10 Reasons Why You Should Move to Memphis....

Okay, I get it.....

I'm actually leaving Memphis! I know, I know!  What qualifies me to write a blog entry for why someone should move to Memphis?

I am moving to Indiana...the Hoosier state.  I am researching what exactly a Hoosier is but that is a whole other topic for a whole other time and place.

Back to Memphis....

When we moved here 3 and 1/2 years ago, I am being honest when I say that my expectations were low for my enjoyment of the area.  I'm ducking the rotten tomatoes here.

I get it, Memphians, go ahead and throw a couple but then stop and hear me out because at the end of this, you and our city is going to come out looking totally fab!

When I heard that Fed Ex was bringing us to Memphis a couple things went through my mind.....

1. Buy a gun.....purple to be exact.  It's really a cool gun that I have NEVER shot!  I'm going to get my conceal and carry when I move to Indy, because since I still have no idea what a Hoosier is I may need some protection from one!  
2. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot there.  Back to thought #1....I kinda glossed over the fact that this was a long time ago and was a targeted shooting by a cowardly man.  
3. Graceland is there.  I told everyone as I was leaving that they needed to come visit me in Memphis and we can go to Graceland.  I was shocked how many Memphians have never been!  Guys, you walk the streets of the king and you have never been to his house!  It's cool and you should go once in a lifetime.  I was surprised at how much I learned and I left with a sad feeling for a life cut short.  So go, at least once.  No matter your opinion of Elvis, no one can deny his influence on music.  

So prior to stepping foot anywhere near the area I already had preconceived ideas of what my life was going to be like here.  

And then we arrived......that's where I could give you millions of reasons but I'll start with 10 to keep this in a good length for someone to actually read before you jolt back to reality and wonder what your kids are up to or that fact that you are at work and need to get something accomplished!   

So, without further delay, 10 reasons why you should move to Memphis, TN!  

1.  The people and southern hospitality! 

• Definitely #1!  People here are wonderful.  They smile at each other and greet one another and eat really good food (see #2!) together.  I am a Yankee transplant and I love those southern ways!  Thank you, people of Memphis for still interacting with people!  It is a beautiful thing!  One of my favorite children's books, "The Rag Coat," has a quote, "People only need People, nothing else!"

2.   The Food!!!!

• Everything from sushi to chicken to their famous BBQ, you will enjoy!  I mean what is not to like about BBQ nachos and a BBQ potato?  And the cooks down here!!!!  I mean, they will feed you and love on you till you are in tears!  

3.  Beale St!  

• Look, this is hard to explain.  It's awesome!  Just go.  Bucket list material right here!  I mean people do acrobatic flips down the street!  With children go during the day as I believe that they do not allow children past a certain time of night.  

4.  Spring in Memphis!

• It is just beautiful.  If you have azaleas, you could have the ugliest house in the neighborhood and for a couple of weeks your home will look like it walked out of the pages of a "Better Homes and Garden" magazine.  

5.  Music!

• From the guy on the street to Sun Studios to local artists to orchestra and symphonies, this place breeds musical talent like bunnies!  I am short on natural musical talent but big on talent appreciation and they have it here.  I think it is in their blood!

6.  IT is so family FRIENDLY!!!

• Shelby Farms, Beale Street Landing, Splash Pads, The Memphis Zoo and Mud Island, just to name a few.  Just visit!  It is amazing!  

7.  The History!  

• You can barely take five steps without hitting a historical spot in Memphis.  I live off of the Cherokee Trail of Tears.  You can visit plantations, Old Cemeteries, the Mississippi River and so much more!  We don't bluff!  Our Grizzles' saying is actually a play off of words.  This land was first occupied by Chickasaw Indians who felt that the bluff was a good place to live close to the river.  

8.  The Charm of the Landscape!

• I grew up in the Midwest and all I saw was corn on one side and soybeans on the other and every couple years they would switch fields.  Lots of cotton fields here which Emma and I think are just so cool!  Cotton fields and moonlight create something magical that you just have to experience in your lifetime.  Many homes here are brick and have porches and formal dining rooms.  It stays green for a long time in Memphis.  

9.  Grizzlies, SEC Football and sports!  

• What can I say?  It is just fun!  Basketball season and Football season are just a fun time to be here!  You are in a central location and close to many SEC college teams making traveling for games a breeze.  

10.  It's a giving city!  

• This ties in with #1 but with St.Jude's and Le Bonheur Children's Hospital you will be blessed with many opportunities to bless others.  They do amazing things at these places and it is just another testament to the people of this city!

Thank you Memphis!  We have loved it here and look forward to many visits!  

 

 

Thanks to the involved daddies......

Over the last few days as people are adoring Charlotte.....

and I mean seriously, I know I am her mother, but how could you not.....

This is her eating avocados for the first time.

Her giggles are like an Angel's voice and she snuggles in your arms in the most cozy way......

I digress.  My apologies!

So back to the people adoring Charlotte.  These "people" have been ladies and in particular ladies who have raised their children and are in the grandmother part of life.  They have been very sweet to me and encouraged me by telling me how beautiful and well behaved my children are.  All comments that boost this tired mama's spirit and give me hope that all the tough days will be rewarded and out of them will come productive, God fearing citizens.  

Excuse me while I say a little prayer for that!  

Dear Lord, please help my husband and I to raise these children to be productive citizens that love you above all else and do not jump off the bridge when their friends do.  In His name, Amen.  

I must take every moment to pray for my children when it comes to mind!  

I'm very sidetracked this morning.

These ladies, all remarked at how involved daddies are now a days.  How much they help the moms.  Absent from their remarks was any judgement.  These ladies did not act toward me like they were the real women who did it the hard way.  They were in awe of these men.  They marveled at their skills and ease of handling of one, two and sometimes many more children.  They told me that these men were good at the hands on child care and rearing that was not heard of in the time when their children were young.  

I found myself deeply respecting these women.  Being in the trenches of motherhood is hard. Sometimes you literally can not see the forest for the trees and there is no light in the tunnel, let alone being able to fathom the end of it.  Thank you ladies for serving your families in such a selfless way.  

I felt a growing sense of appreciation for my husband, and my children's daddy.  On any given day, my husband can be found; feeding, changing, disciplining, snuggling and supporting any one of our babies.  He also has taken certain tasks on himself, in a very "I will do this chore." kind of way.  For example, he deemed long ago that he would do bath time for our babies and young children.  Any night he is able, he takes that on.  And all you mothers know that by that time of night you are beginning to shut down and being relieved of some daily tasks is a huge blessing!  

So my point to all of this is just to remind all mommies to thank the involved daddies!  Apparently this new breed of fathers is a blessing from the Lord that has not always been the norm.  Not that fathers of time's past were not good fathers but that a good shift in society has made an atmosphere of where the benefits for the involved fathers are displayed and promoted.  Dads see that a father involved in a child's life turns out a better person product.  Absent fathers are an epidemic in this world that can lead to difficulties in a child's life.  That fact should make me want to sing the praises of my husband from the rooftops and hold him up as an example to emulate and copy.  

So, Tommy, I am standing on a rooftop and singing....wait, vocal song is not a talent the Lord blessed me with.....so I'm shouting (he totally gave me that talent!) that I am the most blessed woman.  I am thankful for the man that does dishes, bath time, mealtime, laundry, boo boo kissing, heart to heart talks, midnight feedings, cleaning and containment right along side me.  You are my hero and I am just thankful that the Lord made you the way you are and your parents raised you to be the man you are.  

Thank you!  

I love you!