Remember the time...

I love how music has power over your mind, like a transport to another time, a lost memory, another feeling, bringing a smile, a laugh, or cringe... either way, music is cool! Last night Ben and I took the girls to a pizza joint for dinner and it must have been 80's night--a flood of songs that made me feel oh-so-cool in elementary school. And it's interesting that certain songs can belong to certain people. Like Billy Joel's, "Uptown Girl"-- that's riding in the car with my dad, loudly listening and singing along.

But the one that takes the cake.... "Lady in Red". Who can't have a memory associated with this song? It was only played at every stake & school dance. I did sing this to Ben at our first date/dance, changing the words to "man with red hair", but the song still belongs to a high school friend of mine! (Sorry if you are reading, I bet you'd laugh at it now.)

There was a time where someone was actually obsessed with me. I know, I know. Weird. I would find an orange construction cone outside my door with a rose sticking out of it.., or a message on the seminary board to me (or in my scriptures that stayed at the seminary building), or a Christmas present--a framed picture of those cute black and white photos of young kids (where one would be holding a rose or something romantic) with a secret message written in code inside the frame that I would have to figure out... but the one that topped them all was the tape stuck to my car door with a flower. It was full of love songs, but not just love songs, edited portions of love songs that led me right to the things he was thinking/feeling. "Lady in Red" was on there and I found a hidden message from him within the song. I remember spending a good part of a morning with a friend listening to it over and over to figure out what he was saying. I think it was "will you be my girlfriend" or something like that. I STILL don't really know!

But anyway, I think I could find a memory for every old song that comes on. Journey's "Open Arms" was the song that I would cry to as I remembered a boy I really liked telling me we couldn't be together. Lauren Hill & Samantha Mumba is the Riviera apartments, dancing in my living room with roommates. My dad singing Beatle's "Do You Want To Know a Secret" to his girls, and the middle part of "A Day In the Life" every morning to get us up. "Let's Give Them Something to Talk About" is my sister's song with her old boyfriend-- my mom and I called him up after his mission and their break-up to play this song to him, trying to rekindle the flame. (woops!) "That's What Friends Are For" is my other sister, Courtney. "Yellow" by Coldplay brings me back to first dating Ben. Cranberries, "Linger" is Andrea and I recording ourselves singing this in high school. "Carmen" opera is my mom (from getting Gustov the Mole for us to read/listen to)... and on, and on, and on.

Anyway, I'm grateful for songs that help preserve our memories! What are some of your favorite songs/memories?

And, in case you are wondering... yes I did date that guy later, but only after he stopped being creepy :)

My Inner Voice

Remember when blogging used to be about standing on your soap-box, or having some interesting story to share, or maybe even a neat tip that others would love to know? Maybe you still do that so you don't have to remember... or maybe you're like me where blogging has turned into journaling your family's latest and greatest... My current style of blogging is becoming a drag to me, not to mention I'm ALWAYS behind! So here's to my inner-voice that says, surely you have something to say! I'm breaking free! Yes, I will still have the latest and greatest because I am a stay-at-home mom and my children are my life! But I also want to challenge my mind a little more... maybe form an opinion? If I were to use one word to describe me, I would use INDIFFERENT. So this can be a sort of therapy for me as well! And for those that don't care, feel free to bypass the entries until you find a picture! There you will most-likely find the journaling!
So for this entry, I'm doing a poll. Now that I've addressed my new goal (for me more than you, sorry), let me see why YOU read other blogs. Check my column for the poll.