The bridge that connects Tennessee to Arkansas

We see Arkansas every day as we leave our house, and this is the bridge you take if you want to venture out west. We haven't crossed it yet (though we've often driven 20 minutes down to Mississippi for some errands), but we hope to make a trip over there to possibly spend some time in the fall foliage in a month or so. It's interesting, the bridge. You can kind of see from this picture how it looks like Tennessee and Arkansas possibly split the cost of it, and where the 2 states converge, there is a marked difference in the style. On the Tenneesee side, you have archways that light up at dusk, as you see here, as well as thicker support beams. As soon as you hit Arkansas, the archways are gone, and you're left with a more basic frame for a bridge. Thought that was kind of funny.

Beale Street & Blues

We finally made it out to Beale Street, that culturally hip and musical axis for which Memphis is known. A couple from the church took us to dinner at a restaurant above BB King's Blues Club, a place where many of the famous have been seen and heard. Beale is like a whole other world in Memphis--as one minute you are walking between the large buildings, crossing the busy streets of downtown, and then you turn a corner and the place has been instantly transformed into a mecca for tourists, hoping to hear some of the famous blues that city does so well.

The Travelers add a third

We've had a secret for a while, and today the news is going public. Shannon is expecting our own little Traveler, and she's now 20 weeks along. We just got back from our check-up and ultrasound today, and while the most exciting thing for us is to find out that everything looks wonderful and healthy, we also found out today - it's a BOY! :)

32 years

It is my husband's birthday today, and we've celebrated together Wizard of Oz style: lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my! We visited the Memphis Zoo today and took in the nationally acclaimed spot where we saw sea lions dancing, lions roaring, and penguins flopping. We came back home after dinner at a favorite spot, and I made him his favorite chocolate cake for dessert; and even if I couldn't find the matches to light the one candle we had in the house, I think he still counted this as a good day as he pretended to blow out candles and make a wish.

4 years

Today we celebrate the anniversary of 4 married years together. We were remembering that we have now been married as long as we dated. I can't believe time has gone by so quickly. How fortunate and blessed I feel to be able to spend these days with such an outstanding man. He wins me over every day all over again.

We spent the evening at The Melting Pot (thanks VB), stuffing ourselves on fondue of every kind imaginable. Yum. Now we're relaxing on our couch, savoring the time spent together, it never growing old. We're looking forward to the next 4 years, wondering what they will hold, dreaming of where we'll be, praying for who we will meet. I can't imgine spending them with anyone else.

At the old ballgame

We were treated to a visit to Autozone Park on Sunday evening to watch our local minor league team, the Memphis Redbirds (feeder team to the St. Louis Cardinals) play an exciting game. Hot dogs, peanuts, and funnel cakes filled the air with an aroma only to be found at a live ballgame. We went with a couple from the church who have been great at having us feel welcome while initiating us into all things Memphis. Even though the Redbirds lost that night to the Oklahoma Redhawks, we still enjoyed the fun of the event and look forward to more happenings in town.