Bad news and the silver lining.

This post is hard to write because my thoughts on the news we received on Monday are still all over the place and I'm still not quite sure what to think or feel. I do know that I'm so thankful for all of your prayers that you all (especially my beloved instagram peeps) sent our way, you all make Dave and I feel so blessed and surrounded by love.

On Monday, the VA flew Dave out to Anchorage to have a basic exam to evaluate the current state of his foot and knee problems. While they were doing some routine x-rays the man doing the exam started asking some of the right questions and decided they needed to x-ray Dave's back as well.



These x-rays showed that Dave has a broken back, and has for years. He went in forever (and ever) ago and told his Dr. at the time that he was having bad back pain, they misdiagnosed him with a muscle strain. And although he brings up his back pain at nearly every exam (I usually go with him), no one has ever looked further into it.

I'm very thankful that we finally found out what has been causing Dave's pain, but I'm equally frustrated that no one caught it before. He has a fractured L5 vertebrae and it's scary to think of all the damage he could have done, without knowing he had a broken back. Dave was told that if he had been in a car wreck/falling the wrong way/gotten jolted he could have become paralyzed.

We're praying that with some specialized yoga and physical therapy we can avoid surgery, if possible. As much as I hate to see my husband in pain and I can't believe he's had an undiagnosed broken back to years, I'm also very thankful that we now know what was actually causing all of the knee/foot pain. In a strange way, it's kind of a relief to know that a lot of his physical pain is all connected, because if we can get the back pain under control then hopefully the other issues will subside as well.

These pictures are all Instagram pics from our walks around the glacier trails last weekend.

Again, we feel SO blessed to have such a wonderful online community and I can't thank you all enough for your prayers and concerned comments.

David Owens Music Live ↠ Anchorage Town Square.

A few weeks ago, on a day when it was in the upper 70's (heat wave, watch out!) here in Anchorage and a beautiful sunny day...Dave and I decided to head downtown and see if there was a spot he could plug in and jam out. We found the perfect spot at Anchorage Town Square, Dave asked the few people that were lounging in the grass if they would mind if he played for a bit, and everyone said no.

So that's exactly what he did. Once he got set up and started playing, people who would be power walking by would stop and linger or sit and stay once they heard him. It was so much fun! Dave even got an unexpected backup singer/dancer...it was all fun and games until he started grabbing Dave's guitar. Not cool, man, not cool.









The food stand people brought us a few waters and people really seemed to enjoy stopping for a bit to bask in the sunshine and listen to some live music. One of Dave's friends from the Air Force even was driving by and heard his voice, he made his girlfriend check on facebook if Dave was in fact in Anchorage and then they turned the car around to come listen and say hi. Such a small world.

Impromptu David Owens Music ↠ CRUSH wine bistro and cellar, Anchorage

The other day, Dave and I walked downtown to find a place where we could sit and discuss the coming weeks and our plans for what was ahead. We wound up at a cute little place we'd had our eye on visiting, CRUSH wine & bistro cellar. It was another perfect day and we were hoping to sit outside, so why not grab a glass of wine and a beer while we chatted about life...

Dave had his guitar and the notebook I bought him and had engraved for our first anniversary (paper is the traditional gift) where he jots down all of his thoughts and possible song ideas. There was a table of two men sitting behind us, and as we got up to leave we got to talking to them. One of the men saw Dave's guitar, asked if he played, and then said he'd buy us all a bottle of wine to share if Dave would play everyone a few songs.

Deal.






...and I don't know if anyone is as excited about the new album as I am (impossible), but Dave just added this video I recorded to his new youtube channel. It's a demo of a song that will be on the new album and I am in love. Even though I've already heard it a billion times, I can't get enough. Anyone else?

When the Colors Change ≫≫ New demo from Dave!

When Dave and I were still in Austin, I was playing with the video side of my Canon and captured this video of Dave recording scratch vocals for a new demo he's been working on. I love it when he sets up all of his recording gear in our living room and works on his new songs in our home. And no, that wasn't a sarcastic wife statement, I really do mean that.

There's nothing like it when the music fills our home. Every once in awhile Dave will stop and ask me to come listen to a certain section, to find out my thoughts, or to see if I like something new he's added instrumentally. It always reminds me that we're in this crazy musical journey together. And I love that more than anything...


I hope you all enjoy this video as much as I do. This new song is already one of my favorites and I can't wait for you all to hear the finished version soon. If you like this video, we would love it if you'd share it or send it to a friend that you think would enjoy it as well.

Anyone else as excited for more new songs as I am? As soon as we get our own place in Alaska, the recording process will continue for the new album!

Gosh I missed this...

During our time on the road for over two months, Dave wasn't able to do his online shows every Sunday night and I missed them like crazy! Dave playing live is my favorite and the online shows are so much fun because you all can join in and there is always a fun chat going on in the sidebar.

Since it was the first online show in awhile, we weren't sure what the turnout would be like, but we were happily surprised to see there was a fun crowd chatting it up as always. My heart is so full...

Also, we've had a few people ask us lately where they can buy a copy of Dave's album, all the links to buy it on iTunes or to order a physical copy of the album are here. And if you have a copy, pretty please make sure to write a review (doesn't have to be long!) on iTunes!

A new sound coming from my dining room...

Dave had his first practice with a bass player here in North Carolina and I have to say I was really excited about the sound coming from my dining room last night. Robert plays the upright bass and it adds such a rich, gorgeous sound to Dave's music. I can't wait for these two to play live so I can get a good video! Luckily for us, we don't have a table yet so the open dining room made a perfect place for these two to set up...

If you're on Facebook, Dave is SO close to hitting the 1,200 mark...won't you join him on there? Things like social media can be a big deal for someone looking to hire an artist these days, so it really means so much to us when you all share his pages!

WW // Dave on WVLT News.

I wanted to share my pictures from Dave's interview on WVLT channel 8 in Knoxville on here, we always have such a great time every opportunity he's had to be on their show. I have so many pictures from all of Dave's shows, interviews, etc so far on this trip that I'm going to upload all of them to my facebook page for you guys to check the rest of them out. You'll find pictures from Hard Rock Cafe Gatlinburg, WDVX Blue Plate Special, Vienna Coffee House, and 106.1 The River...

Linking up with Because Shanna Said So, The Paper Mama, Project Alicia, Live and Love Outloud, and Naptimemomtog...

I love...

 

Last night while I was out running errands I got a text asking me out for date night tomorrow night....

I just love this man.

Pretty sure we're going to see the new Twilight movie (YES!), don't judge. I can't wait. 

After tonight it'll be all packing and editing, but tonight we're going to enjoy date night. What are you up to this weekend?

 

Recording the new album, indie style...

There is nothing I love more than to watch Dave do what he does best, which is play his music...whether it's live or at home, he's in his element. And getting to be part of the recording process for Love Via Music and now his new album has pretty much made my life. I love being the first to hear the new tracks and the fact that Dave trusts my opinions on what to add/take away.

It's such a fun process and I really enjoy sharing it with you all in pictures. These are some of my favorites I've ever taken of Dave...

Where to find Dave:

Website // Twitter // Facebook // Instagram

So, what's your favorite album of all time, indie or otherwise?

Dallas: Poor David's and Roots.

As most of you know, Dave and I made a trip up to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area two weekends ago. It was really nice for us to get out of town and get a hotel, we hadn't had a trip just the two of us all summer. Friday was crazy, as soon as Dave got home from classes we hit the road and got to our hotel just in time to change clothes and head back out to Poor David's Pub.

Dave had been asked to play there by a friend whose band was also playing that night. It was a good time with fun friends...

Our friend David of The Krooks

Saturday we got to sleep in and enjoy the day. We headed to Cafe Brazil for coffee and brunch, which was amazing. And then we headed to the mall to do some shopping. We did some damage at H&M, but since Austin doesn't have one yet, it was necessary.

Dave's show that night was at Roots Coffeehouse and we loved this place. It has a very homey, organic feel to it, which is my favorite kind of coffee shop. And their food/drinks were delicious. I had The Medi wrap and some kind of frappuccino goodness.

Dave got to meet Caroline (of Sew Caroline) and we both got to meet her husband, also Dave. SO glad they came out! Our twitter friend (now real life friend since we've hung out so many times) Maria and her sweet husband came too, we always love hanging out with them.

We had a great time on our mini vacation, if you can call doing a show per night a vacation, hehe. I definitely came back needing some down time, but we had fun!

 Linking up with  The Paper Mama, Project Alicia, Live and Love Outloud, Naptimemomtog, Jenni from the Blog, and A Little King and I...