i just returned from two fabulous weeks spent in memphis for the holidays. it was so nice to sleep in my old bed, eat my mother’s food, catch up with lots of friends, roam around memphis, and spend lots of time with my family.

the time away was exactly what i needed. the break from work came at a great time, we enjoyed some cold weather my last week in town, and i got to watch a ton of football and basketball games, including a grizzlies game and a razorbacks game – at the liberty bowl – in person.

the two weeks went by way too quickly, and i was not ready to leave when the time came, but i am so grateful to have had the visit. below are my highlights:

sunday brunch at the peabody. my family loves a good brunch, and no one does sunday brunch like the peabody. the last time we went was for my brother’s 16th birthday in 1994 [!!] when it was still on the terrace level. the brunch has now shifted to the cappriccio grill on the ground floor, and although the selection is less than what it used to be, it’s still absolutely delicious. and the good thing about fewer options is that you get to take bigger portions of what is available. my favourites were the biscuits and gravy, the breakfast potatoes, and the roast beef. we all ate well, and the other three snoozed all the way home.

nashville squad. nashville, tennessee. december 2015.

bee and brandon drove all the way from knoxville to hang out with us, because they’re the best. nashville, tennessee. december 2015.

day trip to nashville. one of my priorities for my visit was to make a quick trip to nashville to see everyone, particularly evelyn and baby millie. my mother joined me for the drive since it was the day after i arrived, and we assembled a great group for lunch at desano – including britney and brandon, who drove down from knoxville! we also got to stop in at jackalope, quickly catch up with lindsay’s parents back at the house, and enjoy a nice dinner with catherine and drew. i was majorly jet-lagged by the end of it, but it was totally worth it.

grizzlies game with my mother. the grizz had two home games while i was in town, and luckily we had tickets for the sunday afternoon game against the lakers. although the forum was full of kobe fans [blerg], my mother and i still had a great time at the game. the grizz won big, i scored tervis tumblers for the whole family, we shared some bbq nachos, and we even managed to run into mr bill, our favourite usher. i’m so glad to have made it to a game, and it was so much fun to share it with my mother. she’s my favourite date.

loved seeing all of these fun people at the liberty bowl last weekend. memphis, tennessee. january 2016.

a liberty bowl sunset. memphis, tennessee. january 2016.

razorbacks victory at the liberty bowl. about a week before i left for home, i got an alert that arkansas was going to be playing at the liberty bowl on the afternoon of january 2nd. as luck would have it, some instinct had told me to book my tickets for early morning on the 3rd rather than the 2nd, meaning i would still be in town. my mother and christina conspired to get tickets, and the three of us joined walshie’s family for a tailgate before the game. it was a beautiful day, and arkansas walked away with an awesome victory. it was the best way to wrap up my visit.

my favourite room at graceland. memphis, tennessee. december 2015.

maggie and i introduced lannon to graceland. memphis, tennessee. december 2015.

a visit to graceland. we all know i need no excuse to visit graceland, but i’m definitely not going to miss an opportunity to introduce a first-timer to elvis. maggie and lannon [the graceland newbie] drove over from little rock one day, so i met them at the mansion and toured with them. it was my first time using the interactive ipad tour – narrated by john stamos! – and i have to admit it was a little overwhelming, but i loved it nonetheless. visit number 31 is in the books, and i loved sharing it with these two.

movie dates with my brother. prior to my arrival i informed my brother that above all else, we needed to see star wars episode vii: the force awakens and creed together. we saw the first on christmas eve and the second the following wednesday, and both were spectacular. i think episode vii might be my second favourite from the franchise thus far, and creed made me weep my eyes out [in a good way], so i will call both successful outings. i’ve already seen star wars again in bangalore, and i am trying to figure out when i can see creed again. they were that good.

fried chicken, beans, and mac-and-cheese. happy gus’s christmas eve! memphis, tennessee. december 2015.

first round at the peabody brunch. memphis, tennessee. december 2015.

eggs benedict and hashbrowns at blue plate. memphis, tennessee. december 2015.

fried shrimp po’boy with mashed potatoes and green beans at soul fish. memphis, tennessee. december 2015.

a senor huey and cheese fries. yes, please. memphis, tennessee. december 2015.

hashbrowns and a pecan waffle and waffle house. memphis, tennessee. january 2016.

all the memphis food. i missed out on a few big places due to time constraints and the holidays, but i managed visits to chick-fil-a, central bbq, lenny’s, taco bell, mcallister’s, las delicias, gus’s fried chicken, blue plate cafe, soul fish cafe, and huey’s while i was in town. memphis sure knows how to feed a girl well.

walking into the bass pro store. memphis, tennessee. december 2015.

the country’s tallest free-standing elevator. memphis, tennessee. december 2015.

looking down from the upper floor. memphis, tennessee. december 2015.

view from the front. memphis, tennessee. december 2015.

a visit to the bass pro pyramid. ever since the pyramid closed as a basketball venue in 2004, the entire city has been waiting for bass pro shop to open their giant megastore inside the space. it finally happened in the spring of 2015, so i dragged my entirely family downtown on the day after christmas to check it out. it was crazy full and we had a long wait for a table at uncle buck’s, so we spent it wandering the space and drooling over the homemade fudge. it’s amazing what they’ve done with the space, and i definitely want to go back on my next visit to ride the elevator up to the rooftop deck.

with rachel and moo. memphis, tennessee. december 2015.

loved running into these two rugrats. memphis, tennessee. december 2015.

hanging out with walker and lena. memphis, tennessee. december 2015.

catching up with friends. there are a few people i didn’t get to speak to while i was in town, but overall i got to catch up with lots of people i had missed desperately over the previous twelve months. between lunches and dinners and tailgates and hangout sessions, i managed to catch quite a few people in between the holidays. it was so nice to catch up in person, and i can’t wait for the next time i get to see everyone.

it was such a fantastic trip, and i am already trying to figure out when i can swing another visit.

xx

ps — rachel published my memphis guide on hippie in heels while i was home, which was perfect timing. check it out to see even more reasons why i love the 901.