Happy List

In Relief Society (our church's fabulous women's organization) on Sunday we talked about maintaining happiness even through the difficult phases of our lives. It was a powerful reminder for me of all the things in my life which bring me joy.

A few of the things I've been thinking about:

Taking M with us out to our Valentine dinner, and having him realize and vehemently object to the fact that we had left P home with a babysitter. "No! She's supposed to come with us! I need her!" 

Feeling C smile in the middle of one of those (dare I say) delicious 15 second kisses.
If you are in a relationship and not doing this, start.

I've made dinner the last five night in a row. Five nights in a row people,
Four of them have been delicious.

Just Gilmore Girls.

I've been having a lot of dreams about old friends from high school and college. I have been blessed with some of the most fabulous people in my life. Holla.

Yesterday C finally made the triangle shelves that were supposed to be my
mother's day gift last year. They are gorgeous. 

I have bought more new music in the last month than the last seven years combined.
Isn't new music such a liberating experience? 

and these: 

i am so happy.

Bandwandogens

I think I got on another bandwagon without realizing what I was doing.

I am a complete reality tv junkie. The vocal competitions and the biggest loser are my particular weaknesses.

 I have been in love with these two since their audition. They are so....organic. Weird word to desribe it, but it fits.

If I had the gumption to try and put myself out there as an artist, I would go for a style very similar to theirs.

I had a hard time deciding which of their songs to post. You should go watch them ALL. I couldn't find videos of just the songs, but no need to taint your listening experience by listening to the judges comments at the end.

Tell me what you think!

 

Why I know I could be a world champion Latin Dancer or Soap Opera star

This diddy has been stuck in my head for about 6 years. I think Doris Day is bomb, and I consider this song to be one of her best vocals.

You just can't help but pretend that you are a very serious and sexy dancer as you listen to it while carrying your computer up the stairs. You may or may not whip your head back dramatically, and throw your arms into the air in slow motion Paso Doble style.

Your baby will probably find it hilarious and laugh at you.

Just close your eyes, and tell that flaky man to get his act together before you are forced to take your dark luxurious eyelashes and tiny waist elsewhere.

 

Still haven't tried cheese on toast

But I do love this song.

I love that it is a breakup song that isn't bitter or all about putting on a tough facade while you implode inwardly. or being so mad that you vandalize your ex's apartment or car so badly that you could be arrested for it, but are obviously totally justified. Whyyyyy? 

Love songs and break up song are on one end or the other. I am so in love with you after meeting you an hour ago that I am taking you home with me tonight, or we just had a bitter break up after dating for two weeks, and I am never going to have any meaning in my life eveeeeeeeeeeer!

There isn't much out there that talks about love or heartbreak in a realistic way that can help people deal with in real life. I love what this song says. I liked you. I know you liked me. You dont' anymore, but I learned some cool stuff from you, and I am going to be okay. 

I dealt with all of my breakups in this very composed manner (no I didn't). I am sure glad I never have to experience a break up again, but this song has still made it on to our morningly dance play list.

Do you want to be my favorite uncle?

I don't know what it is about Dick Van Dyke, but it is impossible not to like him. Right? Do any of you NOT have an affection for this man? It is the kind of feeling you might have for a beloved uncle or grandfather. You just want to latch on at the knee and have them pat your head.

I imagine that if I ever met him I would just want to give him a hug, after which we would share a milkshake while throwing back our heads in affectionate and delightful laughter. The sun would most likely be glimmering over us.

We sing to Maverik every night. For weeks I tried to remember the words of this song because I knew that as a child I had loved it. I kept forgetting, and he mostly got "Once Upon a December" sung on repeat because it is my other favorite. I finally remembered to look this up one evening during his bedtime routine.

Don't you just want to be one of those kids?! Being Truly Scrumptious wouldn't make me feel too bad either....

I got over the age, but not the song

This song is one of my soul songs. One of the songs that seems to be in my bones you know?

I was probably 13 when I heard this song for the first time. I was having some turmoil of the heart, and thought things could never feel worse. I was crushing on a boy h-a-r-d and he liked one of my closest friends. I was feeling overlooked and unwanted as only a 13 year old girl can (seriously, how did I manage to make everything feel so tragic?). 

I would go home, put this song on repeat, throw myself on my bed (like in Beauty in the beast when she gets locked in her room for the first time. It was a really good body throw. It takes talent to not do neck damage with this kind of action).

Somehow this song put into feeling the right kind of sadness I was feeling. I wanted someone to feel this way about meeeeeee. 

And now, I just love it. Partly for nostalgic reasons, partly because Mr. Withers has an incredible voice, and partly because it is just a good song. That is three parts. Enjoy.

I have this husband

And tonight as I lay in bed sick after he got home from work, I caught him singing show tunes to our baby while making chicken Alfredo.

Apparently the Broadway soundtrack pandora station is stellar. Duly noted.

Too much explanation for something that can hold its own

My uncoolness is about to be made manifest. 

You know how when you are trying to have a conversation with someone you don't know very well, often the topic of music arises...?

Well, I love music. What I don't tell people is that my first music love is movie soundtracks. Like, I am REALLY into them. 

My first love affair with this kind of music came long ago. I was twelve. On my thirteenth birthday I received the Pirates of the Caribbean Soundtrack. (We were vacationing in Winnemucca, Nevada on my birthday. The only thing more exciting than my birthday was the fact that the bus boy at our hotel/casino thought I was older than I was and very cute. He sent me complementary ice cream at the restaurant) I had seen the movie six times in the theater, once twice in one day, and was smitten with Captain Jack. Who wasn't right?  As soon as I got it into my cutting edge tech discman, my family could have boarded a plane to Florid and come back for me a few days later. I would have been clueless. I put in the CD, closed my eyes, and visualized the entire movie as the music played over and over and over. 

It has snowballed since then. My sister is even more into them than I am, and I once heard her and a former beau have a conversation about how the composers of movie soundtracks are really the ones who have taken the place of great composers like Beethoven and Mozart. Apparently these pop stars and radio musicians have no comparative talent. I don't agree with them on all sides of that argument. I think there are SOME very talented pop stars, but as far as the talent of composition, guys like Hans Zimmer, Klaus Badelt, and Howard Shore put popular music artists to shame. 

When I had to write absurdly long papers for my classes in college, I would put on a soundtrack, and it helped my creative juices every single time. 

These instrumental masterpeices just have a way of pulling me back into the imagination that I had as a little girl. They help me prove to myself that I haven't completely, and never will completely grow up. I used to listen to them on campus sometimes, and it would transport me somewhere else long enough for me to forget my stress. i will spare you the many and nerdy details of my imagination. 

I have talked too much. Listen to this song. It can hold its own. It is enormously long, but at least listen to the first few minutes. I challenge you to not lose yourself for a little while.

Did you know about these guys??

If you did, you should have told me about them loooong ago. They are Noah and the Whale. 

This song never fails to put a smile on my face and make me feel a little lighter than I did before I heard it. It hasn't worked as an actual weight loss plan (dang it) but it sure has plastered a smile on my face.

   

 They do talk about drinking, which I don't condone. I choose pixie sticks or swedish fish as my way of getting a buzz. The recorded version is just as lovely as this version.