Happy Birthday Terry!!!!

In my family, this time of year is known as birthday season. It starts in early December with my brother-in-law Brent’s birthday and ends on January 24th with my Mom’s birthday. In between the following people have birthdays: My Dad, Mary Ruth, my 2nd cousin Avery, my Uncle George, my sister-in-law Terry (more on her later), me, and my niece Meredith (I think I got everyone). Which reminds me… I would not be me if I did not pause here to wish my favorite sister-in-law a

HAPPY 40th BIRTHDAY! 40 years old. Forty. 4 decades. XL. 40. The Big 4-0. Goodbye 30s... Hello 40s. WOW!!!!!!!!!!

Of course, I also have to take a second to point out that her husband (my brother) is still only in his 30s. Hey... does this make her a “cougar”? Hmm....

So what was going on in the world 40 years ago you ask? Here are just a few things I found on Wikipedia...

The first episode of All My Children was broadcast on ABC.

The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 in Super Bowl IV

Diana Ross & The Supremes perform their farewell concert at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas

Black Sabbath’s debut album Black Sabbath is released.

The Who: Live at Leeds is recorded

The complete New English Bible is published

President Richard Nixon signed the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act into law, banning cigarette TV ads in the US starting on January 1, 1971

American Motors Corporation introduced the Gremlin

Paul McCartney announced that the Beatles have disbanded

Apollo 13 is launched (with Tom Hanks, the guy from Footloose, and someone else were on it)

Kent State shootings happen

The last Beatles album (Let It Be) is released

1970 FIFA World Cub is inaugurated in Mexico

President Nixon signed a measure lowering the voting age to 18

The US gets its first female generals

Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh opened

Jimi Hendrix died

Janis Joplin died

Before I go, it’s also worth noting that today is Robert E. Lee’s birthday. If you don’t know who that is, go back to where you came from.

Happy MLK, Jr Day!

As you know, yesterday was the first real service at my new favorite church. I am happy to say that, because of this blog, there were over 300 people at the service yesterday. The bishop was sitting behind me so I did my best to behave... which means people around me missed out on some funny stuff. Oh well, maybe next time. A few thoughts on some things ARC might want to consider...

Some sort of intro music/light show (maybe some smoke) for when the band comes out on stage (and again when the preacher comes out).

Have the dates of Jamin's upcoming shows on the big screen before and after the service. Help a brother out...

I liked the video at the beginning... Keep doing something like that and then after a year or so, start selling a bloopers tape. It would be a good way to raise money for the church.

Moving on...

As I'm sure many of you know by now, form Clemson football star Gaines Adams died yesterday morning at the age of 26. What many of you probably don't know is that this past Friday (January 15), Margaret Gentry Vause died at the age of 80. A look at her obit in the paper yesterday would tell you that she received her Bachelor's Degree from The University of South Carolina and that after 30 plus years of teaching, she retired in 1990 as a second grade teacher from Stiles Point Elementary School. What the obit won't tell you is that she was my favorite teacher. Ever. I was lucky in that I don't remember really having a bad teacher growing up. I had a ton of good teachers and even a few great teachers. Mrs. Vause was at the top. I can remember going to visit her after school the rest of my elementary days. I can't point to one thing that she taught me, but I can tell you she taught me a lot. I wouldn't be who I am today if not for Mrs. Vause. God bless her. The funny thing in all of this is finding out she was only 80 years old. Mind you, I had her when I was in the 2nd grade so I was pretty young... but I would have guessed she was in her 70's or 80's back then. Guess I was off by a little.

January 15th is also my Uncle George's birthday (Happy late birthday, Uncle George).

It's also the date that my paternal grandfather died (back in 1995). On one hand it seems so long ago but on the other hand it feels like yesterday. I still miss him.


Chase Towne update: (from his dad): Chase has had a full weekend at home. He seems to be doing fine. Still climbing. The weather warmed up enough today so he could get some outside time. He loves to be outside. We have enjoyed the home time but are anxious to get the ball moving again. Thank you for all of the words of encourgement. Chase will report to clinic on Tuesday if his blood counts are right he will start round 11. Please pray for strength for our "Miracle Baby" Thank You!

Cleveland Cavs update: The Cavs beat the LA Clippers this past Saturday 102-101. They play Toronto tomorrow night.

Winthrop Eagles update: Winthrop crushed Presbyterian College 56-42 this past Saturday. The Eagles travel to Asheville on Thursday to take on UNCA.

One last time....

WHO: Me (& you)

WHAT: Ashley Ridge Church, Sinners Welcome.

WHERE: Ashley Ridge High School

WHEN: Sunday, January 17th @ 10:00am (first 300 people get in free)

WHY: Worship

Remember to tell the preacher you found out about this church from this blog. Also, stop by and see me after service... I'll be selling Commemorative Church Bulletins ($5 each... $10 if you want one signed by me, $8 if you want one signed by the Worship Leader, $4 if you want one signed by the preacher). 100% of half of all my sales will be donated to ARC.

It's Friiiiiiiiiiday!!!!!!!!

Just so you don't forget....


WHO: Me (& you)


WHAT: Ashley Ridge Church, A Community of People who are Passionately Pursuing God and Participating in God's Passion to Reach People for Jesus Christ.


WHERE: Ashley Ridge High School


WHEN: Sunday, January 17th @ 10:00am (Remember... don't get there too early or you'll have to help set up)


WHY: Worship

BE THERE!!!!!!!!!

Interesting....

Friends, you would think from the lack of activity on one of my favorite blogs that Sunday is just another day. Perhaps I am the only one who is excited. Why, you ask, am I excited... well, because...

WHO: Me (& you)

WHAT: Ashley Ridge Church (Motto: Now it counts)

WHERE: Ashley Ridge High School

WHEN: Sunday, January 17th @ 10:00am (set-up starts at 7:30am... so get there about 9:55)

WHY: Worship...

Chase Towne update (from his dad): Chase is doing well. He is enjoying his time at home. He has even taught his sister to climb. We never have had trouble with Olivia climbing up onto things until Chase learned how this week. Chase's new best friend is a wooden stool. He carries it all over the house, using it to climb up onto anything and everything.9 months, 2 major surguries, over 100 doctor visits, aprox. 70 days in the hospital, several ER visits and 10 rounds of chemotherpy and Chase is teaching his big sister bad habits. What a blessing! Chase's blood counts may not be ready for round 11. But we have been blessed by his spirits. Please say a pray giving thanks for Chase's spirits and asking for strength and healing for Chase. Thank you for the continued prayers and support for our "Miracle Baby."

Please keep them in your prayers.

That's all for tonight. I'll try to do better tomorrow....

First night after the first night of class...

I think it's worth repeating...

WHO: Me (& you)

WHAT: Ashley Ridge Church, a Traditional Church For People Who Have Never Seen a Traditional Church Service (and Therefore Won't Realize It's Not Really Traditional)

WHERE: Ashley Ridge High School

WHEN: Sunday, January 17th @ 10:00am

WHY: Worship... and as an added bonus there might be a surprise baptism (it would really surprise The Wife...)

Make sure you tell the preacher that you found out about ARC from this blog...

So there is some late night drama over the Tonight Show. It's like the early 90s all over again. I know some of my readers have been fans of Conan for many many years. Me... not so much. I don't hate him, he's just not my first (or second) choice when it comes to tv. I like Leno & Letterman. I don't really have a favorite (but I do watch Leno more now that he comes on at 10:00... I usually fall asleep before Letterman). Anyway, the only thing I can say for sure is that NBC is trying its best to screw up its late night programming.

What we have on here today is a classic movie scene from Tom Hanks...


Chase Towne update: No news out of the Towne family. Please keep Chase, his parents, and his sister in your prayers. Pray that they will keep fighting the good fight... and that they will keep the faith.

Cleveland Cavs update: The Cavs are off tonight.

Winthrop Eagles update: The Eagles are off until Saturday. My sources tell me they are using this time to fix some of the problems they've been having.

First night of class....

Had my first night of class tonight. This is going to be a hard one. A lot of work. I don't think all of it will be hard... but there is a ton of work to do in this class. Knowing my work ethic like I do, I think there's a 50/50 chance I'll pass.

Speaking of passing, I was excited coming into this class because all I need to graduate is a "C". I am no longer excited. Why? Because in this class, a "C" is 78-84. Crap.

Well, I'm tired so I'm going to cut this short. BUT before I go, let me remind you......

WHO: ME (& YOU)
WHAT: ASHLEY RIDGE CHURCH
WHERE: ASHLEY RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL
WHEN: SUNDAY, JANUARY 17th at 10:00am
WHY: WORSHIP

See you there!

Happy Birthday Clark!

Let me start by wishing my dear friend Clark a very Happy Birthday! His wife tells me he is 30 years old today. Of course, she also thought that The Wife turned 30 last year... so I’m not sure I can trust her on this one.

I know it’s only Monday, but I wanted to go ahead remind everyone that my new favorite church (Ashley Ridge Church, a New United Methodist Community of All Types of People) will have their first real service this coming Sunday. Starting this Sunday, it’s all for real. No more previews...

Mark McGwire admitted to the AP that he used steroids when he played. Well, I for one am just shocked (SHOCKED)! Here I was thinking Mark was the kind of guy that didn’t want to talk about the past. Next thing you know, Sammy Sosa will understand English!

I’m reading a book right now by/about Larry Bird and Magic Johnson and I just got past a part where they said they really got to know each other for the first time when they were shooting this commercial for Converse. So, the blog today is brought to you by Converse...


Chase Towne update: Remember to keep him and his family in your prayers. This update is from his mom: Hey everyone, Christine here. Just a quick note to let you know Chase's counts were not good enough for chemo this week. A Big Bummer, but I know it's all on God's time. We will try again next Tuesday. I am definitely ready to get the ball rolling. Chase's illness has really put me to the test. It is definitely teaching me all about PATIENCE!! Believe me, I enjoy having him home and watching all the new things he is doing and the boy makes me laugh all of the time. He is hilarious! Hopefully next week will be the week. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for all the prayers. Love, Christine

Cleveland Cavs update: The Cavs lost one at Denver Friday night (97-99) and won one at Portland (106-94). The Cavs lead the Central Division by 11.5 games.

Winthrop Eagles update: The Eagles beat Liberty on Saturday 65-62 to improve their record to 7-9 (3-3 in the Big South). In other Winthrop news, my (and Jeremy’s) friend/brother (fellow Kappa Sigma), Adam Growley, is going to be inducted into the Winthrop Hall of Fame. Here is the bio they have about Adam on the Winthrop website:

Adam Growley — Adam Growley is a member of the class of 2002 and helped lead Winthrop’s cross country team to back-to-back Big South Conference championships in 2000 and 2001. He was named a NCAA All-Southeast Region cross country performer in 1998 and 2000 and qualified for the 2000 NCAA Cross Country Championship. He was selected Big South Cross Country MVP in 2001 after winning the league’s individual championship and was also the 2001 Big South Indoor Track MVP and the 2001 Big South Outdoor Track MVP.

There seems to be a lot of talk this winter in football circles about playing hurt. The Wife’s favorite player (Hines Ward) called out Big Ben for not playing after suffering a concussion (talk about on this blog previously). Then there’s all this stuff with Texas Tech’s coach Mike Leach. I don’t know what went on. I don’t know if the kid was put in a shed or a trailer or whatever... but it sounds like the young man was being punished because the coach thought he was faking a mild concussion. First off, “mild concussion” is like “kinda pregnant”. You either suffered a concussion or you didn’t. As we’ve talked about on here before, concussions aren’t anything to mess with. If you try to come back too fast from a concussion it can really mess you up. I got knocked out in a baseball game my junior year at James Island and I ended up sitting out two weeks. My brother, who is many years older than me, got knocked out in a basketball game his senior year at James Island. I don’t remember how long he sat out after his concussion (if he sat out at all), but my guess is it wasn’t long enough because now the best job he can get is being a teacher. HA! Just kidding all of my teacher friends.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for playing hurt. My senior year I was eating Advil like they were M&Ms every day before baseball practices and games because my arm hurt, my legs hurt, and (mainly) my lower back was killing me. So I lived off of Advil and Icy Hot. So I get the attitude of athletes thinking you should play hurt. As long as you playing hurt doesn’t hurt the team... you should be out there. But concussions are different. They are bad news and studies have shown that you shouldn’t take them lightly.

We’re brought to you today by MasterCard


Chase Towne update: From his dad: All is well. Chase is doing fine. Enjoying the "down" time as we get ready for next week. Christine and I are enjoying the "seconds." As tough as this journey has been for Chase, we have been unbelievable blessed with a determined "Miracle Baby" and an overwhelming amount of support. We hope and pray that when Chase and Olivia are older they look back at this journey and realize just how blessed we have been. Please keep the prayers coming for strength as Chase prepares for next week.

Cleveland Cavs update: The Cavs play the Denver Nuggets tonight.

Winthrop Eagles update: The Eagles crushed VMI 96-63 last night, bringing their record to 6-9 (2-3 in the Big South). Winthrop hosts the Liberty Flames tomorrow at 4:00.

For any of you who want to know, I am still sick. It’s a working kind of sick. It’s a head cold/sinus type thing and I seem to be getting to the end of it. I can’t wait. I’m sure I’ll get over it just in time for my last semester to start. That’s right friends, Tuesday night will be the first class of my last semester in school ever. The Wife is just as happy about this as I am. She keeps saying something about me “helping around the house”... not really sure what that means.

Speaking of sick... Maverick has some kind of eye infection... almost looks like doggy pink eye. I told him he needs to get that looked at, but he never goes to the vet when I tell him to. I’m sure I’ll end up taking him. Also, Scooby has an ear infection. Poor guy... he’s got those big floppy ears so when he shakes his head all you hear is the “boom, boom, boom” of his ears hitting his head. We’re going to need to get him something for his ear before he gives himself a concussion.

Congrats to Boise State for winning a share of the I’m just sayin... National Championship. The other half will go to the winner of tonight’s game between Alabama and Texas.

Congrats also to my dear friend Andre Dawson on his election into the Baseball Hall of Fame. My friendship with Hawk dates back to the mid 1980s when I would come home from school, turn on WGN, and then sit and watch the Cubs play while I should have been doing my homework (or playing outside if it was summer time). How it took him this long to get in blows my mind. Then again, I said the same thing when Ryne Sandberg was finally elected... so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised over these things anymore. The other 3 I would have liked to see make it from this ballot were Lee Smith, Roberto Alomar, and Dale Murphy. Of the three, it looks like Alomar has the best shot at getting in next year.

Don’t forget to check out my spin-off blog. I do get some good forwards from time to time and I thought you might like this... is where I’m going to put those forwards.

A special thanks to GEICO for sponsoring my blog today.


My parents have Rock Band for the Wii. I love it. I think they got the Wii for their grandkids to play with when visiting. What usually happens is the grandkids play outside while my generation plays Rock Band. I have to say it’s fun playing it with my brother and sister (and sister-in-law). It would be more fun if my sister was good at it... but what can you do. We can’t all be musically gifted.

Chase Towne update: I’m going to post two updates. The first is from Christine (Chase’s mom) on January 4 giving us some bad news. The second is from Chuck (his dad) on January 5. From Christine (January 4): Hello everyone, Christine here. Chuck and I met with the doctors today about Chase's scans. It wasn't the best news, but it also wasn't the worst. They found a tiny bit of cancer in his bone marrow again, they found a new spot on his shoulder blade and there was no change in the existing tumors. They wanted to start more chemo tomorrow, but Chase's counts are not good enough. We will try again on Monday. It will be 5 straight days of chemo (Mon-Fri). The one thing we will do differently is try doing this outpatient. We will go to clinic everyday, but at anytime he could be admitted. We thought this might be better on everyone. He could sleep good at night and we would not have to chase him around the hospital attached to an IV pole. (EXHAUSTING!) We will do what we have to, but it would be nice to be able to sleep in our own beds. Around the 1st of Feb, he will get more scans and more bone marrow biopsies. They will be sending his bone marrow out to a second location for more specialized tests. Chuck and I are considering this a mere bump in the road to the day when he is cancer free. I love you all and thank you for all the wonderful surprises we received around Christmas. With all the bad that is happening in this world, there is still good people doing great things. You all have taught me about the kind of person I want to be. Thank you for that and thank you for all of your prayers. Please keep our Miracle Baby Chase in your prayers. Love, Christine

From Chuck (January 5): This morning when I left for work Olivia, Chase, and Christine were in our bed, Olivia was giggling b/c she was on her daddy's pillow. This afternoon when I got home from work Chase met me at the back door yelling at the top of his little lungs DA-DE! DA-DE! These two events were only probably 20 seconds long. But it was the most exciting 20 seconds of my day.

I tell you this story to say, yes the last 24hrs or so were tough and yes our emotions have run to the extremes (mad, sad, confused and all in between). I do not think Christine and I slept much last night either. But it was in that moment when I came home I was reminded to live for today because tomorrow is not a given but a gift. It also reminded me these emotional extremes are nothing compared to what Chase has been through in the last 8 months.

Chase is doing well. His strong will is showing in other ways now. He does not like it when things don't go his way and he does not like having to stay inside on these cold days. Please say a prayer first thanking God for the best 20 seconds of my day and for strength for Chase as he gears up for Round 11.

Cleveland Cavs update: The Cavs beat the Wizards (who were without their main weapon) last night 121-98. They are traveling to Denver tonight where they will face the Nuggets tomorrow night. Right now Cleveland is 28-9 (17-6 in conference) and in first place of the Eastern Conference’s Central division.

Winthrop Eagles update: Winthrop had a tough weekend losing on the road to Coastal Carolina and Charleston Southern. The loss to Charleston Southern broke a 17 game winning streak the Eagles had over the Bucs. It was also the first time former Winthrop assistant and current CSU head coach Barclay Radabaugh had beaten the Eagles. Winthrop is back in action tonight as they face VMI. Right now, Winthrop is 5-9 (1-3 in the Big South). The Eagles are currently in 8th place in the Big South (with a lot of basketball left to play).

Happy New Year!!!!! (Part II)

The fun thing about starting a new decade is looking back on the old decade. So let's do that now...

At midnight on January 1, 2000 I was at my parents house on JI with The Girlfriend (and my parents). I know what you're thinking... "Greg, you were at your parents house with your girlfriend and parents for New Years? You party animal". Here's the thing, I was still recovering from 2nd ear surgery (if I can find them, I will post pictures). I was still in school (at Winthrop) and working for Rack Room Shoes in Pineville, NC. At the time, my childhood dog (Dach) was still alive (as were both of my grandmothers). I was living with Jeremy and 2 other guys in a house that I was pretty sure was going to fall down at any moment (as far as I know, it's still up). And at that time, I only had two nieces.

Since then (in no real order)...
Gained two more nieces and one nephew. Had the meaning of 9/11 change forever. Graduated from Winthrop and swore I'd never go back to school. Got married. Lost Tommy (my sister-in-law's dad), Dach, and Granny. Had the meaning of 63-17 change forever (sorry Danny). Welcomed two of the best little girls (Mary Ruth and Susie) into my life. Saw Clemson beat FSU... a few times. Made new friends. Watched Winthrop win the Big South Championship in men's basketball... 7 times. Watched Winthrop beat Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Went back to school (CSU) for my MBA. Bought a house. Got two great dogs and one very, very bad dog. Met the first dog ever to not like me (dog belongs to The Mother-In-Law... enough said). Saw the most exciting football player ever (Thank you CJ). Caught up with high school friends (thank you Facebook). Charleston 9. Watched Navy beat Notre Dame... twice. Watched Navy beat Army... over and over and over and over... and over and over and over and over (sorry Kevin). Saw Pluto go from being a planet to being a dwarf planet (whatever that means). Saw the Steelers win The Super Bowl... twice. Watched my Dad and my uncle fight cancer (and win). Discovered barnesandnoble.com and fell in love. If my body were a stock, investors would be thrilled with my growth from 1/1/2000 to 1/1/2010. But my body isn't a stock... and doctors aren't real thrilled with my growth over the past decade. Fought a mystery illness multiple times (still don't know what it is or why it shows up). Got glasses. I'm sure there's a lot more, but I'll leave it at that for right now....

Chase Towne Update (from his dad): Happy New Year! It has been a very busy 48hrs. Yesterday (thursday) Chase's scans went well. He was sedated but they did not have to intibate (tube in throat) so this made the whole scan and recovery a lot smoother. Then today Chase got a hole in his broviac tube in his chest. Not sure how it happened, probably just wore out. It was just a pin hole but he was bleeding out of it and it feeds a main line straight to his heart. So we loaded him up and headed to the ER. After 4hrs in the ER they repaired the line and sent us home. Olivia and Chase both handled the past very hectic week well. Hopefully we can stay home for the weekend. We did not get any results back yet, but have an appointment on Monday with the doctors. Hope you and your families have a healthy and prosperous New Year. Thank you for the continued thoughts and prayers.

Cleveland Cavs Update: The Cavs lost to Charlotte tonight (88-91). They play again on January 6th.

Winthrop Eagles Update: The Eagles lost to Coastal Carolina yesterday (47-57). The Eagles play CSU in the Buc Dome tomorrow night.

Happy New Year!!!!!!!! (Part 1)

Let me start by saying I have started a spin-off blog, I thought you might like this.... This spin-off blog is just going to have email forwards that I receive (and want to share). This way, I won't have to forward emails... people can just read them on my blog. So send me any non-virus forwards you have. If I like them, I'll post them. I'm not sure how often I'll update that blog. It won't be more than once a day... it might not even be that often. Anyway, hope you enjoy it.

Well, it's a new year and a new decade. I've been taking care of a sick Mary Ruth for most of the past week. Now I'm sick (unrelated to what's MR had). Speaking of Mary Ruth, we had to take her to the ER last Saturday night/Sunday morning (at 2 am). We took her to the MUSC Children's ER because they're the best. This was her second visit there. Since her first visit, they've moved where they are in the building. I like the changes. Anyway, we were there for about 3 - 3.5 hours and they looked at her, asked us a bunch of questions, and got a urine sample from her. After all of that, they couldn't figure out what was wrong... so they said it was probably a stomach virus and we should keep an eye on her and keep giving her meds to keep her fever down. They also said they would keep an eye on her urine sample over the next few days and let us know if anything showed up. They then asked Mary Ruth if she liked Barbies. I figured they were just going to give her a sticker or something. Nope, they brought out 3 brand new Barbie dolls and let her pick one. I thought that was great.

What I didn't think was great was the issue they had/have with her name. As many of you know, her name is Mary Ruth. That is her legal first name. Not First Name: Mary, Middle Name: Ruth... it's First Name: Mary Ruth, with no legal middle name. It seems their system can't handle a blank space in the first name field. Fine, so enter it MaryRuth. I say this because when someone calls and asks me about Mary, it honestly takes me a minute to figure out who they are talking about. So the nurse comes in and is asking about Mary. Jennifer says something to Mary Ruth (using her name) and the nurse catches on and uses her correct name. That was great. At one point, two nurses had to come in to clean out her ears (long story). They did this by shooting water into her ears. If you've never had this done, let me tell you it hurts. It hurts real bad. So MR is screaming and trying to move away (because she ain't stupid) and one of the nurses (not the one I just talked about) is talking to her trying to calm her down. She keeps saying Mary. So Jennifer does what she did before and starts talking to MR calling her Mary Ruth (thinking the nurse would get the hint). She didn't. I'm sure for most people it's not a big thing... but to me it is. So I walked over and punched the nurse in the face and said in a very nice, but loud, voice HER NAME IS MARY RUTH! Haha... just kidding, I didn't do that. I did get mad though. Of course, them giving her a Barbie before we left made up for it.

So we went home not really knowing what's wrong with MR. A year ago, this wouldn't have been a huge deal. Now, however, we have a little baby at home. We didn't want to risk Susie getting sick, so I kept Mary Ruth back in our room where we stayed in bed and watched dvds. Her fever never went away. But other than when her fever was real high, she was ok. We spent most of our time watching cartoons (Transformers, GI Joe, & Scooby Doo) and college football (Music City Bowl). It wasn't an easy job... but I did it without complaint. I did it for Mary Ruth.

But wait... the story isn't over yet. Two days ago I got a call from MUSC telling me that something had shown up in the urine sample and they now knew what was wrong with her. So they called in some medicine for her and now Mary Ruth is on the road to recovery. If you ever has a child that has to go to the hospital, I highly recommend the MUSC Children's Hospital.