Soundtrack of My Life

The Early Years: 1970's am top 40 radio.
I don't have specific memories of certain songs for the most part, but I do have strong sense memories when I hear certain songs. I asked my mom about this.
I said. "you must have had the radio on all the time" she said, "We did. We would spend a lot of time singing and dancing together."
I do remember how much I loved my first grade teacher and the songs she played in our classroom in 1971-72...Peter, Paul & Mary - Puff the Magic Dragon, If I Had a Hammer. So my first entry would have to be:
1. 1970's am gold

Growing Up - Leaving the 70's: Jackson Browne
I attended a small Catholic school from 3rd-8th grade. We were a small school and we were more like family than classmates, particularly in my brother's class. Paul, my brother, was a year ahead of me in school. In his class there was a group of 5 or 6 guys that had been best friend from 4th grade until they graduated high school. In high school they were called "the clones". My brother's best buddy was Mark Gabbard.
He was a very smart guy and simply the coolest guy I ever knew. He wasn't cool in the sense that he wore the cool clothes or was the 'cock of the walk' but cool in the way that he didn't care what anyone thought (or so it seemed to me). I remember how kind he was to me my freshman year. He was protective in a gentle way. One of my favorite memories of high school is of a dance after a football game. Mark asked me to dance (some fun fast song) and we were out there I was a bit self conscience at 13 or 14 but Mark was having the time of his life dancing away. Next thing I know, Mark ripped his pants- right in the buttocks. I would have died if it had been me. Mark grabbed a sweatshirt, tied it around his waist and kept on dancing. Now, that is cool.
Mark gave me a cassette tape that year.......Jackson Browne The Pretender.
I have never been the same. His music touched the core of who I am. It got me through the rough times ahead of me.
Mark died July 29, 1984 he was 19 years old.
My second entry:
2. Jackson Browne's The Pretender (my first JB album) and Late for the Sky (Farther On, The Late Show, Late for the Sky, Fountain of Sorrow, For a Dancer)

On my own (sort-of)... 1985-1989
I left San Diego in December 1984 and moved to San Antonio, Texas. I lived with my Aunt & Uncle and cousins. I enrolled in a junior college and worked at the church my family had belonged to for 3 generations. I discovered the live music scene in San Antonio. Armed with my older cousins drivers licence I began to spend time following bands and listening to great music. The bands played music I loved...Jackson Browne, CSN, Eagles, JD Souther, James Taylor, John Prine....I made some of my best friends during this time. One of those friends introduced me to the "Blue" album. Joni Mitchell. Later, I would feel a connection to Ladies of the Canyon as well.
Entry #3:
3. Joni Mitchell's Blue & Ladies of the Canyon (California, Case of You, Conversation)

After my first love fell apart (after a number of years) I was serching and running away from everything
4. David Wilcox's How Did You Find Me Here, Home Again, & Big Horizon

I met my husband in October 1997 and we were married October 1998
5. Allison Krauss' Now That I've Found You: A Collection (Say Nothing at All)

I was pregnant with my first child and this song made me cry all the time -in a good way.
6. Top of the World - The Carpenters

After the first child the music in my life was no longer my own.
7. Raffi (all Raffi)

That is my life so far. Thanks for this thread. This will a great DPLO for my Book of Me!

No Consequences

Q: If you could live one day without consequences, what would you do? Would you get a tattoo just to see what it was like? Would you skip work or school and sleep all day? Would you have a one-night-stand, or would you buy a yacht, or would you tell your parents what you REALLY think of them? If you could live one day without consequences, what would you do?

This one is easy for me. Except I think I would wish for a week without consequences.
I would spend money.
Lots and lots of money.
What I would do is find the people I like to spend time with- family and friends. Then I would make a list of experiences ...
...Lets start our day in Disneyland with the children. I would love to share that with my children. I want to see that look of delight and amazement on their faces. We didn't really ever take a family vacation growing up but once every couple of years we would spend a day at Disneyland. I had trouble sleeping the night before. The drive up there I would spend thinking about the last time we were there and which rides I was going to head for first. I want to see that in my children's faces.

By noon, I would take off for a wonderful meal (not at Disneyland). The children could stay and enjoy lunch at Disneyland.
Lunch for the adults would have to be 3 or 4 courses-with wine. This lunch would need to be shared with foodies. There will be long talks about wine and food parings - lots of mmmmm's and ahhhhh's.

In the early afternoon, it will be time to travel to the mountains to show the children snow. Living in south Texas the children have no idea about snow. I would love to see their faces and watch them play. I think a snowball fight, sledding and snowman building would be in order.

An early dinner at some fabulous place would be next. This would be a dinner like our family had this past July when we celebrated my folks (mom & step father) 25th wedding anniversary. The family came together (without the children) for a wonderful meal- 4 courses, wine, champagne...it was so nice to be together for a few hours without rushing. It is not that I don't enjoy meals with my children because I really do. But I also really enjoy a long, beautifully prepared meal, that is supposed to be enjoyed slowly and deliberately. So on this day I would indulge myself and my children would be equally happy with their meals.

I would end the day with my husband and children and extended family at the beach. We would watch the sun go down over the Pacific ocean and then build a fire and talk and sing until we couldn't stay awake any longer. Stories of how I walked that same beach when I was dating daddy or pregnant with Samuel would be told. Memories of my own childhood and teen years would vividly play in my head. The sweet salty smell of the cool air would awaken those memories so long ago tucked away. Other stories would be shared. We would learn new things about one another and delight in the same stories we know so well. We would talk about our other loved ones that are no longer with us- that we hold so dear. Our children will take it all in and someday they will re-tell of our day together.

At the end of the day I would be tired and blissfully happy.

The next day the money would be gone (and no debt left in it's place) but the memories of my perfect day would remain with me always.

Oh, I left out the part about the purchase of an awesome digital camera so I could scrapbook everything later. ;0)