Guilty by Music Association!

I think I have always known this about myself but last night it really hit me. I am guilty by music association. Almost every song I hear takes my mind to a memory. Which I find fascinating! I realized this at about 3am this morning as I was rocking Adeline back to sleep. Her little Ipod was playing some soothing music, and all of a sudden I was reminiscing.That got my mind going, and about an hour later after really focusing on the great thing I learned about myself I was finally able to doze to sleep.

Then of course, this morning my mind has been going a million miles an hour. Not sure why, but I knew this was something I would have to post about! As I was getting my ideas around for this blog, I remembered a song by Kenny Chesney that talks about this exact thing! Go figure! :)

We all have a song that somehow stamped our lives
Takes us to another place and time

 

So I go back to a pew,preacher, and a choir
Singin bout God, brimstone, and fire
And the smell of Sunday chicken after church
And I go back to the loss of a real good friend
And the sixteen summers I shared with him
Now "Only The Good Die Young" stops me in my tracks
Everytime I hear that song,

I go back....

 

So today, I decided to go back.

With everything I've ever done
I'd give it all to everyone for one more day
Another night I'm waking through
Anther door I walk intro
I can't break

It's a winding road
It's a long way home

So don't wait for someone to tell you it's too late
Cuz these are the best days
There's always something tomorrow
So I say let's make the best of tonight
Here comes the rest of our lives

 

 

Everytime I hear this song, my mind automatically drifts back to high school, and graduation.  I loved my high school career and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I was blessed with great teachers, who had a passion for teaching and loved their students. My senior year we were so blessed to have such an amazing principal take over. He was the icing on the cake to my senior year. He taught us kids so many great life lessons. 

 

My senior year was amazing, filled with many fun filled memories, but it was also filled with sadness. At the end of the year, three weeks before graduation one of my very best friends passed away. This song always reminds me of sitting up on the stage at graduation, and looking down at her parents and not being able to control my emotions. It reminds me of sitting on stage with my classmates singing the amazing words, "Let's make the best of tonight, here comes the rest of our lives." That's what we were going to do. We were going to spend one last night as a class together, and move on.

 

Graduation was not something I wanted to go through. As excited as I was to be a grown up and on my own, I was scared. I knew that at the end of the night, things were going to change and what I had enjoyed so much would now be but a memory. This song brings so many memories to my mind that I can't help but laugh and cry all at the same time.

 

Her daddy gave her, her first pony
Then taught her to ride
She climbed high in that saddle
Fell I don't know how many times
Taught her a lesson that she learned
Maybe a little too well

Cowgirls don't cry
Ride, baby, ride
lessons of life are going to show you in time
soon enough your gonna know why
it's gonna hurt every now and then
if you fall get back on again
Cowgirls don't cry

 

It's hard to believe, but yes when I was a little girl I was a cowgirl. I can remember my grandpa Dee taking me to get my first pony. He was a Welsh pony named Scout. I will never forget the excitement of climbing up on my saddle, and riding around. This song always takes me back to the memories I have with my grandpa. 

 

I'll never forget him telling me the day I got Scout, that one day I would be bucked off. I remember the first time I was bucked off, I came running up to my grandpa so excited that it had finally happened. My family still teases me about it to this day, apparently I thought it would only happen one time and that I would never get bucked off again. 

My grandpa has taught me so much, and I am so grateful for him. I can't help but tear up, every time I hear this song.

 

Some day, when she's old enough,
She's gonna start askin' questions about him.
Some kid at school brings his Dad for show an' tell,
An' gets her little mind a-wonderin':
"Where's my Daddy? Do I have one?
"Does he not love me like you do?"
Oh, maybe I'll find someone to love the both of us,
An' I'll tell her when she's old enough to know the truth.

Will it break her heart?
Will she understand,
That I had to leave?
That's what was best for me an' Emily. 

 

This song always remind me of the courageous mother that I was blessed with. She was brave enough to leave a toxic situation, so that her and I could have the life we deserved. I know that it wasn't always easy for her, but I also know that she doesn't regret leaving a day in her life. 

 

I know that I was a little girl that always longed for a daddy. My mom always tells me about times when we would be in grocery stores and I would look at men's ring fingers to see if they were married. I was always looking for a Dad. 

 

Growing up I didn't always understand the situation, I was in. Eventually I went looking for the person who abandoned me. My mom may have left him, but he never really made any effort to see me. Sadly, I learned for myself the real person he was and realize how lucky I was not to have that kind of person in my life. 

 

Everyday I am so thankful that I won't have to go through what my mom did. Adeline is so lucky to have such a loving father to take care of her.

 

Where the quarterback dates the homecoming queen
The truck's a ford and the tractor's green
And Amazing Grace is what we sing
Well there's a county fair every fall
And your friends are there no matter when you call
Yeah It may not sound like much but it's
Where I'm from

 

I am so lucky to have grown up in such an amazing small town. I am a person full of hometown pride, and that will never change. 

Whenever I hear this song, I can't help but swell with pride knowing that I was brought up in such an amazing community. Yes, there is drama but where can you go in this world where you won't find that. At least you have people who care and always look out for you.

I love the feeling of going to the store, and having a handful of people stop to talk to me. I love knowing that even though I live 1,000 miles away, home hasn't forgotten me. It never really changes a whole lot, and I love having that as a constant in my life. 

Grace, Idaho has taught me so much and has helped in raising me to the person I am. I will always have a special place in my heart for Grace, because its Where I'm From.

I'll never forget the day I was driving to Soda for my first mock interview for Jr. Miss. I was pretty nervous and decided music would help calm me down. As luck would have it, the perfect song came on right then. Stand by Rascal Flatts, this song seemed to put things into perspective for me. I could do what ever I set my mind to. Throughout that whole day I kept revisiting these lyrics, and in the end had a successful interview. This song helped me throughout the whole Jr. Miss process, whenever I was exhausted and didn't know if I could keep going I could always turn to these words of advice. Jr. Miss was such a great experience to me, it taught me so many wonderful things that I now use as an adult today.

The lyrics to this song always empower me. They help me realize that I can do anything if I put my mind to it. I may have days where I don't know if I can go on anymore, and I feel so small. But a gentle reminder from this song, always points me in the right direction.

We live on front porches and swing life away
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
If love is a labor, I'll slave 'til the end
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand

 

So I have to admit, the lyrics to this song aren't really related to what I think of every time I hear the song, but when I hear the tune I can't help but think of Struan and when we were dating.

 

This song always takes me back to the first few dates Struan and I had. I always remember just sitting in the passenger seat, listening as he sang this song. I always get butterflies when this song pops on the radio. It takes me back to the giddy days, of being nervous whenever we saw each other and the excitement of a summer romance. 

Side Note: I've asked him on numerous occasions if this song was his and an old girlfriends. He always tells me he doesn't remember, so I'm really hoping not. Then again I really don't want to know for the fact that it would ruin a song that brings back so many great memories.

1,2,3,4 by Plain White T's will always be a song near and dear to my heart. It is "Our Song" I know that sounds totally cliche but its the truth. This song takes me down memory lane. It reminds me of our first date, when he first told me he loved me, when he proposed, when we got married, etc. 


If I had to sum up our relationship, I would say this song is pretty good at summing it all up. I am so lucky to have him in my life, he is a great husband and father. I look forward to the many years we have ahead together.

This song always reminds me of my wedding day. It was the song I walked down the aisle to. Don't worry it wasn't some cheesy cd player, we actually had a harpist who was amazing and learned this song just for us. 

However, as my dad and Grandpa walked me down the aisle I couldn't help but say the words to the song in my mind:

Life is a road and I want to keep going
Love is a river I want to keep flowing
Life is a road now and forever
A Wonderful journey

I'll be there when the world stops turning
I'll be there when the storm is through
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you

We were starting our amazing journey together, and this song just said it all. He was the only one I wanted to take the journey with, and I am so grateful we found each other and were able to do so. Sure the journey hasn't exactly been what I thought it would be, but that's the great thing about life it is full of twists and turns things we cannot control. But if we are lucky, hopefully, we have found someone to accompany us on that journey.

Never Grow Up by Taylor Swift is one that always tugs at my heart strings. I'll never forget when I found out I was pregnant. I was nervous, excited, and scared all at the same time. Would I be good enough?

I remember before we found out what we were having, I was sure it was a boy. I really really wanted a little girl but knew that with my luck I probably should just prepare for a boy. I'll  never forget the day of the ultrasound. I was so antsy, and couldn't wait to find out. Struan was convinced it was a girl. I remember lying there as they did the ultrasound seeing if I could see what it was. Everytime I saw something I just knew it was a boy. An hour later they said, IT'S A GIRL! Not wanting to get my hopes up, I said are you sure? I mean if you had to say in percentages what would you say the chances are its a girl? They were about 95% sure! I was so excited! 

When Adeline was born we were so filled with joy! What a perfect little angel we were sent. She has taught us so much already! When I cuddle her, or rock her to sleep it always saddens me to think that one day she won't need me. She's going to grow up, it's apart of life. So we are going to cherish every moment we have.

Your little hand's wrapped around my finger
And it's so quiet in the world tonight
Your little eyelids flutter cause you're dreaming
So I tuck you in, turn on your favorite night light
To you everything's funny, you got nothing to regret
I'd give all I have, honey
If you could stay like that

Oh darling, don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up, just stay this little
Oh darling, don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up, it could stay this simple
I won't let nobody hurt you, won't let no one break your heart
And no one will desert you
Just try to never grow up, never grow up

For every stoplight I didn't make
Every chance I did or I didn't take
All the nights I went too far
All the girls that broke my heart
All the doors that I had to close
All the things I knew but I didn't know
Thank God for all I missed
Cause it led me here to
This

 

This song always makes me realize we should never regret what we have done in the past, it led us where we are today. I know many people say they live life with no regrets, but sometimes I wish there were a few things I could change. Then I realize if I did that, I might not have the amazing husband and daughter that I do. Sometimes we take chances in this life, and they don't turn out the way we hoped but in the end they have taught you something. I love the message this song carries and Thank God for all I Missed, Cause it led me here to this! 

Music is a big part of my life, it helps voice emotions I don't know how to. I love that songs are so easy to relate to  and that we are able to contain memories within songs. What songs move you? What songs do you hear and instantly your mind wanders?