Elvis Week is something that cannot be easily explained to someone. It’s an experience. It continues to strengthen Elvis fans and create new ones. It’s the wonder of Elvis that keeps us coming back. We don’t even understand it.
My Elvis Basement dress in Elvis’s Basement!
Now that Elvis Week 2017 has officially come to an end and I have had a week to somewhat recover, it is incredible to relive it all through pictures and videos. The excitement is still strong as I express how wonderful the trip was to friends and family. During a phone call with my dad today, I realized just how amazing it was that I am an Elvis fan.
Explaining the new complex and exhibits, I was telling him how much it had changed since his last visit in 2001. The jumpsuits, the theming, the car museum, it was clearly a must see for any Elvis fan! At this point, my dad was happy to listen to my excitement and reminded me that they only ever did Elvis stuff for me. I am not like most Elvis fans in how my love for him started. I was 5 years old and fell in love with a picture of him. The obsession grew and my parents just went along for the ride, but they aren’t Elvis people. Neither were my grandparents. It’s just me.
Latest wall art in my office! Moody Blue album canvas for Moody Blue headquarter!
(This canvas comes with quite a story!)
Looking around at my office, seeing Elvis calendars, Elvis busts (yes multiple), and many other Elvis memorabilia hanging on walls, I see this all so differently now. Of course I knew my parents weren’t big on Elvis, but to know that they did all this for me makes me want to cry (in a good way of course). This brings me to this past Elvis Week. The 40th anniversary of Elvis’s passing and seeing thousands of people from all over the world gather to celebrate his life and legacy. Having so many different people, from different backgrounds, all understanding a common love for Elvis.
Welcome to Graceland
Seeing the $140 million expansion that went into the new complex at Graceland and the care that went into these new exhibits. The investment that went into making sure his legacy lives on for future generations shows Elvis is not going anywhere. The exhibit tries to capture a glimpse of the magnitude of his career. Even for me, I forget Elvis was real. He was and still is larger than life. Seeing his home, his family, his life unfold in front you really shows a human being.
Growing up Elvis was everything to me. I put him on such a pedestal and compared every guy I ever dated to him. (I know crazy right?) Elvis still is basically everything, but I see him in such a different light now. He created such an image for himself and it’s amazing that he left enough of himself in there to let his fans get to know him long after his passing. I love watching documentaries, behind the scenes, and listening to recording sessions to hear his crazy banter and learn how sassy he was.
I have said this for as long as I can remember and I will say it forever, I love Elvis.
Until we meet again,
TCB and TCE,
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