Day 31: A Vivid Memory

I remember my first time meeting Alex. She was 6. Colby and I had been dating since November 3, 2007. I had met Alex a couple of weeks after that when we went to Buffalo Wild Wings with a group of my friends.  Colby introduced Alex to everyone as his friend.  This was very important because I could really see how much attention she required.  If I was going to date this guy, I was going to spend date nights with Alex on his lap coloring...asking him to help her with a puzzle.  I was also realizing that I was going to be dating a guy who already had his shit together.  Not to mention the fact that I can witness what a good father he would be to our children (insert irony here).  In my previous relationships, I had been the mature one. The reasonable one.  How do we paint a room? I'll figure it out and do it. How do we get on an airplane? I'll figure out and do it. How do we budget a month of going out? I'll figure it out and do it. I loved that this guy didn't come with student loans, commitment issues, or responsibility issues.  Yes, he has a kid, but she's adorable and she just wants to be loved.  It's not simple, it's complicated.  But at the same time, it's simple. That probably doesn't make any sense unless you are a stepmom. I remember looking at him with a little bundle of pink and sparkles on his lap and I just knew that I was okay.  More than okay. I wanted to be 100% open to this being my life.  And, well, we all know how it turned out.

My loves, September 2008

Day 30: Respond to "Letting Go"

No one wants to read my response to "letting go" and I sure as hell don't want to write it. Moving on.

Day 29: Five Key Pieces of Music

I truly need a prompt that allows for 15 key pieces of music.  I need room for so much more.

1. "Something Like That" by Tim McGraw
This came out when I was a sophomore in high school. We didn't listen to anything memorable or even cool when we were in the car with my mom.  Then, as a 16-year-old, I could drive and I play my own music. This is the first country song that I heard. I loved country ever since.

2. "The Next Episode" by Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg
Around the same time my teammate, Jill, introduced me to this song when I was on a softball trip with her family. This was my introduction to rap/hip hop. I loved it ever since (much to my parents' dismay).

3. "Foolish Games" by Jewel
I chose this song to represent both of her CDs, Pieces of You and Spirit. I know these CDs by heart. I could listen to them over and over. I loved Jewel. I still do. So melodramatic--as most high school girls are--but also so beautiful.  I have always loved slow, painful breakup songs. "Foolish Games" is probably my first one to connect with.

4. "Hate It or Love It" by 50 Cent
I was obsessed with 50 Cent in college. As a junior at Pitt State, I came in as a new player and upset the starting position for someone. I used to listen to this song before every game to give myself the courage to claim my right to take over if I've got the talent to do so. Girls hated me for it. Girls loved me for it. I was quite divisive.  I love this song. Takes me back...

5. "Making Memories of Us" by Keith Urban
Very few women know what it's like to marry a man who already has memories with another woman. Major memories. Marriage and baby memories. Just as he had a past to leave behind, so did I.  This song spoke to Colby & me because it's all about being someone's everything and beginning anew. It captured everything Colby and I were experiencing. It's our wedding song.