36 laps around the sun

SO…. it’s my birthday today!  Hooray! Or something. Initially, I planned on writing a self indulgent article about what my 30’s have been like so far.  I’m just not feeling it this morning.  I have amazing friends. Thank you all for the good energy you impart into my life.  I also have amazing daughters.  Today, I am feeling very grateful.

I just want to talk about my oldest daughter for a second. Music is the love of my life, and has been a savior to me on countless occasions.  I owe who I am today to the trumpet and to my music teachers during my teens.  When Mireesa and were expecting, of course – I had high hopes for my daughter to find a deep love of music herself. But I also don’t believe in forcing anything.  I sing in the car, I tell her about my musical projects, she sees me get excited about it all (even though she thinks I’m super weird).    One of my favorite memories of her as a really little girl is of driving her to pre school, and her asking for the “doo doo doo song”. This was her way of describing the last part of the song “Drive”, by Incubus. We would listen to this song in the car together all the time:

“If I decide to waiver my chance

to be one of the hive
Will I choose water over wine

and hold my own and drive
It’s driven me before, it seems to be the way

That everyone else get around
Lately, I’m beginning to find that

when I drive myself, my light is found” 

Makinley and her friend Victoria love to record cover versions of songs and post them on YouTube.  They have their own channel called The Singing Gummibearz.  Check them out here.  Makinley is the one on the right, the one with the deeper voice.  Here they are singing “Love The Way You Lie” by Rihanna:

When I went to pick up the girls last weekend, Mireesa showed me something I was totally unaware of.  Makinley had written a song of her own and recorded it.   (A quick super personal tidbit:  I stress a lot about my kids freaking out and disowning me when they find out what my life is really like. Mireesa raises them to be super mormon. They think I’m super weird because I have long hair, ride a skateboard, and play in a band. As you know, this is not even the tip of the iceberg of weirdness in my life. I don’t think they really understand the totality of my lifestyle. I fear a bad reaction from them.)   Listen to Makinley’s song, No Matter What They Say:

Tears came to my eyes.

Being a dad is a wondrous thing.

 

 

 

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