safe haven was good for a teary eye & a giddy feeling inside your tummy, as all Nicholas Spark movies are,
but it wasn't my favorite. (& it's always better with a cute boy holding your hand. win.)
don't get me wrong! I did like it, but I just can't do Juliane Hough's acting...
anyway, the soundtrack was fantastic & I've been listening to these 2 songs on replay for a week & a half now.
wrap your arms around me, gareth dunlop
I seriously can't believe it's been a year since my great paca passed..
where does time go?
the second picture was taken the summer of 2011,
the summer after he was diagnosed with cancer.
in both pictures he is smiling--something he never does in pictures.
but, boy did that man have a good sense of humor.
I can think of numerous times where I was bent over because the man had me laughing so hard!
you see, he was very quiet in group settings. Not necessarily because he was shy, but because he liked absorbing up all the information about people as he could.
and then every once in a while, he would speak up to say something witty.
and trust me, it was witty.
everyone would just laugh & laugh because it was so funny.
he had that effect on people--to make them laugh, to make them smile.
the second of many, many great qualities my grandpa had was his work ethic.
I have never known a person to single-handily wash dishes and clean the kitchen as efficient as he.
our family is quite large and we love to eat. so there were dozens and dozens of dishes to be done.
and grandpa would always get his food last, and then get up first to do the dishes.
he wouldn't let anyone else help me because "you just get in my way"
haha, I remember one time he literally swatted my hands away & told me to go have fun with my cousins, he'll clean the dishes.
and that's just how he was.. ALWAYS giving. he never had much, but he gave everything he had...
he was funny and he was selfless--if I can meet a man half as good as him, I will be in good shape.
I miss him, but I know I'll see him again--& until then, I will pick up where he left off with cleaning the dishes.
day eleven: a song on the soundtrack of my favorite movie.
first movie that comes into my mind is what i'm just going to have to go for because choosing a favorite movie is near impossible.
a walk to remember. I guess you can't go wrong with that one :)
I like switchfoot's version better than mandy moore's, even though I would kill for her voice.
day nine: a song that makes you hopeful.
well I feel like this is a fun story.
DISCLAIMER: another tryout story, if you are sick of hearing about my life--i apologize.
Cheer tryouts are 2 days long with a couple of cuts in the process.
i made it to the last cut, & that's when my number wasn't called.
at that moment, I felt okay. I gave my beautiful cousin & my 2 really good friends a big hug because they all advanced and told them I'm okay and walked out of the smith field house.
it was then, on my trek to the car that i called my mom to let her know I wasn't going to be a cheerleader this year.
and that's when the tears came.
as soon as i heard her voice I just started bawling. What I wanted most in my life was out of my reach & there was nothing I could do about it.
once i got to my car, I cried a little more in the parking lot with my head resting on the steering wheel and wondered why this was happening to me?
I was talented; I knew I was a good cheerleader. What was wrong? what happened?
Why wasn't I good enough?
after those intrusive thoughts invaded my head for awhile longer, I turned on the radio.
instantly, words blared through the speakers. they were,
"what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. stand a little taller."
obviously that made me cry harder, and I rolled down the windows and backed out of my parking spot while singing on the top of my lungs. well singing is a stretch. It was more of wailing and sniffling and wiping my eyes while yelling the words. it was comforting for me, but I'm sure all the bystanders and cars I passed experienced bleeding in their ears.
the notes faded to the close of the song & a commercial came on so i switched the station.
& guess what song immediately started?
yup. Stronger.
at that moment, I felt my Heavenly Father tell me, "'doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone,' I'm here; and you will be okay."
so that's my story. never been told before.. but these lyrics have really helped me overcome my sorrow.
I'm okay--i learned a lot about myself, and I'm grateful for the opportunity I've had to grow and meet new people. and to be a fan. that was fun too.
it took me awhile--this summer was a really low place for me--but i survived, and i was okay.
and you know what?
I think I am a little bit stronger.
I know that because I made it through this silly devastation & overcame it even stronger,
day eight: a song that reminds you of your "first love"
the only hard part about this day is i literally could choose 15 songs without skipping a beat...
but this one is the most significant song..
we lived 4 hours away... what other song could possibly explain that more perfectly?
that's right--none.
we were young, & so in love. we talk now, and are really good friends. I still miss him-miss our relationship because he truly was my best friend. cliche, i know... but he knew me better than I knew myself & I miss that..
I played with him last weekend when I went to Hurricane, & I realized how much I miss him still...
he leaves May 22 to serve the people of Paraguay and they don't even know how lucky they are.
luckily May 16th we are going to yellowcard concert and I am ecstatic!
it's in vegas so that means another road trip. I truly am so excited! :)
seven is my favorite number.
always has been, always will be.
so when i come to accomplish my day 7, and it says "a song that reminds you of this past summer" & I look back at my summer and what a complete waste it was.. I remind myself that I am boss with this "challenge" and can do whatever I want!
that being said, I'm going to make up my own day because I don't want to waste such a precious number on a dumb song.
day 7: a song you have heard live.
I've been to a couple of concerts, but this one was the most recent--and was a pretty dang good one!
allred--my favorite for forever! he was a surprise and he was wonderful :)
then along came alex goot. never heard of him?
me either, but he was fabulous & does incredible covers.
check him out on youtube--you won't be disappointed.
&& last but not least.... SECONDHAND SERENADE!!!!!
I LOVE him. seriously though. one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES.
(can you tell?)
he has sooo many good songs, so I don't know which one to choose--but this is a classic, and he opened with it, and well... just listen & you will understand my obsession.
best friends.
2 words I have used to describe too many people. Each time, I think they will be different from the last.
nope. never are.
rewind way back to 5th grade-that's when it all started.
I had a best friend, then in 5th grade we were in opposite classes and therefore no longer friends...
anyway, here comes 7th, 8th, & 9th grade and along with them comes about 7 different "best friends."
high school? finally found my "best friend for life 2 years".
Basically, I have called too many people a "best friend" & none have truly been.
except this girl:
Sadie Leigh Ethington.
my beautiful, hilarious, half-sister, cousin.
we are six weeks apart, and she has been there for me from the beginning
i truly have such a special place in my heart for her--she is my BEST friend.
day six: a song that reminds you of your best friend.
we've had our number of jam sessions, but this one will always remind me of my sades!
(when we jam out to this song, we always have a strong desire to swear along because it just needs the umph. we don't, but it doesn't mean we don't want to...)
day 5: a song that is often stuck in my head...
I have a strong testimony of Imagine Dragons--I definitely jumped on that bandwagon. I will admit it..
anyway, this song became realllll popular right? I mean on the radio every time i get in a car.
So i guess it makes sense why this song is always on repeat in my mind..
It's not my favorite Imagine Dragon song, but it's still a good one!
