Day 29 - Musical memories

Day 29 - Five songs or pieces of music that speak to you or bring back memories

Rascal Flatts - Everyday Love



Rascal Flatts started getting really popular towards the end of my high school years, so they were around for some good memories for me :)  This song was one that my friends and I would sing on the bus during band trips, either to marching competitions or to honor bands.

Andrew Lloyd Webber - The Phantom of the Opera



I love musicals, and so do two of my closest friends from home (who just so happened to come from a musically blessed and talented family).  I'd go visit them at OSU and after a few drinks, they'd be singing songs from Disney movies or musicals like this.  We had a lot of fun singing - well, they sang and I attempted to sing :)

Howard and Emerson - Hello My Baby



 This song goes way back for me.  I took piano lessons from the time I was in 1st grade until sometime in middle school I think.  I played this song at one of my first recitals, and the last time I tried to play a piano, I could still play this one by memory.  My dad loves when I play the piano, and this was always the first one I'd play for him.

Michael Buble - Haven't Met You Yet



This song can always lift me out of a bad mood.  I just love it!!


Darius Rucker - Wagon Wheel



Currently my favorite song on the radio :)

Day 14 - Things that make me happy

Just a day late - it's been hard to get some good blogging time in Chicago ;)

It was so hard to narrow this list down to just 10!! I'm a believer that its the little things that make the world go round, so there are many many things that could be on this list. Without further ado, here are some of the things that make me happy :)

1) family

My family at my MBA graduation in 2009

2) friends

Some KD sisters at a TU game

My childhood friends before "Wicked" the musical

3) love

My honey

4) addie

5) amelia

What a cute puppy!!!

She's afraid of my camera....

6) baking - I have a bad sweet tooth :)

7) hugs - those really tight ones that you get from people you haven't seen in a while...the ones that say they care about you and just make you feel special

8) sunshine, especially after a span of cloudy days or the first few days after daylight savings time has changed and it feels like spring

9) being a beach bum - there's something so relaxing about sitting on the beach and just taking in the ocean and the wind and the sunshine and reading a book

10) fall - I love the changing color of the leaves, the cooler temperatures, my birthday ;), football, and the anticipation of all the holidays down the road

My Best Friend

Since I'm new to the blogosphere, I haven't had a chance to get to know many other bloggers (but I definitely look forward to that opportunity!!), so I picked my best friend Sarah for today's post.  :)

Sarah and I went to school together basically from kindergarten up through our senior year, but it wasn't until the 7th grade that we really became friends.  (I think that we're up to somewhere around 14 years of friendship by now!!)  My favorite memories with Sarah start the summer between our 8th grade and Freshman years.  We were inseparable!!  I'm pretty sure that we printed off calendars and planned out whose house we would stay at which nights for just about the whole summer.  We painted a fence at my parent's house, we went to the lake with her family, we went to some outdoor jazz concerts, we went shopping, we made breakfast for the first time without parental supervision after one of our sleepovers.....we literally spent that whole summer together.

Throughout high school, we were involved in many of the same activities and were the top of our class throughout those four years.  We even graduated Co-Valedictorians (yes, we're that awesome!!).  We toured colleges together with our moms, automatically assuming we'd go to the same one.  Somehow, that didn't happen.  That first semester (first whole year, really) was so hard without my best friend by my side.  Luckily, she'd stop by on the weekends since I was in Tulsa and she had to drive through anyway :)

During college, we both made new friends, dated new guys, took different career paths, but we always kept in touch.  Some times more than others, but we always knew we were there for each other.  If we went some amount of time without hanging out, once we got together it would feel like that whole time period didn't happen and we were right back where we left off.

There are many reasons she is my best friend, and to sum it up: she knows too much ;)  But really, she has one of the best hearts of anyone I know, she's a great teacher (she teaches at the high school where we went to school), and she's just one of those genuinely good people that everyone should have in their life.  She makes me want to be a better person.

So here's to Sarah and maybe we have many many many more years of friendship!! :)

Day 2 - Being a Bridesmaid

Today's writing prompt is to impart knowledge about something I know a lot about or am good at.  There were several topics I could have written about from a non-serious standpoint (avoiding laundry, etc.), but then I thought about what I've done enough in my life to feel comfortable enough to write a little about.  I chose to write about being a bridesmaid.

I've been blessed to have many good friends from my hometown, college, and my career.  One of the perks of having such close friends is the opportunity to be with them on the most important days of their lives.  I've had the privilege of being a bridesmaid in 9 of my closest friends' weddings, and each experience was unique and memorable.  Here are some things that I found helpful in my experiences:

1.  If you've never been part of a wedding party before, do some research! With Pinterest and the gazillion wedding websites, you can find so many good ideas in a short time.  You'll get more comfortable with some of the duties of a bridesmaid/MOH (maid of honor) and find some helpful ideas for the other ladies that you'll be standing with on your friend's big day.

2.  Pack an emergency kit for the day of the wedding.  I had stuff like hairspray, pen & paper, mouthwash, a mirror, safety pins, bobby pins, tissues, lotion, etc.  A lot of it came in handy :)

3. Support the bride in everything!  Whether it's assembling the wedding favors into the wee hours of the morning on the day of the wedding or watching her try on wedding dresses, just be there for her and ready to act at a moment's notice.

4. Play with flowers - you never know when you might get the chance to help the bride pick out and assemble her bouquet :)

5.  Learn to pin boutonnieres.  Guys generally don't know how to do that and it's one less thing for the bride to worry about.

6. Guard the door to the dressing room to prevent a multitude of people from coming to overwhelm the bride with last minute requests or questions.  Field those yourself if you can.

7.  Dance at the reception.  When you're in the dress - it's your responsibility to get the party started! :)

8. If the caterer isn't already instructed to do so, grab a plate of food for the bride and groom.  They're usually too busy to worry about food.

9. Have fun!!!  It's one of the best days of your friend's life and she picked you to be there with her to enjoy it!! :)

(Did you like that I had 9 things - one for each wedding?? :) )

P.S. I've got a lot more fun wedding pictures on my computer at home - these were the ones I found through a quick search on my phone and Facebook.  I might add more later :)