We rehearsed A LOT.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Don't It Always Seem to Go

I was listening to some music on Grooveshark today and got an urge to look up and listen to all of Amy Grant's music. I've been a fan since I was a little kid. Her's was the very first concert I ever went to. I was about 7 or 8 years old. Some combination of her, the Little Mermaid and Annie Warbucks made me want to be a singer.

So today I was listening and humming along with some of Amy's songs when her version of  "Big Yellow Taxi" came on. I was immediately whisked away from my day job and back into my childhood.

Fall 1994:
Mom and I drive around town running various errands in our Station Wagon. I'm probably dressed in something like brightly colored leggings, a festive fall sweater, hair in a side pony tail or double french braids. The soundtrack to this outing, is the recently released albumn "House of Love." About 3/4 of the way through "Big Yellow Taxi" we park at our intended destination, Michaels (possibly MJ Designs), but we still have some 'mmmm, bop bop bop bop'ing to do before the song is over. We sit in the car and sing the rest of the song at the top of our lungs. People can probably hear us in the parking lot, but we don't care. It's a beautiful, crisp fall day and we are together and singing. It doesn't get much better than that. We head into the store and gather our things. I think mom even let me pick out one of these silly animal figurines I was obsessively collecting at the time.

It's a really specific memory. Just a regular day. But lovely. A simple, yet perfect snapshot of how I think of my relationship with my mom. It makes me miss being a kid and really makes me excited to have my own kids one day. I hope I can be half the mom she is.

I may have teared up at work today remembering this. I'm so excited for her and my dad to come visit in a little less than a month. I miss them.

"With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot."

Woke Up It Was a Chelsea Morning

I created this word cloud out of the lyrics of one of my favorite songs. This site is fun to play around on!

Oh Don't You Remember...

I have two songs stuck in my head today. From the lyrics, you might think that I was feeling blue, but for me these songs remind me of walks with my grandma, talent shows with my cousins, car rides with my parents and childhood in general.

The words are downright depressing, almost laughable even. In fact, my dad always teases my grandma about making them up. Then one year she found an entire book of these sad children's songs. I'll have to ask her what the book is called, or at least what time period these songs originated from.

I fully intend to pass them along to my someday children. Let them enjoy being the quirky kid on the playground singing lilting tunes with morbid poetry.

First...a little ditty about friendship...

Once there lived side by side
Two little girls
Used to dress just alike
Hair done in curls
Blue gingham pinafores
Stockings of red
And a sweet bonnet tied
On each pretty head

School days are over
Secrets they tell
As they go hand in hand
Down by the dell

One day a quarrel rose!
Hot tears were shed
"I don't wanna play in YOUR yard!"
And the other said

"I don't wanna play in YOUR yard
I don't like you anymore
You'll be sorry when you see me
Sliding down my cellar door

You can't holler down my rain barrel
You can't climb my apple tree!
I don't wanna play in YOUR yard
If you can't be good to me!"

(we always added a VERY whiney "WAH" at the end.)

And now....a nice song about summer time and babies!

Oh don't you remember a long time ago
Two babes in the woods
Their names I don't know
Were stolen away
On a bright summer's day
And lost in the woods
I've heard people say

And when it was night
So sad was their plight
The stars did not shine
The moon gave no light
They sobbed and they sighed
And they pitifully cried
Poor babes in the woods
They laid down and died

And when they were dead
The robins so red
Took strawberry leaves
And over them spread
And sang them a song
The whole night long
Poor babes in the woods
Poor babes in the woods

Nice! I really do love both of these little songs, but like I said...I associate them with feeling connected to my family rather then the crankiness and death that they seem to actually be about. Hmmm....