Themed Playlists

I am the queen of playlists, especially themed playlists. I counted all up all of the playlists on my iPod, and I currently have 35. THIRTY FIVE. That seems like a lot, but I love me a good playlist.

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My specialty is themed playlists.

Take this summer one for example. It has all of my favorite summer songs on it. I can't listen to this playlist and not feel like it's summer. I also listen to this one all year round. Sometimes you just need a little taste of summer in February, am I right?

But I don't just have a summer playlist, because that's pretty easy to put together. Kind of a no brainer - everyone needs a summer playlist.

One of my other favorite playlists is my Road Trip playlist, filled with all driving themed songs. Life Is A Highway? Check! Highway Don't Care? Of course! Shut Up and Drive? Duh! There is nothing better than driving down the highway listening to this playlist.

Another one of my favorite themed playlists is called Home. I made this at the end of April when I was going on my Montreal trip. I started thinking about all of the songs that have to do with being home, and I realized that they would make a pretty awesome playlist. This is the perfect one to listen to on your way home from a trip!

Even though I absolutely love my summer, driving, home, and many other playlists, my all time favorite ones to put together are for a trip or vacation. Pretty much every single trip I go on has to have an accompanying playlist. I love to make trip themed ones because I always listen to them while on vacation, but then I'll continue to listen to them afterwards and every time I do, it reminds me a fabulous trip!

I usually try to find songs that have to do with the place I'm going. That was super easy for my California playlist because there are a TON of songs about California! (Funny story about this playlist - I made it right before I was going to book a flight out there, and then the trip fell through. So I don't listen to this one a ton because I'm still a little bitter about not going to Cali - ha!).

When I went to the Dominican Republic last year, I made this playlist. I can't think of a song that has anything to do with the Dominican, so I went for a summer/flying theme since we were obviously flying there. This is probably my most favorite playlist because I listen to it all the time - it turned out so good!

I also really like this playlist from my New York trip. Again, it was super easy to find songs about New York, but I also went in December, so I included some Christmas songs as well.

I do have a couple of more random playlists, but my themed ones are my favorite. And not to brag, but I think I'm pretty good at coming up with a themed playlist ;)

Here's some of my tips to come up with a themed playlist of your own:

1. Come up with a theme. It can be broad or more detailed, but think about events in your life that other people tend to write songs about as well.

2. Start looking through your iTunes library for songs that fit the theme. You may be able to just think of some off the top of your head. Otherwise, think of some keywords that you can use to search for related songs. For example, when I was creating my "Road Trip" playlist, I searched "road", "car", "highway", etc. I have a big enough library that I can usually find a couple good songs that I hadn't initially thought of.

3. Do a search on Google for "songs about ________". Google is always a good place to start if you're having a hard time coming up with some ideas.

4. Search iTunes! For pretty much all of my themed playlists, I usually end up buying a few songs off of iTunes if they seem perfect.

5. If you need some filler songs to make your playlist a little longer, I usually download a few songs off the iTunes Top 100 list and add those in as well.

And that's it! Like I said before, I love making my vacation themed playlists because even if I listen to them years later, they always take me right back to my trip.

For Good

First off, notice anything different around here? :) I've been wanting to redesign my blog for probably a year now, but I just haven't been able to find the time. I loved the giraffe background, but I was getting tired of seeing it everyday. With so many things changing in my life, I thought it would be a good time to change it up. Knowing me it will be like this for the next 3 years now - ha!

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I'm sorry if you're getting tired of reading graduation posts on here. It's just the season of life I'm in right now, and I pretty much want to document everything for my memory. I'm not done with them yet either as I still have several more posts I need to write and publish, including some walks down memory lane! So if they are boring you, feel free to just come back a week or two from now, and I should be done by then - ha!

This is a post I've had swirling around in my head for awhile. Like I'm sure many of you, I absolutely love music. While I don't have the gift of producing music, I sure do love to listen to it all the time. I love how songs have the power to change your mood or capture exactly how you're feeling at any given moment.

Over the past month or so I've really started to pick up on songs or different lyrics that have really spoke to me because they reflect what I'm feeling now.

I'm sad that a big part of my life that I am very comfortable with is coming to an end. But I'm excited too at the prospect of things to come. I'm kind of torn between wanting to stay with the people I know and love right now, while also wanting to experience so many new things and new people.

So, I've pulled together some different music quotes that kind of show what I'm feeling. Now, some of these are just a few lines in a song. Some of the songs are not at all about graduating and leaving friends, but when a lyric or two is taken out of context, I have found that it relates so well to my current situation.

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Daylight - Maroon 5

Here I am waiting.

I'll have to leave soon.

Why am I holding on?

We knew this day would come.

We knew it all along.

How did it come so fast?

This is our last night but it's late.

And I'm trying not to sleep.

Cause I know, when I wake, I will have to slip away.

And when the daylight comes I'll have to go.

See You Again - Carrie Underwood

Said goodbye, turned around

And you were gone, gone, gone

Faded into the setting sun,

Slipped away.

But I won't cry

Cause I know I'll never be lonely

For you are the stars to me,

You are the light I follow.

I will see you again.

This is not where it ends.

I will carry you with me.

Till I see you again.

The View - Christa Black

I don't know how I got here

And I'm not sure how to start.

If you asked me to retrace my steps,

It'd probably be too far.

But I'm sitting on these wrinkled sheets and thinking to myself,

I might be happy here.

And I just have to say,

The view looks fine from here.

Everything seems nice this time of year.

And even though the future is unclear.

I might just stick around a while.

My Wish - Rascal Flatts

I hope you never look back, but you never forget,

All the ones who love you in the place you left,

I hope you always forgive, and never regret,

And you help somebody every chance you get,

Oh, you find God's grace in every mistake,

And always give more than you take.

Please Remember Me - Tim McGraw

When all our tears have reached the sea,

Part of you will live in me,

Way down deep inside my heart.

The days keep coming without fail.

A new wind is gonna find your sail.

That's where your journey starts.

Don't Forget to Remember Me - Carrie Underwood

Hey momma, don't forget to tell my baby sister I'll see her in the fall.

And tell Memaw that I miss her.

Yeah, I should giver her a call.

And make sure you tell Daddy that I'm still his little girl.

Yeah, I still feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be.

Don't forget to remember me.

This - Darius Rucker

For every stoplight I didn't make.

Every chance I did or I didn't take.

All the nights I went too far.

All the girls that broke my heart.

All the doors that I had to close.

All the things I knew but I didn't know.

Thank God for all I missed

Cause it led me here to this.

Don't Close the Book - Honor Society

Please don't tell me

It's the end of the story.

Don't close the book on me.

Don't you close the book on me.

We've gone our separate ways,

But we'll meet up on another page.

Don't close the book on me.

Don't you close the book on me.

You'll Be In My Heart - Phil Collins

When destiny calls you,

You must be strong.

I may not be with you,

But you've got to hold on.

Cause you'll be in my heart.

Yes, you'll be in my heart.

From this day on,

Now and forever more.

Change - Taylor Swift

Tonight we stand, get off our knees.

Fight for what we've worked for all these years.

And the battle was long, it's the fight of our lives.

But we'll stand up champions tonight.

It was the night things changed.

One of Those Nights - Tim McGraw

Cause someday when you're looking back on your life

At the memories, this is gonna be one of those nights.

You're Gonna Miss This - Trace Adkins

You're gonna miss this.

You're gonna want this back.

You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast.

These are some good times,

So take a good look around.

You may not know it now,

But you're gonna miss this.

Graduation - Vitamin C

I keep thinking times will never change,

Keep on thinking things will always be the same.

But when we leave this year we won't be coming back.

As we go on

We remember

All the times we

Had together.

And as our lives change,

Come whatever,

We will still be

Friends forever.

Letter to Me - Brad Paisley

You've got so much up ahead.

You'll make new friends.

You should see your kids and wife.

And I'd end by saying have no fear,

These are no where near the best years of your life.

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The song that I think best sums up what I'm feeling as I come to the end of this chapter though is For Good from Wicked. If you've never heard it before, you have to listen to it now. It's so good.

I've heard it said

That people come into our lives for a reason,

Bringing something we must learn.

And we are lead

To those who help us most to grow

If we let them,

And we help them in return.

Well, I don't know if I believe that's true.

But I know I'm who I am today

Because I knew you.

Like a comet pulled from orbit

As it passes the sun.

Like a stream that meets a boulder

Halfway through the wood.

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?

But because I knew you,

I have been changed for good.

It well may be

That we will never meet again

In this lifetime.

So let me say before we part,

So much of me

Is made from what I learned from you.

You'll be with me

Like a handprint on my heart.

And now whatever way our stories end,

I know you have re-written mine

By being my friend.

Who can say if I've been

Changed for the better?

I do believe I have been

Changed for the better.

And because I knew you,

I have been changed for good.

I firmly believe that the friends, teachers, and staff members that were put into my life over the past 4 years were put there by God for a reason. I have learned so much from them, and I know that a part of them now lies in me.

And I do believe I have been changed for good and for the better because of them.

Funny How a Melody Sounds Like a Memory

There's just something about music that is so unique. It has the power to make people feel, and it's so universal that people in very different walks of life can still enjoy the same kind of music. But one of my favorite things about music is how a certain song can hold so many deep memories. A song can transport you back to a different time in your life and it can make you remember things you thought you had forgot.

So today I'm taking a little walk down memory lane by sharing some of the songs that hold special memories for me!

The Climb - Miley Cyrus

This song always reminds me of my 8th grade graduation. The song came out my 8th grade year, and our grade kind of made it "our song". At our graduation brunch, there was a slide show of pictures of us through the years, and this song was one of the ones on that slide show. I can still remember all of us standing together in the back of our gym watching the pictures and listening to this song. Definitely a memory I'll never forget!

Burnin' Up - Jonas Brothers

Ahh, this song brings me back to a lot of summer memories, but mainly to the Jonas Brothers concert I went to in 2009. I went with my friends Abby and Ashley, and it is one of my favorite memories. We got to meet several of the band members, and our seats were really good too!

Empire State of Mind - Alicia Keys

This song reminds me so much of my trip to New York! I made a whole New York playlist before we went with New York themed songs, and this was one of them. I can specifically remember watching the ice skaters in Central Park, and this song was playing on the speakers. New York at Christmas is one of my most cherished memories.

Girl Next Door - Saving Jane

Back in 2006, I went on a Gatlinburg trip with my mom, one my friends, her mom, and her sisters. It was a fun girls weekend! We found a random CD in our condo, and this was one of the songs on it. I remember we listened to that CD over and over on that trip, and this song always reminds me of it!

I See the Light - Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi

This is my favorite Tangled song! Last year my English class had a sleepover where we had planned on watching The Scarlet Letter. It ended up being a terrible movie, so we switched to Tangled instead. It was such a fun night, and I know I'm going to miss all of those girls next year!

Be - Jessica Simpson

I used to be a huge Jessica Simpson fan back in the day. Whenever I hear this song, I am reminded of a specific sleepover with my cousins where we watched the Jessica Simpson concert DVD and ate pints of Ben & Jerry's :)

No Air - Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown

This song reminds me of my 13th birthday. I had a murder mystery party, and I remember how after the murder mystery part of it, we danced to this song in my basement. That was my favorite birthday party ever!

Popular - Wicked Cast

Wicked is my favorite broadway show ever. The first time I saw it was in Chicago. I have seen it once since then, and I'm going to see it next year too. It was SO fun seeing it in Chicago though!

Rose Garden - Nick Jonas
This song always brings me back to the Nick Jonas & the Administration Concert in Chicago. Seriously one of the best concerts I've ever seen, and one of the best weekends ever. I don't think I'll ever forget it. And this song specifically reminds me of the moment when my friend Abby and I were standing in the back of the venue, and Nick Jonas came out about 10 feet in front of us and sang that song as a small acoustic set. :)

Summertime - Kenny Chesney
This song doesn't exactly bring me back to a specific moment, but it brings me back to so many summer memories. Vacations, swimming, relaxing - pretty much anything associated with summer. This song just happens to be my family's #1 played song on iTunes. Yup, we've listened to it over 300 times!

Unfaithful - Rihanna
This may seem like an odd song to bring back memories, but in grade school I remember my friends and I loved this song. There were multiple times we were hanging out at someone's house and we would watch this music video and sing along. We also used to play America's Next Top Model all the time, but that's a story for another day - ha! This song is kind of bittersweet for me since it brings back good memories of friends I've grown a little apart from over the years.

Where the Boat Leaves From - Zac Brown Band
This song brings back a great memory for me! Three years ago my family went our summer vacation with some of my parents' friends and their family. One night we were driving back to our beach house, and my parents' friends turned on this song and said we had to listen to it because they knew we would love it. We ended up getting back to the house before the song was over, so we just chilled in the car and cranked up the music. It's such a simple memory, but it's a good one that I just haven't forgotten.

7 Things - Miley Cyrus
This song came out I believe either my 7th or 8th grade year. It always reminds me of a time when 2 of my friends and I jammed out to this song at my friend's house. Kind of one of those random memories, but still a fun one!

Springsteen - Eric Church

And last but not least....Springsteen. Seriously one of my favorite songs and the namesake for this blog post! This song will always remind me of summer 2012. But my favorite memory of this song? When my family was driving over to our friends' house for a swim night and we literally cranked up this song and put it on repeat the entire way over there. I just remember driving with the windows down, this song on, and a fun night of swimming ahead. Just seemed like one of those "perfect" moments where all was right in the world!

To me, music is just such an amazing thing. I don't think anything else can bring back an old memory quite like a song can. I can't wait to see what other songs I add to my list of memory songs in the future.

Do you have any songs that spark any good memories for you every time you hear them?

New Favorite Playlist

I didn't post a What I'm Loving Wednesday post today because I've just been too busy to write one. So instead, I went through the list of posts in my drafts and randomly picked one to publish today. Over the summer I made a playlist for vacation, and I've loved it so much that I thought I'd share the songs on it.....

You'll Be In My Heart - Phil Collins

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I'm not doing a What I'm Loving Wednesday post this week because I was just too busy to put one together. So I went to my list of posts in draft, randomly picked one out to publish, and this is it! Over the summer I made a playlist for vacation, and I loved it so much I thought I'd share it.....

Metamorphosis - Hilary Duff

I seriously used to love Hillary Duff. Lizzie McGuire was one of my favorite shows!

For Good - Wicked Cast

I love this entire soundtrack!

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Everybody Talks - Neon Trees

Goodbye Earl - Dixie Chicks

I love the Dixie Chicks!

You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly - Peter Pan

I love old Disney movies, and the music is always so good too!

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No Strings Attached - 'N Sync

Southern Voice - Tim McGraw

Tim McGraw is seriously one of my new favorite country artists. I just love all of his songs!

Only Hope - Mandy Moore

This song is actually from the movie A Walk to Remember!

I Hope You Dance - Lee Ann Womack

The Best of Both Worlds - Hannah Montana

Yes, I do still listen to Hannah Montana - ha!

This One's For the Girls - Martina McBride

Larger Than Life - Backstreet Boys

I Just Can't Wait to be King - Lion King

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A Thousand Years - Christina Perri
This is actually my cousin's first dance song with her fiance for their wedding in a few weeks!

Even If It Breaks Your Heart - Eli Young Band

Someone's Watching Over Me - Hilary Duff

This is one of the songs from the movie Raise Your Voice, which I love!

Landslide - Dixie Chicks

Better Than I Used to Be - Tim McGraw

I See the Light - Tangled

I have a lot of Disney on this playlist!

Sing 'Em Good My Friend - Kenny Chesney

This is from Kenny's new cd, Welcome to the Fishbowl, which I thing is so good!

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Why Not - Hilary Duff

Springsteen - Eric Church

I feel like every year I have a song of the summer, and I think this is this year's song!

Working On a Tan - Brad Paisley

Us Against the World - Play

My Little Girl - Tim McGraw

This is the sweetest song! Ever since I saw Tim McGraw in concert over the summer, I've been obsessed with his music.

There You'll Be - Faith Hill

Time For Me To Fly - Jonas Brothers

Old school Jonas song!

Wide Open Spaces - Dixie Chicks

All Or Nothing - Cher

I absolutely love Cher! She's one of those singers that I would love to see perform live.

Beauty and the Beast - Beauty and the Beast

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Indian Outlaw - Tim McGraw

SOS - Rihanna

I absolutely love making new playlists and finding new songs on iTunes. I especially love this playlist since it has so many Disney songs. I have a TON of different playlists. I just counted them up and I have 27 different playlists (and counting!).

Happy Wednesday!

Day 25: iPod Shuffle Songs



Today's Blog Challenge topic is to put your iPod on shuffle and share the first 10 songs. So here it goes!

1. Walking on Snow - Jordin Sparks

2. Hey There Delilah - Plain White T's

3. Thats Just The Way We Roll - Jonas Brothers

4. Stronger - Mandisa

5. I'm Not In The Mood (To Say No!) - Shania Twain

6. Come Down With Love - Allstar Weekend

7. Everything You're Not - Demi Lovato

8. Everywhere - Tim McGraw

9. Over You - Honor Society

10. Your Song - Elton John

As you can see, I've got a big mix of songs on my iPod. A few songs actually came up that I had never heard before, so I just skipped past those - ha! What are some of your favorite songs?

Music's In My Soul: Boy Bands



I had originally planned to post this on Tuesday, but well, I forgot. This is my last music topic and it is by far my favorite one! Seriously, who doesn't like a good boy band?

So, without further adieu, here are a few of my favorite boy bands!

1. Jonas Brothers
You knew that was going to be at the top of list, right? Well I honestly had to include the Jonas Brothers in this post because they are one of my favorite bands. They are so down to earth, I love their songs, and they put on the best concerts!

My favorite songs of theirs include:

"Fly With Me"

"Hello Beautiful"

"A Little Bit Longer"

"Love Is On It's Way"

"Tonight"

2. Honor Society
I heard about Honor Society through the Jonas Brothers. They were on tour with the Jonas Brothers one year, and I got to see them then. I also went to one of their headline shows a few years ago. I have gotten the opportunity to meet Honor Society and they are super nice guys!

My favorite songs of theirs include.....

"Don't Close the Book"

"Over You"

"See U in the Dark"

3. Allstar Weekend
I found out about Allstar Weekend through my friend, Abby. I went to one of their shows back in December, and it was so much fun! They put on a great show and their music is really good too. I got to meet them too!

Favorite songs include......

"Come Down With Love"

"Dance Forever"

"Journey to the End of my Life"

"Not Your Birthday"

4. Action Item
Once again, I heard about Action Item through my friend Abby :) They toured with Allstar Weekend so I've seen them live, and I've met them also :) I got individual pictures with most of them. I missed getting a picture with Dan though, and I don't know how I did that.

Favorite songs:

"Some Days"

"Somewhere Out There" - I LOVE this one!

"When Everything Falls Back Down"

If you've never heard of some of these bands, check them out! They are all really good and talented. Even though, I think they all must hate me because they are all either not touring this summer, or not coming anywhere close. HAHAHA

But seriously, listen to their songs and check them out! Maybe they are coming near you this summer!

Music's In My Soul: Upbeat



Today is all about "upbeat" songs. I've got a playlist on my iPod that has all upbeat and fun songs. They always put me in a good and fun mood, so I thought I would share some of them now!

1. Kenny Chesney

"Summertime" - one word: summer. Love the lyrics and beat of this one!

2. Shania Twain

I LOVE "Up!" I always want to sing along to this song!

3. Kaci

The song "I Will Learn to Love Again" was in The Perfect Man, and I fell in love with it then.

4. Jonas Brothers

It's no secret that I really like the Jonas Brothers. But one of my favorite upbeat songs of theirs is "Feelin' Alive" from the Jonas LA album.

5. Lee DeWyze

I really like to watch American Idol, and last season I loved Lee DeWyze. His rendition of "Beautiful Day" is classic!

6. Tim McGraw

I know I've posted this video before, but this seriously one of my favorite songs. It always makes me want to sing along :)

Music's In My Soul: Inspirational



Today's music is all about my favorite inspirational/faith-based songs. I don't always listen to these songs, but when I'm having a bad day, I love having a playlist on my iPod I can turn to.

1. MercyMe

I've seen the quote "and I know there'll be days when this life brings me pain. But if that's what it takes to praise You, Jesus, bring the rain." I loved the quote, but I just recently found out it's a song called "Bring the Rain."

2. Christa Black

I know that I've talked about Christa Black on here before, but I wanted to mention her music again! She is super inspirational, and that shines through her music. My favorite songs of hers are "Peace," "The View," and "Drift Away." I couldn't find any of these songs on YouTube, so I thought I'd post some of the lyrics instead. These lyrics are from "The View":

"And I have to say

the view looks fine from here

everything seems nice this time of year

and even though the future is unclear

I might just stick around a while."

3. Chris Tomlin

I love the song "Our God is Greater." It's such a great song!

4. Josh Groban

Josh Groban's song "You Raise Me Up" is just classic.

5. Jessica Andrews

I used to love to listen to Jessica Andrews when I was little, and "Who I Am" is my favorite song of hers!

6. Point of Grace

Point of Grace is another one of my favorites. I have one of their albums and it is just fantastic. My favorite song is "How You Live."

I also like their song, "He Believes in You." I couldn't find this one on YouTube, so here's some of the lyrics from the song:

"Your faith is crumbling

Your feet are stumbling

It's so hard to believe in Him

But He believes in you

When you're at your weakest

And hope's still burning through the night

But you can't see it

You know in you heart He loves you

But at those moments when you can't believe it's true

He believes in you."

7. Rascal Flatts

I know I posted about Rascal Flatts in my country category, but I wanted to mention one of their songs in particular that I think really fits into this theme. That song is "My Wish." It always makes me think of where I'm heading in my life.

Do you have any favorite inspirational songs?

And a side note. I'll probably post again later on today or tomorrow about my first job interview ever. I was super nervous, but it went fine and it was actually really funny. I think it requires it's own post because I don't expect any future interviews to be so funny/weird/crazy. :)