I think I was born too late

Ever think you just don't fit in your own generation? That you would've been better off, possibly happier being born some other time? I think I was meant to have been born sometime in the 40s....this would've gotten me more exposure to all of my very favorite things- Elvis, retro (well they weren't retro then) kitchens, the incredibly simple but so very cool 50's clothes, the CARS, more conservative family attitudes (I want to be home, in my kitchen- not this office!), and basically just the 50's and 60's in general. I just fit better there.

Luckily for me while I was not born until 1982, I was born in New Jersey. And just forty minutes away from my house is one of my very favorite throwbacks to that time period- the Warwick Drive-In Movie Theater. Now based on my own little research, this is something that many people my age have NEVER experienced and I really think it's a must-do for everybody. On top of being wonderfully nostalgic, generally lots of fun, and a great activity for any age group, it's also significantly less expensive than your average multiplex! We go to this theater- Check them out and if you're anywhere in the area, you NEED to go and support this awesome business: http://www.warwickdrivein.com/

They have three screens that show 2 movies each per night and an awesome concession stand. You are welcome to bring in your own food (people bring all sorts of stuff) but we try to buy from them as that's really where they make their money. They charge $8/person and if you stay at the same screen, you get to see two movies for that price! The concession stand is also very reasonable.

We went up to see Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay and decided to take in the double feature and saw Speed Racer First. To be totally honest, I didn't expect much at all. I'd never seen the cartoon and the reviews aren't good - let me tell you, they are WRONG. That movie was amazing. Even without the incredibly played storyline and cast of characters, just the color, the detail, and the effects in this movie make it more than worth going to see. I highly recommend it...and I'm hoping for a sequel. I won't give it away in case you haven't seen it but they leave one thing kind of open at the end and I really hope they produce a second one to resolve it. Harold and Kumar was hilarious as expected and if you liked the first one, you'll enjoy this one too.

This was the view out the back of my trailblazer at the screen...could you as for more beautiful background scenery?

A shot of some of the old speaker poles in the rows next to us before it got crowded...they don't use these anymore but they still have them on the far left screen's field. They now use a system where each screen has a designated AM radio station that you tune into in your car and listen to. Better sound I'm sure but lacking in the nostalgia department.

And in thinking back to our two recent stops in Nashville, I've rehashed my interest in country music...I've always liked it (you can blame my mom- it's totally her influence) but driving through Nashville, everywhere you go and almost every station you flip to is country. I've been listening to it on Sirius in my truck and on XM online since I got back and I came across this song by Trace Adkins that I think has something to say to a lot of people, especially in my generation. I'm always looking so hard into the future, planning the next step that I never really get a feel for 'now'. I've been married for three years and I can honestly say that I've spent the majority of that time planning out our future and not at all enjoying this time in our marriage...this is something that's definitely going up on my list of stuff to work on. So anyway, here's the song...

You're Gonna Miss This

She was starin out the window of their SUV

Complainin sayin I can't wait to turn 18

She said I'll make my own money And I'll make my own rules

Momma put the car in park out there in front of the school

And she kissed her head, and said 'I was just like you'

You're gonna' miss this You're gonna' want this back

You're gonna' wish these days Hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now But you're gonna' miss this

Before she knows it she's a brand new bride

In her one bedroom apartment And her daddy stops by

He tells her it's a nice place She says,

'It'll do for now' Starts talkin' about babies, and buyin a house

Daddy shakes his head And says baby just slow down

Cuz' you're gonna' miss this You're gonna' want this back

You're gonna' wish these days Hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times So take a good look around

You may not know it now But you're gonna' miss this

Five years later there's a plumber Workin' on the water heater

Dog's barkin', phone's ringin' One kid's cryin' one kid's screamin'

And she keeps apologizin' But he says they don't bother me

I've got two babies of my own One's thirty- six, one's twenty- three

Huh, it's hard to believe

But you're gonna' miss this You're gonna' want this back

You're gonna' wish these days Hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times So take a good look around

You may not know it now But you're gonna' miss this

You're gonna' miss this Yeaahhhh... you're gonna' miss this...

I'll leave off on that note for today....lots of new stuff in the shop this week and more to come this weekend...be sure and take a look!

Back from Vacation...in more ways than one

So I know I've been completely ignoring my blog for oh...6 months now. I don't think I really 'got' the whole blog thing but now that I'm reading other peoples' so frequently, I'd like to pick back up on mine.


My husband and I just got back from our annual trip to Memphis, TN. We love it there and hope to someday move either there or Nashville. We drove down (yup, 17 hours from New Jersey) and toured a bit of Nashville along the way. In lieu of the 'normal' tourist routine, we chose the slightly cheesier route, visiting the Duke's of Hazzard Museum and the Country Music Wax Museum.....

(these photos are to stand as proof that I could NOT have made up the Duke's of Hazzard Museum...it's free by the way)

After that we continued down Rt. 40 into Memphis...we toured the zoo, hung out on Beale Street, and took a couple of carriage rides around the downtown areas. We also had tickets for and made a few brief appearances at the Beale Street Music Festival - a truly awesome event that's consistently just a little too crowded and muddy for us. Some of the highlights we did manage to see however were Aretha Franklin, Buddy Guy, and the Black Crowes.


Sunday's activity was by far my favorite though, visiting Graceland for the second time. If you know me, you know I adore Elvis and all things Elvis...to a near frightening degree. If you don't know me, well...you'll figure it out soon enough. We spent the better part of the day touring around and spending far too much money on Elvis related paraphernalia. If you're interested, here are some of the shots from that day...







If you want to see more, just leave me a comment with an e-mail address and I'll let you know as soon as I get them all uploaded to Flickr.


And on the way home we had lunch at an unplanned and beautiful little surprise of a stop. We swung by the Loveless Cafe after reading about it in a tourism brochure. When I tell you the BEST fried chicken & biscuits I've ever had (coming from a family of great cooks) I mean it. You can buy all of thier signature stuff here (save for the biscuits) and I highly recommend it- http://hamsandjams.com/ We'll definitely be shopping there once the stash we brought home with us runs out.


So we've been back about a week and are getting back into the swing of work and regular home life....but are not happy about it.


Check back tomorrow for updates on Speedracer, nostalgia, and country music :)