Memphis, TN

Graceland - "The King's house"

Ok... I know it doesn't really count as a 'destination' especially because I live there, but for some people it's such an exciting place to visit? Yes, that's a question mark at the end of that sentence. I wonder the same thing. But here's why: MUSIC and ELVIS - The only two reasons to come to Memphis. I am not much a fan of the second one (my boyfriend's only disappointment in me he says), but people come from not only all over the country, but all over the WORLD to experience and learn more about "The King." This past week was Elvis Week, and let me tell you, people are EVERYWHERE celebrating the death (31 years later) of this man. I heard that last year on his 30th year death anniversary that Memphis, Tennessee brought in more tourists that DISNEYWORLD in Orlando, Florida. That, my friends, is a fact and one of the only reasons to be "proud of being a Memphian."


VIP 'in it!

So let's rewind... Since I am so behind on writing my blog, I want to go back to a fun weekend in Memphis. Although Tres and I WERE NOT on vacation, two of our good friends were... Trevor and Lori. They came to visit, and thanks to them, I experienced Memphis (for the first time) like a REAL tourist! For Lori, the trip could be compared to the same trip of a 50-year-old Chinese Elvis impersonator coming over from Hong Kong in a sparkly jumpsuit - AKA "a dream come true." Lori is a huge Elvis fan for some reason and though the trip for her was only a 2 hour plane ride away, she appreciated it just as much as that random Chinese man who had an approximate 20 hour plane ride.

Lori and Trevor LOVE Divers!

Day One - Our first stop once Lori and Trevor arrived was Graceland, or in Lori's words "The King's house." We took a special VIP Tour through the mansion (thank you Tres), so we got to experience it like no other. We cut in line, saw special sites, and felt like we took in Graceland on the highest level! Second stop? A night out (Memphis Style)! This means, Beale Street, Silky's (had to have a diver), Big Ass Beers on the sidewalk, a Trolley Ride, and food at a great restaurant (Spendini's). It was a superb and wine-ful night!

Who knew we would end up here?!

Day Two - An injured foot, day in the hospital, yet lots of Memphis fun. So the ijured foot and day at the hospital is NOT something a normal tourist has on his Memphis Itinerary, but it ended up on ours. Long story short - Tres had an air conditioning guy come work on his air, the guy dropped a huge piece of metal on his foot, sliced it open about 5 inches long and 2 inches wide, so we sat in the Emergency room until 2 p.m. Not exactly part of the "all-day Beale Street Music Fest" plans we had that day, but it worked out. Why? Because Tres is a trooper and he never misses a good time!!! Foot wrapped up good, a few beers kicked back, and a dreadful limp, he was ready to paint the town, which just proves that when you are in Memphis, you CAN'T BE STOPPED!

The crew at MusicFest!

We lucked up and ended up in a VIP Tent by one of the main stages (thank you Tres again). And can I just say I find it appalling that my boyfriend, who has lived in this city for a year, can pull VIP passes from all over the place when I have lived here for 24 years. What am I doing wrong?! haha! Anyway, the VIP Tent was a blast. Free booze, food, and the best music right in our ears without having to fight a crowd. Oh and did I mention Justin Timberlake's mother was partyin' in up in this tent. Another dose of "true Memphis" or what?! We couldn't get any closer than Memphis TRUE VIP style. And if only they knew, those Chinese Elvis's would really be pissed off at us!

With Mrs. Timberlake herself!

So, to wrap it up... here's what I have learned about Memphis. There are three things that people say make Memphis great: Music, Elvis, and Fed Ex, and I don't know about you guys, but I would say according to MOST people, these three things sure do make the world go 'round!

Daytona Beach, Florida

View from the balcony of my VERY NICE hotel room

You discover what REAL, serious traveling is when you get off of one plane early in the morning and hop on another one that very same day at sundown... especially when you leave one state and are back in that very same state the very next day. In my case, this time, it was Florida... The one state it just seems I can't get enough of (usually not by choice). I hopped on a plane in Destin about 6 a.m., touch downed in Memphis about 8 a.m., went home to wash clothes and re-pack (a skill I have mastered, I must say), and left that very night for Daytona Beach, Florida.

I will say one thing, going from a fun-trip to a work-trip all in one day is never fun, but you gotta get back to the grind somehow... may as well do it at one of the most well-known, popular beaches in Florida! Daytona is known for their cars driving on the sand. It's all really interesting: The sand on Daytona Beach is packed down so cars can drive on it. Well, they used to be able to drive on it. There's some rule now that is against it now, so only authorized vehicles are permitted on the sand. It comes in handy for a great run though. Name another beach you can run on, right by the water, with tennis shoes on and not get sand in your shoes or feel like your legs have turned into jelly from pushing off the thick sand. I don't think there is another beach like that!

Yes, this is the cheer competition I am refering to!

Once the work started, there was little time for my beach runs. The competition taking place was NCA College Nationals. If you have never been to a cheerleading competition, you are in for a treat, if you have never been to NCA College Nationals, you are in for a REAL treat. Picture a crazy-wild Spring Break taking place at a cheerleading competition. The competition is held right on the beach, near a few bars, and it's where all the action takes place: competition action and party action. A large stage is set up right on the sand, and cheerleaders, dancers, coaches, and fans who are finished competing or don't go until the next day, lay out (in their swimsuits) on rows and rows of colorful towels with a drink and one hand and a pom pom or some sort of spirit decor in the other. It's an interesting sight that I insisted on taking MANY pictures of, as you will see. Work crew taking a break!

OK, so enough talk of play, and back to work-talk (the reason I was there). This weekend, it was my responsibility to do video-work. There is always something different I work on when it comes to the Varsity Wired Video on Demand Channel that we have for Varsity.com. Sometimes, I am the reporter where I do all on-camera work, sometimes I write scripts for the videos, sometimes I organize and help with production, and other times, I upload the videos onto the site. In this case, I was the premier upload-er for the weekend. Sounds like a boring job, but it's actually the most important of all the "video" jobs. If the videos were never uploaded, no one could watch them! For some examples of the work I do, take a look at the website: http://www.varsity.com/vwired/index.asp

Just about half of the crowd at the competition!

Destin, Florida

Some of the very large group in Destin

For a trip that went from "going to just have fun" to "going to work," it sure turned out to be more fun than work! We were going to visit and hang out with Tres' posse, who were all there to work. Athletic Championships, the company Tres used to work for and a company ran by and employed by a close group of friends, was holding a cheerleading competition in Destin, Florida... so Tres and I were on our way to sun and fun! Nothing to complain about there! And, to make it even better, it was our first plane ride and trip together.

We ended up working the event, but it wasn't a bad schedule and everyone else was working, so what else were we going to do? We also took the following Monday off of work, so we had plenty of time on the beach and in the sun! I got my first sun-burn of 2008... the first bit of sun in a new year is always something to celebrate. And DID WE celebrate!!! We celebrated by the pool and at the beach in the a.m. and ate well and bar hopped in the p.m. What a fun mini-work-vacation!

Andrea and Tres at the Condo

Nashville, TN

Nashville - Because everyone needs a good ol' girls night out! This March 15th, me and three girlfriends from work set out for a night of fun in a real "country" city. But, this city is not so country at all. As many times as I have been to the Home of Country music, I have never been out and about in the downtown city lights, so that was the goal of this trip.

Molly, Kristin, Elizabeth and I shopped the day away at the outlet. I decided quickly that if I ever need to shop and haven't been to Orlando within a few months (my shopping spot), Nashville is where I will be driving. With all the stores a girl loves, including a Saks Fifth Avenue OFF Saks, I couldn't go wrong! While there, I spent my usual 3-4 hours in Forever 21, then headed to swaky Saks to pick me up a great pair of Marc Jacob shades, so I could be "Fresh out the water, with my Marc Jacob goggles." Lil' Wayne Lyrics... for those of you who are clueless to the rap world (my gorgeous boyfriend would say having no clue about rap is a good thing... I disagree)! haha.

Soon it was back to the hotel to show off our latest clothes and decide which of the new garments we wanted to strut around in that night. Three change of outfits, four change of shoes, and two change of hair-do's later, we were off to martinis and sushi! The Sushi Bar ended up being the best all four of us had ever experienced, which gave me EVEN MORE reason to come back to N-ville. We then hit up the town, bar hopping until we couldn't stop, which for us was only about 3 a.m. We were out of town, yet our boyfriends were still awake hanging out together at home in Memphis. Drunk (of course) and grilling out. At 3 a.m.? Yes, I said that correctly. The boys were at Tres' condo, and he could persuade a 50-year-old narcoleptic to stay awake until the sun rises!!!