Our Songs

In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd write about some of the songs that have meant something to us. I don't believe in having just one "song" because I think different music means different things at different times (say that 3 times fast!). That being said, here are some of the songs that seemed to describe us along our journey together.

1. Shortly after Cortney and I got past the "I think he/she likes me, but I'm not totally sure yet, and don't want to make a fool of myself by asking" phase, my family was taking a trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Even though we had only been "hang out" buddies up till this point, I knew I was going to miss him while I was gone for the week. That week before, we had been listening to a lot of Brian McKnight and I confessed that I had never listened to Brian McKnight except for the slow songs at my middle school dances. Cortney assured me that I was really missing out, and now I realize I was. I had never ever dated anyone who listened to R&B and the fact that Cortney not only listened to R&B, but was extremely well versed in R&B was intriguing to me. He made me a mix cd before I left for cabo and Anytime and The Only One For Me were on it. I listened to that cd constantly while I was in Mexico and to this day, Brian McKnight makes me think of that trip and missing each other. We both knew I wouldn't have any phone or Internet access for a week, but Cortney still emailed me each day, just so I could read them when I got back. One of the things that means the most to me now, when I look back and read those emails, is that he mentioned a few different times how much he loved having someone to miss and he was grateful to have me to miss-something he had wanted for a long time. Talking about it now, we both agree that trip "sealed the deal" for us that we really liked each other.

2. The summer of 2006, I worked at the Homestead Resort in Midway, UT and made the drive up and down the canyon every day with the windows rolled down and the music blaring. Cortney and I would meet in the mouth of the canyon each evening and go running together, some of our favorite memories together to this day. I borrowed a ton of cds from him that summer to blast on my way to and from work and Pearl Jam: No Code was one of them. It's just one of those albums that is really good to hear really loud. We even went to a Pearl Jam concert together that summer, so it was pretty fitting that we would have some Pearl Jam songs in our repertoire. One of them is Smile. The whole song doesn't even really make sense, but the chorus is, "I miss you already, I miss you always. I miss you already, I miss you all day." Even now, when we are apart for a day or more, we text those lyrics to each other.

Another song of significance from the album is Hail, Hail. Another "rock out" song, you wouldn't normally listen to this song and think "love song", but it is. It was over this summer that we talked about taking the next step (marriage) and this song seemed to express our thought process for moving forward. Some of the lyrics are,

Swore I'd love to you the day I die, and beyond
Are we going to the same place, if so can I come?...
Bandaged hand in hand...
I want to be enough,
Your one, your hun

The main line of the chorus, "Hail, hail the lucky ones. I refer to those in love" was printed on our wedding announcements. I'm still positive 90% of the invitees on my parents side have no idea who Eddie Vedder is, but it was a great little memento for us that I smile at every time I pull out one of our announcements. I mean, really, how many people can say that Pearl Jam was part of their wedding?

3. Lately, Time After Time seems to completely represent us. This was originally by Cyndi Lauper, but ever since I heard Eva Cassidy's version a few years ago, it's always been Eva's song in my mind. If you listen to this version (or Fields of Gold or Somewhere Over the Rainbow by her) and it doesn't change you somehow, there is something wrong with you. It's amazing.

If you're lost, you can look and you will find me time after time.
If you fall, I will catch you-I'll be waiting, time after time.

I've decided if we can always mean what those lyrics say, we'll be fine and we can make it through anything we face. Some couples are romantic. Not us. And we're ok with that. We'd rather fight through with laughter and friendship, than candles and roses. Maybe someday we'll be romantic, but for right now this song seems to represent us through all the ups and downs we've had this year.

I was thinking today about how cool it would be to sit our kids down in 20 years and play all of these songs, kind of like a "soundtrack" of our marriage and tell them why and how these songs came to be on our soundtrack. I'll write that one down so I'll be sure not to forget it:)