Thursday Thirteen: Music Memories

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For Thursday Thirteen this week I am going to write about songs and the people and places  certain music brings to my mind.. I love music!Here's a walk down my memory lane:

1. Uncle Eric: Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall.I was fortunate enough to spend many of my growing up years living in the same community as my extended family. Both sets of my grandparents lived within walking distance of my house and I spent a lot of time with them. When I was young my Uncle Eric was a teenager and living at home. I remember that he LOVED this song - and my grandmother did not. I thought he was such a rebel.



2. My Cousin Andy: Billy Idol. White Wedding.

When I was In high school I had the opportunity to travel to Southern California and spend summers with my aunt and cousins. I made lifelong friends when I was in Azusa and I spent time with my cousins (who are more like siblings to me than cousins). My older cousin Andy was in college and he came to Azusa with his friend Joe once. A few times they took me along as they went cruising around and I thought it was AMAZING. I was hanging out with COLLEGE KIDS and listening to ROCK MUSIC!



3. My Brother Justin: The Tokens, The Lion Sleeps Tonight.

We took a lot of road trips when I was growing up and we spent a LOT of time on those road trips singing. We spent a lot of time singing period in my house. On one very memorable trip to the USA - on our way to a family reunion in Colorado if my memory serves me correctly - we were all awake in the middle of the night and singing at the top of our lungs "The Lion" Sleeps tonight. My brother Justin had a MEAN falsetto.



4. A Youth Advisor: Rhonda Prime Tommy Shaw; Girls with Guns

I was very active in my church youth organization as a teenager in Saskatoon. One of my advisors was a friend as well as an advisor and we spent time together outside of the youth activities. This song I remember being played at top volume in the basement of her house where we got ready for youth dances.



5. My cousin Trace: The Police; Every Breath You Take

Picking just one song that reminds me of my cousin Tracey is difficult because I spent so much time with her as an early teen that MOST of my teenage songs are tied to her in some way in my memory. Tracey left to go on a Mormon Mission to Belgium and I missed her dreadfully. This song reminds me of her because of the line "Since you've been gone I've been lost without a "Trace". ( I always called her "Trace") After she went on her mission I would listen to this song and cry into my pillow that i was missing her! I don't think she knows that...



6. Foster Son, D: Journey; Separate Ways

We have now been foster parents for over five years and we have had a LOT of kids come and go through our home. We have had a different connection with each of them. The very first placement we had was a little boy who will forever hold a most special place in our hearts. We are very very fortunate to live in the same community as he and his mother (he's back with mom) and we have a relationship with them which is AWESOME. The foster experience we had with him was intense, painful and a journey I would not ever want to repeat. Let me say this - the foster system is SEVERELY flawed and families of origin AND foster families are harmed by the system as it exists.

We knew D was leaving and I had a Journey CD in the van which we listened to often. I made sure I sang this song to him and that he KNEW "True love would not desert him even though we touched and went our separate ways". He does know that we love him and I get to see him frequently and remind him.



7. My Puppy (for whom this blog is named) Mukiwa: Evanescence; My Immortal

I acknowledge I am weird for having a song that reminds me of a pet. Whenever I hear this song I think of Muki, but I can't help it. She was such an important part of our lives and she left us FAR FAR too soon. The pain was just too real. Still is.



8. My sister Jill: Technotronic; Pump up the Jam

One benefit of being a few years older that siblings is having fun teaching them songs. This is a song my brother taught my sister Jill. She used to dance on the dining room table to this song. I wonder if my mom knows she was on the table?



9. Friend in high school Sheri: Information Society.
My friend is a DJ in her current life. Maybe our choice of music in high school made her something of who she is today!



10. My Parents: Chicago; You're The Inspiration
This is not my parents "song" but it is one that means a lot to them. Mom bought dad this Chicago CD. I think I know every word from every song on this CD.



11. Student in Residence - Q-tip: Cranberries; Zombie

We have nicknames for a LOT of people I work with and students living in Res. Q-tip, Minute Rice, The Linguine Brothers, Voldemort, Uncle Kracker, just to name a few. We also have karaoke night in Res every so often. Q-tip sang this song and she did NOT sing it well. Now I cannot hear the song without thinking of her. It was memorable I will say that much. She should leave it to the Cranberries.



12. My sons: Bette Midler; Baby Mine
This is my song for my sons.



13. My Spouse: Soraya; Suddenly

In our truck Tinkey Winkey the first time we drove to Salt Lake I had a tape with just two songs by an artist Soraya. We listened to the first track and who knew it would have a deeper meaning for us in our loves to come! Here is the Spanish version - some things are just too good to share with the world!