Preparing for a concert in less than 48 hours

Tuesday and Wednesday were so wonderful. In the past couple of years, I had been working so much, I would go months without touching base with many of my friends. In these two days, I spent more time talking to my friends and family than I have in years. I have smiled so much that my cheeks are sore.

Thankfully, my house wasn't too much of a mess, so I was able to focus my time on the list of people that I wanted to invite, and then start making phone calls. The list continued to grow and by Tuesday afternoon we decided that the best spot for Mark to perform might be in our garage. Crazy, I know, but ironically, we had watched Extreme Home Makeover this past weekend, and singer Ashley Tisdale set up a mini concert in the winners new garage while all of the builders, friends, and volunteers were lined up on the drive way, and lawn enjoy the music. I couldn't get this vision out of my head, so we worked to re-create that scene for Mark and our guests.

The stories and connections that happened in these two days are incredible. My favorite happened on Tuesday. Mark received a call from his long time friend, Carrie. Mark and Carrie grew up in Colby Kansas together. Carrie happens to be friends with the Stantons. The Stantons are an amazing family (husband Stewart, wife Jan, oldest daughter Amanda, and adopted daughter Kellie). They are very special to me, because 13 years ago I picked them to raise my baby girl. They adopted Kellie straight from the hospital and our open adoption relationship has continued to produce numerous blessings. Anyway, Jan had been talking with Carrie at Church on Tuesday, and told her that they were going to a Mark Schultz concert on Wednesday night. Carrie asked how they knew the lady that won the contest, and Jan proceed to tell Carrie that Kellie, their adopted daughter was the biological daughter of the K-Love winner, Lisa. Carrie called Mark that night to tell him about the divine coincidence, and scheduled lunch during Mark's quick visit to Denver.