Feeling like a Memphian

...and just as I felt myself falling in love with Indianapolis all over again, Wheat and I packed our bags and drove to Memphis for Valentine's weekend. It's okay - absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? In this unique case, not so much. We traded 60º weather on Saturday for a low of 0º and a couple inches of snow today.

For those wondering, our trip to Memphis was lovely. Since none of the Pacers made the All-Star team this season, Wheat had a couple extra days off and wanted to visit his charming, ultra-Southern grandparents. They spoiled us all weekend with Valentine's treats, home-cooked meals, board games from the 1940s, and meaningful conversation. On Friday, we were treated to a delicious barbeque dinner at Corky's, complete with onion loaf, fresh rolls, and baked beans. We spent quality time with his aunt, uncle, and youngest cousin, as I unsuccessfully kept myself from gushing about our recent engagement. Oops.

On Saturday, we embraced the heat wave and ventured to the Memphis Zoo with his cousin, J.J. I was completely surprised by the outstanding quality of the zoo. The animals also seemed to be taking advantage of the weather and were really active. Here were my personal highlights:

- They have so many more cats than the Indianapolis Zoo! They even had a white tiger and a precious red panda in their Cat Country exhibit.
- I saw a capybara and laughed for at least five minutes. I really love those things.
- They have impressive Northwest Passage and Teton Trek sections, complete with grizzly and polar bears, bald eagles, sea lions, elk, and timber wolves. Watching the two grizzlies play and run around their massive enclosure was easily one of the coolest things I saw.

- The bonobos were so much fun to watch and two of them were playing with and/or carrying babies!
- After covering itself in mud to cool down, one of the elephants came right up to the gate and I was amazed at its sheer size.
- My favorite exhibit was the China section, which included two pandas! One of them was munching away on bamboo while the other lazily stretched out and slept in the sun. I melted.

As we left the zoo, I made the mistake of pointing out a precious, chubby panda stuffed animal in the gift store window. Instantly, Wheat sprang to dreamy boyfriend action and bought the little guy for me. Blog friends, meet Buddha.

On our way home, highway signs tempted us to stop briefly in Casey, Illinois to see the world's largest wind chime. I'm a total sucker for roadside oddities, so I was thrilled to ring the massive chimes myself. Casey is also home to a few other world record-sized objects - the largest golf tee and the largest knitting needles and crochet hook - and will soon add the largest rocking chair to its collection. Mark my words: We will stop by again on our next trip to Memphis.

The best part of my weekend, however, was seeing Wheat interact with his grandparents. He's so gentle and kind-hearted by nature, but to see the obvious love and connection he shares with them just proves that I truly found the sweetest guy on the planet. He was so gentlemanly, respectful, and loving that I guarantee I was swooning just as hard as anyone that saw 50 Shades of Grey this weekend. Oh, and it didn't hurt to see some of his precious baby pictures, either.

I'll be back once my ovaries recover.