Catchin' Up In Memphis

Yours Truly was just reminiscing on her first year in Memphis.  I cannot believe I've been here for 1 year!  Actually, 1 year and 44 days but you get the picture.  What a year of adventure it's been!

Since my last blog of March 16 when we celebrated St. Patrick's day, let me recap some of the adventures I've had the pleasure of enjoying!
April found me enjoying my first concert at The Orpheum Theatre.  I had the pleasure of listening to Boz Skaggs with the Lovely Clare Pillow-Myers.  She has become truly dear to me and a wonderful friend indeed.  I often tell her and anyone who will listen that I'm not sure if my experience in Memphis would have been what is has been had I not met her on my very first day of work.  It's almost like she was just there...waiting for Yours Truly to move to Memphis so she could befriend me!

Also in April, I had the pleasure of volunteering to work at the FedEx Family House Gala at The Peabody.  This was a very dressy event and I was in the company of some lovely ladies and friends from work.  Edna Gaia, Carmen Cayode-Johynson, The Lovely Clare, and Carol Gardner.  We had a great time and it was an awesome event!  I hope to be selected to work again next year!

May brought us the Memphis In May activities!  This is a month long event...chock full of music, food, art, and FUN!!!  I had the pleasure of getting to see 2 of my fave-o-rite fellow Bearcats, John Pritchett and long long long time friend Laura Ann Aslakson.  They came for the BBQ weekend and man-oh-man did we have fun!!!  Rick and John spent some "guy time" while the ladies set out our own.  But let me say...the laughter started pretty much they pulled into the parking lot at the Casa Del West En El Rio in the rented bright red Mustang that Laura was driving!!

I also had the pleasure of making a trip home to Shertown in May.  The primary reason?  Why, to surprise my sweet Momma on her birthday, which fell on Memorial Dray, and of course to see my Texas Girls!!!  The first stop on the way was to the Nuss Retreat & Spa in Winnsboro.  I got to spend the entire day with Lori Nuss and the evening with Lori & Russ.  We decided that evening that Lori surely needed to head to Shertown with me!  So, bright and early that Saturday morning, away we went!   I got to spend the day seeing SO MANY of my wonderful friends!  It did this girls heart good!!

The birthday for my Mom and surprising her to boot went off without a hitch!!!  I got to spend a lovely day with my Mom, sweet daughter Ari, sisters, brother-in-laws and various nieces and nephews! 





May came to a close and we welcomed Summer to Bluff City!!  Several fun things went on and one of them was a fun evening spent at the Memphis Botanical Gardens listening to Mr. Tony Bennett! 

Also in June, Clare and I were pleasantly surprised to learn that our photo had made the.....no, not the cover of the Rolling Stone but the Memphis equivalent  - RSVP magazine, which is THE "socialite" magazine about town!  This has been a long time mission for Clare, I learned, and she was pretty much a lot more excited about it than Yours Truly, but hey....I have to admit I was a little excited!!

 

July arrived and it was unusually mild for the month.  West and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary on July 10.  We were fortunate enough to make a much needed trip to Ft. Myers, Florida and visit the beautiful Sanibel & Captiva Islands!!!  We relaxed, ate some wonderful food, heard some good music, West deep sea fished, and Yours Truly floated in the glorious sun, drank sangria from dawn to dusk and read about 6 books!! 

August in Memphis....and it finally began to heat up!  I was blessed with a wonderful visit from 2 of my very dear friends, Dana Dowell Speed and Lori Nuss!  We had a WONDERFUL visit!  They became regulars at Double J's, we wondered all up and down Main Street.  They arrived on Trolley Art Tour night so they go to experience that! It was a most delightful visit!!

August also found Yours Truly enjoying a most glorious Saturday afternoon drinking Mimosa's with the beautiful Lucinda Nuesch Sanders on her rooftop.  She's been a treasure as well and I enjoy the time we get to spend together! August also brought me a wonderful treat....a visit from my #1 son Dax and Chris Jackson!  We had a great time!!  It was so good to spend some quality 1-on-1 time with my favorite boy in the whole world!  We walked and explored, talked and had a few cold beverages, and talked some more!!!  It was a wonderful weekend!!!

Another monumental event occurred on August 22.....Yours Truly got the metal removed from her mouth and revealed her new smile after 15 months!!!!  Yes, this was a HAPPY DAY for YT!!!  I have to admit I've found it hard to stop smiling ever since!!!  I also dealt with the old lady hair that had been growing for quite some time...and it was bringing me DOWN...so it got colored, cut & styled!!!  Yours Truly is back and feeling mighty sassy these days!!!

And now.....that brings us to the glorious month of September!  One of my 2 favorite months of the year, the other being October.  I've always loved the weather...the blue of the sky, I guess the hint of fall in the air.  We started out with some wonderful visitors....the lovely Jonna  Blair Brown and her equally wonderful husband, Bruce Brown.  They came and

spent Labor Day Weekend and we had a really great visit!!!  

I also co-hosted a 50th birthday party to my dear, sweet friend Clare and her twin Julie!  It was going to be a pool party but since someone left the gates of hell open, we decided to do it in her apartment!!  That apartment was full of smiles, laughter, great food and lots of good times that evening for sure!!!

September brought us the Delta Fair and in keeping with tradition, Uncle Rick and Aunt Lisa took the niece and nephew, Eleanor and Townes, to the fair.  Now, keep in mind that Uncle Rick picked THE HOTTEST day of the summer thus far for this little adventure but we were troopers!!!



We also attended Zoo Rendezvous this month.  This is an annual fund raiser for the Memphis Zoo, which is one of the best zoos in the country.  It was just another night to dress up a little, spend time with friends, meet some new people, eat, drink and be merry!!!  We met up with the beautiful Val Mercado and a fella she was with and walked around most of the evening with them!  Again, those gates to hell were stuck open and it was so hot....not a breeze to be found....but we survived! I personally believe that between the Delta Fair and Zoo Rendezvous...I sweated out every bad thing I might have eaten or had to drink for about 2 weeks!!

So that pretty much catches me up for the year!  There has been a ton of things that didn't make this episode but just believe that there have not been many dull moments!!! 

As always, remember to be nice to one another, and tell the people you love how much you love them! Until next time, Love, Yours Truly.

Yours Truly was reminiscing today....going through some old blog posts back from when it all began.  It's hard for me to believe that I've been in Memphis 10 months already.  As I read my very first blog, it mentioned I was writing it so I'd have something to do since I didn't have any friends....yet!  I am so happy and thankful to report that situation has been REMEDIED!!! 

Enter Clare Myers.  I met her my very first day working at FedEx Freight and she has become my #1 girl

here in Memphis!!!  Her loving personality, beautiful smile, friendly manner and lovely southern drawl all make her so captivating and FUN!!!  She has graciously shared many of her friends and introduce Yours Truly to some very nice people!  Val, Susan, Heather, Amber....just to name a few.  It didn't take Clare and I long to become "partners in crime"!!  She has recently earned a great promotion and moved to another office building.  To say I miss her greatly is an understatement!  Yes, we still talk & text & chat & email almost daily...but I miss seeing her smiling face! 

I've met some other wonderful people along the way as well.  West and I have become "regulars" at our favorite neighborhood haunt, Double J's Smokehouse And Saloon.  It's had many a mention here in this blog.  The folks all know us by name and a few even text to let us know we're missed when we happen to miss trivia night!  And, I cannot fail to mention the sweet Lucinda!  She's moved downtown since I met her and is just a few blocks up the street.  It's nice having her so close by.  She is a good patio buddy and loves to sit out and have a beverage after work as much as I do!

And, I cannot forget the FABULOUS Patty!!!  Patty Harper and Faultline.  Just a great local band!  I met Patty and the band when they were performing at Wet Willie's on Beale Street.  You might recall that she is the great one that handed me her tambourine the first time I saw them and let me become their Honorary Tamboruine player whenever I go to listen!!  Just a beautiful lady, sweet soul and kindred heart!  Fun to be around anytime!!

St. Patty's On The River

Yours Truly is happy to report that I have survived my first St. Patrick's Day in Memphis!  Well, technically it was celebrated on March 16 but you get the point!


It started out with a morning of housework and West had to work for a few hours but as soon as that was finished....off we went!  We started out walking up Main a few blocks and stopping in at one of my favorite spots...S.O.B.  Did I mention the weather was GLORIOUS???  It was in the high 70's so we were bistro bound!!!  We secured a table and decided to order a few appetizers until we decided what we wanted for lunch further along.  The Mimosa's were flowing on this glorious day!!  West and I shared a cheese tray and an order of beef brisket egg rolls....yes, every bit as delectable as they sound!

With our bellies full, we headed to Beale Street and the much anticipated 40th annual St. Patrick's Day parade!  It had come to my attention via FB that one of my previous next door neighbors was in town with her boyfriend so it became my mission to find them!  We were exchanging texts and it seemed they were just a few steps ahead of us.  We finally got their location...they were at People's.  Yours Truly and West were not familiar with Peoples so we are standing on the curb looking up and down the street....and I finally turned around and guess what?  Yeah, we were standing right in front of People's and Koby was right behind us!  So, that was a nice visit!

The parade was fairly spectacular!  There were several auto clubs with entries...the Corvette Club, the Camero Club , and even the Scooter Club!  Lots of beads...lots of candy!  Lots of Green Beer being sold!  The only thing missing was a full fledged band.  There was an amazing drum corp made up of young men.  These guys were flat out getting it!!  Marching to their awesome beat were the Strawberry Shortcake Dance Club...equally getting with it!!

We finally wound our way towards home and stopped off at another favorite haunt, Double J's, for a quick beverage and just to see what was happening there.  After saying our hello's we made it back to 600 S. Main.  But the day wasn't over yet...no no no!  We had been invited to attend the birthday party for Kris Kourdouvelis, one of the owners of Double J's.  Now, he and Sharon own a place called The Warehouse at which he hosts a variety of events in support of the musicians of Memphis.  It was very cool! Check it out online! http://www.warehousememphis.com/

And so the day drew to an end...we were happy, fed, sunned, and properly hydrated!  Until next time, I remind you to be nice to others and tell the ones that you love how MUCH you love them!!  And I remain....Yours Truly

East Texas Adventure

Happy Early Spring from Yours Truly!  I'm ever optimistic that I'll wake up and the sun WILL shine!  It's been windy and dreary for so many days....I've almost forgotten what the sunshine actually looks like.  None the less....it's trying!

This weekend Yours Truly and her beloved made a very quick road trip to visit our fabulous friends, Russ & Lori Nuss, in Sulphur Springs/Winnsboro, Texas.  We arrived at the Nuss Retreat late Friday night and what a comforting sight we did behold when we turned off the CR into their driveway and saw them sitting outside, fire pit burnin' and beer chillin', as they waited for us!!  I don't think there is anything much better than sitting around a fire pit, having a cold beverage, the gentlemen smoking cigars and catching up with good friends!! 

Saturday morning we headed into town where our adventures began!  Russ had to leave early and work as the city was hosting the 30 East Music Festival in their fabulously renovated downtown square.  Lori, West and I made our way to town and right off the bat...we found a great little shop to visit.  It was called Sweet and Salty and it is a popcorn/candy shop that sells all the OLD SCHOOL candy that we all grew up with and hold near and dear to our hearts!!  Astro Pops, Giant Pixy Sticks, licorice sticks, bubble gum cigars, candy cigarettes, you name it...they had it!!  They are working on their website but Like them on Facebook...they'll ship anything you want!!

We caught up with Russ and then decided since he was working, that we would make our way to The Red Barn for a bit of breakfast.  This is just a local little cafe serving up some good ole boy type breakfasts!  Of course this included biscuits and sausage gravy, topped with a scrambled egg and plate of hash browns for YT.  I did show some restraint and ordered just the 1/2 breakfast, which for $2.95 you just couldn't beat!

Back to downtown we headed.  We unloaded our coolers and chairs and claimed a spot near the stage for the day.  Once settled in, West, Lori and I made our way through several of the antique shops around the square.  Rick found his treasure in the first shop....and believe it or not, it was an old sign for a BBQ joint.  It's going to look great at the Casa Del West En El Rio!!  While West finished his transaction, Lori and I made our way down to the street to one of my fave-o-rite places to visit, LouViney Winery & Restaurant.  We have been visiting LouViney's since it was just a small winery located on Hwy 11 in Winnsboro, Texas.  Since they moved to the "big city" of Sulphur Springs, they have expanded and are now a full service bar/pub and they have a wonderful menu!!  I'm happy to say I got to see a good friend Will Briggs, who is one of the owners. 

Now, this Music Festival was already underway and after a little more shopping, we made our way back to our seats.  The music line up was fairly interesting.  One of the bands we enjoyed most was called Home By Hovercraft.  Very unique style of music, complete with the "back up dancer" that does Irish foot dancing, I believe it's called.  Oh, and did I mention....the band has a TUBA player?  Yeah, that's right.  Tuba.  You don't see or hear that too much out of the marching/concert band arena!  Check them out though!  Another really great band was The Venetian Sailors. This band was just flat out awesome!!  They had a chrome bass, mouth piano, and xylophone.  The last of the 3 bands we all enjoyed most was Goodnight Ned. 

The weather was threatening throughout the day and finally it started misting so we decided to call it a day and head back to the Nuss Retreat.  Before we packed up, I was very happy to get to see Susanne & Nancy Briggs, also part of the LouViney gang!  Sunday morning arrived and West and I got up bright and early. After loading up the car, and bidding the Nuss's a fond farewell, we pointed it back to Memphis....in the rain! 

And so another adventurous weekend came to an end.  That Mississippi River Bridge was a sight for sore eyes....even through the heavy rain!  Niles The Wonder Cat was glad to see his people and my head was happy to meet my pillow last night! 

Yours Truly reminds you, as always, to be nice to people, and tell the ones you love how much you love them!!  Until next time -

I remain,  Yours Truly

February Follies in M-Town

Greetings from Yours Truly!  Life has been busy and fun here in M-Town and I've been neglectful of my blog.  I'll try to make amends!  West and I have been into lots of things since the start of 2013.  Primarily we are keeping ourselves downtown since it offers so much to do! The weather has been fairly mild, with a few snowy days thrown in here and there and we have hibernated a bit more than usual. 

This past week was chock full o' adventure and fun for YT!  Tuesday night was trivia night for team "Beading Off On Fat Tuesday"....yeah, little risque but that's the nature of the team names at the Double J's!  We were on a mission to continue our 2 week winning streak....but sadly....it wasn't meant to be that night.  We did, however, put up a good fight and it was a close call!  But, primarily...we had fun and met some new people!  We were invited to Bill's "plating party", which will be held next Saturday at The Flying Saucer.  He has fulfilled the requirements and gets to hang his plate on the FS Hall of Fame, so to speak.  He was super nice and I'm looking forward to this event!



Wednesday night was a blast!  Yours Truly attended her first Memphis Tigers basketball game, with my great friend Clare Myers!  We started out at Double J's since they offer complimentary limo service for patrons attending events at the FedEx Forum.  Thanks to Mikey who is THE BEST and NICEST limo driver ON THE PLANET!!!
Clare had obtained floor seats so this was indeed a great inaugural game for me!  We were smack dab in the middle of the AWESOME band and the tiny cheerleaders and the manly cheer guys....able to lift these tiny cheerleaders like they were picking up their laundry!  It was a fun spot to be in!  It was even better when a couple of the players came tumbling into the mix...well, not fun for them given the loud THUD as they hit that floor.  What was even more fun was my discovery of the picture on the Commercial Appeal's website the next day!  PRICELESS!!! 

Thursday night.....Love was in the air!  West had made Valentines dinner reservations for us at Rizzo's Diner.  A cute little place right next door to Double J's, which we have walked past numerous times but never eaten there.  They had a lovely menu for V-Day.  Yours Truly started her meal with lobster risotto baked in puff pastry...in the shape of a heart!  Yes, a heart!  It was WONDERFUL!!  West had duck bisque!  For my salad course, a lovely sauteed shitake mushroom and spinach salad with a wonderful citrus vinaigrette.  My entree was pepper crusted skirt steak with a chimichurri sauce - delish!  And, last but not least was a vanilla and caramel mousse with fresh blueberries!!  West had gotten a bottle of red, bottle of white so we had wonderful wine for this fabulous meal!  Hats off to Chef Michael Patrick and team Rizzo for a great meal!

Friday night found us both WORN OUT so we just kept ourselves home for the evening, with YT heading to bed early....very early!!!  But the sleep was wonderful and much appreciated.  I woke up Saturday morning feeling GREAT!  Since I had procrastinated all week and did NOT get my Krogering done, the cupboards were bare in the breakfast food category so we decided to head back to Double J's since they have a breakfast menu that we have been wanting to try.  It was SO good!  I had the good Southern standard - biscuits and gravy with sausage while Rick had the "Double J Gunslinger"....a waffle, hash browns, 2 eggs, bacon, and a biscuits.  I enjoyed a nice Mimosa since it was close to noon and it WAS brunch!

Saturday afternoon....1:30 to 3:00 was ME TIME....fully devoted to Sly at Massage Envy on Union Avenue in Midtown.  Now, Sly uses reflexology and if you have never had this type of massage....let me recommend you give it a try!  Yours Truly has had stiffness in her ankles and other joints that are sadly probably related to arthritis.  But, Sly....dear, sweet, wonderful Sly...he has been targeting these pesky trouble spots for several visits and I can tell you IT'S WORKING!!!  Now, this isn't your typical foo-foo lay there and be pampered massage...it's rough. I'm not gonna lie.  It sometimes hurts...just a wee bit...but the benefits far outweigh the temporary discomfort.  It's so worth it....give it a try!
After the massage, while West thought I would go straight home and have my customary 4 hour post-massage nap....I proved him wrong and FINALLY got my Krogering done!  I headed back to CdW Downtown and put all of my purchases away.  I settled down on the sofa with a nice glass of vino and watched a few of my DVR'd shows.  When West got home, I was watching The Sandwich King.  Wouldn't you know it...he was making a lobster roll.....so what did we immediately start craving??  If you said LOBSTER ROLL....well, you were absolutely right!  So, we whip out our IPads....visit our new best friend - Yelp.com - and lo and behold....we find the ONLY place in Memphis (according to Yelp) that serves a Lobster Roll. 

Now, we had planned to head to Double J's to listen to a band that the owner, Jeff, had told us about at brunch so we spiffed up a little, and headed back to Midtown and The Slider Inn.  This is a really funky little place which primarily features sliders of an upscale version on their menu.  But thankfully they also have the coveted lobster roll.  The lobster is flown in from Maine 3 times per week and they had just received it that morning so we were in luck!!  The sandwich was PERFECT and the shoestring french fries were divine!! 

After satisfying this craving, back home where we parked the car and walked 1 block to Double J's.  We visited with a few friends, Jeff and Sarah, and met a man and his wife who live primarily in Nashville but he has lots of business in M-Town so he keeps a condo too.  They were very nice.  The band ended up being 1 guy and his guitar...playing country music.  Now, he was very good but I knew that my girl, Patty Harper and her band, Patty Harper & Faultline, were playing at Wet Willies and it had been a while since we had listened to them and with surprisingly very little coercion needed....West and I were on the trolley and headed to Beale Street!  Yes, we would have normally walked but it was COLD and that was NOT happening!  We arrived at Wet Willies and the band was near the end of their first set.  Got a nice wave from Patty and we lucked out and snagged a table pretty quickly.  It was pretty crowded and we shared our extra chairs with a nice couple cause we roll like that!! 

After a little tambourine playing, a White Russian daiquiri and a few more sets it was time to brave the cold and head home.  Now, on a lazy Sunday morning I've already got West's requested pot of turkey chili simmering on the stove, I'm having some vanilla Greek yogurt with blackberries and feeling good about finally getting my blog current.  Of course, there are a few weeks missing but honestly there is always something going on.  So, I encourage you just to get in your car and come see me....and you'll see for yourself!!  Until then, remember....be nice to people and tell the ones you love how much you love them!! 

Now, I bid you good day! 
Love, Yours Truly

Auld Lang Syne'ing on the River

HAPPY NEW YEAR  from Yours Truly In Memphis!  It's hard to conceive that it's already ANOTHER new year!  West and I had a wonderful NYE full of fun....despite the sloppy, rainy, cold weather!

We started out by hopping on the GE Patterson Trolley headed North.  We rode it up to Beale Street where we then sloshed our way to Wet Willies, aptly named given the weather conditions, to hear my girl Patty Harper & Faultline for a little while.  We were lucky enough to score a couple of seats front and center and got a warm welcome from Patty who promptly handed over the tambourine!  We caught them near the end of their first set but got to enjoy several songs.  With quick good-bye's, we headed on to destination #2, Double J's. 

So back to the trolley we went, making a quick pit stop at the Casa so that West could change out his soaked jacket and Yours Truly took the opportunity to dry her hair a bit and fluff up a little more.  This all done, we headed around the corner to Double J's.  We had plans to meet West's friend, Chip, and listen to a band from Nashville, Karen Waldrup.  She started shortly after we arrived and while the girl has a great voice, it was just her...no band.  Not exactly the riveting NYE party band we had anticipated.  We stayed through a few songs, visiting with Chip and decided this was NOT where we wanted to spend the rest of the evening.  Sorry Karen....again, great voice....great music.....but I didn't want to risk falling asleep on the spot!

Again....back to the trolley and north we headed disembarking at S.O.B.  The good seat gods were once again smiling down upon us as we walked in and snagged a table right away.  No band but always good music and lots of laughter at S.O.B.  We decided to try the caramel apple jello shots - you know, just to get the NYE party going and boy were these things good!  A slice of granny smith apple hollowed out with the caramel jello in the center...whoever put this together has SKILLS!!!  Our waiter, Eric, promptly brought a bowl of the crack...er, I mean MAGIC POPCORN they serve there and we ordered a beverage.  I had the caramel martini and West had the Lazy Magnolia Sweet Potato Stout.  I have to say, this LMSPS...it looked like he was drinking a glass of motor oil...it was dark, thick and was not appealing in the least bit to me.

We decided to order the fried avocados and cheese plate to nibble on since YT had made turkey soft tacos at home for dinner.  The bar filled up pretty quickly and was full of laughter and people having a nice evening.  West and I took some time to contemplate 2012 and had a really good visit.  We decided that we did not want to venture on the trolley any more that evening and actually made our way home at a very reasonable hour. 

New Year's Day has been quite nice.  The rain has cleared up but it's very cold out.  We decided since we only had 1 egg in the frig that we would venture forth in search of breakfast, and we had our sights on The Arcade Restaurant.  Sadly, they were closed.  What did we do?  If you guess jumped on the trolley and headed north, well you have been paying attention!  North it was and we jumped off at Peabody Place and walked a few blocks ending up at a place we have been wanting to try, Automatic Slims.  What a great little establishment!  Awesome artwork graced the walls and it had just a funky vibe to it. 

We were seated and greeted promptly by one of the best servers I recall to date, Dennis.  They were offering $2.50 mimosas and bloody Marys so we had to have 1 of each.  The breakfast selections all sounded so good and it was difficult to make a decision but I decided on buttermilk biscuits with Parmesan gravy....yes, PARMESAN GRAVY and some of the BEST cheesy grits I've had since crossing the Mighty Mississippi River.  West had lump crab eggs Benedict with potato hash.  Every bite was scrumptious and we've made plans to visit Automatic Slims soon for dinner!

Now, our final trolley trip of the day (hopefully) dumped us off a half a block from home and I'm sure there is a New Years Day nap somewhere on the horizon.  I am wishing everyone a happy, prosperous, love filled, fun filled 2013 and as always remember....be nice to people, tell the ones you love how much you love them and until next time....

Love, Yours  Truly

Blue Christmas in Memphis

Yours Truly sends you Happy Holiday wishes!  Hoping everyone had a Merry Christmas and plans for a HAPPY New Year!  It was a little blue in Memphis for Christmas since I was separated from my children and family but West and I made the best of it and had a fun time!
 
We started off by spending a quiet Christmas  Eve at the Casa Del West Downtown.  The plan was for me to make us a lovely lasagna for CE dinner and just have a quiet night.  During the Kroger shopping extravaganza earlier that weekend, I forgot to purchase a bell pepper.  So, West and I decided to take a little walk North on Main to the City Market in hopes that they might have one.  Our first stop along the way was to the Center for Southern Folklore.  They are a private non-profit organization dedicated to documenting and presenting the people, music and traditions of the region.  They have a shop and sell all types of art work, music, trinkets, etc.  They have bands that come in and play as well. 
 
The City Market was a SCORE and I secured a rather sad looking bell pepper but a bell pepper none-the-less!  Got a little aluminum pan too since there was a tragedy in my Pyrex cabinet the night before and I lost 2 pans!!  Now that was weird.  They were SHATTERED like maybe Big Foot had stepped on them or something!  I really think it's the vibrations from the Amtrak station across the street that shifts things around and it was just a matter of time before they fell or did whatever caused this tragedy.  But, it's all good.
 
Lasagna got prepared, baked, and most importantly....EATEN!!!  We settled in for a long winter's nap.  Christmas morning came bright and early.  We opened presents, all of which were very nice and well received!  I got West some ORANGE camo New Balance shoes....oh yes, every bit as sexy as I know you think they sound!

I was treated to some of the things I love most....perfume, lotions, bath gels, and makeup!!!  I also bought West a wonderful print from a gallery right down the street, D'Edge Art Gallery.  You can check it out on FB.  They have several artists who display their artwork but my favorite is George Hunt. West had seen this print recently and really liked it.  It's made a handsome edition to what we now refer to as our "Memphis Collection" of art work! 

Since it was just West and YT for the morning, we had made plans to go to Christmas Brunch at the Madison Hotel Eighty3. This was a really nice little restaurant. It was adorned with some really amazing artwork - all graffiti-like in nature.  Beautiful colors and textures!
 After perusing the menu, we both decided to have the Christmas plate special.  Man....what a treat!  Turkey, ham, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, candied carrots, and rolls.  Then for dessert....blueberry bread pudding!  It was quite possibly the best bread pudding Yours Truly has ever had!  It was moist, creamy, and had the best caramel sauce on top....delish!!!


We made our way back home and needless to say....I fell into the bed for a long nap!  I awakened to find that West had conducted the traditional de-decking of the halls on Christmas Day!  Our next destination...the Folks and Family Christmas!  This was YT's first Christmas with the West Clan and was I in for a treat!!!  Marilyn outdid herself and the dinner was DIVINE!!  Beef tenderloin, salmon, ham, spinach and strawberry salad, her to-die-for cheesy potato dish....then fabulous desserts!  Gary made a beautiful coconut cake, there was pecan pie, and I made my Mom's Better Than Sex On The Beach cake....it was just all so good!

Next came presents!  This was so much fun!  I'll not go into details but I'm very happy to report I have added several new cookbooks to my arsenal....particularly pleased that I received several Barefoot Contessa books! After a fun filled evening, we headed back downtown in the cold rain just praying it would not all freeze up by morning!  
So, the blues didn't last too long and now we are looking forward to ringing in a NEW YEAR in style!!  Here's wishing that everyone enjoys the rest of 2012 and remember...be nice to people....tell the ones you love how much you truly love them and until 2013....keep it safe out there!!  Until next time - Love, Yours Truly