Conversation Hearts and Tom Petty

I spent alot of time thinking on our way to and back from Boise this weekend. I usually do alot of my thinking during the silence of car rides, and while there wasn't alot of quiet time while Josh and I were traveling there were those snipets of time that I had to reminisce about various things in my life.

There are certain things that I do that hold such nostalgia for me. Traveling with Josh is something I love, I have mentioned that before. But going on drives is probably my favorite way to travel. Yes, it takes a long time, but there were so many memories held in the car on our way to adventures undiscovered when I was a kid. Now, most of these times in the car were arguments with my brother, drawing an "invisible line." Everyone knows about the "You can't cross this line I drew on the seat, or I'll scream," statement. I think it is mandatory to make your parents go crazy on your way to and from vacation. I absolutely hated drives when I was a kid, and I know Kyle did to. There was never anything to do. Coloring was always huge entertainment, but that got old after awhile too.

So I don't know what makes me like these drives so much. Was it the actual even, or is it the nostalgia of having those times with my mom, and especially my dad. I hold onto these fragmented memories even tighter because my dad is not here anymore. There are certain songs too, that bring me back to my childhood, and those completely innocent days filled with toys and fun. The first song I learned all the way through was "I won't back down" by Tom Petty... I was three. Apparently, my babysitter didn't screen what I was watching, she didn't really care. Songs like this are the songs that I associate with my dad. Tom Petty, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Direstraits, and Brooks and Dunn were just a few that we had cranked up to the max. And some songs I have a hard time listening to. They remind me so much of my dad, and I don't think I'm ready to listen to them without crying yet. "Free Fallin'" is one of them. Don't ask me why these memories bring so many feelings back. When I figure them out, I might let you know.

There are also things that bring back some sort of feeling of childhood, while these things don't recall any certain memory, they do bring back that sweet memory of being easily excited in the days that held so much promise. I packed Conversation Hearts in our snack cooler for our drive to Boise. Most people that know me know that I'm not a huge fan of Valentines Day. I don't hate it, but I don't really like it either. I do buy valentines for the kids at work, and occasionally I take part in buying a few different types of candy. Conversations hearts are my favorite. I LOVE the white ones, and the pink ones. The yellow are good too, but yes, I leave the orange, green and purple in the bag for anyone that will eat them, but don't touch my white and pink. This obsession is beyond me.

So, I sometimes wonder what I would be doing without these certain memories, and who I would be. I think it is such a beautiful thing that we have these memories to hold onto through our childhood and into adult years. In a world where things do ever go exactly how we planned we have these happy memories. I am so thankful for these memories, and can't wait until I can share times like these with my family and some day my children.

God Bless

Alyssa