A little about me.....

As you read this blog, I hope that you will be able to gain some insight into your own life, but first, I should probably give you some into mine. One of my favorite song lyrics is from the song "Grace" by The Martins and it says this: "I am forgiven. I am redeemed. A brand new creation - He saved me, and gave me a reason to sing!" This is the perfect explanation of my life. I am in love with the Lord and my favorite way to worship Him is through singing. It doesn't matter if there's anyone around....frankly, I like it better that way!

So now you know probably the most vital parts of my being. God and music. A few lesser, more shallow facts about me: I adore the snow. Even when it gets cold on your back because your shirt came untucked. I have a small addiction to Vanilla Coke. Every time I see the sun shining through the clouds I think Jesus is coming back. I sleep in and stay up late like it's going out of style.

I also happen to be engaged to the most incredible man in the world. I adore being in a forever Ruth and Boaz love. I met Travis in college and I can't imagine that special time in my life without him! He had a lot to live up to being the man in my life, because I grew up with 3 older brothers and an absolutely perfect daddy. I love listening to him preach every week and I will miss it so much when I can't be in my hometown every Sunday. I love hearing stories from my oldest brother David, the strong soldier. I love singing and laughing with Brian, the rockstar. And I love getting hugs from Ross, the minister, who may as well have been my twin.

But I also have a sweet Mama who keeps all of us together. I love being in the kitchen with her and sitting at the table after all the boys leave. She is an absolute angel and I am so happy to have her in my life.

I have been incredibly blessed with a family that loves the Lord and is growing (by the minute, it seems!) I now have 3 beautiful sister in laws, 3 precious nephews, and 1 perfect niece.

I have been so blessed by God's grace regularly in my life and I cannot wait to see what He has in store for me in my journey ahead. And I want you to be a part of it! Post comments about what's going on in your life. I am still learning so much, but I have so many people in my life that I am able to learn from, and I can't wait to learn from all of you and hear about your lives. This is a simple blog - there are no perameters of DIY projects or recipes. Just us learning about God, ourselves, and each other as we walk step by step through this life of recipes, bridal showers, sick days, and traffic jams together!

What's Cooking? - Broccoli Salad!

If I want to keep this blog going, I'm going to have to write about more than deep issues and inspirational thoughts...I only have so many! So I've decided to start sharing some recipes! I have recently gotten into what I'm calling "housewife mode" and I can't seem to stop looking at DIY projects and new recipes. And my parents love it because I'm making new things for them and they don't have to do anything!

One of my favorite foods is the Broccoli Salad from Ruby Tuesday's. One year for my birthday, my mom got a huge tub of it from their kitchen! (Best birthday present EVER.) So in my recent recipe search I found a very similar (but much easier) version of this and...guess what? I liked it even more!! It's delicious and it doesn't include any obscure ingredients that require a fresh market. (Bonus.)

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:
1 head of broccoli, chopped into small florets (or, if your grocery store is lacking like mine was, 3-4 crowns of broccoli)
8 pieces of bacon, fried crispy and crumbled (or the "real bacon" bacon bits, like I used...much quicker!)
1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
Diced red onion - the recipe I used called for 1/2 of a red onion, but that is a ridiculously large amount for this recipe. If you're a red onion lover, have at it. If you're in the rest of the 99.475% of the country, just dice up a little pile like I did in the picture below.
2/3 cup of mayonnaise
1/8 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, red onion, bacon, and cheese.

In another bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, and red wine vinegar until it's well blended. This shouldn't take very long at all.

Pour the sauce mixture onto the dry ingredients and mix well!

Voila! Your very own, restaurant worthy, broccoli salad!

This recipe was a breeze to make and it is absolutely delicious. If you're not a huge red wine vinegar fan - I am - then you could add a little more sugar to dampen the bite, but that's all to your preference. Happy cooking!

"And many years from now it won't matter how I write the rhymes I do - Help me get back to the reason I sing for You"





Sometimes He calms the storm...

This title comes from a lyric of an incredible, albeit old-school, song that I happen to love. It rings true so often in my life. If you've never heard it, or you need a refresher course, you can read the lyrics here: http://www.tsrocks.com/s/scott_krippayne_texts/sometimes_he_calms_the_storm.html 

I've found myself in a place where everything around me seems a little above my expertise. I don't know that I've ever been in the middle of so much "newness" without a clue what to do. Now, just a few weeks ago, that had me stressing myself right into the doctor's office. I started having to take acid reflux medicine and somehow in the middle of it all got a bacterial infection. This is so against my nature I can't even describe it. I, Allison Henderson, am not a worrier. I didn't even think I knew how to be one. Apparently I do.

I took a step back from my life and looked at everything going on around me. While in Birmingham, I was asked to be a writer for the Acteens curriculum. NEVER have I ever done anything of the sort. When I moved home, I took the position as Florida Student Consultant, a job that I have desired but have clearly never previously had. I'm getting married in January, but as most of you know...I've never been married before...you knew that, right? Also, we don't have a job yet, so we're don't know where we will live. That throws a kink in the whole plan. So anyway, lots of newness and stressful situations.

But now I can look back on that time as a memory. Why, you ask? Did I take a miracle drug that relaxed my brain and body? No. Do we know where we will live yet? No. I simply gave it over to God. (I know, Sunday School answer, right??) That may not be the answer that anyone in a similar situation is looking for, but is absolutely the only one. As a child in a ministry family who raised me right, I simply can't avoid knowing the right answer in most situations. The hard part is acting on it. I could've told you every day during that time that I needed to give my situation over to God, letting Him do whatever He wanted with it, but that doesn't mean I was doing it!

The lyrics to the song say, "Sometimes He calms the storm, and other times He calms His child." Ladies and gentlemen, the jury's out. This time He calmed the child. And I know, just as the hymn says, "Because I know He holds the future.....this child can face uncertain days because He lives."

Blumed.

Blume conferences, Blume general sessions, Blume Bible studies, Blume facilitators.....everything in my life since January has been consumed by an incredible event called Blume. But now, Blume has come and gone, and my little body doesn't know what to do with itself.

Blume was absolutely wonderful. I couldn't have imagined it being any better. Everyone involved gave everything they could and then somehow mustered up more to give. Girls' lives were changed, and God moved in a big way.

So the big question: NOW WHAT?

An event like Blume leaves a person on an incredible high, giving you this surreal expectation that all of life should be this way. When everything finally slows down, your brain doesn't quite know what to do or how to function. The National Acteens Panelists lead a conference called,

"Staying on the Mountaintop: Making Blume Last".

I should've gone to it.

My sleeping schedule is out of whack, my brain goes to a default "..........." mode whenever it sees fit, I'm starting to get emotional about leaving.....

and I wouldn't change it for the world.

My experience at National WMU working towards this event was inexplicably wonderful. There are not two bosses on the planet who would be willing to pour into me in the way that Kym and Suzanne did. I felt so necessary, and that is not a feeling that an intern typically has.

I gained friendships that will last for a lifetime. I know it already.

(I may never want to go to Chipotle again, but we did have a good time!)

We talked about our "divine compulsion" some in our Bible studies at Blume. What is something that you feel so compelled to do that no one could stop you? Blume was one of those things for me. I could've easily denied the position and decided that a college graduate who was planning a wedding had no business moving to a town where she didn't know anyone, especially not for 7 months!

But there was no stopping me. I was like a train rolling down a hill. High speed, ready to go, and no detour available. 

So, since I can't just write something to share my feelings, I challenge you: What do you love? What is it that you would sacrifice sleep, socializing, and self for?

DO IT.