In October both Nicole and Erik had their birthdays! We joined in the fun and went with them to Benihana. It was yummy and little Owen was mesmerized (for a few minutes anyway) by the chef cooking right in front of us. Erik got heaps of shrimp since we all gave him ours. Ben is very allergic to shell fish, I am mildly allergic, and Nicole just isn't a fan.
It's funny how Ben and I will get ready to go out the door and we usually tend to match. I think its cute how Nicole and Erik seem to do the same!
Bags and Mike recently purchased a home in Gilbert and we went down to check it out. It is beautiful and I love their vaulted ceilings! Their neighborhood is adorable and we were able to ride bikes over to a nearby shopping area and watch a movie. We ate at this amazing restaurant and they had garlic fries.
Ben and I have been wanting......ok.... I have been wanting to check out the Wildlife Park ever since I heard about it. Someone from work told me how it is so much better than the Phoenix Zoo since you can see the animals way up close as compared to the Zoo where you can barely see the animals at all. So finally I convinced Ben to come with me. He is a cheap at times and didn't want to spend the money to see animals but 10 minutes after entering the park he said we should go back soon!
We first saw the kangaroos and they were adorable, they look like over grown bunnies.
They seemed to perk up a bit when we got close but then went back to relaxing.
I really enjoyed watching this monkey eat. He is adorable!
I miss seeing turtles so I loved how many different turtles they have at the park.
The baby white tigers were my favorite. It seriously took me forever to get this picture because they were moving constantly. This particular white tiger wanted to come home with me but Ben refused to let me have it. He thought we might go to jail or something if we took it home. He is just so naive at times.
We were lucky and arrived at this cage just in time for dinner. I love this Leopard. What a beauty.
It was a teary goodbye as I departed from my little white tigers. They looked away as I left. It must have been hard for them to see me go!
I am married to the most handsome man in the world, and I adore him!
This sloth seriously did not move the entire time I was in front of him which was admittedly less than one minute. Seriously isn't he just the cutest ever?
The park had plenty of ducks and swans and I really don't know why they all gravitated over to me. Ben has a different take on what took place but we all know those birds love me.
This fully grown tiger was far away at the back of his enclosure. I zoomed in as far as I could to get a picture of her sleeping. I love tigers they are gorgeous and this one didn't open her eyes because she couldn't bear to see me leave. Right after taking this picture our camera battery died, we haven't recharged the battery after using the camera on several trips. I was soooo bummed since we fed the giraffes right after and Ben was feeding one right out of his hand!
That night after the Wildlife Park, little Owen came to our place all by himself on Halloween to do some Trick or Treating. He walked all the way to our house with Ben's guitar singing to people as he went.
He was too exhausted to sing to us and requested that we not tell his parents what he was up to that night.
Ben traveled to San Francisco with classmates from Thunderbird to attend a finance symposium (I was very jealous of course).
Ben actually took some pictures this time (he usually forgets the camera) and I was happy he remembered.
Ben had fun, learned some new stuff, and was able to see an old friend so the trip was officially a success.
Ben was happy to come home since he missed me so bad, and of course he left me cute notes all around the house like he always does before he leaves town! He is so romantic! Soon after Ben got home from San Francisco I left for a work trip along with two co-workers (Tami and Marga) to Memphis, TN! We had class every day but we also did a lot of sight seeing. We arrived on Sunday and went strait to Graceland from the airport.
Unfortunately our taxi driver was completely insane! He was arguing with the dispatcher as we waited for him in the van.
From what we could understand with his thick accent, the drive was too short and he didn't think it was worth driving out from where he was to take us such a short distance.
After he stopped arguing with the dispatcher he got into the taxi and the only thing he said to us was, "Graceland... 17 dollars." That was it. He didn't say welcome to Memphis or where are you ladies from. Nothing he just floored it and we were off.
Tami, Marga and I were all on the middle seat inside the taxi van with no seat belts and he was swerving in and out between cars. We were all so scared!
We even started laughing nervously since we didn't know what to do. I remember finally telling him that we weren't in a hurry and he didn't need to drive so fast, but I think it came out as a nervous whisper.
He seemed to not care for any pedestrian or car on the road.
Luckily we came to a more residential area where there were more frequent stop lights and he seemed to slow down a bit.
We were in the middle of a block when the light ahead turned yellow. He tapped the brakes and then he stepped on it. I looked ahead in disbelief and then I looked at Tami and asked her if he was going to go through the red light. Tami looked at me in horror and said I don't see him stopping. I couldn't believe my eyes as the light turned red and we just sped along.
It was well over 10 seconds before he ran the red light and we all screamed a little. I wanted to call Ben during this madness. I felt that it might be the last time he would hear my voice.
A minute later we were at Graceland. We didn't say anything as we got out of the taxi and Marga paid the driver. I should have taken a picture but I was just happy to be alive.
I remember looking over at Tami and she said, "We almost saw Elvis in person! Literally we could have met him today!"
Luckily we didn't have any other crazy cab drivers after that one and I will never get in a cab again if the taxi driver does not look sane.
Graceland was awesome! But the downstairs rooms were very dusty and poorly kept. There was dust and spider webs everywhere.
This room was my favorite. I loved the texture of the ceiling and walls.
We all took naps in the living room on the furry furniture.
Behind the house was a small recording studio.
The entire house was beautiful but the ceilings were fairly. I always pictured the house being much larger. It felt like a miniature mansion.
Much of The King's land was sold but the backyard is still very spacious.
In a building beside the house there are walls and walls of Elvis memorabilia.
Another building housed more Elvis memorabilia and awards he won over the years.
It's incredible how much Elvis accomplished in so little time!
On the tour you walk around with head sets while the Elvis history is narrated to you. I was surprised how much Elvis gave back to Memphis. He was quite the philanthropist.
He was a very gracious and giving man and it was wonderful to hear about all of the people he served!
After Graceland we checked out Beale Street and the old trolley cars which a great means of transportation.
Beale Street has some interesting characters and I am happy I was not sight seeing alone.
Our first night there we ate at the Blues City Cafe and the ribs where yummy! I had ribs almost every day. The barbecue sauce in Memphis is amazing!
I love this place and would recommend it to anyone!
Memphis has a lot of rich history and the buildings there are quite old.
We were able to take a carriage ride with this gentleman and he told us great stories about Memphis and about Elvis. He was raised there and we aren't sure if everything he told us is 100% accurate but we learned a lot and had fun.
The horse was so sweet and the carriage was beautiful.
This little guy did not move the entire time, he took up most of the seat and we made sure he didn't fall off when we were on a steep incline.
Do you recognize this building? We were told that it was used for filming in a Ghost Busters movie (Ben was unable to confirm that and is convinced that it's a lie). Our carriage driver/guide told us how supposedly 3 days before Elvis died he was eating at the restaurant located in the bottom of this building. He noticed a very worn out waitress and she reminded him of his mother. That night after her shift she went out to the parking lot where he surprisingly gave her the keys to his Cadillac. She got teary eyed and he told her that her troubles were behind her. Then he proceeded to walk 2 miles before he could get to an area where they had taxi service. That was the last anyone in town saw Elvis. You don't hear too often about famous musicians giving away their cars because a struggling waitress reminds them of their mother.
One night we ate at the Flying Fish. It was amazing!
I had salmon and really good banana pie!
That night we went to the Orpheum Theater and saw Cirque Dreams Holidaze. It was insane what the performers could do!
The Orpheum was rebuilt in the early 1900's and has a lot of character.
Two days before we left we were able to see Sun Studio (The original site of Sun Records) where Elvis made his first recordings!
Marion Keisker was the one who discovered Elvis first and helped Sam Phillips to "see the light" which took over a year.
We were able to enter the studio and pose with this mic which Elvis actually used!
The studio hasn't been remodeled since Elvis and other artists like Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins recorded there. Ben is EXTREMELY jealous that I was able to visit such a truly sacred place without him. He loves music history and has always wanted to visit the studio.
The original tiles still cover the walls and our tour guide let us know they are definitely not changing the room for years to come.
I thought this old Pepsi machine was cute. It sat just outside the recording room.
I think this picture of Elvis looks a lot like Ben when he sings. Seriously it does kinda look like Ben.
This picture has Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins.
I bought Ben a t-shirt from Sun Records and he was very appreciative. He really wishes he could have come and while I was in Memphis I found hidden stock card with sweet little notes from Ben telling me how much he missed me and loves me. I love being married!
We took the trolley all the way around town and saw the Mississippi river which was very wide and the sunset was beautiful!
I really liked this old building and I love all the old signs and advertisements on the building.
Along Beale street there are several music notes with famous musicians from Memphis.
For our last night in Memphis we ate at BB Kings and the ribs there were amazing!!!!
We enjoyed the great music and I fell in love with the ribs! The beans are also quite tasty.
Last year for Thanksgiving Ben's parents came down and we took them to Sedona!
It is so beautiful and we enjoyed walking around to see the fall colors.
We ate at The Barking Frog and had the best Turkey dinner ever with yummy onion bell soup, smashed potatoes, corn bread stuffing, your choice of meat and wonderful rolls!
This year since we couldn't be with family we decided to go to The Barking Frog again. It of course was amazing and we were lucky to have Bags join us. Her boyfriend Mike who is a fire fighter had to work and we missed his company!
We got to walk around this cute hotel where people every year decorate the different buildings with a holiday theme. Notice how Ben is wearing the same shirt he wore last year for Thanksgiving. (I just noticed that :)
Ben loves Charlie Brown and when we saw the Great Pumpkin this year he was such a happy camper!
Mele Kalikmaka! I miss Kauai!
I used to play Super Mario 3 for hours when I was 12 and 13. Ben thinks I am a nerd.
Ben was a little gassy after dinner so I thought this picture was fitting.
It was nice to see fall leaves since in Phoenix we don't see any variety in leaf color.
I liked this one since it was all about the 80's.
This particular area of the hotel is called Utah which we totally love!
Sponge Bob was so excited to see us!
We had some hot chocolate with him...
We played drums and he developed quite a crush on Bags but she let him down easy.
Ben and I rented Up this weekend and I fell in love with it. It is so darling!
Now we are getting ready for Ben's graduation coming up next week. My my my how time flies. I am so grateful for my loving family, friends, and my amazing Husband!
It's funny how Ben and I will get ready to go out the door and we usually tend to match. I think its cute how Nicole and Erik seem to do the same!
Bags and Mike recently purchased a home in Gilbert and we went down to check it out. It is beautiful and I love their vaulted ceilings! Their neighborhood is adorable and we were able to ride bikes over to a nearby shopping area and watch a movie. We ate at this amazing restaurant and they had garlic fries.
Ben and I have been wanting......ok.... I have been wanting to check out the Wildlife Park ever since I heard about it. Someone from work told me how it is so much better than the Phoenix Zoo since you can see the animals way up close as compared to the Zoo where you can barely see the animals at all. So finally I convinced Ben to come with me. He is a cheap at times and didn't want to spend the money to see animals but 10 minutes after entering the park he said we should go back soon!
We first saw the kangaroos and they were adorable, they look like over grown bunnies.
They seemed to perk up a bit when we got close but then went back to relaxing.
I really enjoyed watching this monkey eat. He is adorable!
I miss seeing turtles so I loved how many different turtles they have at the park.
The baby white tigers were my favorite. It seriously took me forever to get this picture because they were moving constantly. This particular white tiger wanted to come home with me but Ben refused to let me have it. He thought we might go to jail or something if we took it home. He is just so naive at times.
We were lucky and arrived at this cage just in time for dinner. I love this Leopard. What a beauty.
It was a teary goodbye as I departed from my little white tigers. They looked away as I left. It must have been hard for them to see me go!
I am married to the most handsome man in the world, and I adore him!
This sloth seriously did not move the entire time I was in front of him which was admittedly less than one minute. Seriously isn't he just the cutest ever?
The park had plenty of ducks and swans and I really don't know why they all gravitated over to me. Ben has a different take on what took place but we all know those birds love me.
This fully grown tiger was far away at the back of his enclosure. I zoomed in as far as I could to get a picture of her sleeping. I love tigers they are gorgeous and this one didn't open her eyes because she couldn't bear to see me leave. Right after taking this picture our camera battery died, we haven't recharged the battery after using the camera on several trips. I was soooo bummed since we fed the giraffes right after and Ben was feeding one right out of his hand!
That night after the Wildlife Park, little Owen came to our place all by himself on Halloween to do some Trick or Treating. He walked all the way to our house with Ben's guitar singing to people as he went.
He was too exhausted to sing to us and requested that we not tell his parents what he was up to that night.
Ben traveled to San Francisco with classmates from Thunderbird to attend a finance symposium (I was very jealous of course).
Ben actually took some pictures this time (he usually forgets the camera) and I was happy he remembered.
Ben had fun, learned some new stuff, and was able to see an old friend so the trip was officially a success.
Ben was happy to come home since he missed me so bad, and of course he left me cute notes all around the house like he always does before he leaves town! He is so romantic! Soon after Ben got home from San Francisco I left for a work trip along with two co-workers (Tami and Marga) to Memphis, TN! We had class every day but we also did a lot of sight seeing. We arrived on Sunday and went strait to Graceland from the airport.
Unfortunately our taxi driver was completely insane! He was arguing with the dispatcher as we waited for him in the van.
From what we could understand with his thick accent, the drive was too short and he didn't think it was worth driving out from where he was to take us such a short distance.
After he stopped arguing with the dispatcher he got into the taxi and the only thing he said to us was, "Graceland... 17 dollars." That was it. He didn't say welcome to Memphis or where are you ladies from. Nothing he just floored it and we were off.
Tami, Marga and I were all on the middle seat inside the taxi van with no seat belts and he was swerving in and out between cars. We were all so scared!
We even started laughing nervously since we didn't know what to do. I remember finally telling him that we weren't in a hurry and he didn't need to drive so fast, but I think it came out as a nervous whisper.
He seemed to not care for any pedestrian or car on the road.
Luckily we came to a more residential area where there were more frequent stop lights and he seemed to slow down a bit.
We were in the middle of a block when the light ahead turned yellow. He tapped the brakes and then he stepped on it. I looked ahead in disbelief and then I looked at Tami and asked her if he was going to go through the red light. Tami looked at me in horror and said I don't see him stopping. I couldn't believe my eyes as the light turned red and we just sped along.
It was well over 10 seconds before he ran the red light and we all screamed a little. I wanted to call Ben during this madness. I felt that it might be the last time he would hear my voice.
A minute later we were at Graceland. We didn't say anything as we got out of the taxi and Marga paid the driver. I should have taken a picture but I was just happy to be alive.
I remember looking over at Tami and she said, "We almost saw Elvis in person! Literally we could have met him today!"
Luckily we didn't have any other crazy cab drivers after that one and I will never get in a cab again if the taxi driver does not look sane.
Graceland was awesome! But the downstairs rooms were very dusty and poorly kept. There was dust and spider webs everywhere.
This room was my favorite. I loved the texture of the ceiling and walls.
We all took naps in the living room on the furry furniture.
Behind the house was a small recording studio.
The entire house was beautiful but the ceilings were fairly. I always pictured the house being much larger. It felt like a miniature mansion.
Much of The King's land was sold but the backyard is still very spacious.
In a building beside the house there are walls and walls of Elvis memorabilia.
Another building housed more Elvis memorabilia and awards he won over the years.
It's incredible how much Elvis accomplished in so little time!
On the tour you walk around with head sets while the Elvis history is narrated to you. I was surprised how much Elvis gave back to Memphis. He was quite the philanthropist.
He was a very gracious and giving man and it was wonderful to hear about all of the people he served!
After Graceland we checked out Beale Street and the old trolley cars which a great means of transportation.
Beale Street has some interesting characters and I am happy I was not sight seeing alone.
Our first night there we ate at the Blues City Cafe and the ribs where yummy! I had ribs almost every day. The barbecue sauce in Memphis is amazing!
I love this place and would recommend it to anyone!
Memphis has a lot of rich history and the buildings there are quite old.
We were able to take a carriage ride with this gentleman and he told us great stories about Memphis and about Elvis. He was raised there and we aren't sure if everything he told us is 100% accurate but we learned a lot and had fun.
The horse was so sweet and the carriage was beautiful.
This little guy did not move the entire time, he took up most of the seat and we made sure he didn't fall off when we were on a steep incline.
Do you recognize this building? We were told that it was used for filming in a Ghost Busters movie (Ben was unable to confirm that and is convinced that it's a lie). Our carriage driver/guide told us how supposedly 3 days before Elvis died he was eating at the restaurant located in the bottom of this building. He noticed a very worn out waitress and she reminded him of his mother. That night after her shift she went out to the parking lot where he surprisingly gave her the keys to his Cadillac. She got teary eyed and he told her that her troubles were behind her. Then he proceeded to walk 2 miles before he could get to an area where they had taxi service. That was the last anyone in town saw Elvis. You don't hear too often about famous musicians giving away their cars because a struggling waitress reminds them of their mother.
One night we ate at the Flying Fish. It was amazing!
I had salmon and really good banana pie!
That night we went to the Orpheum Theater and saw Cirque Dreams Holidaze. It was insane what the performers could do!
The Orpheum was rebuilt in the early 1900's and has a lot of character.
Two days before we left we were able to see Sun Studio (The original site of Sun Records) where Elvis made his first recordings!
Marion Keisker was the one who discovered Elvis first and helped Sam Phillips to "see the light" which took over a year.
We were able to enter the studio and pose with this mic which Elvis actually used!
The studio hasn't been remodeled since Elvis and other artists like Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins recorded there. Ben is EXTREMELY jealous that I was able to visit such a truly sacred place without him. He loves music history and has always wanted to visit the studio.
The original tiles still cover the walls and our tour guide let us know they are definitely not changing the room for years to come.
I thought this old Pepsi machine was cute. It sat just outside the recording room.
I think this picture of Elvis looks a lot like Ben when he sings. Seriously it does kinda look like Ben.
This picture has Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins.
I bought Ben a t-shirt from Sun Records and he was very appreciative. He really wishes he could have come and while I was in Memphis I found hidden stock card with sweet little notes from Ben telling me how much he missed me and loves me. I love being married!
We took the trolley all the way around town and saw the Mississippi river which was very wide and the sunset was beautiful!
I really liked this old building and I love all the old signs and advertisements on the building.
Along Beale street there are several music notes with famous musicians from Memphis.
For our last night in Memphis we ate at BB Kings and the ribs there were amazing!!!!
We enjoyed the great music and I fell in love with the ribs! The beans are also quite tasty.
Last year for Thanksgiving Ben's parents came down and we took them to Sedona!
It is so beautiful and we enjoyed walking around to see the fall colors.
We ate at The Barking Frog and had the best Turkey dinner ever with yummy onion bell soup, smashed potatoes, corn bread stuffing, your choice of meat and wonderful rolls!
This year since we couldn't be with family we decided to go to The Barking Frog again. It of course was amazing and we were lucky to have Bags join us. Her boyfriend Mike who is a fire fighter had to work and we missed his company!
We got to walk around this cute hotel where people every year decorate the different buildings with a holiday theme. Notice how Ben is wearing the same shirt he wore last year for Thanksgiving. (I just noticed that :)
Ben loves Charlie Brown and when we saw the Great Pumpkin this year he was such a happy camper!
Mele Kalikmaka! I miss Kauai!
I used to play Super Mario 3 for hours when I was 12 and 13. Ben thinks I am a nerd.
Ben was a little gassy after dinner so I thought this picture was fitting.
It was nice to see fall leaves since in Phoenix we don't see any variety in leaf color.
I liked this one since it was all about the 80's.
This particular area of the hotel is called Utah which we totally love!
Sponge Bob was so excited to see us!
We had some hot chocolate with him...
We played drums and he developed quite a crush on Bags but she let him down easy.
Ben and I rented Up this weekend and I fell in love with it. It is so darling!
Now we are getting ready for Ben's graduation coming up next week. My my my how time flies. I am so grateful for my loving family, friends, and my amazing Husband!
