Tag Archives: James LeBlanc

My Top 10 Blog Posts of All-Time

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After 10 years and 2,000 blog posts, I guess you could say this one means something. Today I am not counting down my top 5 favorite hard candies or my top 5 favorite fast food desserts. No, this one is a little more significant.

This month I took time to reflect on my personal favorite Don’t Blink blog posts from the past decade. I combed through the content and engaged in spirited internal debates about which ones meant the most to me. After much deliberation, I picked an extreme short list that comprises just .2% of the posts I have written since beginning this blog in 2011.

I am proud to present my Top 10 Don’t Blink Blog Posts. This countdown is all about my personal preferences and isn’t tied to analytics or the opinions of anyone else. These are my favorite pieces. What a journey it has been…

10. My Insanely Long Hair (February 13, 2014) – We open with a shocker. If I ever want someone to spit out their coffee, I send them the link to this blog post. Back in high school I had LONG hair that was thick, curly, and UGLY. It is definitely a sight to be seen and after reading the post you might either laugh or vomit.

i had some long hair back in the day and it made for an entertaining blog post.

9. Making the Cut: My Cameo in Darius Rucker’s Music Video (September 29, 2014) – Alright, now we go from not getting my hair cut to making the cut! It was a thrilling afternoon in the office at Coastal Carolina University when Darius Rucker released his video for “Homegrown Honey” which took place exclusively on the CCU campus and in downtown Conway. Seeing my goofy mug right next to the Hootie star himself made that day that even better. Besides my starring role in a short film that was showed on a jumbotron, this post is my very brief claim to fame.

I made the cut in Darius Rucker’s “Homegrown Honey” video.

8. Hey Southern Belle, What Have You Learned After a Year? (May 12, 2021) – Some of the blog posts on this countdown go back 10 years…this one goes back three weeks. Around the anniversary of Sidney moving to Washington, I wrote this blog post chronicling some of the major themes my wife learned from her move from the South to the West. It is lighthearted and fun, but it definitely implies that Sid is a rock star and made a major transition look easy.

It didn’t take long for Sid to adjust to Washington but she still learned things around the way.

7. $25,000 Dollar Man (October 19, 2011) – If there is a post that my loyal readers bring up more than all the others, it is the one I wrote about my brother winning BIG at the casino. On a single hand of Paigow he snagged $25,000. Not only do I describe the hand itself but I go into detail about the INSANITY that followed. Needless to say, it was quite fun to tell the outrageous story of a 21-year-old kid who blew the roof off a sleepy bowling alley casino during the wee hours of a snowy winter night.

Glen got real lucky at the table once.

6. A Man of Faith: Monsignor James LeBlanc (February 26, 2017) – I love writing profile pieces and have written numerous of them for this blog, but this one about the former St. Andrew (Myrtle Beach) pastor is particularly meaningful to me. Just the fact that Msgr. James LeBlanc married us is good enough to land him a special spot in our hearts but he did so much more than just that. He gave Sid her first true introduction to the Catholic faith and strengthened my own. About six months after he officiated our wedding, the Bishop of Charleston appointed him the pastor of a couple parishes in Columbia. After hearing the news, I wrote this colorful profile on one very excellent priest.

Sidney and I with Msgr. LeBlanc at his farewell party.

5. Farewells (April 2014 and February 2020) – For this portion of the countdown I must cheat a bit and offer my readers a 4-in-1. This is the spot where I want to include the final posts I wrote before leaving jobs. My top 10 moment entries for the University of Montana and Coastal Carolina University serve as perfect highlight reels for my time at both stops. I also hold my “final goodbye” posts at UM and CCU in high regard because I had the opportunity to recognize the people who made my experiences as a Grizzly and a Chant so amazing.

I have worked for some great employers and I tried my best to say “thank you” when I left.

4. Our Fierce Fighter (April 25, 2018) – At the end of April 2017, Sidney published something significant to Facebook. For the first time, a year after the fact, she made it publicly known that Sloan was critically ill with a rare condition called Pyloric Stenosis. It took us time to come to grips with the traumatic experience but on this particular night Sid wanted to speak out. Her purpose was simply to offer support to other families who might have a baby with PS.

Using Sid’s act of bravery as motivation, I followed up the next night with a blog post. I wrote about the emotions we felt as parents as we watched our baby daughter throw up all food that entered her system. I testified to the undeniable fight we watched Sloan exhibit throughout the entire frightening experience. I also made sure to offer education on what Pyloric Stenosis is and how it can be treated, heaping praise on Dr. Robert Cina (the head surgeon who performed Sloan’s procedure) and his entire crew at MUSC. This post put us in touch with parents who were going through the same thing we did with Sloan. Because I believe this blog post actually helped people (opposed to the 2,000 other posts that most people just find annoying), how couldn’t it be on this countdown?

This is Sloan being wheeled out of MUSC on a wagon after receiving a clean bill of health.

3. My Top Ten Photos From Our Wedding Day (July 17, 2016) – It is really tough to put into words the joy you feel on your wedding day. Although I tried to do so with several different blog posts, I don’t know if it ever did our special day justice. Thank goodness for pictures. In July, I wrote this post highlighting my absolute favorite images from June 11, 2016. Each picture says so much and helps to tell the story of that day in beautiful fashion. I still feel so much happiness looking back at this post. As a blogger, some might think that placing an entry so high on a countdown that didn’t rely much on actual writing would be a disappointment. Nope. Drafting up a blog post that uses the heart more than words is always more rewarding.

Less is more. Images over words. Counting down my favorite pictures from our wedding is one of my all-time favorite blog posts.

2. Long, Painful Process; Beautiful, Perfect Result (March 21, 2017) – Well, what can I say? These next two blog posts are going to be about the births of my children. Let me start with my firstborn. Delivering Sloan was not easy. We went through a week-long saga to meet her once Sid was admitted into the hospital. However, the drawn-out process was 100% worth it. In this post, I take you through the curvy road that started with Sid hooked up to a machine and me almost passing out to us walking out of the hospital on a sunny morning with our beautiful baby girl. This post focuses on the strength of Sidney, the gift of Sloan, and the point in time that our lives changed for the better, making it easily one of my top blog posts of all-time.

One of the best two days of my life.

1. Beau Meets World (February 17, 2020) – This wasn’t just my top post of 2020—it is my top post in the history of this blog. I tried to be raw and thorough as I chronicled the emotional 11-day journey from the moment Sidney’s doctor decided to operate to the Sunday afternoon that Beau was released from the NICU at McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence, South Carolina.

The post is special to me because it displays Sid’s courage and Beau’s grit. It also conveys the important role that faith played throughout the saga. Tough setbacks are confronted and glorious triumphs are celebrated. It isn’t saying much because I consider myself a mere novice with the pen, but from a writing aspect I think this is my finest piece. But even if most serious writers consider Beau Meets World to be garbage, it sure means a lot to Sid and I. This trumps them all.

Beau was born at 1:37 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020.

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And there you have it. After 10 years, those are the posts that stick out. Let me again extend my heartfelt gratitude to all my readers who have read my work over the years. It has been a pleasure. Don’t Blink.

A Man of Faith: Monsignor James LeBlanc

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Last weekend, St. Andrew Catholic Church was packed. As is usual for the 4:30 p.m. Saturday vigil this time of year, a standing room only crowd had gathered. A few minutes before mass started, Monsignor James LeBlanc left his spot in the entrance procession. Walking away from the staging area near the vestibule, he started strolling past the rows. Giving the hardworking ushers a big hand, he used his lapel mic to point out to the folks standing against the walls of possible seats within the pews.

“We got some room here.”
“Looks like we got a spot right there.”
“Brothers and sisters, please make sure to move to the center of the pews so others can sit down.”

St. Andrew is not a small church. Msg. LeBlanc had probably went 20 rows deep, almost reaching the altar itself, before turning back around and meeting his altar servers and deacon back at the vestibule. You don’t usually see a pastor of a large parish take on the role of usher but then again you also usually don’t get the opportunity to be in the presence of a special priest like Msgr. LeBlanc.

Msgr. James LeBlanc strolled past several rows of pews inside St. Andrew Catholic Church to try and find seats for the people standing. Try to picture this photo with an overflowing crowd.

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A parish is not defined by its pastor. Rather, it thrives or declines based on the faith of its community. To make this point perfectly clear, the Catholic Church does not keep priests around at one church for too long. Dioceses hand out new assignments to priests on a regular basis, uprooting them from one parish home and transferring them to another.

It is by design that the names on a parish marquee won’t be there forever. However, it is still bittersweet when the priests move on.

Although I understand this thinking and although I have come to expect it after three decades of practicing the faith, it is still bittersweet to see a priest move on. However, when Msgr. LeBlanc announced he would be departing St. Andrew a few weeks ago, I felt more “bitter” than “sweet.”

When Msgr. James LeBlanc announced he was leaving St. Andrew, both Sidney and I couldn’t help but feel sad.

If you know Msgr. LeBlanc, the story about him navigating a crowded church to find seating for those on their feet wouldn’t surprise you. You see, the man just doesn’t fit the mold that some people might concoct of a Catholic priest. Msgr. LeBlanc made no qualms about challenging the congregation to sing louder or say a prayer with more conviction. He liberally exclaimed “AMEN” with the expectation that the congregation would respond with the same (they did). He opened up his homilies for discussion. He wasn’t always 100% politically correct.

But even though he effectively smashed stereotypes that some people might have about how Catholic priests should serve and/or act, make no mistake about it, he was always Catholic to the core. He ran smooth services, gave beautiful homilies, displayed absolute reverence for the Holy Eucharist, and was very knowledgeable about any question you might have about Catholic doctrine. He made me proud about my faith; he made me confident to introduce Sidney to it.

Sidney and Msgr. LeBlanc made quick friends. He helped make me comfortable to introduce Sid to the faith.

St. Andrew is a tough assignment. Serving as an administrator for a large parish is one thing, it requires management and diplomacy skills. But St. Andrew is more than a big community. On any given Sunday, the crowd for that mass could be comprised of 75% vacationers and/or snowbirds. The constant revolving door of new worshippers can throw a wrench into a pastor’s plan for cohesion. Traditions that priests want to instill with their parishes become harder when the population changes drastically week to week. However, Msgr. LeBlanc successfully implemented the type of mass he wanted to run. More importantly, he served as a strong and holy man of faith for the thousands of people who travel to the Myrtle Beach area on a yearly basis. By giving a great impression to our visitors, he not only represented the parish well but the entire Diocese of Charleston.

Sidney and I with Msgr. LeBlanc at his farewell party.

As you can see, Msgr. LeBlanc was an incredible pastor when it came to Sundays. He mastered the responsibilities that many outsiders and even people of the faith think priests solely concentrate on. But Msgr. LeBlanc’s mass presentation, preaching style, and rapport with the audience weren’t the only things that endeared himself to so many during his time at St. Andrew. Rather, it was what he did on the days when the church wasn’t overflowing with people that made him stand out.

Sidney and I had the pleasure of getting married by Msgr. LeBlanc. In addition to listening to a workshop he gave on marriage in the Catholic Church that was open to the parish community, he also privately counseled us. About 10 days before our big day, we met with Msgr. LeBlanc in the parish offices. He blew us away. We chatted for almost two hours, a truly inspiring conversation that touched both Sidney and I. As Sid and I talked later that night, we both expressed how thankful we were for that special time.

About 10 days before our wedding, we sat down with Msgr. LeBlanc for a very spiritual and memorable conversation.

The day of our wedding was incredible. He squashed nerves, provided a sense of calm to the ceremony, and made it special from the entrance procession to the signing of the marriage certificate. He preached about how it wasn’t him that was administering the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony but rather Sidney and myself. We will never forget him coaching Sidney’s 3-year-old nephew to give us the rings right before we said our vows.

The moment where Msgr. LeBlanc coached our nephew, Harrison, to help with the ring delivery. Under LeBlanc’s guidance, Harrison held out the rings so they could be sprinkled with holy water and then he brought them to us.

Whether it was listening to confessions, attending church functions, or pouring his heart into starting the area’s first Catholic high school, Msgr. LeBlanc gave 100%. He didn’t do it for recognition or praise, he just did it for God and the people of the parish. You see, they don’t come more humble than Msgr. LeBlanc. During the summer, a nice reception was held to honor his 20th anniversary to the priesthood. But the truth is that if parish officials had not learned about that milestone themselves at the last minute, Msgr. LeBlanc would have let it pass by without saying a word. He also said next to nothing (at least when I was around)  about his elevation to the rank of Monsignor, a major and holy achievement in the career of any priest. And, as I have been told, any gratuity he received for performing special ceremonies such as weddings went promptly into the collection basket at the next mass.

Msgr. LeBlanc speaking at the reception marking his 20th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood.

Msgr. LeBlanc is off to the Columbia area to become pastor of two parishes, Transfiguration Church and St. Theresa Church. Undoubtedly he will touch countless more people. Both parishes are very lucky.

It goes without saying that the community of St. Andrew is so appreciative toward Msgr. LeBlanc. We are sad to see him go. On a personal level, I will really miss listening to him preach. I will miss the way he impacted Sidney, an influence that has helped her express to me that one day she wants to become Catholic. We will both miss him when it comes time for the baptism of our daughter. But more than anything else, we are just thankful. Msgr. LeBlanc touched and enriched our lives and we can’t express our gratitude toward God enough. Don’t Blink.

A Thursday Rundown Full of Variety

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Good evening to everyone. I hope the week has gone well and that you are all excited for my latest Thursday Rundown. Here we go!

Eating Steak – Remember last week how I shared with you that Sidney and I received a whole bunch of gift cards for Christmas? Well, now I feel obligated to let you know when and how we used them. Great idea for content, right? Last Friday we went to Outback for dinner. I stayed traditional and got a ribeye steak with mashed potatoes. Sid decided to go with a chicken sandwich. Because we were using house money and because we had worked hard that week, we decided to splurge and get a blooming onion. Thank you to Courtney, my sister-in-law, for giving us the Outback gift card.

On Friday night, we redeemed the Outback gift card that my sister-in-law gave us for Christmas.

On Friday night, we redeemed the Outback gift card that my sister-in-law gave us for Christmas.

Elevated to Monsignor – From time to time I mention Fr. James LeBlanc, the priest who married Sidney and me. During the summer, Fr. LeBlanc hit a milestone when he celebrated his 20th anniversary of ordination. Recently, news broke about an even bigger achievement in his priestly career. Bishop Robert Guglielmone of the Diocese of Charleston recently announced that Pope Francis had bestowed the title of Reverend Monsignor on LeBlanc. For those a little fuzzy on the Catholic hierarchy, this is a major honor. Congratulations to Monsignor LeBlanc! The two of us are proud of you and honored that you married us.

Father James LeBlanc is now Monsignor LeBlanc. Congratulations!

Father James LeBlanc is now Monsignor LeBlanc. Congratulations!

Proud Time for South Carolina – As I predicted, Clemson won the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday night. This achievement was special for our state in many ways, including the fact that South Carolina is now home to the reigning NCAA baseball champions and reigning NCAA football champions. A lot of people on social media made sure to celebrate this show of dominance. Personally, I like to point out that I had the privilege of watching both national champion teams play in person during their respective incredible seasons.

Our audience had a great amount of pride for what the state of South Carolina has been able to do.

Our audience had a great amount of pride for what the state of South Carolina has been able to do.

The Graduate – This week I watched an all-time classic movie, “The Graduate.” I don’t usually watch films that are over 50 years old but because it was on Netflix I gave it a try. It was kind of interesting to see that some themes that are scrutinized and fantasized about in our modern era were also prevalent half a century ago as well. Watching “The Graduate” also made me realize that good filmmaking has been around for a long time. Have you seen it before? I recommend it.

I enjoyed watching "The Graduate." Tremendous performance by Dustin Hoffman.

I enjoyed watching “The Graduate.” Tremendous performance by Dustin Hoffman.

Another Comic Hitting Home – In the past, I have written about how spam e-mail has gotten so bad that it no longer irritates me. Rather, it just makes me laugh. The broken English, get-rich-quick electronic mail I receive on a regular basis never ceases to amaze me. I couldn’t help but chuckle at today’s installment of the Pearls Before Swine comic strip.

This Pearls Before Swine comic strip made me laugh.

This Pearls Before Swine comic strip made me laugh.

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I have the privilege of attending a Martin Luther King Jr. event this evening so I got to get going. I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend and I will touch base soon. Don’t Blink.

Thursday Rundown: Bye to a Legend

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Let me wish you all a pleasant Thursday evening. Thanks for coming back to Don’t Blink. Here we go with my latest installment of the Thursday Rundown.

Cool Photo Editing App – For those who enjoy enhancing your iphone photos, I want to tell you about a cool new app I have been using. If you have time, download Prisma. It is a photo editing app that offers some pretty wild filters. Think the styles of anime and gothic meet up in a Candy Land dream world. In the photo below, I used the mosaic style to create this photo of Sid and I. Best part of it all is that the app is free.

I like how abstract the photos turn out when using Prisma.

I like how abstract the photos turn out when using Prisma.

Legend – Yesterday, longtime University of Montana women’s basketball coach Robin Selvig announced his retirement after 38 seasons. I had the honor of working in the same athletic department as him for almost five years. However, believe it or not, I won’t remember him the most for the portion of his 865 wins I got to witness. Rather, I will remember him for participating in our Monte videos (go to the 54 second mark, you have to watch!), running a really fun annual poker tournament, and never hesitating to warmly greet me in the hall. I will also never forget a moment in a closed door staff meeting with the university president. It was the morning our athletic director and football coach were unexpectedly let go and as the top official at Montana looked down at his feet, Coach Selvig defended the two men who lost their jobs as well as our department. Talk about leadership. Enjoy retirement, Robin.

Robin Selvig is a legend but also a very good man (photo courtesy of the great Todd Goodrich).

Robin Selvig is a legend but also a very good man (photo courtesy of the great Todd Goodrich).

Good And Plenty – I wore the below shirt for our rehearsal dinner. I wore it again last weekend at church. Before leaving, we said hi to Father LeBlanc. He looked at me and said “Hi Good And Plenty.” I don’t think there was a better way to describe the color scheme of my shirt than that. From here on out, whenever I put it on, I will always think of it as the Good and Plenty shirt.

Father LeBlanc called me "Good and Plenty" when I wore this shirt. He gave it the perfect description.

Father LeBlanc called me “Good and Plenty” when I wore this shirt. He gave it the perfect description.

Central Intelligence – This past Friday, Sidney and I went on a double date to the movies with the in-laws. We watched “Central Intelligence” in a recliner-only theater. The film stars The Rock and Kevin Hart. Sid thought the movie was hilarious and broke out in laughing fits the whole way through. I thought the movie was funny but to a lesser degree. In my opinion, I wish the movie didn’t even have the CIA plot worked in. I wish the film just focused more on the secondary plot of the film of two guys with a complicated history getting in touch just prior to their high school reunion.

From the Olympics Archives – A whole four years ago on this date, I wrote about my excitement as the 2012 Summer Olympics in London opened up. I also spent time describing why the summer games are just so much better than the winter ones. To this day, my opinion has not changed one bit. There is not a question in my mind about which one is superior. To read my long blog post from 2012, click here.

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Life is good. Remember that and have a great weekend. Don’t Blink.