I love Weekends!

Thanks to my wonderful hubby, I finally got the kinks worked out between my camera card and our computer. Though we are now closer to the upcoming weekend, I guess it's never too late to blog about last weekend. We were blessed with another great few days last weekend, and we were once again very busy. On Friday, we stayed in and made homemade fish tacos before watching Michael's movie pick for the evening Hall Pass, which turned out to be very hilarious. We got up early on Saturday and headed to the Dream Center to participate in our church's annual Serve Day. We cooked lunch for all of the Woodlawn Community and volunteers, and I participated in a prayer walk through one of the Woodlawn neighborhoods. I admit that sometimes I just want to sleep in rather than get up on a Saturday to volunteer, but every time Michael and I leave Woodlawn, I feel so blessed and much closer to God. I am so grateful for our church and the opportunity to grow and serve.

On Saturday afternoon, we took Scarlett swimming in the creek that runs right behind our apartment. So...Scarlett is almost four years old, and though she has always loved water, she has always hated swimming. Because she is a spaniel, I never imagined it would be so hard to get her to swim, but I think she gets scared when she can't touch and can find no way out of the water. We have tried and failed several times to get her to swim over the years, and then something miraculous happened. I guess the creek is the perfect length from bank to bank, and the other day she walked right in and decided to swim to the other side! We were shocked and so excited just like she was our baby who walked for the first time!!! I've been obsessed with taking her swimming ever since, and she loves it!

Here she goes!

She had so much fun, but she still looks terrified! Ha!

Her daddy was there to help her find a way out. Once he showed her how to get out on the rocks, she kept swimming back and forth. I can only imagine how many times she would have swam from me to Michael if we had treats!

Scarlett swam for about an hour then we walked home and got ready to go bowling with our friends. It has been years since I bowled, and I started off well but slowly got worse by game three. All that really matters is that I beat Michael two games to one, so I went home happy!

Me, Nicole, Jamie and Baby Eli who was so good the whole time.

He's all smiles before getting beat!

By our last game, the lights were turned off and the black lights came on. This is Nicole bowling her last game, and she absolutely kicked our butts! She called it luck, but it looked like more than luck to me. Maybe you should join a league Nicole! :)

Here's Eli in his glowing blanket. He slept most of the night and didn't seem bothered by the loud music and all the people. He is such a great baby!

On Sunday, I continued on my quest toward decluttering, which is another blog post in itself. We hung around the house all day and relaxed after a busy Saturday. I am so grateful for another amazing weekend!

It's Never Too Late...

To Help Someone

My husband Michael teaches me this lesson all the time. I've said it over and over and over, probably enough times for you to tell me to "Shut Up Already," but I am married to the most giving man I know!

I am a selfish person by nature. I think it's probably because I am an only child and at 27 years old, I am still learning to share! I also grew up with a mom who did everything for me and am now married to a man who does so much to help out and never complains! It's easy for me to be selfish.

A few posts ago I talked about how content with life Michael is and the fact that he is an all around happy guy (which makes me insanely jealous), and I think it comes from his good nature and his willingness to help those in need. His life has so much purpose just because of the simple ways he helps people, and I hope to learn how to be more selfless because of him.

It took me about 30 seconds to think of quite a few things he has done recently to help someone:

Today, he donated a box of baseballs that belonged to his dad to the local baseball fields we walk by several times a week.

Today, he helped deliver items to the Boy Scouts of America who were taking donations for Nashvillians affected by the flood.

He donates money to his fraternity every year.

A month ago, he donated to the MS society to honor a friend's dad.

He helped organize a coat drive this winter.

He led groups of students on 3 different alternative break trips.

He attempted to mow our friend Chris' yard this weekend because he and his wife Nicole have been letting us stay with them while we find a place to live in Birmingham (he would have mowed the grass if the lawnmower battery worked).

Without a second thought, he jumped in the freezing lake a couple of weeks ago to help his friend Max who dislocated his shoulder while wakeboarding, and then he waited with him in the hospital for 4 hours while the rest of us were sunbathing at the lake.

Not only is Michael so giving, he is extremely humble, which means he is going to kill me when he reads this! But who cares, he lives a life of servitude and I look up to him every day. God placed him in my life to teach me so many things, and to help people is a lesson I learn from him quite often!

It's Never Too Late To Help Someone...

It brings joy to both parties.

It makes you a better person

and gives the receiver hope and faith.

It's usually reciprocated.

It gives life greater purpose.

It's Never Too Late...

To Dance This weekend, I had two awesome opportunities to shake my booty! On Saturday night, my friend Elizabeth and I saw Mama Mia at the Tennessee Theatre. What an amazing show! Nothing I say could ever do this musical justice, but the music is so good you can't help dancing and singing the whole time and the actors are so dang funny! If you ever have the chance to see this show, GO!

My sweet husband made us dinner before the show. We had homemade eggplant parmesan!

On our way to the show! I know I wasn't supposed to, but I snuck a picture of the cast at the end.

On Sunday, Elizabeth and I got together again for the first-ever YMCA Zumbathon in Knoxville. I first started doing Zumba when we lived in Hot Springs, Ar and Elizabeth has been doing it as long as I have known her. Though we haven't taken classes in a while, we signed up for the Zumbathon because it was a great way to have fun, work out, and raise money for charity. So on Sunday from 2-4 pm we danced 'til we dropped with two straight ours of Zumba and helped raise money for the YMCA Change A Life Charity. It was a lot of fun, and I was so happy this morning when I wasn't as sore as I expected!

Elizabeth and I are looking pretty good after sweating for two hours!

GUY HUMBLY DOES GOOD WORKS WITH 22 UT STUDENTS

CHARLESTON, SC – Michael McGreevey known as “the guy” amongst blog followers has recently concluded his Alternative Spring Break career with the 2010 edition in Charleston, SC. It was an amazing trip as usual that was filled with powerful moments of service with a group of Tennessee’s finest student leaders. This group of 22 students, who all interview for a spot on the team to give up their spring break to serve others, had a group dynamic that was downright scary at times. For instance, at the conclusion of the trip when students usually can’t wait to get home, this group waited until they hugged every team member before they would go home. We worked with a wide range of non-for-profit agencies including Crisis Ministries, the Low Country Foodbank, the Cannon Street YMCA, the Community Outreach Center at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, and even the National Park Service, who cares for Fort Sumter in Charleston. All of the agencies had wonderful projects to work on that hopefully benefited the people of Charleston. We served over 170 meals to the homeless at Crisis Ministries, we helped supervise and tutor around 30 Gullah children at the YMCA, and we learned and helped preserve some of our nation’s history at Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie. The students were able to discuss and reflect on the service experiences with each other so that eventually those of us who are able to address our nation’s social issues will have some knowledge of what is actually going on. I have a great deal of respect for our team of students and it is more than an honor to help make these trips possible. Please visit the agencies web sites to learn more about them and check out below for a group shot from our hour long visit to Folly Beach.

FOR THE KIDS! A post by Michael

Guy here again for the first solo guest blog appearance. I have recently awoken from a 14 hour slumber after attending Dance Marathon 2010 at the University of Tennessee. For those of you outside of Big Ten country (where they go completely insane for Dance Marathon) DM at Tennessee is a year of fundraising for the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital capped off by a 15 hour event that celebrates the money raised and shows support for the children and families served by the hemotology and oncology clinics of ETCH. The amazing thing is that aside from some support from our Student Activities office and the development office from ETCH, the entire thing is student run which makes the $38,000 raised all that more impressive. It was honor to help out the cause and here are some observations from the event that began at 8:30PM on Friday, February 19th and concluded at 12:00PM on Saturday the 20th. 8:37PM – Registration is moving a bit slower than the previous year, but that was to be expected. Last year’s attendance of around 450 students was inflated by some student organizations requiring their members to attend, but this year organizations were told not to do so. Quality over quantity is the new mantra and it makes the event more meaningful for those who independently choose to participate. 10:30PM- Registration concludes with 202 registered dancers and with the students on the executive committee and the morale dancers, I would say total attendance is around 300 students. 11:27PM – The event is officially opened in the gymnasium with the UT ROTC presenting the colors during the national anthem. Patriotism Reigns. 11:55PM- After several introductions and rules explanations, the first of the performers takes the stage. The Jim Linehan Dance Crew from New York ascends to the stage with Jim flanked by two female dancers dressed in the image of Lady GaGa complete with stars on their eyes and thigh high converse chuck taylors. Jim seems to be pretty proud of himself as a performer and decides to lip sync and dance at the same time. 12:25AM- I know this is lame, but I took some time off to go home a catch a nap. I have to drive later in the morning and I need some time to recharge. 4:15AM – I return during a meal time where pizza and moe’s burritos are being served. Normally I would inhale a Moe’s burrito, but I just wasn’t myself yet. I think the two hour nap at home did more harm than good. 5:58AM- Local musician/friend of TeamVOLS Dave Kennedy is playing some outstanding bluegrass music to a quiet reception. The dancers have hit a wall and are taking shelter in quiet corners of the gym, but this is not Dave’s first rodeo, he knows the drill. He throws everything but the kitchen sink at the crowd including Rocky Top and Old Crow Medicine Show’s Wagon Wheel to keep the crowd awake. 6:42AM – Another local group, 2nd string takes the stage. All club rats in attendance rejoice. 8:24AM- Panera Bread Bagels and Krispy Kreme doughnuts join forces to become a breakfast of champions. 9:12AM- We begin a shuttle service bringing cancer survivors and their families to the event from ETCH for a breakfast and the Kid’s carnival. At this same time, some bright person decides to ask one of the van drivers for directions to a campus location and then illegally parks their vehicle directly behind our van. This person is later towed restoring order to the world. 10:37AM- The Kid’s Carnival is in full swing with around 15 survivors and their families in attendance. Adding to the inflatable games and rides, Smokey and Tennessee athletes play and pose for pictures with the kids. One boy hugs Smokey for the best 12 minutes of his life. 10:45AM- Each cancer survivor is summoned to the middle of the gym for the Champions Run, a new tradition where each child is individually recognized for their struggle against cancer with a lap around the gym to thunderous applause. I have been to a lot of sporting events where the crowds were bigger and louder, but the energy in the gym is too much for me to take. I am so overcome by the love and generosity that I have to leave. I am so happy for these kids, but I am so sad that I have to count my dad as someone who could not beat cancer. I wish he could still be with me and I know that he would be crying at this moment with me. 11:19AM- The Kid’s Carnival is over and many of the families are ready to be shuttled back to the hospital. I take the wheel of the trusty 12 passenger van and shuttle families back and thank them for sharing the morning with us. 11:52AM- The total contribution amount is revealed by the student leadership $37,842.25. The middle numbers might be wrong; I forgot to write it down. 1:15PM- Everything is cleaned, packed up, and returned to its place at the University Center. Fin. There were a lot of funny moments and work in between, but I think that I hit the highlights. It has left me very impressed with the 300 students who produced and attended Dance Marathon and I hope you enjoyed this post.

MLK Day of Service

This Saturday, I had the opportunity to join Michael for the MLK Day of Service at UT. Michael works for the TeamVOLS office at UT, and it is his job to assist a group of students with organizing volunteer projects for other UT students and organizations. Michael's job is very rewarding because he gets to work first hand with students who are dedicated to community service. I was very excited to get to join him on Saturday for the biggest one-day community service project his office organizes. In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, students come together each year for a day of service to honor the civil rights leader. This year was the biggest ever, with over 350 students who volunteered at 14 different area sites. Our group volunteerd for the Bridge Refugee Services office. This office receives refugees who are forced to flee their countries as a result of violence, rape, torture, genocide, and religious, political, and racial persecution. When we first arrived, we met the director named Marilyn who explained to us that the Knoxville office receives approximately 150 refugees a year, mostly from Iraq and the Middle East, Burma, and Africa. They expect to welcome over 300 this year as a result of the earthquake in Haiti. To give us an example of what these refugees have gone through, she told us the story of a woman from the Congo who was a victim of genocide. After being raped by the militia, she was forced to watch the soldiers mutilate and murder six of her children with a machete. She fled to the U.S. with two of her children with the help of the refugee services. To help Marilyn, our small group organized the donations for the office by separating clothing, blankets, towels, household items, and furniture. When refugees arrive, the office furnishes a standard apartment for the family by giving them clothing, a bed, a few pieces of furniture, towels, a comforter, and cooking utensils. Trust me, they get the bare essentials, but it's enough to get them on their feet. For six months, the office helps refugees get acclimated to living in the U.S. by teaching them about our culture and helping them learn English with the hope that they will be prepared enough to get a job within six months. As Marilyn assured us, the purpose of Bridge Refugee Services is not to give the refugees a place to live and a few household items, the greater purpose is to give the refugees enough confidence and dignity to learn to help themselves once the six months is over. It was amazing to be able to learn about what this office does and to be able to help them with the little work we did. It really made me proud to know that places like this exist and so many people in our country understand the value of humanity. Refugee services exist all throughout the United States in very many cities and towns. More than anything, the part of this experience that touched my heart was that 353 UT students came together to volunteer. I know that when I was in college, community service was not at the top of my list of ways to spend my time, so I was really motivated to see so many young men and women who were eager to volunteer. It was a great day of service that truly honored Dr. King. Here are pictures from the day:

Michael manning the registration table.

A group of students getting ready to head to Chilhowee Park.

Our clothing table (I wish I would have taken a before picture).

This is the only storage the office has for household items.

It was a disaster before we got started.

Our group!

Help Us Help Haiti

As all of you have seen the headlines racing across all major news stations, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 rocked Haiti 10 miles from the capital of Port-au-Prince and has decimated the country. I'll be the first to admit, that with the Lane Kiffin news around Knoxville, I didn't really pay much attention to the earthquake's devastation until this morning while I witnessed coverage of the Haitian survivors on ABC News. I decided this morning that Michael and I must do something to help these people who were already suffering before the earthquake struck. Michael and I decided to donate to help the people of Haiti, and I encourage all of you who read this to help them to. I know that many of us are very skeptical of "philanthropic" organizations who claim to help those in need, so I wanted to share an email I received from the Young Democrats of America that gives names of reputable organizations you can trust to put your donation to good use: "The International Affairs Committee is working to coordinate efforts to help the people of Haiti. While we know that needs are many and the full impact of the earthquake is yet to be known, there are a few things that you can do right now.

• Text "Haiti" to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross' efforts to aid the victims of the tragic Haitian earthquake. The donation will be charged to your cell phone bill. • Text "Yele" to 501501 to donate $5 to Yele Haiti, an organization started by Haitian musician Wyclef Jean to provide humanitarian aid to Haiti. • Donate your Facebook status or Twitter: "Young Democrat asks you to text "Haiti" to 90999 right now from your mobile phone and give $10 to the American Red Cross or text "Yele" to 501501 to donate $5 via your cell phone bill to Wyclef Jean's Yele organization." • Donate online: the International Affairs Committee has identified several organizations that are assisting with the efforts in Haiti:

o Unicef o Save the Children o Mercy Corp

Right now the need is monetary donations to assist with rebuilding the infrastructure so that additional aid can be received and properly disbursed. The International Affairs Committee will send additional information regarding canned food, clothing and supply drives or volunteer opportunities in the near future." Michael and I chose to donate to the American Red Cross. We donated online, but there are several accessible ways to donate to the disaster relief fund in Haiti. It is my hope that all of you who read this will pitch in and donate at least $10, but if you are unable to donate monetarily, I ask that you pray for all of the Haitians who are suffering from this terrible catastrophy. I thank God that Michael and I are safe, healthy, and happy, and I pray that He will lift the spirits of all of the survivors and give them the strength to carry on.