Anything But Gray

I woke up to a genuine snowfall. There has to be a good 4 inches or so out there. Probably more…
There is so much snow that I am surprised they haven't canceled school. I have my suspicions the only reason they didn't cancel is because today is Kindergarten open house and registration and that would be a MAJOR pain in the ass to reschedule.
Here's some pics. They aren't the best, they are taken from a couple of webcams around town…

April snow egan drive

this was taken at like 5:30am and it's continued to snow….

Snowy downtown

This post is going to bore the crap out of everyone but J.
And I am okay with that!
This is us. This is what we do.
We oooh and aahhh over lyrics, notes, beats…..we don't just listen to new cd's by Mariah or Bon Jovi, we devour them. And this is such a big thing in our friendship and part of why I love new cds so much….J gets it…gets my music thing because she is exactly the same as me and she likes the same music as me, which 99.9% of my family and friends, do not, so sharing this with J is such a cool thing. I adore it!!!
 
This is for you, baby…mwah!!!!

I. love. this. cd.
Seriously….love it.
She sounds tougher….rougher….and I absolutely LOVE it.
I so hope this is the direction she stays with because this album is just awesome.
I haven't loved a Mariah album this much since….okay, since Emancipation….whatever….but really this one is even better!!!

Migrate–LOVE this. A little rougher for her and it's cool. It's just a totally hot, sexy song. This is a song I'll blast and dance around the house to, I'll play when I'm in shower…(it's crazy…I sing and dance a little…in the shower….lol…) I'll blast this when I'm feeling hot and cruising around….awesome beat! And I love her voice on it. It's rougher for her…more "street". Very hot!

"sick of your berry buzzin' all in my face" –love this line!

"As we proceed getting buzzed/The envious ones/Hatin' but they can't take they eyes off us"–freakin' love this!

"Whatcha waitin' on/I can't stand in one place/I need that Patron and I/hate when I don't get it my way/so don't wait for me to buy drinks/Or you gon' dehydrate/It's time to migrate."
–1st of all…I LOVE petron..talk about smooth. Yummy! And I love the you gonna dehydrate line!

"Soon as I'm walkin' through the door/They know I'm from the 8-5-0"  Reminds me of my mommy! I got the best mom in all of 850!!! ha! 🙂

This will wind up being one of my favorites…

Touch My Body–The sound of this one is more typical of Mariah and it's good. Very fun, very sweet sounding, very mellow. Fun to sing to and it's cute. Lyrically, it's a bit more "in your face" sexual than Mariah usually does and I like it. It's like she's getting more comfortable and confident with herself and it's showing in her music. The whole song lyrically is cool, but I especially think this is cool…
."Then I'd best not catch this flick/On YouTube (YouTube)"
Having this in here is a big, big pop culture reference and 25 years from now, it'll make this song a nice little piece of nostalgia. This, along with the fact that this is the song that put her ahead of Elvis for #1's!

Cruise Control–I didn't care for this at all, the first time I heard it. But it's growing on me real quick and I think I will wind up really liking it. Weird how some songs are like that for me. I'm impressed with Damian Marley being on it. I think that's cool. And I would LOVE to see her sing this part live.
"Cause he's the flyest ting when he be cruisin'
/On me avenue/Then da door open, de gals 'pon de block/
They be hopin', to rob the clock me say no man/Step up step up bottle broken/Think I'm jokin'?
"
I just think it'd be super cool to see her sing this….it's such fun!

I Stay in Love–Really, really love this song….very Mariah, but better. 🙂 Very sweet, smooth….relaxing. This is the kind of song I like to play when I'm writing….it inspires me.

So love this line…this is a "wish I wrote it" line….

"If you dont' know me at this point/Then I highly doubt you ever will"
So simple, yet very powerful. Love it!

"What I wanna do is/Ride shot-gun next to you/With the top down like we used to/Hit the block/Proud in the SUV"
Love this part!

Side Effects–(I LOVE THIS SONG!!!!! )
Oh my god…do I love this song. I have played it about 200 times already….

This will absolutely, positively, hands down, no doubt about it, be one of my all time favorite Mariah Carey songs.
It is SUCH an athem song….for anyone who's been hurt, abused, mistreated, neglected, controlled….anything. You can make it fit, make it your own and it's so very powerful, the way she chose to sing it..it's very, very fitting for the song. In fact, the song couldn't have been done any other way. This, this is when that quote "music is what feelings sound like" is so friggin' true. Short, hard bursts of lyrics and music. Freakin' absolutely amazing song. I love the lyrics, the music, her voice! It's very singable, too. You don't have to be Mariah to be able to sing this one, which I think is another calculated and just brilliant move on Mariah's part.  I cannot say enough about this song…how much I love it. I adore the whole song lyrically but there are a few stand out lines….

"
Cause you were scared that I'd become much/More than you could handle/Shining like a chandelier/That decorated every room/Inside this private hell we built/And I dealt with it"

Wish I wrote it…..so love that line.

"Forgive but I can't forget/Everyday I deal with this/I live with the side effects/But I ain't gon let them get the best of me"

AWESOME. I swear, I am going to make this into a canvas or a rear view mirror pendant….it's so simple, such a simple thought, but just friggin' PERFECT.

Really the whole song is amazing, lyrically….I should've just posted the whole thing….
Love, love, love this song!

I'm That Chick—
What a fun song! Love this…( I keep saying that…but I do!)
The lyrics are so sassy and the music is subtle…playful and fun, very 70's sounding…..it's a very cool combination. Kind of like the naughty school girl thing….
I can so see me playing this and dancing around the house and singing to Zak…(mind you, with the music very, very loud so he can't hear how horrific I sound…LOL)
This is a feel good song, one that every woman should listen to and feel it and BELIEVE it for themselves!
We all should feel like this…:-)

Again, the whole song is so fun, but there's a couple of really cool lyrics…

"
I'm like the lottery/Hot Bentley with the keys/Take me for a ride". ha! So fun!!

"
Boy I got you caught up inside of my haze/And you're gonna be gone for days

I'm like that ooo weee/You're fiendin to blaze up/And taste me/Got flavor like ice cream/'Cause I'm that chick you like".

Ha again! Love this!!

Love Story–(LOVE THIS SONG!!!!) This will be another favorite. This my second favorite on the cd, so far. Love, love, love the back beat and I love her voice in the chorus. There are times that her voice mesmerizes me and this chorus is one of those times. I could hit rewind 5 thousand times and not get sick of hearing it. So love it…
and the lyrics are awesome. So sweet….who doesn't love a love story, especially when it's to music??

"Off they go rollercoaster ride/Up & down and around…/Twisted all out their minds"
"
We can make it like it was/Just the two of us/Back up on that rollercoaster/Like we been supposed to"

Love this…perfect combination of sweet and just a teeny bit rough…

I'll Be Loving U Long Time–another really fun song! It has an old sound to it….70's?
Totally made me think of Zak. The whole thing is perfect.
I can't even pick out lyrics because the whole thing is just perfect.

Last Kiss…Very Mariah! I like it…again, nothing spectacular for me, but just another really good Mariah song.

Thanx 4 nothing–Cool song. I like the lyrics, but I can see me skipping over this song….nothing spectacular about it for me and there's so many songs that I really, really love so I can see me skipping this to get back to the stuff I really love! lol

O.O.C.–I didn't anticipate liking this song. I was little like what? when I read the title….I'm so big on titles and this one just did nothing for me. But I love this song!! It's another fun, playful one. I love the beat…love her voice…love, love, love the lyrics.. awesome song!! And I friggin' love the french/spanish thing….so fun/sexy/hot! LOL

"
Although we've both moved on to another/Still long for each other/it's wrong but eternally/I get so O.O.C./And that's just the way it be"

oh vey…

For The Record..
Okay, first and foremost…I LOVE WHEN ARTISTS DO THIS!!! Reference their own songs in their songs! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!!!!

"For the record

You'll always be a part of me

No matter what you do

And for the record

Can't nobody say I didn't give my all to you

And for the record

I told you underneath the stars that you belong to me

And for the record

It's obvious that we just can't let go of us
".

I love this….she's referencing a few of her songs in here and what's so awesome? All of the songs she's referencing are significant for me! Always be my baby, is a song that makes me think of my kids….My all is a special song for me…for a long lost love of mine….Underneath the stars has ALWAYS been one of my all time favorites…and Can't let Go is special…for the same long lost love and it's another one of the songs that mesmerizes me…her voice on it.
I love that!!!
Anyway, beyond that….I love this….again, the background music does it for me….friggin' LOVE it. The high note in the back…the bap,bap,bap beat….sounds almost like strings….I dont' think it is though…too hard to be, I think. Whatever it is, i like it! lol

Bye, Bye—
What an emotional song! It's tough to get through this without crying and in fact, I've had to skip over it already or I would've lost it. lol.
Music is awesome, lyrics are incredibly moving and emotional and her voice is amazing!!!

this is where I lose it…almost every time…..

"And you never got a chance to see how good I’ve done/And you never got to see me back at number one/
I wish that you were here to celebrate together/I wish that we could spend the holidays together
"

and ahh..this part kills me…so reminds me of my mom.

"I thought you were so strong/That you can make it through whatever/It's so hard to accept the fact you're gone forever"

And I love how she includes cousins in all the people…cousins get overlooked and I'm so close to mine, we grew up like brothers and sisters…so I like having that in there. It's cool.

Awesome song….

I wish you well...
Love this! So reminds me of songs like Vanishing and If it's Over….and I love it!
Love her voice…
I love the bible references, it reminds you how much she loves her faith….and I love that.

I love the meaning behind this…..the forgiveness. I am so big on that…and I have survived by forgiving the people who have destroyed me the most and you know what? I'm happier because of it. This song is inspiring and I love it….

Go Mariah!!!!
Love this album!!!

Thank you for being patient J…now I have to read yours in the am! I can't wait!! LOL I've gone to your page and WANTED to read….I've even left it up, thinking I couldn't resist….and I did glance…but I can't wait to really, really read it!

Love you!!   

It is APRIL 16TH and winter just WON'T QUIT!!!!  30 minutes ago I look outside and see this!

April snow 003

April snow 005

April snow 009

April snow 011

April snow 023

And then about 20 minutes later, I look outside and see this.

April snow 040

April snow 022

April snow 028

April snow 040

Check this out….even if you aren't a Mariah Carey fan, you gotta watch this.

Got the cd….have been listening to it and I'm LOVING it…don't have time to do the song by song review (ha!) but I just had to post that I got it…I'm listening….I got to see the schedule, it looks good….and all is well in my world right now!

J…I'll do the review thing later!!

I rush to Fred Meyer's to get the cd.
It's not in.
Maybe on the Thursday freight, they tell me.
"I'm sorry" the sales lady says…
"Yeah, you should be…" I tell her.
Not in a mean voice, just in a completely disappointed voice.
I leave the store near tears.

I call J and "talk it out" and I feel better when I realize…hey wait a minute, we have Walmart now, I can try there.
So I go there, with J still on the phone.
It's not in yet.
It'll be on the shelves in a few hours…

<sigh>

Now….you are probably thinking, near tears? Isn't that a bit dramatic, Joanna?

No.
It's not.
Sometimes living here really, really sucks.
And I know to the majority of people that live here over the age of 21, getting a cd on the day it's supposed to be released is not a big deal, but you know what? It IS a big friggin' deal to me and I so hate when this happens.
Waiting for a new album by an artist I love, ripping it open, reading the liner notes and lyrics while I listen to the cd is one of my greatest joys. Seriously. I live for new albums. So this is just a total drag….

BUT….because I am an optimist…I realize that well, you know what? I wouldn't have been able to listen to it anyway because I'm going to Jaime's class, so all in all it's okay that I have to wait a few hours.

They are all just lucky it wasn't a Bon Jovi cd…..

I could just burst…

MARIAH'S ALBUM IS OUT TODAY!!!!!!!
I can't wait to go get it…..:-) 7am. I am so hitting the store as soon as they open the doors….

Schedule announcement!

The ONLY bummer about this stuff???
I AM GOING TO BE AT JAIME'S CLASS UNTIL 12:30!!!!!!
I volunteer in the classroom on Tuesday mornings…..THIS is just going to kill me this week because all I want in the whole entire world is to be listening to my cd and reading the schedule for the next year!!!!
I so should email the teacher and say I'm sick….ha!
Could you imagine? Calling in sick to 1st grade?? That's a funny thought, to me. (it's early people….)
I can't though, 1st of all it's lying and I can't do that. <rolling eyes> 2nd of all I've been out of the classroom for over a month because of our vacation, so I'm actually kind of missing it.
Just not today. lol.

UGH!!!!

So not fair!

I am gonna be hauling freakin' ass home from her school today. lol.
Luckily we only live like 5 minutes away…

more later!!
🙂

.

My brother and I were talking today and he was commenting on how when he left Alaska, the apartment in Ceci's side of the house that he lived in was the longest he'd ever lived in one place. It was only four years so I was like no way! Then we started talking about it and rehashing all of our moves as children and I realized that he was right and while talking about him, I realized the same applied for me.

This house that we are in now will wind up being the longest I've ever lived in one place. I can't believe that! I mean, I've always known we moved a lot, that is not a surprise but to sit and really figure out that I've never even lived in the same house for 5 years is a really weird realization.

And I'm completely convinced that explains my "everything-must-be-organized" obsessive self. Seriously, it must stem from the constant upheaval of moving. Although if that is my theory, I wonder how you explain my brother who definitely does NOT have the same organized nature. Perhaps he just decided to leave things as they are and just be as chaotic as his childhood was…

hmmm…..this kind of stuff just fascinates me.
Why we are the way we are.

I should've been a therapist.
ha!   

My brother is back up here in Alaska for a couple of months.
He came up to take care of some stuff and to help us move back east.
We didn't tell the kids, we kept it a surprise….
We told them we were taking them to the airport to get some bubblegum and they were a bit perplexed…because we REALLY hyped this surprise up. They kept making guesses and we kept saying…nope, BETTER. At one point Jaime had a guessed a playhouse and we told her nope, better. When we told her we were going to the airport to get bubblegum, she says "That's not better than a playhouse, Daddy!" LOL They have gumball machines with HUGE gumballs at the airport and sometimes we'll drive over or walk over (airport is walking distance from our house) and let them get a bubblegum. So they did not think this was as big of a surprise as we had made it out to be….
We got the bubblegum and we just kind of hung around while passengers came out of the gate. They were just goofing around and playing and not even questioning why we were still hanging around.

This is a picture of them that we got before Marky got off the plane….it's just so cute I had to post it. This is one of the pictures that you can really see how much they look alike.

Uncle marky comes back april 2008 (1)

And when Uncle Marky came out of the gate, they were SHOCKED. Jaime just grabbed the first part of him she could get to in a big hug and squeezed as hard as she could…..

Uncle marky comes back april 2008 (8)

And Ben…he just stared for about 30 seconds, totally mesmerized and so surprised! I LOVE this picture….it gives me goosebumps….you can just see the emotion in Ben's face…love it.

Uncle marky comes back april 2008 (9)

So yet again, my heart is torn.
I feel bad for Ann and the kids….because I know they miss him.
Yet I'm happy for my kids because they have missed him terribly.
And of course Zak and I have missed him too.
It's just a very conflicting feeling….to feel so good, yet so bad, all at once.
ugh!
 
He's doing good things while he is here, so that makes me feel better…but still…I know how bad my kids missed him, so I can only imagine what Ann is going through, watching Nick and Jessica miss their Dad. But hopefully the time will fly by and he'll be back to them before they know it!!