Soundtrack to My Life...

If Your Life Was Set to Film, What Would the Soundtrack Be Like?
Here's Mine...

Just so you all know, this was the hardest thing to do for me E.V.E.R., and I mean it. Music is my life, and to have to sit and pick out songs for certain parts of my life on a movie, well, that's just too insanely difficult. I'm pretty proud, however, of the outcome. Well-rounded in musical genres as well as artists, and pretty much just shows how stinking old I'm getting...

Opening Credits:
“Everyday is a Winding Road” – Sheryl Crow
Every road trip I've ever been on has started with this song or with Sheryl Crow... I love how it talks about how life changes and that each day we get closer to finding happiness.

Waking Up:
“Brave” – Nichole Nordeman
I remember hearing this song for the first time and thinking, "That's exactly what I want to be." The lyrics say, "You make me wanna be brave...," and she is talking about God and stepping out in faith. Everyday I try to remember that I'm living by that.

First Day at School/College:
“Wide Open Spaces” – Dixie Chicks
My dad "checked the oil" a million times that day I left for school although Western was 45 miles north of home, but the sincerity in this song was exactly how I felt when I stepped onto that campus for the first time.

Childhood:
“The Lion Sleeps Tonight” – Four Seasons
“Hard Candy Christmas” – Dolly Parton
My daddy used to sing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" to me every night. I had a dislocated hip when I was born, and for the first six months of my life, the doctors had me in this awful brace to get it back in place. Because of the uncomfortability of the brace, I didn't sleep well. My daddy would sing this song to get me to sleep, and it always did the trick.

"Hard Candy Christmas" was my FAVORITE song as a child. I remember playing that Christmas tape out in our Maxima and singing that song at the top of my lungs. To this day, it holds a very special place in my heart.

Falling In Love:
“I’ll Be” – Edwin McCain
“Angel” – Shaggy
"I'll Be" was a huge part of my BEING in love for the very first time. I can't hear this song without thinking back to that first relationship and that emerald ring ("Emeralds from mountains thrust toward the sky...").

"Angel" is more of a song that started my liking someone. This song always seemed to come on when we were together, and he always sang the words to me. I hated it, but the more we were together, I grew to like the song...

Fight Song:
“Bad Company” – Bad Company
What can I say! This song has always gotten me pumped up, back on Friday nights and then at parties afterward in high school, this song brought out the rebel in everyone I knew.

Breaking Up:
“Cryin” – Aerosmith
“Halo” – Bethany Joy Lenz
"Cryin" is my ultimate break-up song simply because it always expresses what I need to say. I'm angry but I'm sad; I'm hurt but I'm over it. It's just perfect.

"Halo" is a different kind of song; it's the kind that says, "You're making me into something I'm not..." I've had that happen, and I've also let myself become someone I'm not as well, so I REALLY relate to it.

Prom:
“I Could Not Ask For More” – Edwin McCain
I nominated this as our theme and it ended up being it. It also represented my relationship with a good friend at the time; we had dated for years but ended it right before prom and previously promised each other we'd go together. We did, and this song just said everything better than I could that night...

Life:
“Holy” – Nichole Nordeman
“Leaving Town Alive” – Bethany Joy Lenz
Listen to "Holy" and you'll understand. As for "Leaving Town Alive," my life has been a mixture of regrets and reoccurrences. I have made a lot of mistakes and though I've changed them, I've never been forgiven by some nor have they been forgotten. I feel as if this song explains how I sometimes think I have to live life...

College:
“I’m Moving On” – Rascal Flatts
Wow, driving in to Western for the first time with my Honda loaded down, I played this song and nearly died. I was so excited to be going to college, but I felt so torn to be leaving home.

High School:
“What I Got” – Sublime
HA HA. I love it. I just love it. It reminds me flirting with boys and screaming the lyrics at the tops of our lungs just to impress them...

Mental Breakdown:
“Angel” – Sarah McLachlan
When I ever felt down, Sarah McLachlan could always find a way to make things comfortable again.

Driving:
“Hold On” – Wilson Phillips
“Days of Thunder Theme” – Hans Zimmer
Yeah, I like 80s music when I'm driving. "Hold On" is a classic; if you don't know it, you should. And well, "Days of Thunder," that goes back to high school and then to college driving a stick shift with Brent and imitating the movie...

Flashback:
“Wonderwall” -- Oasis
8th grade. That's all I'm saying.

Getting Back Together:
“Home” -- Chantal Krevaziuk
“Crash Into Me” -- Dave Matthews Band
This song, "Home," breaks me down every time I hear it. It's beautiful because he used it every time we were getting back together... EVERY TIME. And it worked EVERY TIME.

"Crash Into Me" takes me back to a time when I was incapable of making good decisions when it came to relationships, but if I would have truly listened to that boy sing this song to me, it should have been all that mattered at the time... HA HA.

Wedding:
“Time After Time” – Cyndi Lauper
The lyrics are amazing. Period.

Birth of Child:
“Sweet Child Of Mine” – Sheryl Crow
I know this song is ROCKING, but the lyrics are precious. And I'll cry enough as it is, so I'll need a cool song when I have kids.

Final Battle:
“Faint” (instrumental) – Linkin Park
I've started playing Linkin Park instrumentals in the classroom with my Kindergarteners... When I heard this song on piano with NO lyrics, it was amazing. Chills. That's what I imagine a "Final Battle" being like, although I don't imagine myself having one.

Death Scene:
“Love Song” – Third Day
"Just to Be With You, I'd Give Anything; I Would Give My Life Away..." That's what I want to be willing to say when it's my time. When the Lord calls me home, I want to be ready to meet Him.

Funeral Song:
“Ten Thousand Years” – Hymn
I can't talk about this song much because even as a child I knew I wanted this song to be played at my funeral.

End Credits:
“Legacy” – Nichole Nordeman
"I want to leave a legacy;
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love
or did I point to You enough to make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering,
a child of mercy and grace
who blessed Your name unapologetically,
And leave that kind of legacy."

So It Proved Itself Controversial...

I went to see the Dixie Chicks concert tonight. A few years back when they came to Nashville before all of the nonsense started with big mouths and huge egos, I missed out on seeing them because of money issues. This time around, I swore, despite the controversy, I would be there. So tonight, I'm more than likely going to start my very own controversy because I feel like sharing.

I never imagined that just telling people I was going would cause such heated discussions on politics, and anyone who knows me knows that I'm not one to just jump feet first into political debates. However, I've found that being a Chicks fan has gotten me into a few uncomfortable situations since those 12 words were spoken two years ago.

I will never say that she was wrong or right for what she said, but I will say that I have never admired someone more than I admire the Dixie Chicks tonight. They stood on that stage united by a common bond, proud and unwilling to let their freedom of speech be taken from them. Yes, they made jokes, and they walked out in true "Presidential" form. But, when she sang those few lines about, "And how in the world can the words that I said send somebody so over the edge that they'd write me a letter, saying that I better shut up and sing or my life will be over?!," I really understood why I had backed them this whole time despite my being a Republican.

It's not about whose side I'm on. It's not about how I vote. It's not even about whether I like W or not. Honestly, the truth is, like it or not, he's the President, and my liking him or not has nothing to do with this. He has made some awful choices. He has made some terrible sacrifices. He has done some horrible things that will always effect this great country. What president hasn't?! They've all made their fair share of mistakes, and when they leave the office, the bad things they've done are what we'll usually remember. I'm sure Natalie Maines had some of those decisions Bush had made in her mind when she made her comment, and I don't blame her. We all have somehow been affected by the choices every president has made, and yes, we have the right to speak out about it. So, good for HER.

What's been not so good for her is the negativity the comment brought, which she SHOULD HAVE expected as soon as it left her lips. Being from a southern state, she should know that when you speak out against your own, your own will turn on you. It's just a proven thing around here. I remember thinking that I'd never be able to support the Chicks again after having heard that because they weren't patriotic and didn't care about our country. I remember feeling so torn because I LOVED their music, which was what I was ALL ABOUT anyway, but thinking that I should get rid of it. I was still young, and I was slowly learning. Natalie Maines was a good example during my youth.

I didn't burn my cds like most people did. I didn't actually listen to them as often; honestly, I probably haven't pulled any of the old ones out until tonight when I got back from the concert. I bought the new cd the night it came out, and played it over and over again, trying to understand what they were feeling. And the more I listened, the more I learned that it wasn't about coming out on top or selling more records or being better than someone else. It was about accepting the fact that she had made a comment that may have offended some but she would defend herself no matter what. If that meant losing her career, she was willing. They had faith in themselves when NO ONE else did. To me, that should be the true controversy here... While we were busy fighting over which "team" we were on, they were chasing a dream. I'm just glad I was there and was a part of it tonight.

I support the Dixie Chicks, and yes, I enjoy their big fat mouths. They announce things we only dream of saying out loud.

And by the way, their music, yes, it was INCREDIBLE. 2 and a half hours of nonstop musical genius.




Now, with that being said, I must comment on the fact that I support Bush as well. I support him because he is my president, and when it came down to my vote, I placed my trust in him. As for events that have occurred throughout his time in office, I will never say anything disrespectful about someone who is making most of the decisions for the United States. I don't always agree, but for now, I have decided that our country can either stand united DESPITE who is living in that mansion or we can divide. Seems to me that we spend too much time worrying over which side we're on rather than the issues themselves. I honestly believe where this country went wrong was not with Bush or Nixon or anyone for that matter; it's when they lost faith in God. They lost hold of what our country was founded upon. The things our forefathers held so dear mean nothing to us today. We'll bash anyone who has an outspoken opinion, and we'll let any guilty man go free. Just seems to me that even patriotism has reached an all-time low. The polls were full in November with many waiting 3 and 4 hours, but people went not knowing the issues, what matters most.

It's not about what SIDE I'm on. It's not about WHO I support. It's WHAT matters to me most, and HOW I am going to go about making a difference. Standing up for what I believe in starts now; for some reason I think we've all been a little too scared to see the truth.