UNEXPECTED GALLERY
Before selfies were a thing, at 29 years-young, I found myself in the middle of an international story.
In the Foreword Elizabeth writes about a trip we took to Hawaii about 10 days after her rescue. This is the Smart family along with my wife, Laura, and me.
This picture was taken after surfing for a couple of hours in Hawaii. As you might be able tell from my face, this was my first real break since Elizabeth's rescue.
If you look closely, you will see me minutes before Elizabeth "caught an eyeful of blinding whiteness."
Sierra Smart started an internship with Intrepid two weeks before Elizabeth's abduction and, along with several other connections, was how my team and I got involved after the abduction. Sierra is picture with Sarah Scharne, a producer from Larry King Live, and me.
Extended Smart Family with John Walsh
Dr. Charles and Dorotha Smart, the patriarch and matriarch of the Smart family, were amazing leaders and examples throughout the search for Elizabeth.
Ed, Lois and family traveled to New York to do John Walsh's daytime talk show in September 2002. It was the first time the family had been outside of Salt Lake City since Elizabeth's abduction.
Ed Smart, Jr. and I had an ongoing rivalry. It began when he stuck a wrapper of Big Red Gum on my head in the green room of The John Walsh Show. Fortunately, there are no pictures of the giant red welt that adorned my head for more than a week.
William Smart, Elizabeth's youngest brother, loved to ride on my shoulders and would rub my ears until they were raw. This began in New York and continued for several months later including during our trip to Hawaii.
Lobbying for legislation to create a national Amber Alert was a godsend for Ed Smart. It gave him something meaningful to do and kept Elizabeth's story alive in the process. In this picture, Utah Representative Jim Matheson speaks to the press on Capitol Hill.
For Elizabeth's 15th birthday in November of 2002, the Smart family traveled to California to visit her favorite place, Disneyland. While they were there, Ed and Lois filmed an interview with Larry King on his iconic set.
The picture was taken on the set of The View shortly before taping. Ed and Lois had only slept a couple of hours after the debacle at the Mayflower Hotel the night before.
This picture was taken with Phil Donohue and his guests after taping an episode of his cable show in February 2003. Later that night, Ed would tell me he knew Elizabeth was alive and waiting to be rescued.
In late February 2003, John Walsh traveled to Salt Lake City and taped an interview with Ed for America's Most Wanted after Brian David Mitchell's family had identified him as the person in the sketch that Mary Katherine Smart had remembered being in the bedroom the night Elizabeth was abducted.
My living room was transformed for the interview with John Walsh in late February 2003.
I had several conversations with John during the nine months Elizabeth was missing. He was one of the family's greatest allies and played a huge role in Elizabeth's rescue.
A few days after Elizabeth's rescue, there was a huge celebration at Liberty Park, near downtown Salt Lake City. In this picture, Ed is publicly thanking John for helping to bring Elizabeth home.
It was far too soon for Elizabeth to make a public appearance at the park celebration, so we had her sign a paper that was transposed over a picture. When I went up to the house to work with Elizabeth on her message, I was amazed that she immediately sat down and wrote it without any input or direction.
This picture with my wife, Laura, and sister, Amy, was take shortly after the veteran approached me in the park.
Through all the struggles during the search, rescue and aftermath, Laura was an incredible support. While it tested our marriage more than we thought possible, it brought us together and made us so much stronger.
This image was taken at the Smart's home a couple of days after Elizabeth's rescue. Notice the floral displays in the background. There were dozens and dozens of arrangement that were gifted primarily by strangers.
This is a picture of Elizabeth taken in Hawaii about a week after the prior image in her home. Look how much here appearance changed in a very short period of time.
While this isn't part of the book, my experience helping Elizabeth plan and execute her surprise wedding was amazing. As I watched her bridal pictures being taken the night before the wedding, I became teary eyed thinking about how many people around the world had made this moment possible.
Elizabeth was originally scheduled to get married in Salt Lake City in March of 2012. When she learned the paparazzi had figured out every detail of every minute of the day, she asked me if we could pull off a surprise wedding in Hawaii in two weeks. With lots of help from my team and some amazing people in Laie, Hawaii we pulled off the impossible.
Elizabeth had a reception at the Utah Capitol several weeks after her nuptials in Hawaii. This is one of only a handful of pictures with Elizbeth and Laura and me.
I had the opportunity to hike with Elizabeth to the camp where she was held captive after being abducted. It was an eerie feeling being there, however Elizabeth's attitude and explanation of feeling triumphant, eased things a little.
This image was taken with Elizabeth's husband, Mathew, and Meredith Viera.
Elizabeth and I have rarely taken pictures together, but Wolf Blitzer's producer, insisted.
I had the privilege of introducing Elizabeth as Utah's Communicator of the Year at the Golden Spike Awards in November 2022.
Experiencing my book coming to life and then seeing it on the ticker in Times Square was surreal.
Michael Strahan and Juju Chang discuss my book on the set of Good Morning America.
Elizabeth and I did our first interview together with ABC's Juju Chang in February 2023.
Elizabeth, Juju, my wife, Laura, and I walk through Madison Park in February 2023.
Elizabeth has been an incredible support of the book since I first told her about it in early 2022.
Elizabeth helped me celebrate Unexpected's launch at a party in February 2023.
Signing a copy of Unexpected for Elizabeth.
The photo was taken around the time my family moved to East Mill Creek and I met Baker Paxton for the first time.
Growing up in East Mill Creek.
Baker Paxton was one of the most important and unlikeliest teachers in my life.
This is a photo of my family, sans my brother Jeremy, in Florida in 1990.
A family picture at my wedding in 2001.
My mom at the February 2023 launch party.
My dad and his wife, Sue, at the February 2023 launch party.
My family at the February 2023 launch party.
I don't have any picture of Chad and me from the 1980s. This is when we backpacked Europe in 1995.
Chad and I have remained friends our entire life. He moved into my current neighborhood seven years ago.
This is the report I reference in the Annabelle chapter. Notice the stains from the live squid.
I write about being an airline brat in the chapter Not of the World. What I don't mention is in high school I made two friends whose parents also worked for the airlines and we traveled together several times. This is in Jackson Hole in 1991
Basketball was a key part of my upbringing. I write in Unexpected about some of the lessons learned from high school basketball.
I served a mission for my church in South Korea from 1992-1994. I am pictured with my native companion, Elder Jeong Jin Ho.
This is the family I reference in the chapter Only the Good Die Young. The picture is during Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) in 1993.
Laura and I got married on June 4, 2001 a year and a day prior to Elizabeth's abduction.
As I write about in the chapter Alive, Jason and Michelle Burnette were good friends of our's long before March 12, 2003.
Jason (No. 50) gave me (No. 44) the assist of a lifetime on March 12, 2003 when he informed me Elizabeth had been rescued and was alive and well.
Reading at book launch party in February 2023.
Book launch party at my good friends Steve and Jenny Miller's home in February 2023.
Elizabeth, friends and family at February 2023 launch party.
Laura and me at 2023 launch party.
I was touched when Gail Miller attended the launch party, missing a Utah Jazz game, which is very rare for the former team owner. I'm picture here with Jenny Miler, my good friend, Sally Dietlein, and Gail. Gail and Sally both wrote endorsements for Unexpected.
My good friend Jennie Taylor endorsed Unexpected with a nice military perspective. She has taken the loss of her husband, Major Brent Taylor, and is making a tremendous difference in the world.
My close friends Jenny Miller (far left), Linda Luchetti (next to Jenny) and I had the privilege of working with Deondra Brown several months ago. We enjoyed catching up with Deondra, who endorsed Unexpected.
Neylan McBaine is someone I have long admired. I am so grateful she endorsed Unexpected.
I write in the book about Melanie Bowen and the amazing help and service she provided to the Smart family and me as Senator Orrin Hatch's right-hand person. It was great seeing her after many years.
Unexpected has been an incredible family effort. I am so grateful to my amazing wife and children. Without Laura's insights, collaboration, sacrifices and support, this moment when the book first arrived would have never happened.
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