Pleasant Associations

Do any of you find yourselves always associating a song, movie, smell, or anything else with a specific memory? I'm sure I'm just overly sentimental, but it happens to me ALL the time!!

For example, the other night, Mark and Jeff were talking about their common taste for Norah Jones' music, and specifically her newest album, "Feels Like Home." I thought about how that album always reminds me (and probably always will) of my third trimester of pregnancy, before Cal was born. That's when the album had just come out, and Jeff bought it because he was given a gift certificate to Best Buy as a tip while he was tying balloons.

The album has pleasant associations for me because I would listen to it while I would drive to and from different stores to get things for the nursery, and to and from my orchestra class (which seemed so ridiculous for me to be doing when my tummy was so big). The music reminds me of being big, but still active and capable--happy in my anticipation. I think we were even listening to it the night before my water broke and we rushed to the hospital. It was the perfect album for that time in my life, I think especially because the sound and feeling of the album seem so warm and cozy, ...so homey, which makes the title of the album very fitting. It was the perfect music to be enjoying while Jeff and I prepared to welcome a new little person into our home.

In contrast, we bought Coldplay's latest album, "X&Y," right before we left for a huge road trip earlier that summer. The road trip included a two-week stay with my parents in Orem, Utah, then a drive to Breckenridge, CO for the Foster Family Reunion, then a week's stay in Denver. We listened to the album many times in the car. During that time, I was on and off trying to fight morning sickness! That's what "X&Y" reminds me of sometimes! Isn't that sad? It has no reflection on the quality of the music--I still love to listen to it. It just reminds me of being kind of sick...

As I mentioned before, I find that this phenomenon of having strongly associated memories happens to me all the time. It's especially true of music, smells,...and restaurants, oddly enough (I must not go out to eat enough...) Does this happen to anyone else? Is there a scientific reason for it?

CRAWLING!...and Other Things

I tell you, it doesn't get any better than watching the little body of your little boy, reaching his arms out and moving his legs forward, coordinating the whole forward-propelling mechanics of crawling. He's been getting better and better at it for two weeks now, and I think it makes him a happier kid because he can go almost anywhere he wants now.

It makes long car rides a little harder, as we experienced first-hand last Friday on the drive from Phoenix to Denver...It's just a long time to be buckled in for a squirmy, curious little man. We did stop at the Grand Canyon in the middle of the day. That was awesome, and it was a good break from being in the car. And, after a long day, we finally made it. We've had a fun weekend with Joy and Grant, Grandma, Grandpa and Megan. Also, Jeff had his first day of his first rotation today, which you will have to ask him about if you want to know the details. We love being here and anxiously await the time when all of the rest of you will arrive.

Sorry about the lack of pictures on this post...more to come, I promise.