BEST BIRTHDAY EVER

(Warning: This may possibly be the longest post ever, but I'm not sorry!)

My birthday was yesterday, the 13th, but we celebrated it Saturday. A few weeks ago we were in Provo and I saw a poster advertising a Mindy Gledhill concert on Feb 12th. I dropped the largest hint ever, well basically I told Chant he needed to buy tickets. I even wrote down the website where the tickets could be bought. And of course my man came through. So Saturday was THE day I had been anticipating for weeks, or maybe longer since I have wanted to see Mindy Gledhill in concert since the moment I heard her first song. I guess in order for this post to really mean much, I have to explain that I adore Mindy. She has the voice of an angel and her lyrics are beautiful. She makes me happy, keeps me calm and sane. She is to me what Micheal Jackson is to Chant, Paul Simon is to Susan, and Switchfoot is to Ben (you know who you are).

Jen showed up about 1:30 to babysit and by 3:00 the kids were pushing us out the door. They wanted Jen to themselves. So Chant and I wandered around Hobby Lobby and then went to dinner at Olive Garden. DELICIOUS! (That picture way up there is Chant at the restaurant.)
After we finished dinner we drove to Provo. The doors didn't open until 7:30. It wasn't even 6:00. So we wandered through some Boutiques, walked up and down the street for a while, and finally about 6:50 sat on a bench in front of the venue, Velour. We were insanely early because I wanted to be the first ones there because seating was first come first seated. And we were the first ones in line!



There I am at the head of the line anxiously waiting to take my front row seat.
















The inside was so decorated so cute, in red for Valentine's Day. Twinkle lights and hearts topped it off.











Here we are in all our front row glory!



























I absolutely adored the chandelier. Loved the ambiance of it all.



























And I had to get a picture of this awesome art.













The show was supposed to start at 8:00 but it didn't start till 8:30. The wait was well worth it. The opening act was an Indie singer named Libbie Linton. She was really good! A nice way to start the evening.









This is Mindy's guitar player. He flew in all the way from LA to be here. And he is amazing! (Sorry I can't remember his name.)





So, backing up a little. Mindy is the one who introduced Libbie. Mindy came out with a Jamba Juice in hand and told us that she was losing her voice but the show would still go on. She asked that we sing along with her when her voice went out. So when Libbie finished singing Mindy came in front of the stage, right in front of Chant and I, carrying 4 different drinks. After she had set them down, she turned around and came right over to me. She held her cell phone out and asked if I would take pictures of the show. I was in shock. Of course I said yes. But I was an I Phone and I am technologically retarded, so I handed it off to Chant so he could figure it out. There is no way I was going to give it back! He took pictures of her on her phone while I snapped away with our camera.

This was an amazing evening! True to her request, the audience, myself included, sang every single song along with Mindy. At the end of one song she started laughing. She said she could tell there were men there supporting their wives who didn't really know the lyrics but were singing along anyway. Chant yelled, "I'm sorry!" Mindy has an amazing voice even when she was losing it. And she is a wonderful performer. I loved watching her sing. Each song meant a lot to her and it showed. And I loved hearing the background behind the songs. I loved them before and now they mean that much more. She is an a beautiful person inside and out. It was the best evening ever!














She asked for her phone back before the last song because she wanted to take pictures of the audience. Not going to lie, I was bummed because I thought I would be able to give it back to her at the end of the show and talk to her. But when she finished singing she came to the front of the stage. I was so excited! I waited for a few minutes and then I was able to talk to her. I asked her to sign the t-shirt Chant had bought for me. She told me thank you for taking pictures for her. And then I was able to get my picture taken with her. I have the cheesiest grin ever! I was so thrilled to be talking to her! It was seriously a dream come true! She is amazing! The BEST birthday ever! Thank you so much Chant! You are an amazing husband and I had the best time ever!




























Now to my actual birthday. Since we don't have Church till 1:00, we got up, got ready and took a drive to Brighton. We were able to watch all the people skiing down the hill. The kids said they looked like little ants. Then we came home in time to get lunch then go to church. For dinner we had French Toast and scrambled eggs per my request. Brinnley and Ainsley had decorated the house for me so I sat in the birthday chair that was decorated with pink and white streamers.

Then they all sang me happy birthday and we had cake. Kerry and Frances came over for a while. It was so nice to be close enough that they could do that. Thank you!

My dear friend Becca called while they were here, so I didn't answer because I wanted to be able to talk. I called her back after Kerry and Frances left. I was on the phone to her in my room when Chant came in and said there were three people in the living room and I needed to come down stairs. I told Becca I had to got and I would call her back. I could tell she was disappointed. When I got downstairs there stood Becca's mom and two sisters (Lisa and Heather). They said Becca had asked them to come over and see me since she couldn't be here. They had flowers and chocolate. And I had tears. Seriously so sweet! They stayed and talked for over an hour and it was so nice. I felt like my dear friend was here with me. So thoughtful! Love you Becca! And I got so many phone calls and happy birthday wishes on Facebook. It was an amazing day and I feel so loved! Truly, the best birthday ever!














P.S. Mindy blogged about the concert on her blog. The pictures of Mindy are ones Chant took. He also took the sideways shot of me and the other front row people. Check it out. Her blog is mindygledhill.blogspot.com and the post is titled A Valentine Miracle.