I Say Goodbye, But Also Hello!

Last week, I said goodbye to my hometown.  There were tears shed, but much support given to me on my new, exciting adventure.  There are so many things I'll miss about Memphis - my friends the obvious #1 on that list.  A few other gems include:  Stax Museum (one of the greatest places on earth), eclectic Midtown with it's wacky cool art, neighborhood cafes, bars, nightlife and diversity.

 

Midtown "Disco Wheel"

 

One of my last lunches included a sandwich and pasta salad from Fino's from the Hill.  I'll miss being able to walk around the corner for some delicious Italian fare from this deli!

When I left, my department gave me the Eiffel Tower as a going away gift.  They even set the clock to St. Petersburg's time.  Very thoughtful and touching.  Although, it confuses those who don't know how much I love Paris and the Tower.  "You're moving to Florida, right?"  "Not Paris?"  Yes, folks...not Paris...yet.  My friends just know me well!

As soon as the first of my belongings arrived, I promptly brought the Eiffel Tower to work, where it now resides on the corner of my desk.  Now, I have a constant reminder of the amazing co-workers I had the pleasure to work with in Memphis!

My first day of work in the new city, state & office:  What a wonderfully warm welcome!

Everyone has been extremely friendly...it's definitely a positive atmosphere.

Going Away, Part Deux

Another farewell shindig was at my favorite Irish Pub, "The Brass Door."  The lighting wasn't great for my crappy phone to take adequate photos, but you get the idea.  It was fun!

My friend since high school was in town and able to be there for my send off!

Seemus and me having a hearty laugh!

My friend, Mary was there and played "Danny Boy" for me on the piano that's located in the bar area.
 

Tom & Seemus having a face off!

Oh, Memphis, how I will miss you. 

Going Away Party

Recently, my friends held a going away party for me.  I really couldn't have asked for a better send off.  I have such wonderful friends, I wish I could take all of them with me.  Alas, I can't, but have been given strict instructions to get a place big enough to accommodate 10-20 visitors at a time, because they're all visiting!! 

In true fashion we HAD to record that, even in the midst of all the fun, you don't want to mess with us.

Nice Jeremy simply can't be mean...he can't even make a mean face!

 A "Martie Partie" isn't complete without oreos!  They're wonderfully delicious!

The crew gave me the most thoughtful gifts.  Included was a photo album with personal notes from everyone scattered within.

AND OREOS!


OREOS!!  Birthday cake oreos are like unicorns.



Drinking champagne out of a "lucky" champagne flute!

One of the best toasts I ever heard, but can't remember any of it. :-(

The truth comes out...this is how everyone feels about my leaving.

Labels were made!  This one said, "Good Luck Martie."

This one said, "SARCO," which is an inside joke.  I can't tell you what it means.  You'll just have to ride with my friends in the Memphis Hightailers Bicycle Club to find out. :-)  The thought bubble says, "I don't know what I want, but I won't be happy until I get it!"  Can you relate?  I sure can.



With the exception of a few photos that were taken with my phone, the photos were captured by my friend, Matthew Magbee:  http://magbeephotography.com/

A Little Bit of NOLA

Some recent happenings:

Band of Horses at Minglwood!

I love BOH & have seen them several times, live.  Even though this show was three blocks away from where I live, it was my least favorite.  The sound people could not get the sound on the vocals correct.  It was disappointing.


I recently went to New Orleans for a conference.  Go ahead, feel sorry for me. :-)

Bourbon St.!

This band came strolling by our hotel.  Turns out, it was the beginning of a parade...OUR parade!

Parade to dinner - NOLA style

This notice was on the women's bathroom door at the restaurant where we had dinner.  Only in NOLA!

Brunches and Block Parties

This weekend, I had a farewell brunch at one of my favorite brunch spots, Majestic.  It's one of my favorites based solely on the fact that they serve pitchers of mimosas for $15.00.  That deal is hard to beat.  

All smiles...friends had a lot to do with that, but the mimosas helped, too!

 This was happening on Main St., too.

I'm all for early Christmas decorations, only if it involves humiliating an animal. 

After brunch, we headed to the MemFIX block party.  It was to promote the renovations that will soon happen at the Sears Tower on Cleveland.  It's extremely exciting.  The building has been vacant since I was little.  Hopefully, bringing it back to life will also help revitalize the neighborhood! 

The block party had it all, vendors selling all sorts of items, musical acts playing all day and games for kids.  There was plenty of fair food and drinks to be had, too.  The new brewery in town was there, High Cotton Brewery.  Holy hops, Batman, their stuff is delicious!  Look for their brew to be sold at your local watering hole in early 2013!  The party ended with an outdoor screening of "The Princess Bride" and the nerdy comic book rapper (who's really, really good), Adam Warrock.

Adam Warrock spits nerdy rhymes!

Sunday was filled with Outdoor's cyclocross event and more brunch!

All in all, it was a successfully, fun weekend!

Recent Memphis Happenings

Last month, there were many events, not just of the cycling (as you know, my favorite) nature.  Some local cyclists had a "Drag Race" event in midtown.  Participants had to be in "drag" to race.  I'm not sure who won, but I'm sure he/she looked amazingly fierce.

Drag Race...I borrowed this picture from another social media site...hope they don't mind

A few weeks ago, Elmwood, an historic cemetary in Memphis, held a "Spirits with the Spirits" event.  It was such fun.  The cemetary looked so beautiful at night.  Luckily, there was a full moon to add to the mystic of it all.

Some of the cemetary residents were there.  Did you know that Kit Dalton, from the Jesse James & Dalton Gang was buried there?  He made an appearence.  My friend, Tom and I chatted with him for a bit; cool guy, but I wouldn't mess with him!

The cemetary offered wagon rides around a select portion of the cemetary.  I learned a little bit about the history and a few other items: 1) if you are offered a drink called, "uplifter," don't drink it unless you like the taste of kerosene.  2) Don't be fooled...even if a drink called, "yellow fever" looks different than the "uplifter" it also tastes like kerosene.

It's Certainly Been Awhile

This year has been quite busy for me.  As a result, I've grossly neglected posting.  Here's a picture summary of some of the goings on:

Mid-ride:  Striking a pose at the river in Shelby Forest



At Juanita's after the Big Dam Bridge Ride in Little Rock, Arkansas





An old Favorite.  JJ, the Shelby Forest General Store resident, sees his reflection and mistakes it for a rival rooster!



Don't mess with these triathletes...

I sure love my Memphis cycling & triathlete friends!

Harpeth River Ride



This past weekend, some friends and I traveled to Nashville for the Harpeth River Ride.  It's sponsored by Nissan, so some to the Nissan/Trek pro's rode, too!  Chris Horner was one of the pro riders.  He.  Is.  Awesome.  I didn't get the chance to meet him, but talked to someone who saw him along the route.  Just as I suspected, he said that Chris Horner was as genuinely nice as he is during interviews and such.

Pre-ride!

The girls

Who's gonna chick Chris Horner?  Me!  Me!

 So, I did see Chris Horner and yes, he did get chicked (passed by a girl) by us.  He was standing with his teammates on the side of the road, but the details aren't really important.  What's important is that we "chicked" Chris Horner!

Let's get this party started!

PICKLES at the SAG stop...brilliant!

Still smiles at yet another stop.

And, still smiling after - although, I'm catching a quick nap.

It was such a good time.  It was a win/win; I got to ride my bike and visit with one of my best college friends who lives in Franklin, just outside of Nashville.  She and another friend of hers rode with us, as well.  The ride did have some hills, but they were NOTHING compared to 3 State 3 Mountain.  The route was absolutely beautiful.  There were wild flowers and gorgeous farms as far as we could see.  In true Memphis Hightailer fashion, we made new friends along the way, too.  This is a ride I would gladly participate in again.

St. Vincent!

Recently, the (absolutely amazing) musician, St. Vincent played at Minglewood Hall.  I love her music, so of course, I HAD to go to the show.  Her show was just as incredible as I thought it would be.  Her voice is just as clear and versatile live, as it is on her albums.  With the way technology is in studios today, you just never know what you're gonna get live...

Here, it looks like she's giving someone the "one fingered salute," but, she's not.  She would occasionally give the sound guys instructions, via hand signals.

Giving cue's to the sound guys

Although, she didn't really "crowd surf" during the song, "Krokodil," like she normally does, she did stand on a guy's shoulders in the crowd to sign the song.  Did I mention that she's awesome?!  Well, she is.