I married a dreamboat.

Todd called me while I was out shopping a few weeks ago and asked for permission to spend more than $100 on my upcoming birthday present. I swear he asks for that every year. What can I say, he spoils me. Of course I granted his wish. I always do.

Then he told me we needed a babysitter so we could go out and get whatever said present was, on August 27th from 5 pm to midnight. I tried to figure out what he got me - expensive, something we go "get," had to be on a specific day... but my best guess was that he scheduled us for a couple's massage, and I was wrong. I thought he accidentally let the "go get" phrase slip, and he let me believe that, but really, he did it on purpose to throw me off course.

Surprisingly, he treated me to a Norah Jones concert in Berkley. We've never been to a music concert together. Neither of us has been to more than a handful before at all. It was totally unexpected.

Me and the belly at the Greek Theatre, UC Berkley.

I almost went to see her three years ago, but didn't, and I've always thought she'd be a delightful one to listen to live. She was. It was relaxing and enjoyable, the crowd was mild and friendly, the set was beautiful and the acoustics were superb. Plus our seats rocked. Todd specializes in that. Seventh row, just four seats in from the center. We had an awesome view!

View before the show started, while it was still light out. Look how close we were!

Unfortunately, we only had our phone for pictures, so they're small and not great quality. Corinne Bailey Rae opened and played for an hour. She did a great job. I love her accent.
Then Norah came on and played a fun combo of old and new music, some I'm super familiar with and songs I haven't heard yet from her latest album. She kept it real, mixing it up so it wasn't just like the albums. It reminded me of when I used to go to Jazz Club jam sessions at BYU and listen to the musicians rock it out. I loved it.
And I still have in-person spoiling to expect on my actual birthday. Delightful.

I Finally Found the Love of a Lifetime

It took a lot of convincing, but I think Todd and I have finally found Our Song!

It first came about when I borrowed a handful of CDs from my good friend Amy Naseath last summer, one of which was a powerful collection of 80's love ballads. I was mesmerized - those of you who know me well are well aware of my fetish with 80's music.

Well, there I was listening to the CD when Firehouse's "Love of a Lifetime" started playing. I hit replay over and over, cried a little, sang along, remembering the depth of emotion this song had aroused in me when I heard it for the first time in junior high. The crooning, the guitar, the drums. . . As I listened to the lyrics, I just knew it was telling the story of Todd and I. Sigh.


I spent the entire afternoon singing it, over and over again, so excited for Todd to come home so we could have a euphoric experience bonding over this song and just knowing it was meant exactly for us. It was going to be beautiful.

It didn't work out quite that way. First of all, Todd thought the song was a little bit cheezy, if not obsessive. Second, he just did not feel the vibe I had. I tried hard to convince him, and finally got him to commit to it being "our song for the week."

I sang it to him every chance I got over that week, and kept asking him if he wasn't sure he wanted it to be our song forever. He wasn't buying it.

Well, I guess I kind of gave up on it over time. But every once in a while I would tease Todd and sing it to him, and we would dance together a little bit.

But this week was the clincher. TODD instigated the singing of "Love of a Lifetime!" We were just hanging out in the living room, being silly, when all of a sudden, Todd grabbed me in his arms and started singing it to me.

So it's settled. It's our song. I am satisfied.



If you want to add a satisfyingly romantic five minutes to your life, here you go:

Who Would You Vote For?

I am absolutely hooked on American Idol. Last season was my first, and by now it's a definite addiction. I get really excited when anyone's had an awesome performance, and I go on youtube or americanidol.com to watch it all over again, and to show Todd what I'm so excited about.

I've got some definite favorites this season. Here they are, with links to my favorite of each of their performances so far. (Just click on their names.)


David Cook did an awesome, original take on Lynal Richie's "Hello." I listened to that one 5 or 6 times over again the next day. LOVED IT! He's very original and has a cool rock sound. He's by far my top guy. Week after week he is amazing.


Michael Johns has a very charismatic stage presence. He is mesmerizing. Maybe it's the Australian in him? I don't know, but I love watching him perform. So far none of his songs have really blown me away, but he's got a ton of potential simmering behind that pretty face. It's coming, I know it is.


Carly Smithson is a natural. She consistently gives impressive performances, and she has a great vocal range. She did a great job with "Crazy on You" by Heart. It took me back to the 80s!


Brooke White is easily my favorite girl this season. I love her voice. She's got this Jewel/Carly Simon/Carol King characteristic to it, kind of folksy and so pure. I want a whole CD of just her, singing. She actually has one CD already, but they had to pull it from the shelves to meet with American Idol rules. I found one copy, on amazon.com for $90.00. A little steep. Christmas, anyone? It's called "Songs From the Attic," and I'm dying to hear it.

I think they, along with David Archuleta and David Castro, will make the Top 6 this season. Who do you think will win the competition? Votes in the comments section, please!

But, of course, let me also say that no one has come close to touching my all-time favorite performance from last year: Blake Lewis, with Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name."

Jammin' to the Tunes

So, Todd is the coolest guy on the planet. He does great things for me all the time. Last night, he figured out how to put a music playlist on my blog. Wow!

So. . . make sure you check it out over there on the right-hand side. Just click on a song, and enjoy! They are some of my favorite picks from our collection here at home. So you can pretend that we're hanging out together, and I'm like, "Dude, you have GOT to listen to this rockin' song!" Cuz I love them that much. Also, I love Todd. Thanks, Husband!