I am SO happy that my guest today on Friday Fellowship is Allison Tamme!!!
I have gotten to know Allison through my blog the last few years and she is the sweetest person. She is a cancer survivor, a runner and clean eater, a mom of two, a NFL wife and a Christ follower!
(Her husband Jacob plays for the Falcons and was hurt on Sunday and just had shoulder surgery yesterday. His season is over so please pray for his recovery.)
Here's a little about Allison in her own words:
I'm from a small town in Kentucky and I always imagined myself marrying Jacob and staying right there in Danville, Kentucky. However, he was drafted by the Colts in 2007 and it began a nine year (and counting) tour of America! Hah! We've had seven addresses in four states and while it's not a bit what I had planned, I wouldn't change it a bit. We are almost finished building our forever home on our farm and we look forward to moving there when Jacob finishes his NFL career.
The biggest turning point in my life was my diagnosis with thyroid cancer in 2013. You can read the full story here
http://www.everydayallierae.com/d-day/ .That post really explains my whole story, but the main takeaway I have from cancer is that God's hand is on every single part of our lives. He truly hold us close. And he NEVER wastes an opportunity to show us His love. Although, the days following my diagnosis were my darkest days, looking back, they are ones that I treasure most because I could literally feel His love and peace.
One charity that I would love to mention is our annual golf tournament, Swings for Soldiers Classic.
www.swingsforsoldiers.org. It's held every July in Lexington, Kentucky and it supports Homes for Our Troops. HFOT builds specially adapted, mortgage free homes for wounded veterans. These homes are phenomenal and no detail is left untouched so that the veterans will have the ability to operate independently in their homes. What we love most about the Swings for Soldiers Classic is meeting a new veteran and their family each year. All of our recipient veterans and their families come back and join us at the event annually, keeping us all connected. Next year will be our eighth edition of the event... so it really has become a family of sorts! These men gave up their life as they knew it for our freedom, so the least we can do is help give them the ability to be a husband and father in their own home.
1. What is your favorite Food?
Well, being from the south, I LOVE to eat! My diet has changed quite a bit since my cancer diagnosis, but I still enjoy treats. I cook with real foods and I'm not a bit scared of butter. My Mama's chocolate chip cookies are my all time favorite food! They are *the* best cookies and I can eat an entire batch... in a hour. Maybe thirty minutes. My second favorite food is coffee. I know, I know it's not really a food. But, since it transforms me from a mombie to a mom each day, I think it deserves a spot on this list!
2. What is your very favorite piece of clothing right now? (FASHION)
So, truth be told, I'm not in to fashion... at all. I stick to basic pieces and half of the things in my closet are nearly a decade old. The trend I'm currently rocking is "Please look at my toddler because she is dressed fabulously while I'm wearing mismatched sweats". It's a sad but true reality. In order to save myself from embarrassment at charity events and team functions, I started ordering from Stitch Fix. I love having outfits delivered to my door that I know will be in style and nearly every pieces has fit perfectly. My one go to item in my closet are my Tory Burch Miller Sandals. I purchased them three years ago and they are my go-to shoe in the summer. Pool, church, beach, ball games. They are SO versatile and SO comfy!
3. Tell us about your Family?
I'm married to my high school sweetheart, Jacob, and in May we will celebrate our ten year anniversary. He is a professional athlete and is in his ninth year in the NFL. He loves horse racing, golfing and reading. He's a bit of a nerd and I love that about him. When people ask us how we met and we tell them "preschool", we always get a good laugh! But, that's just the truth. There's something so wonderful about knowing your husband for nearly all of your life! We live in our "NFL city" for half of the year and the other half we live in our hometown in Kentucky. We just finished building our forever home on a farm that has been in Jacob's family since 1910. It is truly our lifelong dream to raise our family there.
Our son, Luke, is five and a half and just started kindergarten. He is so funny and keeps us on our toes. He loves football and legos and is the sweetest big brother.
Lyla Rae is our two year old daughter. She is sassy as can be and talks non-stop. We often bust out laughing when we try to discipline her because her facial expressions resemble that of an emoji! Hah!
My parents are simply amazing. I have seriously never met anyone like them. Not only will they go to extreme lengths to help our family with anything we ask of them, they are simply the best at anticipating our needs. They think of and do things for us before we even know we need them. I could not survive my crazy life without them. My sister is my best friend and I love that her little family is growing up right alongside mine. (even though we are in different states for half of the year.)
4. What is the most important quality in your Friends? OR tell us something that a Friend has done for you that you can't forget.
Honestly, I do not have a lot of close friends. I have just a few people who really "get me" and go in the trenches me with when I need them the most. However, I have lots of friends that I love dearly, but just don't get to communicate with them as often. Living in the NFL world and moving frequently, I have learned that friendship is all about caring and making an effort to show love. When Jacob injured his shoulder last week, my phone blew up with texts from across the country from friends I've met along the way. I may not chat daily (or even monthly) with these friends, but knowing they care is so special to me.
5. What's something you have learned recently in your Faith journey? And/or share your favorite scripture right now and why or your favorite Bible Study or book you have read recently.
On the live version of "Your Grace is Enough" Matt Maher says, "God's word is true whether you feel it or not." That really spoke to me because sometimes I let my emotions, my feelings, or my circumstances cloud my faith. It's easy to quote scripture, read your Bible and believe His promises when life is good. But what about when it's hard, ugly and uncertain? I'm learning to lean on and trust in Him because God is good, God is love, and He never changes.
6. What is your biggest Fear?
After being diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2013, my fears really changed. I used to fear flying, being diagnosed with cancer, or having someone break into our house. However, I've learned that fear is NOT of God and I'm working to turn my fears over to him. My greatest fear right now is losing someone I love dearly.
7. What are some of your Favorite things right now?
- Coffee: Starbucks white chocolate mochas with an extra shot is my favorite, but I'll guzzle gas station coffee if that's all that's available.
- The fact that my kiddos are really starting to play with each other. I just love watching them enjoy one another.
- The song, I AM by Eddie James. Take a listen and get ready to worship!
- My current Bible Study: Uninvited by Lysa Terkeurst
- Our Cariloha Bamboo sheets. Y'all, these sheets are life changing!
8. What has been your biggest Failure?
I fail daily. Our house is rarely clean, I forget to send Luke a snack to school at least once a week, my library books are often overdue, my blog is always getting neglected, the list could go on forever. My biggest failure is not finishing my master's degree. When I found out I was pregnant with Luke, I decided to go back to school and get my master's of arts in teaching. I completed 27 hours over the course of three years, but three cross country moves, two babies and one cancer diagnosis later, I just never finished. I still regret that. Of course, I can always go back and get my degree, but I feel like I wasted a lot of time, energy and money that I won't be able to get back.
9. What do you do for Fun?
I'm a self taught seamstress and I love to sew and quilt when I have time. I also love to make hair bows and create learning tools on my Teachers Pay Teachers site. I love to cook and bake from scratch. There's just something so fun about turning a pile of fabric into a dress or some flour and butter into a batch of biscuits. I love watching sports and we always cheer for the Kentucky Wildcats!
10. Tell me about what animals you have? (Furry things)
We don't have any animals right now, but we plan to in the future. I'm severely allergic to cats, dogs, horses and nearly everything with fur, but we do plan to get a farm dog. My son, Luke, asked after his sister was born, "Mama, how come some families get a dog and all we got was a baby?" So, I feel like we owe the kid a pet. Every boy needs one, right? We will hopefully have a farm full of animals in the years to come. I'm really excited about getting chickens, while Jacob is excited to have a couple thoroughbreds in the fields.
11. What is your favorite FILM? (movie)
Oh goodness, I don't really have the attention span for movies. If I have two uninterrupted hours, I'm certainly taking a nap, not watching a movie. And if I were to sit down to watch a movie in the dark, I would probably end up falling asleep anyway. I do like to take my babies to movies though because I love to see the wonder on their faces when the screen lights up.
10. What is one Fact we might not know about you?
I'm a recovering type A, list making freak. I feel like I could lead a support group for people like me! I do find myself making lists from time to time, but I'm not a slave to them like I used to be. I mean, I was so addicted to crossing off lists that I used to put "wake up" and "brush teeth" on them each day. Wow... that's embarrassing to tell, but it's true. Also, I love to binge watch the Game Show Network and the old game shows like $100,000 Pyramid are my favorites. After answering all of these questions I'm starting to feel like I'm an 80 year old trapped in a thirty-something body!
Isn't she precious? I'm so glad Allison came by to visit today!!!! Check out her blog:
