music that speaks to you

today's challenge is: 5 songs that speak to you or bring back memories. 

i love music so much. i think i could have come up with a list of 50 songs that speak to me or bring back memories but sadly 50 songs will not fit in today's blog post, so i followed the rules and stuck with 5.

walking by - something corporate
i saw something corporate for the first time in 2002 and was hooked ever since, some may say obsessed. my love for something corporate quickly passed over to jack's mannequin when andrew mcmahon decided to make this his new project. and now over a decade later i am still able to enjoy andrew's new music. those who know me well know that any of andew's dozens and dozens of songs could have made this list and i don't really know why i chose this specific one except to say that it certainly speaks to me.

chariot - gavin degraw
this song brings back so many memories of my oldest and dearest friend. it's one of those songs where not just one memory comes back to you but floods of so many different memories. i still wish i could find that picture of us dancing to this song at junior prom ;)

you are the best thing - ray lamontagne
college. my senior year. my poor roommate had to listen to me play this constantly. although, who am i kidding? she love ray just as much as i do...she introduced me to him!


happiness - the fray
it's hard for me to rank my favorite artists (after andrew mcmahon, of course). they all are kind of just in a long line of all being my favorite. the fray especially. and in the summer of 2009, andrew mcmahon and the fray made this girl extremely happy by going on tour together. it was a dream!

rosalita - bruce springsteen
born and raised in NJ this song reminds me of nothing other than home, friends, and summertime.
windows down .. bruce on.

this is water

this challenge was for yesterday but i am a day late! i think you will like it anyway.

this speech is from a few years ago but i saw it for the first time last week and it struck a chord with me. ever since i transferred schools in college i have tried to be more positive. not necessarily one of those people who always has a huge annoying smile on their face .. but someone who always tries to see the silver lining in a negative situation. and during these past few years i have come across many people who do the exact opposite of what i have been trying to do: always see the negative. in everything.

i was really happy finding this video and i hope you will take something from it.

like jasper from twilight

another post from the blog every day in may challenge. 

when i saw what today's topic would be, i wasn't sure if i had anything to write about. then it was one of those moments where in the middle of the night something just comes into your head. so here is the thing that someone told me that i will never forget:

in college, i was involved in so many clubs and activities. many of them were leadership roles and peer education type organizations. there was always a lot of positive reinforcement exercises. in one group we were going around giving each other positive affirmations and when it came to my turn someone said,

"i love being around britta because she is like my own personal jasper from twilight.

she always knows how to calm everyone's nerves and make people feel relaxed."

at first i was confused. but then i realized that was such a huge compliment. making other people feel comfortable has always been something i strive for and hearing that i have the ability to do that made me feel really proud! even though it was said in a very creative way ;)

dear mother nature

dear trimester 1: you're done! exams are graded. final grades are in. i am officially done with you...and on to the next. dear paris: i am so proud of you for finally going back to school! your first week of classes is done and i couldn't be happier for you! keep up the hard work :) dear next week: please be kind. i'm going on an overnight field trip with my students to see some sea turtles and their eggs. i am more than excited but please have everyone survive in one piece! (including myself). dear mother nature: i don't mind the rain everyday, in fact i kind of like it. but can it please wait until after the school day ends! being that all of our "hallways" are outside makes it kind of hard not to get wet when changing classrooms. dear katherine: thanks so much for having me on your blog (sense)story perception this week! you can check out my writer of the week interview here and my guest post here. enjoy!

another list

i thought i would take part in another post from the blog every day in may challenge.

a list of some of my favorite blog posts from my archives.

you would think a list would be easy. but honestly, this took me forever.

and these are only just some of my favorite posts.

i hope you enjoy them as much as i do!

sunsets on the beach

volcanoes are for the morning

the best macaroni salad

in the olden days

reminiscing