I'm in Kates room...In Memphis...at Christian Brothers University...if you didn't already know...I'm here for Beale st music fest, which starts tomorrow....and to see my friends, of COURSE...I'll be here till tuesday morning. Kate is at class right now.

So....I rolled into Memphis last night at 6:04PM...right on time....walked down the looooooooooooooooong walkways to get past security to get to where all the non-travelers are...and guess what my greeting was like...it consisted of Katie Jo (Kate) andDanielle (Ellie) waiting for me with a huge hot pink sign with "Dena" written on it in black...both smiling...Ellie holding Tulips for me.....so i rushed over, hugged Ellie first...but i think I more like sqwooshed her cause i was hugging her so tight....lol...and we hugged and bounced around like girls do and made weird noises....lol...and then it was on to Kate....oh yes...and then I showed them that I was so excited that I was literally shaking. Then I introduced them to the business man I sat next to on the plane, named Steven, who had told me I had "great eyes...they remind me of my niece's...blue with a little grey", and met his girlfriend who was there to pick him up, Lisa. it was good times....they are also going to music fest on saturday to see the indigo girls....yay....

then we went to get my bags...and i located them quickly...and ellies like "i got you TULIPS! did you realize that?! and i was like "yeah!!!!!" then she goes "i could have gotten you roses or something."....it was good times...pickin up on my Calvinistic homegirl ;) awwwwwwwww yeah......lthen we got a picture by this great muisic backdrop in the airport...but you can't see the music stuff in the picture....haha...and would you believe that is the first picture kate and ellie have gotten together of them? and we were all in it! fun! and then i got one of just them two....

they had asked me immediately if i was hungry...haha...and i was because i hadn't eaten much that day anyway cause i was too excited...so....they decided to take me to Hueys....a little background information for you on Huey's....kate has told me about it before...kinda a memphis icon of some sort.....and its this restaurant where you LITERALLY shoot toothpicks from your straw, into the ceiling...so you walk in, and theres all these toothpicks in the black, soft ceiling...lol...and I always say that I want to go there...so thats the first place we went....hahah...so kate and i drove in her car and ellie drove....

so we got seated and ordered and ate and had really good talks....it was so nice to get to sit down with them and really just talk face to face, all three of us.....we stayed for quite some time....talked about Ellie and Gabe's wedding, and their counseling and Kate's acceptance into volunteer program this fall and music fest......and all kinds of stuff.....it was priceless...absolutley pricess.....and then we shot toothpicks at the ceiling....lol....much laughing ensued...and then we got pictures....and then we walked outside and got MORE pictures....lol...said our goodbyes to ellie for then....

kate and i came back to her dorm....BEAUTIFUL campus...i want to take pictures of it...she gave me the "nighttime tour"...and there is this exquisite little nook with this awesome tree and a stone bench beneath in...i love it...its all enclosed with walls on 2 or 3 sides i think....i'll get pics...don't worry...but i fell in love with it...

last night, i stayed up late...but fell asleep on the couch...haha...and then i played a little old skool super mario brothers...PS...i SUCK...the end. haha....kim (kate's awesome roomate) "broke and entered for me"...and by that i mean "she took the grill/vent off the spare room in this suite and unlocked the door from the inside...haha...so i'm staying in the spare room...which is fun times....and i'm always freezing...so i have on three blankets and a sheet and i slept in long pants and a shirt and sweatshirt...haha...

newho...i got up this morning with kate to go to her 8 am sports psych class...her teacher looked at me like "who the heck are you" at first...but he was really cool.....they let out early...i came back and crashed on the couch....and i def. wore my pjs to class today...and all i did was brush my teeth.....ga-rungy....livin the college life, man. gotta love it.

ne who...so now,....kate and kim are at class...kate should be back shortly....then we will eat together outside at school where they're cooking out...which means i should probably peel off the sweatshirt and get on my flipflips....

and then kate has to get ready for work...and she will be gone to that till 6 something...which means i have time to kill here, bymyself....shower and such...fun....

here are tentative plans for tonite...at 7ish, kate and I are going to the Memphis Redbirds baseball game! RepreSENT! i'm way excited about that. and then we're gonna meet up with ellie and gabe after that...fun times...so

thats all for now....more updates soon, hopefully.

grace and peace,
Dena