Every Thanksgiving I witness at least one sadness - someone who has one less person around their Thanksgiving table, a family that has fallen completely apart, or people struggling with the memories of those who are long gone from this world, but far from forgotten. We feel sad, discouraged, bitter, and angry at the fact... Continue Reading →
All Saints Sunday (from the perspective of a former Baptist)
I live in an area that is dominated by Southern Baptists. Even the mega-churches down here who claim to have no denominational ties have Baptist leanings. I grew up Baptist. Methodists were considered sinful because they dance. The Catholics were one step away from Satan worshippers and Pentecostals were just considered weird. Things have mellowed... Continue Reading →
Crochet Pumpkins
I found a neat little pattern that he shared with me for crochet pumpkins for fall/Halloween. It was so cute I had to give it a whirl. The pattern was laid out well and was easy to follow. The problem came when it was time to stuff the little critter. I didn't have anything to... Continue Reading →
One of the Many Reasons I Love Memphis
I have a favorite park I love to walk in every day. It has lots of shade, the path is nice and hilly, and the squirrels provide endless entertainment. It's also a very crowded park. It's a rare day when I drive by it and there aren't at least 10-15 people walking along that little... Continue Reading →
Wonderland Lodge
I stumbled across a Huffington Post article that linked to a YouTube video on Wonderland Hotel. The video can be viewed here: Tennessee Wonderland. The videographer did a fabulous job documenting the abandoned hotel and surrounding homes. The property had been taken over when Gatlinburg National Park came into existence. You can Google Elkmont, Tennessee for... Continue Reading →
Go Tigers Go!
As we were loading up on the bus to head off to the Liberty Bowl this evening, we heard comments such as, "I haven't been to a Tigers football game in X amount of years". Tigers football has historically been a sport that's been largely ignored by Memphis folks. With the exception of the Tennessee... Continue Reading →
First Day of Fall Semester
My whole summer has been about these past few days - moving back to campus and starting another semester of grad school. The move was rough. Summer decided to rear its ugly head last week after being a no-show for much of the season. We drank endless amounts of water and suddenly the ALS Ice... Continue Reading →
Daniel Sanders
We've all run into brick walls with genealogy research. One of my brick walls has been my great-grandfather from my adoptive family, Daniel Sanders. Daniel was born August 6, 1877 and died in 1941. He married Minnie Landers October 30, 1898 in Obear, Arkansas. The family said he may have been farmed out for share-cropping... Continue Reading →
The Lost Art of Letter-Writing
Remember the days when letter-writing was not only fun, but pretty much the only way you could stay in contact with long-distance friends? I had a friend in 7th grade who moved across the country after school let out for the summer. For the next 20-something years, she and I corresponded via letters. We celebrated... Continue Reading →
Chattanooga Trip 2014
Back in March, I was able to escape for a couple of days to Chattanooga. It was my first time to Chattanooga and I don't get to travel to east Tennessee much so I was looking forward to a change in landscape. I love Memphis, but the flat Delta doesn't offer much in the way... Continue Reading →
My Mosaic Life 