Reminder: When creating usernames & passwords...write them down!

Hi!  Wow.  It has been quite some time since I last typed.  Apparently, forgetting your password is not the only obstacle for logging on for blog entries, but you also need to remember other stuff like your login email address  and login name and other important details.  Not to worry, I have now written all that information down, so next time I won't be caught staring at the computer screen trying to recall which of my twenty-some email addresses, login names, and passwords I used to create this blog account.  Whew!

Adam and I have been doing well here in, surprisingly, chilly Mississippi.  We have tried to get out a little more into the community.  A few weekends ago we visited the Noxubee Refuge for a special day they had to encourage visitation and appreciation for the outdoors and the benefits of the refuge.  We petted a baby gator and later saw a huge gator floating in the nearby water (we were in the car and all the canoers were out of the water for the day, fortunately).  Adam and I learned how to throw tomahawks at a target.  That was awesome!  Adam and I both were able to hit the tree with the axes (tomahawks) sticking into the wood.  We also took a lovely stroll through one of the many nature trails of the Noxubee Refuge.  Someday we plan to further explore more of what the refuge has to offer. 

We have been taking group swing dance lessons once a week.  Those are always fun.  

Also, volleyball on Sunday afternoons and Tuesday nights has proven to be a very fun social atmosphere, as well as a great workout.  Our volleyball group is very culturally diverse.  We have athletes from China, Brasil, Tunisia, Puerto Rico, and other states, too.

Adam and I recently became involved with MSU's Borderless Hosts program.  We were introduced to an international student who we will get together for dinner and/or activities  with at least once a month.  His name is Kamal and he is an engineering student from Nepal.  He is a very intelligent and genuinely kind young man.  We are very happy to be part of what we think is a valuable program.

Last weekend, Adam and I drove to the University of Alabama (on our way to Knoxville) for a special event speaker Dr. Cornel West.  HE IS AWESOME!  (Author of "Race Matters" and "Hope On A Tightrope."  We arrived to the event about thirty minutes before he was scheduled to take the stage.  Already, people (of all ages and races) were lined up out the doors!  The line slowly moved us closer to entering the hall, and we made a move for the front of the theater.  Against all fire codes, people were sitting piled in the aisles on the lower level and the balcolny.  We actually were moved to the stage with about 100 people.  He addressed us as "Brothers and Sisters of all colors" and a few memorable quotes from that night (as well as I could hear and as quickly as I could write them down) were the following:

*"You cannot save the people if you do not serve the people.  You cannot lead the people if you do not love the people."

*(Paraphrased) "Humility, Humanity...What does it mean to be Human?...It is important to muster the courage to examine life through critical thinking.   Certain perceptions, predispositions, prejudice; you've got to give them up and turn them loose."

*(Paraphrased) "TRUTH, JUSTICE, DUTY, LOVE...Cultivation of yourself and the maturation of your soul...find your VOICE, not your echo.  Have pride in your OWN voice."

I am proud to say that Adam and I were a part of a magical evening of hope and love shared amongst many. 

Now that I remember all my login information, I will post sooner than later!  Take care! -la