built by Bernard Grenadier at Elvis’ request in the mid-1960’s. The garden was a place where Elvis could reflect, pray, meditate and rest. It was one of his favorite places.

Walking up the driveway, you pass the Nativity that Elvis placed at Graceland years ago. It is placed there every year, just as it was when he lived.

The driveway is lined with blue lights and a special message that still speaks for Elvis...

There are metal Christmas trees in assorted colors next to the front of the mansion. They are such a reminder of the times when Elvis celebrated the Christmas Holidays here at his home.

In October of 1977, with special permission, Vernon had the gravesites of Elvis and Gladys moved to the Meditation Garden for security purposes. Today, not only Elvis’ and Gladys’ graves reside there, but Vernon and his mother, grandmother to Elvis, Minnie Mae Presley, known by Elvis as “Dodger” are laid to rest there as well. There is a marker in honor of Jessie Garon, Elvis’ twin brother who died at birth.

On his grave his father wrote, "God saw that he needed some rest and called him home to be with Him".

The white marble cross was the original monument Elvis had placed on Gladys’ grave at Forest Hill Cemetery

After we returned from our morning walk, Cassidy and Cam were up and ready to check out the Duck March at the famous Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis. When we left the Heartbreak Hotel…snowflakes were peppering down!

It was a COLD walk to the Peabody!!!!

The Peabody, located on Union Avenue,  was built in 1925. It was designed by Walter W. Ahlschlager of Chicago. The Italian Renaissance Hotel holds many historical and cultural significances of the Mississippi Delta region.

We got a table close to the fountain and waited for about 40 minutes until the ducks were marched from the elevator to the fountain on a red carpet.

The marching of the ducks at the Peabody dates back to the 1930’s when the General Manager of the time returned from a hunting trip. He and his hunting buddies left three of their live English call ducks in the hotel fountain overnight as a joke. The guests loved the ducks and raised a protest when the ducks were to be removed. Since then, five mallard ducks (one drake and four hens) have played in the fountain everyday.

Cam was so excited to see the ducks! Aunt “C” found him a stuffed duck in the giftshop and it is truly a favorite. It has put a new spin on his bathtime duckys that he loves so well.

Our timing for a Peabody visit coincided with the Mississippi State football team in the lobby of the hotel to get ready for their battle later today at the Liberty Bowl.

The elevators at the Peabody...

We planned to take Cam to the Memphis Zoo to take in the Lights, but the temperature was a freezing 33 degrees, after traveling to the Zoo and checking it out, we decided to drive around town….

We never imagined to end up at the Lorainne Motel on 450 Mulbery Street where Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot on April  4, 1968. We didn’t tour the Civil Rights Museum, but we did see room 306 where he was staying when he was assassinated.

After we found the Lorainne, we got a little brave (or crazy you might think) and we decided to look for Humes High, the high school where Elvis, George Klien, and Red West attended. It is now known as Humes Middle School and it is a preparatory school. We found it! What an amazing feeling to stand on the steps where Elvis went to school.

 Next, we decided that Lauderdale Court Apartments couldn’t be too far away from where he went to school. Sooooooo……..we found it! He lived in apartment #252.

After we had found his high school and his apartment, we really got adventurous (or crazier) and decided to hunt for 1034 Audubon Drive. This was the home Elvis purchased for his parents and himself from his royalties from Heartbreak Hotel-his first million dollar seller. This was where he and his family lived for 13 months until he purchased Graceland in 1957.

The home is vacant. It was purchased by a nonprofit to preserve the heritage. It is very nicely preserved with a locked gate to prevent onlookers from intruding. Now this is what I call an Elvis tour. Cassidy was talking to her dad and he was laughing at us. He couldn’t believe we haven’t toured Graceland yet, but that adventure is schedule for tomorrow….stay tuned! Honestly....I am ALL SHOOK UP!

Guitarman....

December 29

Today we began our adventure with a trip to sun studios. In August 1953 an 18 year old Elvis Presley walked into what was then the Memphis Recording Studio and recorded the song, “My Happiness”. Sam Phillips the owner of the recording studio wasn’t there at the time, but Marion Keisker, Sam’s secretary , was impressed with the handsome young Elvis who told her, “I don’t sound like nobody Ma’m”.  Marion wrote down Elvis’ number but it would be a year before Sam Phillips called on the future King of Rock and Roll.

The history of Sun is amazing, and wouldn’t you know that just hours before we got there Chubby Checkers came by and the tour currently in session turned into an “unofficial” meet and greet with the great old rocker.

706 Union Avenue

The door that Elvis walked through to the Memphis Recording Studio and met Marion Keisker.

Marions's desk     

Marion's picture hangs above her desk along with many clients of Memphis Recording Studio

          Of course there is a cafe and souvenir shop at Sun! The best milkshakes in Memphis!

After our trip to Sun Studios, we caught our tour bus to Beale Street. We stopped by the Gibson Guitar factory, and left Brody there why we went for some lunch at Alfred’s. Brody stayed behind at Gibson while we ate, he finally joined us after dragging himself away from the guitars.

                                                  Brody….well, he is in guitar heaven!

Alfred’s is on Beale Street.  BBQ is considered a religion in Memphis and Alfred’s offers award winning BBQ at the International BBQ Competition. This is our second trip to Alfred’s and it won’t be our last…..

Appetizer: Spinach and Artichoke Dip with chips

I got the ribs.....

Then it was back to the Heartbreak  for some down time.  Cam has been a trooper, but we have to schedule some time for him to be a baby. Time flies when you are having an amazing time with your family in such an amazing place.

 I can always embarrass my children by standing in the middle of the street and taking pictures of them!

Hope it's warm tomorrow...They say it may snow! Elvis loved snow. Can you imagine Graceland in the snow? Now that would be a cool picture....stay tuned!