One Crazy Summer

I've been meaning to write about my Summer...well, all Summer! But it was a hectic Summer indeed and every time I intended to sit down and write, something else came up. So even though we're already well into Fall, let's take a look back at the Summer of 2009...

In March I participated in this years MS Walk, my first time since getting diagnosed with the disease in 2007. My amazing friends and family joined me in fund raising for this worthy cause and together we raised nearly $400! My brother-in-law, who is quite the talented artist, also designed t-shirts for our team. The day of the walk was chilly and brisk, but we all bundled up and had a really great time walking through the streets of downtown Salt Lake. Even the Empire came out to support our cause! The three-mile walk was more of a physical challenge for me than I expected, but I was determined to finish. And I did. But I couldn't have done any of it without the support of my friends and family. Can't thank you guys enough!



July welcomed a new member of our family, Penny! She was an unexpected addition, but her unique spark and pizazz has filled our home with love and laughter, and a bit of chaos....there is never a dull moment with Penny around. But we couldn't picture our lives without her.

July also saw the return of Tori Amos to Salt Lake City to promote her latest album. As passionate devotees of Tori's music, my best friend Willow and I resurrected our tradition of attending the meet and greet as well as the show at Abravanell Hall. It was another one for the scrapbooks! We got to meet Tori again and her performance was nothing short of electrifying. I actually took the time to post some photos and details about this one because, well, it was so damn awesome.

September brought with it mine and Nick's 8th wedding anniversary. Eight years...I have no idea where the time has gone. I love this man more and more each day. He is my soul mate and we are so blessed to be able to share our lives together. We celebrated by having a lovely dinner at Bomby house restaurant. Indian food is amongst our favorite cuisines and the Bombay House is one of the best in Salt Lake. After dinner, we attended a performance by our favorite comedian, Jim Gaffigan, at Kingsbury Hall. He did not disappoint and we were laughing until we could barely breathe. Sharing great food, good conversation and lots of laughter...I can't think of a better way to celebrate our life together.

September also saw the return of the Utah State Fair. I enjoyed amazing luck last year when one of my photos took 4th place in the amateur category of the photography exhibit and was looking forward to another opportunity to submit some of my photos. I was honestly not expecting a win this year, but was looking forward to repeating the experience. As predicted, I didn't place. But I thoroughly enjoyed viewing the work of some amazing local photographers. I also took time this year to view some of the other competitive exhibits, including the culinary and stitching categories, and was quite enamored with what I saw. I plan to submit pieces into these two categories next year, as well as photography.


The last week of September, my dear friend Mindy moved to North Carolina. This is a good move for her, and I can't wait to hear about all her new adventures in this new chapter of her life. I knew I would miss her, but I don't think I realized how much I would miss her until she was gone. We still stay in touch, of course...she is only a phone call away. And honestly, with the goings on of these last few weeks, I probably wouldn't have even seen her anyway. But there is something about knowing that she is not here, and that I can no longer just drive over to her house or meet up for an impromptu coffee that has just left a little bit of a void. I guess 12 years of friendship will do that. Still, I am happy that she is following this path. And now I have an excuse to visit North Carolina!

This Summer also saw a bit of a decline in my health. Some new symptoms appeared as well as the exacerbation of some old ones. Heat is a known aggravator of Multiple Sclerosis, and I am hoping this rough spell was a result of the Summer temperatures and not an indication that I am progressing. I have noticed some improvement with the cooler temperatures, but a few of the new symptoms seem to be lingering and I am still struggling with some day to day activities.

I confess myself disappointed, as this onslaught of symptoms spoiled my plans for all my Summertime baking and crafting and outdoor excursions. I also took significantly fewer photos than I normally do and I am disappointed that I missed out on capturing some moments. But, such is life on the roller coaster ride that is MS...lots of ups and downs.

Overall, it was a decent Summer. I still enjoyed quite a bit of fun and we received a few blessings as well. I am VERY much looking forward to the remainder of Fall and my favorite holiday, Halloween! I see some serious fun on the horizon.

Sinful Attraction

Tori Amos was in town Monday night, a stop on her Sinful Attraction tour for her tenth studio album Abnormally Attracted To Sin. As passionate devotees of Tori's music, my best friend Willow and I took the day off work to attend the meet and greet and the performance at Abravanell Hall.

Willow and I have been fortunate enough to have met Tori a few times previously at meet and greets and a couple times backstage (with passes won on the radio). Still, we never pass up an opportunity to interact with this incredibly generous and compassionate artist. She is well aware of her influence and how her music has impacted so many of us emotionally and spiritually and is extremely open to connecting one-on-one with her fans.

So we sat around outside behind the Abravanell Hall building, chatting with other fans and getting sunburned in the shade-free 100 degree weather. The heat was ridiculous, but I really enjoyed hanging out with my best pal in this tradition that is going on nearly 10 years.

And, of course, it was so worth it!

The concert was, as always, nothing short of dazzling. Tori is passion personified; she is quite uninhibited on stage and radiates an intensely high energy. She played a generous set list, much of which was devoted to her latest album. She did, however, pull out a few rarer songs from way back and played several of my favorites including Bliss, Body and Soul, China and a gorgeously revamped version of Cooling.

(audio only..but well worth a listen!)

It's difficult to describe just how much Tori and her music means to me. I have never been so emotionally and spiritually moved by any other artist. She has a gift for taking the emotions of the human experience, particularly the feminine experience, and putting them movingly to song. I often find solace in her lyrics, a reminder that none of us is ever alone in that we all share common ground and experiences....as women and as human beings.

I first heard Tori's music as a high school sophomore. I had just met Willow, who introduced me to her music. Little did I know that was the beginning of a life-long friendship and the discovery of something so deeply inspiring. It was a bit of a slap-in-the-face, the revelation that hey, shit happens but you're not in this world alone, honey. At that time, it was a lesson that I very much needed to learn.



As time goes on and I continue to follow Tori's music, I still find wisdom and solace in her words and relate much of her music with my own experiences.



Additionally, her strong feminine representation and her ideal that, as women, we can all wield the power of the ancient goddesses within us is (at least to me) a refreshing breath of air in this sometimes stifling patriarchal society. We can be wives and mothers and still be sexy, strong and powerful.

And we can completely rock (leather pants optional).

Nighty Night

Can't sleep.....I needs a lullaby.

The Storytellers - Part One

A clear, brisk Friday morning found me and my dear friend Willow on the road, heading to Boise to worship the Goddess Tori Amos in concert. To say we are merely fans is putting it lightly. We are enthusiastic followers.

Tori is more than a musician, she is a weaver of tales. She marries her words with the music so beautifully and her spirit embodies passion, love and what it really means to be a woman. Her music has long been a place for me to escape and take solace or simply just to rock out. It often reminds me of where I have been and also where I am going.

Willow and I have traveled to see her in concert before, but as it had been some years we decided a girls road trip was definitely in order. Our girl trips are always the best.

Getting out of town was a bit of a comedy of errors, forgetting pillows and directions and also the tickets, but eventually we made it onto the highway. A storm was set to hit any time, but our five hour drive to Boise was clear sailing.

Once we arrived, we decided to stop first at the venue to see what the meet-and-greet looked like. Much to our surprise and delight, there was hardly anyone there which meant it was most likely we'd get a chance to talk to Tori. And we did. Well, Willow did. She and Tori shared a good ten minute conversation while I stood by and took photographs. I have met Tori several times in the past, and I felt that I have said everything I needed to say to her and that I didn't have anything else to say that she hasn't already heard a million times. I was quite content to shoot pictures and just observe. She is an amazing subject, I love to photograph her.

The concert was extraordinary, she played most of the songs I had hoped to hear and some I never dreamed I would hear her perform live. Willow had made a request of her at the meet-and-greet...a song that was very special to her...and Tori played it. I really enjoyed sharing that moment with Willow as I knew how much that song meant to her and how much it meant that Tori played it. We both got a bit teary...it was so great.

Despite being exhausted after a long day of travel and excitement, we were still on far to much of a high to sleep once we got back to the hotel, so we stayed up talking. I love just staying up talking.

Again, despite the storm warnings, the drive back home was smooth sailing and we arrived back in Salt Lake about 5pm Saturday evening, just having missed the huge snow storm that dumped six inches of snow in the valley.

It was a brilliant trip. Good Karma was with us all the way, and so was a cherished friend.