words and pictures

words and pictures

  • Twenty-five years since the unthinkable

    One year after receiving a bachelor’s degree from Tennessee Tech University with a double major in English and journalism, I was working as a reporter for the Knoxville News-Sentinel. Four years later, I was covering the story of my reporter life: A young family gunned down for their car. The story came to me as […]

    Gina Stafford

    April 6, 2022
    Uncategorized
    Lillelid Murders, Lillelids, News-Sentinel
  • Is this still Music City?

    Is this still Music City?

    I grew up 90 minutes from Nashville, and I’ve been to concerts and shows in every kind of venue there, many times. Except for one–the one, the Ryman Auditorium. I’d never set foot in that hallowed hall until this week, when I had a date with Bob Dylan. I know plenty of people have a […]

    Gina Stafford

    March 26, 2022
    Uncategorized
    Bob Dylan, Dylan, live concert, live music, live show, Music City, Nashville, Ryman
  • Only Two Years?

    Only Two Years?

    COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic two years ago today, give or take. Or so they say. It was a lifetime ago, from where I sit. So much has happened, I thought I’d catch you up. For me, the start of the pandemic will always be punctuated by my father’s death in February 2020. Just […]

    Gina Stafford

    March 16, 2022
    Uncategorized
    COVID, Family, Friends, Friendship, kayak, Kayaking, leadership, outdoors, Perseverance, work
  • Hello and Welcome!

    Hello and Welcome!

    Thank you for stopping by. Whether you’re new here or a return visitor, my apologies up front for the long amount of time since I last wrote a new post. That one was at the beginning of 2020…followed in just a few weeks by the declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. Responding to the […]

    Gina Stafford

    January 2, 2022
    Uncategorized
    blogging, Chattanooga, New Year’s Day, New Year’s Resolutions
  • 2020 Resolved

    2020 Resolved

    If New Year’s resolutions are actual, binding commitments, then no, I would say I’m not inclined to make them. To the extent the close of one year is a time of reflection on the 12 months just ended with thoughts on goals or what I could do better in the 12 months ahead, then yes, I […]

    Gina Stafford

    January 5, 2020
    Uncategorized
    2020, 2020 Resolutions, Aspire, belief, Believer, challenge, Christian, faith, Fitness, Goals, Gratitude, Motivation, New Year’s Resolutions, perseverence, Productivity, Seeker, Self-improvement, Time Management
  • Auld Lang Syne to the Good Times

    Auld Lang Syne to the Good Times

    In a few hours and with a flip of the calendar, it’ll be 2020. Just like that, we’re already closing the door on the first 20 years of the 21st century. And don’t look now, but here comes a leap year, an Olympics year and another election year. I won’t necessarily leap; I definitely won’t […]

    Gina Stafford

    December 31, 2019
    Uncategorized
    2019, 2019 in Review, 2020, Auld Lang Syne, Family, Friends, Good Times, Great Smoky Mountains, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, Happy New Year 2020, Hiking, Milestones, Mountains, New Year’s Day, New Year’s Resolutions, outdoors, Year in Review
  • Happy birthday, Jack

    Happy birthday, Jack

    On this date a few decades ago, I got a two-fer: a baby brother who grew up to be one of my favorite friends. Jack is the only person in the world who calls me “Sis,” and today is his birthday. I am four and a half years older than Jack, so I can only […]

    Gina Stafford

    December 27, 2019
    Uncategorized
    birthday, brother, Family, Friendship, siblings
  • ‘Twas the Night After Christmas

    ‘Twas the Night After Christmas

    We’ve had ourselves a merry little Christmas. Just the right size after another fast-paced, busy year. Not to mention we just celebrated Christmas with my family on Sunday, and three weeks earlier, we did Thanksgiving up right. Here at home. We went to our first Christmas Eve church service here in Chattanooga last night. It […]

    Gina Stafford

    December 26, 2019
    Uncategorized
    Christmas, Happy Holidays, Holiday, Light of the World, Merry Christmas, Noel
  • Déja Vu All Oven Again

    Déja Vu All Oven Again

    I can’t remember the last time before this year that Bill and I hosted for Thanksgiving. But I’ll never forget the first time. We’d been married just a little more than two years; we’d rented a table and some extra chairs to accommodate the 15 who were coming; and we were both registered to run […]

    Gina Stafford

    December 25, 2019
    Uncategorized
    Family, Holiday, kitchen fail, Thanksgiving, Turkey Day
  • Mount Cammerer: It’s Time to Climb

    Mount Cammerer: It’s Time to Climb

    Ascending Mount Cammerer is one of my very favorite hikes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It’s also one of the hardest. My first ascent was in 2010 with Bill and my brother, Jack, along. I’ve gone back at least four more times prior to this year. In 2012, Bill, Jack and I were part […]

    Gina Stafford

    October 29, 2019
    Uncategorized
    adventure, Appalachian Mountains, Appalachian Trail, AT, Autumn, Best hikes, Best Hiking, Challenging hikes, Climbing, explore, Fall, Fall color, Fall foliage, Fire Tower, Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Friends of the Smokies, Get Outside, Get Outside Tennessee, Great Smoky Mountains, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Hike, Hiking, Mount Cammerer, Mt Cammerer, Smokies, Smoky Mountains, Southern Appalachians, Tennessee, travel, wander
  • Fair Enough

    Fair Enough

    If you grew up in Tennessee and, certainly if you grew up with Tennessee 4H, you more than likely have been to a county fair more than once. I don’t know exactly how many times I have been to a county fair, but the number would have been at least 12 or so by the […]

    Gina Stafford

    September 29, 2019
    Uncategorized
    4H, alpacas, animals, cattle, Chattanooga, Chester Frost Park, County Fair, ducks, fairest of the fair, family fun, farm, farm animals, farming, goats, home economics, horse, livestock, Old school, piglets, pigs, rural life, South, Tennessee, Tradition
  • Hiker College

    Hiker College

    Lookout Mountain. Signal Mountain. Raccoon Mountain. Chattanooga rests in the laps of multiple mountains, so why would hikers in Chattanooga go out of state looking for a mountain to climb? In the case of a hike Bill and I recently took with the Chattanooga Hiking Club, which has members living as far as 50 to […]

    Gina Stafford

    September 28, 2019
    Uncategorized
    beautiful, Beautiful places, Berry College, explore, gardens, Georgia, hikers, Hiking, Lavender Mountain, Mountains, outdoors, outside, South, Southeast, Southern travel, travel, wander
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words and pictures

Blog site of writer, photographer and higher ed advocate Gina Stafford.

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ginastafford@outlook.com

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