Memphis - Day 2

Pergandes had a very busy day 2 in Memphis. We started our day at a church service at the Full Gospel Tabernacle Church, which was founded by Al Green. We enjoyed gospel and breakfast and a unique experience to be remembered.




We stayed in South Memphis and happened upon the famous Uncle Lou's. We enjoyed fried chicken, fried pickles and "corrupted" carrots. Didn't realize until we got there that this place had already been discovered by the food network. Fun and tasty surprise...




After lunch, we headed to Sun Studios where Elvis Presley was discovered and recorded his first single - "That's All Right". We really enjoyed the tour, having old fashioned sodas, and "singing" into the original microphone that has recorded the likes of Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis...





We then headed back to our hotel for a quick break and swim in the outdoor hot tub...



We were excited to see the local Memphis Redbirds play a game at Autozone Park. It was a beautiful night. The kids enjoyed playing before the game at the batting cages, slides, radar guns, etc... However, we were bummed to find out (after we purchased our tickets) that the game would be cancelled because of the "record setting" rains that hindered field conditions...




So we headed to another walk down Beale street before hunkering down to a family movie night at the hotel. Good second day...

Memphis - Day 1

We arrived in Memphis after a 4 hour drive from St. Louis. Our first stop - Beale Street and BB King's Blues Club. We enjoyed fried pickles and the great music of young and soulful musician Will Tucker (only 19 years old).


We then headed to try out some awesome BBQ at the famous Rendezvous after a run through the pouring rain. Rain seems to follow us on every vacation! We are now the proud owners of a new umbrella and poncho...

Graceland Here We Come! - First Stop Johnston Family Home in St. Louis

The Pergandes are off to Graceland to celebrate Presley's 10th birthday and her namesake, Elvis Presley. We started our journey with a 10 hour ride to St. Louis and stayed the night at our pals, the Johnstons. The Johnstons fed us all the St. Louis specials including brisket burgers, steak bacon, and St. Louis style BBQ ribs, all in less than 24 hours. We also enjoyed great time catching up and bonding while playing Just Dance, Blitz, and Telestrations. A fun time with a great family!

Summer of Fun - Week 3

Our week 3 of summer started with some not so fun news. After being in a zip up cast for 9 weeks to heal a "mild" fracture, we were told that Presley's arm is not healing. She has now been put in a regular cast for 3-4 more weeks and all activities like golf, biking, and hockey must be stopped. Wish we would have done this cast from the beginning. Thank goodness Presley is a good sport!



We took another trip to Valley Fair. This spring/summer we have been pounded with rain. Many of the roads and bridges are closed. Valley Fair was not closed but the parking lot was flooded! This trip we went on scary rides like Steel Venom and calm rides like the old fashioned cars and enjoyed shakes from Ben and Jerry's...




What can you do when you have a broken cast? Mom thinks a hike would be fun and relaxing. Presley and Mom ventured on a hike near the edge of the river valley in Eden Prairie. It was fun until.... we discovered a washed out bridge near the end of our hike. Presley tried to cross and got stuck knee deep in the mud (in flip flops) with her brand new cast also full of mud. Always an adventure. Too bad she wouldn't let me take a picture with the mud... While it wasn't fun at the time, Presley agreed that it was funny in hindsight.




Presley's U10 soccer team was excited to be the first too sign her new cast...

Summer of Fun - Week 2

Our second week of summer vacation continued to be busy and full of new adventures (and crazy weather)...

Presley and Canyon are participating in golf leagues and/or lessons this summer. Canyon golf nines holes every Monday morning at 10:20 with three of his buddies at Halla Greens. While he may not be good at golf yet, he enjoys the bonding time with his buddies. "Yeah, I am not very good. I had a blast though." On Tuesdays, Presley takes lessons at Bent Creek with a couple of her friends. Each week, they work on a new skill. The first week was putting. Mom is also getting back into golf with some new clubs and new lessons. Looking forward to this family activity in the future.



This week Mom went with her buddy, Stacy, to see American Authors, the Script, and One Republic at the Target Center. Great show and fun girls night out...




Canyon is playing baseball this year on the 12AAA Eden Prairie travel team. He primarily plays 3rd base and catcher. This week we played in Minneapolis. The game was called short because the lights weren't working. But we ended on a high note with our first summer ice cream from an ice cream truck...



We have gotten a crazy amount of rain this week. Rivers are overflowing, basements are flooding and lakes are at an all time high. We had relief from the rain on Friday and ventured out to Bryant Lake. The lake was so high that the umbrellas that are normally in the sand were in the water and the docks were underwater. Canyon and a buddy had fun paddle boarding across the lake while Mom and Presley kayaked. It was nice because the lake was "no wake", which means no speeding boats so the kids enjoyed swimming and playing in the middle of the lake as well. Ran into some friends, enjoyed lunch, and enjoyed our first summer day to the beach...



This weekend, we had a rare "activity free" and beautiful summer day. We took a family bike ride from Lake Nokomis to Minnehaha Falls along Minnehaha Creek. The waterways were bursting, which made for an adventurous ride. We enjoyed fish tacos and crawdad po'boys at the famous Sea Salt Eatery near the falls. On our way back, the kids took a swim in Lake Nokomis and the new lakes that have formed beyond Lake Nokomis. Fun family day...

90 Days of Summer - Week 1

This is Mom's first summer off with the kids and we are calling it our summer of adventure. Time to take on new responsibilities, time to explore some of the city's highlights that we haven't had the time to explore in the past, time to relax and play with friends, time to check out new summer camps, and time to make some memories as a family. Our first official week of summer was filled with many fun firsts...

Canyon learning how to pump gas for the first time...


Playing frisbee golf at Staring Lake and then grabbing some ice cream...


Swimming at Lifetime Fitness with friends...


Getting Valley Fair passes and actually going to Valley Fair (and trying out new rides, new food, new shows)...


Checking out local festivals, including our first, Parktacular, where Canyon's saxophone teacher was playing with his band Prior Avenue...


Spending Father's Day in the city. We tried the new miniature golf course at the Walker Art Center, went to the Stone Arch Bridge festival and got up close to the roaring falls on the Mississippi, and ended our day with some great pizza outside at Galactic Pizza...