It is blessed to give, than to receive (Acts 20:35)

When I got a day off a few weeks ago, I took time to clear out some clutter: approximately 30 stuffed animals!

I'd collected them over 15+ years from ex-boyfriends and my Mom. But I realized they were just taking up space on the my guest bedroom floor. Mom said she was cool if I gave them away. My sister, Veronica, said she'd given my niece's old animals to the children's hospital in her area.

A quick call to Blair E. Batson's Children's hospital revealed, the hospital doesn't take used toys, just new ones. They don't have the facilities to proper disinfect the toys. So I tried MS Children's Home which handles foster care and group homes. Again a no go!

So I called the Good Samaritan Center on Millsaps Avenue(http://goodsamaritancenter.org/) and found out they would take the used toys.

I was greeted by the nicest staff and got to see their store NUTS, Neat Used Things for Sale.
I hope my toys are put to good use - either in a crisis situation for a child who needs to feel comfortable - or for someone who just needs a gift for a little one.

We all scream for ice cream!

You would think spending a hot Saturday afternoon surrounded by ice cream would be a "cool" experience! That was not the case at the Ice Cream safari at the Jackson Zoo. 16 WAPT had several celebrity scoopers including Morning Reporter Don Champion:

It was a sweltering hot day. Thanks to our "scooping assistants" Keisha and Lois we were able to take a few water breaks and they held the clip-on tent fan closer to us so we could actually feel the breeze. Besides Don, other members of the Morning Crew came out to scoop, Ethan Huston and Brad McMullan. (Their names are spelled incorrectly on the zoo sign below!)

Our flavor was Rainbow Lorikeet Cake which was a vanilla rainbow swirl ice cream with real yellow cake inside. From the looks of the lines we had at our tent, we had a pretty popular flavor but our flavor wasn't a winner.

For the third year in a row, I also brought my little sister through Big Brothers Big Sisters, Shalakkeia, to serve as an assistant.

When our shift was over Shalakkeia and I took a tour of the zoo which is undergoing contstruction again.

Teen Summit 2008

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of moderating Teen Summit 2008 at Word and Worship church in Jackson.

Members of the churches youth groups, Goodfellas and Sweethearts, got to discuss sex and STDs, drugs and alcohol, self-image and self-esteem, and relationships with an expert panel.

Youth at Word and Worship

Parents weighed in too and talked about their concerns about some of the dangerous and risky decisions kids take. One mom, Leigh-ann, was very vocal about how her decisions as a teenager led to her unplanned pregnancy.

Concerned parent and church member, Leigh-ann

Among the panelists were teenagers at the church and my gynecologist, Dr. Lisa Gibson-McKee.

She was especially insightful when discussing STDs like HPV and HIV, even the physical and emotional toll abortion can have on women.

Gibson-McKee was also very vocal on how a lot of parents don't know their children are sexually active, but it's imperative parents have those frank discussions even thought it can be weird and uncomfortable.

But clearly with the alarming statistics the CDC released about 1 in 4 American girls having an STD, it indicates teenagers ARE sexually active.

A member of the Sweethearts ministry and Dr. Lisa Gibson-McKee

The most insightful aspect for me was teenagers' perspectives on "dating." Actually, they're not dating like their grandparents did in the 30's, 40's and 50's. They ARE getting into relationships with defined "boyfriends" and "girlfriends," but are not limiting their options. One girl said she could have a boyfriend AND keep other male friends and guys she would talk to so that she wouldn't "get her heart broken."

I can remember from my early teenage years how painful breakups could be, so her argument made some sense.

Other members of the panel

But I was most concerned about how this outlook on relationships would affect their thoughts on marriage. Several kids said they plan to get married or "swept off their feet." Others admitted they hadn't seen many "happy marriages" in their families so they're sure if marriage is for them.
Overall, Teen Summit 2008 was very lively and insightful. Word and Worship plans to upload some video portions on its website in the future.

My Morning as a *Celebrity Server*

Jackson CEO Robert Walker, Me, Marcus Max and Don Wayne of Jack FM

as celebrity servers

This morning I helped the Jackson Convention and Vistor's Bureau (visitjackson.com) celebrate the 25th Anniversary of National Tourism week by serving biscuits and coffee at the MS Museum of Art (msmuseumart.org).

Jackson CAO Robert Walker

Gina Aswell of the CVB

Senator Hillman Frazier

Councilman Marshand Crisler and John Sullivan
Ben Allen of Downtown Jackson Partners chats with Don and Marcus from Jack FM