Dear Journal.

If you have looked back through my blog at all, I've always been kind of stuck. I want to blog more, I want to journal; but I am shy, and very highly critical of myself. I second guess everything I say-- I straight up suck at communicating. It makes perfect sense in my head, but something gets lost in translation to my fingers/mouth!!! #mumbler. It really is plain silly.

Anyway, I've had this Q and A Journal for a long time. [My BABE of a friend Liz Hasler Williams gave it to me for a birthday one year. Thanks Lizzie :-*] I admit first off: I have been SLACKING to say the least; but I decided to commit to filling it out this year. [Rando: It seems like I only tend to write in it on odd years: 2013, 2015, 2017..] Also, Dave and I recieved the couple edition as a wedding gift, and we have LOVED filling it out so far! In fact we loved it so much that we got almost all of our "couple" friends their own book for Christmas! :)

Such a fun gift, and a great way to journal without feeling completely vulnerable. I was reading back today, and I had to stop on this page: 

It just made me smile, and validate all that I believe in. I have always said I am a firm believer in the law of attraction, and I absolutely think that everything happens for a reason. If you want to be happy, BE happy. You can be anything you want to be, and do anything you want to do if you just believe it 100%. I think the same goes the other way as well though. If you want to be jealous or mean, you will always find a reason to be. If you feel like you have bad luck, you will attract more of it. Think positive! Thoughts have mass, and mass attracts things.. Make sure you're adding good to this world and you will get nothing but good things back at you. 

 

Shuffle.

I'm trying to figure out WHY I like the music I like. Is it the music, or the experiences??
It started tonight [actually December 16th is when this draft was written, just had to spruce it up today! ;] when I pulled David in for Temple of the Dog. My iTunes was on shuffle, which was a nice change of pace since I am usually on Pandora 24/7/365... I love them so much, just reminds me of my Mom & Glen. He can sing and play them SO well!
"SOBER" BY TOOL= GETS ME EVERY TIME.
You guys I know everything old school EMINEM. I grew up listening to the most angry awful music by him, but I think I turned out alright ;)
"Voodoo" by Godsmack screams Candice Mettome and camping at Bear Lake for me.
"Mr. Jones," by Counting Crows, or anything off of the August and Everything After CD reminds me of my uncle Justin and all of his cool high school friends haha.
"Just Like You Imagined" by Nine Inch Nails = SEX.
"Change (In The House of Flies)" by Deftones -- definitely turns me on every. single. time.. and hearing/feeling it live ohhhhh my goodness.
"Take a Chance on Me," by ABBA totally reminds me of attempting to choreograph dance routines with Hilary Ballsteadt, so we could perform it for our neighbor Nick Cole and he would magically fall in love with my singing and dancing skills. (LOL on a whole other level).
When The White Stripes: "Seven Nation Army" comes on I cannot help but melt. Reminds me of that one time at Lollapalooza when Audioslave covered it!! To this day, that is still one of my favorite concerts ever!!
Aerosmith is one of my all time favorite bands, and my very first concert too! I loved Steven Tyler and his big lips, before it was cool to love Steven Tyler!! We are talking circa 1997, when I thought it was cool to wear my Sesame Street shirt with my Jinco shorts and skater shoes. [Hang tight-- I WILL find this picture for you!]
Tom Petty though.
TOM F*CKING PETTY.
I grew up with him, and one day I realized he was the one that sang all my favorite songs, to most of my favorite experiences... & Steve Miller-- "The Joker" didn't know what half the lyrics meant or who he was half my life--- but it is back from Timberlake apartment days to camping with Lori and Alan. I have the best memories of my crazy ma'ma and her free spirited friends.
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
Anything Chris Cornell << thanks Ma'ma! Love Soundgarden and Audioslave so hard!
Rob Zombie-- esp: "Living Dead Girl"
LIVE- "LIGHTING CRASHES" BUT REALLY, HAVE YOU SEEN A PLACENTA?!!?-- and why does it fall to the floor?
Everything Limp Bizkit-- do you know where you are?!.
Coheed and Cambria-- I think that I found these guys because Jess and Chase saw them opening up for someone... I LOVE "Coming Home" from Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume 1: From Fear Through The Eyes Of Mad. << IN FACT I love this whole album >> Like A LOT.
BROODS. I dig! I got into them from Noah actually, and his love for Chvrches. I downloaded their album Evergreen, because I am obsessed with "Four Walls." I don't know why, but this song == Stop and listen. It makes me sway, it makes me groove, it makes me feel safe, breathe out, love. I likey. >>takes me to the peak of everything I am<<<
"Drops of Jupiter" by Train-- if you give it more than 10 seconds, it is the story of my dream/perfect world. I like it, it is grounding-- on the space level.
K I am going to be honest.. the only Chiodos song I like so far is totally cliche: "The words best friends".. yaddda yadda. I've tried.. I LOVE LOVE this song, everything else, eh....
"Hit Em High"-- SPACE JAM is MY jam!!
K thanks shuffle: Skrilllllllllix--- Jenny. Period end of story. That chick is a combustible ball of energy-- no matter the kind!!!! Being on her level is a high on another level. HIM and "Otis" by Kanye and Jay Z scream Jenny Wall Clark to me too!
NELLY- holy old school-- I had the Country Grammar album because I was obsessed with the song "Country Grammar" on the Box (channel 69) on our little kitchen TV. When the older kids found out I had this CD, I was cool for like a week. (No you can't borrow it, but I'll burn you a copy ;) Guys remember Napster and Limewire? Definitely ruined a computer or two, still think all the music was worth it!
Incubus reminds me mostly of Chase Johnson & his huge Incubus poster in his bedroom, [I want to thank him for that!] Early Incubus is MY FAVORITE by FAR. It's kind of weird but I associate him the most with A Crow Left of the Murder..., Morning View, and Make Yourself [The best ones really -- the CLASSICS in my opinion.] Although, arguably Light Grenades has some of my personal favorite songs and experiences...
I feel like I have to thank Chase for the slight influences of The Mars Volta & probably Muse too...
The Black Eyed Peas might have come from Amanda Dalton-- esp: "Don't Lie" on Monkey Business. Holy 2005. Gosh what a timeless album with so many hits!!!
Kelly Clarkson is another guilty pleasure--like Pink, she relates to me. The summer I started dating David, I use to blast Pink with the windows down and try to sing along every time we were hungover. Not only did he put up with that, he encouraged me: "Oh, whoa babe I think you hit that note!" bahaha
KORN-reminds me of so many feelings.. feeling like a fool inside haha, like that one time we were all on our way to the Korn concert, and freaking Korn comes on the radio and they asked me who it was and I had no idea. I've come a long way since then. (How can you not recognize JD's voice?! I slap my face still to this day for that one)
"Diary of Jane" -- classic Breaking Benjamin. These guys scream Nick Jacobs to me. I personally think that I underrate these guys!
Seriously though, what ever happened to Akon? lol
Gwen Stafani & No Doubt!! These guys are so good, they do have that one song that just kills me. I need more of them in my life!
BECAUSE WHEN I ARRIVE I BRING THE FIRE!!!! "LET IT ROCK!" Makes me happy, every time!!
Slipknot, "Wait and Bleed" gets me so freaking excited!! Like Ashlei Hazelton going to a Chevelle concert excited.. [speaking of Chevelle :X-- totally lost the V to "Send the Pain Below" <- LOL] Anyway, I have a whole new appreciation for Slipknot thanks to Justin Clark. They use to scare me to be honest haha. But seriously, how beautiful is "Snuff" and "Vermillion"?! I should have gotten into them a lot sooner.
Alice In Chains: LONG STORY for another time.
Of course, how can I mention all this music and forget about my most favorite: A Lily Gray! Of course I might be slightly bias, but that first time I went to see them in concert I was hooked, and how lucky am I to marry the hunk that sings for them!? ;)

This just skims the surface, I have to do another shuffle night because that was fun! Thanks for staying tuned ;). I want to hear your musical experiences!!