Traveling: Our visit at Shawn and Mindy’s

We had an absolutely amazing time with Shawn and Mindy! When we got there, they were so hospitable and were always ready with anything we needed. It was really nice to be able to see and visit with them, and get to know them and their family more. Since they live so far from our family and inner circle in Michigan, we’ve never been that close with them we were able to grow deeper with them with this visit. It was such an enjoyable and relaxing visit, and we were able to bond with Shawn and Mindy during our stay! Again, I can’t express it enough, they were so hospitable and didn’t waste anything to make us comfortable.

The First Day there: Split into teams, Men with kids

After relaxing for a day, they took us out, The kids went with the men, and the women went shopping at Dilliard’s, which was such a fun and pampering experience. It was nice together, but it was nice to split up and enjoy being out with someone else other than the family! The men took the kids to some parks, and to Sonic to get slushies, and took them home. The kids had such a good time with them, and they got to enjoy slushies while watching movies on Shawn and Mindy’s outdoor patio!

Ladies Day Out: A shopping trip

Then, while the men took the kids, we ladies went and enjoyed a shopping spree with Mindy! She took us to Dilliard’s, which was in a large mall in Memphis. It was such a fun experience to go to a mall, and to shop by yourself without trying to herd cats or kids in this instance! We got to try on new clothes, and we got a few new things as well, and we felt so pampered and loved by Mindy! After shopping, we went out to eat at an Italian Bar and Grill, and we had a spectacular lunch, the adults having a glass of wine, while the teens had Shirley Temples. It was so much fun to have a girl’s day out! Thanks to the men who stayed at home and took the kids out to play!

Our visit to Downtown Memphis: Bass Pro Pyramid

Our visit to Downtown Memphis was amazing! Shawn and Mindy took us to Bass Pro Pyramid in downtown Memphis, and it was absolutely one of the biggest stores I’ve ever seen! It didn’t just have hunting gear, it was filled with many intricate shops and aquariums, it was its own mall. You walk in, and the interior of the building is so well designed, there are literally rivers with fish and ducks. There was also a huge pen of alligators, which were about four to five feet long, not as big as alligators we’ve seen down here in Florida, but quite big to be in Tennesee!

After admiring the rivers, we got to see bears, rams, boars, all sorts of animals, of course, they were stuffed, but the decorations were quite realistic looking. You could walk through a Lousiana bayou at one part, then walk through mountain ridges with rams at another. There was also a waterfall and a huge tank filled with large fish, bigger than me, but that’s not saying much if you know what I mean!

We walked along, watching all the fish, and we got to go into the many shops surrounding the rivers, and there was an old-fashioned general store, filled with all sorts of goods, which of course we got some fresh fudge. We got to see all sorts of stores, from candy, food, clothes, hunting gear, knives, pistols, rifles, and much more! Inside the building as well as a hotel, which was designed to look like cabins, fully furnished and beautiful. The cabins or suites of the hotel all overlook the shops and rivers below, to give an amazing view of the inside of the pyramid.

Not only were there shops, but also there is the world’s tallest standalone elevator, which was glass all around so that you can see everything around you. It was quite startling for me, but for those who aren’t afraid of heights, it was quite a thrilling experience! At the of this elevator was the overlook off the top of the Pyramid, which had a glass balcony on which you could walk out and enjoy the view, from both above, and below your feet, for the balcony was made of glass! As I’ve said before, for me it was quite unsettling, because recently, on that day, in fact, I discovered I’m pretty scared of heights, so yay for me! (That was me being sarcastic if you didn’t notice!) The rest of our family loved the sight! We were able to see the Mississippi River from the Pyramid, and we were able to see bridges and cars below, which were very far away indeed.

Not only was there an overlook, at the very top there was a restaurant and bar, so we sat down, and we all had drinks and appetizers. After eating, we went back down the elevator with an assistant, and we then checked out and made our purchases. It was absolutely such an amazing experience! We will never forget that day with Mindy and Shawn!

Exploring Downtown Memphis:

We then all got in the car, and we drove to the Peabody Hotel, which is a high-end hotel, and we were hoping to see the Peabody ducks. If you don’t know what the Peabody Ducks are, they are trained ducks that live in the hotel, they get up and are paraded every morning from their roost down to the lobby, where they climb their stairs into the lobby fountain, where they swim all day. Then at five in the evening, they are paraded back by the duck master to their roost and rest until the following morning. Isn’t that just so cool?!

Of course though, in the last two to three weeks, they changed their policy, and if you are not a guest of the hotel, you were not allowed inside to see the ducks. So, we had to skip that entertainment, and so we decided to visit a bar nearby, called the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, this being because the walls and ceiling are covered in saucers and plates from everywhere! That day we went to a few different restaurants, but this had to be one of our favorites!

After having a few drinks at the Flying Saucer, we went downtown farther, and we hit a street, I don’t remember its exact name, but it was so amazing! Signs and billboards and graffiti, paintings, restaurants, gift shops, live music, live entertainment, it was the place to be! We walked onto the street, and immediately a street performer called us over, and it turns out he was a gymnast, and he did flips and tricks for money. He called Shawn, Aaron, and the three little kids over, put them in a line, had them bend over, and he jumped over them going over Shawn, over the three kids, and landing after Aaron. It was such a thrill of excitement when he made it!

We walked the street, looking at all the amazing graffiti and street performers. We were able to see a gymnast, and we saw a marching band getting ready at the main square, and many of the bars and restaurants had live music playing. We were able to see cool structures and art all along the street, and since we were in Memphis Tennesee, we got to see music everywhere! Memphis is a great place to listen to music and take pictures, so that’s just what we did!

We then went to a place called Dire’s Diner, where we were able to have some of the best fries and best burgers we ever had! The restaurant is famous for never having changed their oil, and they deep fry their burgers, along with the fries. Even though everything is very greasy, it’s very delicious. We met a really nice waitress there to, who has been working at Dire’s for many years, and who was amazing at carrying all of our cups with just two hands, which I think is pretty talented!

Afterward, it was time to walk back to the Peabody hotel parking lot, and go home. Claire and the kids were very tired by the time we arrived home, but they still wanted to have a movie night, so that was what we did! We watched Cruella, Cameron and his girlfriend, Jackie, came over as well! Shawn and Miranda went to Kroger and picked up snacks and popcorn for the movie, and we all sat down and watched Cruella. It was a great movie, and we all enjoyed it! It was the perfect end to a great day! Thanks Shawn and Mindy!

In my next blog post, I will summarize the rest of our stay with Mindy and Shawn, and tell about the trip to Navarre, and getting settled in here. Thanks guys so much for reading! I hope you all enjoyed, and can’t wait for you guys to read my next post! -Sadie