day 4 nashville to memphis - maxed out

Dear readers, it's day 4 on our trip and we have to admit we're feeling the miles. It's hard, trying to balance the joy of a road trip and discovering new towns with the task of working and being present and really, really doing what we came down here to do. The conversations we have are amazing but they are also exhausting and we love to cram as much in as we can that we're sometimes forgetting to stop. We know y'all know what we mean. But that's not to say that we would change one minute of it. Even the struggles are ways of growing and learning.
The day started lazy and lovely as we lounged in East Nashville with E. & J. We had a fabu breakfast, complete with beignet make-up. It might not make sense in this moment, but trust us - it will.

With the Tennessee rain came our departure for Memphis. About an hour into our trip we came to a standstill traffic jam for the next hour. In a way it was nice, it gave us time to talk about our childhoods, which was a real treat. 

And inch we did, but an hour later we came upon the reason for our woes - a tractor trailer literally ripped in half and it's cargo was strewn all over the street. At first, we were sure it was diapers but know - it was maxi-pads. An interstate littered with maxi-pads, like snow. And to top it all off - they were Carefree. As we motored on, we found time to talk about what was on our minds and while it was hard, it was good. Communication in a journey like this is what it's all about.

We finally rolled into Memphis around 7pm to check into the Heartbreak Hotel. Of course, we had to drive past the gates of Graceland first (and yes, Laird, we listened to Paul Simon's "Graceland" and it didn't seem cheezy at all!) It's so surreal that here is this universal beacon of fame, and truly holy place for many, in the middle of run-down storefronts and strip malls. And yet, there's still this energy that one can't really explain. And the hotel - good golly, wait til we post photos.
We headed on down to Beale street for some grub and finally got ourselves some fried chicken and ribs! We then rushed back to the hotel to get into drag for our guest number at the local club - Backstreet. It was fascinating to be in another town's social center. It was in this very residential neighborhood and yet completely hidden and non-descript - if it weren't for the neon lights, we would have never found it behind the truck depot. Never. We went on around 1:30 (yes, a.m.) and were received beautifully and wonderously. It was challening to navigate receiving tips doing the number we did, but we did our best. Unfortunately, the sound kept coming in and out and being that drag is, well, lip-synching and not miming per se.... let's just say it was a challenge. It made us thankful for the amazing venues and performers we have...

It's not close to the 3a.m. and we must go to sleep because the King demands our attention tomorrow. Here's to the journey...