You Can Call Me Al: The Birthday Girl

The week of birthdays continues. May 14th is Allison Sit's birthday. Happy Birthday Allison Sit!


I met Allison, then Allison McLaughlin nearly four years ago. She attended Quest United Methodist church, and helped coordinate the Alpha group I went to, that eventually spun off to become my small group. Over the years I have had some wonderful talks with Allison. I love that she is a strong woman of faith, and she inspires me in my own relationship with God.



I remember walking around Meadowbrook Park with Allison just over two years ago when she told me about how she had recently signed up for Eharmony. She thought there might be a few possibilities, but there was this one guy she thought might be special, but she wasn't sure... he was a Cub fan, could they work that out? Needless to say they worked it out, and she married Abe last August. They did the long-distance relationship for over a year... Evanston to Champaign... Champaign to Evanston. Little did I know that I too would meet someone very special on Eharmony and would be in a long distance relationship of my own. Allison has been a great resource for long-distance relationship advice. I have learned for myself that long-distance relationships are not easy... so it makes what Abe and Allison did all the more amazing... but I have also learned that when you are with the right person a long boring drive on Friday night seems like such a small sacrifice.



Besides being a devoted Christian, and a long-distance relationship mentor, Allison is a big time Cardinal fan. Our love for the boys that wear the "Birds on the Bat" is one thing that definitely has brought us together. She totally gets my my baseball crazy, and I get hers. Some of my fondest and hottest memories of Allison are from the ballpark. I have attended two baseball games in STL with Allison... they were were the two hottest days/games I have ever experienced. The first game we went to was with Nik and Allison Hocker in what Nik & I like to call "You Can Call Me Al" Day. We went to Al Hrabosky's for lunch, and then waited in line in the BLAZING sun to get in early for picture day. It was totally worth it because you haven't lived until you have seen Allison's reaction to Julian Tavarez walking by and giving her "High Cinco"... that's a "High Five" for you gringos out there. We were nasty sweaty messes, but we had a great time, and we even got home early thanks to Carp's masterful 1 hour 54 minute complete game shut out... darn it I miss him. The other game I went to with Allison was against the Dodgers in the new stadium, and our seats were in the sun. It was so hot that day, Angie and I applied for credit cards... just to get the free beach towel so we could sit on them and not have the flaming hot plastic seats scorch the skin from the back of our legs. It was wicked hot... so hot I even missed an inning just to catch some shade at the concession stand for awhile.



Oh the memories. We just share that baseball connection... so much so that when Eric and I were at Busch for a game in April, I got a text from Allie... she and Abe were at the game in Wrigley. Neither one of us knew of the others plans ahead of time... we just happened to be at the ballparks on the same days.

I must say Allison found an awesome husband too. Although he is a Cub fan, Abe has many redeeming qualities as well. He is witty and smart, a man of God, and bless him an Illini fan and alum. We bond over this since Allison is a Mizzou alum.



Happy Birthday Allison! May God bless you always! I miss seeing you every week, but I know great things are finding you in Evanston.