I Am A Child Of God

YES!  It finally worked!  I have been able to create a movie compiled of pictures of my awesome kiddos, set to the amazing music of one of my favorite a capella groups!

I Am A Child Of God ... by InsideOut

If you don't know my kids (or care to see their pictures), please at least listen to this beautiful song.  It is a hymn from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and the message is my favorite part of the song.  We are ALL children of our Father in Heaven and He wants for us to return "to live with him someday."  The original hymn is very nice by itself, but this a capella version is BY FAR my favorite version and quite possibly my favorite spiritual song ever!

I hope you like it.

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Six Pack: Whitney Houston

Not much I can say here that hasn't already been said.  A true legend has left us and we mourn her loss.
Herewith are my Six Pack of favorite songs performed by Whitney Houston:

I Wanna Dance With Somebody

I Will Always Love You

One Moment In Time

The Star Spangled Banner

Saving All My Love For You

I'm Your Baby Tonight

My lack of commentary on each song is my version
of a "moment of silence" for the departed.

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Hard To Handle

It's Flashback Friday time!

Hard To Handle ... by the Black Crowes

It is hard to believe this song is over two decades old!  From the guitar riffs to the a capella chorus, this song rocks!  I remember the first time I heard this song and how it took me a few times to figure out the speed lyrics:
     Boys come along a dime by the dozen
     That ain't nothing but ten cent lovin'
     Hey little thing let me light your candle
     'Cause mama I'm sure hard to handle, now,
     Gets around

I still love singing along to that part of the song!  Today was "hard to handle" which was the inspiration for the song.  Good times are just around the bend though!  =)

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Love Song In The Making

You can read my regular blog HERE if you want to know why I'm super excited about sharing this post (and corresponding song) with you.  But for this blog, the following introduction will suffice:

One of my former team members at Progressive (Ryan Walter) is quite an accomplished and talented guitar player.  He is actually a part of a local group called the Martini Shot Band, which has performed hundreds of times in Pueblo, Colorado Springs, and several times in Denver as well.  Long story short, he introduced me to some of the band's music and several of their songs are now among my all time favorites.  This is one of them.

Love Song In The Making ... by Martini Shot Band

The video linked above is my own creation !  I am not super proud of it and in no way think it is very well done.  But it's my creation and is filled with pictures from our (my wife and I) recent cruise.  My favorite part of the song though is in the middle section when my buddy Ryan gets to do a pretty cool guitar solo.  The chords that scale upwards to a crescendo of some fancy string picking are just fun to listen to ... and even more fun to see Ryan play in person!

I hope you like the song and the video ...

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Dizzy

Back in the day (which means the late 80's and early 90's for me), while I was living in Greeley, CO. there was a period of about two years when I listened heavily to "oldies" music (tunes from the 1950's and 1960's).  There were only a handful of stations from Denver that broadcast all the way up to Greeley (with decent enough reception to hear anyway).  One of those stations was KOOL105 and it was ... all oldies ... all the time.

That's just a backdrop for my love of "classic rock 'n roll" but other than that is completely unrelated to the reason for today's posted song.

Dizzy ... by Tommy Roe

This song represents today because ...
I have literally been feeling dizzy all day long!

Apparently, one of the possible after effects of a cruise is dizziness due to partially clogged ear canals, etc.  Whatever is causing the dizziness is irrelevant to me ... I just want it to end!  It did, however, provide me an easy excuse to introduce some "old" music to this blog.

I really dig this tune because love (or a crush) can make you feel dizzy sometimes so it's truthful.  The best songs are timeless and this one certainly qualifies.

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Everyday

Another possible theme for this Theme Song Blog is what I like to call a Two-fer Tuesday.  Here's how it will work:
 - I will pick two songs with the same title (hopefully I like both of them)
 - I will post both song links and share my thoughts on each
 - Then YOU can vote which one is better.
 - Keep in mind: Both songs may not be the same tune, but just share the same title.  Today's offering is an example of that sort of situation.

Everyday ... by Dave Matthews Band

One of my favorite parts of this song has to be the video, starring Judah Friedlander.  He is, of course, now a regular on the NBC tv show "30 Rock" but this was the first thing I'd ever seen him in.  The video perfectly honors the main refrain "All you need is love" from the song.  The tune itself is just okay in my opinion (except for the awesome chorus), but the video makes it a big winner in my book.

Everyday ... by Phil Collins

Oddly enough, the official video for this song is actually one of my least favorite things about it.  In this case, it is the music itself that I love the most.  The keyboard / piano introduction (which is way to quiet in this video) to the song is classicly beautiful, and (unlike most PC tunes) the drums play only a supporting role for the beat of the tune.  The words "I can't stop thinking about you.  It seems my life's worth nothing without you" contradict his hopeful refrain that "everyday I say I'll try to make my heart be still."  Poetry in music!

So now it's your turn to VOTE.  Simply comment below with which song you like better, and why (if you like).  I'd love to hear your thoughts on either song ... or you could suggest "same title" songs for me to consider doing in future posts.

Thanks for playing!

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On My Way Home

Time for a "Memory Monday" post ... which will also double as my last Caribbean Cruise-related post.  That's right, today we're on the way back to Colorado Springs, CO from the eastern coast of Florida.

On My Way Home ... by Enya

The "memory" here is from my missionary days in Los Angeles, CA (all the way on the other coast of the United States).  This song had come out just before I went on my mission (late 1995) and I knew it would be one of my theme songs for the last month or so of that two-year mission.  Indeed, I listened to it almost every night that last month, as I prepared to return "to the world" from my spiritual sabbatical.

I like the lyrics "On my way home, I'll remember ... all the best days."  I have reflected on those words many times in my life, especially when I have been away from "home" for a few days or more.  Travelling is fun and provides great memories and experiences, but coming home is great in its own way too.

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No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems

Country music seems to have a better connection with being lazy hanging around on a beach somewhere than any pop music out there.  So here's Day Four of our cruise, as inspired by Kenny Chesney.

No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems
... by Kenny Chesney

Where else, besides a beach, can you go shoeless and shirtless and still get service?  Oh that's right, on a cruise ship !!!  I've always loved this song, especially the relaxed feeling like you and your friends just gathered around a campfire with a guitar and started singing about the day.  Oddly, the violins (or fiddles if you're really sticking to the "country" theme) seem completely appropriate on a beach or the deck of a cruise ship.  Ahhhhhhh ... this relaxing (in the Gulf of Mexico today) is NICE !!!  :)

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Six Pack: Jack Johnson

I love me some Jack Johnson.  He enjoyed some critical and popular success in the early 2000's but most of his stuff that I really love are not those "popular" songs.  His music is a perfect complement to our Caribbean Cruise (which is on Day 3 today).

Herewith is a "Six Pack" of my (current) favorite Jack Johnson songs:

#6.  Upside Down
Great messages in this one ... "I'll share this love I've found with everyone" and "Who's to say what can't be found?"  Plus the video is cool with Curious George and all.  =)

#5.  Taylor
This OFFICIAL video is hilarious, with a cameo by Ben Stiller.  But I like the song for the lyrics: "Sometimes he thinks he's on his way, but I can see ... that his brake lights are on."  And later on "If Taylor finds a better world.  Taylor's gonna run away."  The song itself is HERE if you don't want the Ben Stiller comedic version.

#4.  Flake
This song (along with Bubble Toes) was what propelled JJ into the national spotlight, and rightly so as this tune has a unique sound, especially with the split-personality mood change 3/4 of the way into the song.  I also love the lyrics "It seems to me that maybe, pretty much always means no."  My oldest son busted that out on me when I kept telling him "maybe" about getting a frog as a pet.  He still has no frog.  =)

#3.  You And Your Heart
After the release of the very mellow (too mellow if you ask me) Sleep Through The Static in 2008, I kinda forgot about JJ for a little while.  Then I heard this song on the radio and immediately went out and bought the CD.  The relentless, yet relaxed rhythm is the signature sound of Jack Johnson.  Welcome back!

#2.  Mudfootball
The picture at left represents the kind of "boys will be boys ... playing football" theme of this song.  I'm too old to enjoy it now, but there was a time when romping through the mud playing football was pretty much a perfect day in my life!


#1.  Better Together
By now you should realize that most of the music I love reminds me of my wonderful wife Karen or of times we have spent together.  I can honestly say that the best times I have had in this life were always better when Karen and I have been together!  =)  Love you Pretty Lady!

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Good To Go To Mexico

Good day and welcome to Day Two of our Cruise through the Caribbean!  Once again it takes a great song from a country artist to capture the essence of this day of the trip.

Good To Go To Mexico ... by Toby Keith

This afternoon we left Key West, Florida and we're

good to go to Mexico

... Cozumel, Mexico that is!

Some folks judge a singer by ALL of their music, and as such, artists who put their own feelings into songs (like TK does) often lose fans.  But those fans (mostly critics or what I like to call "music snobs") are missing out on some great music to live by!  This song is some of that "great music!"

I'm a sucker for any song that starts out as though it's being played on an old phonograph or record player!  I've yet to hear a song start out that way and not end up simply amazing.  This tune is catchy and perfectly captures my mood today, especially considering our upcoming Jeep Tour of Cozumel!  :)

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Where The Boat Leaves From

It would have been near sacrilegious

to NOT choose this song to represent

our first day on our Caribbean Cruise!  =)

Where The Boat Leaves From
... by The Zac Brown Band

That's right!  Karen and I are on our cruise and the boat leaves from Miami, Florida ... so we're loading on today and setting sail for Key West and then Cozumel, Mexico!

I love the Zac Brown Band and could have easily done a Six-Pack of favorite songs from just their first CD!  Check it out sometime, but honestly, if you listen to country music at all, you've already heard almost every song on that first CD!  Because they were all soooooo good!

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Only Wanna Be With You

Today Karen and I are flying out to Miami, Florida and tomorrow we'll be going on our first cruise ever!  This song was selected (over many that involve airplanes) because it represents my excitement in being able to spend the next 6 days (today included) with JUST MY WIFE !!!  =)

Only Wanna Be With You
... by Hootie and the Blowfish

It is never easy in a marriage (or any relationship) to find time to just be alone together.  Life moves on and "other things" naturally become a bigger priority (kids, work, extended family, church, etc.), if only for specific events that MUST be attended to.  To paraphrase a line from the movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" ... Life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it.  This certainly applies to a marriage, especially that one-on-one relationship with your spouse.  So many couples break up after the kids move away or the breadwinner(s) retire.  That's often because the couple didn't invest enough time in their relationship during the marriage and now these two people have to "fall in love" all over again.  Little pockets of one-on-one time (or huge chunks like this vacation) can keep that from happening ... or at least that's what we're striving for!  =)

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