Ever notice how you feel when one of your favorite songs is playing? Doesn't it just feel almost electrifying? Every note resonates through you and you can't help but move with it. The words leave your lips effortlessly. You close your eyes and loose yourself in the music. I love when this happens. Especially at a concert. This summer I had the chance to see Slightly Stoopid in Boise Idaho. It was by the the most amazing concert I've seen yet. It was a trifecta for me, the company, the atmosphere and the lineup were amazing (definitely worth buying the second set of tickets after realizing we left the originals in the dresser half way to Boise).
First a bit of history on my music preferences-
I've always been so deeply moved by music and to meet some one else that reciprocates those feelings makes the connection come naturally. Music is often how I strike up conversations with people and in fact I've even noted myself as "Musically educated". It started fairly young with a love for Sublime. This was the first band I truly loved after my Backstreet Boys fetish (come on I was like 11! Cut me some slack). My first real choice of music. I had heard some Pink Floyd, Marilyn Manson, Nirvana, Guns and Roses (The song my dad sang to me when I was a baby), Grateful Dead, all mostly from my brother but nothing spoke to me like Bradley Nowell's lyrics. For some reason he related to my soul. I remember listening to his songs over and over again with Chels. I was moved and firmly planted into his circle forever. And from then on I loved music. I wanted to find more that made me feel something. That moved me! And I did. I dove into. I dove right into counter-cultural music of the 60's, the grunge of the 90's, the rock of the 70's but nothing came close to the reggae/roots movements!
Fast forward to Slightly Stoopid.
Q and I decided a good concert was just what we wanted to do to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. It seemed to fit perfectly. In fact you could say music was a big part in bringing us together. And to me the chance to see Slightly Stoopid is probably the closest I'll get to Sublime. So off we scampered to the Botanical Gardens for a July evening concert. The weather was spectacular. Sunny, clear skies and nice and warm. We proceeded to grab a beer and make our way to the open field where the concert was (I love outdoor concerts!). We planted ourselves on a nice hill in the sun and sat back waiting for the concert to start. It was amazing. Just a sense of calm was in the air. Everyone was ready to have a great time and that is what we were going to do!
The concert opened up with Shwayze and Cisco, followed by a great reggae band Rebelution and then of course the main attraction, Slightly Stoopid! It was such a phenomenal concert. And being able to share it with my husband is even better. We got right down in the crowd and got lost in the experience. Being right there when they played "Collie Man" and hearing everyone sing along was just awesome. I can't explain the feeling of being connected to someone though music and this concert felt like all of us were connected for a brief period of time, leaving behind all judgements and distractions and collectively getting lost in the music. Literally lost. (Moving experience at a concert? Yep. Its true. Music has a profound way of doing this to me.) I left that concert having a renewed sense of why I choose the way I live my life.
Music is powerful. It tells stories, history. It is a common factor between all of us. My life has been changed and even molded by music. A song can change your perspective on the day or your perspective on life. Put music in a large area over very loud speakers with friends and people who all love the same songs and you get a powerful experience. If you've never experienced a concert you are missing out on an amazing time! When you let music into your life your view can shift. Mine has. I think its obvious physically that I view life a bit differently than most. I live with no regrets. I do what I want because life is short and you can't spend too much time waiting around. Life will not stop and wait. It keeps going and before we know it we're all dead. I don't want to waste the time I've got, I want to enjoy my life and my loves. I want to follow my dreams. Music is the match to my inner fire. My drive to live comes from the sharps and flats that flow together and mesh with my soul and make me who I am.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
What's Changed In A Year?
After logging into a forum I used to use while pregnant (babyandbump.com- great site for mommas) I got the urge to write something and decided to see if my blogspot account was still open....
To my surprise it was open and logged in... ready and waiting. I love it.
I read through my last posts and realised it has been a year since I've written anything. Well, this may surprise you, but A LOT has changed in a year. Tons! So here it is.... What's changed in a year...
In June my parents moved away. 20 hours away. It was heart breaking. I've never been without them. How was I going to be able to go though my day to day life without them? At the time, it was their best option and I couldn't help but try and be happy for them, even though it hurt so bad knowing they weren't going to be around the block anymore (or in the same time zone for that matter). I had to build my "moving wall" back up (the defense mechanism I used in my younger days to help get through moving a lot), had to push it out of my mind. Denial. But I could only deny it for so long because soon the day was here. They loaded up all their things and junk and pets and drove away, off to the vast cornfields of the Midwest.
This summer, in July, we went on our first family vacation. We headed over to see Q's parents, a 14 hour drive, and with a 9 months old its no "Sunday drive"! It was well worth tit though, the quality time together and with Q's parents far outweighs anything else. I think family is so important and making time to spend with them has to be a priority. I wasn't able to see a lot of my extended family as a kid so I really want my daughter to grow up knowing her family. Even the far away ones. On our way home from we took the scenic route. It was beautiful. We drove through the mountains and stopped off at a lake! Magnificent! It was the perfect was to end a perfect first family vacation!
In August we celebrated our first year of marriage! And what a year it has been. To say that we've had a great year is a vast understatement! I truly still believe that I'm married to the best man in the world and I can't picture my life without him. I've seen other people's relationships go up and down and it really makes me appreciate the I have honestly found the man I'm going to spend forever with. I only thought that this kind of love existed in fairy tales but, ladies, it really, REALLY does exist. But you have to go into it with nothing but honesty, both with each other and yourself!
With the fall came a rough month. September wasn't easy for us by any means but with a lot of love we got though it. Q's job had all but officially laid him off. And I sure didn't make enough to cover us. Something had to give. We made the decision for Quentin to find another job back in August. My career in retail also came to an end. Between bouncing my child from sitter to sitter and the new hours my job was taking on, we made the choice it would be nice to have me home. So September came and I began staying home, but my husband hadn't be able to find another job yet and after telling his current employer that he needed to find a job making more money they stopped giving him hours. But he found odd jobs and we made it work (not with out draining or savings but that is what its there for!) Financial issues can make or break a marriage and without ours being built on a solid relationship from the beginning I could see how easily we could have fallen into the pit a lot of couples do.
In October our little baby turned 1! I couldn't believe it! One already? Didn't I just have her sliced outta me a few months ago? Wow. It happened so fast. I blinked and she went from eight pound swaddled infant to a non-stop going all the time (would give the energizer bunny a run for his money!), do anything to make you laugh, incredibly smart little girl. My baby isn't a baby anymore, she's a toddler. My mom came out to visit for her birthday and it was so nice to see her. Its amazing how much I miss mommy dearest. October also brought great change for our family, Q got a new job! An oil rig job. It meant a vastly different schedule, as in he is gone 14 days at a time. But we couldn't turn down the opportunities this job would open up for our family. And I set out on a new path myself, I took a leap and turned my photography passion into a photography business. I can't begin to tell you how long I've wanted to do this!
November wasn't exactly a breeze either. Q started his new job and was gone for 3 weeks right off the bat. I was lost. I didn't have a clue how hard it would be to take care of Athena all day every day by myself. I found myself as a single parents 2 weeks out of the months. It took some getting used to but I'm finally getting it down I think!
December brought another year to a close with a great Christmas spent with Q's family in town. Of course the kiddo was spoiled rotten by everyone. Oh and I got dreads! Something I've wanted to do since high school. I'm a firm believer in living with no regrets and the way I feel about dreads I knew I would regret never having them myself. I took the plunge. And my wonderful husband spent 22 hours backcombing my hair. (Have I mentioned how much I love him?) They'll take a while to mature (about 9 months). I'm so glad I did it!
And now here I sit. there's so much more planned for us in 2012. We want to buy a house, take a vacation to Florida, make it to Denver to see Q's family, and towards the end of the year (if all goes right) we will be trying to expand our family! I couldn't have dreamed my life to be this good. I'm thankful for everything in my life, past and present. I would never change one thing in my past for fear that I wouldn't get what I have today. Your past makes you who you are, whether you accept that truth or not is up to you.
To my surprise it was open and logged in... ready and waiting. I love it.
I read through my last posts and realised it has been a year since I've written anything. Well, this may surprise you, but A LOT has changed in a year. Tons! So here it is.... What's changed in a year...
In June my parents moved away. 20 hours away. It was heart breaking. I've never been without them. How was I going to be able to go though my day to day life without them? At the time, it was their best option and I couldn't help but try and be happy for them, even though it hurt so bad knowing they weren't going to be around the block anymore (or in the same time zone for that matter). I had to build my "moving wall" back up (the defense mechanism I used in my younger days to help get through moving a lot), had to push it out of my mind. Denial. But I could only deny it for so long because soon the day was here. They loaded up all their things and junk and pets and drove away, off to the vast cornfields of the Midwest.
This summer, in July, we went on our first family vacation. We headed over to see Q's parents, a 14 hour drive, and with a 9 months old its no "Sunday drive"! It was well worth tit though, the quality time together and with Q's parents far outweighs anything else. I think family is so important and making time to spend with them has to be a priority. I wasn't able to see a lot of my extended family as a kid so I really want my daughter to grow up knowing her family. Even the far away ones. On our way home from we took the scenic route. It was beautiful. We drove through the mountains and stopped off at a lake! Magnificent! It was the perfect was to end a perfect first family vacation!
In August we celebrated our first year of marriage! And what a year it has been. To say that we've had a great year is a vast understatement! I truly still believe that I'm married to the best man in the world and I can't picture my life without him. I've seen other people's relationships go up and down and it really makes me appreciate the I have honestly found the man I'm going to spend forever with. I only thought that this kind of love existed in fairy tales but, ladies, it really, REALLY does exist. But you have to go into it with nothing but honesty, both with each other and yourself!
With the fall came a rough month. September wasn't easy for us by any means but with a lot of love we got though it. Q's job had all but officially laid him off. And I sure didn't make enough to cover us. Something had to give. We made the decision for Quentin to find another job back in August. My career in retail also came to an end. Between bouncing my child from sitter to sitter and the new hours my job was taking on, we made the choice it would be nice to have me home. So September came and I began staying home, but my husband hadn't be able to find another job yet and after telling his current employer that he needed to find a job making more money they stopped giving him hours. But he found odd jobs and we made it work (not with out draining or savings but that is what its there for!) Financial issues can make or break a marriage and without ours being built on a solid relationship from the beginning I could see how easily we could have fallen into the pit a lot of couples do.
In October our little baby turned 1! I couldn't believe it! One already? Didn't I just have her sliced outta me a few months ago? Wow. It happened so fast. I blinked and she went from eight pound swaddled infant to a non-stop going all the time (would give the energizer bunny a run for his money!), do anything to make you laugh, incredibly smart little girl. My baby isn't a baby anymore, she's a toddler. My mom came out to visit for her birthday and it was so nice to see her. Its amazing how much I miss mommy dearest. October also brought great change for our family, Q got a new job! An oil rig job. It meant a vastly different schedule, as in he is gone 14 days at a time. But we couldn't turn down the opportunities this job would open up for our family. And I set out on a new path myself, I took a leap and turned my photography passion into a photography business. I can't begin to tell you how long I've wanted to do this!
November wasn't exactly a breeze either. Q started his new job and was gone for 3 weeks right off the bat. I was lost. I didn't have a clue how hard it would be to take care of Athena all day every day by myself. I found myself as a single parents 2 weeks out of the months. It took some getting used to but I'm finally getting it down I think!
December brought another year to a close with a great Christmas spent with Q's family in town. Of course the kiddo was spoiled rotten by everyone. Oh and I got dreads! Something I've wanted to do since high school. I'm a firm believer in living with no regrets and the way I feel about dreads I knew I would regret never having them myself. I took the plunge. And my wonderful husband spent 22 hours backcombing my hair. (Have I mentioned how much I love him?) They'll take a while to mature (about 9 months). I'm so glad I did it!
And now here I sit. there's so much more planned for us in 2012. We want to buy a house, take a vacation to Florida, make it to Denver to see Q's family, and towards the end of the year (if all goes right) we will be trying to expand our family! I couldn't have dreamed my life to be this good. I'm thankful for everything in my life, past and present. I would never change one thing in my past for fear that I wouldn't get what I have today. Your past makes you who you are, whether you accept that truth or not is up to you.
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