I don’t feel that old very often, until I start thinking about how long ago things happened.
Nearly eleven years ago, I met Chris. I was 17, and he was 22.
We met through music – he was this awesome and passionate singer/guitar player/pianist/keyboard player/songwriter. I was still a teenager and a good-guitar-player-but-only-in-my-classical-picking-style-so-please-don’t-ask-me-to-strum-niche and a passable-but-nothing-special singer. I was attracted to his personality, his passion for God, AND his musical abilities.
We became friends, then best friends, then started dating (during which he wrote romantic and not-at-all-cheesy songs for me), then got engaged, then got married…all the way through, music was our most common thread – what our relationship always went back to. From playing in a band together, to leading music for our Church’s Junior High Group for many years (which included many date-night practices),
to playing on the Church praise team, to playing around a campfire on camping trips….
It all centered around music.
A few years into our marriage, we went to a very small recording studio and made a rough recording of a few of his original songs. We both played guitar and sang on the recording, so it took quite a while to get it all down. It was a really fun experience – one that neither of us will ever forget.
Then, life got busy, we had a baby, jobs got busy, parenting got busy, our lives started centering around new things, and music faded into the background. We shamefully went over a year without even opening our guitar cases.
Now, music is taking on a different role in our lives, as we pass it on to Ali. Sure – we’re doing a lot more of “Jesus Loves Me” and “If You’re Happy and You Know It” than original compositions, but at least once every couple of weeks, we get out our guitars or sit around the piano with her and teach her to love music as much as we do.
However, I got a bit reminiscent the other day and dug out our sample CD. I played it in the car for Ali to hear, and as much as she is insistent on listening to her music and ONLY her music continuously and without a single stinkin’ break for breathing, she was mesmerized. She kept repeating over and over, “That’s Mommy and Daddy singing. That’s MY Mommy and Daddy singing…I wanna listen to it again!”
For once, we agreed on music. I wanted to listen to it again too.
If you’d like to listen to Chris’ songs also, here are a couple of songs from the CD, roughly recorded (and you might need to max out your volume to hear them), circa 2004:
All music © 1999 Broken Moon Music.
That was a great post. Glad you dug out the old recordings and shared them. Ali is so proud of her Mommy and Daddy.
I enjoyed learning of how music brought you two together and also listening to a couple of your recordings.
I think it's great that you are sharing your passion with Ali.
How awesome. I never knew!! You guys sound great together!!
What a sweet story about how music has been apart of your lives. I am glad your are passing it along. I love music, I haven't been blessed with the talent to play it although if I took the lessons I might.
The songs were so great to listen to. Thanks for sharing.
How wonderful! Music is something I wish every child had the opportunity to learn about. And how great that that's what brought you two together. Thanks for sharing.
Girl~what can't you do?
You write~paint~play and sing music~you got it going on!
The songs were beautiful!
That is such a great story. I always thought that having a kid would be the only thing powerful enough to slow my music down, but I love the fact that you are sharing it with Ali. I am sure my parents had a great deal to do with the musician I have become.
the carpet in that second picture is speaking to me! I love it! =)
What a special thing to share together, and even more fun to share it with ali!
*sigh* It's great to have a good husband.
Wow! What a great post! And I LOVE Chris' voice! He needs to be using that in the choir/praise team! And yours was the perfect compliment to his. You sounded great together!
Love this post! I remember being in that junior high group and hearing you guys play.
It's awesome that you guys are sharing music with Ali and even better to see he interested!
You guys sound great.
Yeah, that should say "see HER interested"
Whoops.
"That's MY mommy and daddy?" that is so sweet. great post and I love all the old pics of you and Chris.
Having only just recently "met" you, I think I can objectively say you have barely aged since age 17. How is that possible??
I wish I had some sort of musical talent to pass on to my kid. What a gift!
I'm going to have to listen later on tonight – my kids are making a ridiculous amount of noise (after school energy).
I love your story! You were – and are – a gorgeous couple!
cool! that's neat!
Wow. I'm so glad you're getting back to that. I especially loved the first one. What a lovely song.
I love it. Love you guys too. So glad you love music, and so glad you love each other.
AND let's all go camping (kids included) sometime. Let's all sit around the fire and do some singing. I'll bring the s'mores!
Awww, that's so sweet! My hubby took me along to his band's first recording session, and although we weren't dating at the time, we were soon after that!
There's just something about a man who can carry a tune and play an instrument. :)
That is so awesome that you have that shared passion and you are now sharing it with, well, the result of your shared passion. Oh I know this is a family blog but hey most kids won't get that and I couldn't help myself. :) That is really cool that you do have that to share.
(I don't know if this will ID me since I'm posting from my Treo but it's me, Marie (Jack's mom) )
That's so cool that you were able to record those songs and now Ali is able to hear them! Maybe one day Ali can go in the recording studio with you guys :)
Wow, you two sound really great together! I love it when couples sing/play together…I think it's really romantic. :)
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Thanks for sharing. Ellie and I enjoyed listening to your recordings. My baby loves music and, I hope, she will be gifted with musical ability like the rest of her extended family. Her mom and dad are the only ones in my family that are not musically gifted :/
Does Ali sing with you and Chris when y’all play now?
She does! We love playing and singing together – she even has her own little guitar. We don’t do it nearly often enough, though.