“Laughed Until We Cried”

“Laughed Until We Cried”

This past year my family
Was sittin cross-legged 'round the Christmas tree
Listenin to granddad, we all knew it would probably be his last
He was crackin jokes and we were takin turns
Tellin stories bout fishing or lessons learned
Out on the porch with him we all felt like kids again

Oh man we were livin, sittin' there reminiscin'
Yeah, we sang and talked and traveled back in time
We laughed until we cried

It's like the best days under the sun
Every emotion rolled into one
A little of this, A little of that
Kinda happy, Kinda sad

This is another one of my favorite songs. I love Jason Aldean’s music. He is a true country artist and there’s always a story behind every one of his songs. His music definitely speaks to me.

            When I hear this song I immediately think of all the memories I have with my family and friends. A couple years ago I remember my family and I were sitting in the living room. I was getting bored so I started looking up jokes. I started reading them and everyone was laughing. My sister started telling jokes and it became a laughing fest. My sister and I were literally rolling on the floor laughing. We did ended up laughing so hard we cried. It’s moments like that, that I’ll never forget because it was time I spent with my family. We were all getting along and just laughing and having a good time.

            We go to my aunt and uncles house a lot. My uncle is a veteran and talks about his time fighting for our country often. My sister and I will sit on the couch and listen to him talk. He reminisces about being overseas and his childhood. He also talks about his fishing and hunting stories. Those are entertaining to listen to. Some of the stories might not be always fun to listen to, but I know how much my uncle enjoys telling them so I sit and listen.

            My friends and I recently went to a Jason Aldean concert together. The concert was a blast and the four of us did have a lot of laughs. At the same time it was kind of sad. Even though we had a lot of fun together, it made me think of the future. This concert might have been one of the last times we are all together and hanging out. We all have jobs and go to school. We are going in different directions and knowing that makes me kind of sad. 

“Good Ol’ Boys Like Us”

“Good Ol’ Boys Like Us”

Sittin' on the toolbox
In this short bed chevrolet
I come out here to the county line
When I need some time to think

And lately I've been thinking
'Bout a boy I used to know
He was taken from this world
At twenty-one years old

When I look up at that photograph
See the smile there on his face
Well man it sure is hard to grasp
But I know he's in a better place

Cause gods got a spot in heaven
For good ol' boys like us
Yea he knows wings just ain't our thing
So up there they drive pick up trucks

And as we speak they're probably
Spending tires and slinging mud
Yea gods got a place
Yea gods got a place
For good ol' boys like us

This song reminds me exactly of my close friend who recently passed away. It just fits to what happened perfectly. Dakota was only 18 when he was killed in a car accident. I know he is up in heaven spinning tires and slinging mud. He drove a black truck and it was a ’98 Chevy. His truck was literally like his best friend. He was so careful with it, but then again at the same time crazy with it. He would go mudding and keep the mud on it for a few days to show everyone that he went mudding and then wash it off. I mean not just a quick wash, but a wash that would take a couple hours. That truck couldn’t have a spot of mud on it when he was done washing it. I remember one morning I was getting into his truck and it was raining outside. I had the door open and I can remember him saying hurry up so the rain doesn’t make the inside of my truck wet. He loved his truck.

Dakota was definitely a country boy. He loved doing anything that involved being outside. He loved going hunting and fishing. A couple summers ago he went up north with one of his friends and I remember him telling me how much fun it was. They went out on the boat every day and I’m sure they stayed out on the boat the whole day. He loved being with his friends. He was an only child so his friends were like his brothers. They would always be doing crazy things and messing around with their trucks or other toys. He was such a goof ball and made everyone laugh. His laugh was very contagious.

I think about him every day and I have a picture of us that sits on my night stand. I look at his smile, just like the song says and I know he’s in a better place. God does have a place in heaven for a “good ol’ boys like him.” 

"She's Country"

“She’s Country”

You boys ever met a real country girl?

Talkin, true blue, out in the woods, down home, country girl

Country, (shoot) from her cowboy boots to her down home roots
She's country, from the songs she plays to the prayers she prays,
That's the way she was born and raised, she ain't afraid to stay, country
Brother she's country

This is one of my favorite songs by Jason Aldean. This past Saturday my friends and I went to his concert. It was awesome. He is a really good performer and sounds awesome on stage. I think Jason Aldean is a true country singer. He sings about real life situations that can apply to everyone. His music is relatable and I relate to a lot of his songs. One of the songs is, “She’s Country.”

I like the part of the song where it talks about cowboy boots and down home roots. I wear my cowboy boots all the time. I actually have three different pairs. I got my first pair of “real,” cowboy boots just a couple months ago. I saved up for a while. The other two pairs are just knock out cowboy boots. I love my boots. They are a part of me and the way I grew up.

I grew up in the country. My house is a 120 year old farmhouse. My parents restored the house. When they brought it, it was completely trashed and not even livable. They started remodeling and then my mom got pregnant with me, so she could not help with the constitution as much. My dad kept all the original wood work and hard wood floors. I love the wood work and floors, it makes the house more unique because most houses do not have that anymore. This all relates back to the lyrics because it talks about “down home roots.” These are my roots. I am surrounded my fields and have a neighbor about a quarter of the mile down from my house. The neighbor down the road has cows and other farm animals. I grew up smelling cow manure and all the other glorious smells of living next to a farm.

I also love to go fishing and camping. Anything to do with outdoors, I love to do. My dad bought a quad a couple years ago and we redid it and got it running. I ride it around our yard, it helps blow off steam. As a kid I loved to get on my bike after a good rain and ride through the mud puddles.

I was raised in the country and these are my roots. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I love the freedom to be able to go outside and do the things I like to do without nosey neighbors constantly watching…...  "Brother she's country, from her cowboy boots to her down home roots,
nothin but country”

"Blood Brothers"

“Blood Brothers”

Blood brothers closer than you’re next to kin

Thick as thieves and the best of friends

Take a bullet for each other

Yeah brothers like that don't come cheap

You fight, you cry, you lie, you bleed

And you lean on one another

Blood brothers

I hear this song and think about many people in my life who are not blood related, but are still family to me. My best friend Bre is like a sister to me. We have become so close and I swear, sometimes I think she knows more about me then my own family does. You do not always have to be blood related to be considered family.

As a kid I went to “Margaret’s Sunshine Daycare.” I started going to her house when I was only two months old. Before I started kindergarten, Margaret helped me learn the alphabet and my numbers. Throughout the years, she has taught me much more. She taught me lessons about life and I remember she was always bandaging up my cuts and bruises because I was not very graceful as a kid. She had three boys and they were like older brothers to me. I spent ten years of my life at Margaret’s, so I consider her and her family, my family. Matt, who is the oldest boy has an eight year old daughter who I have babysat for many years and now Chris and Jon, her other sons, have babies. I am starting to babysit them now.  I have always been close with Margaret, but recently we have grown even closer. I have leaned on her a lot lately and she will spend hours just listening and talking to me. She always tells me that she’s only a phone call away and whenever I need anything to just let her know. She is like a second mom to me.

I also consider, Jeanie, my friend’s mom family. I first met her during my freshmen year of high school, but did not grow close to her until my junior and senior years of high school. I remember my junior year when I went over to her house, when I was hanging out with her son, she gave me the biggest hug. She is the sweetest person anyone could meet. Her laugh is so contagious and she is one of the strongest people I know. I will always consider her family.

"All Summer Long"

“All Summer Long”

It was summertime in Northern Michigan
Ahh Ahh Ahh
Ahh Ahh Ahh

Splashing through the sand bar
Talking by the campfire
It's the simple things in life, like when and where
We didn't have no internet

Singing Sweet Home Alabama all summer long
Singing Sweet Home Alabama all summer long

Now nothing seems as strange as when the leaves began to change
Or how we thought those days would never end
Sometimes I'll hear that song and I'll start to sing along

Hearing this song takes me back to my family camping trips every time I hear it. We go camping every year in Traverse City for a week and then do weekends up in Tawas, at the state park. The last couple years we have not been able to go as much because of all my graduation festivities and because of work.

                As far back as I can remember, we always went camping. It is something my family loves and it is time we can spend together. For me it is a place to relax and be away from the world for a while. It seems like we are always doing something though. We usually do a lot of biking riding, some years we have done a total of 50 miles. We ride into town and go to the little shops or get something to eat at a tiny restaurant, squeezed between two shops. We also go to the lake to go swimming, which is also fun. The water is usually very warm. Fishing is another thing we do. This past summer we took the boat up north with us and fished on a couple small lakes. If it rains while we are up north we go to the mall and play games in the arcade. That is a blast. The arcade is huge.

                My dad and I get up early every morning and start a fire so we can have hobo pies. Those are my favorite thing to eat while camping. We also make fires at night and have s’mores. Having campfires are one of my most favorite thing to do on our camping trips. We sit by the fire and tell stories. My dad talks about his own stories about being up north as a kid.

                Any time we would leave or come back to the park, my dad blares this song, All Summer Long. We have the windows rolled down in the truck and this song is blaring, while the four of us are singing our lungs out. It is more like a tradition to do this now. Being up north is my favorite thing to do and camping is something that is in my blood. This is my, “Summertime in Northern Michigan.”