"My Feet Ten Feet Off Of Beale"...W/ A Kiddie Cup Full Of Beer

Memphis was fantastic. Two of my favorite people got married to each other. I met them both when I moved back to St. Louis, from Philadelphia. Back then they were just out of high school and working for my friend Joe. I really have trouble thinking that they are old enough, or ready to be married. But, they are. I just have to face facts. Everyone gets older and I am too.

After driving down Friday morning and checking in to the hotel, the Steph and I got dressed up and headed over to the chapel on the grounds of Graceland to watch Timmy and Jodie tie the knot. It was awesome...very short. I almost teared up. Those two are good together and I love em both. When we showed up we got to see one of our friends that has been living in Idaho for a few years. He seems happier then he was before he moved up there and he is also in great shape. The northwest is agreeing with him. After the wedding we all dispersed to await the beginning of the reception at the Hard Rock on Beale St.

I have to say, these guys did it right. They had an open bar. And, being on Beale Street, one has to drink. "When in Rome, " you know. Our waitress was awesome and kept me in the Miller Lite. I think I was double-fisting the booze for the whole two plus hours of the reception, and I wasn't the only one doing that at our table. For her troubles, our waitress was getting tipped handsomely, and I stole her a cupcake (the wedding cake was made up of tiers of cupcakes) that she had been eyeballing all night.

After the reception, when we were leaving the Hard Rock, they won't let people leave with glass bottles for safety reasons. So my friend Joe and I ended up with Hard Rock kiddie cups to pour our beer into them to leave the building. We headed over to the Hotel that most of the wedding party was staying at, right off Beale, where they could change. From there we went over to B.B. King's bar and had a drink and listened to some music. The beer I had was a Yuengling. It's from the oldest brewery in the United States. I was very surprised to be able to get one in this part of the country, as the only place I thought they were distributed was in the northeast. I love Yuengling and used to drink it when I lived in Philly. Just one more thing that made this trip even more worth it. By the time we finished our one drink, everyone was pretty much done. Most of us are getting older and just can't party like we used to.

The next morning, some of us headed back to the hotel off Beale to meet up with the newlyweds for lunch. Upon our arrival, we sat outside the front doors at some tables and were talking amongst ourselves, when a film crew started taking exterior shots. Pretty soon, Gene Simmons and his son walked out of the hotel to get filmed entering it. They were filming for an episode of Family Jewels. Turns out, Gene Simmons is pretty much a jerk. However the show's line producer was cool. We talked to her while they were filming.

Once everyone was ready to go, we headed back over to B.B. King's bar and had lunch, which was followed by a trip to Graceland for a tour. That was interesting, but, my God that man had horrible decorative tastes. I know it was the sixties and seventies, but ugh. I did dig the "Jungle Room" though. From there the Steph and I headed back to St. Louis. It was a great time. Pictures to follow, when I actually get them uploaded to my computer.