Ice Closes Berea College Campus

January 2009 - Jacksboro, TN We are back safe and sound from picking up Allie. The big bad ice storm in Kentucky forced the campus of Berea College to close. Students had until 5:00 pm on Wednesday to be off campus. They did have a very tiny amount of housing available for the few students with no place to go. For the most part, the closure sent a flurry of text messages as students checked on one another and made quick plans to leave.

The scenery was breathtaking. But, I know from past experience how deadly ice storms can be. We were stuck in the NC storm a few years ago. Some friends of ours did not get electricity reinstated until two weeks after the storm. When you are in a rural area you get electricity when they get it to you and you are thankful for it.

Here is one photo of the trees bent over from the weight of the ice and snow. More are posted on Associated Content.

From LaFollette to Alaska Missions Trip in June

Fran Lynch is a missionary to Alaska from the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church. She is a deaconness with the Willow Anvik Grayling Church and Community Ministry in Alaska.

This June a missions group from LaFollette UMC will be making the trek to Willow, Alaska and I'll be going with them. As events go on I'll be posting more on this blog. I'm very excited about the possibility of meeting people in a different part of the country. Keep checking here for details.

In the meantime, you can read more about the ministry of Fran Lynch in Willow, Alaska here:

http://new.gbgm-umc.org/work/missionaries/biographies/index.cfm?id=341

Genealogy Ally Helps me Find Roots

I found another treasure. It has the name and face of my maternal great-aunt. She has already been a great help! Not only has she done a lot of much appreciated research but she is a treasure trove of stories.

She says she remembers a great-grandmother. The lady was born in 1850 and lived through the Civil War. My great aunt tells me that she never tired of hearing the stories that this great-grandmother had to tell. Further, she's willing to share them with me. I feel honored. It is my great hope to be able to do justice to the treasures she's willing to entrust me with.

Now, we have to set a date to get together. With my calendar, that may be easier said than done.

My Geneaology Quest Begins.

Here goes the genealogy quest to discover my family. After digging through various papers that belonged to my mother I found buried treasure. It was in the form of a yellowed piece of paper. Written on it are the names, birth dates and birth location of my fathers siblings and also the birth dates of my paternal grandparents.

I was always told that my grandparents immigrated from Naples. This morning, a search through the Ellis Island.Org showed me that may not be true. With trembling fingers I found what is potentially a copy of the original ship manifest of the ship which carried my grandfather from Italy to New York. He sailed from Naples but the manifest lists a different city of origin.

Is the manifest accurate or was the family myth debunked? What other information shall I find? Will it lead to more questions or will I find answers?

The search is off to an exciting beginning. I wonder where the genealogy quest will take me and what I'll discover along the way?

Strawberry Plains Jacksboro Ash Wednesday Services

Strawberry Plains Ash Wednesday services are eluding me. I'll post on those as soon as I find out about them.

Did you read about the Ash Wednesday service in Jacksboro? Its on the Associated Content box to the right of this box.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. Services on this night include the imposition of ashes on one's forehead. This is a reminder of the sacrifice that Christ made. Palm branches from the Palm Sunday of the previous year are dried and then burned to create the ashes.

Not every Christian denomination participates in the Ash Wednesday observation. Those who do are almost always moved.

Chinese New Year Welcomes the Ox

Happy Lunar Chinese New Year! The Chinese are marking the start of their brand new year. They have an animal for each year and this Chinese New Year celebrates the Ox.

We don't use Ox very often in the US anymore but we do still use oxen terminology. Certainly you are familiar with the term "acre". An acre is the name for the amount of land that a team of Ox could plow in a day. Even today, when you buy property it is usually measured in acreage.

The Chinese New Year calendar uses both Gregorian and the lunar calendar. A good explanation of the calendar is available online.

The Ox is a solid animal that is said to represent financial prosperity. With the world's economic troubles it may be fitting that this Chinese New Year animal is the Ox.

Carter Band Opens Online Mall Help them get to London

My daughters were both in the Carter Band. Early on, we learned of the need this group has for money. The appetite is almost insatiable. Fueling that need is the great opportunities that are offered. These once in a lifetime opportunities come at a price. They are worth it in terms of lives changed and the positive experiences that result.

The Carter High Band is bound for London, England. The students have been practicing hard. Their hard work is about to pay off if they can raise the funds to get there. They need the help of the community.

The best thing is that helping is easy. In fact, all you have to do is shop from the comfort of your easy chair. You don't have to leave your home to help this great group of kids! Just a few clicks of the button the students of Carter High Band are on the way to London, England.

They have opened an online shopping mall at http://www.visitourmall.com/carterband

Looking for great names like Wal-Mart, Nordstrom, Home Depot or Best Buy? Check out the band's shopping mall. When you make a purchase through one of these links a portion of the proceeds will help the Carter High Band. And, it won't cost you any more than shopping there normally would.

Both of my daughters were in the band. I can honestly say that it gets better every year. The kids work hard. Going to London, England may be the only chance that some of these kids have ever had to leave the country or even fly.

Many of the stores listed through the mall have site-to-store shopping. You can also have items sent as gifts or to your home.

The kids can use the support. Help is easy. Why not?

Visit http://www.carterband.com or http://www.visitourmall.com/carterband to learn more.

United Methodist Youth Resurrection in Gatlinburg, TN

This weekend my husband and I are attending Resurrection. It's a United Methodist Youth event held in Gatlinburg. It's split over two weekends and draws a crowd of about 12,000 people. The targeted age is 6th grade through 19.

If you've not attended a Resurrection event yet you should. Mark your calendars for next year. It will be Martin Luther King weekend and the following weekend. You can't beat it for an inspirational experience.

I'm here working the booth for Hope for Healing.Org. It's been amazing.

The town's Christmas lights are still up and they are beautiful!

As a result of the weekend I'll be posting reviews on restaurants and the motel we stayed in. Keep watching for more info. Good experiences all around.

Inauguration Day

Inauguration Day 2009. Did you feel the mountains tremble? Or was it just my knees? Today, is the dawning of a new era of hope. No longer are minorities seen as "lesser than". For those of us who have mixed heritage or race today is a day of renewal.

My own heritage is Italian-American. Many in the South consider me to be white until they hear my maiden name. My mother used to say that I have just enough Native American heritage from her side that I could live on a reservation. That makes me 1/2 Italian-American, 1/16 Native American and 100% American.

From my living room I watched a new president take his oath of office. It was a moment that made me proud to be an American of mixed race. Today, it was good to be "Heinz 57" because that is what it means to be American. That diversity makes us strong, and proud.

Inauguration 2009 is a starting point of a new era.

Strawberry Plains Presidential Inaugural Committee Service Site

Strawberry Plains had a service site for the Presidential Inaugural Committee National Service Day. I'm so tired. We moved furniture, dealt with a broken water pipe, bagged clothed, laughed, poked fun at each other and just had a great time. People came to Hope for Healing.Org in Strawberry Plains that had no idea where the community is. We had a great time. This is a wonderful day of service that spread across the United States. I think we were all glad to have been a part of it.

Back home from Resurrection 2009

Wow! Was Resurrection ever great! Hubby and I left Gatlinburg last night to come home. He has to preach today and the church is receiving a new member.

For another year, Resurrection has left a deep impression on me. The fellowship and renewal is unsurpassed. We truly enjoyed getting to know our great youth directors and the youth from the church. Special time was spent catching up with friends. It's just been a heart warming experience. I can't wait for Resurrection 2010.

Resurrection 2009 Gatlinburg, TN United Methodist Youth

It's time for Resurrection 2009. I can't believe it. Wasn't it just yesterday that we were here? That was another time and with another church.

The Jacksboro United Methodist Church will be attending. So will 6,000 of our other closest, screaming, United Methodist Youth. It's is one of the largest youth gatherings in the Southeast. In our opinion, it's probably the best youth gathering that you will find anywere!

Music this year is by Starfield. They are a hip, hit contemporary Christian band. These young guys are full of soul, energy and Faith. Kids scream and jump to the music. Just when it reaches a crescendo the band brings the kids back to earth to get ready to worship.

The powerful speaker seems to be hitting the mark with the youth this year. Resurrection is always an energizing, moving, exhiliarting experience.

EEG Positive for Epilepsy. Now on Keppera

Well, the wait is over. Today, was the date for the followup for the neurologist consultation. A couple of years ago the GP I was seeing took me off of the Dilantin that I'd been on for a few years and did not put me on a replacement medicine. His suspicion was that I didn't need the meds. Things started going downhill for me as far as concentration and a few other things.

Well, today, we found out he was wrong. Turn out, I do need to be on an anti-convulsant (just like the other doctors said).

After our move I needed to change doctors. The new one wanted me to follow up with the neurologist. The new specialist reviewed my records and ordered a sleep deprived EEG. I had to stay up all night and had the test done at 2:30 pm. the following day. Was I ever worn out!

Tuesday, we got the results. They were positive. Apparently, I had a small seizure on the EEG and my brain waves were weird. (My kids say the brain waves were no surprise.)

So now, I'm being put on Keppera. I've not found out how much this is going to cost yet. If you've had experience with the medication let me know. It's a newer drug so I could use the encouragement.

Fortunately, Epilepsy isn't usually a deadly disease. It's manageable with medication. That's pretty reassuring.

Jeremiah 29:11: Let's get personal

Jeremiah 29:11: Let's get personal
I found this blog entry this morning. It uses one of my favorite scriptures. The verse for Jeremiah 29:11 is "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

This was the message given to the people of Israel. It's also been given for you and for me. With all the troubles that the world is facing from our local and national economy to the issues over Gaza, isn't it reassuring to know that God has plans for us as His people?

This knowledge is always worth a reminder.

See ya online!
Gayle

Krispy Kreme Knoxville Hot Doughnuts Now Review

Just for grins and giggles I stopped by the Krispy Kreme on Kingston Pk. It was right before Christmas. Who could resist those tasty treats? My husband sometimes needs to take doughnuts to meetings. My goal was to get him a small gift card just for fun. What I didn't know is that Krispy Kreme also carries a full line of fun merchandise. In addition to the T-shirts they have coffee mugs, trucks and other items.

Of course, they still have gift cards and the best doughnuts around. The staff was very friendly. You can tell they thoroughly enjoy their work. This shines in their health department score too. If you've not been by in awhile you might want to give it a try.

My full review is here:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1306244/krispy_kreme_doughnuts_knoxville_kingston.html?cat=22

Wok Hay Restaurant Review Knoxville Merchants Dr.

What is Wok Hay? Translated, it literally means "breath of the wok". That's not a bad name for one of the newer Asian restaurants in Knoxville. After seeing it around town for months I finally got to try it. The restaurant has a near-perfect blend of ambiance, service and great-tasting food at a reasonable price.

I'll give it a 4+/5 on this trip. Great job!

My full review is on Associated Content. Click the link in the headline above or look in the widget on the right.

Hamrick's Kingsport, TN Clothing Store Review

We're back from our outing. Kingsport is a great city to visit in East Tennessee. We found a lot to do in the area. I'm writing quickly and will be posting reviews soon. Here's a quick review on Hamrick's that you may enjoy reading.

Our first stop was Hamrick's. I've missed this clothing store since the W. Knoxville location closed. They have name-brand clothing at great prices. Hamrick's had this very comfortable pair of Grashopper's loafers for only $14.98. That was too good of a price to pass up.

The store has hard-to-find sizes in shoes and clothing. Shoes ranged from N (narrow) to WW (extra wide). There were several brands and styles to choose from.

My husband was able to find some great shirts in the men's Big and Tall section. After much deliberating he walked away with a men's vest for about $14.

Our steal of the day came when we picked up a jacket for my daughter. We got a full leather (not vinyl) jacket in chocolate for only $15.

Hamrick's is your typical discount shopping store. They have shopping carts but no frills. No special services and no places to sit. The staff is friendly. An employee asked me to pray for her for her health issues and I'm asking you to join in too.

My shopping experience was great. I can't wait to go back to Hamrick's in Kingsport and do it again.

HGTV Gives Away 2009 Dream Home via HGTV.Com

HGTV is giving away a 2009 Dream Home. I had to read the article about the 2009 Dream Home twice to be sure I wasn't seeing things. Their website says that you can enter once a day. How cool is that? Enter here and read more on the HGTV website. The Dream Home 2009 looks wonderful.Read more at http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv-dream-home-2009-giveaway-enter/package/index.html

With all the bad news about the economy and job layoffs it's nice to have something nice to follow. No matter who wins it's going to be fun to see who does get it.

If you do enter the contest for the HGTV 2009 Dream Home, good luck!

Getting away

Finally a chance to get away. I'm excited about the chance to leave my worries behind for awhile. We all need the occasional chance to relax and unwind. It will give me more to blog about too. That never hurts. :-)