I'm getting ready to hit the road. I love hitting the road, it's maybe one of my most favorite things ever. It's all freedom and rolling down the windows and jamming to good music and not being tied down by "have-tos"and over scheduled-ness. Give me an open road full of possible adventure but definitely a change of scenery any day. I look forward to our summer road trip all year long (I've written about it before here and here and here).
This year we have a little bit of have-to involved...we are driving to my oldest kid's baseball tournament. A week-long tournament. I will not lie and say that I am excited because I'm sort of not. But my oldest kid is and so I am happy for him. The tournament just happens to be in Kentucky a short drive from my sister's house. So we will be staying with her family and that makes it more than just watching baseball for 500 million hours and that is good for all of us. I am happy that we get to visit with my sister and her kids for a whole week, but I wanted to throw in a little more open road-quirky-go-where-you-wanna-go vibe to the trip. So, we are going to Memphis. Actually, we are going to Graceland.
Yes, Graceland. Home of Elvis Presley. Also a bucket list site for pop culturalists like myself. I mean I liked Elvis music when I was a kid, but I loved reading Elvis and Me when I was in middle school. Why was I reading that when I was 12? I have no idea. Possibly because I was a fan of Priscilla Presley on my all-time favorite TV show growing up, Dallas. Remember she played Jenna Wade, Bobby's old girlfriend? I loved her. So anyway, the pop culturalist in me is kind of freaking out because I have toured Southfork (the ranch featured on Dallas) and now I'm heading to Graceland (the home where Elvis lived (um, and Priscilla!). Whoa.
The drive to Graceland is about more than pop culture fascination. It's about being able to be with my kids and show them that there is more than just our little bubble. There's a whole big, beautiful, wild, interesting, different world out there. I don't have the money to fly them somewhere exotic or even to god damn Epcot Center, but I can jump in the minivan and put down the windows blast some kick-ass music and show them something different than what they are seeing now. It's an adventure that we will share together. They will have stories to tell--they might be stories of how their mom made them make this really long drive to some mansion of a dead guy that wore sparkly suits int he 1970s OR they will tell stories of the day they discovered their love of Elvis music and an appreciation for the beauty of western Tennessee.
Who knows what will happen...I just hope when they tell the stories they remember what it felt like to get on that road toward adventure and possibility. I hope they remember laughter and good times and stopping at weird gift shops and funky museums and talking with friendly people at the continental breakfasts at the hotels. Then I hope they remember what it felt like to miss home and appreciate all that we have and cheer when we crossed back over the Michigan state line.
It's good stuff these road trips.
Graceland, here we come....
One of my favorite songs-
This year we have a little bit of have-to involved...we are driving to my oldest kid's baseball tournament. A week-long tournament. I will not lie and say that I am excited because I'm sort of not. But my oldest kid is and so I am happy for him. The tournament just happens to be in Kentucky a short drive from my sister's house. So we will be staying with her family and that makes it more than just watching baseball for 500 million hours and that is good for all of us. I am happy that we get to visit with my sister and her kids for a whole week, but I wanted to throw in a little more open road-quirky-go-where-you-wanna-go vibe to the trip. So, we are going to Memphis. Actually, we are going to Graceland.
Yes, Graceland. Home of Elvis Presley. Also a bucket list site for pop culturalists like myself. I mean I liked Elvis music when I was a kid, but I loved reading Elvis and Me when I was in middle school. Why was I reading that when I was 12? I have no idea. Possibly because I was a fan of Priscilla Presley on my all-time favorite TV show growing up, Dallas. Remember she played Jenna Wade, Bobby's old girlfriend? I loved her. So anyway, the pop culturalist in me is kind of freaking out because I have toured Southfork (the ranch featured on Dallas) and now I'm heading to Graceland (the home where Elvis lived (um, and Priscilla!). Whoa.
The drive to Graceland is about more than pop culture fascination. It's about being able to be with my kids and show them that there is more than just our little bubble. There's a whole big, beautiful, wild, interesting, different world out there. I don't have the money to fly them somewhere exotic or even to god damn Epcot Center, but I can jump in the minivan and put down the windows blast some kick-ass music and show them something different than what they are seeing now. It's an adventure that we will share together. They will have stories to tell--they might be stories of how their mom made them make this really long drive to some mansion of a dead guy that wore sparkly suits int he 1970s OR they will tell stories of the day they discovered their love of Elvis music and an appreciation for the beauty of western Tennessee.
Who knows what will happen...I just hope when they tell the stories they remember what it felt like to get on that road toward adventure and possibility. I hope they remember laughter and good times and stopping at weird gift shops and funky museums and talking with friendly people at the continental breakfasts at the hotels. Then I hope they remember what it felt like to miss home and appreciate all that we have and cheer when we crossed back over the Michigan state line.
It's good stuff these road trips.
Graceland, here we come....
Because AHHHHHH I love this song so damn much and the lyrics move me because of my need for adventure and reclaiming that I don't live in a bubble and because of the world and what's happening and our need for goodness and faith and redemption.
One of my favorite songs-
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