Thought 9: And the beat goes on . . .

Since I was probably about 9 years old, or younger, I had a secret childhood ritual. I would love to know if my mom ever knew or saw me doing this. When I thought I was alone in my room or I thought I had the house to myself, I would crank up the radio or put on a record (yes, a record) and pretend I was performing on a stage. Our house always had a good space for it. I would sing at the top of my lungs and make up dance routines. I was in heaven. I even sang a special duet with Phil Collins to "Separate Lives" with my 45 record turned up as loud as I could get it. It was quite a performance!

Music has always held a special part of my life. I grew up on a lot of bluegrass, folk and country music with my parents, which has definitely had a strong influence on my preferences as an adult. My dad was always insistent that we listen to his music growing up, like Arlo Guthrie, Johnny Cash, and Jim Croce to name a few. I fought him at the time, but I am so grateful now. My mom loved country music and whenever I hear bands like the Oak Ridge Boys, Alabama, or even Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, I am taken straight back to sitting in the back seat of a station wagon. My mom and I LOVED to blast the music as we sang and danced it out in the car. As I grew up, she was so tolerant to listen to my favorite band of the week. My parents took me to my first concert when I was in 6th grade, which was Stevie Wonder and Huey Lewis and the News the following year. Live music was introduced to me early on and I continue to have a great appreciation for it today. 

I love all kinds of music and enjoy learning about new artists. One of my greatest loves has always been musicals. I saw my first Broadway shows - Annie and Peter Pan - on our family trip to New York City when I was five years old. My parents took me to see Annie again when I was a little older at a dinner theatre in Winter Park, FL. I cried through a lot of it because I wanted to be on stage. My dad and I have always had a special tradition of taking father-daughter trips to NYC together, starting when I was in 7th grade. I went on a business trip with him the first time, but most of the trips we just went on our own. My dad instilled in me a love of theatre. We would see three or four shows each time we would go. Sometimes when I see the time turning to the eight o'clock hour, I think about all the curtains going up together.

In the picture above, I was traveling on business in NYC and decided to go buy a single ticket to see Wicked. I was able to get a 3rd row center seat! I was so moved by the show and the music. It hit a special place in my heart with some of the things I was going through at the time. This is what music does to me. It takes me to such an emotional place and can raise me up and motivate me in so many ways. It gives me a connection to people, places, and times that I find so comforting.

When I hear Elvira by the Oak Ridge Boys, I laugh and smile and immediately think of my childhood.

When I hear Ice, Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice, I am taken to the night my best friend Alison and I rode around in my new car shouting out the window, "It's a new car!"

When I hear Farthest Shore by David Wilcox, one of my favorite songs, I feel inspired and motivated and think of times that song pushed me to stay positive in moments that were so, so hard.

When I hear When We Dance by Sting, I think of slow dancing with Bob in college.

When I hear For the First Time by Kenny Loggins, I think of our first dance at our wedding.

When I hear Gailileo by the Indigo Girls, I think of my college roommate and how we almost broke our stereo playing this song on repeat.

When I hear Lessons Learned by Carrie Underwood, I think of the little pink iPod that Bob and my mom bought me while I was in the hospital for a 5-week stay and that nothing comforted me more as I pulled the covers over my head and pretended I was somewhere else.

When I hear Once in a Lifetime by Keith Urban, I think of a time when Bob and I realized we were going to be ok.

When I hear Jump Right In by the Zac Brown Band, I think of vacation.

When I hear Sing Me To Heaven, I think of my Bob and his Furman Singers and how much he has taught me about sacred music.

When I hear You'll be in my Heart by Phil Collins, I think of my mom as this was always our song.

When I hear Five Days Old by the Laurie Berkner Band, I will always think of my sweet Megan and her daddy and the amazing days we share together as a family.

And when I hear Music Box Dancer by Frank Mills, I think of my 45 record and my life as an inspiring five-year-old ballerina.

I feel like I could do this forever and I have not even touched on my favorite music. The fun started with making mix tapes - remember how frustrating it was when you reached the end of side A and it cut off the song? I still love making mixes and it is so effortless now. Bob and I have a playlist we have created for every race we have run. We have used a lot of the same old favorites and have had fun finding new inspiration along the way. Music is such a driving force for me when I run and can motivate me so quickly when just the right song comes along at just the right moment. Here are a list of some of my favorites (in no particular order) that will be playing me down the road in the Hot Chocolate 15K on Sunday. Hopefully I won't need more than 1 hour and 35-40 minutes worth!

We Weren't Born to Follow - Bon Jovi
The Sweet Escape - Gwen Stefani
Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Kelly Clarkson
Stronger - Kanye West
Numb - Linkin Park
Lose Yourself - Eminem
Crazy In Love - Beyonce & Jay-Z
Let's Get It Started - Black Eyed Peas
Let It Rock - Kevin Rudolf & Lil Wayne
Let It Go - Zac Brown Band
Home - Dierks Bentley
Defying Gravity - Kristin Chenoweth & Idina Menzel from Wicked
Hey, Soul Sister - Train
Hearts On Fire - John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band (Anything from Rocky IV Soundtrack)
Rudy Soundtrack
Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz
Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears
Everybody Talks - Neon Trees
Low - Flo Rida (you read it right!)
Even If It Breaks Your Heart - Eli Young Band
The Edge of Glory - Lady GaGa
Drive By - Train
All Your Life - The Band Perry
Roar - Katy Perry
Gone, Gone, Gone - Philip Phillips
Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons
Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
Wake Me Up - Aloe Blacc
Let It Go - Idina Menzel from Frozen
The Rising - Bruce Springsteen

I am in desperate need for new music, so any suggestions out there are welcomed! I will continue to build my list as the year continues and the marathon draws closer. I will return to the theme of music and the impact of certain songs on my life as the blog continues. It is hard to emphasize enough how important music is to my life. I have been surrounded by extremely talented singers and musicians for my whole adult life, starting at Furman University with almost all of my friends (including my Bob who has a beautiful voice) and continuing with friends I have met along the way. I even worked for a few years for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra! What I lack in talent, I make up for in appreciation. A good song, whether new or an old favorite can bring a smile or tear to my face faster than almost anything. It's almost like a good friend, and on many days, music has been just that to me.

Thought 8: Giddy up . . .

My mom was the all star, best room mother every year I was in school. She loved the holidays more than anyone and could throw the best parties. She was famous for wearing this bunny costume starting in my preschool years and every Easter season afterwards throughout her life. She even showed up at my Catholic school for the Easter party when I was about 8 years old wearing this costume. She was greeted by one of the nuns who told her that her costume was "highly inappropriate." Not much you can do while standing alone dressed as a pink bunny! 

The new year is here and I feel like I need to get back in gear! It was a busy and fun holiday season and I did not leave a lot of time for writing. I have 32 more blogs to write and 39 more weeks until the Chicago Marathon. So, I will start publishing a blog on every Friday morning, knowing there will be a week here and there when I will need more time. I work much better with deadlines. I will continue to work through different parts of my story and issues that affect me both past and present. However, I do want to lighten it up some as well. I'm actually not a very serious person! My hope is that this blog will not only give me the chance to learn more about myself and let some of my past go, but it will also touch someone else either through their running journey, personal journey, or maybe even both. 

A little update on my running . . . I am taking on the Atlanta Hot Chocolate 15K (9.2 miles) on January 26 and I am really excited. I would not be trying this without the encouragement of my dear friend Allison. Thank you! I have had some great long runs over the past few weeks and have even completed the 9.2 recently in 20 degree weather. Brrr! I also discovered over the holidays that I actually do enjoy running with another person thanks to my sister-in-law Tiffiny, who gives me so much inspiration and confidence. We ran a hilly 8 miles and talked the entire time. I didn't even notice that I wasn't taking walking breaks except to get some water every 2 miles. My time with my "coach" was invaluable to me and a big milestone in my running journey. I am going to start looking into a running group for when my weekend long runs start getting longer in April. My knee and lat band have started to give me some trouble so I bought a foam roller, as demonstrated by my favorite princess above. It has really helped me to stretch out the troubled areas and keep me going.

When I thought about new year's resolutions, I thought of the obvious. I want to stick to my running goals (just hoping and praying my body stays injury free). I want to cook more for my family and do better at encouraging my daughter to eat more of a variety of foods. I want more family time with Bob and Megan and make things like my phone and television a much smaller part of my day. All of these things are important. But, I want these to be year round goals and not just something I talk about at the start of the year.

Here is what it comes down to . . . I want to gallop more. Megan does a lot more galloping than walking and she always has a smile on her face. Maybe that's one of life secrets, we should do more galloping, skipping, hopping, and twirling. I am one that has always taken life too seriously and worried way too much. I think it has gotten worse over the years, especially in recent years. Maybe the missing piece is knowing when I need to gallop.

At the start of the year, I noticed a lot of people on social media picking a theme word for 2014 instead of formal resolutions. I like it and have jumped on the bandwagon. A dear friend of mine inspired me in the end and I love the idea of taking on a theme and incorporating it throughout all parts of my life. So, my word for 2014 is . . . . patience. I really want to be a more patient person about so many things, but most especially with myself. I put way too much pressure on myself, maybe even more so since my health has improved. I want to be a more patient mother and take a deep breath in the same way I try to teach my three-year-old as she learns to manage her emotions. There are so many things I want to do at home, professionally, in my community and beyond and I sometimes feel like I am catching up for lost time. Patience Susie, patience. I want to be more present in my life and take in the moments that are in front of me. I will explore this more as the weeks continue, but I just wanted to share my word for 2014 with everyone and I will let you know how it goes.

So, thanks for tuning in as I get this blog off the ground. It has been so good for me to start writing again. I come from a family of good writers and I like using this medium to share my thoughts and experiences. I do not plan on writing or thinking too far ahead. There are things I want to share with you, but I also want this to be about a journey and the thoughts and feelings that come up as the year unfolds. I will work hard not to take things too seriously and gallop as much as I can along the way. Giddy up 2014!