How has music influenced your life? What is your favorite
song and or artist? Is there a certain
song that inspires you or just makes you feel happy, sad. Etc.
Wow, first Together on Tuesday (ToT) blog entry and I have
so much to say. I’ve been thinking about
this all day (hey I just got the email this morning so I have one day to knock
this out…..requires a lot of thinking) where do I even begin and how do I
organize my thoughts.
First I have to explain how much music has been a part of my
like. I grew up in a military household
(yes I am proud to carry the term Brat.) My dad was a DJ in the military and
for a big part of my childhood we lived in Europe so only had one TV
station. But no matter what we had music. My dad introduced all of us kids to music
early. We all had “boom boxes” and
walkman to listen to music on car trips but I will never forget the day dad
brought home the CD player that went with the household stereo that could hold
SIX cds.
As an adult music still is an important part of my
live. As many of you know I have taken a
few lets say “extended vacations” to the remote parts of the world. And every time I had my laptop and IPod (one
of the best inventions of our time). I
could listen to my music and forget where I was and what was going on. I could go back to a better time of memories
that made me smile. Sometimes it was
bittersweet because it made me miss home so much but for a moment I could forget
where I was.
I am also a big runner (in big I define that I like to do it
and don’t focus too much on speed or distance).
Unfortunately, due to an extended vacation and living in the Pacific
Northwest I have become a treadmill junky.
And there is no way I could do an hour to 90 mins on the treadmill with
out my music.
As I start to think about my favorite song or artist I could
never have one instead I think there is a soundtrack to my live and it’s the
moment that determines my favorite song.
So I am going to list a few and tell you why at the moment they were the
“soundtrack” of my life.
Yellow Submarine by the Beatles
Like I said before I grew up in a military family which
means me moved around a lot. Every time
we would move to a new place we would ask my dad where are we going to live and
every time with out fail he would bust out with the lyrcis from “Yellow
Submarine”
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
It would always make us laugh and to this day the first time
I pull up into my new driveway of where ever I have moved to I still think
about my daddy signing this song.
Mack 10 (The Rapper) Album: Based on a True Story
I have no clue why but me and my best friend must have
listened to this album almost everyday driving into school our senior year in
high school. I am not a huge fan of rap
but to this day we could hear a song off this album and laugh because of all
the car trips we listened to this album.
I think the tape might have been stuck in the tape player when she went
to sell the car…hahahaha
“Time of your life” by Green Day , “Piano Man” by Billie
Joel and anything from Dave Matthews
These two songs define my time in College at Purdue. From my sorority dances to ROTC both of these
songs were played all the time. Every
time I hear them it take me back to great moments in college…you know the days
when it would turn 60 and sunny in February so we would skip class hang out at
a fraternity house with my sorority sister or house party with my ROTC buddies
drinking cheap beer out of red solo cups and talking about how hard life was
and we were so happy to take a day off. I’ve
had the pleasure of seeing Dave a few times in concert but on 1 Sep I have hit
the mother load and I am seeing Dave at the Gorge with friends from work can’t
wait for the tailgate where we will drink out of red solo cups playing flip cup
and beer pong and it will take me back to years past.
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb by U2
On my first “extended vacation” I was going thru a hard time
and trying to figure out who I was and where I wanted to be. This album got he thru those six months and
helped shaped the women I am today. And
I got to see U2 in concert last summer and I have to say one of the best
concerts ever.
Hey There Delilah by Plain White Ts
Veterans Day 2007 on my 2nd extended vacation I
had the first on many responsibilities in honoring one of our fallen angels
(SPC Ashley Sietsema). This was my first
and I was close with her unit. The few
days after that fateful date in November are a blur but this song is so
important. I along with her fellow
Soldiers put together a video montage of photos of Ashley to play at her
memorial ceremony. We put her pictures
to this song. Even to this day I can’t
hear this song with out thinking of the memories of those days. Getting the honor to celebrate a Fallen Hero
might by one of the highest honors but hardest memories that I have.
I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
I know I am sure you guys are thinking what in the
world. Well a few Christmas’s a go I was
riding home from church with my mom. I
want a Hippopotamus for Christmas came on the radio and my turned it up and
sang it loud. She had such a smile on
her face and twinkle in her eye. I will
never forget the way we looked at each other and enjoyed that special
moment. When my mom was diagnosed with
cancer two months later with cancer this was the first memory that flashed in
my mind. I still have this song on my IPod
and when I am sad missing my mom I play this song and smile and sign along like
I am in the car with my mom again.
I’m on a boat---The Lonely Island
So I refuse to end my first blog on a sad note. This song always makes me laugh. It reminds me of my recent trip to Thailand
and siting with the guys and laughing. It
reminds me of the gang I was deployed to the STAN with. We would listen to music like this and just
laugh. And my favorite line…..I got my
flippy-floopys on….for any of you know that know my love of flip flops you will
truly understand this one.
I could go on more but I am sure this in long enough and I
have already lost the few readers I have.
But music its just part of me and we all have a soundtrack to our
lives.
