marvelous memphis: st jude children's research hospital.

My ties to and affection for St Jude Children's Research Hospital runs deep. My father was Co-Chief Resident at the hospital in the late 1970s. A good friend of mine from high school received his treatment there after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. I have a number of friends who work or have worked for St Jude or ALSAC - the fundraising arm of the hospital - over the last 15 years.

[the sign that greeted me upon my arrival]

Above that, the work that St Jude does speaks for itself. It is dedicated to finding cures for childhood cancers and other illnesses. It is committed to never turning a child away for a family's inability to pay. And since it opened its doors in 1962, it has raised the overall rates of survival from less than 20 percent to over 80, all while never charging families for treatment.

[statue of st jude outside the hospital's main entrance]

[murals in the lobby of the patient care center]

I realized earlier this year, in the midst of preparing for this year's St Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend, that I had never actually had the opportunity to visit the St Jude campus and take a tour. Since Christina occasionally gives tours as part of her role at ALSAC and wanted to practice, she very generously offered to show me around.

[a stained glass mural inside one of the chapels. notice the children of all different races and ethnicities, just like the patients of st jude]

[christmas cheer in the h clinic]

Christina showed Abby and me around about a month ago, but we were on a limited time schedule, and it was only when we were nearly finished that I realized I really wanted to do a longer, more in-depth tour and showcase as much of it as I could on here. So last week, we did just that.

[playing hide-and-seek between summer and fall. love these bright walls everywhere you turn]

[a collection of the illustrated memorials for danny thomas after his passing]

For nearly 2.5 hours we wandered the St Jude campus, going through the history of the hospital and working our way up to present-day. Even though I've heard the story of why Danny Thomas opened a hospital in the name of St Jude, patron saint of lost causes, this time I learned about how the hospital came to be located in Memphis -- when it opened in 1962, it became the first fully integrated hospital in the American South and paved the way for easing racial tensions in our city.

[my favourite spot: flags in the atrium representing the nationalities of patients and staff. so cool to see the global impact of st jude's work]

[a sculpture representing the work st jude and wash u are doing to map the genomes of children with cancer]

One of the main things that stands out when you wander through the hospital is how kid-friendly it is. You can see the efforts that were made to ensure children feel safe and secure without having to feel like they are confined in a hospital. Walls are covered with brightly-coloured murals depicting children playing. All registration desks and tables in waiting rooms are sized for kids rather than adults. Patients are transported around the hospital in red Radio Flyer wagons instead of wheelchairs. There are computers in all the waiting rooms so kids can surf the Internet [for the older ones] or play games. Where there are no murals, the patients' artwork is displayed. It is all very intentional, and it is all done to put children at ease.

[and his legacy for this lives on in the work of st jude]

[marlo thomas, danny's daughter, is now one of the main spokespeople for the hospital, and she has done a wonderful job of spreading the word about the work st jude is doing]

Another thing I love is the Kay Kafe. It is one of the main hubs of the hospital, as it is the only cafeteria on campus. Here you will find patients, families, doctors, nurses, researchers, fundraisers, and visitors all eating together. The food is both healthy and delicious, and I have thoroughly enjoyed both of my lunches there. An anecdote I learned from Christina: many years ago there was a young boy undergoing treatment at St Jude who was losing weight at a rapid rate and refusing to eat anything. All he wanted was his grandmother's mac-and-cheese, so the chef at the Kay Kafe called the boy's grandmother, noted down her recipe, and that is still the recipe for the mac-and-cheese that is served in the cafe to this day.

[i loved the digital timeline in the new building dedicated to marlo thomas]

[dr pui was co-chief resident with my father way back in the day]

[dr pui continues his incredible research while still treating patients to this day]

There are lots of similar stories and anecdotes that you learn about as you go through the tour. I don't want to reveal them all on here, both because I can't tell them properly and because I would prefer you visit the hospital yourself if you have an opportunity and hear them from a staff member as you go on your tour. They are all so much more impactful when you are standing in the hospital hearing about them, and I don't want to take away from that experience.

[a painting created by one of the teenagers receiving treatment at st jude. i can't get over how great it is]

St Jude really is a wonderful place, and we are so lucky to have it in our city. It has brought so many world-class doctors and researchers to Memphis, and they are continuing to make breakthroughs and find ways to save more and more children. I cannot say enough good things about St Jude and the work they are doing, and I encourage everyone to learn more about the hospital.

[the sister of a patient does a take on quotes from the fault in our stars. also on display on the teen art wall]

Some quick facts about St Jude:

• Families never receive a bill from St Jude, because all they should worry about is helping their child[ren] get better.
• Since opening in 1962, St Jude has helped raise the overall rate of survival for childhood cancer from 20 to more than 80 percent. Their next goal is 90 percent in the next ten years.
• The daily operating costs for St Jude is $2 million, and most of that money comes from individual donations over the course of the year.
• St Jude shares all of their research and breakthroughs to anyone who wants it, free of charge [that is not always the norm with other hospitals or research centers].
• St Jude is currently building the world's first proton therapy center dedicated solely to helping children.
• The St Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend, held every December, is the biggest single fundraiser for the hospital each year. As of race weekend at the beginning of the month, this year's St Jude Heroes had raised $7.5 million; their goal is to pass $8 million by the end of the year.

[one of the many mottos of st jude]

I for one am proud to support the work St Jude does every day to find cures and save children.

xx

50 of 52: a farewell to memphis.

I wanted to have some sort of farewell event in Memphis before people began dispersing for the holidays, so last week we had a desserts and drinks event at Katie, Christina, and Toney's house. It was nice and informal, which was exactly what I was hoping for, so I had plenty of time to hang out and chat with people. And we had the Grizz-Spurs game - you know, the one that went into triple overtime - on to provide the right touch of drama to the evening.

[sherry went all out with that rum cake] 

[cupcakes, cookies, and mini bundt cakes. yummy]

It was great to have nearly everyone together one last time, and I'm so glad I got to see so many great people one last time. I've got some pretty great friends in this city, and I loved being able to spend some time with them.

[such a nice picture, and then you have the two jokers in the back]

And that QPon jersey is pretty great, too.

other highlights included: finally tried the BBQ spaghetti at Bar-B-Que Shop; another successful Ornament Exchange; saw The Theory of Everything; great Grizz win over the Warriors; in-depth tour of St Jude; fantastic farewell party; whirlwind visit from Bee; lunch at Las Delicias; last visit to the Forum; last lunch at Curry Bowl; began packing.

[bbq spaghetti. yes, please]

[ornament exchange getting underway]

[scored a world map ornament]

[awesome grizz win over the warriors]

[flags in the st jude atrium representing the nationalities of all the patients, families, doctors, nurses, researchers, and other staff at the hospital]

[further proof that quincy and i are destined to be best friends]

[the veebees strike again]

[we got to meet santa grizz! while i was wearing his face on my shirt, of course] 

[took a moment on friday night to say goodbye to this special place]

[let the packing process begin...]

[last sunday family lunch. chana bhatura washed down with some thums up. can't beat it]

4 days until I leave!
xx

memphis eats: bbq spaghetti from the bar-b-q shop.

[tell me this doesn't look delicious. i dare you]

I love Memphis food a lot, and I love Memphis BBQ more than anything else. There are plenty of joints I have not yet tried, but my tried-and-true favourites are Central BBQ [on Central. obviously], Blues City Cafe, and The Bar-B-Q Shop. I go to each one for specific dishes, but until yesterday, I had never tried one of Bar-B-Q Shop's most famous dishes: the BBQ Spaghetti.

Once I knew when I was leaving Memphis, I began working backward from my departure date and planning out my remaining Memphis meals, and yesterday was Bar-B-Q Shop's turn in the rotation. Although my standard go-to is a regular pork sandwich plate with fries and baked beans, I decided this would be a good time to try one of their signature dishes.

And it was delicious. It's spaghetti with bbq sauce, which in and of itself is brilliant, and then there is pulled pork instead of meatballs. There is really no way to go wrong with that, and I was so happy with my lunch decision that I ate every last bite [I had the "side portion", which was a full meal for me].

And in outside news, Bar-B-Q Shop was just named the best BBQ in the Mid-South by a readers' poll conducted by the Memphis Business Journal. So you know it's legit.

Trust me when I say it is totally worth a try. If you're not a convert, I'll buy you lunch the next time I'm back in Memphis.
xx

48 of 52: st jude memphis marathon weekend.

This weekend was the 14th annual [13th running; last year's race had to be cancelled because of inclement weather] St Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend, and I participated for the first time. When registration rolled around in the spring, I was still too scarred from the Little Rock half to commit to another, nor was I sure I would be in Memphis - or the States for that matter - so I signed up for the 5k.

In addition to signing up for the race, I pledged to be a St Jude Hero as part of Team Rhodes and fundraise for the hospital. My initial goal was to raise $500, and as of the writing of this post, I have raised $1304*, which has completely blown my mind [Team Rhodes has raised over $81,000!]. I have had friends and family from around the world donate anywhere from $5 to $200, and every dollar of it goes directly to the daily operating costs of the hospital.

[walking in to the expo]

In the leadup to race weekend there were various events in the city to get ready. There were Happy Hours and course previews and training runs at Breakaway, all to build a community of people dedicated to running and raising money for St Jude, and it all culminated this weekend. The expo began on Thursday, the Heroes Pasta Party was on Friday [and yes, I cried. that Rick Shadyac knows how to tell a story], and the races were on Saturday morning.

[lots of hungry pasta party go-ers]

The 5k start was at 7.15am, so we were downtown early to park, take a few pictures, and be in place when the gun went off. I finished in about 40 minutes, which I was pretty proud of considering I hadn't run in over a month. And the best part was that I finished before the half and full marathons began at 8am. I set up camp at AutoZone Park until Christina finished her leg of the relay, and then we chilled [and I mean chilled. it was cold] until others finished.

[team rhodes 5k participants]

We had a great vantage point from the bleachers behind home plate, and our friends began rolling in around 10.15 from the half. We stayed downtown until Whitney finished the full around 12.45, and then Christina and I picked up snacks before going back to her house and crashing on the couch until the Team Rhodes party in the early evening.

[the real heroes we run for]

It was a crazy but fun weekend, and it was great to see so many other people out there coming together to support St Jude. I was way more sore on Sunday than I should have been for having run a 5k, but it was entirely worth it.

other highlights included: breakfast at Pancake House with Dylan; Ladies' Night dinner at Blues City Cafe; my last day with the Carlson boys; brother bear's birthday; Friday lunch at Golden India; Central BBQ lunch with Winkates; DeltaCappella Holiday Concert; family dinner with the Carter-Walsh clan.

[the waffle that sent me into a food coma for nearly two hours]

[pretty remnants of fall] 

[throwback to the mysore palace as a bald-headed two-year-old] 

[memphis drivers. aren't they just fantastic] 

[mother-daughter nap time on a rainy friday afternoon. it's the stuff dreams are made of]

[some holiday cheer on beale st] 

[indeed]

[millie found out i was leaving. poor girl's going to miss me the most]

[found on the bench at central bbq. what a great motto for our team and our town]

After preparing for this weekend for nearly 8 months, it's crazy to think it's over. On to next year, I guess.
xx

*you can make donations through the end of the year, so if you are inspired to donate to my fundraising efforts you may do so here. your generosity is much appreciated, by me and most especially by the doctors, researchers, families, and children of St Jude.

marvelous memphis: starry nights at shelby farms park.

Last weekend I took my parents to see the Starry Nights exhibit at Shelby Farms Park, and I thought I would share our visit with you today.

[memphis love as you drive into starry nights]

Starry Nights is a super cool lights exhibit that Shelby Farms puts on every holiday season, and cars line up to drive through and ooh and aah at all the lights. There are traditional lights as well as Memphis-themed ones, and in the middle you can park and visit Mistletoe Village, where you can get hot chocolate and have your photo taken with Santa.

[driving through the solar system] 

[st jude love]

[i see you, grizz]

Last year I participated in the Starry Nights 4k, a walk / run through the lights after Christmas, but this was the first time I've ever driven through it, and it was fantastic. As Christmas draws closer, the line of cars will be halfway down Walnut Grove, but there was no line at all when we went, on the Saturday night before Thanksgiving, and we could go through at our own pace.

[i don't know why, but this one kept cracking me up]

[bb king's]

My father was admittedly skeptical when I made the suggestion, but after my mother and I convinced him to join us, I'm pretty sure he enjoyed it more than we did. If he hadn't been in his pajamas - and my mother and me in our slippers - he probably would have wandered around the Village for a while as well, but I think the lights were enough to keep him entertained. I don't think either of my parents realized just how big the exhibit is until we kept driving for 2 miles of lights.

[because you can't have christmas without a train]

[this one was really cool to see as you approached it. should have done it as a hyperlapse. damn hindsight]

My favourite part of last year's run was running through all the stars, because it felt like an enchanted forest, and that was definitely true again this year. At the risk of sounding horribly cheesy, it was pretty magical.

[my favourite part]

[i want to have this in my yard year-round. that's a thing, right?]

It's on every night through December 23rd, so hop in your car and go check it out. Take advantage of having the largest urban park in the country in your own backyard.
xx