JOYMOUNTAIN: A Few Days in Memphis

Last Sunday we took a much overdue trip to Larry's home town Memphis, Tennessee to see family and friends. We were scheduled for a family gathering late that afternoon but our flight was cancelled. We managed to get out on the following flight so we made it just in the nick of time. :) We had great bulk head seats...and the flight is only about an hour...and very uncomplicated.. No busy skies.... easy in and easy out.. We love flying to Memphis... The terminal, though it is named an international terminal, is only 3 main buildings... and we just love it that you can walk anywhere in no time flat... There is practically no traffic at all... Makes you miss a place like that...

at the airport

Larry got me tickled trying to take my picture. He is a bit of a dinosaur
with new technology and he was trying to work my iphone camera.
...Plus I am excited about our trip. :) Finally we are headed to Memphis again!

Larry.....expectant of his trip home

It was certainly cooler there...if you can believe that the 90s in humid Memphis felt better than the 108 - 110 scorchers in Dallas... for about 45 days... The landscape was still green...and you could stand to be out on the porch for a bit... That was just lovely... Brenda has a lovely old historic home down off Parkway in midtown... She let us have the apartment behind the kitchen... so we had lots of privacy and plenty of room... She really did spoil us... :)

This is our room... very roomy

complete with TV and a very large closet / dressing room

Our own private bathroom

Family started arriving about 4 pm... and it was great to get all the hugs and start taking photos... They had a spread for us... Larry's brother Gary cooked a pork shoulder all night for us... and it was amazing... Shannon, Brenda's oldest daughter, brought cheesecake and cookies... Brittnie made cole slaw, Brenda did the baked beans and fruit salad and Wanda, Larry's mom made the potato salad... We literally had a feast.. Pork BB Que is on the top of our WANT LIST when we go to Memphis... :) We miss it! We were sure not disappointed!!! Everything was amazing!

Larry and his Mom

Larry's cousin Stacey, Me, Bea and his Uncle Odell

It was so great to see Stacey... She was a little girl the

last time I saw her. She often travels to Dallas so we are

going to hook up! I was delighted to be able to visit with Stacey.
She is very outgoing and friendly..just the sort of child I would expect of
Ruthie and Jimmy. :)

It was great to see Uncle Odell... He hasn't changed a bit. He is always full of laughter and amazingly healthy for his age. He said grace over our meal and shared some about his church....and that really blessed me.

Bea is Ruthie's mom and we celebrated her birthday while she was there. As long as I have known Ruthie I have known Bea... which says a great deal about Ruthie's devotion to those she loves.

Brenda, Larry and Gary

Gary is growing out his hair to donate to St. Jude's Hospital for children

for chemo patients.. I just love that! Shannon is doing it too. Your hair has to

grow to 10 inches without being cut and you can donate it.. That pretty well sets the stage for who Gary is... A man who would grow his hair 10 inches so he could donate it to someone who desperately needs it... He is Larry's only brother and is a very talented painter and carpenter. He is a simple man who is happy with the simple pleasures of life. He has blessed me over the years with little gifts. He reminds me of his dad when he does that. He doesn't make a big deal of it...but the gifts are very well thought out. When we first married he gave me an antique salt and pepper shaker set... He knew I would love it and it went with my style of decor... Later...he usually turned up with a very beautiful and unique angel.. His gifts always touch my heart. This time...his gift was to sit up all night and cook a pork shoulder to perfection ...because he knew we loved it. He is a rare treasure....and he blesses us very much.

Brenda is Larry's youngest sister. She owns a very succesful auditing business and a lovely home in midtown...an older and upscale part of Memphis. She also is on the Memphis and May committe and the Memphis Hot Wings committee which raises funds for St Judes's children's hospital. She is by all accounts a very busy woman. She always has time for her family though and is the epitome of hospitality. She has always made sure, no matter the distance, that she kept in touch with her family. I remember her driving the 1000 miles round trip on frozen roads so she could be with Larry when he had his first surgery for cancer in January of 2006. As always, she opened her home to us...and did what she could to make it a very special trip for us... Thank you Brenda for your loving and giving heart.

Brenda and Bea sharing some birthday cake

Al and Wanda...
It was great getting to visit with Al.

He has been ill and in a nursing home...but made a special trip over to visit with us.. He has always been a friend to Larry and offered his support to our family. He is a good husband and has been a good role model as a grandfather. Wanda was out until after midnight taking him home just so he could visit with us! Our thanks to Wanda for doing that... it made it a very special night..

We were in Memphis in 2010 for Wanda's surprise 80th Birthday. It was a great celebration of
all the folks who dearly love her. She is very involved in her Baptist Church and I met some of her friends that attend there with her. She is a devoted mother and grandmother and always supportive of her family. She is a tireless prayer warrior for her family...like her mother before her. Wanda and Al have a wonderful home in Cordova...and she tries to make it to Texas as often as she can. We love you Wanda...

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After the family gathering and busy day traveling we finally made it to bed.. We didn't want to sleep...because there was so much catching up to do! The next morning was wonderful... Brenda took off from her very demanding job to be with us... and I can tell you.. she went to a lot of trouble to get herhouse ready for us because she had it on the market to sell and many things packed away. She has since decided to stay...We really love her charming home...and the fantastic midtown area. We finally got dressed and Wanda, Al and Odell came over again

for some more visiting...Brenda and I got out for a bit and looked over the area for a restaurant to meet our friends the following night... That was kind of fun...

This is what the shops and restaurants look like.

We found a place with some fried pickles and baked goat cheese and

that is what dinner was while Larry had his beloved Krystals...yuk! Mine

was great though... :)

We settled on Le Chardonnay mostly because they

said they could accommodate us. Larry and I liked the food...

He had a great pizza and my bleu cheese burger was fantastic. :)

The next morning was much the same... very restful... enjoying a quietmorning...that was by Dallas standards...very cool... :) All the gang started showing up around 5 pm...and we had Happy Hour while we waited for everyone to arrive.. We headed on over to Le Chardonnay and then back again afterward to visit a bit more at Brenda's house... It was so great getting to hear what everyone was doing... though I wish I had more time with each person... Hopefully another

trip. Everyone looked so great...and Larry said he had the best time... I most wanted him to have a good time.. I know it is hard being away from your home town...

after Dallas... front porch hanging out was nice...at least till the mosquitoes come out. :)

We wanted to get this Texas star in this pic... :)

Brenda still has a little bit of Texas in her... :)

I wanted a pic by the pretty door and wreath

so if one is good two is better... ;)

Brittnie and her HOT wings... :)
Brittnie has grown up! Such a pretty girl inside and out! We had a wonderful visit with her... She has matured into a lovely young lady... She stays busy with her homeschool studies and making all things digital work.. lol.. Brittnie is friendly, happy, smart and funny. She hopes to pursue a career in broadcasting. We love you Brit!

Shannon, Jason...and family
I do not have pics this trip of Shannon and Jason and Jason's children from his first marriage. ( I hope to remedy this if someone will send me a pic of them ) I found these in one of Shannon's facebook albums. :) Jason's children were down for the summer and my goodness have they grown up too! Beautiful! Had a great time talking to Shannon... She and Tiffanie spent the first years of their life in Texas and stayed with me lots.. They will always be my girls.. and I miss them terribly.. I remember lots of birthdays and school events...and afternoons at my house... :) Shannon is now a senior financial analyst with Fed EX...and just finished up an MBA a few years ago. We are so proud of her!! She is beautiful and smart .. Jason is amazing.. He is the man of the family... and he sure steps up to the plate.. He in everyway lives up to the trust that is placed in him.. He works for the Memphis police dept... and also served time in the 2nd Gulf War. They have a lovely home....just outside of Memphis... They make their family proud.. :) Love you Shannon and Jason!

Tiffanie...

I did not have any photos of this trip of her either. I am including one of Brenda and her girls and Tiff is on the far right. My Tiff has gone off to Colorado to make a new home.. She plans to finish her college education there...( or return home and finish it... Your Aunt Elaine said so... :) I keep up with her on Facebook... so I know she has a new job... and seems to like the change of scenery... We are hoping and praying all goes well for you Tiff.. We love you!

I officially proclaim it as Happy Hour

Beautiful early evening...before the skeeters... ;)

Linda Lewis ( Jay's wife ) , Carol Gordon ( Chuck's wife) , Christy Lewis ( Jay's daughter) ..

It was fantastic to see these lovely ladies again...

Linda is a VP with her bank now....Yay Linda! Christy just

graduated and has a doctorate I think... wow!! Linda, Christy and I talk our heads off when we
are together.. We have done some fun and crazy things over the years.. :)

Carol shared her boys with us ; they are her treasures... and we love that about Carol. She always reminds me of a genteel Southern Lady....She has an abundance of hugs and kindness. She is an amazing mom and grandma....and you know how much I admire those qualities. They have a beautiful home in Mississippi that we visited in 2010. She also came with Chuck to our daughter's wedding in 2006 ( along with Chuck who sang, Nita and Bobby and Jay. ) That was such fun! We had a great time partying... :) I have the DVD.. I wish I had thought to bring it for you to see.. The dance scenes are a hoot.. esp of a certain part of Larry dancing. lol! :) It was wonderful to catch up ... I have missed you girls!!

Chatting before dinner

Nita and Bobby Mercer
It was wonderful to see them again! They came a bit early so we had a chance

to visit before dinner and afterward they came for awhile too. They took off from work and school so they could be with us... They live in a rural area in Mississippi and it was great to hear about their new batch of chickens they are raising...

( I know how to talk Chicken because of my cousin Reg in East Texas. ;) lol

Nita had experience with chickens and the farm growing up and I loved hearing about the wonderful life they have created in Mississippi together since Bobby returned from a tour of duty

in Afghanistan. Nita continues to make their home a haven and Bobby has gone back

to college to be certified in some new computer programs... Way to go Bobby!

I have really enjoyed gettingto know Nita more.. I love how plain spoken she is. She is a good wife and mother and a beautiful person inside and out. Bobby was best man at our wedding. He and Larry, along with the other guys have many memories that they love to tell over and over.. ;) Those sometimes have me in stitches...and most times have me cringing...lol.. He had the cute Beatle look as a teenager... and I have found him to be a loyal friend over the years.. He is the kind of guy who has your back. In his own words..." this is Bob Mercer you are talking to." :) He is probably packing big bertha too. lol..

The guy version of chatting... ;)

" The Guys"

Bobby, Chris and Craig ( Chuck's sons), Larry, Chuck and Jay

Good Ole Boys... ;)
Next to Larry is Chuck and Jay... ( husband to Carol and Linda...)
They have both been friends ...forever... Bad Boys the whole lot of them but I have
a fondness for rascals..and they all fit that mold.. lol.. Chuck is our group musician and singer. He sang at our wedding. :) His sons have also joined him in his love for singing. I think that is so cool!    We LOVE to hear Chuck sing... He rarely came to any event or gathering over the years
that he didn't bring his guitar and serenade us with Beatle songs and other music from our era.
We think he should be famous of course and if they had American Idol in our day...I think he could have been the AI winner...for real.. Not only is he madly talented...he is one of the nicest guys I know ( along with Jay and Bobby... :)    He also unmercifully teases me ... You know me...I believe it if you say it.. Bad Boy... Bad Boy!    He is very smart and well read and Larry and I have spent hours in conversation with him... We love Chuck!

Jay... Teddy Bear... :) Love this guy... sweet and kind and funny... He keeps you in stitches...and is very very loyal... He was into sports I believe in school... Was the first to marry in the group...the lovely Linda... :) which is a marriage made in heaven in my opinion... He did a tour in Vietnam about the time Larry and I got married which was why he wasn't there... They lived many years in Florida and we visited them there when I was expecting Josh in 1978!    That was such a fun trip! Cristy was not born yet either...but she has made up for lost time...She is very witty and a wonderful conversationalist...as is Linda.    Jay is smart, and is the kind of guy who doesn't show all his cards...but don't think he doesn't have a winning hand... :) He is a dear friend.

We have been through a lot with these guys...   Such memories... They have always been there for us...and friends with Larry since they were just kids... They have all been like big brothers to me.
I cannot imagine life without Bobby, Chuck and Jay... and their beautiful families... Love you guys!
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The flight home was great.. It wasn't crowded and we were able to fly First Class and
that was pretty cool!   The big roomy leather seats are alway great.. and being served any drinks we wanted as often as we wanted...and snacks every mile of the way back to Dallas...starting on the runway before we left... was pretty nice too... :)

We had a great visit with everyone in Memphis...and we are looking forward to MORE!

Our thanks to everyone for making our stay memorable..

Much LOVE!

Elaine and Larry