Elvis........

     Ok.  Seriously.  I am not now, nor have I ever been, an Elvis fanatic.  But with the purchase of our new car a month ago came a 90 day free subscription to SiriusXM Radio.  While trying to figure out how it worked I came across the Elvis channel.  I soon found myself singing "Jailhouse Rock" at the top of my lungs and waving my arms around like an idiot while driving down the street.  (I could behave that way in my previous car because it had very dark tint on the windows and I couldn't be seen.  Not so with this one.  Everyone around gets to experience my joy along with me!) 
     So in the last few weeks I've learned that Elvis' jet had 50 speakers, that the gates of Graceland open at around 8am, that people everywhere have Elvis stories.  Which reminds me of something that happened almost 30 years ago.  I had just moved to the town where I currently live and was attending Sunday morning services at a recommended church for the first time.  The speaker walked up and said "Everywhere I go I meet experts on the life of Elvis Presley".  What on earth was this guy talking about!!!!!!  My mind ran in several directions trying to figure out where he was going with this.  I looked in the church bulletin and saw that the speaker's name was Rick Stanley.  Meant nothing to me.  But he began to talk.....about his big brother.  Rick Stanley was Elvis Presley's step-brother.  And what an amazing testimony he had!  God had protected him thru extreme situations and placed people in his life who told him about Jesus.  Rick's book, "A Touch of Two Kings" tells about his life before, during and after Elvis.
     A few years later, Rick Stanley came back to our church for another revival.  This time a special night was planned for a group of us at a local restaurant after the service. I had taken a neighbor to church that night and we headed straight to the restaurant right after the service so we could get a good seat.  Strangely, no one else in the group showed up, just Rick Stanley and his father-in-law.  We felt badly that no one else was there but we had a very interesting time learning things like how Priscilla would drive around Memphis with the top open on her car while her great danes where sticking there heads out the roof. We later found out the rest of our group went to a different restaurant.  Their loss!  :)
     Not sure why, but one of our son's chose Elvis (or Elbus as he would say) as his hero at an early age.  We have such a cute video of him in his footie pajamas in front of the Christmas tree, grinning from ear to ear and singing along with 'Elbus'.  He even got an Elvis action figure for Christmas one year!  I believe he has outgrown his 'Elbus' phase and I know he's outgrown the pjs!
     At dinner this week one of the kids mentioned the Gates.  Of course the Bill Gates family was the intent.  But suddenly it reminded me and I started off on a 'did you know' session about my favorite Elvis movie "Blue Hawaii".  Did you know that Elvis' last name in "Blue Hawaii" was Gates?  Did you know his girlfriend's name was Maile?  (To which I was challenged.  The question...what was her last name?  Duval of course!)  Did you know that his dad ran a pineapple plantation?  Did you know that Elvis wanted to open a tour guide business and name it "Gates of Hawaii" and that when he announced it he also proposed to Maile?  Did you know that Elvis' name in the movie was Chad and that's where I got the name for (the son seated to my right).  Well, actually I didn't.  Not consciously anyway. 
     This summer we took a vacation that began with driving across several states.  We stopped by Graceland in Memphis and Elvis' birthplace in Tupelo.  Our youngest son insisted on taking pictures of me at various Elvis sights.  Was a blast!  Wish we had had Elvis Radio back then!
     When I was a kid, I remember my mom wanting to watch an Elvis movie. (I believe the movie was "Jailhouse Rock" and was on TV.)  My dad made the statement that Elvis had a hole in his head.  I was so worried about Elvis!  I looked and looked for that hole!  Of course I later realized my dad, like many men, was a bit jealous and was just trying to find a way to put down Elvis.  He tried to make amends several years later when he 'borrowed' my cassette recorder to record the audio portion of an Elvis concert on TV.  It was a sweet gesture even if he did record over Donny Osmond!
     When one of our sons was due to be born in January 19 years ago, I was hoping he would be born on Elvis' birthday.  We missed it by 8 days.  Oh well.
     Seriously.  I'm NOT an Elvis fanatic.  I do believe his birthday should be a national holiday though.  And, at this very minute, I am watching "Blue Hawaii".  :)