veen on the road: a longer return to memphis.

i recently got back from a 10 day trip to memphis [with a quick visit to nashville thrown in for good measure]. i intentionally centered it around marathon weekend to ensure as much time as possible with family and friends and my favorite foods, and it was busy and fun and exhausting in all the best ways.

memphis made. memphis, tennessee. december 2022.

below are my highlights, and before you proceed you should know now there will be lots of food photos so maybe don’t read if you’re feeling hungry…

squad. memphis, tennessee. december 2022.
and i got to see smargo! memphis, tennessee. december 2022.

walked the 5k with mama swami and chrystal. i love this new tradition of ours and had a great time walking around downtown and through st jude’s campus. i also got to quickly catch up with sarah margaret, the suites were a great new addition to the heroes hospitality experience, and we once again gathered at slider downtown for a friend reunion and general fun. marathon weekend continues to be the best weekend in memphis.

benny boy. nashville, tennessee. december 2022.
bedtime stories and snuggles. nashville, tennessee. december 2022.
can’t forget biscuit. nashville, tennessee. december 2022.

spent a few days with my favorite kiddos. i spent two nights in nashville with the wright family, watching holiday movies and reading books and generally adding to the chaos as i always do. one of these days i’ll wind up moving in with them, but in the meantime i’ll always treasure getting in some good time with one of my favorite families.

my favorite. memphis, tennessee. december 2022.
tail like lightning. memphis, tennessee. december 2022.

saw all my favorite pups. i got multiple riggs sightings, spent two nights with biscuit and three with linus, and managed to also see rigby, finn, and freya along the way.

a friend happy hour. one of my favorite things to do when i return to a city where i once lived is to send an all call to my friends saying “i’ll be at such-and-such bar, come say hi” and then watching as my people become each other’s people. i did this at celtic on tuesday and it was great to see so many people in one swoop and introduce people to one another. it was such a good time, in fact, that i failed to take any photos.

bbq nachos for days. memphis, tennessee. december 2022.
the best. memphis, tennessee. december 2022.
happiness on a plate. memphis, tennessee. december 2022.
the best date. memphis, tennessee. december 2022.

hit up many of my favorite restaurants. i missed a few, but i managed kwik chek, india palace, central bbq, maciel’s, and gus’s, and my stomach is satisfied for the next few months.

back in the grindhouse. memphis, tennessee. december 2022.
loved seeing these streamers float down. memphis, tennessee. december 2022.

mother and daughter returned to a grizz game. one of the things i really miss about memphis is going to grizzlies games with my mother. luckily there was a home game my final night in town, and we had ourselves a great time saying hi to our favorite ushers, cheering for our guys, and yelling at some referees for good measure.

memphis is a special place, and i am grateful for the family and community i have there.