All posts in F R I E N D S

Our Alma Mater Ever Be

by mgw on November 2, 2009 in F R I E N D S, H A P P E N I N G S with No comments

This past weekend was our annual Homecoming celebration at Lambuth. As you all know we hold Lambuth very near to our hearts, as it was the place Matt and I met, got engaged and got married. We even named our daughter Wesley because of Lambuth (John WESLEY = founder of Methodism. Get it now?!?)

This year’s celebration was bittersweet because LU is going through a very rough time financially. We have always been a small school, which is part of it’s draw and charm, but it doesn’t make paying bills and keeping up with the Jones’ (or Unions) easy. We know Lambuth will survive, but it was hard to see how much things had changed due to lack of funds. Many professors have had to move on, and programs such as cheerleading and dance team have been cut.

If you are an alumni, please send Lambuth your financial support, every dollar counts. If you are not, you can still contribute if you like, but also keep Lambuth in your thoughts. It is an amazing place that touches many lives. It is the reason I have my amazing husband and beautiful daughter. Speaking of…. here is a shot of her at the football tailgate this weekend. Yes, that dress IS homemade!

Lambuth Girl

No matter the difficulties we go through, I will always be proud to be a Lambuth graduate. And I am so thankful for the dear friends I met there, who are still such a huge part of my life! It was great to see you all. We’ll do it again next year!

I Got Friends

by mgw on July 13, 2008 in F R I E N D S with 2 Comments

Just thought I’d share a picture from this weekend. We were celebrating Casey’s 25th birthday (the cute blonde 2nd from the end on the right, next to our other beautiful blonde friend Taylor).

But even though we had a reason this weekend, we rarely need one. This is not an uncommon occurrence. We have an excellent group of friends and luckily we are often together. So cheers to having great friends, we are very blessed!

ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE

by mgw on February 25, 2008 in F A M I L Y, F R I E N D S with No comments

ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE AND ALL THE MEN AND WOMEN
MERELY PLAYERS. THEY HAVE THERE EXITS AND THEIR ENTRANCES AND ONE MAN IN HIS TIME PLAYS MANY PARTS

Today a great man passed away. His name is Mark Collins, and he was my high school drama teacher. Mr. Collins was so much more than a teacher to so many of us. He taught us how to express ourselves, believe in ourselves and more importantly be ourselves– and we would have jumped off a bridge if he asked us to. Just to give you a glimpse, here are just a few things my friends are saying:

Wow. I know for me, he was the most influential teacher I had (even though he left us during our senior year). I saw him in August at the University of Memphis graduation. His wife was receiving her doctorate in music. What memories! They're almost overwhelming….

Leslie

Today my high school theater teacher, Mr. Mark Collins, passed away in his home.My heart is filled with sadness and a simultaneous feeling of mutual loss shared with his amazing family–wife Leiza and daughters Catherine Ann & Emily–and with decades of students and fellow actors whose lives he touched.Today I see the clouds instead of the sun, but tonight I know the stars will shine just a little brighter. They've reclaimed one of their own.Mr. Collins fostered many aspiring young actors, and I think we all carry a piece of him wherever we go–on stage and off.Mr. Collins, I bow to you, sir–my teacher, my friend.

Rhe Ann

I personally saw Mr. Collins as a father figure for the past 14 years. In high school he told me I mattered when boys broke my heart. In college he encouraged me to follow my heart, even if my new director was yelling at me. I called him the day I got engaged and winked at him when I walked down the aisle.

Mr. Collin's is the reason I went to Lambuth, the reason I have a degree in theatre, the reason I'm me…..

My heart weeps for his family and all of us who have lost such an amazing man.

Sarah Kathryn

by mgw on September 19, 2007 in F R I E N D S with 4 Comments

Sorry, Mary Elizabeth again, my life has just been blessed with many beautiful friends that insist on reproducing lately!!!

My very fabulous friend from college and fellow Princess, Leah Beth (Bryson) Mason, delivered a gorgeous baby girl on Friday. Sarah Kathryn Mason was born at 2:30pm and weighed 8lbs 1oz.

There whole family is doing great, and speaking of strength that amazes me…LB did it natural!

She is precious, Love you Leah and Chris!!!!

I’m Just a Girl

by mgw on September 19, 2007 in F A M I L Y, F R I E N D S with 2 Comments

So I had the most AMAZING ten minutes of my life (thus far) on Monday. I was lucky enough to witness my very best friend in the whole world give birth to her first child, Madison Lee Hamm.

I am not trying to say I haven't had a fabulous life – many things have been wonderful (thus far). But I have never seen anything like this!

Brandi's water broke at 2:30am. We were all at the hospital by 3:15am. And at 12:10pm she was ready to start the famed pushing. Now here's where it gets AH-Mazing .

The bed that Brandi had been resting in transformed in mere moments to this baby receiving machine. It lifted and tucked and turned and things came off and got attached – meanwhile, I realized this was really happening and proceeded to start balling and laughing at the same time!

And then…3 pushes…and Madison was here!!!! 13 minutes – it took 13 minutes – to make a person. Well OK, I know it really took 9 months, but still at 12:10 there were 5 of us in the room and at 12:23 there were 6. That, my friends, is mind blowing. Especially when you get to be there.

So that is what I did with my Monday. I am blown away by the strength of my childhood friend. She did a great job, no whining or complaining. And she made one beautiful new human being.

Congratulations to Brandi and Jason! She is perfect. And thank you for letting me witness God's blessings in person!

Don’t Be Square

by mgw on August 23, 2007 in F R I E N D S with 1 Comment

I write today to beseech you – nay, to IMPLORE you – to cancel any previous plans you may have for tomorrow night and join us at a very special event. For tomorrow night, my friends, is the long awaited CD release party for Adam Wheatley's new album, Bring the Morning, Bring the Sun.

Get excited.

Nineteen months ago (February 11, 2006 to be exact), Adam sent me a song he had been working on called "Beautiful Offense." I listened to it for about 30 seconds before calling him up and telling him that he needs to get in a studio and record an album as soon as possible. A few weeks would pass, and then he'd send me another song he just wrote that was even more amazing than the last. Although each song caused my jealousy of his talent to increase a little bit more, it became clear that Adam was on to something big.

That first batch of songs have survived three demos and at least a hundred minor revisions, and are all the better for it. In short, the album was worth the wait. Co-produced by our good friend Casey Webber, Bring the Morning, Bring the Sun (or as I like to call it BTMBTS), is fantastic – sonically, lyrically and spiritually. Once again I find it hard to believe that we live among such talented folk. I'm honored to have played even the most minor role in its creation.

So come celebrate with us on Friday night at 7pm at First United Methodist Church in Collierville. Adam will be performing songs from the album, and will be joined by special guests including Mary Elizabeth, who also sings some background vocals on the album. And of course, you'll be able to buy a copy (or 12) of the CD too. If you need directions, or have any other questions, just give me a call or shoot me an email.

Be there!

And It’s You When I Look in the Mirror

by mgw on January 3, 2007 in F R I E N D S with 5 Comments

Do you have a dog?

Ok, good. Do me a favor. When you get home from work, pick up your dog, take them into the bathroom, and try to get them to see their reflection in the mirror. Then, report back at what happens next. Do they look at themselves? If so, what is their reaction?

Tomorrow, I will gather the data and publish the results of this highly-scientific study, along with the hypothesis that inspired this request.

Thanks. And good luck.

SPElumni Two: Campus Weatherman

by mgw on November 3, 2006 in F R I E N D S with No comments

For those of you who couldn’t make it to Lambuth Homecoming last week (which was a lot of fun, by the way), I wanted to let you know that the latest edition of the SPElumni series, titled "Campus Weatherman" was unleashed to the masses.

To refresh your memories, the SPElumni project is a compilation of music produced by alumni of the Lambuth University chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon. Last year’s CD, "Gerard Bell on the Table" was such a smashing success, that we had no choice but to do it again.

"Campus Weatherman" features tracks from all your favorites such as Nimble Gnome, Ken Weatherfor d and Adam Wheatley, as well as tunes by new artists such as Wake the Light and Tuesdays at the Ramada.

As always, SPElumni is a free giveaway, and can be downloaded by clicking here.

Rock on.

It’s Like You Were There

by mgw on October 20, 2006 in F R I E N D S with No comments

For those of you who couldn’t make it out to The Acoustic Spoon last night, here are a couple of the highlights.

First off, here’s Adam Wheatley performing the song that’s been stuck in my head for the last 12 hours, "Drop Your Coat and Run."

Next, here’s Ken Weatherford performing his latest jam, "It Is You."

Unfortunately, I’m unable to share with you the yummy goodness of the cereal we ate last night. But for the record, I ate Life, and yes, Mikey liked it.

But seriously, it was a great night with two very, very talented musicians. So next time, let’s pack the house, eh?

By the way, if you’d like to see more live performances from last night, hop on over to my YouTube page.

Cereal Killers

by mgw on October 19, 2006 in F R I E N D S with 2 Comments

TONIGHT TONIGHT TONIGHT!

If you are in or around Memphis, I implore you to come to The Acoustic Spoon tonight at 6:30pm to see our friends Ken Weatherford and Adam Wheatley in concert.

If you’ve never been to The Acoustic Spoon, it’s a cool little space at First Baptist Memphis (on Union @ East Parkway). It’s primarily a great place to see indie music, which is always a good thing. And I dare say that tonight’s double bill is the best one that they have ever had.

But what really sets The Acoustic Spoon apart is that it serves FREE CEREAL. And I’m not talking about regular old Cheerios here. I’m talking Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Fruity Pebbles, Apple Jacks – you name it.

So if nothing else, come for the cereal and stay for the music. Because I’m telling you – both of these fellows are really honking good.

See you tonight!