BEEB: Regatta

There's been a sad, inevitable return of late to talk of leaving Memphis in our circle of friends. I don't mean to sound exclusive; if you live in Memphis, I'm sure your circle of friends probably talk about the same thing. It's what we do when we're not eating BBQ and talking about being extras in The Firm.

So it came as a surprise to me that when my parents announced we were all taking a spur of the moment trip to Florida, I heard myself saying no. This coming on the heels of the guy that came up to my window and asked for money - as I was parked in my driveway. While I usually plot for ways to get the hell out of here, there actually were several things going on this weekend that we wanted to check out. And not only were there fun activities, Saturday delivered on its promise of being one of those achingly gorgeous spring days that helps you forget about the crime, the perpetual threat of violence, the idiot mayor and makes you just smile with pride at your frilly pink azalea bush.

Thursday I had my very first photo assisting gig with the extremely talented Jake Morrow.We spent six hours shooting a ridiculously beautiful couple in love in locations around Memphis that I had never seen, let alone heard of. I also scored some gratis cheesecake and wine in addition to the lighting lessons, so I was pretty much floating when I got home. My next gig is a wedding next weekend! And speaking of my photography, I have some really exciting news that I will be sharing soon...

After a quick trip to the first farmers market of the season, the fam headed over to Harbor Town so I could attend my neighbor/friend/trainer Kelly's boot camp. While I was getting my ass kicked, Caleb and Harlow explored the grounds of Maria Montessouri and enjoyed the festivities as today was their annual regatta fundraiser. The school is on Mud Island and overlooks Wolf River lagoon, so the students can sail and kayak. I have to admit, one look at the boats on the water and the smell of hot dogs in the air I was already envisioning walking Harlow to her first day of school. The place is kinda ridiculously charming.

As we walked in to the regatta, a little heartbreaker of a boy wheeled up and planted a sweet kiss on Harlow's cheek. Welcome to Montessouri! We were introduced to the founder of the school by an old family friend I hadn't seen in ages, and then we bumped into friends Shannon and Brian whose son Max goes to MM. Shannon pointed out the garden where the kids grow food that they harvest and then eat every Wednesday. Adorable. And green! Even better, Caleb ran into some friends working the event who announced that one of their live musical acts had to drop out, so Caleb booked a show! We ate a burger, showered up at home and headed back to the regatta so Caleb could entertain the masses.