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

#RunningWithCharlie

I just received an update about The Preacher.

Please let me brag on the wonderful church I am so blessed to serve! Since our coming to lead and to serve with you all in June of 2009, God has worked, through the Holy Spirit’s guiding, to transform the people of Trinity into an authentic Community of faith—a CHURCH! Know than I am blessed and proud to be your pastor.  Just as I have encouraged you to use the real language of this disease—brain cancer, let’s continue to use straight talk about the whole thing. I feel blessed to be able to share this journey with you—that God might use all of this in positive and helpful ways for us all together. This seems to me, to be a gift God has given me to share on this journey. Amen?  Julie and I will be returning home briefly midday today for a short packing expedition. On Thursday morning, we (kids with us, will be leaving to travel, once again to Duke hospital, where we will be admitted for preoperative assessments and preparations. Then, sometime on Friday, or over the weekend, Dr. Friedman will be performing a surgical resection of as much of the mass in my brain as is safe and possible.

The Preacher, JJS, and PK Girl slipped into church on Sunday as the sermon was starting.  After worship, everyone walked to the back of the church to give them love.  This is what we encountered:

He may not have his hair, but he at least has his sense of humor.

Thank you for allowing me to share this with y'all and thanks for the prayers, love, and support.
A

Name That Tune

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



I'm bringing awkward back.  Last night, the BFFAE (and crew) and I went to Name That Tune trivia, our Monday night ritual.  We had a group of 7, and ended up coming in 2nd place for the first two rounds and won the third round.  Go Team FU!  (For those of you wondering, that is our team name because a large majority of our team graduated or works for Furman University--hence the FU--whereas I am a proud Wofford Terrier...a rival.)  To give you a hint at how goofy we are, take a look at our answer sheet, filled out by Golf Guy:

Please note the number of players... #nerd

Towards the end of the night, we end the game with head-to-head Name That Tune battles.  As people were battling, this group of drunk men wandered in.  They were clearly out-of-towners, as they had on nametags on lanyards still.  The drunkest of the men, named Nicolas (I know because I saw his nametag) took a liking to two of the gals in our group, M.Penn and MG.  We noticed they were speaking French and discovered that they were French Canadian.  M.Penn and MG bailed and went to a neighboring bar.  A few minutes later, the Frenchies asked me and the BFFAE for directions to a nearby bar.  To be funny, the BFFAE gave them directions to the bar where the gals had fled.

Here is the text exchange between me and MG:

Moi:  We sent the Frenchies your way.  You're welcome.

MG:  Oh hell no.  I'm sending their maple syrup ass back your way.

MG:  OMG they're here.

Moi:  No refunds or exchanges.  Sorry!

I went over there with the BFFAE, Mr. S (the BFFAE's fiance), and Golf Guy.  Needless to say, the Frenchies made fools of themselves and were super sketchy.  It was a blast to witness.

We also decided that we needed to start a band that makes music solely out of sound effects.  I dubbed us The Onomonopias.  Clever.  We had our very first practice in the bar last night.  The train whistle noise was a big hit.  At one point, we looked around and pretty much everyone in the bar was trying it.  We are clearly the trendsetters.

I know I have some things I need to address on here (sweet acknowledgments, etc.) and I swear I will get to those.  Forgive me for being slowly.

Awkward hugs,

A

Yes, I is.

I ordered a new iPhone case from here and it came in the mail yesterday.

The quote is from The Help.

Yes, I is.  I need daily reminders of these things.

Toodles,

A

PS- You is, too.  All of you.

Yesterdays and Tomorrows.

It's Tuesday again, so you know what that means...Talk To Us Tuesday with Impulsive and Shawn!  Forgive me for missing a few weeks.

So, this cancer situation with The Preacher has been weighing heavily on my mind.  Last week went well with PK Boy and PK Girl.  They were in high spirits and it gave me hope for the whole situation.  Sunday morning, I checked my Facebook newsfeed (standard) to see what was going on with everyone, and I was thrilled to see that The Preacher’s status said he would be coming to 11:00am worship.  I felt relief wash over me.  As 11:00am approached, I scanned the church and he was nowhere to be found.  He is usually extremely punctual.  I saw the door at the side of the sanctuary slowly open.  The Preacher was flanked on either side by his wife (JJS) and a good friend, David.  He was unable to walk without assistance.  He looked so frail.  How did it happen so quickly?  He only started showing symptoms after Christmas!  It was surreal.  He opened for us in prayer, while stumbling through his tears.  He thanked the congregation for the outpouring of love and support, and he assured us he was going to fight.  His parting words, strained by his emotions, were this: Worship today, here in this place, like you might never worship again.  It broke my heart.

There was a line in the most recent episode of Grey's Anatomy that is all too relevant.  You get to a point in your life when you realize you have more yesterdays than tomorrows.

I’m working on bumper stickers and bracelets to distribute throughout the church and community so that we can not only show support, but also raise money for the family.  I’ve started a hashtag on Twitter (#runningwithcharlie), so I’d love some RTs and such so we can get it trending.  Anything to widen the circle of prayer. 

If you want to read about The Preacher’s battle from his perspective, check out his blog.

Anyway, I promise I’ll be back with funny and awkward soon.  The sad has just been consuming me lately. 

Thanks for reading, and thank you for your prayers.

A

Gut spilling update.

Shit. Here's is the update email I just received about The Preacher.

"I’ve been in the hospital up here in Charlotte since Friday morning with pronounced left side weakness.
A head C.T. was performed and we discovered an un-welcomed visitor in the form of a tumor on the right side of my brain.
I’ve had many tests and excellent care. Yesterday afternoon, I finally got one of my “silly” wishes granted by my lovely bride, Julie—she let me shave my head! This was in preparation for a biopsy procedure that lasted about 1.5 hrs. You who know my humor will appreciate that I hate hot hair when I’m running! So, problem solved!
Here is what we now know from the biopsy. I have a glioblastoma tumor—an unfriendly booger—but not without treatment options. I’m healing from the biopsy and hope to be back at the home of my mother-in-law sometime tomorrow—we still deeply appreciate the felt prayers, but no calls or visits at this point in time, please.
The gameplan is to assess surgical possibilities next week, and most likely begin planning for other treatments, too (radiation/chemo/etc.) I am still fully functional and look forward to being back with you all very soon!
I was given a wonderful chuckle from Scripture this morning while staring at my freshly shaved head in the mirror. Please read:
2 Kings 2:23–25 (NLT)
Elisha left Jericho and went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, a group of boys from the town began mocking and making fun of him. “Go away, baldy!” they chanted. “Go away, baldy!” 24 Elisha turned around and looked at them, and he cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of them. 25 From there Elisha went to Mount Carmel and finally returned to Samaria.
I hope you have a good laugh from this when you read it. It lifted my spirits today and I have not mocked a single bald head yet! :)"

His type of cancer has a 3 month survival rate without treatment and a 1-2 year survival rate with treatment.

So now, I wait. I pray. I pray harder. I pray my heart out. And cry. He's always been a positive person but this prognosis makes my stomach turn and makes me want to look up into the heavens and ask, "Seriously God? What's the deal? What are we supposed to do now? What do I tell his kids? Why him? Why now? Why at all?" But I know He has a plan. I jut wish I knew what they were.

I know The Preacher planned on teaching PK Boy to drive in 2 years and see PK Girl graduate high school in 2 years. And so much more. Here's me praying for MANY more years and milestones and grey hairs for him.

A

Guts shall be spilled.

Truth time. This isn't going to be an awkward post. It's going to be an honest one. You've been warned.

This is a tough time of year for me. It hasn't always been like that, but it is now. Last year, my Granddaddy passed away on New Year's Eve. I found out about it from my cousin's Facebook status. Utter devastation. If you're curious about details, I posted about it a few times last year. This year, the dread and realization set in earlier than expected.

My office was closed for the last week in December and I was happy for the break. I'd had plans of being productive and relaxing, but migraines robbed me of the rest I'd been hoping for. I lacked all motivation and was full of anxiety. It wasn't just about Granddaddy. More of the what-the-hell-am-I-doing-with-my-life kind. It was a rather overwhelming year of changes and growing up. It seems like everyone is getting married, starting great new jobs, going on awesome vacations...and I'm standing still. I have 2 great and steady jobs, so don't think I'm not grateful. I guess my life at 25 isn't quite what I'd imagined. I spend so much of my time working that I lack the energy to go out with friends much anymore. Working 6 days a week will do that to you. I'm really happy for the most part, but can't help but feel like I'm missing out. Know what I mean?

I had plans to go out with the BFFAE, her fiancé, and another couple on NYE. I wasn't looking forward to being a 5th but I knew it'd be fun. On the morning of NYE, I got a call that shook my world. It was from JJS (my preacher--who is also my boss--'s wife and mother of 2 of 7 youth). I'd emailed and texted her about teaching Sunday School the next day and hadn't heard from her, so I assumed that's what she was calling about. Her voice seemed off and she was distant. She took a deep breath and told me the news. Her husband, The Preacher, was in the hospital in NC. They'd been visiting family and he'd had what they thought was a stroke. At the ER, he had an MRI and it revealed a brain tumor. He's a healthy 43 year old with 2 teenage kids. The rest of the conversation was a blur. I spent the next few hours making phone calls and trying to remember how to breathe. These people are like family to me. I tried to wrap my head around it all, but kept having flashbacks of last NYE. I couldn't do that again.

I texted the BFFAE and told her I couldn't go out that night. I was too frazzled. I knew that if I even got 1 glass of celebratory champagne in me, I'd start doing the ugly cry in public. I stayed in and went over to spend the night at my parents' house. Mommy Dearest and I watched Horrible Bosses and ignored the fact that it was a holiday.

The Preacher had a biopsy yesterday to determine the nature of the brain tumor. I don't know the results. I've texted JJS and asked how I can help. I text PK (preacher's kid) Boy and PK girl everyday and tried to provide support and laughter. I've felt helpless. My spiritual rock was facing the possibility of cancer. I didn't have anyone to lean on in that regard.

I offered to stay at the house with PK Boy and PK Girl if they wanted to come home and she needed to stay in NC. It was something concrete that I could do to help. She thanked my and said it wasn't necessary. She changed her mind. The kids are coming home next week and I'll be staying with them Monday through Thursday next week. PK Boy is 13 and PK Girl is 16. They need to get back home and back to school. Now I'm just looking inward for the strength to support and comfort them through this.

This isn't meant to bring pity upon myself, but just to let you know where my head's at and explain my absence. If you could, say a prayer for The Preacher and his family. And for me, for strength. And patience. Dear Lord, I need patience.

If you made it through, I appreciate it. I promise I'll return to awkward posts and humor soon.

A

Holly Jolly!

Hey there, remember me?  I know it's been a long time.  I will have to do a more in-depth post later, but I've just got too much going on right now.

I was lucky enough to participate in the Holly Jolly Swap hosted by Ashley at Everyday AEM, Crystal at Coffee at Nordstrom, and Emily at In the Life of Emily.

My Secret Santa was the lovely Emily over at Trainin' to be a Texan.  Y'all, she is phenomenal.  Her cards and gifts were so perfect and she's a total sweetheart.  She's a newlywed and a preschool teacher.  She and I both love working with kids and are very involved in our churches.

Check out what she sent me!

1.  ADORABLE earrings!
2.  Sparkly nail polish
3.  Mr. & Mrs. Claus ornament frames
4.  Warm and beautiful pasmina/wrap/scarf

I love it all and I think this was such a cute idea!  Through the swap, I've discovered so many wonderful blogs.

Snuggles,
A