Happy Halloween

 

Happy Halloween from two scary zombies!

I think I need to work on my zombie face... hah

Join Me

Just a little reminder to all my lovely readers that sponsor spots are open in November! It's an exciting time of year and Ten Feet Off Beale is growing like crazy, and I'd love to have you on my blog the entire time :) 

Just click here for more info.


ps. if you use code pumpkinspice get 25% off :)


 

 

Pumpkin Patch

We drove out to the country and got a huge dose of Fall. The leaves were turning colors, there was a crisp in the air, and the pumpkins were a perfect shade of orange. It was a great afternoon.

Next on the agenda.. carving the big orange pumpkin we got!

 

  

 

 

 

  

Drumline

Have you ever seen a drumline before a football game? I witnessed my first at the Memphis Tiger's game this past weekend. It was so impressive and very entertaining!! 

I know other schools do this before games, but if you want to see a great drumline you should go see it before home Memphis Tiger games right on Tiger Lane. 

I have a feeling this will turn into a new tradition. 

Go Tigers Go!

Calling All Bloggers

Memphis area bloggers, that is (although anyone is invited).   This is seriously the most exciting thing ever... I have been bursting at the seems to tell everyone what we have been working on and I hope you're all as excited as we are!!!     Paige @ Eloping Stethoscope, Jade @ An Organized Mess , and I have been working for months now to plan a Memphis meet up and we are finally in the final stages! We have scheduled a meet up in Memphis but we are not limiting it to Memphis bloggers!  No matter where you live, you are welcome! We hope to make this the first meet up of many!

We do not have an exact place yet because we are waiting to see how many people RSVP to the meet up. When we have a number, we will email everyone and let you all know an exact place.
We are also hoping to put together grab bags for the meet up for everyone to go home with something a little special! We are currently accepting any donations toward those. Any sort of donation would be appreciated! Think coupon codes, gift cards, handmade items... we're flexible and will take things through paypal as well.
For anything regarding grab bags, please email Paige (paige@elopingstethoscope.com) and it will get worked out!
To RSVP for this meet up, please just fill out this form below!  A final meeting place will be emailed closer to the date!
The plan is that we'll meet up for dinner at a moderately priced restaurant so everyone can pick up their own tab (unless anyone is feeling particularly generous, of course)   PS. THIS IS THE SAME DAY AS THE MEMPHIS VS. LOUISVILLE BASKETBALL GAME --  THE GAME IS AT 1:30 SO IT SHOULDN'T BE AN ISSUE :)  
  We'd love for you to share this meet up with your readers or post it on your sidebar! Tell everyone!!!

<a href="http://www.elopingstethoscope.com/2012/10/meeting-in-memphis.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q278/paigers91/memphismeetupbutton.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Time to Go Home

While it was nice to live at the beach for four weeks. I've been looking forward to this day for a while... the day I get to go back home.. for good. Today is my last day in Florida and I am happy. I am happy that I was given this opportunity but I am happy that I get to go home.

I learned alot these past four weeks.

I learned that it's nice to have someone make your bed for you everyday.
I learned that there is nothing quite like a home cooked meal at the end of a long day.
I learned how much Jeremy really means to me (not that I didn't know) but what do they say..? Absense makes the heart grow fonder?
I learned that I am incredibly lucky to work where I work - I love the location, the actual job, and the people I work with.
I learned how much I love living in the Memphis area.
I learned that breakfast really is the most important meal of the day - it makes such a huge difference actually eating a significant breakfast everyday (thank you hotel for providing that).
I learned that U-turns in the middle of the road are perfectly acceptable and common in Florida (at least this part).
I learned that lizards are extremely fast little buggers.
I learned that I probably own entirely too many clothes. I was able to go the entire four weeks with only a tiny part of my closet.
I learned that going to church on Sunday is actually really important to me.
I learned that I love the beach.
I learned that I also love fall weather.
I learned that I am very happy with where my life is right now and what the future has in store.


Now it's time to go home.

Your Story

 

Why do we blog? For most of us, it's to tell our story. How did we get to where we are right now? God has a plan for all of us, and I know I am exactly where He wants me to be.

 

 

 

Here's my story (in a little more detail than my "about me" page):

When I graduated college, all I wanted to do was work for a hockey team (I interned with the Philadelphia Flyers and I'm a big Flyers fan). I gave myself a deadline -- I would get a job by the start of hockey season (October) or else I would start looking in other media related fields.

I spent the summer bartending. On a Monday, I applied for a job with a minor league hockey team outside of Memphis. On Tuesday they called me and offered me the job. On Wednesday, I accepted. I figured I had nothing to lose. That weekend I was in Memphis looking for a place to live.

I moved to Mississippi (right outside of Memphis, TN -- it's right across the border!) in August of 2010 and started working as the Game Operations and Marketing Coordinator for the minor league hockey team, the Mississippi RiverKings.

It was there that I met Jeremy. We became friends. I instantly felt connected to him and always had the most fun when we were paired up to do random promotional things around town for the team. He left the RiverKings in December to pursue another career path and I continued with the RiverKings for another year.

Working for a hockey team was great and all but it was really starting to get to me. I didn't like constantly working the long days (8 am to 11 pm sometimes) and not feeling appreciated. I left.

I worked some odd jobs until a good friend of mine, Lisa (who I know through Jeremy), gave my resume to her boss at Morgan Keegan -- I huge financial firm in downtown Memphis. Me? Work in finance? You've got to be crazy. I like being creative, I don't like sitting at a desk all day. She assured me that she absolutely loves her job and the people she works with and for. I figured I'd give it a shot.

It was one of the best things to ever happen to me. It was the first time Jeremy and I both had normal 9-5 jobs at the same time, we both have health insurance, and we both have weekends off.

This brings me to today. I work everyday as a Mutual Fund Specialist while also blogging on the side.

When I'm not working, I like to explore this wonderful city where I live, Memphis. There's a reason I am here. I feel at home in Memphis and love so many different things about it. I've only lived here two years, but my Memphis pride is abounding.

It hasn't always been easy, it's actually been very hard. I've been unemployed, strapped for cash, and far (far) away from my family. God is good. He knew I could handle it and has revealed this life to me. The life I'm living now. The life I'm meant to live.

I don't know if I'll be here forever. I don't know what the future has in store for me, but I do know that I love this life I'm living now.

 

 

Now I want to hear from you (especially you new followers)!! Leave a comment with your story (or a link where I can find your story) -- I love hearing them :)

 

 

 Speaking of new followers...

 

It's time to meet new friends! 

Link up your blog, twitter and facebook!

 

Rules!

1. Follow your host's Blog, Twitter and Facebook

2. Follow your co-hosts Blogs, Twitter and Facebooks

3. Link up your Blog, Twitter and Facebook links.

4. Tweet about this link party!

5. Visit people in the link up and follow them.

Lastly, grab a button for the sidebar on your blog!

copy & paste code
<center> <a href="http://www.prettylittleinspirations.com/search/label/link party" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k575/AngelaLynnx0/hop-0012_zps25f6cec0.jpg" /></a></center> <br /><br /><br /><img src="http://imageshack.us/a/img208/6098/siglg.png" /></center>  

Book Worm

 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

If you haven't read this book yet.. you should! The story was unlike anything I've ever read before.. I had no idea where the story was going. I loved it. It was a suspenseful, interesting, and entertaining. It was definitely a page turner.

Lately I've been feeling like every book I read has the same story. The characters are all the same and they always live happily ever after. It was refreshing to read a book with a completely different story and an ending I never saw coming.

Have you read it? I'd love to hear what you thought!!

Color Me Memphis

It happened. We did it. The Color Run!!!!!

and it was so much fun.

After months and months of hardcore (sorta) running in preparation for that day.. it finally came.

I flew home from Florida just for this event and boy, was it awesome.

We actually ran through majority of it! There were parts that we were forced to walk because of all the people butttttttt I couldn't believe how good I felt at the end! I could have kept running and I am already on the lookout for my next 5K (any suggestions????)

 

There were a TON of people there -- there were actually a ton of people there that I knew .. but I didn't see ANY of them!!! So crazy!!!

I especially loved that we were running through midtown Memphis -- there was so much stuff to see andddd we were getting paint thrown at us.. umm what more could you want?

 

 

I feel like you can't tell from my pictures but I was covered!!!! I had paint everywhere.. somehow it even got on my feet... which were in socks.. in sneakers! What?!

 

 

Have any of you done the Color Run orrrr are you planning on doing it soon??



 

Sunflowers and Shelby Farms

This next guest blogger can be found a little bit closer to home.. she's in MEMPHIS!!! anddd she decided to talk about one of her favorite parts (which is also one of mine) Shelby Farms. It amazes me how much this park has to offer! But I'll stop talking and let her tell you all about it!

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Hello, TFOB readers! My name is Brenda and I blog at Don't Stop Believing. Like Alyssa, I'm a Memphian. I'm originally from South Florida, so I don't quite consider myself a native, but I've lived here for most of my life. Alyssa's enthusiasm for Memphis has inspired me to get excited about the good things our city has to offer! So today I want to share a little about one of my favorite parts of Memphis, Shelby Farms.


Shelby Farms is one of the largest urban parks in America, much larger than Central Park in NYC. In addition to Patriot Lake, a really cool new playground, a disc golf course, walking trails, and the Greenline (my fave), it also has a huge, beautiful sunflower field that peaks at the end of summer.


I took these sunflower photos last year and still have them as backgrounds on my phone. When it's in bloom, the field is a popular portrait destination – you see lots of professional photographers there! Behind the sunflower field is a corn maze, which is open now! Closer to Halloween, there's a "haunted" corn maze at night. Against my better judgment (I'm a little jumpy), I went to it once years ago with a group of friends. In the process of running from a guy with a chain saw (seriously), I dropped my cell phone in the middle of the maze. I figured I'd never see it again, but a friend called it and someone answered, and we were able to meet up so I could get it back. Moral of the story: don't take anything important into the haunted corn maze!

Another thing I love about Shelby Farms is the buffalo herd! The buffalo pasture is close to a major intersection, so you don't have to go far out of your way to see them. You can even adopt a buffalo – I've been thinking about it for a while.

Fall is one of the best times to enjoy Shelby Farms, so I encourage locals to have a picnic there or take a ride on the Greenline while the getting is good!

Thanks Alyssa for the guest post opportunity!

 

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 Isn't that amazing! I always forget all the stuff you can do at Shelby Farms and those sunflowers... oh my gorgeous!! Hey, Jeremy... can we go there more often??

Oh -- now everyone... go to Brenda's blog Don't Stop Believing and say HELLO!

 

Back to Memphis

 

I'm going HOME!!! Well.... just for the weekend but I'm so excited!!! 

I can get some clean clothes 

see my cat

eat a home cooked meal

sleep in my own bed

run in the Color Run

oh, and see my boyfriend...

I think it's going to be a great weekend!! Now I just need this little cold I have to go away!

 

Dreaming of Autumn

Are you tired of seeing beach pictures yet?

Is it bad that I sort of am?

I'm actually pretty jealous of all the warm autumn pictures I'm seeing everywhere.

It still feels like summer here.

I can't wear boots -- flip flops for me.

No pumpkin spice lattes -- ice coffee it is.

Instead of warm fires and cozy blankets -- I'm covered in sun burn and sun screen.

Leaves changing colors -- palm trees and rain.

Don't get me wrong. I am loving the opportunity to go to the beach, 

part of me though is sad about missing a huge chunk of fall! 

You better believe I will be making up for it when I get home. 

 

His Secret Wish

  

Jeremy came to visit me in sunny Florida and I learned a secret about him... he wishes he was a pirate. Yes, we saw a pirate ship and he said if they swarmed the shore he would join them and I would have to call his boss and tell him he joined a pirate gang. This was a serious conversation.
  

Pirate or not, I'm glad he visited and I'm glad his flight got delayed and he got to stay an extra day.

A Day or Two in the Delta

I've visited a lot of places but only a few really tugged on my heart strings. The little town of Greenwood, Mississippi really made me feel like I stepped back in time. The small town is charming and sweet and you can tell hasn't changed in years and years. Ok, I'll stop.. I'll let Callie tell you more. She's from there!!! (I just wish we got to meet when I was there.. next time? please?)

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Hey Y'all!!

I am Callie and I blog at The Good Life.

Recently Alyssa and her man visited my hometown in Greenwood, MS (see post HERE!). They were there for less than 24 hours and she fell in love. I can't imagine what would have happened if she had a day or two to explore. While there's not much to do in a small MS Delta town (so a day or two is plenty of time), there is a lot to see. And a lot to eat. Seriously, the best food in the world.

Source: eatdrinkandbegenevieve.files.wordpress.com via Mary on Pinterest

So, I am going to share with you what are Must Do's and Must See's if they ever make there way back down to my little Delta Town.

They have experienced the beautiful Alluvian Hotel, but I assume they would be staying there again. I would highly suggest a Cooking Class at the Viking Cooking School and a morning spent in the Alluvian Spa. Might I also suggest stopping by Turn Row Book Store next door. Precious.

Source: thealluvian.com via Angela on Pinterest

The Alluvian Hotel

Source: google.com via Giulio on Pinterest

Viking Cooking School

Source: turnrowbooks.com via Dawn on Pinterest

Turn Row Book Co.

Next, I would take them on a little exploration of the history of the MS Delta. This would include a trip to the Tallahatchie Flats, which is old slave shacks that they have made into a resort of sorts. This is where our wedding party stayed. So fun! 

Source: via Laura on Pinterest

Source: tallahatchieflats.com via Callie on Pinterest

And of course, a tour of the B. B. King Museum

Source: via Callie on Pinterest

And to the grave sites of the late blues great Robert Johnson. Why would I take them to graves you ask? Well Robert Johnson is one the original blues greats. He supposedly sold his soul the devil to sing the blues at the Crossroads in Clarksdale, MS. He was buried in Greenwood, but nobody really knows where. He has a few different possible grave sites, a great delta mystery if you will! And at each one, music and history lovers leave great gifts such a whiskey, beer, cigarettes, guitar picks etc. You can't go empty handed.

Source: google.co.uk via Handsome on Pinterest

Maybe point a few of the locations used in the The Help and last but most certainly not least, no trip to the MS delta is complete without a trip to Merigold, MS for some McCarty and Peter's Pottery.

Source: mccartyspottery.com via Callie on Pinterest

Now moving on to the food. Seriously, the food is the best there is. My three favorites are Lusco's, The Crystal Grill and the Delta Bistro. 

Source: roadfood.com via Callie on Pinterest

Lusco's is still in it's original location and is the best for dinner and drinks. It's an experience really. You can brown bag your alcohol in and most likely you will be dining in your own little "booth" or room with a curtain. They have the best steaks, pompano and broiled shrimp with crabmeat.

Source: tripadvisor.com via Sara on Pinterest

The Crystal is the best place for Sunday lunch after church. It's also still in it's original location.

Source: deltabistro.com via Callie on Pinterest

Best lunch spot!!
Must get the crab bisque.
Holy Moly

And lastly I would take you to the local watering hole, Webster's, then for a ride around some back roads. At which point, I would take you to see this little gem in Itta Bena, MS. And once you've seen this, I think you'll have just about seen it all!!!

Source: flickr.com via Callie on Pinterest

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I mean seriously, isn't that just the cutest?! I really can't wait to go back.. it's the perfect getaway spot to just take a step back for a day or two. Now, go over to The Good Life and say hello to Callie!!

 

Halfway

Halfway.
I'm homesick.
I'm ready to get back into my routine.

I will say, being far from home makes you appreciate it that much more.
It makes you appreciate the people you care about.
It makes you appreciate the little things.
Your own bed, puppy and kitten snuggles, home cooked meals.

It was hard leaving home home when I first moved to Memphis.
Memphis is my home now..

.. and I miss it when I'm away.

No more being a downer.
Let's look on the bright side!
I am fortunate to have a job.
A job that sends me to Florida.
It could have been a lot worse...

Four weeks is a long time.
Two weeks is a long time.
But it's time to explore a new place
and be a beach bum for another weekend.

I get to run in the Color Run next weekend
and the weekend after that I'm home for good.
The weeks fly by, but the days seem long.


Side note - remember when I used to embroider?
Well, I took some time off since I've been away and all
However, when I get back, you better believe I will be stitching
My fingers have been itching to hold a needle and thread
I am giving away a custom hoop as well as three months ad space
on Nicholl's blog -- who, by the way, is from Memphis.
That's not the only reason I love her.. go check out her blog and see for yourself!
Oh, and enter the giveaway either here or there!


 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Toes in the Sand

Yes. I have be a terrible blogger lately!! I've had so much to say and no place to say it... my computer died. Well, not my computer, but the charger. Have no fear, it's fixed now!! Got a replacement charger and as it turns out my other charger wasn't a real apple one.. that's what you get for buying them on the internet. Anwayssss back to what I was saying.. I am still in Florida and have been enjoying my time away from my computer at the beach.
 

 

 

It's pretty great. I miss Memphis though.