Tuesday, March 22, 2016

The Soundtrack of My Life

When I started blogging in January, I knew I wanted to do a post about how songs can take your mind back to a specific time in your life.  As Clint Black says, "Ain't it funny how a melody can bring back a memory!"  When I saw Andrea's link-up I knew I wanted to participate, and already had some ideas on what I would post.  I am so excited...my inner five-year-old is squealing! Eeek!


I am going to share a few different seasons of my life with you and what music I was listening to during that time.  It's quite the mix!  I don't remember what I was listening to as a newborn, but my parents took me to see Coal Miner's Daughter in the movie theater when I was a few months old, so maybe I was into country.  My mom listens to country and claims Johnny Cash & George Strait as a few of her favorites.  My Dad is more of a Beatles fan...so I listened to a variety of music as a child. (Kendall says it looks like I am accepting the final rose on The Bachelor in this picture).
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Some of my earliest music memories are listening to records on Saturdays while we cleaned house.  I remember loving Take it to Limit by the Eagles, Uptown Girl by Billy Joel and Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper, and thinking I was big stuff listening to rock and roll.


First, let me say, this was NOT the picture I had in mind to talk about my early elementary years, but when Kendall and I were looking through pictures she laughed for a solid 15 minutes after seeing this picture.  I thought it was my civic duty to post this, in hopes it will bring a smile to your face (I honestly, have no idea why she thinks it's so funny.  It's like she's never seen a six year old with a perm, missing teeth, a Mexican dress and a strand of pearls).  Moving on, in elementary I vividly remember listening to Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On by Mel McDaniel and Let's Hear it for the Boy by Deniece Williams while playing musical carpet squares in the gym for P.E.


Also, in elementary school I fell in love with Amy Grant and could be found rocking out to Thy Word and El Shaddai on my pink jambox.


Later, in elementary school, I think I wore out my Wilson Phillips tape rewinding Hold On over and over.  I remember thinking I Saw Him Standing There by Tiffany was the coolest song ever and couldn't figure out how my Dad knew it.  #BeatlesRemake


Fast forward to junior high.  I really wanted to skip the poofy bang, over curled hair picture, but sadly every picture I have in the early 1990's had poofy, curled bangs.  I am so thankful that trend is dead.  I hope it never returns.  Junior high had some great music!  There are certain songs that just remind me of a middle school dance; Rod Stewart and Bryan Adams singing All For One, Bon Jovi Always, and of course Salt N' Pepa!


In High School, the songs I remember are connected to the people I was cruising around town with.  If I hear Lauryn Hill's Killing Me Softly, it immediately takes me back to driving around Wimberley, eating snow cones with my BFF, Jacy.  
(I just want to take a moment and let all my high school friends know, that you all should be thanking me right this minute for not posting some of the less flattering pictures I found while going through old albums.  It took great restraint).  


Every time I hear Point of Grace or DC Talk, I think about my friend, Allie, and all the summer camps and youth rallies we went to!  We both strongly disliked Carmen, but as all 90's church youth group girls did, we adored Stephen Curtis Chapman, Audio Adrenaline, and The Newsboys...


Did someone say Newsboys...


And, every good Christian girl, cried the last night of church camp while listening to Michael W. Smith sing Friends Are Friends Forever.  Oh, hey, Michael!


Because of Dance Team, every time I hear the song God Bless Texas I almost break into a high kick routine.  Probably because we performed that high kick routine, no less than 9,956 times.


I was also a huge George Strait fan back in the day and always loved seeing him in concert with my friends and our moms!  Like most Texans, Amarillo By Morning is my favorite George song.


In college, I started listening to Pat Green, Robert Earl Keen, David Allen Coe, and the Dixie Chicks.  I guess that's what happens when you go to college in west Texas.  


I'm going to awkwardly transition into my time as a single mom now, and completely bypass any other significant events, like my first marriage, in order to...well, in order not to talk about it.  Moving on...

I looked in Kendall's baby book to see what I had written as a popular song when she was born, and it was Amazed by Lonestar.  Obviously, that is a couple's love song, but since Kendall made me a mommy, she has AMAZED me every day!


Mark and I have never really had "a song" so when we were thinking about our first dance, we had no idea what it would be.  One day, I heard Don Williams I've Been Loved by the Best on the radio and knew that was it.  That song says exactly how I feel about Mark, and it's simple and to the point. 


One musical memory I will always have, is our road trip to Disney World with Kendall when she was nine years old.  We listened to Rascal Flatts song Backwards, from the Hannah Montana movie, over and over.  She loved it!


But, God knew our family wasn't complete and gave us Jess to keep us on our toes.  Before we had Jess, we had a couple of miscarriages, and I thought we would NEVER have a baby.  One day in church we sang the hymn Have Faith in God.  If you're not familiar with the song, it says, "Have faith in God when you prayers are unanswered; your earnest plea He will never forget.  Wait on the Lord, trust His Word and be patient.  Have faith in God, He'll answer yet,"  That song spoke to me in what I was dealing with.  I ripped the words out of my church bulletin and stuck it by my bathroom mirror, and it is still there today.  God may not always answer when we want, or even how we want, but He does answer.  We just have to trust and be patient.  In 2011, we welcomed this sweet, little boy to our family.  


But, again, God knew we weren't meant to be a family of four...


In 2013, we welcomed Jentry to the mix.  I looked in her baby book to see what I had written as a popular song when she was born.  NOTE...I said "popular" song, not what I was listening to.  One of the songs I listed was Miley Cyrus' Wrecking Ball.  I found it appropriate, because Jentry does enter the room like a wrecking ball.  We're still developing her grace.


And, here we are today.  The song that most adequately describes us right now is God's Not Dead by our beloved Newsboys!  Not just because my little kids have been making me listen to it over and over for the last three months every time we are in the car (and no, it's not a new song, just new to them), but also because it is Easter season and in a few days we get to celebrate the Resurrection of our Savior.  Most importantly, that song is important to me because the one constant in my life for the past 36 years, is God.  Through my perms, my curled bangs, my rap phase, my country phase, he's the constant; my cornerstone.


Thanks so much for taking a stroll down memory lane with me and reminiscing about the plethora of music that makes up the soundtrack of my life.  

 I am linking up with Andrea and Beth this week.  Check their blogs out, too!

Emily






19 comments:

  1. WOW! I made a lot of that trip with you! You have me in tears . . . tears of joy for the Christian woman you are! I love you, Em!

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  2. I loved reading this post!!!

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  3. Emily this is serious the best post!! Love all your song choices and your throwback pics!! Love Killing me softly!! Jealous that you saw George Strait...always something I wanted to do!! Looking up the Newsboys!!

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    1. Thank you, Katie! Come to Texas & see George with me and I'll come to NY & see Billy Joel with you!

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  4. Poofy bangs - yep I had that look too! You did a great job putting your post together it was a great read. I should have went to school in West Texas. Grrrr. xoxoxox Amanda

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    1. The 90's were about curling irons and hairspray!!

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  5. Such a fun walk down memory lane! We totally almost chose that Don Williams song for our dance too.....ended up with a Chris LeDeux song instead but that is definitely one of my faves!

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    1. We love Don Williams! Chris LeDeux is great, too! What song did you choose?

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  6. This is such a fun post! I would totally do it but I think I'm actually still too embarrassed of some of those high school choices I made haha

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    1. Ha!! I hear ya! We all had those phases we wouldn't want to repeat!

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  7. Oh my goodness you have some photos that would make many girls in the youth group so jealous, baha ha! Kived reading your picks. I really like a lot of those too!

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    1. Ha!! Thank you! Why did I age & the Newsboys didn't??

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  8. I was a big Cyndi Lauper fan! Ha. And Wilson Phillips. I wore out that cassette tape as well. Pat Green was our favorite when Nate and I started dating. It always reminds me of those days of riding in the middle of his single cab truck with the windows down blaring Pat Green! Love this post…brings back so many memories. And I love that you included all of the pictures.

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    1. Yes!! The good old days of sitting in the middle seat of the pickup! :)

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  9. Girl.....I could bust me out some Wilson Phillips when I was young! I had no idea what I was singing about but I was belting it! Love how we remember certain songs with different phases and memories of our lives.

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    1. Very true; I had no idea what I was singing about either! This was a fun post to put together & to read others!!

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  10. LOVE this post!!! I totally could have the same soundtrack as you! I also love you new blog design.

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