Memphis Meet Up

Nice face, Rob.

My brother is as cool as Elvis in the 50's. Just look at this dude.

Meeting up in Memphis has been an annual highlight-of-the-year for three years now. I love that my family is super independent, travel and live all over the place. But, it sure is nice to have formed a tradition of driving 20 hours round trip to meet up halfway with my parents and brother during our shared birthday season. I hate my birthday, really, its a yearly reminder of another year passing and not having personally accomplished anything of substance on my goal list. No kids. No home ownership. Jobs which might be perfectly interesting, but pay peanuts while I'm the crappiest breadwinner-for-two in the history of time. With Rob in school foreverandeveramen (HA! Can't complain about that one anymore!), I've shoved a lot of intentions to the background.

But, I share the day with this kid. Nope, not kid. He's 18 now. And that makes the day less about marking my next year of perceived inadequacy and more about celebrating family and all of the cool things this guy is going to get himself into for the next year. I love spending the time with the coolest people in my life, I love that, as a newly minted adult, my brother is okay with being a goober with me. I love visits like this where there's no agenda or rush to see and do, that I got the "hang out and play cards, it's time well spent" gene. And I love that I picked a spouse who cheerfully joins in the absurdity.

And, the trip itself: Chilly Saturday. Awesome dive diner breakfast with seriously good hashbrowns. Creeper drive-by of Elvis' house before Graceland. Gibson Guitar factory tour (did you know they have a guy who belt sands the proper shape of the necks by FEEL?!). We aaaalmost went to a monster truck rally at the arena. Central BBQ. Power shopping to properly hipster-ify my brother. Beers, potato chips, Euchre card gaming, long video chats with my sissy in Phoenix. Bright Sunday. Tennis golf in a little park. Lazy lunch of soul food and sweet tea.

Sigh, next time I see my family, brother will be graduating high school. Creepy.