i was thinking earlier about how music is such an important part of who i am. it's crazy to think also about how much music can trigger things in my head sometimes. how a particular song can take me back to a certain time/place ... and when i think back to some of my most fun/impacting memories, more often than not, they are somehow tied to a song or an album or a favorite musician.

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Fall Break 2005 - Rosie Thomas & Sufjan Stevens ... plus Jamie Cullum on the foggy ride home down through mountains

Chicken Shack/Sh** Apartments - Damien Rice ... me and Beka trying to synchronize playing him at the same time in both of our apartments to get surround sound in the building

1st Time @ Pinecove - Robbie Seay Band's "10,000 Charms" ... a weekend that, in retrospect, changed my life quite dramatically. For the better of course.

Sophomore J-Term - for whatever reasons, whenever Howie Day is played, all i can think about is my crazy 6 weeks with my even crazier roommates Mark & Casey. i think we watched Howie's DVD concert thing 1,000 times. at least.

Nights in Koh Samet - as one of my favorite memories from my year traveling, it's no surprise that when i think of our nights out in Thailand, i think of music. namely the ever popular "Blow My Whistle" and "I Wanna 'Love' You" that were played several times during our stay there. note the emphasis on SEVERAL.

Wine & Dancing That ONE Night - i hope to never forget the night of utter abandon with Blaire, Elise, Ben & Brad ... and of course, Kings of Convenience. is this the same night as the Meteorologist's discussion? I don't even know. :)

Our One Shot @ Spring Affair - Red Hot Chili Pepper's "Under the Bridge." Somehow, Larios knew the chords and we thought it would be brilliant. anything with Natalie & friends doing interpretive dance is OBVIOUSLY going to be brilliant. or so we dreamed.

Summers @ Pine Cove - Mat Kearney on repeat literally 11 weeks straight my 2nd summer ... that and most of the staff promising to take a bullet for one another. Ha. Getting "krunk" with Lecrae my 3rd summer. Naming Shane Barnard "Crush Puppie" my 4th summer.

Happening Days & The World Race - "I Will Not Forget You" & Enter the Worship Circle ... any time this song is played or the band in general is on, I can't help but think of these two. And man ... how they (Happ. & the WR) have impacted me/my life/my theology/the way I live. interesting.

Marbes' Room Sophomore Year - whenever I think of Marbes, I usually think of Ginny Owens. or is it the other way around?!?! :) Love you Ashley.

Welcome Week & Benedict Street - Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up" .... yes, one was a skit ... the other, unfortunately, real life. what can i say, my life itself is comedic.

ALL OVER THE FREAKING WORLD - "Red Red Wine" ... I couldn't have gotten away from this song if I would have tried. Bet you don't know who it's by ........ (don't worry, I had to look it up too.)

The Fat Kid Trying to Learn to Ride His Bike - I can no longer hear the Beatles' classic "Penny Lane" without picturing beautiful Seaside, Florida .... and that one poor boy with his parents who practically crashed his bike into my car. It was like a bad case of slow motion ..... and now I can't help but laugh everytime i hear this song. i just stopped my car and stared at him ... i honestly didn't know what to do. I was frozen. oh man. but boy .... he was pretty big to be learning to ride a bike (both weight and age wise) :) i'm a terrible person.

Camp Cheley in Estes Park, Colorado - Coldplay's "Yellow" ... no one significant momory attached here, i just know that whenever it plays, Cheley is the 1st thing i think of. i think it's weeks like these that are pretty insignificant by themselves .... but when added together with all of the other seemingly insignificant weeks, add up to who i am today. i heart you cheley.

The Girls - oh man. when i think of college and the girls ... there are too many to choose from. there's the obvious - Show Me Love & Graduation .... then there's Candy Shop, When the Sun Goes Down, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, It's in His Kiss, Pour Some Sugar, California - Theme from the OC, Ignition, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, Cartoons, STAY and on and on .... i'm SURE there's more. :)

My Childhood in the Basement - sounds shady at first, but I don't think I could count the hours playing/dancing/rollerskating in my unfinished basement as a child. My favorite memories are putting the "Footloose" tape on and "kicking off my Sunday shoes." Anne Murray, Alabama, Barry Manilow and Neil Diamond were also some of my very closest childhood pals.

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it was kind of interesting to think back through all of this. i've never been much of a music snob -- and you can probably tell that my interests are QUITE varied. Ha. I've never been a very simple girl either. :)


oh .... and who could forget the overall soundtrack of my life .... Newsies: The Musical -- Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. :)

feel free to add to my list or share your favorite music memories! love love.