Gatlinburg, Baltimore, Memphis. Oh my!

GATLINBURG

Last November, I took a trip to Gatlinburg with some of my nearest and dearest friends. We stayed in an awesome cabin up in the mountains, complete with a hot tub and a gorgeous view.

Not bad, Tennessee.

Morgan and I carpooled down a day late (and apparently, we missed a crazy night). Mostly, we stayed in the cabin, catching up, sitting in the hot tub, listening to music, and playing games. One night, we went down to the main strip, ate dinner at an Italian restaurant, and sampled some Ole Smoky Moonshine (yes, even me). The next night, some of us had dinner at the Hard Rock.

Some of the girls. For some reason, no group pictures were taken.

We also had a bit of a bear problem. The first night, a not-so baby bear showed up at the cabin, limping around. The next night, he came back with his mom and brother. It made for some awesome pictures and a close call for a couple friends who got a bit too close.

This was "baby bear."

On the way home, we stopped at Applewood Farmhouse for brunch. It was totally worth the hour-long wait for the fresh apple cider and apple fritters. Delicious. If you're ever near there, GO.

BALTIMORE

In June, Mom, Dad, Wheat, and I went to Baltimore for my cousin Tabitha's wedding. The day before the wedding was Wheat's birthday, so I bought him tickets to see the Orioles, his favorite team, play the Yankees. Unfortunately, it rained and batting practice was moved inside. Luckily, it stopped raining, so we could walk around the Inner Harbor for a bit before making our way to Camden Yards.

Nice beard.

The ballpark itself was awesome. We spent over an hour looking at all the cool quirks before finding our seats. There are statues of the players whose numbers have been retired and plaques on the ground commemorating the landing spot of every home run that has landed on Eutaw Street. At the 1993 Home Run Derby, Ken Griffey, Jr. hit a homer that bounced off the warehouse wall on the other side of the street. Unreal.

Wheat likes Cal Ripken more than he likes me.

Much to Wheat's (and therefore my) relief, the Orioles won, 4-3, after a huge home run from Nate McLouth. McLouth also broke up CC Sabathia's no-hitter late in the game.

At least I wore orange.

The next day, Wheat and I rode the golf cart around the neighborhood and played some baseball before the wedding. The ceremony, which was held outside at a nearby yacht club, was absolutely gorgeous. The weather was perfect, Tabitha looked beautiful, and everyone was so happy. I'm thrilled to have Keith in the family - everyone loves him, especially Cameron.

I may or may not have watched Cameron the whole time. I'll let you decide.

It was so great to see my family and spend time with them at the reception. I tried crab cake for the first time (and didn't like it) and even got Wheat to dance!

The best dancer I know.

MEMPHIS

For Fourth of July weekend, I went to Memphis with Wheat to meet his family. I was a little bit nervous, but they were all so sweet to me and have that irresistible, inviting southern charm.

I love Papaw.

Partially due to my obsession and partly because he hadn't been before, Wheat and I went to Graceland. Even if you aren't a huge fan of Elvis, Graceland is such a cool place to go. It's awesome to tour through the different rooms, his planes, his racquetball court, and his yard and imagine what it must have been like when he was living there. We also went through the car museum (with the famous pink Cadillac) and I successfully fought off tears at his grave.

Wheat wants to recreate the Jungle Room in our apartment. Nope.

After Graceland, Wheat took me to his special place, Memorial Park. We walked through the Crystal Shrine Grotto and sat in the most incredible hollowed-out tree while we waited for a thunderstorm to pass. Even though it's a cemetery, it felt like an absolute fairytale.

Perfect way to pass the time.

It doesn't seem real.

The next day, Wheat's parents took us downtown to eat at the Rendezvous. Everyone knows that Memphis has the best barbeque and I'm pretty sure Rendezvous might hold the title. Afterward, we saw the Peabody Ducks, walked down Beale Street, stopped by the Grizzlies shop at FedEx Forum, and visited the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot.

One of my favorite places.

Witnessed a pretty cool moment.

That night, Wheat's cousin, Newman, threw a Civil War-themed birthday party, complete with the appropriate music and decorations. Hats off to the Memphis hipsters because they came dressed in period costumes and brought the most delicious Southern dishes ever, including corn pone, fried green tomatoes, and mint juleps.

Okay, enough for now. San Diego and Las Vegas to come.