music, memories, moments

i have a lesson plan to write, a center plan to figure out, and about a million other things for school to do.  i should probably be going to sleep because 5:30 is going to come awfully early. but this has been on my mind all week, so let's see how this goes...

i'm sure you've all seen this quote across this world wide web before.. "all it takes is one song to bring back a thousand memories."  i am a firm believer in music.  i seriously thrive on music.  in the car, while i do homework, when i'm cleaning, and anytime in between.  i can't handle silence. (which is something i should probably work on..)  over the past few weeks i've realized just how true that quote really is.  because of my love for music i have a ton of songs going through my head at any given moment.  but when i hear a song that is connected with a memory, you'd think my brain shut down except for that one memory.  the amount of emotions that are felt during a particular song is astounding.  i can go from happy to sad in .2 seconds.  mostly for me, i want to recount a few of the memories that come with certain songs, both happy and sad.

#1: 2012 by Jay Sean: It was the summer of 2012 (hah coincidence?) and there was a lot of change going on.  I had to open myself up to meeting new people in the singles ward, and was feeling left out because my friends in the ward had found their own group and I couldn't find my way into the group.  I became closer friends with my old roommate Whitney.  We did something just about every night and created our own adventures.  2012 was often the song that we would play at full blast as we went on drives, especially after  particularly rough night of trying to get "in" with the "cool kids".   This song is full of...euphoria.  Those nights, though some were rough, were some of my favorite summer nights ever.

#2: We Are Never Getting Back Together by Taylor Swift:  September 16, 2012.  Two days before my 22nd birthday. Driving to Provo with Colby and Kaytlin for dinner and a birthday celebration with Alicia and her roommates.  The number of times that song came on the radio was a little ridiculous and Colby singing along imitating Taylor Swift was even more ridiculous.  This song usually makes me laugh, occasionally it makes me sad.

#3: Come Thou Fount:  I have loved this song for a very long time.  It is easily one of my favorite Hymns. (And the fact that I found it in one of our old hymn books made me ecstatic!)  No matter what I'm going through it can instantly calm me down.  I have one particular memory that is attached to this song... I was driving back to Ephraim with my cousin Kim one day, if my memory is right we were going back to school just after finding out her sister was going to have to go through another round of chemo, when we thought she had beaten cancer.  Kim played a version of this song several times on the way down and I felt so much peace and knew that no matter what things were going to be okay.

#4: Home by Michael Buble: Whitney and I loved listening to Michael Buble in our room down in Ephraim when we wanted to escape everything else.  One weekend I was struggling really bad, I'm pretty sure most of my roommates were gone and I was sitting in my room listening to this song on repeat for an entire night.  I bawled for the better part of the night and just wished that some how it would transport me to my home.  I have a hard time listening to this song anymore because it brings back so much saddness.

#5: Wannabe by Spice Girls:  What girl that grew up in the late 90's early 2000's doesn't have a memory attached to this song.  Though it isn't a singular memory this song just reminds me of my best friend Breanne, so happy memories all around.

#6: All The Small Things by Blink 182: Probably a ridiculous song to have a memory from 4th grade attached to it but...what the heck!  My friend Jaci has THE best front porch in the world, at least for 4th graders.  Often we'd choreograph dances to different songs and preform them on her front porch.  This one was our favorite dance, and we worked so hard to learn the dance moves, pretty sure we were expert Blink 182 dancers!

#7: Royals cover by Alex Boye: This song has a very recent memory attached to it.  Growing up, I didn't get to know some of my cousins very well because we lived so far from each other.   I'm making up for lost time, and getting to know them better now.  My cousin Tammi and I have formed a friendship that I will cherish forever.  A few weeks ago she let me spend the night at her house because I was hanging out with friends in Provo and then watching her kids the next morning.  Before I met up with friends I hung out with Tammi and her kids, we ended up going to the farm at Thanksgiving Point, and this song is one that we played on the way up there.  Not only is the song excellent, but it just reminds me of Tammi and our friendship.

#8: Nearer My God To Thee:  This song is the one that evokes so many crazy emotions in my heart and brain.  There are only two people who will completely understand this one besides me... I can go from laughing, to crying, to feeling completely disappointed, then buoyed up by the Spirit in this song.  The 2012 Fall Semester was a good semester of school for me.  Every other day I met Alicia and Colby at the institute for a lovely hour of hang out time. One day it was just Colby and I at the institute building, at this point we were just starting to become really good friends.  There was a girl playing the piano, and she played Nearer My God To Thee over and over and over again.  Each time getting increasingly slower.  All of the sudden Colby looked at me and said "The ship is sinking!" Then asked how bad it would be to flip the table over and run out of the room yelling that. (Titanic had just been re-released in theaters at this time as well....) Hence the laughter.. I can't help it, that image is engraven in my memory.  Sadness...because of the laughter.  Colby and I are no longer friends and I'm still in the "I miss my best friend" stage heavily.  That moment was such a happy one that when I'm remembered of it, and then see where we currently stand I can't help but be sad.  Disappointed, same reason as sadness.   I feel like being buoyed up by the Spirit is an obvious one since it is a hymn.  But it truly speaks volumes! (This was the hardest memory to write..by far)

We'll stop there for now.  What are some songs that resonate with you?