Ode to Disney

Song: Who Says by Selena Gomez

I guess at some age you start to reflect at when times seemed clear-cut and less confusing. And maybe that would be why I am drawn to the bubble gum pop music and movies.

Movie: High School Musical

This is my excuse to put another photo up of Zac Ephron. It makes me laugh that friends and family continue to get me HSM gifts. I can't help but like random breakouts of song and dance. I have tried to share my excitement of several scenes with other friends and they didn't quite get it. It just makes me so happy to see broadway type choreography in a movie. My favorite remains to be the baseball sequence from HSM 2 which has a West Side Story vibe to it. I recently discovered Ballet Austin offers a musical theatre class. I think it has my name written all over it.

Mama Mia

Song: I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack
I can't not hear this song without crying. We used this song in my grandmother's funeral (as well as Dancing Queen- that one made me laugh). I heard this song tonight and couldn't help but remember of my little grandmother's legacy. I think of how much she would have loved and supported my writing this blog-- perhaps even writing along side me. She was such a woman of inspiration. She was one that made you feel like the most important person when you entered the room. She asked questions and engaged you in every conversation. It was nothing to go over her home and lose track of time after talking for hours. She loved her family and showed it every minute of her life. She is also the one who inspires me to write. Blogging is really just a fancy way of journaling. Her journals revealed her weaknesses and complexities and hope and dreams and prayers. It was the most precious gift-- her written word.

A Day At The Beach

Song: No Woman No Cry by Bob Marley

I went on my first ever fishing trip. I re-read that statement and it still doesn’t register that it was me that went. It was shortly after the second hour into the first full day that I was over fishing. I sat on a huge rock and bird watched for hours as my friends continued to get their hooks caught in rocks. I started the morning off by catching a sting ray followed by a comical run in the sand. It was there that I attempted to run by the seaweed infested shore only to look like a fish out of water. Funny but no one levels out the sand for those to run. It was when I couldn’t stop laughing that I had to stop running. I was sucking wind. I thought I should perhaps go exploring instead. It was when I walked on the freshly wind-blown sand that I became intrigued. Sure this was no luxury vacation to Port Aransas but it was the exact get out of the norm spot that I saw how this was my new beginning. I was making never before seen indentions in the sand. No other feet had walked there. And yet even when I felt the most alone and overwhelmed, God whispered to me,”I’m Here.” It was one of the most precious moments I had experienced in such a long time.

Movie: Beaches

Another movie that I can’t watch without crying… Such a touching story on love and friendship. Two unlikely friends go through a life full of rocky relationships and career malfunctions to find that their friendship was their strength that stablized and brought them to the finish line. When Hillary, played by Barbara Hersey, discovers she is dying, CeCe, played by Bette Midler, whisks her away to the beach house to live her final days. I am so thankful to have those friends that whisk me away to the beach.

A Happy Place

4/10/11
Song: The First, My Last, My Everything by Barry White

I was reminded of when I first had music get me through a situation. It was freshman year of college and I was so very homesick. In those times you live on fond memories to get you through and you believe for the best each day. I thought of the many Ally McBeal episodes I watched and how she would always have a song in her head. She had a pep in her step even in the midst of her confusion and emotional turmoil. It was during this season that I developed a love for Al Green and Barry White. For those 2 years while living on campus I’ll never forget the long walks up the hill from the theatre building to my dorm room. All the while, I was rocking to Barry White The First, My Last, My Everything in my head.

Movie: Hook
This is one of my Dad’s favorite. He loves the part about finding your happy place. No matter our age, there’s a bit of dreaming and child-like qualities that we should never retire. We find our happy place by spending time with our family and friends, reading a great book or listening to music you just can’t help but dance. If all this fails I remember Michael Scott on The Office burning his foot on a George Foreman grill and well-instant smile.

Honorable Mention

My ears have been ever more attentive to music since I started this blog. For those that know me well, I think they would attest that I sing a lot of songs. Even in everyday conversation, one word will then turn into a lyric. It just happens. While I am past the point of an angry or bitter breakup song, I felt these songs still needed to be mentioned. Much like a sad science fair project gone arwy, these songs have so much potential

if only I would have thought of them last month.

Thus I give you-- Honorable Mention Breakup Songs --

Heartbreaker by Pat Benatar
Rolling in the Deep by Adele
Fearless by Colbie Calliat
I'm Not Gonna Cry by Mary J Blige
Survivor by Destiny's Child
Since You've Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson