2022 Spelling Bee

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We finally had the BHEA Spelling Bee. BHEA stands for Blount Home Education Association. This was my second year coordinating the bee. The judges pick the words from the list we received from the National Spelling Bee Organization.

I have two children competing in the bee, but I do not know the words they will get from the judges. We prepare the entire list, 450 words. My job as a coordinator is to communicate with all the parents, give them the word list and the book list, and make sure we have a building, sponsors, goodie bags, prizes, judges, and that the Board stays informed.

The BHEA Board suggested we postpone it for a month, from January to February, so that the pandemic numbers could go down a bit more. We had quite a few people sick – judges, participants, parents. January just was not going to work out.

Spelling Bee Family

Our family before the bee

By the middle of February, everybody was healthy again. The COVID-19 numbers in our area have gone down so much, that the Board even decided to switch masks from being “required” to “recommended” for indoor activities. Continue reading »


Zoder’s Featured on the Today Show

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Just a quick post about my husband’s business, Zoder’s Inn and Suites, which got an honorable mention the other day on the Today Show. Trip Advisor came up with this algorithm about travel destinations on the rise for 2016 and Top 10 US destinations, as well as Top 10 international destinations.

Zoder's Inn balconies overlooking the Roaring Fork River in Gatlinburg, TN

Zoder’s Inn balconies overlooking the Roaring Fork River in Gatlinburg, TN

Guess what? Gatlinburg, TN is the Number 1 travel destination in the USA and, also, Number 4 in the international market. Hello, traffic! But we have learned to count traffic as a blessing, as it means revenue for all the businesses in town.  Continue reading »