For the past two weeks I have been in my stressed out-I-have-to-plan-a-wedding-and-find-a-job-and-be-nice-to-people-along-the-way-mode. I haven't had time to stop and smell the roses or, in these parts, the hydrangeas that are popping up in neatly manicured lawns. Well, at least for today, my perspective is renewed and refreshed. Memphis is going to be a blast.
So, what made today so special? I began my morning at the brand new Panera on Poplar Ave. Panera is a new phenomenon to Memphis and a very exciting addition to our after church lunch repertoire. I then proceeded to the beautiful Rhodes College for an informal meeting (don't waste your excitement, still jobless.) Seriously, if you haven't ever seen Rhodes it is beautiful. It is not a place I pass by very often, but every time I do it amazes me that such beautiful gothic architecture is in the middle of our city.
The afternoon was spent apartment shopping. Over the past 48 hours, Price and I have had a complete change of plans regarding our living situation next year. After visiting my grandfather's old house in Germantown(where we were supposed to live next year) and calculating the costs of utilities, extra furniture to make it appear livable, and the fridge, washer, and dryer we would have to purchase, we concluded that this rent free option might end up costing us as much as living in an apartment. After going back to the drawing board, we visited the apartment complex where my parents had their first apartment. After we got past the musty cat urine smell that comes with the quaint little apartment we fell in love. Seriously, it is so cute. Hardwood floors, an extra room that we are calling a study but I think will be my extra closet, nice khaki walls, a sweet little back porch just perfect for our baby Weber grill, and an amazing location in Midtown. Not to mention we have two sets of friends who are getting married this year and living in the complex, as well as one of Price's best friends from high school. We didn't hesitate to apply for the apartment. We are approved and set to move in on July 1st! We are so excited and feel like this is exactly where we need to be. We also got 2 free $25 gift cards to Cozymel's (a Mexican restaurant.) A move-in date and margaritas, what more could you want?!?!?!
An event this monumental in our soon-t0-be-married life deserved celebration, so Price and I went downtown. We dined at Automatic Slims on Second street, a hip restaurant serving up Caribbean fusion cuisine. The service and food left something to be desired, but in our state of apartment bliss it didn't seem to bother us. After dinner we walked to the Orpheum, a beautiful theater just off of Beale Street, to catch their Summer Movie Series which features different films on the big screen throughout the summer. The movie tonight was Swiss Family Robinson which I had never seen but absolutely loved. If the apartment doesn't work out, I could totally do a tree house like theirs. When the movie let out we decided to mosey down Beale Street and check out the live music scene. We bumped in to some friends and wound up at Rum Boogie Cafe, a great bar with live blues and all kinds of crazy Memphis music paraphernalia. If you are planning a trip to Memphis anytime soon (cough, July 11, cough) you should definitely check this place out. While dozing off on our 20 minute drive back to our parent's houses in East Memphis, I felt so content and excited about the years to come.
Sadly, I must now set aside my Memphis euphoria and my MacBook and focus on speed reading the 200 pages I have left in a marriage book I am expected to have completed before our marriage counseling session tomorrow. Thanks for reading!
