Bon Iver at Gallivan

Bon Iver came to town to kick off the first show of the Gallivan Twilight concert series. Free music in SLC draws quite a crowd, but there was a CRAZY amount of people there. Luckily we were able to secure a small space with a decent view. The band rolled in Wednesday night so we all met at the Bayou for dinner and drinks (my friend Brian does the soundboards for the band), they played the show Thursday and then had to roll back out on Friday morning. It was a fun way to wrap up my 'birthday week'.

Brian and I showed up in the exact same outfit...pretty funny:














Baby Lars at his first concert (4 months old):































Bon Iver (Mike, Matt, Sean and Justin):















































Brian, hard at work:

32 and counting

I woke up this morning with a smile on my face and I'm ending the day with an even bigger smile! I feel so amazingly blessed to have so many wonderful, thoughtful people in my life. I am a better person because of those I choose to surround myself with. When I was younger, I thought my life would be a lot different by age 32. But, I am very happy to say that I love exactly where I am and who I've become.

To my family: I love you all more than words could ever express. Your unconditional love and support have pulled me through many hard times, and the laughter we all share together keeps me sustained.

To my friends: I don't know who or where I would be without each and every one of you. I have been so wrapped up in my own issues this past year that I haven't taken the time to voice my appreciation and love. For that I am truly sorry. This year will be different...I promise! It was great to spend the evening surrounded by friends I cherish so deeply. Love you guys!




A special thanks to my new niece, Eisley, who made me the best present ever! Check out her shout out to 'Aunt Deb' - Denice and I are passing on our killer moves to the next generation! Watch out world.

Babie, babies...and more babies!!

We learned yesterday that my little sister, Megan, will be having a GIRL!!! I am very excited for her and Cody. Little Asher will be an awesome big brother to Senya. I can't wait to see if Senya comes out of the womb with a mohawk (Asher is still rocking his). I love you, Smith family!

This will now be 3 girls in one year for our family...Tiffany had Sophia in February, Denice just had Eisley this month and Megan is due with Senya in October/November.

On top of that, my little brother, Trent, and his amazing wife are adopting a BOY this year from Uganda. I love having so many babies around!! Maybe I'll add one to the mix myself...someday. :)

Another addition to the family...introducing Eisley Harper Giddings!

My little sister, Denice, and her husband, Noah, have blessed me with a beautiful, healthy niece. Eisley Harper Giddings was born this morning, weighing in just shy of 7 pounds. She has lots of dark, curly hair, chubby 'Evans' cheeks, her daddy's nose, her mommy's lips and beautiful skin. Denice was a champ during delivery and I wish her a speedy recovery.

I can't wait to visit Spokane so I can hold little Eisley and give Denice and Noah big hugs!! Congratulations, Giddings family. I love you guys!!

The Good...the Bad...and the Ugly

Good: I went shopping today on my lunch break and actually found THREE pairs of jeans worth buying…and a pair of shorts…AND a top (a PINK top no less…whoa, I know).

Bad: All 3 pairs of jeans are a size (or 2) higher than I currently own or normally buy.

Ugly: Although shopping was successful, I had to stare at my flab for 30 minutes while taking clothes on and off…under awful lighting...with lots of mirrors...YIKES!

All the more incentive to get my butt to the gym every morning! I am on a new workout plan now that I have more energy so I'm hoping to see improvements in the next few weeks. I'm sure no one out in blog land cares about this, but oh well. This is my blog so you can all deal with it. :)

U will know what 2 do when U unscramble "How daddy is doing".

For those of you who aren't movie buffs, the title of this blog probably makes no sense to you. For those of you who recognize it, I applaud you. :)

Lately my life has felt a like a riddle...like the Universe is trying to tell me something but I'm just too slow (or stubborn) to get it. After many weeks of feeling unsettled in my own skin and unhappy, I made the decision to discontinue the treatment I began back in December for my ovarian cysts. The side effects were just becoming too much to deal with. I called my doctor last week and we agreed not to move forward with my next shot in June. Despite not having a cyst rupture since January, I had a feeling that the treatment just wasn't the right road for me to be going down.

So, call it premonition...call it intuition...call it what you will...but I found it both frustrating AND humorous when I woke up early Monday morning to a cyst rupturing. What timing, eh?

It was as if the sign post on the side of the road had just told me to "Sing doo wah diddy". My damn riddle was solved.

So, guess I'm back where I started, but hopefully I'll be feeling more like myself again (within 90 days). Life...gotta love it.

Quotes for those I love

For Mom and Dad:"Your children will become what you are; so be what you want them to be." - David Bly

For my friends:
"What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies." - Aristotle

For my amazing sisters and brothers:
"Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible - the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family." - Virginia Satir

For my many adorable nieces and nephews:

"I love thee, I love but thee With a love that shall not die Till the sun grows cold And the stars grow old." - Willam Shakespeare

For those who have passed on:
"The guardian angels of life sometimes fly so high as to be beyond
our sight, but they are always looking down upon us." - Jean Paul Richter

For Fiona, Max and Cooper:
"To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides." - David Viscott

For myself:"A man sees in the world what he carries in his heart." - Johann Wolfgang Goethe