While I have been incredibly busy, I would estimate that only about half of that was having fun. So I will highlight the fun half :)
Race for the Cure!
I had the wonderful opportunity this year to not only be a team captain, but a Komen Koach for Knoxville's chapter of the Komen Foundation. This year's race was on Saturday, October 30th downtown. It was quite cold Saturday morning, but I was so proud of our teammates who made it out to participate. This was my third year as the UT Law Women team captain, and I'm so pleased that we were able to partner with ETLAW to show that females in the Knoxville legal community are committed to supporting a cause that has such an impact on women every day.
I also have to brag on what a good sport Nathan was to get up at 6:00 on a Saturday morning and go stand in the cold holding a sign for our team. Then he was sweet enough to run at my slow pace instead of leaving me behind to finish on my own :)
Election Night!
While there are lots of things that I can get pretty passionate about (just ask Nathan, I get on my soapbox pretty frequently), one of the more pertinent issues recently is voting. I believe that the right to vote is not just a privilege but a responsibility. We are so blessed to live in a country where we are not only allowed, but encouraged to vote.
I was particularly excited about this year's gubernatorial race here in Tennessee. While the Haslam's are not close family friends or anything, we have sat next to each other in church for years, and I grew up sandwiched between Will and Annie in school. When Bill Haslam decided to run for mayor of the city of Knoxville 8 years ago, it was an incredibly exciting campaign - especially knowing that our city was blessed to have both a strong leader and a man of integrity. When Mayor Haslam decided to run for governor, it seemed like the entire city got behind him. I know Bo and I both participated in various Team Haslam activities, and it's been exciting to see the progress of the campaign over the past year.
So last night we headed to our first election night rally at the Crowne Plaza downtown. Bo, Erin, Bryce & some of their friends joined us as we waited for the results. It was so much fun, and I think it says a lot that Mayor Haslam received over 84% of the votes in his hometown. It was a landslide victory and lot of fun!
An added bonus of the night was Senator Corker's introduction - Bo got a chance to see his new boss in person, and we spent a good half hour trying to find him!
I'm trying not to get my hopes up for this new legislature (although I must, say, I'm quite excited that Pelosi has lost her position as Speaker). I'm very concerned about the direction our country is headed and the rapidly increasing budget deficits. That said, I think the next year will be an indication of whether or not we've been able to make the right changes to turn our country back in the right direction. Regardless, congratulations to Mayor Haslam, Governor-Elect!
