Remember When...

It's so crazy that such a vital phase of our life is nearly over. I mean, Colorado has given us so much! A Ph.D., two Master's Degree's, 3 jobs, three residences, our first home, countless friends, innumerable memories, and of course, our two beautiful children and their birth-families.

And now we are 21 days away from leaving it all behind us for a new adventure in New Mexico.

So, come and reminisce with Nick and I as we share some, perhaps, lesser known memories.

Remember when...

We moved to Colorado and didn't have a couch so we walked around AFW (aka The Mecca) and sat in these little beauties for a couple weeks until our couches were delivered (and we had a landline)?

We took that hike up the flatirons but only got halfway before your pants ripped in a very inconvenient place and then I had to hike down in front of you so other hikers wouldn't see...anything?

Someone spray painted this lovely message on the garages outside our window (and when this was our view)?

Our rice cooker lid shattered and it looked happy about it?

We played racquetball all the time and you gave me a black eye (and when I had acne so bad I looked like I had chicken pox)?

I took random, "useless" pictures of you...a lot?

We were totally captivated with the Colorado sky (and still are)?

 We went to those Valentine's Dances for grown ups?

We went to like 5 Rockies games in one summer while I was in grad school and we thought a dude with crazy earrings in was worth a picture (and now it's not even worth a second glance)?

We had two cars and they both broke down the same week we moved?

I somehow convinced you to use your finger to desecrate one of our nation's most honored landmarks and presidents?

I used to work with these kiddos everyday?

My making descent food was actually worthy of a picture because it happened so infrequently?

I was a woman of business and wore clothes like this?

 

Our patio looked like this?

You had to do those shifts at the observatory that were so fun and so cold?

We met Gertrude and Helga?

Our new fridge broke and we had to buy a new one only to find out the old one's problem was that the door didn't close all the way (gosh I loved that fridge)?

All our kid stuff fit into one tiny corner (and we owned and had space for a desk)?

Hope you all enjoyed that waltz down memory lane with us -- I know I did! Have I mentioned we are really going to miss Colorado??

Piglet's Adoption Story, Part 3

***I know I never finished Alexa's adoption story, or at least it's been quite sometime since the last installment, and even more time since the first installment, so bear with me because these last two parts are the best parts of the story!***

...but this was a good start, and we knew it.

So we went home after meeting Ray and Melissa for the first time feeling good, but not trying to get overly excited as our hearts were still aching from the Hayley and Hannah situation which was still very fresh on our minds and hearts. We decided, however, that at bare minimum we needed a crib and a carseat which we ordered from Walmart since Melissa's tentative due date was still two weeks away.

That meeting was February 11, 2011, and it wasn't really until February 13th that we really let ourselves believe this was really happening, and it wasn't until the 16th that we decided to pack hospital bags and leave them in the car, just in case something did happen early.

On February 15, 2011, Nick and I expressed these thoughts in our daily journal respectively:

"As the prospect of having a baby looms larger over our lives right now, it's both an exciting and stressful time." 

"As our daughter's birth draws closer, I am growing more nervous that something is bound to go wrong."

On February 17th I was working late (because I knew I'd be out for a while, even if I hadn't told my boss or co-workers to avoid a false-alarm fiasco again) and my phone rang. I assumed it was Nick because he was also still at work and just letting me know he was on his way home. I was wrong. It was our case worker, and when I answered he asked me "Are you ready? Because it's time. They're at the hospital." My stomach leaped right into me throat and immediately got that "her water just broke" kind of panic in my demeanor. 

I called Nick...no answer. So I called again while I was fumbling around my cubicle turning things off and putting things in piles so others could easily find what I'm referring to when they call me and ask me questions....no answer again. So I called again when I was running out of the office to the car and as I drove away from my job for, I was hoping, at least 6 weeks...still no answer. So I called again as I'm driving down the freeway towards our house trying to remain calm that my husband won't answer his phone and our baby maybe being delivered right then...and still no answer! I think I called a total of 13 times before he called me back at which point I was able to tell him that our daughter was coming, and we have a 2 hour drive to make and what are we going to do?! I was nearly hyperventilating from excitement and nervous energy. 

During that two hours we talked about names for our baby (it was between Natalie, Grace, or Alexa), the fact that we didn't have a carseat (the one we ordered hadn't arrived yet), and that had I gotten pulled over while driving like a maniac on the way to the house I would have had a really hard time convincing the officer that I was going to pick up my husband to take him to the hospital so we could be there for our daughter's birth. We also called our family and our bosses, but nothing seemed to fill the time enough. And yet when we got to the hospital it seemed like we could have used another 5 hours in the car to prepare ourselves. I don't care when you become a parent, I bet it seems like you're not prepared.

We got there a bit after 9pm, and we met Ray and Melissa for only the second time up in the hospital room. They were so respectful and allowed us to make the decisions on immunizations and they made sure every nurse knew who we were and why we were there. It was overwhelming how committed they were to this decision they had made. Melissa invited both of us to be in the delivery room for the birth, which I eagerly agreed to do, and Nick hesitated to do because he didn't want to make Melissa uncomfortable...well, more uncomfortable anyway. What another incredible gift they were giving to us when we know they would have been totally justified in not giving it at all!

As Melissa's contractions increased, we did our best to pass the time by talking and learning more about each other, although I don't really remember what we talked about. I do remember, however, that every time Melissa had a contraction I tensed up really bad, gripped Nick's hand, and felt so guilty that she had to go through all that pain just so I could be a Mom. It wasn't fair and I wished I could have taken it all away! Oh, I felt so guilty!

Her big contractions seemed to last a long time, but I think she was in active labor for an hour and a half. It was so late at that point, around 1am, and we were all so tired, but Melissa kept pushing (and asking for more drugs). Just before Alexa was born, there was a swarm of nurses and doctors around Melissa, but once I heard that little cry, and once I saw her tiny little body my stomach jumped up into my throat and she was mine. My little girl had just been born!

***Click here to read the concluding portion of Alexa's adoption story!***

Failed Adoption, Remembered Blessings

I've written about our failed adoption before in very little detail here and here, but this is the first post in which I have used names or pictures, of course with pertinent party's permission. My guess is I have a couple more posts in regards to this experience up my sleeve in the future.

Every night, just before we read scriptures together and go to sleep for the night, Nick and I write in our Blessing Book, which is a joint daily journal where we record one way we've each seen the hand of the Lord in our lives that day. Tuesday night, just after writing in it about scheduling our first couple of home study interviews, a flood of memories of anxiety and anticipation came rushing back in my mind. I opened up our previous, completed book and it fell open to the following entry:

December 30, 2010

[Nick's Entry] Today we drove to Roseburg and met Hayley, Hannah, and their family. We were at their home for nearly 4.5 hours. We talked about our feelings about adoption and parenting, played with Hannah, ate lunch, and had a wonderful time. I got to hold Hannah while she slept for about 90 min. She is a beautiful little girl and if it's right we would love to have her as a part of our family. We were very impressed with Hayley's parents and siblings as well. The meeting generally went as well as we could have hoped. We are still waiting for Hayley to decide, but we already feel close to Hayley, Hannah, and the whole family.

[My Entry] There were some really tender moments today while talking about open adoption and what we really want for our children. We want them to know they are loved tremendously, which is why they were placed for adoption. It was clear that assertion gave Hayley and her mother, Jesse, a lot of peace. They are such a good family and I hope and pray that over the coming years we get to stay in contact with them no matter what. They are dear people and it would be an honor to have them in our family and us in theirs. It is comforting to know that whatever happens Hannah will have a wonderful life.

 Hannah and Hayley on the day we met.

I continued to read, and read, and read. I was captivated by my own story, like it was from another person in another time and place altogether. All those loving thoughts towards Hayley, Hannah, and their family came rushing back into my mind, and I sincerely missed them. I missed the connectedness I felt with them as we went through the crazy ups and downs of that particular adoption experience. And then, in an extremely familiar way, I longed for our next child, and then in a not so familiar way, I longed for the relationship we will have with their birth family. That was a new and exciting feeling!

We don't have a daughter named Hannah, but we do love a little girl named Hannah almost as if she was our own, because for about 24 hours in our hearts and minds, she was going to be. It was so easy to fall in love with her, Hayley, and their family. Hayley and I still exchange emails every couple of months (so grateful for those), we're friends on Facebook so we can see pictures of Hannah being amazing, and we follow each others' blogs to keep up on each others' lives.

As for Hannah, just as I said she would, she has such a wonderful life with her mom, aunt, uncles, and grandparents. Even though that experience was very hard, stressful, and caused a lot of intense work-out sessions (I guess that's not so bad), I wouldn't change that experience for the world. Hannah and Hayley continue to touch and change our lives for the better, and they are so loved and honored in our home, and will be forever.

Hayley and I have even talked about having a playdate with our girls, so I hope someday we can still pull that off. Trip to Alaska, anyone??

I Can Do Hard Things

I was originally going to make this post concerning a week I spent with Alexa, on my own, as Nick was at a conference in California. I felt good at the end of that week! I had done a lot of things I wasn't sure I could do, and I wanted to brag about it. And while the title of the post remains true, I would like to take this conversation to another place.

A place of humility instead of pride.

A place that I wish to take my little sister, Suzy, as she is about to embark on fulfilling a call from God to serve a mission in the Texas Houston area, come November 16th.

I want her, and all of you, to know that we, as children of a divine creator, can do hard things. I can do hard things. Before I ever think about retreating from something, I say this mantra to myself, and then re-evaluate. If it is not necessary that's one thing, but those things are not to what I am referring. I am saying I can do hard things that God wants me to do because he will make me capable to do them. 

 Just after Nick and I got engaged, and just after we decided to begin our family we read this speech given by Elder Jeffery R. Holland, one of the Lord's disciples on the earth today, in which he said 

"Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For you have need of patience that after ye have done the will of God, ye receive the promise...We are are not of them that draw back into perdition...I think that is to say, sure it's tough, that is the way it has always been...Don't panic and retreat. Don't lose your confidence. Don't forget how you once felt. Don't distrust the experience you had."

I think about the experiences in my life that have given me the most cause for retreating. My first year in college was one, and my trial with infertility has been another. In both cases there was so much adversity that I doubted God remembered me at all, let alone had my best interests at heart. And both times I had experiences that proved those times of doubt completely false! And both times I received rewards for my continued efforts that I could never have imagined!

My pleading call to my little sister today is to always remember how much God loves you! Always remember and hold tightly onto the experiences you have had that testify of that truth to your heart! Always remember that no matter how hard life gets, now and forever, that as a beloved daughter of an almighty Father, you can do hard things! Always remember that "after you have gotten the message, after you have paid the price to feel his love and hear the word of the Lord, 'go forward.' Don't fear, don't vacillate, don't quibble, don't whine." The hard things you can do are completely worth their reward!

God is not cheap in his gift-giving like some of our relatives...you know who you are! ;)

Be strong, kid-o. Everything in life from here on out is going to be hard because you are doing good things and The Adversary wants to destroy good as often as He can. But always remember, you can do hard things! I love you so much, Suzy! You make everyone in our family so proud because of all the good that you do and the joy and hope you give to each of us as you daily remind us that we can all do hard things!

Just in case you'd rather not read the talk, this YouTube video gives highlights. Enjoy!

***One last, seemingly unrelated thought. Jen, our sister, gave me some advice before I left for BYU that I will never forget. She told me "People are the most important." More than anything else, how we treat others is a testament to how we live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. More than  getting somewhere on time, more than getting work done, and even more than our own personal path of perfection. People, God's children, are His greatest glory, and they should be ours, too. That piece of advice has served me well, so I thought I would pass it along to you.***

 I'm excited to hear about all the good, hard things you will do in the mission field! You will be surely missed, though. Perhaps more than I can understand right now. Love you!

Happy 50th Birthday, Mom!

To celebrate your amazingness, we've come up with 50 things we should have thanked you for but probably never did, or at least deserves another Thank You.

Mom, thank you for...

1. all those sleepless nights with me as a baby, especially with all those ear infections.
2. sewing up my Yellow Blankie after years of love and neglect (interesting how those come together).
3. passing on your beautiful smile and hair color to me (could have done without the Gosnell nose, but I'll deal).
4. making me a scrapbook of my childhood and then crying as you finished it while dad and you drove me to BYU.
5. that one time that you packed Judson a dinner of fried chicken because he had been at school all day and didn't have a dinner. It meant a lot to me that you cared so much about my friend.
6. my awesome 18th birthday party and letting my friends and I get into that crazy food fight.
7. letting me play roller hockey even though I was small and had no skill for it at all.
8. not letting me play ice hockey. I probably would have gotten killed.
9. teaching me how to divide using piano keys. Nothing else worked, but octaves, those made sense.
10. encouraging me to learn all those instruments. Seriously, the drums, trumpet, and violin were only the beginning. No wonder you have a hearing loss.

11. getting me a 1/16 size violin and making that drive out to Aumsville many times to get custom-size violins for my miniature body.
12. letting me take private violin lessons for a year...when I was 5...and really didn't need private lessons.
13. listening to "The DAD Song" far too many times!
14. attending so many concerts, recitals, performances, games, and award ceremonies.
15. motivating me to get a hit in softball with slurpees. Totally worked!
16. keeping the house stocked with my favorite things whenever I come home to visit.
17. the packages of Cheez-Its and Hot Tamales you sent to me while in college.
18. buying all those flowery stretch pants that I refused to wear because they were too girly.
19. forcing me to take baths when I really didn't want to between the ages of 4 and 11.
20. allowing me to choose fried chicken, creamed spaghetti, and pink salad for a birthday dinner.

21. allowing me to choose Cinnamon Toast Crunch for my birthday breakfast.
22. decorating my birthday chair with balloons and streamers every year.
23. driving to California for such un-Godly lengths of time while we slept or fought or sang in the back. I tried to watch the road with you once because if you had to do it, so would I. It didn't last.
23. throwing me a clown party for my 4th birthday...I think it was my 4th.
24. trusting me enough to not give me a curfew, and complying without question when I asked for one.
25. making my prom dress even though I was super grouchy when the top was a bit big. I was rude and ungrateful and I'm sorry.
26. passing on your love for music and beautiful voice to me.
27. getting Scripture Scouts. One of your best investments.
28. waking up before seminary to french braid my hair even though you were battling arthritis in your hands and fingers.
29. not taking me back to Super Cuts after the little flappy-hair-mullet incident.
30. allowing me to get a perm--now I know to never make that mistake with my kids! ;)

31. asking the nurse to switch my I.V. to my left hand so I could suck my thumb on my right hand.
32. letting Daddy and us sing Jr. Birdman at the dinner table.
33. putting me in charge of hanging the garland across the dining room doorway at Christmas time.
34. putting me in charge of Cindy and Jen one time when you left us home alone...another thing I know not to do with my kids! ;)
35. letting me choose whether or not to go to the Snowball dance when I was only 14, and then consoling me when my date ditched me at the dance. I learned my lesson.
36. painting that mural on my bedroom wall. All moms need a creative outlet.
37. buying me the more expensive Under Armor undershirt for softball--I still use it fairly often.
38. coming and staying with us to watch Aly when I had to go back to work.
39. hanging onto my wedding dress...I really am going to get that from you soon!
40. essentially planning our reception with Nick's mom. I really shouldn't have put that on you guys, but you accepted and achieved the challenge with grace and it was beautiful.

41. making sure we drank milk at the reception. Classic.
42. seeing that bum outside of 7-11, going home and getting a loaf of bread, and bringing it back to him. He wasn't there, but that bread was just as much for me as it was for him.
43. letting us eat cereal for dinner on occasion. It was probably because you didn't want to make dinner (understandable), but it sure was a lot of fun!
44. not killing us when we would call you at work because of some little squabble we were having at home.
45. not killing us when you were dead on your feet and we all came rushing out to meet you at the car to tell you about a squabble we were having.
46. not killing us.
47. telling me the story of my birth about a billion times. It was my favorite bedtime story.
48. making Nick feel like a member of the family by complimenting him on the way he mixes juice.
49. doing your best to teach me how to cook and sew even though I really didn't want to. Except for slicing, cracking, and boiling eggs. That's always fun.
50. filling my life with far more than 50 things I have to be grateful for.

We love you, Mom, and hope your 51st...I mean 48th...year is the best one yet!

A Temporary Cleansing

Last night before bed I caught myself reading our blessing book entries from back in January.

What? You don't know what a blessing book is? It's our nightly journal where we say at least one thing that happened that we recognized the hand of the Lord in our lives that day.

What? You don't know what happened in January? That was when our failed adoption happened. Those posts seemed like a lifetime ago...and it has only been 6 months!

***Just as a side note, I hate that term: failed adoption. It sounds so bummer-ish and depressing. I'll be brainstorming a new phrase that reflects my feelings about the experience more accurately. TBA***

Back to last night: for the first time since Alexa's birth I kinda longed for that other little girl that I prayed to be ours for months. I had prayed her mom would choose adoption and choose us. Not that I would exchange Alexa, just I wanted them both! How selfish, right?

Well, it's how I felt. And then I told Nick, "I want Aly to have a sister...like now." And then I wanted to get pregnant, like yesterday. And then I felt that twinge of heartache knowing that I couldn't just "do the deed" and have a sister for Aly in me. Of course it's possible, but it hasn't happened in 5 years, and I really try not to get caught up in those thoughts because, even though I'm a mom, they still make me sad.

Those little reminders of my infertility have been hurting more often lately, like friends being pregnant or having baby showers while pregnant. They're reminders of a former life before motherhood, which feels like an eternity ago, and I don't particularly like it. They make me feel ungrateful for the life and experiences I have had because of my infertility. The people I have met and loved and love and will love forever.

So this post is a temporary cleansing of those feelings, because I think they'll creep up again. But for now, I am grateful that to the right of my laptop is a bowl with a little milk leftover from breakfast, a teething ring, an empty bottle, and a dirty receiving blanket. All because of adoption.

And I find myself grateful for my infertility. And my sisters.

1,826 Days and Counting

Boy, we look so different! Most importantly, I think we both feel different since that day. We feel better. Like better versions of those young kids.

Not like 5 years of marriage is enough to age someone significantly, but we really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into 1,826 days ago...but I think that's for the best--he may have backed out!!


You wanna know something? Before we got married I made a list of everytime I got the feeling that this was the right thing to be doing. One of those things on that list was something my mom said to me:

"He respects you as I as I do."

Another was something my sister, Jen, said to me:

"You and him would have a happy and loving home."

Another is something my friend, Rachel (really not me), said to me:

"He is so nice."

Ya know, I think I made the right choice. In fact, I know I did. There are many things my wonderful husband is not, but he has all the important stuff down! He even made a picture slideshow set to the tune of this wonderful song. Talk about a smoothie!

People say that your wedding day is supposed to be the happiest of your life, but I disagree. How can that day compare to last night, watching those pictures on that slideshow of the life we have built together, and then playing with our little nearly 10 week old daughter, and then going to sleep in our home that we have made our own?

If you couldn't guess, they don't even compare. Not even close!

Formspring Question and Answer

Does it still hurt when family or close friends announce they are expecting?

I can only remember a handful of times it did actually hurt, and I remember the first time it didn't anymore. Once I realized that I did not want their baby or happiness, that I was just anxious for my own, it hurt much less. Jealousy is very different than that aching feeling, the latter I think is okay. I ache for our children and want them to be with us everyday, because it's a righteous desire, but not at the expense of another's family or happiness.

This thought has really helped me get perspective: "Who makes us feel that if God is smiling on another, then He surely must somehow be frowning on us? You and I both know who does this—it is the father of all lies." (Elder Holland, The Other Prodigal)

My sister is currently pregnant, and I seriously couldn't be happier for her and her family!! Besides, this means I'll be getting a new adorable niece or nephew soon, (my guess is nephew), and maybe we could provide a playmate for him/her! Yay for families!!

Ask us anything on our Formspring Account

The Sullivan Sisterhood

I grew up in a home with 5 girls, made up of my 3 sisters, myself, and my mom. My dad was severely outnumbered. We had one phone line, no cell phones. We had one bathroom with a very small old school mirror and very little counter space. Somehow, in such a primitive workspace, we managed to make things work. Not without problems, as girls always have something going on. As it would seem though, there is some good news for those who have to bear the burden of sisters everywhere:

Sisters give siblings better mental health, study shows

Thursday Thirteen #21: Advice to My 14-Year Old Self

I stumbled across this post and decided that I have a lot of pointers for my 14-year old self. To give you an idea of where I was at when I was 14, I just started my freshman year of high school and my family and personal life was pretty confusing...as is I imagine for most 14-year olds. I had just been kissed, and dismissed, by my first boy, my middle school friends were doing things I didn't want to do, and I was in a big new school and felt lost and forgotten. Without any further adieu...

1. Let people take pictures of you; you don't always have to be the photographer and you are going to miss out on saving these special memories you are making.

Happy Birthday Rachel!

It's Rachel's birthday today, so...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RACHEL!!!!

This morning she got dressed in her "birthday clothes"...

 And then she got her birthday present...

I love you Rachel.  Have a great day!

An Infertile Love Story

Couples that have difficult experiences, whatever they are, have an opportunity for a blessing. They get to know exactly how their partner feels about them. Not many have that chance, or take that chance even when trials do come. Here is a post from someone else who has experienced a great trial, and it is so clear how close she and her very own Mr. Knightly have become because of it. Inspired by her, and my own storybook romance, I begin a love-letter. It gets gushy, so stop whenever you don't have the stomach for true love...

Dear Mr. Nelson,

Right now (a couple days ago) we are some 34,000 feet up in the air and I'm listening to Michael Buble while you listen to your Wallflowers. Do you remember on our first date how we went to Divine Comedy, then got milkshakes and talked for well over an hour about who knows what, but it was comfortable? Do you remember that we went back to your apartment and started watching The Princess Bride and you fell asleep? I tried to sneak out, because I was so uncomfortable, but only made it as far as the back door until you woke up. We decided to part for the evening and I thought "well this isn't going anywhere, he fell asleep and didn't even walk me to my door." Looking back though, I'm glad you didn't. It would have been awkward and I probably would have tried to shake your hand.



Remember when you proposed and I didn't say anything. At all. For what seemed like minutes (but what was probably only a few seconds). I just couldn't believe it was all happening, and I was trying to remember all the lovely things you had just told me because I realized I should have been paying better attention. I had known what I would say, I just wasn't prepared for the event. How does one prepare for major life events anyway?

Funny the way our life has turned out, huh? We're not where we thought or planned we would be, which makes me believe God has a bigger and better plan for us. We'll keep moving forward though, my arm draped over yours (because that's more comfortable for walking than holding hands), and embrace the life that's waiting for us. Any trial with you is better than any blessing with anyone else. Thanks for choosing me.

Joseph is under that bucket. You were so cute playing with them!

While we're on the topic of gratitude, thanks for killing all the moths that come into our house (you know the moths and I are on bad terms). Thanks for forcing me to buy nice things for myself every once in while, and always supporting me when I go to the store for socks and come back with a new swimsuit, new shoes, and no socks. Thanks for always telling me the story of when you knew you were going to marry me whenever I ask, usually as we're laying in bed and I'm wide awake and you're exhausted. Thanks for always encouraging me to be understanding of my ovaries who are "doing their very best" instead of being angry and frustrated towards my body. Thanks for always reminding me that we are infertile, and it's not my fault (unless I'm intentionally sabotaging our family). Thanks for loving me because of my flaws, and not in spite of them. Thanks for encouraging me to get ready for bed even when I insist that "I'm not sweepy." Thanks for making me laugh everyday.

Thank you for making eternity with you look very promising!

With Twu Wuv,
Your Wife

Fill in the Blank Friday

So I stumbled across this blog and the author plays this game with her readers on Fridays. As I love games, of course I wanted to play! Oh, I want you to play, too! Let me know if you do by posting a comment.

1.  My dream vacation would be I think it would have to be Brazil. Nicholas spent two years there and it looks amazing, the people seem incredible, and what an experience it would be to hit up a soccer game, just to be part of the soccer insanity!

2.  The best trip I've ever taken was either my trip to London with my choir group when I was 11, or any number of the trips I've taken to Oregon since moving away from home. It is simply impossible to choose a favorite/best.

3.  The most important items to take on a road trip are newly burned CDs, Hot Tamales (the candy, obviously), your pillow, and great company!

4.  The next trip I'm looking forward to is a no brainer: TWIN LAKES! Every year Nick's paternal side of the family gets everyone together in Washington for a week in July to play with the boats, chat, and eat amazing food! And we're leaving in only 34 days! Which also happens to be one day after I turn in my final paper for my Master's Degree (perfect timing, I know)! I see some items on my live list getting checked off soon...

5.  If I had to pick one CD to listen to for a long road trip it would be  funny story: the last road trip we took (to Utah) we made some CDs and since Nick was hating on a lot of my music, I made a CD and called it "Don't be a hater!" On that CD I included the following songs (I really am an eclectic listener, so there is a lot of schizophrenic variety here. If you don't know a song, check it out, they're all awesome):

**Not all songs have a link because I either put them in a previous post or I KNOW you've heard them before**

Samson, Regina Spektor

Finiculi Finicula, The Three Tenors

Hate On Me, Jill Scott (I play this when Nick's being ornery)

Smile, Uncle Kracker

Modern Nature, Sondre Lechre

Beauty Mark, Rufus Wainwright

Lovely Rita, The Beatles

The Best Thing, Relient K

Come Go With Me, The Beach Boys

Run and Tell That, Elijah Kelly (from Hairspray)

Train Going South, Peter Breinholt

Single Ladies, Beyonce

She Talks to Angels, Black Crowes

No Doubt at All, Rockapella

Halo, Beyonce

Defying Gravity, Lea Michele (Glee, yeah I love it)

Best Days, Matt White

And I Am Telling You, Amber Riley (Glee, again, love)

Buddy Holly, Weezer

Must Have Done Something Right, Relient K

Girl on the Roof, David Mead

I Know Where I've Been, Queen Latifah (Hairspray, awesome soul)

Got to Get Home, Peter Breinholt

I Got the Sun in the Morning, Kim Criswell (Annie Get Your Gun, this isn't her version which is better, but you get the idea)

(I totally just realized I forgot about She & Him on my CD, In the Sun is GREAT!)

This list would absolutely include Jack Johnson and Michael Buble if I didn't already have entire CDs of their music already in the car at all times. Just FYI. And yes, I did fit all of these onto one CD, because I "you're not hardcore, unless you live hardcore," and fitting 24 songs onto one CD is so hardcore!

6.  The biggest disaster I've ever encountered while traveling  was  nothing immediately comes to mind, but one situation does stand out as particularly miserable, but wonderful memories: 5 people in 5 passenger Mazda Protege; we're all tired, sore, sunburned, and hot; middle of July; no AC; 19 hours. One word to describe: craziness...we were all hating every second of that drive, but misery loves company and we had a great time nonetheless!

7.  My favorite traveling memory is  one of the old school ones, which is pretty good: We were traveling to/in/around Cali to visit family with my grandma sitting in the front seat. The song "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from Mulan came on and when that happens my 3 sisters and I would pump up the tunes and just belt it out! After the song, my grandma said something like "you girls have the prettiest voices" and we're all thinking "uhhh, were you listening to the same border-line screaming horendousness that we were?" 

My grandma also described some spinning hubcaps as "darling"...probably not what the homies were going for. RIP Grandma, we miss you and your unintentional humor!