How Do YOU Live?

Let me give you a little bit of background. 
I don't think it comes as a surprise to most that I am a Latter-Day Saint (Mormon).  I have been for my whole live, but haven't always been an “active” part of it and that might come as a surprise to some.
When I was in my early 20’s I decided to “explore my religious options”.  I look into several churches/beliefs and finally decided upon the local Evangelical Free Church (EVFree).  I started attending meetings, having members over to have religious discussions, and everything else that comes with it.  I tend to dive into new things head first and along with reading as much as I could, picking up the NIV bible, and researching the internet, I also immersed myself in Contemporary Christian Music. 
I eventually decided that what I believed was the LDS church (another long story) but never, once regretted my experience with the lovely, warm, Christian people of the EVFree Church.  I am also thankful for what I learned about myself and my beliefs while I was attending the EVFree Church.  Among some of the great things I took away with me from that experience was a deep love for Contemporary Christian Music. 
I have so many songs that I love and listen to on a regular basis, but there is one song that has stuck with me, AWAYS cheers me up, and always makes me count my blessings.  I thought it was a great thing to share with you this Monday.  Take the time to listen to it, if you can, and think to yourself – How do you live?

Welcome!

Hello Faithful Readers! I am so pleased to have a new "space" to call my own! Obviously, it will continue to be "tweaked" while I get exactly what I want on it - but it feels good, new, and motivating!

You may be wondering about my title. I sat and sat, trying to figure out what title I wanted when I started thinking about musical terms - after some searching I stumbled upon the term "rubato" - and it fit perfectly!

While doing a bit of research on the term I found this quote:
"Rubato must emerge spontaneously from the music, it can't be calculated but must be totally free. It's not even something you can teach: each performer must feel it on the basis of his or her own sensitivity..."

While sometimes I feel like my life is quite boring, quite plain, and quite subdued - I find there are time of increased sensitivity, times where I let go of that regular tempo and add something to it - and those are the cadences written about in this blog.

Name That Tune...

When I was "working" for the government, I spent a lot of time downloading songs I LOVED!  I would be sitting there day dreaming and a memory would pop into my head and inevitably it would have music associated with it. 
My high school experience has a great soundtrack full of: swing music, Broadway, punk, and alternative music. 
Whenever I think of my 2 greatest friends from life my memories often are accompanied by "In The Jungle", "Going to the Chapel", and many other 1950's era favourites and a constant stream of belly laughs!
My family life is fully of Eagles, Crosby Stills and Nash, Beatles on Saturday mornings and I can sing MANY Olivia Newton John songs all learned and recited while growing up.
My first love was full of pining away and LOTS of popular love songs often fit the situation - but the song, I Wish I Wasn't - by Heather Headly was the song that described it as if I wrote it myself.
I still remember the parts and words to so many songs I learned while in Young Women's and can even still do the sign language to one!
My relationship now started with songs about waiting and distance - even picking out a special song just for me and Chris (The Promise). Now I find that instead of enlarging my life's soundtrack - I find it more comforting and more joyful to listen to the past music of my life.
I have always had a love of music.  I took voice lessons for around 10 years and burst into song quite often during the day, having learned enough songs to link to almost any subject! I can sit in a restaurant and very often I make note to my companion that, "my dad has this CD!"  I used to play a game with my grandpa when I would visit him in St. George - he would give me a subject and I would find a song that involved that subject.  There were are few friends that would participate in "in-car" concerts with me and we would sing complete musicals in the car - and drive around just to do the whole show.
Music moves me in a way that nothing else does.  Music can move me to tears or bring me complete contentment within seconds.  Just take a moment to think about it, I dont think we realize how much it is involved in our lives.
So, what are some songs that are in your life's soundtrack??

The Longest Day... Ever...

Two seperate entries in one day?  How do I rate...  I am just sitting here at work.  I have looked up everything on the internet that I can possibly think of (or get away with) and have played, I would say, upwards of 1,000,000,000,000 games of Solitaire and believe it or not listened to Accuradio and started hearing the comedy tracks I was listening to - over again, and Accuradio has a HUGE playlist....  I didnt have anyone to go to lunch with so I sat here through my lunch and also no one to chat with (all my attempts failed).  So I am listening to music and I started thinking about yesterday I was driving home from work (dying in my car without air conditioning) and trying to find at least ONE song on the radio that didnt have to do with love, happines, kissing, joy, ANYTHING and I got onto a song that sounded good - for one second.  It was the Backstreet Boys song:  "Incomplete".  First of all what are they trying to do with that song?  Cause already sad people around the world to jump or drive off the road?  It made me angry (I am becoming very good at that)... what is this song teaching young girls - I would bet most young guys arent listening to the song - it is teaching them that alone they are nothing but when they have a man in their life they are suddenly complete - nevermind about being a complete person without a man - it isnt possible.... how awful!  And second the song is about a boy that is keeping a girl hanging on because HE just cant let her go - LAME (and very true in most cases)  Maybe if there were more - I am good alone songs - in this world we would have so many problems... maybe if we had more positive songs I wouldnt have dated the wrong person for 7 years and let him make me think I was incomplete without him, although he was quite complete without me.... So I say turn off those silly, stupid, disheartening love songs....  Women - we are quite complete without men in our lives - they can enrich our lives in some cases, lucky cases - but if we never find our "better" half we need to know that we can do it ourselves and we need no one but ourselves to make us happy.... so make a song out of that Backstreet Boys!!!

Ohhhh I get to go now.... ranting passes time just perfectly... off to a job interview...