About Abbey

My life in a nutshell: First, blessed. Second, chaotic!

I have many titles: Abbey (with an –ey), Mrs. Allerding, Mommy, Coach…wife, daughter, sister, friend.

I am wife to Brian. He’s a veterinarian. He is kind and sweet—so laid back—the total opposite of me. We met playing basketball at Malone University and got married right out of college. I thank God everyday for blessing me with such a patient and caring man.

I am mother to the three little people, as we call them: Cameron, Peyton and Charlotte. Cameron is eight and was named after Cameron Indoor Stadium (go Duke!). He is my oldest by 11 minutes.  His twin brother, Peyton (who was NOT named after Peyton Manning), holds the middle spot despite being 3 inches taller and 12 pounds heavier than Cammy. Charlotte (also known as Charley or as her brothers call her, Chi-Chi—like the restaurant) is our youngest at six years old.  The little people bless me immensely, while also trying my patience daily!

We also have two cats, Mr. Darcy (because he’s beautiful and I love Jane Austen) and Sammy.  Sammy is a rescue cat—he is diabetic, gets insulin twice a day and is on Prozac because he bites only me! And I confess fully that I don’t really like pets. But when you marry a vet, you have to bend somewhere!

I live within five minutes of my entire family and am so blessed to spend a great deal of time with them. I talk to or see my mom every day, I coach basketball with my dad and brother and have a sister who is also my best friend. We have some very close friends, many of which are also a part of our church family at Parkside Green.

Most importantly, however, I am a believer in the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. Our lives are ruled first by the Lord, then the three little people and finally by 11 or 12 high school girls who play basketball for me at the local high school.  I won’t mention the team too much on this blog (at least specifically) for privacy reasons, but please know I love them desperately—like my own daughters—and they are always in the background of all that is written here. They spend time at my home, with my children and just living life with me. I am so thankful for them!

Several years ago I felt the Lord calling me to blog. “What will I write about, Lord?” was always my answer.  In June 2015, He answered that prayer when I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. This blog is an act of obedience in response to that calling. I will share with you my experience with MS but also just about life in general: the good, the bad and the ugly. I’m not sure how often I’ll post or exactly what the Lord has in store. I do know I’ve been writing diligently since my diagnosis and that with the encouragement of my husband and some close friends, I’m about to post all of that here.   In the meantime, I pray this may in some way encourage you in your walk.