The songs that got me through it.

As anyone who has lived with us knows, music is a major part of our lives. We have it on all the time and we own a crazy amount of instruments. Our playlists will probably always tell the story of our lives.

Most importantly, music gets us through the rough times.

I can flip through my playlists and remember exactly how I was feeling at that time just by the mood of the music.

2004:  Soundtrack of my life:  Bring on the Rain - Jo Dee Messina, Build me up - Foundations, Don't Stop till you get Enough - Michael Jackson  - Money was tight and things were rough. Dan just started dental school, we moved from Michigan to Florida, and it was the first time I was truly on my own, with a fiancé to support. I needed motivation and happiness. Dan's sister Claire lived with us and she was struggling too. Our ultimate dance party nights will always be something that makes me smile. Also this memory: Sitting inside listening to music while Dan put up the hurricane shutters in a complete torrential down pour.  We looked at him and thought... oh shit... he is going to be so pissed. But he looked back at us and just started laughing.

2008:  Soundtrack of my life: Life in a Northern town - Sugarland, Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve, Rocky Mountain High - John Denver - Dan was graduating from dental school and we were making a move to the state of Maine. He found a great job, we put a purchase agreement on a house, and we were set to move out. 2 weeks before the move we found out he couldn't get his Maine dental license. He decided to try Colorado so he left for 2 weeks on a quest to find a job and a house. I stayed in Florida for work. He came back with a job and rental house so we packed up our 2 cars, 5 dogs and a small U-Haul, sold the rest of our stuff and drove for 3 days to Colorado.



2011:  Soundtrack of my life:  How to Save a Life - The Fray, My Immortal - Evanescence, Tears in
Heaven - Eric Clapton -  I was pregnant for the first time. I went to my first ultrasound 7 1/2 weeks and there was no heartbeat. I was devastated. Not only was I now sure that I wanted a baby more than anything, I didn't know if I could have one at all.



2012:  Soundtrack of my life:  Girl on Fire - Alicia Keys, Home Sweet Home - Motley Crue, I Will Wait - Mumford & Sons - At about 5 months pregnant with Kenzie our world was literally on fire. The waldo canyon fire that destroyed 346 homes was raging across the street. As we were evacuating with car loads of dogs, documents, and clothes, the grass was on fire along the streets. In my mind, it was the last time we were going to see our house. We were evacuated for a week, and it was hell for us and whoever we stayed with because we were also hauling around our 5 big dogs. If that wasn't stressful enough our house was under contract at the time so we could buy our house in the mountains near Dan's new job. The beacon of hope was my ultrasound during that time that confirmed we were having a baby girl. Her theme song was instantly Girl on Fire.

2014: Soundtrack of my life:  Happy from Despicable Me, Let It Go from Frozen, People in my Neighborhood from Sesame Streets Greatest Hits - Now that I share my life with my toddler it's no longer MY soundtrack it's ours. I try to keep it all happy, so there are a lot of great oldies mixed in like Mr Sandman - Chordettes, Rockin' Robin - Bobby Day, Dancing in the Moonlight - Van Morrison. I know she will have an appreciation for music just like we do, and I hope it helps get her through the rough parts of life too.

She needs some hair to go with that tutu.