Staycation

So this staycation is brought to you by the letters "A" and "C"—and yay, home ownership!  Our central air went out and, well, you know how it goes.  Considering our new purchase, rather than spend the energy and money for an away-vacation, we opted to stay in town and it was really great.  No extended periods of driving, no delayed flights, no hotels...  I really, really enjoyed waking up in my own bed and leisurely drinking a cup of coffee with nowhere to go—I highly suggest it.  These are my favorite memories:

Buying a Bench

I absolutely love swinging benches.  One of my life goals is to have a swinging porch bench.  (I know, I aim high, right?)  Our current house doesn't have the porch space for one, which feeds my motivation to one day own a home with a wrap-around porch and some swings.  Until then, we got the next best thing.  We went to Lowe's early in the vacation and bought a stationary bench.  Looks unimpressive, but it serves its purpose well.  There is something to sitting still, watching the world go by.  Maybe because it offers a taste of retirement or maybe because it just feels really Southern.  Whatever it is, I loved sitting on the porch with my husband, coffee in hand, in the shade of our magnolia tree, just talking and watching our East Memphis neighborhood in the morning.

Coffee in Covington

On a whim we drove out to Covington where I had been only once before to see a show at the Historic Ruffin Theater—hi Monica, if you're reading this!  I've wanted to go back since that initial visit, partly for another coffee fix from Coffee in the Attic and also because the square was filled with little boutiques.  When we arrived, it was quiet, but we were not disappointed!  After drinking some really good coffee, we enjoyed walking through antique shops and seeing all their little treasures.  It was fun to visit a small town where everyone is friendly and everybody knows everybody.  We spent as much time talking to the shop owners as we did shopping.  By the end of the visit, I walked away with two blue mason jars to add to my growing collection and this amazing little hand-stitched sign, which now sits happily on my butler in our dining room.

Grilling and Chilling

Last year we purchased a cheap pool for the backyard.  Looks like this year we're following suit. (Hah!  Get it—suit!  No?  Okay.)  The temperatures were high and we wanted nothing more than to be in water somewhere, so we bought a pool from Wal-Mart and grilled for Memorial Day.  It's safe to say that Trace and I put having fun at the top of our to-do list.  One of the best things about our marriage is that he keeps me laughing and this day was no exception.

Memphis Zoo

We visited the zoo on a Free Tennessee Tuesday.  I could pretend we went to see the new hippo exhibit or the bonobos, but really we just went for the Dippin' Dots.  Of course Trace doesn't know that, but I knew I'd be enjoying some Dippin' Dots long before we even parked.  Other things worth mentioning?  I wore a zebra tank.  To the zoo.  That deserves some appreciation for forethought.  I also witnessed a lady run over a lizard with her stroller.  And the crossing guard had a sense of humor and scared me half to death.  I think he thought I was questioning his crossing guard skills and so as he started to motion for us to cross, he suddenly shouted, "STOP!"  I think the fear of being run over coupled with my avid-rule-following behavior made me jump.  He laughed, I laughed, and somehow that interaction made me love my city—that strangers could play and laugh and not take life so seriously.

Green Line and Shelby Farms

With life being as busy as it is, one of the things I don't get to do enough of but definitely enjoy is riding my bike on the Green Line.  Even though it was hot when we went, I still had fun.  I wish that we could have made it longer, but even those 6 miles was rough.  I'm a little bit disappointed that my Fitbit didn't capture any of that hard work! The other outdoor activity we did was take the pups out to Shelby Farms.  We hadn't been out there since I lived in Cordova and it was fun to see the dogs recognize their old stomping grounds.  My favorite part of the morning?  Watching Cheeyo lay down in the lake like a baby hippo.  No shame.

Brother Junipers

Coffee.  Feta.  Need I say more?  We can't make it out during the week and we don't go on the weekends because of the inevitably long wait, so we made it a point to visit.  I had the the San Diegan and of course it was amazing.  To me, this is the best breakfast place in Memphis, hands down.

Putt Putt and the Crystal Shrine Grotto
The last time I went to putt-putt was the day Mario proposed to Bekah, and they've been married for three or four years or so now, so it's been a long time.  We got our clubs and golf balls and I was having fun...and then I messed up.  And I learned the hard lesson of if you mess up on one hole, you're out of the game, because that's exactly what happened.  We were tied.  And then we weren't.  I demand a rematch (when the weather is cooler)!

The most unexpected treasure was the Crystal Shrine Grotto.  I know what you're thinking.  It's in a cemetery?  How romantic, right?  But this place just doesn't get the credit it deserves.  It's absolutely beautiful and so worth visiting if you've never been.  It just feels very sacred, like you're in the presence of God.  Not to mention the place itself is literally a work of art.  You walk in and you're blown away by view, but more than that it's the story of Jesus displayed by pieces of art that are older than our parents.  There was one statue I really felt could turn around at any moment.  Don't let where it is deter you from visiting.  Go for the experience and you won't be sorry.

Other places we visited include La Michoacana, Plato's Closet and the Memphis Farmers Market.  It really was a restful vacation and I would recommend taking a staycation to anyone who really needs to recharge.  Not having to worry about expenses, hotel check-out times, itineraries—this was slower paced, and more of "Let's check out cool local places that we never get to experience."

Want to see all the pictures from our week?  Click here.