Dancing Shoes

“Where words fail, music speaks.” - Hans Christian Anderson

Hi, my name is Kim and I am a total music junkie.  I’m shameless when it comes to admitting to my music addiction.  I spend way too much of my disposable income downloading songs on I-tunes.  I still love to make mix CD’s for my friends & myself. I prefer to have control of the radio station selection(s) when I am in the car (whether I am driving or not!).  And, I am embarrassed to admit how many conversations I’ve had with many different people debating the best movie soundtrack (BTW, I’ve got many strong opinions to the answer to that very important question).

You simply can’t argue what a good song can do to a scene in a movie.  It can elevate its emotion & feeling significantly.  Recall these scenes & tell me the songs chosen didn’t make them Oscar-worthy:

Urban Cowboy – When Bud (John Travolta) goes home with Pam (Madolyn Smith Osborne), leaving Sissy (Debra Winger) alone with the mechanical bull & her longneck beer at Gilley’s.  As Bud looks out of Pam’s penthouse window, staring at the Houston skyline, Boz Scaggs’ “Love Look What You’ve Done to Me” is playing in the background.  <Bud, I’ll tell you what love has done to you!  It’s altered your decision-making ability.  You need to leave that tramp’s apartment & book it back to your trailer & Sissy & the tuna casserole your aunt made y’all for dinner.> 

Notting Hill – When Anna (Julia Roberts) leaves town, poor William (Hugh Grant) wanders aimlessly around Notting Hill, looking lost & confused.  Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” lets us know exactly how he’s feeling.  <Thankfully, when Anna returns to town & visits his bookstore, she clears things up by letting him know that she’s just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.>

Love, Actually – When Karen (Emma Thompson) unwraps a CD from her husband, Harry (Alan Rickman) – not the heart pendant necklace like she thought (cause he gave that to his secretary), she gracefully excuses herself from the room to go freshen up.  We next see her crying her eyes out as Joni Mitchell sings, “Both Sides Now.” <There’s just something about a Joni Mitchell song that makes me feel so melancholy.  My heart aches for Karen every time I watch this scene.  Which I have done – over & over – because I own the DVD.  I own the DVD because I love the soundtrack.  It’s an endless cycle, y’all.>

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to you to know that I have already started planning out the soundtrack of my life – just in case a movie is ever made! 

My Life Soundtrack (which is, clearly, going to be a multi-disc set)

Opening Scene – Lovely Day – Bill Withers

It’s my favorite song of all time!  It’s only fitting that my blockbuster starts with it.  I envision myself swaggering down the street (remember John Travolta in Staying Alive?!), nodding my head at all the pretty people I pass along the way.  That’s just an idea.

Grammar School – Let’s Get Physical! – Olivia Newton John

When I was in the 4^th grade, I performed a dance/exercise routine to this song in my school’s (OLL) talent show.  Wearing a bright blue Smurf jogging suit.  And a sweatband around my head.  Need I say more?  Seriously, I can’t make this stuff up. <If you’re having a hard time visualizing this, think back to the final scene of Little Miss Sunshine.  Omit Superfreak and insert Let’s Get Physical!  She was me & I was that short, awkward – but determined – little girl with a sweatband around her head.>

Junior High – Let’s Wait Awhile – Janet Jackson

At the time of king cake parties & junior high dances, when most of my friends were beginning to get experience kissing/making out with boys they were “going with”, I was constantly singing this profound Janet Jackson hit in my head.  There’s was NO WAY I was going to be caught alone in the bathroom with any boy who wanted to stick his tongue down my throat.  I thought it was because Janet told me to wait a while, before it’s too late.  Call me crazy, but I’m thinking there was another HUGE reason I didn’t want or need the same experience that my friends did playing 7 Minutes in Heaven. 

College - <Insert Any Indigo Girls Song Here> - Indigo Girls

During my sophomore year, the Indigo Girls announced that they were coming in concert to USM.  My roommate, Aimee, and I were so excited that we decided to camp out for tickets the night before they went on sale.  We donned our flannel shirts, hiking boots and, even, brought along an acoustic guitar (even though neither of us could play it).  We parked ourselves on the steps outside of the Hub on campus and waited all night.  We were giddy about the possibility of getting front row seats to see the Girls!  Interestingly enough, no one else camped out.  No one else, actually, even bothered showing up to the ticket office the next morning when it opened.  We had our pick of any seat in the house.  It’s a good thing we camped out.  

Meeting Sarah – Hello, I Love You! – The Doors

I knew the very moment I met Sarah that my life was changing forever.  It sounds so completely cliché, but it really was sorta like an out-of-body experience.  One of my college roommates was marrying Sarah’s brother and we were both asked to be bridesmaids in the wedding.  Despite the fact that the bride & groom had been dating since high school, Sarah & I had never met – so we were set to meet at the altar on the night of the rehearsal.  We were introduced & started talking – and talked and talked through the night until 6 a.m. on the wedding day.   It was as if we were old friends reunited and had a lifetime of catching up to do.  I wanted to know everything about her.  And still do.  I am so lucky that I am here and she is here and we’re still talking.

Giving Birth to N&B – I Knew I Loved You (Before I Met You) – Savage Garden

The night before I was scheduled to go home from the hospital after giving birth to N & B, my pediatrician decided to let B spend the night on the jaundice bed for phototherapy to help decrease his bilirubin levels.  If you’re not familiar with this or haven’t seen one recently, these beds now have the light underneath and the newborn lays naked on it.  The baby is then zipped into a little sack (so they don’t move too much or get too cold) but their entire body is on the table and exposed to the light.  So, B’s 5 lb 11 oz squirrel body was zipped in to that contraption for the night.  If you’ve ever met B, it’s probably not hard to fathom how he felt about this decision.  He yelped, he squirmed, he shivered & shook.  That night, as I watched my new precious baby boy fret I lost a small chunk of my sanity.  (It didn’t help that I was already sleep deprived.  Or that my hormones had just taken a nose dive off the reality cliff.)  Nonetheless, I got my C-section stitched-up self out of the bed, pulled a chair up to his table/bed & held his little hand.  I wanted him to know I was there.  I held it all night long.  And, again, didn’t sleep a wink myself.  By the time the sun came up & Sarah woke up from the window-seat bed she had made for herself, she found me still at B’s side, a slobbering, blubbering hot mess.  It was my first dose of the potent elixir: What We Do for Our Children.  These two little creatures had been placed in my arms for the first time just hours before, but I’m pretty sure my heart had been waiting for them my entire life.

Bringing the Twins Home – Help! - The Beatles

Do I really need to explain this song selection?  :-)

Sarah Giving Birth to K – Push It! – Salt & Pepa

Sarah had to be induced in to labor because it was already a week past her due date & K wasn’t in any hurry to join us!  (Which is hilarious because the kid skipped crawling and has been RUNNING his entire life).  Of course I was absolutely elated about having a new baby & was ridiculously excited for him to be here – so I was ready for the induction to “kick in” and labor to begin.  Well, it began alright.  And for 22 hours we labored (Sarah did do most of the work, but I was there, too, you know!).  Finally, between 3 & 4 am, my baby boy entered this world – not because HE wanted to, but because his mommas & amazing doc forced him to join us. 

Today – 1. Jesus Take the Wheel – Carrie Underwood

We have 3 boys under the age of 3.  They’re all the same size – which makes it hard to distinguish who’s who when they’re in the middle of a wrestling match.  They have approximately 1,327 Thomas the Train toys, yet they all want to play with the same one – which causes a lot of wrestling matches.  If Sesame Street is on TV, they elbow each other to get as close to the TV screen as possible – which is a great segue in to a new wrestling match.  If M&M’s are ever dished out, everyone needs to be given the same exact number – or a wrestling match will occur.  They like to race each other up & down the halls in our house.  Running as fast as they can, despite the presence of a wall or door frame or recliner or table.  Someone new taking the lead in this 50 yard dash often leads to a wrestling match.  Do you sense a pattern here?  Hence: I sing to myself, time & time again, “Jesus Take the Wheel.” 

Today – 2. In My Life – The Beatles

I joke a lot about the boys & how chaotic life is these days with 3 this close in age.  But, the truth is: I wouldn’t have it any other way.  I am having a blast!  I fall in to bed each night spent & absolutely exhausted, but with new stories & memories filed away that are usually funnier or sweeter than those from the day before.  There’s never a dull moment and the excitement and noise and clutter and chaos means WE’RE ALIVE AND LIVING!  I really am a better person because of my family.  I smile more.  I have more belly laughs.  I say thank you a lot more.  I think more, especially about being a person they can look up to & admire.  I work harder at being a good partner to Sarah.  I hug tighter & longer.  I love more.  “In My Life” by The Beatles is at the top of my favorite songs list and will undoubtedly be featured in my film.  “There are places I remember/All my life, though some have changed/Some forever, not for better/Some have gone and some remain/All these places have their moments/With lovers and friends I still can recall/Some are dead and some are living/In my life I loved them all.”

I begin my 60 mile journey in exactly one week. I have already surpassed my fundraising goal of $2,300 – THANK YOU!  I already have butterflies in my stomach in anticipation of seeing Cati & Alice and the rest of our team next Thursday night.  I can’t wait to update you all on our adventures & progress over the 3 days.  And, when I return I am pretty sure I’ll have a few new songs to add to my life’s soundtrack.  Thanks for listening!

Xoxo,

Kim