Cool for the Summer by Demi Lovato

It was o'dark thirty in January 2016 on a very rainy morning.  I had grossly miscalculated the time it would take to get to the Oakland airport on a weekday.  I had booked myself on a 1-day trip to Anaheim.  I was just three weeks into working full time again and decided a 1-day, like literally a commute, to Anaheim was a great idea!  I am also someone who cannot stand being early to things so I strive for on time, which means i am almost always late.  Point in case.

I had left my crying 18 month old daughter on my dad's chest.  I was driving in the pouring rain at a frustratingly slow rate down Highway 24 towards Oakland.  It was probably around 5am, but the weather made things difficult.  I am notoriously bad at driving...in the rain...in the dark.... in the snow.... in general... so I was not only stressed out but also very uneasy.  As you know, I tend to get stressed out about anything outside of actual driving, so I ended up listening to Cool for the Summer several times.  I had recently "discovered" the song by subscribing to Apple Music and then searching for best of 2015 so I could be up on all the latest and greatest.  Mind you, I was playing this song over and over in the dead of winter, in the RAIN, but it is somewhat ominous and something in the riff suggests a .... as in you don't know what will happen.

Well, what happened is that I was completely panicked and absolutely certain I was going to miss my flight.  It wasn't a huge deal, i would miss the first bit of a training I wasn't even conducting, but all the same.  I flat out ran from my car to the terminal, bypassing the shuttle.  I arrived at the gate only to find out.... the flight had been delayed.  I made it.  One would think I learned my lesson, but sadly I have only gotten more complacent, which is a story for another song!

My Body by Young the Giant

A little over a year ago I was at Nancy Boyd Park with the kiddos.  We needed an escape from the house and it's a nice park.  It's also an unintentionally hilarious park. The first time my sister took my aunt and uncle there, my uncle asked how we could say it with a straight face because he heard "Nancy Boy" Park.  Of course I can't hear anything else now.  So where were we? Right, Nancy Boy Park.  This particular day I was picked up by a mom.  It's not what you think, it's more of an inside joke.  This mom jokes that she picks up moms at the park.  If your kids aren't in school yet, it's not always easy to make new mom friends, but she has made an art of it!  We really hit it off and the kids did too.  A couple months later, I meet her identical twin sister who I also liked a great deal.  In fact, the sister has become one of my bestest bestie friends!

Nikki is my concert buddy.... my confidant... she keeps me real and honest with myself..... she checks in on me.  She's the definition of a caring, genuine, true friend.  I don't know what I am going to do when she inevitably leaves me.  Keep in touch, probably, but it won't be the same. 

One lazy Saturday, the kids and I were hanging out with Nikki and My Body started playing from her playlist.  We had recently seen Young the Giant at Not So Silent Night and it's also a really fun song.  She turned it up and we started singing and dancing around the kitchen.  Even Lila joined in.  It was everything I love about music.  We were caught up in the same moment, signing our hearts out, feeling all of the feels.  It's a very happy Nikki and Jen memory, just one of many.  I can't wait to hang out with her tonight!