I like to bring Sam flowers. It’s nice that you can go to almost any grocery store and find them. They’re far from the quality you’d get from a florist, but they are perfect for an “I was thinking of you today” gesture.
Anytime someone purchases something from our bank account, we get a text message. So I grabbed a few bucks out of the savings account to buy her flowers. I ordered them online earlier in the week, to be delivered today. I thought it would make her day to open the door to flowers.
Well, then I found out she had to be away from the house for a few hours. I asked her when she’d be back. Once I got the time, I called the florist. I told them she’d be gone from around 11am to 3pm and to deliver them after that.
About 10:45 this morning, Sam gathers up the kids and heads out the door. I strip off my clothes to jump in the shower for work. That’s when I hear a knock at the door. I assume that my wife forgot something, but the door is unlocked. So I walk to the door to see the flower lady walking away. I yell, “Hold on one second, I’ll be right back.”
I threw some pants and a shirt on and go to the door. The lady said, “I knew she would be gone around 11, and I wanted to catch her before she left. I tried to flag her down as she was driving.” She explained that as she was waiting to turn on our street she saw them backing out of the driveway. She tried to wave at them to have her stop so she could give her the flowers, but my wife kept driving. I laughed and told her I couldn’t wait to hear what my wife had to say about that.
Sure enough, as I was driving in to work, my wife called. “Did someone stop by our house after I left?” I lied and said, “No, why?” She goes on to explain that some woman she didn’t know had rolled her window down and was waving at her as she was driving down the street. She says, “I have no idea who this crazy lady is, so I kept going. Then I think she pulled into our drive way! What the heck was that all about?!” I told Sam that I had jumped in the shower when she left, so I didn’t hear anything. (Valentine’s lies are allowed, right?) She said, “It was so weird, it’s going to bug me all day now.”
I set her flowers on the mantle where I knew she’d see it when she got home. Once she saw them, she realized what happened.
Earlier in the week, she said to my kids, “Do you know Daddy hasn’t asked me to be his Valentine yet!?”
I told her I thought when we got married, it was understood that we were lifelong Valentines! She was saying, “Oh no, you have to ask and bring candy and special gifts.” So I asked, “What do I do for Valentine’s Day if I have already brought you candy and special gifts?” There was a long pause and the reply was, “Bring more candy and special gifts?!”
Anyway, in the card, I had to poke fun at what she told the kids. So I had them write:
Just after Christmas, I began to get numbness in my hands. After taking steroids and muscle relaxers, I was back at the primary doc because they were still numb. I saw a pain and muscle specialist after that who sent me to get an EMG to see if they could figure out what was going on.
I had my EMG done yesterday. I had it on my calendar and in my phone as 11:15am. When I got the the address, the building was empty. I was only like 15 minutes early, so I figured I had better call. There had been plenty of snow, so maybe they closed for the day?
(ring – click) Dr. So and So’s office
Yeah, I’m Keith and I have an appointment today …
(Interrupting) Yes, at the Waterford office
Right. I’m here now and the building is clocked up.
You’re appointment is at 1:15pm, correct?
(Feeling stupid as I look at the order where I scribbled the information – and “1:15pm”) Uh, yeah, I see that I must have written the wrong time down.
We don’t get to that office on Thursdays until 12:45.
Well, I guess I will go grab lunch then…
See you at 1:15! (Click)
On the bright side, it was one of the quickest tests I’ve ever had done. It was also one of the weirdest.
They put these electrodes on your hand, measure some spots, and then start shooting things to make your fingers move. It was bizarre. He didn’t say much about the results or what he was seeing, but asked if anyone ever told me to wear braces. I told him know, and asked if I needed to. He said, “We’ll know after the test is read”
At one point he simply said, “Hmmmm.” I was like, “Is that a good ‘Hmmmm” or a bad ‘Hmmmm?” He said, again, we’d find out when the results were in.
When he pulled off all the wires and such, he said the doc would have the results in the next couple days. So hopefully, I will know what the heck is going on soon.
Wednesday night into Thursday, we got hit with some decent snow. Travel was treacherous and they were telling folks to stay home. Naturally, people with a sleep study scheduled, still showed up! Urgh!
I loved playing in the snow as a kid. We made snow forts and such and would be frostbitten when it was time to come inside.
I have yet to make a good snow fort with my kids. That’s not to say that we didn’t have some fun in the snow, because we did. We did a lot of sledding and just snow silliness.
This was one of my favorite pictures. My two older boys and I sledding down the street from our first house. The hill wasn’t too big, but it was fun for them.
They really loved just playing in the snow. Just like my two younger kids.
I have always loved the look on Ella’s face in this one. All I was doing was pulling her around the yard. She loved it.
Andrew is all about going outside no matter what the weather! He’s a snowballer. He loves to throw snow balls.
I’m sure I have plenty of other snowy shots, but for now, these warm my heart on a cold Michigan day.
Ella had a fun birthday! She thanks everyone who sent birthday wishes.
She had really hoped to go to the Children’s Museum, but it was closed. So we decided to take her down to Build a Bear where she could pick her own animal, stuff it and pick an outfit. She loved every second.
Despite the many bears, she chose to Build a Cat! The lady at the stuffing machine had her step on the pedal to shoot the stuffing in the kitty. She then got to pick a heart and put it inside the kitty. After she was stuffed, Ella went and got her a rainbow tutu and rainbow shoes to match!
Andrew got Chase from Paw Patrol. He had to get the uniform, the boots, and the hat and “pup pack.”
You can’t put a price on fun or kid memories. But this was an expensive trip! I can’t imagine my folks ever spending almost $200 on two stuffies!
They loved it, though and they will always remember that! On the way home we had to stop by Nana and Pa’s house to pick up her “Mermaid tail” cake. Nana made it out of cupcakes and she was thrilled with it.
After dinner and cake, Ella finally got to open her gifts. She got a huge box of beads and such to make necklaces, rings, bracelets and more. She also got a princess game.
Basically, the game is like the game Cootie. You spin the spinner move along the board and collect your earrings, your ring, your necklace, your bracelet and finally the crown. Collect all of those without having the “cursed ring” and you win.
When your birthday girl asks you to play … you do!
Ridiculous!
Tuesday morning, she couldn’t wait to show her class her cat! Her teachers were nice enough to let her sit up front and tell her story about building the kitty and she passed it around. I was there because she wanted me to make sure that the cat made it home safe. She wanted her to be ok when she got home from school.
Five years! Wow. It is so hard to believe. It seems like just yesterday that I was posting about her being born.
I am so glad she had a good day and I hope she’ll always remember it!
Welcome back to The Music of My Life, where I feature ten songs from each year of my life. In most cases, the ten songs I choose will be ones I like personally (unless I explain otherwise). The songs will be selected from Billboard’s Year-end Hot 100 Chart, Acclaimed Music, and will all be released in the featured year.
One of my comedy heroes has always been Jack Benny. He claimed to be 39 for most of his career. It was one of the many personality traits built into his comedy character. In 2009, I actually turned 39 and have celebrated the anniversary of my 39th birthday ever since.
2009 once again brought changes as it was when my partner and I were let go from our morning show. They replaced us with a form of syndication. They had one person in Flint, and the rest of the crew was on the west side of the state. It hurt because we always talked about the importance of being local. Now the majority of the show is miles away and the only “local” Flint got was traffic and weather.
I think had they let us continue, we would have continued to do well in the ratings. Our program director loved what we were doing. When he passed and a new one came in, I always felt that they had it out for us. Why? So that they could do the morning show instead. In a sense, that is what happened.
It is one of those things that I have to look back on. When I do, I know that had that not happened, my life may have turned out very different. So I have to look back and be grateful for where I am now.
Ok, let’s look at some music.
I wrote all of the above without realizing that my first song is Lucky by Jason Mraz. This was the song that one of my former sisters-in-law used as her wedding song. Of all of my ex’s family, I miss her the most. I used to love making her laugh out loud. I think of her often.
This was a song I really liked right from the get go. I loved the blend of their voices. What was neat was to hear of their mutual love for each other’s music. Colbie Caillat said:
“He (Mraz) emailed me many months ago, saying that he loved my music, that he’s heard my album and he has a song on his album that he wanted me to help him finish writing and collaborate with. We finished writing through email. When he was in London recording his album, I was over there doing promotions for my album and I went over there to do vocals.”
Jason said:
“I became a fan of Colbie through MySpace and just cold-called her to see if she’d want to write and sing together. I dug her laid-back style and her attention to little things that make relationships work. She was a delight to share the mic with.”
They recorded the song without telling their respective record labels. The labels were not really into the idea. Those labels were obviously wrong as this won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
Lucky
It has been said that “men only want one thing.” I suppose there are many “things” that can be interpreted to be that “one thing.” If you think that one “thing” is money, well, here is a song for you.
I remember the first time I put this one in the CD player at work. It follows the classic “flip.” In other words, you have this slow, serious sounding introduction. That is immediately flipped into something not so serious. Does that make sense? Give it a listen and you will understand what I mean, I hope.
The Trace Adkins songs I have featured here have always had a very serious tone to them. He has had his share of hits with that serious tone, too. But every artists needs to break away from those ultra serious songs now and then. Trace says:
“It’s just fun stuff. You have to try to balance these records. I try to go deep on some, but you’ve got to do some that are just mindless – just stuff you can listen to and turn it up loud and drive fast and just have fun with it and smile and sing along and laugh. You’ve got to have that stuff.”
That’s exactly what “Marry For Money” is. It is the picture of a low down, cheating, male gold digger. And with that being said, it is fun to listen to!
Marry For Money
I had DJ’s enough high school and middle school dances to hate Miley Cyrus. Urgh! That Hannah Montana stuff that the kids loved was just crap to me. That is until I heard, The Climb. It was the first song where I felt like, “Ok, she can sing” and “That song is a hit!”
The song was written by Jessi Alexander and Jon Mabe. I was worked with Jessi before, as she did a show for our listeners at the Moose. She seemed shy and quiet, but she sang like a superstar. I always thought her debut album should have done more.
This was the first single to be taken from the soundtrack of the 2009 Miley Cyrus film Hannah Montana: The Movie. When this reached #1 on the on the Adult Contemporary chart, Miley was 16 years and seven months old. This meant she was the youngest artist to top that survey since LeAnn Rimes. It was Miley’s first #1 single on any of Billboard’s airplay charts.
The song’s lyrics remind me of the poem “The Dash.” The poem is about a grave stone’s dates and the dash between them. Life isn’t about the date of birth or date of death, it’s about what happened between them – the dash.
Here is the chorus of The Climb:
There’s always gonna be another mountain I’m always gonna wanna make it move Always gonna be an uphill battle Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose Ain’t about how fast I get there Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side It’s the climb
Life is about the climb!
The Climb
The next song is one that really hits home for me. Not that it was important in 2009, however, it reflected my thoughts on a situation in the mid-90’s. Without giving too much info that folks who know her would figure it out, here is the story.
There was a gal who I really liked. Ok, loved. I hated seeing her with this other dude, who totally treated her like crap. She deserved more. Deep down, I wondered if I ever got a shot to be with her. If I did, I would treat her much differently. I would treat her like he should have. She would often come to me upset because of her relationship. I wanted to scream, “Dump him! I’m here!” That never happened.
Taylor Swift explained the song this way:
“This song is basically about wanting someone who is with this girl who doesn’t appreciate him at all. Basically like ‘girl-next-door-itis.’ You like this guy who you have for your whole life, and you know him better than she does but somehow the popular girl gets the guy every time.”
Last I heard, that gal married the guy. We lost touch, because of that guy. We were such good friends at one point. It is sad to think about.
You Belong With Me
When I used to DJ, I sort of had a rough play list. I started almost all of the weddings the same way. I would play Unchained Melody after all the wedding dances were done. This got all the couples on the dance floor to dance. After it, I would play a fast song to keep the floor packed. Depending on the age group, it might be Old Time Rock and Roll, Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It, Get The Party Started, or something else.
When the Black Eyed Peas released I Gotta Feeling, it was my go to “kick off” song. All age groups loved it. It was the perfect song to talk up, too. “I gotta feelin’ we’re going to have a great night tonight! What song can I play for you, etc….”
It was a great party song and a great radio song. The song was a number 1 song for 14 weeks! The song was the first ever single to be downloaded more than one million times in the UK. Said Fergie:
“It’s exhilarating to know we are so connected to our Peabodies. Hopefully the good vibes from that song will continue to brighten people’s lives.”
According to will.i.am, he literally dreamt up this tune. He said:
“I’ve written songs right from a sleep. Have you ever had a dream where there’s a melody in your dream? I’ll wake up out of my sleep and record that! ‘I Gotta Feeling’ was one of those songs.”
I Gotta Feeling
Next is a song that I remember playing when I worked at the Adult Contemporary station. I was, of course, familiar with Colby Caillat’s music already. It wasn’t until I had moved in with Sam while going through my divorce that the lyrics of this one took on a whole new meaning. I really did begin to fall for her.
Caillat explained to Elle that the song is:
“about falling for a guy I was friends with. We went out on a date and I realized that there was no one else in the room. The room was silent, and I was on this high from it the next day and wrote this song.”
If the guy in the video looks familiar, Colby explains why:
“Bobby Moynihan from SNL plays my love interest, and the whole video is about this guy who’s not my type, but he does all these dorky things on our date that somehow impress me. So he picks the roses from my garden instead of buying me flowers. And then we’re going to go surfing and he almost hits me over the head with the surfboard. And he also has this really funny fantasy dream where he’s dressed all ‘Guido’ in white shoes and his chest is showing and I’m in this ridiculous bathing suit with huge hair and we’re dancing at a DJ party on the beach. It’s just a funny, silly video.”
Falling For You
I have been friends with a gal for almost 40 years. She always said, “Remember to smile, it’s contagious!” I always loved that. There are plenty of great sayings about smiles. “Smile, it makes everyone wonder what you’ve been up to” is another great one. One of my favorite DJ’s used to say, “If you are walking down the street and you see someone with no smile, give them yours and tell them Don Alcorn says hello.”
There are some great songs about smiling, too. “When You’re Smiling” by Dean Martin and “Smile” by Nat King Cole immediately come to mind. Well, Uncle Cracker’s isn’t a bad one either.
Uncle Kracker told Billboard magazine this is: “probably the most positive song I’ve ever written.” He added that the overall tone of the album Happy Hour, “is pretty positive in light of everything that’s going on in the world.” He said: “I made a conscious decision to try something positive. It’s what I needed. it’s a positive spin on everything.”
It’s one of those positive songs that I love!
Smile
Remember the saying, “A stranger is a friend that you haven’t met yet?” That was the thought I had when I heard the title of this Michael Buble’ song. Whether it is an unborn baby or a future lover, the song can have special meaning.
When it came time to record the Crazy Love album, Michael told song facts:
“I started this record knowing I was going to record it differently than my previous ones. I dug way deeper and was more introspective on this one. Basically, I sang the truth – made each song autobiographical – and you can definitely hear the difference. I went back to the way my idols made their records. I wanted an organic feel – so people could feel like they were in the studio with me. The musicians and I all sat in the room, recorded it right from the floor and we let the sounds all come together and bleed into one another. It’s not contrived. Not too perfect. It just feels really good.”
In an interview with The Associated Press, Bublé was asked what the message is he’s trying to send with Crazy Love. He replied:
“I think the message is that all of us can relate to this feeling, this emotion called love and it’s a complicated feeling. It doesn’t just come with butterflies in the stomach and happiness and sunshine and lollipops, it comes with heartache and jealousy and sometimes rage and sometimes insecurity and sadness and regret. It’s a beautiful, complicated, and really special feeling that keeps us all connected.”
This was the first recording by a jazz crooner to reach the Top 30 of the Billboard singles chart since Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why” seven years previously in 2003.
Haven’t Met You Yet
The next song stood out to me because of the sound. The first time I heard Hey Soul Sister by Train on the radio, I loved it! That ukulele cut through like a knife to me. Train’s Pat Monahan said, “The ukulele made everybody happy. I think that along with the song itself and the melodies, people gravitate towards that positive part of it. The ukulele made a big difference.”
He told Billboard that the song and the album were a return to their folk roots. He said:
“There’s super catchy riffs and melodies in it, which I think are way more important that any production trick or great-sounding vocal production. It’s kind of us going backward so we can go forward.”
The song was the most downloaded on iTunes in 2010 and is just a great feel good song.
Hey Soul Sister
Lady Antebellum (Known now as Lady A) was one of those groups that came through on a radio tour and left me speechless. They were SO good. I knew that they would be stars. They music they played, their vocal stylings, the dynamics of the group – they had it all.
Lady A is Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and David Haywood. Need You Now was from their second album. Hillary Scott explained that the song, and many others on the album, “Are about what we are learning as we go through the ups and downs of different relationships.” She added: “All three of us know what it’s like to get to that point where you feel lonely enough that you make a late night phone call that you very well could regret the next day. But you do it anyway because it’s the only thing that’s going to give you any relief in that moment.”
Charles Kelly said that initially there some concerns about the song’s lyrical content from executives at their record label. “The response from the get-go was so big,” he said. “I remember even having some conversations with the label and people were [saying], ‘Oh no, hope they don’t get offended by the ‘I’m a little drunk and I need you now’ line. And I said, ‘But that’s honest! We’re talking about Country radio, right? What happened to the old Waylon [Jennings] songs and stuff and people said what they felt?’ It’s storytelling.” Dave Haywood added, “The three of us have been there, too. I mean, we’ve been in serious relationships and when you get out of that, all you want is that person next to you.”
I don’t know one person who hasn’t felt that way after a break up. The song connected with people everywhere and went straight to # 1. When this ballad reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart in its 10th week, it achieved the quickest climb to the top (excluding seasonal titles) since Phil Collins.
Lady A performed “Need You Now” at the 2010 Grammy Awards, where it won for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It marked just the second time a country song won the Record of the Year prize and the third time Song of the Year went Country.
The song is a great song, and sadly at its peak was overplayed on the radio.
Need You Now
So there you have my picks from 2009. Did I pick one of your favorites? Did I miss one of yours? Tell me about it in the comments.
He began his career playing serious roles, but wound up being a comedy legend. Leslie Nielsen was born today in 1926. Most folks who are familiar with him know him going serious to funny. It was the opposite for me, as I first saw him in Airplane!, Police Squad, and the Naked Gun films first.
When I saw him in those early roles, I was blown away. He was a great actor! His performance in Forbidden Planet was amazing! Then I saw him pop up on TV shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Gunsmoke, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and even Columbo! Each time I saw him I was more and more impressed with him. He was also good as the captain in the movie The Poseidon Adventure. He could be funny, serious, mean, nasty, romantic and more!
In Airplane! he was hilarious. His deadpan delivery is exactly what the directors wanted and it worked. It worked so well, they had him play Lt. Frank Drebin in a short lived show called Police Squad.
The show only lasted 6 episodes, but it laid the groundwork for the Naked Gun films, which featured him again as Drebin.
In his honor today, here is the Theme from Police Squad (and Naked Gun).
Five years ago, my life changed forever. I became a girl dad. Happy birthday to my sweet baby girl.
My wife made me shed a tear or two with her post today:
HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY to my sweet Pamela Rose!!
Today you are officially 5, the day that you have been waiting for, for so long! This has been such a year of growth for you! You started sports and completed a year of TBall. You are in dance which has totally turned into your favorite thing. You started preschool and have the best teachers and friends! You have turned into such a great friend who is always so proud of your friend’s accomplishments. You have started to read and write and just all around thrive.
This year you have asked us to start calling you your “big name” Pamela instead of your nickname Ella. Which totally made my mommy heart melt when you told me it is because you wanted to have matching names with your best friend (Nana!)
Sweet girl keep being the stubborn, funny, loving, best friend and best big sister, the smart and caring girl you are! Because you are loved!
Loved indeed!! Oh, the love I feel for her!!
From the moment I first saw her my heart was bursting with love. That love continues to grow every second of every day!
Happy birthday, Sissy! Daddy loves you more than you will ever know! I am so thankful that God gave you to us! What a blessing you are!!
Before I start today, I promise that this will all tie together. Today’s film is the biography of Glenn Miller, The Glenn Miller Story. The 1954 film starred Jimmy Stewart as Glenn Miller and June Allyson as his wife.
The film really is good, even though there are places where it may not be historically accurate. Jimmy does a pretty good job as Miller. I think any time someone plays a musician, who isn’t necessarily a musician, you’re going to be scrutinized by a musician. I watched pretty closely to his trombone “playing” and it is good enough to fool some people.
The movie follows Miller through his early career right up until he is lost over the English Channel. When I first saw this movie, I was unaware that was how he died. I really did enjoy this movie and recommend it to those who love music.
I picked this film today because one of the songs in it, made history today. Glenn and his band had many hits. They include, I Got a Gal in Kalamazoo, Moonlight Serenade, American Patrol, and Tuxedo Junction. His best known is In the Mood, but none of those are songs that I’m presenting today.
It was on this day in 1942 that the first literal gold record was awarded. It was given to Glenn Miller from RCA Victor Bluebird for selling 1.2 million copies of “Chattanooga Choo Choo” on this day. W. Wallace Early, the manager of record sales had this to say:
“We’re mighty proud of that Chattanooga Choo Choo, and the man that made the record, Glenn Miller. You see it’s been a long time – 15 years in fact – since any record has sold a million copies. And Chattanooga Choo Choo certainly put on steam and breezed right through that million mark by over 200,000 pressings. And we decided that Glenn should get a trophy. The best one we could think of is a gold record of Chattanooga.”
In 1958, the Recording Industry Association of America introduced a gold record award program. It was for any record which received one million dollars in retail sales.
So, hop on board as we chug along on the Chattanooga Choo Choo…
The Real Glenn MillerJimmy Stewart as Glenn Miller
This book came up more than once on my recommendations. Granted, I have read a lot of World War II books and plenty about Auschwitz.
The Happiest Man on Earth is written by Eddie Jaku. I would not think that “happy” and “Auschwitz” appear in a sentence together too often. I decided to give it a try.
Once you get into the book, it becomes very apparent that Eddie is indeed a happy guy. He is 100 years old while writing the book. He has seen a lot in his lifetime – bad and good. So who better to talk about happiness, than Eddie? Here is the Goodreads synopsis:
Life can be beautiful if you make it beautiful. It is up to you.
Eddie Jaku always considered himself a German first, a Jew second. He was proud of his country. But all of that changed in November 1938, when he was beaten, arrested and taken to a concentration camp.
Over the next seven years, Eddie faced unimaginable horrors every day, first in Buchenwald, then in Auschwitz, then on a Nazi death march. He lost family, friends, his country.
Because he survived, Eddie made the vow to smile every day. He pays tribute to those who were lost by telling his story, sharing his wisdom and living his best possible life. He now believes he is the ‘happiest man on earth’.
Published as Eddie turns 100, this is a powerful, heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful memoir of how happiness can be found even in the darkest of times.
The book was written in 2020. Eddie enjoyed turning 101 on April 14, 2021. He passed away 6 months later, on October 12, 2021. He died a happy man.
Auschwitz survivor, Eddie Jaku, has just celebrated his 100th birthday and has published his autobiography, “The Happiest Man on Earth”. His memoir is based on a TEDx talk and other speeches he has given over the years, July 2, 2020. (Photo by Louise Kennerley/The Sydney Morning Herald via Getty Images)
Sam pointed out to me that next to Christmas, the day of the Daddy Daughter Dance is what our daughter looks forward to most. She is SO right. We’ve been counting down the days since Christmas!
Thanks to the steroids that the doctor put me on, I packed on a few more pounds than I anticipated. So, I had to alter my outfit at the last minute. Ella, of course, noticed. She asked, “Aren’t you going to wear a tie tonight, daddy?” I told her this year I wanted to be different, and she was ok with that lame excuse.
She looked just beautiful. What an honor to be escorting her to the dance.
We arrived early, and she insisted that she wanted to go inside. I told her we were 30 minutes early and the door was probably locked. She made me get out of the car and try the door, which was open. LOL. We went upstairs to get the professional photo taken, then headed to the gym.
The DJ was already playing music. He was one of those “gotta mix the songs at the same beat guys.” I’ve never been that way. I always felt it sounded weird when two songs were playing at the same time for 30 seconds. Ella didn’t notice and started to dance, even though she was one of four girls in the gym.
The theme this year was Barbie. So we had to get a photo with Ken and Barbie.
They also had a Barbie car for us. Naturally, I let Ella drive….
I think we just avoided hitting a roadrunner on that trip!
One of the projects that we could do together was to “bedazzle” some sunglasses. We made a pair for each of us. She said she wanted to make glasses for her brother and for her mom, so we went back later and did that.
She requested Let It Go from Frozen and we got to dance to that again. Three years in a row, that has been our first dance together. A while later, she was sitting drinking water and they played My Girl by the Temptations. I said, “Oh, Daddy loves this song!” She set her water bottle down and said, “Then we have to dance to it!” I picked her up and swayed with her, singing it to her. She was all smiles.
Not too long ago, on my Music of My Life feature, I mentioned how the song Daughters by John Mayer took on a new meaning when I became “girl dad.” Well, that new meaning went a lot deeper last night. This will forever be one of the best moments of my life:
When Daughters started to play, we were still swaying. She put her arms around my neck and leaned her head against mine. I reached up and wrapped my arm around her. For 4 minutes, it was just her and me. I swayed with my eyes closed, holding back tears. It was the most amazing dance. I was lost in my thoughts, too.
I know that as a 54 year old man, I may not be around when she gets married. We may never get the chance to have THAT Daddy/Daughter dance. So I treasure the ones we do get, and that one was extra special!
Every year, we take pre-dance pictures. It is amazing to compare them and see how much she has grown. This year’s was eye opening. In the first one, she still has that “baby” look to her. She would have been three for that dance. My beard gets more grey in them, too. The photos are a reminder of just how fast time goes by and how every moment is important.
Ella, thank you for spending such an amazing evening with me. Every day my love for you grows. I am already looking forward to next year’s dance. I love you forever!
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 