There's Something to Be Said...

...for friends who know you well enough to know you'll be up early on a Saturday morning...

...for knowing that while you can't cure the problem, a Baz Luhrmann movie and Nutella ice cream can work wonders for morale...

...for running errands on Saturday morning with minimal makeup and undone hair and not caring one iota...

...for the infinite power of hope, even when hope is all you have to go on...

...for the beauty of a sunny spring day with its blossoms and wispy clouds to make you forget the bitterness of a long winter...

...for OWNING your life in all its imperfect glory...

...for being self-aware enough to know that what you want most is NOT what you need right now... and that delaying that gratification will be worth the wait, whereas fulfilling it now would be detrimental!

...for the friendships so deep that a mere raise of the eyebrow or simple, perfectly timed smile can result in doubled-over fits of laughter...

...for those reminders that you can't script your life, so just enjoy the ride, because what's for you won't pass you, even if the story takes time to play out...

...for the new people who cross your path and shake up your prejudices and preconceived notions...

...for the phenomenal way that seven musical notes can transport you to a world of emotions and locations and eras, all in how they're arranged (seriously, HOW does that work?!?!)...

...for movies, music, etc. that can instantly take you back decades... like so:

(SWOON. Right?! )

...for making the deliberate choice to seek happiness and help others do the same...

...for quality, good men, single or married, who remind me of what I'm waiting for (not perfection, of course, but goodness and a heart that's focused on the right things)...

...for maintaining perspective and balance, choosing to see challenges as opportunities and remembering the power in perception...

...for the warmth that fills my home when friends are there...

...for savoring life's sweetness in its simple, everyday moments...

...and for remembering what matters most:

Party of One

{This post along the lines of creative nonfiction / personal essay is something I penned in real time while waiting for Fictionist's Rooftop Concert in downtown Provo almost exactly a year ago. It was an interesting experience--I started writing without knowing how it would end. Thankfully, the ending came, and it was lovely. Enjoy.}

Under an open, blue sky, dotted with the hazy, thin clouds of waning sunlight, musicians checked the sound for the first concert of the summer atop a parking structure in the old-fashioned downtown of a college town. The crowd streamed in—pairs, trios, groups of all ages, families, college students, couples old enough to be the artists’ parents or grandparents.

At the front of the bunch sat two striped blue beach chairs—one occupied by a tall brunette in a lavender cardigan, the other filled by a purse, a book, a couple of blankets, and a bottle of VitaminWater Zero.

Alone.

At 28, rolling solo was hardly a new experience for the gal. Years before, after missing a much-anticipated Andy Warhol retrospective at the L.A. County Museum of Art for lack of a fellow aesthete, the freckle-faced 19 year old vowed to never skip an experience or adventure she craved, even if it meant going alone.

And she hadn’t. Growing independent and strong, she moved to Seattle alone at 20, savoring every second of that long two-day drive from her native California (minus those miserable two hours of food poisoning, of course—never get a shake from a roadside shack in Glendale, Oregon!). Alone she graduated from BYU and returned to California, leaving behind her best friends who had all wed or become engaged within a calendar year. Alone she’d made a career, taken trips, made major life decisions, and tried with all her heart to embrace the independence (and ignore the loneliness) that came with her singleness.

And now, alone she sat, uneasily awaiting her favorite band’s outdoor concert.

The empty chair wasn’t a ruse exactly—after all, her roommates said they might come, or she could possibly run into a friend… acquaintance… someone or anyone who’d appreciate a comfortable chair and warm, fleecy throw blanket.

Or, she realized with a resigned sign, she just might be alone in the crowd, accompanied by nothing but her blankets and an empty chair.

“How much longer?” she wondered as she scanned the crowd, a faint sadness tempering the warmth in her hazel eyes. The masses began to fill in all around, crowding in the space she’d so carefully reserved hours earlier. A handsome acquaintance passed by, and in his brown eyes she could read the question—“Is she alone?”—or at least so she thought. Another familiar face breezed past, an old high-school acquaintance offering a warm hello without stopping; he probably assumed that second seat was otherwise reserved. And even if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be spacious enough for him and his wingmen. After all, who goes to a concert alone?

“How much longer until I get a yes or no from Elise or Christina, until I know if they're coming?”

But the question went deeper.

How much longer would she have to be a party of one? How many more friends would fall in love, have babies, grow their families to two, three, four, five… while she stood on the sidelines, alone? How many more crushes and relationships would come and go, leaving her with a broken heart and the lingering question of whether she would have been better off not trying in the first place? The brides and grooms got younger each year; the friends’ children just got older and older instead.

Then a movement caught her eye—an auburn-haired mother struggling with a beautiful toddler daughter, searching for a spot within the crowd.

“You’re welcome to sit here,” the brunette offered, moving her belongings from the extra chair.

“Are you sure it’s not saved for someone already?” the young mother asked.

“No, it’s all yours,” she replied with a smile.

With that, the mother and her child settled in, promising to make room for the brunette’s friends when (“if,” the brunette thought with a twinge of sadness) they came. The women chatted, enjoying the sounds of the opening acts and the connection inherent in friendly faces and open hearts. The brunette’s friends did come—but first came the new friendship forged with the young mother and her baby girl, if only for that beautiful, warm spring evening. 

Unattached, solo, single—call it what you will, being a party of one is just being a party of one, no more, no less. But alone? No, alone is a choice—a decision to view life through the lens of heartbreaking isolation. And that evening, the brunette learned the valuable lesson that being a party of one doesn’t mean you have to be alone. 

Simple Little Things

Have we ever discussed how much I adore the Broadway show 110 in the Shade? It's an obscure show, but oh, it strikes such a chord with me. Part of my adoration is from seeing Audra McDonald and Will Swenson (of the Broadway revival) star in it at the teeny Hale Center Theatre in Orem a couple summers ago - there is nothing like being 10-20 feet away from such phenomenal talents!!! (And can we talk about meeting them after, too? Audra McDonald is one of the most gracious people I've ever met in my life!!!)

But a huge part of why I love this show is that I can relate to Lizzie Currie deeply. I understand what it's like to feel plain and overlooked - and I know what it's like to grow beyond that and see yourself as you truly are. Mine wasn't thanks to a dreamer like Starbuck so much as the process of time, but still. I get Lizzie.

"Simple Little Things" popped up on my iTunes today, and I just had to share this lovely song with y'all. As much as I'm always coming up with schemes and big dreams... well... at heart, I'm like Lizzie. I want simple little things. Love my career and all the adventures I've been blessed to have in the last almost-dozen years of adulthood, but really, I can't wait to shift focus to running a household, creating a family, making a life and a difference.

Until I have someone who needs me to scratch between his shoulder blades and press his blue suit, I'll keep "doing single well," as my friend Paige puts it. But oh, how lovely a day it will be to reach my dreams of these simple little things.

My Utah Bucket List

You know that frustrating situation in dating where, in theory, you and That One Person would be a great match, and you have fun together when you go out, but for whatever reason the chemistry just isn't igniting?

Well, that pretty much sums up my relationship with Utah for the last two years.

Somehow, no matter how many great things have stemmed from living in the 801—traveling up a storm, living within 30 minutes of many of my closest friends, dating amazing guys, getting out of debt, going to grad school, having a wonderful career with amazing colleagues, etc.—my feelings toward Utah continue to be tepid. We had a lovely summer, but things just haven't been clicking lately, cooling with the weather.

It's time to fall in love—and of the deep, intense, can't-imagine-life-without-you variety, since life is likely to keep me in Utah for keeps the longer I live here. And really, that would not be a bad thing. The more I get out and experience what makes Utah awesome, the less I pine for greener, more glamorous grass.

So, here are my Utah to-dos for 2012 (and beyond, since I know I won't finish these in a year!):

• Dine at the Serving Time/Hard Times Cafe - No joke, the state penitentiary right by my place has a cafe, and it actually has a 90% approval rating on Urbanspoon! Definitely gotta give this place a shot.
• Spend more time in downtown Salt Lake and Sugar House - Seriously, when I'm up there, I somehow feel way better about living in Utah. It's just a matter of making it happen. After all, I'm only 20 minutes away! That's closer than Disneyland was to my place in Orange County, and we went at least once a month on average.
• Learn to ski - Which I've started and... well... lesson #1 was a disaster. Here's hoping the next three are better.
• Tour de Temple - Wouldn't it be amazing to visit each of the 12 operating temples in Utah? I've always wanted to do this, but I'm finally going to make it happen (and preferably in time for my 30th birthday). Yesterday I started with Provo - one down, 11 to go!
• Play Twister at the Four Corners - Seriously. Tell me this would not be the coolest thing ever?! It's not just a Utah bucket lister. This is on my overall bucket list. Just gotta find a BYUite to rent the gigantic Twister board from the on-campus rental place in time for the trip...
• Hike the Narrows and/or the Subway - I am totally intrigued with this whole hiking-in-water concept. Both of these hikes sound just plain incredible, and after last summer's awesome hike, I'm itching to do more of the type that stretch me into new adventures.
• Visit Antelope Island at sunset and see the bison - Kind of a random one, but hey, why not? Same with seeing the spiral jetty and the Bonneville salt flats.
• Make the national parks loop: Bryce, Zion, Arches, Monument Valley, Moab - I've been to some of these, but it's been at least 20 years (well, except Zion, which was about 8 years ago). And it makes me a little sick to be able to say I did things like this 20 years ago. Anyways. It's about time to get out there again! 
• See a play the Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City and at Tuacahn - How I've never done either, I don't even know!
• See Timp Caves / Hike Mt. Timpanogos / Hike the Y (finally) - Again, super close and convenient, and yet I've never done these. Ridiculousness. Both hikes overlap with 30 by 30, so there's all the more incentive to get to it!
• Research in the Family History Library - After all, while my dad's family history work has pretty much been taken care of, my mom's side is all left to me, and all four of her grandparents were immigrants. I've done all the "low-hanging fruit" of family history work, so to speak, but I haven't a clue of how to dig into the next generations.
• Visit the new Natural History Museum - Love me some museum goodness. 
• Go curling at the Olympic Oval - Curling. Seriously. Most amusing Olympic sport out there, in my humble opinion. It's like bowling mixed with sweeping. Neither of which I particularly enjoy, honestly, but somehow combining them with ice just sounds too good to pass up.
• Stay at a houseboat on Lake Powell - Again, I've never done this, and isn't it just a typical must-do part of being a 20-something in Utah?
• Eat my way through all the restaurants on my list - I keep a sticky-note in my dayplanner of restaurant suggestions from friends, so whenever the opportunity comes up, I love trying these delicious places. Just in the last few months I've been to Finn's Cafe for a delightful brunch with my stepmom Betsy and her friend Lori, the amazing Thai place Sawadee, Lamb's Grill (which is the oldest still-operating restaurant in Utah!) with my friend Stacy, and the delightful bakery Gourmandise. Top picks to try sooner than later: Tarahumara in Midway and a bunch downtown (Bruges Belgium, Settebello, Bohemian Brewery, Copper Onion, and Atlantic Cafe, just to name a few).

And, lest you think I haven't done some living up in Utah so far, here are some things that would make the list, except I've already checked them off:

• Saw films at Sundance Film Festival
• Camped at Capitol Reef (although, admittedly, there's TONS more to see down there!)
• Sang on Temple Square
• Discovered Utah's local music scene
  

2011: A Year in Review

Ringing in 2011 with the Davis clan in Provo - can't believe that was a year ago!

Hey, friends! Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to all of you! 2011 has been quite an incredible year. In many ways it's been "the best of times and the worst of times," filled with amazing adventures and the realization of long-held dreams as well as some heartbreaking disappointments. I've also been a sidelines observer to some amazing triumphs and hard times friends have experienced, and the resilience of the human spirit never ceases to amaze. I'm no doubt a better, stronger, and more authentic woman than I was when the year kicked off in January, and I can't wait to see what further growth 2012 will bring.

Anyways. On to the fun stuff. Here are some highlights from the past year:

• 16,250 miles traveled on 10 trips to/through 9 states and 1 Canadian province - and that doesn't include many trips along the Wasatch Front to Layton, Logan, and the like (which, on days like today, tack on 200 miles!). This year I journeyed to San Francisco, Capitol Reef, Glacier/Waterton/Banff/Calgary, Yellowstone/Island Park, Denver, Savannah/Atlanta, and Southern California times four (but at least to varying parts - L.A., Orange County, and San Diego). For the record, I miss Savannah and/or Banff on a near-daily basis. And I LOVE that I can say that I miss places like Savannah and Banff. Jet-setting has been a blast!



• 18 plays, 20 concerts, and 4 Sundance Film Festival flicks thoroughly enjoyed. There's such a vibrant scene of local performing arts talent around here, it's awesome!!! Those concerts range from local bands in block parties, clubs, and even their parents' homes to choirs like OCMCO or the Mormon Tabernacle in concert halls to the Pacific Symphony playing the 1812 Overture in the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater while visiting Orange County; the plays range from Broadway tours and professional companies to very, very amateur local productions. Professional or amateur, I've loved them all!



Rosie and I got to meet Kevin Clash, the man behind Elmo!


Photo snagged from Justin Hackworth


Photo snagged from Hue & Hum - see my shoulder in the tan jacket on the left?
• Oh, and let's not forget taking the stage for 1 amazing, technicolor production and 2 performances at Temple Square during the Christmas season with the Lehi Chorale. Wish I had bandwidth to do more! Can't wait to start voice lessons next week and dive into next summer's show in the spring.


• 21 dates with 12 amazing men, ranging in age from 25 to 43, with 1 more date (with possibly 1 more guy) slated for the weekend... but still 0 relationships to show for it (despite getting the label of "wifeypoo" from this summer's stage hubster). All this dating's exhausting! But I'd rather be dating than not, so... it's worth it. I've really enjoyed getting to know these guys, but I'm still definitely not used to interacting with guys I know strictly in the dating sense (as opposed to my former normal of going on dates with guys who were friends first). It's a learning process, that's for sure. Better late than never!
• 3 roommates and 2 wards, despite not moving an inch (which was LOVELY, considering I moved three times from Nov. 2009 to Sept. 2010!)
• 1 royal wedding viewed with 2 lovely friends at 3:30 a.m. via streaming internet - and yes, many happy tears were shed. Love Wills and Kate!


• 3 speeding tickets - I know, I know, slooooooow doooooooown...
• 5 temples visited, including many a trip to the temples in Newport Beach and Draper, lest this list seem all vapid and ridiculous. I wish I could've actually gone in and spent time at the Cardston Temple, but it didn't work with the travel schedule. Ah, well - maybe next time. I can't wait to add the Brigham City temple to the list next year, and the Fort Collins, Colorado, temple soon as well!

• 30 lbs. lost... but let's not talk about how many came back from 7 boxes of Candy Cane Joe-Joe's, mmmmmkay? ;) Hitting the gym again tomorrow... *sigh*

• 1 promotion at work and a 2-year work-iversary celebrated - hooray for finally finding a job into which I can settle and stay put! 
  
• 3 sections of the GRE passed with flying colors, and 1 Utah State University class toward my masters completed with an A! Just 10 more classes to go...

WHEW!!! What a year! 

Just flipping through my planner to recap makes me exhausted. It's been an intense year, but wow, it's been such a blast. Being too busy has been great in some ways because it's made me evaluate how I'm spending my energy, and there are certain things that just plain aren't worth it. If it means dropping some relationships, sadly, so be it - much like Elphaba sings in"Defying Gravity,"

I'm through accepting limits 'cause someone says they're so

Some things I cannot change, but 'til I try, I'll never know.

Too long I've been afraid of losing love I guess I've lost - 

Well, if that's love, it comes at much too high a cost! 

I'd sooner buy defying gravity.

Amen and amen! My theme and goal for 2012 is to truly defy gravity - to stop imposing silly limits on myself, being hemmed in and held back by insecurities lacking in any real basis other than falsehoods that got drilled into me over the years by people who should've complimented instead of criticized, myself included. Why I let such negativity seep in over the years, I'll never know - but now that I see it, I can make the future better, and that's what really matters, right?

Anyways... that's my adventure from this year. I can't wait to see the exciting things 2012 will bring!!! 

How about you, friends? Any fun journeys taken or lessons learned in 2011?

Christmas for One

Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year. There's something magical and special in the air, celebrating the Savior's birth but also cherishing the common ties that bind us together as a human family.

In a word, lovely.

This Christmas will be the fourth I've spent alone and the first of the past three where I will have the house completely to myself for the bulk of the long holiday weekend, Christmas Eve and Day included. As much as that might sound sad and mopey, it's not. I promise. So much of my life is spent engaging with friends, colleagues, family, etc. that the best Christmas gift I can give myself is the gift of me time. It's something I hardly ever get, and I'm really looking forward to it. Do I want to spend Christmas alone forever? Of course not, but it's the best option of all the possibilities for me out there right now. Christmas is such a family time, there are precious few families where I wouldn't feel out of place for crashing their celebrations, and none of those families are in the Beehive State. As much as I appreciate the sympathy or the invitations from other people, I really am not worried or out of sorts at the thought of being alone.

So, that said, here is the rundown of how I'm making this Christmas count, even in a dose for one:

• Breakfasting with friends at Little America - Two of Salt Lake's finest hotels, the Little America and the Grand America, go all out for the holidays. Last year I went to Little America for Christmas brunch, and it was lovely! With Christmas falling on the sabbath this year, I'm opting for a Christmas Eve breakfast with friends, and I'm really, really looking forward to it. The food is divine, the atmosphere festive, and the company will be fabulous. It's my big Christmas to-do this year.
• Starting my own traditions - Just because I'm not yet married or celebrating with family doesn't mean I can't have my own traditions. Breakfast at Little America is one of them, but I'm looking to develop more. I'd thought about going to Temple Square on Christmas, which I've done before, but I've already seen the lights up there three times so far this season, so I've had my fill of that. I'd love to go caroling ON Christmas to a nursing home or hospital, but it's been tough to round up a group. The new-PJs-for-Christmas tradition has always sounded wonderful (I have a major love of pajamas!!!), so I just may end up buying some new ones, wrapping them up, putting them under the tree, and unwrapping them Christmas Eve. Why not, right?
• Working on Christmas cards - What better time to write notes of love and appreciation to the wonderful people in your life, right? My Christmas season has been too packed, and I haven't had a break to get my cards sent, so I'm looking forward to popping in some favorite Christmas flicks (Christmas in Connecticut, Holiday Inn, The Holiday, I'll Be Seeing You, and, of course, It's a Wonderful Life) and getting those done. They're awesome, believe you me. Totally worth the wait. (If you haven't yet sent me your address and want one, email it my way!)
• Enjoying some lovely Christmas tunes - Ah, I love music. LOVE it!!! So far this Christmas season I enjoyed a performance of Lex de Azevedo's Gloria in the Tabernacle, saw Nathan Gunn and Jane Seymour perform with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the Conference Center last weekend, and celebrated Christmas Tuesday evening at a house concert of Hue & Hum, the husband-and-wife team whose Christmas album is just wonderful! (He's in my fav band, and she's a gifted painter whose lovely print is now gracing my room.) Oh, and let's not forget last Sunday, when I performed on Temple Square with the Lehi Chorale (including a solo, which was pretty awesome to sing on the Assembly Hall stage!!!) It's all about music at this time of year, right? So I'll keep enjoying the Christmasey goodness. Next awesome Christmas music purchase: The Lower Lights' Christmas album. I'm sampling it on Bandcamp and can't wait to snatch it up as soon as I get home tonight!

• Making delicious eats - The season ran away from me! While I did cook up a storm for Christina's and my annual Christmas party, I haven't made goodies yet for my coworkers and some friends, so I'll get a little baking in. More importantly, I'm planning to make myself an excellent Christmas dinner. Pear and shallot stuffed pork tenderloin in a port wine and fig reduction sauce, anyone? Yep. It's amazing. I'm also hoping to swing up to Sugarhouse tomorrow and pick up a loaf of challah, which is my new Christmas tradition as of last year (great for French toast!). By the way, the mini-French silk pies turned out AMAZINGLY! They're on the far left - such keepers. A little labor-intensive, perhaps, but worth it for sure.
• Relaaaaaxing - I can't remember the last time I didn't have some stress/duty hanging over my head. Sure, I have a little freelance work to do, but I can do it while curled up in my PJs, enjoying a good movie this weekend. Tonight I'm kicking off the holiday weekend with a massage, and my goal is to maintain that sense of loose relaxation throughout the weekend. Also on the agenda: at least one trip to the temple, returning to my favorite dance class tomorrow morning, reading some books, and just staring into space without feeling guilty about letting something go undone, if I feel so inclined. I've got tentative plans with a few friends ("yeah, we should do something!" "Mmmmkay, let me know when works for you..."), but I'm enjoying the idea of no set plans for four whole days except breakfast Saturday and church Sunday (which I'll be enjoying from the stand as a speaker - more on that in a later post...). 

Merry, merry Christmas, dear friends!!! I hope your holiday weekend is chock-full of wonderful plans. Love and all the best to you each!

Emerging New Artist: Courtney Jones

I just discovered an amazing emerging artist today: Courtney Jones.

Okay, I didn't discover her on my own - she's actually the sister-in-law of Annalise, one of my college roommates, and I've actually had one of Courtney's CDs in my collection since Lisey gave it to me, like, five years ago.

But Courtney's amazingness slipped through the cracks of my musical memory 'til Annalise posted something about it on Facebook, and I clicked over to the Courtney Jones YouTube channel to do a little listening while working.

I was blown away!!!

Courtney's voice is fantastic, and her style is so in line with what I love listening to these days. If you're into the whole female singer/songwriter thing like I am, then you HAVE to go check Courtney out. Her latest album is available on iTunes - I will definitely be downloading it tonight!

I'm Not a Musician - But I Play One on TV!

What happens when you mix a Bachelor, a few Heroes, a guy who's Lost, a Desperate Housewife and a plumber, plus Chuck, a doctor, and his intern in the House?


Why, you get Band from TV, which is what it sounds like: a cover band composed of TV actors who play for nonprofit causes in their spare time.

Netflix sponsored their latest show a couple of weeks ago, and when I got the invite from Netflix, there was no way I wasn't going!!! TV? Music? Classic television episodes afterward? All in the lawn of the Gene Autry National Center, a hop-skip-and-jump away from my childhood stomping grounds? What's not to love?!

My friend Laura and I made record time driving to L.A. and snagged some pretty good seats on the lawn about an hour before the show got started.


Taking to the stage that evening were Band from TV regulars James Denton (Desperate Housewives), Jesse Spencer (House), Greg Grunberg (Heroes, Alias), Bob Guiney (The Bachelor, TLC's Date My House), Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives, Lois and Clark), and accomplished musicians Chris Kelley, Barry Sarna, Jon Sarna, Chris Mostert and child-star turned bass player Brad Savage (The Apple Dumpling Gang). The usual band was joined for the evening by Hugh Laurie (House), Hayden Panettiere (Heroes), Zach Levi (Chuck), Adrian Pasdar (Heroes) and Jorge Garcia (Lost).

Here they are, pre-show - can you spot Greg Grunberg in a black tee in the middle?

Oh, and in the crowd? Hayden's boyfriend/costar, Milo Ventimiglia, snapping pictures like the best of the paparazzi. Not gonna lie - I was totally starstruck, watching him and Hayden - my favorite Heroes - as they chatted to the side of the stage. They were too cute!

I have to say, I was pretty impressed with Band from TV, too - they were actually great! Lucky for you, some fellow audience members uploaded footage to YouTube. Now you can check out the Band from TV goodness from the concert. Let's start with the official footage of the opening number:



Oh, and here's my pic from that number - yep, I ran up and was that close!

Man, they rocked! Jesse Spencer can play the fiddle like none other. His rendition of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" was spectacular - listen for yourself!




Did you see the blurry white line to the right of the big screen behind the band? They hung a little Hollywood sign that would look natural on camera as Netflix filmed. I had to laugh - the real deal is on the other side of the mountain, and anyone who knows L.A. would know you can't see it from this side of Griffith Park!

At one point, James Denton slipped out of his white oxford and busted out "Papa Loves Mama," showing off his bulging biceps in a grey tank. Yah. Hot.

Here's a "The Letter" with Bob Guiney and Zach Levi, who both have impressively great voices - and can you spot Adrian Pasdar playing bass on the left?



Wow, and can Hugh Laurie ever play piano?! Here he is on "Such a Night":



The only star who was a bit of a low note was Teri. Props to her for making the time to be part of the band - but, besides wearing a scandalously short dress... well... let me put it this way: when Bob Guiney, who did most of the emceeing, remarked "What can't that woman do?" - Laura and I, in unison, responded "Sing?" Yeah. Judge for yourself:



She wasn't too bad on fast songs like "Before He Cheats," but oh - no more ballads for Teri. Don't quit your day job, hon.

After the show, Netflix aired several classic TV episodes on a huge inflatable screen - School House Rocks election bits played between episodes of The Cosby Show, Mary Tyler Moore and a few other shows. It was such a fun night!!!

Many thanks to Laura, who came along for the fun on a perfect summer night (and provided cameras, since mine's battery was dead). Seriously, it's great happenings like that (and the weather, too) that make me so, so glad I live in SoCal!

The Power of the iPod

Oh, how I love my iPod!

Tonight, like most Monday nights (or, in this case, a Tuesday that's mighty Mondayish, thanks to Memorial Day yesterday!), I spent the usual four hours flipping through hundreds of pages of phone calls to the Laguna Beach Police Department and posting them online. (Go here for the fruits of my labor - search Laguna Beach!)
Anyways, listening to my iPod makes the oft-tedious task a lot more fun. What really struck me this time around is the power of music for connecting to memories! It's not a new discovery, granted - I'm a sentimental gal, so certain songs always transport me to a specific time and place in my life. What struck me tonight is a certain sense of gratitude, I guess is the way to describe it - pure joy for some of the oh-so-fun and happy memories I have. I've had such an amazing life!

Here are some of the classics on the random shuffle tonight - and, as a disclaimer, the iPod pulled these up! This isn't a list of my favorite songs, or even close to it. These are just the ones that popped up and tonight and brought a smile to my face as a memory came with it.

"Barbie Girl" by Aqua - this came out in my high school days, so Rebecca and I put it on the "La Crescenta Mix" we made in early college (remember?). Every time I hear it, I think of my high school friends at one of the many church dances we attended in high school.

Haha, and now it's popular again with the tweens - my 11-year-old sister thought she was introducing me to it recently. I was like, no, that's ooooooold... It's like "introducing" my mom to the "Moulin Rouge" soundtrack, except I'm the old one now! Yikes!

"Fever" by Kylie Minogue - one of the warm-up songs from my favorite dance class EVER, taught by the incomparable Wright Rance my junior year at BYU. Whenever I hear that song, I just want to do shoulder isolations, haha. Under Rance's tutelage, I finally started throwing down triple pirouettes like nobody's business! (and now I can scarcely manage a double - so sad!)
"The Start of Something New" - yes, "High School Musical." I'm a fan. I'll admit it. The song reminds me of Seattle, actually. I bought it at the Blockbuster around the corner from my cute little hotel room in Queen Anne on my trip there Christmas 2006. It was the night before I found out about a close friend's death, and I know it sounds morbid, but it always reminds me how fragile life is, and how things can change faster than you realize.
"Silent All These Years" by Tori Amos - I still vividly remember the first time I ever heard this, back in 7th grade. It's so haunting! I actually called up KROQ to find out what the song was.
"I Love a Piano" from the Broadway version of "White Christmas" and "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" from the Broadway musical "Movin' Out" - both songs reminded me of how much I loved seeing the shows live, and how much I miss the theater! I'm thinking "Wicked" for my 26th birthday in August - who's in?
"Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In medley" by The Fifth Dimension - This song always reminds me of my mother, who, when we were listening to the Forrest Gump soundtrack I'd bought on our San Fran trip in 2002, related to me how the song always reminds her of dancing on the bed with a friend of hers in 8th grade. Now every time I hear it, I think of that, too!
"Blues in the Night" by Eva Cassidy - My BFF Karen used to always bust out with this song in college. Hearing it makes me realize how much I miss her, even though we talk a few times a week. It's not the same as face time!
"Love Potion No. 9" by The Searchers - It's from a British Invasion compilation I got at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland last spring. For the most part, my Ohio trip was... interesting... but that day in Cleveland was delightful! I guess Cleveland does rock! =)

"Bang" by Eve 6 - Eve 6 went to my high school, so anything by them reminds me of CV (Crescenta Valley HS). The bassist's younger sister, Juliette, was a friend of mine from 7th grade on - and our senior prom queen!

"California Girls" by the Beach Boys - Reminds me of my childhood summers, when we'd listen to the Beach Boys en route to Newport Beach. We went almost every weekend the last two summers my parents were together, and they were some of the happiest childhood memories I have! I was quite the boogie boarder, too.

Haha, I'm sure I've bored you enough with this walk down memory lane. What are some of your favorite song memories?