jessteronimo

Memorable Music

Just about every song I hear reminds me of people I know, places I've been, and experiences I've had, usually because the music was playing at the time or because the lyrics fit the situation or person. Old songs most often bring back old friends. New songs can mean new experiences, or a new twist on an old friendship. Music with different moods can take me to a lot of different places. Many older songs remind me of my bedrooms over the years--especially college and high school. A lot of newer songs remind me of road trips and traveling and just driving. This morning I heard a song from the 80s and instantly I was back on a swim team bus trip with my Walkman playing in my ears on the way to a big meet. In my mind I looked up and caught the eye of a guy I'd been admiring for a while. We stared for a moment (during which time I stopped breathing), and then he smiled a slow, crooked grin that touched his eyes and shot through my body, and my heart jumped into my throat while my face went red. I smiled back and shyly looked down. I could've been right there again, for all my mind knew--until the song ended. And last night I heard a song from about a decade ago that reminded me of a night sitting in my car out in the wilderness listening to the rain fall down and feeling complete wonder. It was such a powerful memory that I could even smell the rain. And on my commute home tonight, I switched around on the radio instead of my iPod and remembered more than half a dozen of my friends past and present. This type of connection is a daily occurrence in my world, since music is my heartbeat.

The point is, I probably think about you, my friends, a lot more than you know, and I treasure those memories of times and places with you and experiences we've shared. Tomorrow I'm going to put my iPod on shuffle and see how many more of you I remember! Try it. It's fun!

(Do any of you connect with music this way?)

Walking in My Shoes

Near my entryway sits a basket full of shoes, a drop spot for the shoes my family wears on a regular basis--so they aren't under foot, so to speak. The contents change according to the season. (I remember the flip-flops with longing.) I don't usually pay much attention to what shoes are in there because I don't keep my shoes in there. But lately my shoes have gone missing quite a lot. I recently discovered that the basket is full of my shoes. And then it hit me: My daughters are wearing my shoes on a regular basis! This isn't dress-up, like it used to be. They are actually wearing my shoes--to school, to play in, to church, to all sorts of activities. Please tell me when my two daughters got big enough to wear MY shoes!!! There's a lesson in there somewhere, isn't there? Or several.

Tough Times

Many of the people I care about most in the world are going through some of the biggest trials of their lives right now. You know who you are. It seems to be an epidemic of sorts. My heart goes out to you, and I'll help you however I can. (I've been told I'm pretty good at healing hugs, if you need it.)

To all who are suffering, I say: Don't be afraid to ask for help from the people who love you and whom you love, because if you can't call on your support system during times like these, then what good is having a support system? Besides, it's important to feel like you're able to help others. It bolsters confidence and self-worth and helps divert your own troubles. So if you don't reach out and ask for help, you could be denying those you love that helping opportunity. If you can't do it for you, do it for them! ;)

We need to band together to get through all this haze and confusion, strengthening each other in our relationships, so we can get back to the good times.

Construction Catastrophes

Things your contractors could do to screw you in a home remodeling project:

• They could randomly decide to put windows in your home addition where none were on the blueprints--then refuse to put it back the way it was supposed to be.

• They could cut and install doors opening backwards.

• They could start the project 3 months late, thus putting the main construction in the winter time.

• They could grossly understate the budget in the quote and then proceed to charge you nearly $3o,000 more than you expected, forcing you to come up with alternative financing to finish the project.

• They could run the gas line exhaust into the home, nearly asphixiating you and your family.

• They could mismeasure the placement of the bay window and move it 2 feet to the right, bumping it awkwardly up into the doorway.

• They could seal the family cat into the roof trusses, leaving you to find it 3 days later.

All of these things have happened to my sister during the addition onto her home. Thank goodness I'm not a homeowner!

Wedding Bliss

Today my family traveled to my hometown to participate in the wedding of one of my oldest and dearest friends. The man who introduced Ben and I met and married an incredible woman who knowingly agreed to take on his four kids--and more surprisingly, him! She even agreed to let him keep coming to Game Days at our house about once a month. Like I said, incredible lady. We're so happy for you, Myenni!

Darwin Awards Candidate Citing

Today when I went to gas up my car, there was a ho-bait girl standing next to the gas pump chatting up some loser guy--and she was holding a lit cigarette in her hand! As cool as it looks on TV to see a gas pump explode, the survival of the fittest instincts in me kicked in, and I got in my car and left in a hurry. I figured I could watch the news if the place really did blow!