30days30years

The Volunteer State

Everyone in East Tennessee is just so darn nice it’s infectious. Perhaps that’s why Dolly is so bubbly all the time…?

Every person I have met thus far has gone out of their way to help me. I think it’s perhaps because they all volunteer. (Tennessee is known as the volunteer state, which dates back to the Civil War,  hence the college football team being the Vols.) Helping others makes you feel good and thus you’re in a better mood. Logical?

Last night, Dan, Allison and I attended a fundraiser for Allison’s school. She is studying to be a massage therapist. Each year the owner of her school gets together all his friends to donate toys for kids in need at Christmas. The massage students gave free back massages to all the people who donated. I donated a koala teddy and my massage was to die for. Santa if you are listening, all I want for Christmas is a new backpack. The one I have is destroying me! :$

The generous spirit of Tennesseans continued today. With the help of Larry I am getting my “Dolly” make-up done free of charge from a lady called Shannon who works for Estee Lauder.

A lady called BJ who dresses Dolly from her little shop of the highway also gave me some tips of the type of jewellery Dolly likes to purchase.

I then did my bit to pay it forward by putting a resume together for Ruth who is going for a new job. Fingers crossed she gets it! 🙂

The only thing we really struggled with today was a Dolly wig. (Who would have thought!?) I still haven’t been able to reach Bob the hairdresser so we decided we should get a wig as a back up, just in case.

We ended up having to drive to a store in Knoxville 45 minutes away to get it. I found the perfect wig but it was white and I wasn’t sure how we’d go spray painting it.

So I had to opt for this one… not perfect but with a bit of teasing, I think I can make it work.

Larry and I had a lovely dinner with a lady called Phyllis, who he went to school with many moons ago, and her daughter Jamie who lives in Rome but is home visiting. Phyllis could easily pass as being Italian until she opens her mouth and she is southern to the core. Love it!