Night before Surgery...

So tomorrow my baby Elodie is going to Primary Children's to get her biopsy and bone marrow test. The technical term for the biopsy is, left thoracoscopic biopsy posterior mediastinal mass. Nice eh? Who knew they could fit such big words on my tiny baby girl.

Elodie is doing just fine as always. She is sitting in her high chair right now eating a hardy meal of beef broccoli and sweet and sour chicken. She isn't going to be able to eat for a while so I thought she should have something nice and flavorful. My kids are so funny, they hate kid food. Monro has just barely come around to peanut butter and jelly. The babies are allergic to peanuts, so none for them. Joaquin despises mac and cheese and grill cheese sandwiches. What kid doesn't like cheese? Elodie is my best eater, but she prefers savory foods with lots of flavor. Meal times can be stressful, 'cause sometimes I just want kid food-simple food! Anyway, I digress.

My girl will be in surgery for a little while and then we get to have a slumber party in the hospital. We should be home on Thursday. Whoo-hoo! I am sure she will bring home another little stuffed friend. Today she had her blood drawn and she got a black puppy named Muffin. She is so cute, she looks a little like our myspace friend Wilbur, but she is more of a dark chocolate. I will do a photo shoot soon of all her stuffy friends. She is spoiled at the hospital, I tell ya!

I am excited to get this part over with and get on to the treatment phase. We will know exactly what we are dealing with after the week. Phew. It will all be settled soon, I am sure. I can't tell you all enough how strong my girl is, I really can't. You just have to meet her. She has these eyes that are so compassionate and sweet. She hugs and kisses with great love and sings her heart out with enormous passion. She is my idol. I tell her this everyday and I hope she someday she really understands it. I love everything there is about Elodie, even her lump. HA!

I have been talking to her lump. I have been saying that I totally understand why it would want to snuggle into my baby, she is made of sugar, but it is time to hit the road. I put out a warning, so I hope it has listened and doesn't try to hang out or leave any buddies behind. Elodie is done with this lump.

I will blog about the whole thing when we get home. Wish us well and we will be, we always are because we are lucky enough to have each other.

Radioactive Baba GRRRL!!!

Lately this has been the "Elodie Chronicles," her present situation has taken over the blog in a big way. She tends to do that where ever she goes really. Today in the radiation department was a great example of that. She has been there five times in the last two weeks. FIVE! Everyone knows her. They brag about her sweet disposition whenever they hand her over to another nurse or technician. She is the good IV girl. She hardly makes a peep and is more offended then physically hurt when they come at her with needles. She is also cute when they sedate her. During these scans she has to be completely still, so sedation is always on the menu. Today she was singing, literally singing, "Lalala" when they gave her the sleepy drugs. She then saw me smiling down at her, she pointed at me and said, "Hey!" As if to say, "Why are there so many of you mommy?" So funny.

So today she had an MIGB. She was radioactive. Hope it gives her super powers, but meh, it probably won't. Yesterday we met with Dr. Michael Rollins. He is going to be doing the biopsy on Wednesday the third. He was so very nice. He actually apologized for having to cancel the first appointment we had with him last week. I don't think I have had a doctor apologize for anything. It was shocking and I thanked him. Joaquin was with us, and he was good. He didn't mind being shuffled from office to office. He was so concerned about his sister while she was getting her exam, he even shushed me! It was funny and he got a sucker for being an awesome big brother. We looked at the CT films and he was very interested. Afterward he was telling us about it in the elevator in his own language of course.

Elodie will have to stay in the hospital over night when she has the biopsy. They are going to do it with scopes so she will only have a few tiny incisions. She will also have a chest tube to drain out any fluid from the surgery. She will most likely have another surgery to remove the thingy when the test results come back from the biopsy. Once we know exactly what stage of tumor it is the doctors will know how to treat it effectively be that surgery, medication, or a combination of both.

Her blood tests all came back great. Her white blood cell where normal as were her electrolytes, which if they were elevated may suggest a more aggressive tumor, but they weren't so Yea! I had to get a urine sample from her and drop it off today. This was hilarious. They gave me these little bags with a sort of bandaid at the top to stick to her lady bits, then the bag had cotton balls in it to absorb the pee. I had to squeeze the pee out of the cotton and pour it into the specimen cup. Gagg. Baby pee is so stinky. You really know you love someone when you willing squeeze their pee from a stinky bag into a cup and then put that cup in your fridge. It is true love and it is real.

Elodie is doing fine through all of this. She has no idea what is going on, she just knows she is getting a lot of attention. I don't think she minds that. Joaquin is mostly stealing the family spotlight. We and the doctors are positive about her diagnosis. She is so strong and happy. There is no need for "poor baby" stuff directed toward her. "Poor mommy," sha! She is happy and usual and up for anything. She pleasantly goes about her day, every once in awhile offering herself up for experiments and test. She presents her arm reluctantly, but proudly for her IVs. She pees in bags with dignity. She is unapologetic in her loopiness and no matter how pissed she is during the tests she always greets her nurses with a "hello." She is a shining example of a good patient. We are very proud of her and love her for her resilience. She is a tough cookie, so watch out world, here comes Elodie!

Waiting is the Hardest Part...

Camden dropped Elodie and I out front of Primary Children's Hospital at about a quarter to 8 this morning. The weather was lovely and the babies were in good moods. Camden took Joaquin over the Kelli and Ryan's to be watched for the day. He got to play with their son Steele all day, so he was set.

Elodie and I went in filled out the paper work and waited. She had to drink contrast for the CT scan today. The nurse asked what flavor she would like, (lucky kids get to pick a flavor, the stuff they give adults is plain and chalky and awful.) I said, "Anything but orange would be fine." A few minutes later, she came in with a sippy that was full of orange flavored contrast. She didn't know, but that was the only flavor they had. Great. She had to drink about 9-oz. in an hour. Yuck. We went outside to help it go down easier. I basically had to force feed it to her, but she didn't cry much. She just gurgled it in protest, but still swallowed. Then after she drank that, more waiting. It has to work its way through her system to help the view of the CT.

Camden came up by this time. He said once he drop Joaquin off, he was in instant play mode. Phew. Elodie got another IV after a lot of waiting....yawn.

We then went into the big CT scan room. If you have never seen this machine it is huge. It is a movable bed that slides back and forth through a giant circle that looks like a front loading washing machine. It is weird to put a tiny little person on that monster thing. I held Elodie in my lap as our nurse gave her versaid, a medication to chill her out while she was getting her scan. It was so funny she was doing her usual chatting and then, bam SILLINESS! She just started to giggle. She was looking into my eyes just laughing, then Camden started to pet her hair and she loved it almost purring with laughter. I laid her down on the machine and she cooed and giggled the whole time. Hilarious.

Then we were to go upstairs to the Hematology/Oncology department to get her results. We checked in and waited some more, bickered a lot. Camden isn't very good hospital company, he just sits there looking tired and I want to talk to distract my thoughts. He never wants to talk, really. He never has anything to say. It was irritating for both of us.

The resident told us that the doctor was in a meeting so we should get some food and then come back. Elodie finally got to eat! I automatically go into a hospital cafeteria and get a grilled cheese samich! The craving is from all those days spent on my feet on the floor taking care of patients, ah takes me back. Elodie was in a better mood instantly and so was I. I was so hungry.

Finally the doctor came in and told us what he thinks Elodie has. He thinks she has a neuroblastoma. Now what kind exactly will be determined by a biopsy and bone marrow screen that she is getting tomorrow and another scan she will get probably next week. But the doctor thinks that she doesn't have the aggressive kind, with cells that are rapidly growing and infiltrating other tissues. He believes she has a lower stage kind. I think so too. She hasn't shown any other signs except her lack of strength in her legs. She is so healthy and her prognosis is pretty good. Yeah!

It was an easier day today for Elodie. She got stoned and got cuddled by her mom and dad all day. We had it rough waiting and waiting in those little rooms. That part was exhausting. She is going to be sore after tomorrow, but she will be okay. We have a good team behind us that will make sure she gets everything she needs. She is one tough cookie and so I am, so we aren't scared. We head into storms with our heads on straight and our hoodies on. We should get the results of the biopsy on Friday. Got fingers, cross 'em people!

Baby's First MRI...

I came home from the Cavedoll show on Friday night (Saturday morning really) and got my Elodie up for a snack. She couldn't eat anything past 3AM until after the MRI was done. She was NPO because they have to sedate babies. It was scheduled for 11AM, which is such a long time for a little one not to eat. I had to feed her something right before the cut off time. She was very confused, but in a silly mood. I knew she would either be really pissed at me, or really funny. I am glad she was funny. She had some peach yogurt, milk and crackers and cheese. She thought I looked pretty crazy in all my hair and make up from the show. Elodie went back to sleep with out a fuss as usual she is a pretty good little sleeper.

We all woke at the usual time. I tried to feed Joaquin at the dinner table so Elodie couldn't see him eating his breakfast and her wonder, "Hey Ma, where the hell is my waffle?" But he wanted to sit at his little table for breakfast so he could watch his cartoons. Elodie played happily on the floor, she was oblivious until Camden came home with bagels for us. I had to put her in her room, that was sad. It is so hard to deny your kid food. So hard. She got her binky which she only normally uses at night and she was pretty okay.

Now on to the waiting. We sat in the little room, as ya do and waited. Filled out forms and waited. Changed the baby and waited. There was a girl about Monro's age coming out of the sedation and she just lost her mind. She was screaming like they were cutting off a limb. That started to get to Elodie. We shut the door and hid in the little room. Elodie was so funny while we were just hanging out. I think she was delirious from hunger. She was laughing at everything I was doing and every toy was hilarious. She was a nut. A nurse came in to tell us that another patient that was already in the hospital had to have an MRI and that is why it was taking so long. This nurse had gum and Elodie noticed. After that she kept signing "eat" over and over. Sad.

Finally the nurses came in to give Elodie her IV. She was so good and hardly made a peep that she got to choose a toy out of the treasure box. She picked a soft brown teddy, I named her Meri, because it sounds like MRI. Heehee. Not too long after that it was her turn. She rested in my arms when they gave her the medicine to knock her out. It was funny how much she tried to fight it. She was laying across my arm and then when she could feel the tiredness coming on, she was trying so hard to get up. She was pointing off into the distance, said "Ma." and then she was asleep.

The test took about an hour to finish and then she would be coming out of the anesthesia for another hour, so I went out and got some gas and a snack. I went to that Tesoro by Presidents' Circle and as I was going into the store I heard our song, "Full of Awe" coming out of a car that had just finished fueling. It was so weird. I texted Camden immediately. (He was home with Joaquin and Monro) Wow, people actually listen to the CDs they buy. Huh.

So back I went to the hospital to wait. I sat in my car to eat my snack and drink my tea. I felt so alone. So all alone. I felt that no one could possible understand what I was going through at that exact moment, except my Camden. I called him and lost my composure. I had been so good up till then. I know what this part of an illness or a disorder or a whatever is like, this crazy "let's figure this out" phase and it sucks. I went through it for almost two years when we were trying to figure out what was happening to my brain. It is different when it is your baby though. They looks so tiny, so small on those big doctor machines. I fidgeted with Elodie's binky while I talked to Camden and had him set me right. He did, he almost always does. I popped the lid of my tea and it gave me a wonderful much needed quote about courage and I was able to suck it up and go in there and get my baby.

The nurse gave me my sleepy girl and it reminded me so much of the first time we met. She was hooked up to an IV, groggy and cute just like she was when I saw her the night she was born. She was trying so hard to talk and tell me all of her crazy drug dreams, but she couldn't. She could just make weird sounds, laugh a little and stretch and shrink her mouth. It was funny. After a half an hour and some apple juice she was good to come back home. She had another nap and then was pretty much back to normal. We went to Ryan's (our drummer) for a BBQ and she was just fine until bedtime came, which is usual. A girl needs her beauty sleep NOW DAMN IT!

I got a call today from the doctor. The findings were not as great as we had hoped, but not completely horrible either. Her brain is perfect, it is developing very well. So we can rule out any cognitive disorders, (I already knew that her brain was fine she is so stinking smart and adaptable). But next to her spine in her thoracic region is a soft tissue mass. It is connected to other tissues around the spine including her muscles and lung. We don't know what it is really, but it has gotten in the way of her spine developing properly and she has some atrophy in her spinal column. That is why her legs are not working and developing like they should. Atrophy if you don't know is the partial or complete wasting away of a part of the body. Which means that her leg and lower spinal weakness could be reversible with lots of therapy or maybe not. We don't know anything along those lines yet.

So what is next? Well, very soon she is going to have a CT scan to get a better idea of what this thing is and what we can do about it. This is all going to move very fast. She may have surgery, she may have more tests, but soon we will know what we are up against and what we can do to help Elodie. I am trying hard to stay positive and keep my nurse's cap on tight. If I think like I nurse more than a mom, I will do better with all that she will have to go through in the next little while. I will be there in the rocking chair waiting for her to be placed in my arms just like the first time we met. I will rock steady in that chair, I will be strong, because I have my Camden to set me right. He almost always does. ; ) Wish my baby luck.

Open? Us? I think I'm gonna FAINT!

We opened for The Faint last Wednesday and here is how it went down...

Before we left for Tulsa, Camden got an email from the concert promoter asking if we could be the opener for this particular show. Camden having his wits about him, immediately replied with a "yes." We still have no idea how they found us and why they chose us to do this show. This was a rare opportunity and frankly the icing on the Tulsa cake. Tulsa was so great, I would have been happy if we were to never play again, it would have been the biggest high note to go out on, but we had to make the week completely memorable by kicking ass with a welcome home show in the SLC. So that is exactly what we did and the crowd did not disappoint.

I arrived at around 8:00pm, I had to wait for our ultra hip and super nice sitter Jane Anne before I could hit 'da club. In the Venue is completely different from the last time I was there, which was years ago. New lights, new big stage, new grope-y security crew of which I was not fond. They also had these huge metal barriers that looked like something a rancher would use to inclose cattle. These were used to inclose our lovely audience and keep them away from the stage. Pleasant. The security and stage crew, assemble and shifted, took apart and wheeled around the different pieces of the barriers for a good 30 minutes. We grabbed our gear and took it outside. Ally's keyboard almost tipped completely over in this whole ballet of the barriers. Like I said, pleasant. The Faint were sound checking at this time. They sounded great and filled the crazy open space with such funky good times, we forgot about the crew.

After a quick visit to the upstairs bar where we met Yoseph, a six foot whatever fan and hunk o' sweetness that bought us shots, it was our turn to sound check. We had to set up our stuff in front of The Faint's gear, so the huge stage was tailored down quite a bit. It was relatively the same size as the stage in Tulsa, tiny. So much for a big stage. The sound people couldn't get my mic to work, some sort of cross feed problem, I don't know? So we were still checking when they let all the shining lovable SLC kids into the show. We were up there it seemed like forever, but I was striking up conversations with the cool kids down front. One guy asked me, "Do you feel uncomfortable with all of us staring at you while you sound check?" I replied, "No, do you feel uncomfortable with everyone staring at you 'cause you are talking to me?" He went a little red, then we geeked out about music for a bit, it was rad. Finally the mic worked and we got on with the check, we checked with "Full of Awe," and the crowd even cheered for that. Nice bunch a flowers they were.

I sprayed my throat with my Thayers and then on with the show. The sound was so great, we just flooded the place with our music. It was an awesome set, a bunch of the hits. It was pretty short though only 30 minutes. Meh. It was good to just give the people a taste of sugar and then move on, hopefully we made some fans so they will come see us when we play longer. I faked an orgasm during "Mexico" and mimed a BJ on "On and On," yep good thinking with those antics Kness for the all ages show. Gah. Sometimes people wonder if it is hard to play the same songs for people all the time, and yes, sometimes it is. That is when things like the fore mentioned happen. What can I say, I was still out of it from the drive. ??? I guess people found it pleasing. They clapped along to "Full of Awe," and totally lost their minds during "Taste like a Hurricane." We got a fabulous response. Which is something you hope for when you are opening for a major player like The Faint. Janet scared me to death, because I look over and she was playing in the middle of a puddle. She had knocked her bottle of water over. I was so worried she was going to get shocked. It was all okay, nothing shocking,and she played beautifully even in a puddle of water. I went upstairs after the show to meet people and to see Yoseph again, he bought me another shot, sweet guy. I shouted out to him on the mic during our set and dedicated "Mexico" to him for his generosity. Went back downstairs before I left where I was promptly groped my the security guard. He had no idea that I was just on stage a few minutes before and searched my tiny purse. It can barely hold lipstick it is so small, derp. I had to leave early to relieve the sitter, so I missed The Faint. Heard it was good though. I got a stupid parking ticket for parking like everyone else. Argh. All of the snags aside it was a fun show and an amazing audience. They were really dancing hard, hope they saved something for The Faint. Hehehe.

The thing that was really surprising about this show was the response I particularly got from girls. All the girls I met (and have met lately) were so nice and complementary. When I was in school, I was every play and musical that was put on in my little town, some girls HATED me! And they were mean about it too, spreading rumors, kicking my chair in choir, saying my voice sucked what have you. They hated me because I could sing, dance, say lines, stand in front of a camera and smile and I wasn't afraid to do any of those things, even when I knew they were going to be mean. I have always been able to get up on stage and do something. But for some reason when I was a kid, this bothered some mean girls. I was never a "show off" about singing. I was the same then as I am now when I perform, it is just something I do and I'm grateful people like it when I do it. Now people are nice about me performing for them, want me to do it and that is the biggest gift I have ever received. People now appreciate me for this part of myself that was forsaken for so long. I want people to know that this performing thing is not who I am it is just something I do, it is my job. The cool thing about this job it the instant gratification that comes with it and meeting new people. I love meeting new people and geeking out about music.

Come geek out with me this Friday at Kilby Court doors open at seven, I think. It is an earlier show and all ages this time too, and I will try hard to behave myself. I will be there shortly after seven, gotta wait for the sitter.

Tagged....Fuuuuwap!

Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
6. Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

Mandy tagged me. She is a friend from Vernal, we go way back when I would wear costumes to school.

Six random things...

1- I almost always eat the same lunch everyday. Peanut butter and honey with cheese slices on the side and a diet coke. When I put the honey on I draw a heart with it as to put love in it. I do that when I ice a cake.

2- I have had eight surgeries in my short life.

3- I have know how to crochet for 21 years. My auntie and my grandma taught me when I was 8. Sheesh, I am old.

4- I was three the first time I sang in public. I was the back up singer for my mom. I don't remember what it was for, but we sang Christmas songs for some old ladies.

5- I try hard to dance everyday with my kids.

6- I collect tea pots. I love them in all their squatty beauty.

I tag Mike, Bella, CadieRae, Brynn, Melissa, Cavedoll.

D-Fest Huh? What is that?

What is D-Fest or DeversaFest? Well, it is a festival and music conference that is put on every year in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There are a ton of bands performing on main stages and in the clubs of the Blue Dome District in Tulsa. During the day there are panels where industry people talk about all sorts of different things that are interesting to artists. They talk about licensing, how a record deal works, getting your music out there and whatnot. That part was extremely informative and we were all thankful for their information. We got into the festival through our radio promoters at Tinderbox Music.

So... We set out on our journey on Wednesday. Camden's parents came all the way from Florida to take care of the children while we were away. Our friend Mike Terry (photographer extraordinaire) came to take pictures of it for an article he is working on about us for the Deseret News. (I will let you know when it comes out). Saying goodbye to my babies was so very very difficult. I haven't been away from my kids very much, and knowing I wouldn't be able to snuggle them and take care of them for several days was so painful. But I did it. I know it was good for them to bond more with their grandparents, but for me it was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I'm still healing that tear in my heart, even though I am home. I know I am crazy.

We were off. Camden, Ryan, Allison, Janet, Diane, Crystal and me. We didn't stop that much, because the night before I made fourteen sandwiches for the drive. We ate pretty healthy on the way down, we had plenty of snacks and Red Bull to keep the drivers going. We drove so long the first day. Made it all the way to Salina, Kansas. Diane works for the hotel chain where we stayed so we got two rooms for about sixty bucks for that night. Fantastic rooms too. It wasn't a very restful sleep but it was good to stop moving. We got up early the next day had our continental breakfast and we were back on the road. The van was pretty comfy for staying in it twenty hours total the way down. It is Ryan's and it has a DVD player and lots of room. We had Ryan's iPod too, but it was too loyal to him to play any of the music we gave him. I think he talked to it before we left, to tell it to only give us one or two songs, but to stick with the regulars. As a result we watched movies mostly. Cheeky iPod.

We wanted to make it to Tulsa pretty early so we would have time to eat, rest, get dressed and go to the opening party for the festival. We got there at about four o'clock on Thursday. We checked into our rooms at the Crown Plaza, a beautiful room, and headed out into the city. We walked down to McNellie's Pub for dinner. Camden and I shared a chicken wrap and it was soooooo good. After dinner we got dressed and headed down to the party.

The place where they had it was pretty cool. It was two bars, and an all ages club hooked together. It was a maze. We handed out a bunch of sample CDs and fliers that told people where we were playing at the festival. I didn't see anyone else doing this specifically, so we were creating a good buzz. Some people actually went to the website and checked us out. It was such a surprise to go up to people, hand them a CD and they would say, "Oh yeah I checked you guys out and was planning on seeing your show." We already were getting a positive response. Shocked! Most bands didn't have as many girls as we do, so we were quite interesting. Walking around I met Donita and Nate and they clued me into where the cool kids hang out at that particular club. Donita and Nate are dancers for a group called Recorder. Just the nicest people you could meet, so hospitable and funny. The dance club was called Cappella's. The Dj was so good, but no one was dancing. Wha??? The lighst were crazy and zooming all over no one. Lame. So I just had to dance. Janet and I were the only ones dancing and then five minutes later the floor was crowded. We danced until we were soaked. Janet and I took a break and the floor completely dispersed. It was funny. Then we came back and the crowd followed. We had dance floor super powers. Craziness. So after a fun night of networking and dancing Camden and I went back to the hotel for the night. The others came with us but after a pillow fight, and arm wrestling in the hotel room they were up for more. I don't know exactly what went on, but I know they were droopy in the morning.

The next day Camden and I went to panel and took tons of notes. So much good information and also conformation that everything we are doing we are doing it well, and right and we know our place and identity. We didn't do much besides the panels during the day. Camden and I were just trying to suck up all the information we could. But really there wasn't much to do in the area we were staying. Downtown Tulsa seems to be in a flux, there was a lot of construction going on. There isn't much shopping or food. We just ate at the hotel and McNellie's, and got souvenirs at a cute shop called Dwelling Spaces. It will be interesting to see what happens to Tulsa and where it is headed in the future.

On Saturday we hooked up with Jon Delange of Tinderbox Music, our radio promoter. Not only does he try to get us on the radio stations, but he has hooked us up with 9 licenses to different shows on cable. So someday we could hear ourselves on E! or Style. If you happen to hear it let me know. We signed the licenses and had a great conversation with him. He is really cool and impressive. He started out in recording, just like Camden. We laid low on Saturday because we had to play that night. I wanted to save all my energy for the show.

The Show.... We played at a club called The Continental. While we were walking down there, we walked by the VIP club and they were blasting our song, "Taste Like a Hurricane," the Dj got a CD the night before and played songs then too. It was a nice boost before we played. We got there at around 7:30pm to load all of our stuff in and relax for a bit. We were to play at 9pm. The stage looked so small and no one was there. I was thinking it was just going to be one of those shows. I really didn't know what to expect from Tulsa, I thought it was going to be similar to Salt Lake, but boy was I wrong.

While we were setting up our stuff, (mind you this was only about ten or fifteen minutes) the club started to overflow with people. We were sound checking and the people were pushed up right against the stage. We saw eight industry panelist in the crowd, we had given some of them CDs and they said they were going to come check out our live show, and THEY ACTUALLY DID!!! Not only was that great, but the people we met at the parties came too. It was such a departure from Salt Lake, a lot of people here say they are going to come down, and you look for them, but they don't. They get busy I guess, and that is cool. It was nice that people set aside time to see us. We ROCK IT!!! We played so tight and our energy was so high. Every eye in the crowd was on us when we played. The crowd danced and we interacted. When we played our last song ("Taste...") the crowd cheered like they had heard it a hundred times and were just waiting for us to play "their" song. It was rad! Ryan actually got sponsored by a drum company after we played. He is getting a free kit to play on, HE GOT SPONSORED by Po' Boy Drums! He was so good. I heard the people in the front just going off about Janet, saying how sexy it was a that girl played bass. Allison and I danced together and audience loved it. Camden screamed and danced and caught eyes with every girl there. He was so on it. The show was so easy to play because the crowd was hanging on every note. They screamed for more when we were done. After the show I picked up so many business card, met so many nice people, and took pictures with a bunch of them. It was great and felt so good. I was pretty depressed the whole time we were gone, because I was away from my babies. I tried hard not to let it show and just went on with the day, but the show was a good release of pent up energy. I loved it, and I sang pretty well, if I do say so myself. We hung out with the Tulsa peeps after the show and it was great. They really cared about us and wanted to get to know us.

It was hard to get to sleep. We set off the next morning for Denver to stay a night with Camden's aunt Loree. They have a beautiful home, we could have moved in their basement and they wouldn't even have known. It was so nice to eat real food again and feel like I was getting some nourishment. We had a restful sleep that night because we were so close to home.

Monday was my birthday. We started the day with getting Starbucks. That was actually the first time I had ever gotten a drink from Starbucks, so I took a picture. Geek, I know, but there are so many good local coffee shops here I have never wanted to go to a chain. Blah. Long drive and then we made it home at about 5pm. It was beyond elation to see my children. My Elodie just hooked on too me like a monkey. Joaquin grabbed my hand and wouldn't let go. They had so much fun with their grandparents. I swear they grew in the five days we were gone. We unloaded and Cam's mom made dinner. Monro baked a cake for me, lemon with cream cheese icing. Sooooo goood. It was soooo good to be home. When I check our myspace page, we had 5 pages of friend request, YES I SAID 5! Three fourths were from Tulsa. They liked us they really really liked us! That has never happened after a SLC show. Maybe we are taken for granted here? Who knows?

Thank you Tulsa, D-Fest, Julee and Allen, Elodie, Joaquin, Monro, Kelli, Boone, Sky, Steele, Rick and pets, everyone that came to our shows this past year, Diane, Crystal, Allison, Ryan, Janet and my Camden for making this trip possible. We are opening for The Faint on Wednesday at In the Venue, so if you get a chance come on by and see us. Say hi, I like meeting people.
~Cheers~