5 Things You Learn in a Musical Family

  My family is incredibly musical.

  If you had asked me when I was younger to share something about myself, I probably would have said something like, 'My grandma wrote a song for me when I was born,' or 'My daddy is a musician.' Ever since I was born, music has been what brought my family together, what made me happy and what made me feel things more deeply than I had before.

  Recently, I was thinking about all of this, and I realized that you really learn a lot as the daughter of a long line of musicians. I'm really fortunate to have been born into such a musical family, and I'm impressed all over again every single day by my family. So, I thought it would be cool to share five things that I've learned from being in my unique family. 

  1.) You Don't Have to Love a Certain Song or Artist Just Because Everyone Else Does 

  This is a hard thing for me to admit, but I don't really like The Beatles. A lot of people I know think that I'm crazy for not being into them, but their music just isn't something that "tickles my fancy". However, I'm not going to go listen to them because other people think I should. 

  There will always be some artists and songs that I'm just not into. That's why there are so many different kinds of music. Music is a roller coaster ride of emotions that touches each individual person in a different way. That's why it's as incredible as it is. So, it's okay that I don't like The Beatles, just like it's okay if you don't like Taylor Swift or Stevie Wonder. 

  (Author's Note: Actually, it's definitely not okay if you don't like Stevie Wonder. He's THE man. If you don't like him.......there's no hope for you.) 

  2.) Just Because It's Old, Doesn't Mean It's Boring or Lame

  When I was 9 years old, I had a 1970's themed birthday party. Let me tell you, it was the coolest party I've ever had. My friends and I dressed up in clothes based on the 70's, we made mood rings and said things like 'Groovy' and 'Peace out, dude'. 

  In the weeks coming up to my birthday, my Mom and I searched all over YouTube, creating a 70's music playlist. My two favorite songs that we found were 'Workin' at the Carwash' and 'You're So Vain'. That birthday party changed everything for me. 

  Oldies music is, and always will be, the most incredible music in the world, in my opinion. I will always prefer music from the 60's-80's more than any other kind of music. There will never be a boyband as good as The Osmond Brothers were. There will never be a duo that is as mind blowing as Hall and Oates. Richard Marx will always, always, always, be the best singer/songwriter in the world. 

  Don't believe me? 

  Go listen for yourself. 

  3.) Not Everyone Is A Music Geek 

  Not everyone loves music in the way that some of us do. While that seems like a crime, it's true. Some people just aren't music people, just like some people aren't big fans of anchovies on their pizza. It's as simple as that, and at some point, we're all going to have to accept that. 

  4.) Sometimes You Are Going to Mess Up
  In music, it's very easy to make a mistake. Maybe you accidentally hit the wrong piano key at your Winter recital, or maybe you went sharp when you were trying to hit the high note during your school performance of 'Phantom of the Opera'. Both of those things are okay. You will live. Life goes on. 
  We all make mistakes at some point in our lives. Being musical has been really beneficial for me when it comes to this, because I know that it's okay to make mistakes. You should work as hard as you can at everything that you do, and if you do mess up, it's okay to feel bad about that. But you still have to continue on. Forgive yourself, work harder next time, and continue. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Mozart messed up occasionally as well. 
  
  5.) Music Is For Everyone 
  This is the most important thing that being in a musical family has taught me. Music is for everyone. Old people, young people, boys, girls, etc. Everyone needs music. 
  So, don't ever knock someone down because of their love for music. Don't ever tell them that their musical taste is stupid or lame. Let them find their identity in music. It will make the bad days better and the good days even more enjoyable.  

Dear Future Husband

 Dear Future Husband,

 I'm not sure if you're even an actually exist. For all I know, I could die next week and never get married. I could become a nun. I could live my entire life as a strong, independent single woman. I may never find "The One". But I still feel like I should write this, because it's important for me to remind myself of all the amazing possibilities that my future holds. One of those possibilities is you. 

 I want you to know that I pray for you every single night. I pray that you are happy and healthy. I pray that you never have to experience real heartbreak and that you're really optimistic, because I'm going to need optimism to balance out my sometimes pessimistic view on life. I pray that you are living a life full of purpose and chastity, and that you're already thinking of me, just like I'm thinking of you.  

 I am also saving myself for you. I'm trying to live a modest and chaste life, and constantly trying to better myself. I want you to feel like our future kids have a good mother to look up to, so I always try to better my relationship with God and the people around me, and I try really hard to be a pleasant, happy person. 

 It's hard to try to be a good person, you know? Sometimes people call me a prude because I don't wear bikinis in the summer and because I've never had a boyfriend, even though I'm already 16. Sometimes people think I'm uptight and a goody two-shoes because I try to follow the rules and do what's right all the time. People make fun of me sometimes and act as if I'm really just a naive homeschooled kid who has no idea how boring and old fashioned modesty is. To be honest, all of that hurts sometimes. However, I know that all of it's worth it and that you'll love me in all of my prudish, naive glory. 

 I know that we're going to fight and that our life together won't be all peaches and cream. I'm really stubborn, and I like being right, which sometimes even annoys me, so I'm fairly positive that it will get under your skin also. I'm also really loud, and I just want to apologize in advance for all of the times that I'm going to break out into song without warning, or the times that I'm going to tease you way too much and totally kill a joke because I overuse it. I'm going to go shopping for clothes and then come back and fret over the fact that I spent money over something as trivial as a pair of boots for the winter or a cute sweater. I'm going to forget to tell you I love you sometimes, because I'm bad at remembering that other people need to hear that just as much as I need to hear it. I'm going to get mad at you for really small, stupid things, and I'm going to say things I don't mean every once in a while. I'm sorry, and I'm so undeserving of your incredible love. 

 I know that you aren't perfect. Heaven knows, I'm not perfect either. Maybe by us being imperfect together, we'll be able to get closer to perfect than when we were on our own. I'm not sure if that made any sense. Sorry. I do that sometimes. But you love me for it, so I know you'll forgive me for not making sense all of the time. Thanks for that, by the way. 

 Like I said, I'm not sure when/how/if I'll find you, but I hope that this "letter" makes you happy. I know that I get happy whenever I think of you, even though I don't know what you look like or sound like or dream of. Sometimes when I see cute couples at the grocery store, my author brain starts making up tons of little stories about you and how we will meet, what we'll name our future kids, whether or not your mom will like me, etc. I guess I just wanted to let you know that I already think of you, and I already love you. 

 So, until we meet, remember...

   I love you.

     

     Your Future Wife     

  

Note from the Author: I'm going to start up this blog again! I'm not sure if I'll keep up a blogging schedule, but I do want to work on this over the summer. Thanks for reading and checking this out! 

Please Forgive Me!

   Hey, you guys! This will be a really short post!
   I just want to apologize for skipping a blogging day! I had finals that week, and was completely absorbed in my schoolwork, so I completely forgot! Also, I'm a day late with this blog post!
   Last week, I was out of town with my Dad on a trip for his business, Drumming Around. We did a vlog while we were on the road, and I was so busy helping with that, that I forgot about the blog again! I swear I will get better at this blogging schedule!
   Since I don't really have much planned to talk about this week, I'm going to suggest that you go check out the vlogs that my Dad and I did while we were gone! My Dad is a drum circle facilitator, and he goes around using drums in a way that is good for community building, health and wellness, and of course, having fun! So, I will put links down below for both his website and his YouTube channel, so that you can check out what he does!
   Thanks, you guys, and I swear, I'll make things up to you!

Drumming Around Website

Drumming Around Vlog

When Life is Getting Me Down...

   We all have those days where we just aren't feeling that optimistic. I mean, I'm usually a very cheerful person. Like, even when I'm not feeling cheerful or happy, I try not to ever show that to anyone. I don't like the thought of people wondering what is wrong with me. But this week has just been one that's made me feel very down about life. There are a lot of things going on in the world and in my life that just make me worry a lot. So, what do I do to feel better?

   I listen to music. 

   We all listen to music. We all notice the synchronized beat of the drums, or the bluesy sound that the piano is adding to the song that's playing on our iPods. But we don't really listen to the music and the lyrics of a song until we need to escape. We don't really feel the emotion that the singer is expressing until we're feeling the same emotions and need to know that other people have felt the same things that we're feeling.
   So, this week I've been listening to a whole lot of songs that have a happy beat and a positive message. My favorite recently has been Think Good Thoughts by Colbie Caillat. It's a great song with a really positive message. Another one of my favorites today had been Be Okay by Ingrid Michaelson. These songs just really make me feel happy and make me feel hopeful.
   This week, I'm going to ask anyone who's reading this to go listen to those two songs and really think about the words that are being sung. Smile, enjoy and remember that there really are other people out there that can relate to whatever you're feeling.
Lots of love, you guys. :)

Think Good Thoughts by Colbie Caillat
Be Okay by Ingrid Michaelson

Can't Get This Outta My Head

   Do you ever just get a song stuck in your head and no matter what you do, you can't get it out? The tricky thing is that sometimes you don't exactly want it to get out of your head, because you really like the song, but at the same time, it's driving you nuts. And then you have this war inside of yourself every time you get onto YouTube, because you want to listen to that song again, but somewhere deep inside, you know that replaying it will only make it even more impossible to make it go away!

   I've been going through what was described above all of Easter weekend.
   There's this singer/songwriter/musician named Regina Spektor and she is so incredibly amazing. You might know of her song, "The Call", because it was the credits song for the Chronicles of Narnia movie "Prince Caspian". That song is really breathtaking, and when I first heard it, I went crazy for it. It really got me.
   Even though I loved that song so much, I never really listened to any other songs by Regina. I guess I just didn't think of it at the time. So, I sort of forgot about her. That is, until last Thursday.
   I was listening to my Sara Barellies station on Pandora, just minding my own business and enjoying the music. Then, suddenly, a catchy, upbeat song started sneaking through the speakers of my computer. A breathy, beautiful voice started singing wonderfully written lyrics, and I immediately knew that that would be my new favorite song.
   The song is called "Fidelity" and it's a break up song. Now, before you start rolling your eyes, thinking 'Man, I wish girls would stop writing stupid, pathetic, sit-in-your-room-and-cry songs', take a deep breath and keep reading. Instead of being a song of revenge or remorse, it's actually one that shows the relationship as something really beautiful. Though she is brokenhearted, Regina doesn't regret the relationship, and she makes that very clear. She cherishes the moments that were good and she won't ever forget them.
   How refreshing is that? A song about a girl who is facing a really tough time in her life, but that doesn't involve keying her exes car, hooking up with his best friend, or crying so much that her face eventually melts off! Amazing, isn't it? So, I highly recommend you go check out 'Fidelity' by Regina Spektor. I'll put  link below to the lyric video. I hope you like it, because I know I did.

Fidelity

Musical Memories

   Once, someone told me that we can't remember things until we're 3 years old. I didn't believe that, so I started thinking back to my very first memory. Interestingly enough, the first real memory I have was of my 3rd birthday.
   My birthday is exactly 6 days after my Grandma's birthday. When I turned 3, she was turning 60. I remember that we had planned a really awesome surprise birthday party for her. We had invited a lot of her friends, and most of her family was going to be there.We had sort of tricked her into coming down from Houston by inviting her to my birthday.
   Here's the thing about my Grandma. She's awesome. Like, seriously, I've got one of the best Grandma's in the world. She's beautiful externally, but internally, she's even more than beautiful; she's radiant.
   Something that's really cool about Grandma is that she writes songs. She wrote a song for each of her grandkids when they were born and she writes others just to filter her emotions into something. That's one of the beautiful things about music. You can filter so much into it.
   My Grandma wrote this song called "Alphabeta". It's probably my favorite song of hers (other than the one she wrote for me, of course! :P). This song is all about phonics and how, by learning to read, we become smarter. It's a super cute song, and my big sister and I had decided that our present to my Grandma would be us performing it. We practiced singing and dancing to it for days, trying to perfect it.
   When the day of the parties arrived, I was so excited that my Grandma was coming to my party, and I was even more excited about surprising my Grandma! I remember how hard it was for little me to keep such a big secret.
   You know, the funny thing is, I barely remember any details from her party, and I remember only a few things from mine. The thing I remember the most from that day was my sister and I performing "Alphabeta" for my Grandma. I remember the rush of joy that I felt when my Grandma clapped and said that that had been the best present she had received.
   Thinking back, I realize how lucky I am to have that as my very first memory. I mean, think about that! My first memory involved three of my favorite things: my Grandma, music and birthday parties.

This Whole Catholic Music Situation

   There is this feeling that I always get when I stumble across a song or band that I love. It's literally a feeling that I cannot explain. My heart starts pumping, I start smiling like a crazy person, and my brain starts working over time as I try to figure out what exactly is making me so excited. It's like an adrenaline high for a music junky. My friend Sabrina likes to describe this feeling as me, "loosing my ability to even."
   So what/who exactly gave me this feeling, made me rush home from a concert and jump on my computer, break my blogging schedule and kept me up until I finish praising their music? Well, this can be answered in two (three?) words.
   PawnShop kings.
   I had the privilege of going to a Matt Maher concert with my youth group. For those of you who don't know, Matt Maher is a Catholic musician who writes fantastic songs and honestly has a beautiful voice. I was super stoked to be able to attend his concert with some of my closest friends.
   When we got there, we clapped and danced as Matt played his upbeat, feel good songs. We were so pumped up and happy to be there with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ. I honestly was blown away by Matt's musical skill and his ability to connect with the audience in the way that he did. As an aspiring musician myself, it truly fascinated me.
   Then, Mr. Maher asked us to all sit down. Now, you can imagine how hard it really is to force yourself to sit down when you're feeling as good as we all were. However, after a small struggle, we all found our seats. Matt then explained to us that he had some special guests with him, and introduced the PawnShop kings.
   The PawnShop kings are two brothers, Scott and Joel Owen, who were born in Texas, but spent most of their time growing up in Memphis and now reside in Orange Country, California. They explained to us that they are also Catholic musicians and that they were going to play a few of their songs. We all nodded our heads in agreement, too excited to object to anything.
   As they started to play, I felt myself start smiling. I was at a loss for words. Their voices...the music...the lyrics...the inflection in their voices...the beautiful harmonies...it was all too much. I started to bob my head to the music and then eventually stood up, joining everyone else as we clapped and wished desperately that we knew the words to their songs. After listening to them play, I couldn't even think about anything else. The only thing I could do was replay the music in my mind.
   After the concert, my friends and I actually got to meet them. We got a picture with them, and I even got Scott to sign a book I had in my purse, since I had nothing else that was sign-able. On the way home, they were all I could talk about and when I got to my house, I rushed to the computer so that I could type this up.
   I really encourage any of you who are reading this to go check out the PawnShop kings and Matt Maher. Honestly, this music could change the way you think about everything. I literally mean everything I'm saying right now. They were amazing. I'm going to be leaving links below to my favorite songs that they performed. I hope you are as moved by them as I was!
   Brigid


PawnShop kings~ Fall Apart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgR9flxuD6o

Matt Maher~ All The People Said Amen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnOA3HN_4EY

PawnShop kings Official Website
http://www.pawnshopkings.com/

Matt Maher Official Website
http://www.mattmahermusic.com/