Merry Christmas! Wait!!! Aren't we celebrating that other holiday, what's it called again? Oh yeah, Thanksgiving! I meant to write Happy Thanksgiving!

I love this time of year as my family knows, but I'm growing more and more annoyed that Thanksgiving is literally put on the back burner in favor of Christmas. I can't believe people have their Christmas trees and lights up already, and they've been up since last week or even before.

I realize Christmas is a true commercial holiday, and even though I don't like it, I've finally accepted that stores will decorate for the holidays and sell Christmas decor and gifts starting in October for business reasons, but it's still hard for me to accept people in my neighborhood and others already decorating for Christmas. Can't we just enjoy Thanksgiving?

I'm partially guilty in my own right, although I don't think my actions are quite as guilty as others. Satellite radio has already added a holiday songs channel called "Holly" that I've started listening to, which has greatly annoyed my wonderful husband since I enjoy listening to it a lot...well possibly all the time. Christmas music puts me in a great mood, but today as I prepared for Thanksgiving and listened to the music, it felt more like Christmas Eve and not Thanksgiving Eve.

I asked my students on a quiz I gave yesterday about when and where the first Thanksgiving was celebrated. Most of them didn't know the answer, which is sad since it seems the reasons why we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas have both been forgotten.

I'm thankful for many things, and I'm still very thankful that we have Thanksgiving tomorrow. I'm not going shopping Friday. I'll be taking down my Thanksgiving decorations and putting up the Christmas tree and lights.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!

Touring CNN in Atlanta and a Publix sighting in Tennessee!

Last Friday, one of the University of Tennessee journalism faculty members took a group of undergraduate students to CNN in Atlanta for a tour and the opportunity to meet with UT alumni working at CNN. I tagged along since I've never been. The standard CNN tour than anyone can go on was informative for people who've never worked in a newsroom. While Anderson Cooper, Wolf Blitzer and Larry King do their shows out of New York, Washington and Los Angeles, CNN Headline news is based in Atlanta, and Atlanta is still the "mothership" of CNN.

The best part of the day was when one of the UT alums gave us a special tour where we had the chance to be on the newsroom floor and take photos behind the news desk. The students really enjoyed it. We also had a great talk with meteorologist Chad Myers, who took time out of his busy schedule to explain how things work and offer some great advice. Sometimes I still wish I'd been a meteorologist. I'm still annoyed we don't get "Local on the 8s" from The Weather Channel since we have Direct TV.

What was helpful to our group of students was meeting with hiring managers who coordinate internships and entry-level positions. It's a competitive business, and a common way for someone to get his or her foot in the door at CNN is to start off a Video Journalist or VJ. I know several friends from UF who did this after graduating. The starting salary is $24,000, and when I told this to my class yesterday, a series of shocked and horrified gasps befell the classroom. Honestly, the salary isn't that bad in Atlanta for a journalism job. I have friends who've moved to New York City and have taken a job for the same amount or less! I try to tell my students each semester that you don't become a journalist to become rich. There's a huge salary gap between what most journalists make and what Katie Couric, Matt Lauer and Barbara Walters bring home.

Several of the UT alumni talked about why they continue to be journalists despite the long hours, giving up holidays with family and friends and considerably lower pay than other professions. Passion is the reason. They said they love their jobs and don't see them as jobs, and they have a passion for what they're doing. I wonder how many of my students have this passion. Making a living is important, but for many of them a paycheck outweighs their passion. People could ask me the same thing since I'm not a practicing journalist, but I do miss it...at times. At this point in my life, my passion is teaching, but how to instill passion in my students about being a journalist isn't easy these days.

The tour was a great experience for them and for me. A highlight on the way back home was seeing a brand new Publix grocery store just built off the interstate close to Chattanooga. I kind of squealed when I saw it, which probably made all the students on the van wonder what in the world I was doing, but Publix is one of the few things I miss about Florida (besides our families and friends :)) This Publix is about one hour and 15 minutes from our house, but I hope it's a sign that Publix is inching closer to Knoxville since there are many stores in the Nashville area.

Whenever I say "Publix," I swear that most people, automatically say, "I love Publix subs!" I have to agree with them. Publix, please find a home near Knoxville. It's truly "where shopping is a pleasure."

Remembering Aunt Yvonne

Aunt Yvonne (left) and family cousin Katherine at our wedding reception in 2004.

It's been a tough few weeks for my family with the passing of Uncle H.D. in October, and this past week, my mom's aunt, my great aunt, Yvonne Emery died suddenly. She turned 73 last Monday, Nov. 10, and on Tuesday afternoon, her heart simply stopped beating while she was at home talking on the telephone. Her passing is still a shock to all of us.

Aunt Yvonne and her husband, Uncle Paul, used to live near my parent's house in Alachua. One of my fondest memories of her and Uncle Paul is when they helped save our Christmas one year. During the days leading up to Christmas in 1989, a snow and ice storm delved all the way down to Florida. I was 12 years old and had never seen snow. What we experienced was more ice than snow, and it created more havoc than happiness. Churches canceled Christmas services. The mall and other stores closed early because no one could drive on the icy roads.

Our family Christmas gathering was also canceled, and it was something my younger brother and I look forward to since we saw all our cousins and exchanged presents. While the snow and ice were exciting, we were kind of trapped in our house with no place to go. Aunt Yvonne invited us over for supper one night. My dad had to use an ice pick to break the ice from his truck's door handle, so we could open the door and all pile in the truck and drive about 1/8 of a mile on the icy road to their house. I think it took us about 10 minutes to drive what usually would have been a 2 minute drive.

She made delicious Brunswick Stew, which we'd never had before. My mom still uses her recipe when she makes it. It might seem like a small gesture, but it meant the world to us.

Aunt Yvonne leaves behind her husband of 51 years, three sons and six grandchildren. She was the true rock of her family, and I know it's going to hard for them during this holiday season. At least heaven will enjoy some delicious Brunswick Stew. We love you, and we'll miss you Aunt Yvonne.

Climbing Clingman's Dome

On Saturday, we visited Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The leaves have already changed color and are starting to fall off the trees in the mountains, but it's still a beautiful site to see. It was a clear day with hardly a cloud in the sky, so we decided to drive up to the highest point in the Smokies, Clingman's Dome.

We then climbed the steep half-mile walk to the observation tower and were able to see more than 100 miles in each direction because of how clear it was, which is rare since it's often quite cloudy at 6,643 feet. It was the perfect day for such an experience.

The road to Clingman's Dome is closed Dec. 1-March 31 due to the winter weather. It was a cool 35 degrees up there Saturday afternoon, and we saw ice and some snow since it had rained the night before.











The above photo shows Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge down in the valley. Look for the small white structures, and those are the towns, which tells you how high up we are!












This is what Gatlinburg looks like from a bit closer. We stopped at an overlook on the Gatlinburg by-pass on our way back home.








The shots below were taken while driving through the park.






Just another reason why we LOVE living in this gorgeous area!

Happy Halloween!

Don't have too much fun out there tonight! Have a spooky and safe weekend!

Happy Birthday Aljosha!

My friend Katerina's little boy, Aljosha, is one today! I can't believe how fast this year has flown by in all our lives. In an earlier post, I talked about how I was in the delivery room for Aljosha's birth. What a wonderful experience! Happy Birthday Aljosha! Below are some recent photos of Aljosha and his wonderful family.

Updates

I'm happy to report that my college friend Natasha and her family had some good news this week. After the first round of chemo, baby Austin (pictured above in the hospital with his big brother Hunter) is in remission and doesn't have any cancer cells in his body. The doctors determined this after a bone marrow biopsy. He'll still needs four more rounds of chemo, but the Allen family is very happy. They continue to need prayers and support since they'll probably be at Shands Hospital until March.



Another Gator is moving to Knoxville! University of Tennessee President John Petersen selected Dr. Jimmy Cheek, UF's Senior Vice President for Agricultural and Natural Resources, as UT-Knoxville's next chancellor. The UT Board of Trustees approved the recommendation Friday, and Cheek starts Feb. 1, 2009. I should probably warn him about all the orange and white he's going to encounter. Go Gators! Go Vols!

Saying Good-Bye to Uncle H.D.

A wonderful family friend who's been my dad's neighbor since my dad was born almost 70 years ago died over the weekend. H.D. (H.D. stood for Homer Deihl, but he always went by H.D.) Burnett, or as my brother and I affectionately called him, Uncle H.D., died outside his workshop some time Saturday afternoon. He grew up and lived a field away from the house my dad was born in and next to his son Tim, daughter-in-law Judith and two granddaughters, Sierra and Cheyenne.

It's still a shock to all of us who knew him. He was 76 but hadn't been ill and would spend hours each day working in his shop, restoring antique tractors and wood working. He served in the Korean War, worked for a Ford motor company in Alachua, Florida and then was a rural post office carrier before finally retiring and enjoying what he loved most, restoring those antiques and spending time with his family.

My dad would visit him almost every day, and they would talk about tractors, life, the weather, people they knew, etc. I know my dad is going to miss him a lot. I remember my mom telling me one time that my dad hadn't been over to visit in a few days because he was busy with other things, so one morning, Uncle H.D. called my parent's house and asked my mom, "Is Amos OK?" My mom replied, "Well, yes." Uncle H.D. then said, "Well I was just wondering since he hasn't been over here in a few days."

My first memory of Uncle H.D. was probably when I was about 4 or 5 years old. Uncle H.D. had restored my dad's father's old John Deere tractor, which we named Putt-Putt. My dad reminded me of this last night when he said they had a photo slide show at the funeral home during visitation, and there was a photo of me and Uncle H.D. in the slide show with Putt-Putt. Dad gave me a box of my old photos when I was in Florida this summer, and I found the same photo last night. (By the way, I still have those cowboy boots, which were my first pair.)



The restored Putt-Putt and me.


Uncle H.D. worked for years at Enneis Motor Company in Alachua, and he checked out my first car, a used 1988 Ford Escort, before we bought it. When my wonderful but problem-plagued Plymouth Neon had issue after issue, he look at it several times and diagnosed the multiple problems.

When we moved to Tennessee two years ago, I wanted to take the antique bedroom set that belonged to my dad's parents and had been in a barn for way too long. It wasn't in good shape since the termites had made it their dinner. He and his daughter-in-law restored it to its original condition, and it's beautiful. He refused to let me pay him.



A photo of the restored dresser is above.

His kindness and generosity extended well beyond family and close friends. He would often fix things at Brown's restaurant in Alachua, and the owners would reward him with a warm meal and friendly conversation. He had breakfast at Brown's the day he died with Judith and the girls. My dad told me the other day that he built a set-up on his property for a friend with his RV camper to come and stay with a water and sewage hook-up.




We held a 40th wedding anniversary party for my parents in June, and invited their wedding party. Uncle H.D. and my dad's sister, Aunt Naomi, are in the photo above probably sharing a funny story or joke with each other, something they are both known for. H.D. was my dad's best man at his wedding. My parent's anniversary dinner was the last time I saw Uncle H.D. It's hard to believe he's gone, and I know so many people will miss him. I guess God must have some tractors or antique furniture that needs restoring up there in heaven. We'll miss you Uncle H.D.

The 90-minute "Minute Clinic"

After having a nice lunch today with my friend Jessica, I decided to get my annual flu shot. I've been getting a flu shot since I was a freshman in college, and it's worked so far. A nurse told me that being in a college setting is a high risk area since I'm in constant contact with hundreds of students each day, touching the same door handles, computer keyboards, bathroom fixtures, etc., and as a whole college students don't take care of themselves.

I decided to go to the CVS Minute Clinic, but it took many minutes, almost 90 to be exact. Based on the television commercial, I thought the Minute Clinic only handled flu shots. I was wrong. It's an actual clinic where people who are sick go to be diagnosed, hence the long wait. When I arrived around 2:30 p.m., there were four people in front of me, and three of them weren't there to get a flu shot. They were sick, and the nurse practitioner spent about 25 minutes with each of them. I'm glad they were treated for their various illnesses because it gave me the chance to meet a very interesting woman.

A 69-year-old pawn shop owner walked in for her flu shot a few minutes after I did. We all had to use a touch-screen computer system to register for a flu shot or list another reason we were there. She immediately told me she didn't know how to use computers, so I helped her log on. It took a few minutes since she didn't always hit the correct key, but we finally got her registered. She then proceeded to rummage through her purse searching for a business card to give me. As I mentioned she owns a pawn shop and wrote on the back of the card that I can receive a 35 percent discount on any item not on sale, and I can use layaway. She also didn't include an expiration date.

She couldn't find her cell phone, so she drove back to her pawn shop to get it. When she returned 20 minutes later, we were all still waiting. She told myself and another young woman sitting next to me that she was going to do some shopping. A few minutes later she returned with a Brazilian bikini wax kit and asked if either of us had used one. We both told her no. She informed us of her trip next week to Miami with her 79-year-old husband and how she didn't have time to go to a beauty shop for a bikini wax. Then, she proceeded to open up the wax kit and read the entire instruction guide out loud for all to hear. If you've never read a bikini wax guide out loud, please don't start now. She also made several other comments I will not write here, but I'll leave to your imagination.

Fortunately, it was my turn next to have a flu shot, but I enjoyed meeting this very nice woman, and I appreciate the discount card. To be almost 70 and buying a bikini wax kit...I can only hope.

Fun Family Fall Visit

Last weekend, David's family visited us. His mom, Jean-Paul and Grandma made the long journey from hot and humid Winter Haven, Florida to the mountains of East Tennessee. It was unseasonably warm here though with highs in the upper 70s to low 80s.

On Saturday, we joined hundreds of other tourists at a popular driving site during the fall and all year round, Cades Cove.



It's probably the most popular spot in the Great Smoky Mountains. The leaves are starting to change to bright red, yellow and orange colors, but they definitely haven't hit their peak, which will probably be at the end of October.





Bumper to bumper traffic. If you're driving through any part of the the Smokies during the fall, be prepared to go slow and stop often.



Views from the sunroof!




We saw quite a few deer during the drive, and they were very close to the road. Most of the photos I took were blurry since we were moving, but I promise there's a deer in this one. I just can't find it!



We didn't see any bears, but it was a lot of fun though to ride through the one-way 11-mile loop, which I haven't done since I was a child. Just another reason we love living in this part of the country.

Remembering Roxann

Happy Birthday!

The Power of Prayer and Facebook

I've had a Facebook account almost since it started four years ago thanks to my brother who turned me onto it. During the past year, I've noticed how many of my high school and college friends have joined. It's been great catching up and reading where people's lives have taken them.

A few months ago, one of my college friends, Natasha, and I became friends again on Facebook. I already knew she was married and had one child because we had lunch before I left Gainesville several years ago. However, through Facebook, I quickly learned she was pregnant with her second child.

If you're not familiar with Facebook, people can post photos, information about their work, education, family, etc., and status updates for their friends to see and send messages to friends. Because of this interactivity, I learned Natasha delivered baby Austin on July 30, 2008, and within a few days, she quickly posted photos of the new arrival along with his daddy Patrick, big brother Hunter and other family members.

During the past couple of months, Natasha continued to provide status updates about how everyone was doing. Just more than a week ago, she posted how she had fun at the Gator game even though they lost. A few days later, she mentioned how she was home with her older son who was sick, but the baby was healthy.


So it came as quite a shock to me and all of Natasha's friends when last Thursday night at 10:27 p.m., she wrote the following status update: "Chemo starts tomorrow. The battle begins. No matter how rare-Austin is strong...and he will beat this Leukemia. Keep praying..."

I couldn't believe it. How could this adorable healthy-looking baby boy have such a horrible disease? It was a shock for Natasha and her family as well. The odds are one in three million.

Almost immediately, friends started sending their well wishes, thoughts and prayers via Facebook. Natasha and her family have been at Shands Hospital at UF since last Thursday, and Austin's chemo is going well. She keeps updating us on how things are progressing since she has Internet access there, and baby Austin sleeps a lot.

It's amazing how fast life can change in an instant, but at least there are ways to let your friends and loved ones know almost instantly the good and the bad news. It's going to be a long road for them, so please keep this special family in your thoughts and prayers. God bless you baby Austin!

The Walking Bread

Last week David and I had the honor of attending a special dinner at my dear friend Katerina's house. For those of you who aren't familiar with Kate, she joined the UT doctoral program last year and was seven months pregnant. Kate is from Macedonia, and along with her partner and two-year-old daughter, they journeyed to Knoxville in August 2007. Her partner, Iso, went back to Macedonia a month later for a short time since he was in charge of an online publication there and had to tie up some loose ends. Katerina's parents flew to Knoxville to help her with the new arrival.

Since her partner wasn't here for the birth, and her parents do not speak English, she asked me to share in one of the most miraculous moments of her life (not to mention mine)...the birth of her baby boy. I was in the delivery room when Aljosha (pronounced Alli-osh-a in English) was born, and I was the first one to hold him after the nurse wrapped him in what seemed like hundreds of blankets. This all happened October 29, 2007.





Since Aljosha is approaching one year, it's no surprise that he's been walking, so Katerina invited us over for a special event.


Katerina's mom is back in Knoxville and prepared a special bread along with a delicious meal. There is a Macedonian tradition that once a baby starts walking, a bread is made and placed on a stool covered by a towel. Then various items representing what the child could grow up to be are placed on top. Items ranging from a book, pen, money, bread, wrench, etc. were on Aljosha's bread with the idea being that he could become a scholar, someone who works in an office, a banker, chef, or someone who works with his hands a lot.






They set Aljosha down in front of the stool, and whatever item he walks to on the stool and picks up represents what profession he will pursue. He picked up a piece of bread and starting eating it instantly. It was so cute. We're not sure if he'll actually become a chef or if he was just hungry at that moment since he'd recently woken up from a nap.






The other part of the tradition is that guests take a piece of the bread and run around the house, so Aljosha will always be sturdy in his step. Since I was running, I didn't have a chance to take any photos!



It was a great evening, and one I'm so glad we could be a part of in his life. He's grown so much since I first held him almost one year ago and so has his big sister Sara.