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| Shiloh, Choice, Tate, and Ryder |
Just as soon as we entered the great state of Tennessee, we were off to GRACELAND.
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| Ryder, Shiloh, Rusty, Choice, Tate, and Juliann |
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| Ryder, Rusty, Shiloh, Choice, Tate, and Juliann |
Today's visit was dedicated to the one and only Elvis Presley.
Immediately upon arriving to Graceland, you are engrossed in the rock n' roll legend. The KING.
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| Ryder, Choice, Shiloh, and Tate |
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| Juliann, Tate, Ryder, Shiloh, Choice, and Jason |
I have always been a huge Elvis fan, and being at his home with a brilliant singer/songwriter was even more special.
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| Jason |
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| Jason |
To enter Graceland you pass over an old wooden bridge.
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| Tate, Shiloh, Ryder, and Choice |
For decades, visitors from all over the world have left their mark on this bridge as a token of their travels and a remembrance of the time they spent visiting the home of the King.
We chose to add our mark to those of so many others who had previously visited.
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| Handprints left on bridge to Graceland |
Each one of us left our handprint for the world to see. Of course, we were sure to draw a Be Better Band on the wrists. Even Rusty got involved in the activity.
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| Juliann and Rusty |
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| Shiloh |
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| Juliann and Choice |
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| Tate |
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| Tate and Juliann |
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| Ryder, Shiloh, Choice, and Tate |
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| Jason, Choice, Shiloh, and Tate |
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| Choice, Shiloh, Ryder, Tate, and Juliann |
Once we crossed over the bridge we were smack dab in the middle of the memorabilia.
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| Jason, Juliann, Choice, Ryder, Shiloh, and Tate |
The kids were all fascinated by Elvis' legacy. Ryder really tried to mimic his mannerisms. It was hysterical! He did his best to remain in character throughout the entire tour.
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| Ryder |
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| Ryder |
I wonder who he could have possibly gotten that from?...:-)
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| Jason |
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| Juliann |
The outside of the Presley mansion is exquisite. I felt giddy, like a little kid in a candy store.
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| Graceland Entrance |
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| Tate, Shiloh, Choice, and Ryder |
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| Shiloh, Juliann, Tate, Ryder, and Choice |
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| Shiloh, Juliann, Tate, Ryder, and Choice |
The inside was FABULOUS! It was a blast to the past as they've preserved the décor exactly as it was at the time that Elvis and his family were residing there. Even the ceilings, stairwells, and hallways were decorated in what would have been cutting edge furnishings in their era.
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| Juliann, Tate, Ryder, Choice, and Shiloh |
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| Ryder and Juliann |
After touring the mansion, we were guided through Elvis' trophy room.
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| Jason and Tate |
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| Choice and Jason |
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| Shiloh, Juliann, and Tate |
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| Tate |
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| Jason |
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| Tate |
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| Tate, Choice, and Ryder |
It was absolutely mind blowing how many accomplishments were achieved by one individual. His talents and capabilities were seemingly endless. I was impressed by the large variety of genres he dabbled in.
In addition to his extremely well known music career...
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| Ryder |
He had a very large acting career...
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| Tate and Choice |
He served our country as a soldier in the United States military...
He was a generous and compassionate humanitarian who gave to numerous charitable causes throughout his lifetime...
Being of service to others was among his top priorities. Reading the plaque below when he was presented with the Ten Outstanding Young Men Award in 1970 is a testament to the character of the King. This was the only award ceremony that this legend ever attended, while the list of invitations he received for such events was endless. He cared more about the recognition regarding humanitarian value than that of entertainment value. He is a true hero.
and a tender and loving husband and father...
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| Priscilla, Lisa Marie, and Elvis |
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| Daughter Lisa Marie and wife Priscilla |
After leaving the trophy room, we walked around the grounds of Graceland. The climax of the experience, for me, was the Meditation Garden.
This is the final resting place of Elvis Aaron Presley, his father Vernon Elvis Presley, his paternal grandmother Minnie Mae Presley, his mother Gladys Love Smith Presley, and his twin brother Jessie Garon Presley.
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| Evlis' grandmother Minnie Mae Presley |
| Elvis' grandmother's grave |
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| Elvis and his father |
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| Elvis' Father's grave |
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| Elvis with his mother and father |
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| Elvis' mother's grave |
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| Elvis' twin brother |
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| Elvis' grave |
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| Elvis' grave |
Clearly, Tate was moved by the entire experience.
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| Tate |
The other kids, not so much.
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| Juliann, Choice, Shiloh, Tate, and Ryder |
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| Jason, Juliann, Tate, Shiloh, Ryder, and Choice |
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| Choice, Ryder, Tate, and Shiloh |
Before leaving Graceland, each of the kids gave us their best Elvis impersonation...
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| Ryder |
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| Choice |
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| Tate |
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| Shiloh |
My love for Elvis, and the interest that the kids developed by talking about him and visiting Graceland, prompted us to make one additional stop. We said so long to Graceland...
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| Jason and Juliann |
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| Ryder, Tate, Choice, Shiloh, and Jason |
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| Juliann, Choice, Tate, Shiloh, Ryder, and Jason |
and made our way to Elvis' birthplace and childhood home.
This took us into Mississippi. Elvis was born in the town of Tupelo, MS.
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| Ryder, Choice, Juliann, Shiloh, and Tate |
Tate and Choice had fallen asleep in the bus on our way to Tupelo, so only the older two kids got out with us to wander the area.
Elvis had an extremely humble upbringing. The outhouse behind his tiny childhood home still stands to attest to that.
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| Ryder |
Ryder and Shiloh both recognized and commented on the drastic difference between his childhood home vs. his mansion in Graceland. Outside of the monetary element, I hope the kids took from that an understanding that we are all able to accomplish our dreams; regardless of circumstances thrust upon us.
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| Shiloh and Ryder |
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| Juliann and Jason |
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| Elvis with his mother and father |
Ryder and Jason took some time to play in the yard where Elvis would have played as a young boy.
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| Jason and Ryder |
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| Jason and Ryder |
Just on the other side of the yard you can view the church that Elvis attended as a child. It originally was one block away from their house but has since been moved to create a more convenient touring experience for visitors. The church was a fascinating element in understanding Elvis' upbringing because it is the first venue wherein he performed musically.
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| Elvis' Childhood Church |
To piece together a picture of what it was like during Elvis' time here, they've created a timeline of each year he was here.
1935...
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| January 8, 1935 |
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| January 8, 1935 |
1936...
1937...
1938...
1939...
1940...
1941...
1942...
1943...
1944...
1945...
1946...
1947...
1948...
| A statue of Elvis at age 13 stands next to his childhood home. Even at this tender age, Elvis understood how to dream. Perhaps the lyrics for my favorite one of his songs began creating itself deep within his mind at an early age... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLsFL0gkkKI  |
| Shiloh and Ryder |
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| Juliann |
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| Ryder and Shiloh |
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| Shiloh |
I enjoyed reading the remarks that people from Elvis' childhood recollected of memories they shared.
All of these childhood buddies said goodbye to Elvis when his family moved to Memphis TN in 1948. They were in pursuit of a better life. Even then, they embodied the motto, BE BETTER.
In a car similar to the one pictured below, they moved from the life they had known to create another. As is evident by the magnitude of Elvis' success...this move was inspired.
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| Shiloh and Juliann |
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| Jason |
As previously mentioned, I am a huge fan of Elvis. So I was surprised that at the end of our Presley experience today, my mind was riddled with thoughts of Elvis' mother, Gladys. Her story is a tragic one. However, it is a tale of perseverance, commitment to family, and resilience.
Gladys lived in the most humble of conditions. She and Elvis were exceptionally close. The bond and love shared by this mother and son duo was unprecedented. In fact, all these years later, it is still a story worth being told...
On January 8, 1935, Gladys Love Presley gave birth to a set of twins. The first of the two was born at 4:00 AM and was stillborn. He was given the name Jesse Garon Presley and was buried in a cardboard box in an unmarked grave -the family was too poor to afford a coffin. The second twin arrived at 4:35 AM and was named Elvis Aron Presley.
Gladys suffered hemorrhaging after giving birth to Elvis and his twin, and she spent more than three weeks at the hospital convalescing afterward. Her colleagues at the garment center where she worked raised $30 for baby things that the family couldn't afford.
Gladys is universally described as a protective mother. Gladys would give the other kids a beating if she thought they were messing with her boy Elvis. Elvis would get a taste of this medicine himself is he ever disobeyed her and ran off to play sports -which Gladys emphatically forbade and banned. It was always Gladys, and not father Vernon, who did the disciplining in the Presley household. She walked Elvis to school from his earliest years well into his teens. When he finally protested and the joint walks ended, Gladys would often shadow her beloved son back home at the end of the school day, making sure he returned home safely.
At school, Elvis was told not to eat with cafeteria silverware and Gladys gave him his own set of silverware to use at lunch. All through Elvis' growing up, Gladys inculcated into him how special he was. In his turn, Elvis promised his mother he would someday be a big success and buy her a big house and a mink coat.
In 1953, the 18-year-old Elvis walked into a Memphis recording studio and recorded a record he intended to give to his mom as a gift. The song he sang, "My Happiness," was probably not intended as a birthday gift, but more likely a Christmas present to his beloved mom.
After Elvis' career as a singer started taking off in 1956, he bought Gladys the world famous pink (and white) Cadillac, although she never learned to drive. Elvis bought her not one, but two mixers, his logic being that she could keep one at each end of the kitchen so she wouldn't have to walk so far.
In November of 1956, Elvis set up a song publishing company called Gladys Music. Gladys received a stipend from the firm that bore her name.
While touring, Elvis would dutifully call Gladys every night. The two had an extremely close connection. One night, Elvis and his band were driving to a new town when their car caught fire. When Elvis called Gladys that night, she immediately said, "What happened?" "What do you mean?" Elvis asked.
"I had a dream and I saw fire, a big fire around you," she said hysterically. Elvis could hardly believe the story when she told him.
When a preacher in Florida denounced Elvis as "a new low in spiritual degeneracy," Elvis had to call his mother to calm her down.
Gladys would sometimes travel to see her son perform. At one live show where a large group of girls swarmed her boy, Gladys is said to have waded in and pulled them off. Gladys grew to hate her son's success, as it meant sharing her beloved boy with countless others. She started drinking to quash her growing severe depression. In her final years, Gladys reportedly told friends that she wished her family "could just go back to being poor again."
Elvis continued to buy her gifts, including her own chicken coop filled with chickens and various other animals to make her happy. In 1957, Elvis had Gladys and Vernon make a brief cameo appearance as crowd members in his movie Loving You. That same year, he purchased the mansion Graceland, moving Gladys and Vernon in with him, hoping that Gladys would find happiness there.
The role as a mother is an awesome responsibility. It is a calling in life that requires one to completely lose themselves in the service of others. Being a mother is not a noun, but a verb. It takes hard work, often working yourself to the bone to ensure peace and safety for your children.
This is just the short list of difficulties Gladys dealt with:
- losing a child at birth
- being a single parent when her husband spent time in jail - having no money to support her household
- sending her child off to battle
- ultimately suffering a heart attack at age 46
It was her dedication and support of Elvis that solidified his admiration for his mother. The two of them shared a bond that could not be separated by poverty, wealth, war, success, illness, or death. Elvis continued to honor his mother until the day that he died; 19 years after she had already passed on to the other side. I can only imagine the glorious reunion those two shared when Elvis crossed through heaven's gates at the young age of 42.
I am eternally grateful for the opportunity I have to be a mother. As hard as it may be at times, the payoff is always far greater than the sacrifice. God bless you Gladys for your powerful example. You will not soon be forgotten
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
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