Seventeen Again

Wednesday night I got to have a girl's night with my sister. We had a blast as usual, but it was more than just that. We are both very sensative people - her by nature and me - hormonal and that whole "mommy" thing. So sharing intense moments that bring tears is better spent with another sap as opposed to a non-sap, aka My Husband.

We went to the St. Jude's Partner's in Hope concert. I became a partner this year. I wanted to do it last year, but never called in so this year I jumped on the chance. Partners in Hope sign up to donate $30 a month and every bit of it goes to St. Jude's for research and operation. As a mother now, I have thought a lot about St. Jude. I pray JD never has a need for it, but if he does, it's incredible knowing they are doing some great things there.

Anyways, they put on a concert for all of the partners and I took Shannon as my guest. The two performers were Taylor Swift and Jason Aldean. They are both AMAZING. I love country music. I was raised on it and 99.5% of the time, my radio is tuned to 92.9 or 100.3. I love it. I love everything about country music. I love the sadness of it, I love the honesty in it, I love how it makes me want to dance, I love how it makes me fall in love, I love how it reminds me of summer, I LOVE IT. I've been a fan of Jason Aldean's for a while. He had me with Why? I liked Taylor Swift but only knew the two songs she had on the radio. That changed Wednesday night!

This girl is a doll!!! There was something so precious about her. She's 17 and she acts 17. She's not one of these celebrities that is 17 going on 25. No, she's 17. She's every girl at 17. She wrote ALL of her songs and they are all about the life of a 17 year old girl. It took me back. It took me back to high school. It took me back to putting on make up and getting dolled up for school knowing that I'd run into my crush. It took me back to broken hearts and falling in love all over again. It took me back to being jealous of new girl friends and disliking ex-girlfriends. She took me back. It didn't take much seeing how I only graduated 6 years ago, but still, she took me back. I loved high school. I have fond memories. I met the most incredible man in high school and now spend every morning waking up to him.

So thank you Miss Swift. Thank you for reminding me of what is was like. Thanks for making me smile and for bringing back old memories. It was a blast. It was even more fun watching her with my sister who will be 17 in June. She sang her heart out to a 23 year old remembering what is was like to be 17 and a 16 year old looking ahead a few months when she will be 17.

Here are a few of my favorite lyrics:

Our Song
I was riding shotgun with my hair undone in the front seat of his car
He's got a one-hand feel on the steering wheel
The other on my heartI look around, turn the radio down
He says baby is something wrong?
I say nothing I was just thinking how we don't have a song
And he says...

Our song is the slamming screen door,
Sneakin' out late, tapping on your window
When we're on the phone and you talk real slow
Cause it's late and your mama don't know
Our song is the way you laugh
The first date "man, I didn't kiss her, and I should have"
And when I got home ... before I said amen
Asking God if he could play it again

I was walking up the front porch steps after everything that day
Had gone all wrong and been trampled on
And lost and thrown away
Got to the hallway, well on my way to my lovin' bed
I almost didn't notice all the roses
And the note that said...

Our song is the slamming screen door,
Sneakin' out late, tapping on your window
When we're on the phone and you talk real slow
Cause it's late and your mama don't know
Our song is the way you laugh
The first date "man, I didn't kiss her, and I should have"
And when I got home ... before I said amen
Asking God if he could play it again

I've heard every album, listened to the radio
Waited for something to come along
That was as good as our song...

Cause our song is the slamming screen door
Sneaking out late, tapping on his window
When we're on the phone and he talks real slow
Cause it's late and his mama don't know
Our song is the way he laughs
The first date "man, I didn't kiss him, and I should have"
And when I got home, before I said amen
Asking God if he could play it again

I was riding shotgun with my hair undone
In the front seat of his car
I grabbed a pen and an old napkin
And I... wrote down our song


Mary's Song
(this song was written for her neighbors)

She said, I was seven and you were nine
I looked at you like the stars that shined
In the sky, the pretty lights
And our daddies used to joke about the two of us
Growing up and falling in love and our mamas smiled
And rolled their eyes and said oh my my my

Take me back to the house in the backyard tree
Said you'd beat me up, you were bigger than me
You never did, you never did
Take me back when our world was one block wide
I dared you to kiss me and ran when you tried
Just two kids, you and I...
Oh my my my my

I was sixteen when suddenly
I wasn't that little girl you used to see
But your eyes still shined like pretty lights
And our daddies used to joke about the two of us
They never believed we'd really fall in love
And our mamas smiled and rolled their eyes
And said oh my my my...

Take me back to the creek beds we turned up
Two A.M. riding in your truck and all I need is you next to me
Take me back to the time we had our very first fight
The slamming of doors instead of kissing goodnight
You stayed outside til the morning light
Oh my my my my

A few years had gone and come around
We were sitting at our favorite spot in town
And you looked at me, got down on one knee
Take me back to the time when we walked down the aisle
Our whole town came and our mamas cried
You said I do and I did too

Take me home where we met so many years before
We'll rock our babies on that very front porch
After all this time, you and I

I'll be eighty-seven; you'll be eighty-nine
I'll still look at you like the stars that shine
In the sky, oh my my my...