It's been a long time since I left you...

...without a dope beat to step to, step to. (Bonus points if you knew that was coming.)

I know I've been gone awhile.  Here are some highlights until I can get back in the swing of things.

ABG got married!  She is now officially BGZ.  It was lovely and I got to see all of my friends from college.

I caved and started reading The Hunger Games trilogy.  I'm obsessed.  I'm halfway through with Catching Fire.  Don't ruin it for me.  The BFFAE and I are going to go see the movie next week.

A bird pooped on my head last night.  

I'm in the midst of planning a surprise 30th anniversary party for my parents for April.  After setting everything in motion, I realized I'd set the party for Friday the 13th.  Oh well.

Threw a baby shower for a friend at church and it turned out great.

I found a Hunger Games Bible study that I can do with my youth.  I may be more excited about it than they are.

I have had 2 nosebleeds today.  I never get nosebleeds.

And I'll leave you with a picture of the gorgeous ABG BGZ breaking it down.

That's all folks (for now),
A

Running with Charlie

Our local paper did an article on The Preacher today.  I've copied and pasted it here but you can also see it here.

Pastor finds God's grace in midst of illness

Summey uses experience to help others

In his first 10 years as a pastor, Charlie Summey has often visited the sick and bedridden — always while enjoying excellent health himself.

In the past eight weeks, Summey says he’s “learning what it feels like to be on this side of the bed.”

Summey, 44, began feeling “a little off-balance” the week prior to Christmas and was promptly placed on a medication to control hypertension. But the problems persisted; brain cancer was diagnosed Dec. 30.

For Summey, who became pastor at Trinity United Methodist Church three years ago, the experience has raised the intensity of his personal relationship with God.

“I now approach life with a hunger to feel the embrace of God cradling every grain of sand that embodies my very being,” says Summey. “Before, I would often prefer to numb myself to God’s presence, thinking about what a rebel I could be at times.”

Summey became a Christian early in life. He grew up in a close-knit, Mayberry-like mill community in North Carolina where he knew everyone by name.

But it was not until he became a father that Summey says he fully understood the need for a relationship with his heavenly father. That led to a call to full-time ministry, one that Summey isn’t sure whether he would have heard in his younger days.

“If it was (an early calling), I was numb to it, determined to run from it and prove I could live another way and be happy,” says Summey, who earned an electronics engineering degree at Appalachian State University in 1991 at age 23.

Fifteen years later, in 2006, he graduated magna cum laude with a master’s in divinity from Erskine Theological Seminary. In between, wife Julie had given birth to two children — Rebecca, born in December 1995, and Charles Adam, born in November 1998 — and Summey had turned his back on the engineering career to enter the ministry.

He became a pastor in 2002 and came to Trinity in 2008. His ministry took a sudden turn in December, when the health issues struck.

Summey has been in physical therapy for the past month and began his first round of radiation treatments last week. He tries to keep the Trinity congregation updated about his condition with a blog he writes — quite candidly — on a regular basis.

“I’m willing to even answer raw, awkward questions and even permit people to cry with me and be real about this stuff,” says Summey. “I am in a place in my faith journey where I am at total peace with my aggressive disease.”

Summey, who describes his prognosis as “treatable, but ultimately terminal at some point,” even talks about the possibility of cancer cutting his life short. His says his battle “presents an opportunity, by God’s grace, to help someone else journey though this life experiencing God’s grace.

“God is longing to connect with us in meaningful, life-changing ways,” says Summey.

The connection has been apparent for the past month at Trinity, whose congregation on Augusta Road has responded to his illness with steady doses of encouragement.

“In my short 44 years of life, my family and I have discovered what it feels like to be cradled by the hands and feet of Jesus,” Summey says of the church’s reaction.

Summey was exposed to close relationships early in life. He says he was blessed to have grown up in the close-knit town of Gastonia, N.C.

“Everyone was shaped by knowing their neighbor on a first-name basis,” says Summey. “While everyone wanted to say they were from ‘prestigious’ Gastonia, we all knew we were a simple people.”

More important, says Summey, he was raised in a Christian home.

“I believe that my faith journey has it genesis in the nurturing and loving care of church-going parents who made sure that unless someone had a Sunday morning fever, they were going to church.

“Habit leads to discipline; discipline leads to life practice,” says Summey. “It was only through that journey that I was able to discern God’s calling, in God’s timing for me.”

For Summey, that history of close relationships and ability to sense God’s timing is more important than ever before.

The same is true of his creed, which he repeats often: “Live your life in hunger and passion pursuing holiness of heart, mind, body and soul.”

Stage 5

Ever have one of those WTF moments that make your head spin? I did today. Let me give you the backstory.

Monday night at Trivia, some new people joined us. One was a guy I'll call JB. He was friendly and we discovered we had a lot of mutual friends. He even went so far as to friend me on Facebook while we were sitting across the table from each other. On Tuesday, he started a Words with Friends game with me and started chatting with me. I hate chatting on WWF so I suggested we text instead. He carried on a text convo with me pretty much nonstop from then until today. Just friendly conversation. We got to talking about my jewelry business. He sent out a mass email to the entire student body at the University where he works promoting my stuff. Totally unexpected. I replied and said that was very sweet of him and that I appreciated it. Then he sends me this text:
Allison, I'm the kind of person who speaks what's on his mind and I like to be open with people. I've enjoyed our conversations lately a lot. You're a great person and friend to many. I don't want you take this the wrong way, because of those things. But, I'm not looking to date anyone at the moment. I would be honored to have you as a friend. I'd like to help you with your business dreams tho, that's for sure. I felt like I needed to put that out there for the both of us. I'm a real friendly person and it's just who I am.

Say what? Where did that come from? I told him I never assumed he was being anything but just friendly and I had no desire to date him. Please don't misconstrue my friendly nature as a crush.

I've decided I need a disclaimer at the end of all my texts.

DISCLAIMER: My friendly nature and incredible sense of humor in no way indicate a desire to sleep with you.

A

BOP and Tiger Beat

It's Tuesday again, so you know what that means...Talk To Us Tuesday with Impulsive and Shawn!

Last night, while losing miserably at Name That Tune, the BFFAE and I started talking about celebrity crushes.  She mentioned that she might still have a crush on Andrew Keegan...to which I replied, OMG me too!  That got us thinking about our celebrity crushes from our childhood days.  Get ready.
Devon Sawa

Then

Now

Andrew Keegan

Then

Now

Jonathan Taylor Thomas (aka JTT)

Then

Now

Who were your childhood celebrity crushes?  Are they still just as crush-worthy?  Spill!

Excuse me, I have fanmail to go write...
A

How I met my future ex-husband.

It's Tuesday again, so you know what that means...Talk To Us Tuesday with Impulsive and Shawn!





Today, I'm going to tell you the awkward and awesome story of how Kenny Chesney kissed me.  Yes, you read that right.


Let's rewind back to the spring of 2007, my junior year of college.  I entered into a local radio contest to win tickets to see Kenny Chesney in concert for his Flip Flop summer tour.  To enter, you had to take a picture of your feet in flip flops.  I took it up a notch and drew daiquiris on my feet, as well.  I was shocked to find out that I won 2 tickets!  I called the BFFAE and told he we were going.

Our seats were decent, but not great.  But hey, I'm not going to complain about free tickets.  During the break before Kenny went on stage, the BFFAE and I made our way to get some liquid refreshments.  We were standing in an impossibly long line when 2 sketchy guys approached us.  They were wearing cut-off camo shorts, black concert t-shirts, and had massive beer bellies.  The BFFAE did some modeling in college, so we were used to being approached.  These guys asked us if we wanted to go to the Sandbar.  The BFFAE bluntly told them we weren't interested in going to a bar with them.  The guy went on to tell me that the Sandbar was the area right in front of the stage.  They said they had wristbands to get us in and we could have them.  I skeptically asked what we had to do to get these magic wristbands.  They didn't want anything in return.  Well, okay, that was easy...

Hanging out with our favorite Event Staff guy.

Having a blast in the Sandbar.

We made our way down to the front of the stage and got right into the Sandbar.  It was awesome!  While we were there, we made friends with these 3 older intoxicated women.  They were hilarious.  They talked about how they were going to go backstage after.  They didn't have passes, but they were going to make it happen. Naturally, we joined in.  Somehow, we made it to the after party.  We were lined up outside of a room and had no idea what to expect.  They gradually let us in in groups of 2 or 3.  As we walked in, they handed us each a can of Red Bull and a bottle (like 1 liter) of Cruzan Rum.  No cups.  These people knew how to party.  Looking around, we saw a few musicians that were with Pat Green, but no Kenny.  Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw him!  For 15 glorious seconds, we were partying together.

My future ex-husband.

The BFFAE ended up making friends with some of Pat Green's guys.  Some of Kenny's guys even joined us. At one point, Kenny's sexy fiddle player invited us back to the tour bus.  Of course, we went.  Keep in mind that this is well after midnight.  We walk out a back door and onto a giant purple Cruzan Rum presents Kenny Chesney's Flip Flop Summer Tour bus.  We were promptly told to keep our phones and cameras in our pockets and if we were seen using them, we'd be asked to leave.

Outside of the bus with Pat Green's musicians. 

Kenny's musicians (who still tour with him, by the way)

We hung out, enjoyed some liquid refreshments from the bus's bar, and danced with the musicians.  Standard.    I decided to take a break and sit down on the couch with the BFFAE danced with Kenny's guitar player.  I was getting sleepy and was in a bit of a haze from all of the awesomeness that was going on.  I felt someone sit down beside me on the couch.  I turn to see who it was and it was Kenny freaking Chesney!  I made my best attempt at conversation without sounding like a bumbling idiot.  Not sure it worked.  I don't even remember exactly what I said, but something along the lines of telling him it was a great show and I was a big fan.  I didn't want to sound like some stalker and go all Swim Fan on his fine ass.

Pay attention people, because this is where it gets good.  He put his hand on my knee and told me I was just the sweetest thing he'd ever seen and he kissed me on the forehead!  I almost died, y'all.  Best night of my life?  I think so.

Big pimpin',
A

And the award goes to...

I'm majorly slack on this one, and I apologize.  Sweet Emily over at Trainin' to be a Texan gave me my very first blog award!  She's a doll and I love her blog.  (This was back at the end of December and I just haven't gotten around to posting about it, but I am so thrilled!)

Here are the rules:

1.  Copy and paste the award on your blog.
2. Thank the giver and link back to them. 
3. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog. 
4. Hope that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers!! 

Here are my five picks (in no certain order):

1. IA over at Confessions from an Impulsive Addict
2. Nadine over at All Along the Hightower
3. Cori over at Everyday Enchanted
4. jMc over at Style, Grace & Charm...The Southern Way
5. Shawn over at Seriously Shawn

Spread the love!

A

Take that!

Here's an update on The Preacher. He and his family made the trek to Duke this week for his tumor removal surgery. His surgeon is the same man that removed Ted Kennedy's brain tumor. I stalked email and Facebook all day for updates. I found out tonight that the surgery went well and was successful! They are doing some scans tonight to determine where everything stands. I'm not sure what their measure of success is, because I consider him waking up after surgery a success in the first place. I'm not sure yet how much of the glioblastoma tumor was removed, but I'm praying for the best.

Love you all for reading,
A