Why I love all 42 songs on my playlist...

My neices (who are around my age) are starting blogs (But Amber & Gel have had one forever).

I am so excited to read the details of their lives!

I thought about last year when I started my blog. I thought of how songs tell as much about me and my family as some of my posts. Each of these songs have value to me.

I have to warn you... it's about as random as I am. The below list is just about in order with the list of songs in the black box off to the right bottom.

I'll start with the simple ones. Here's my newest additions, because they sound cool, and no other reason:
A) 1 2 3 4--Plain White T's
B) The Show-- Lenika
C) I'm Yours-- Jason Mraz
D) Follow Through-- Gavin Degraw

1. Say-John Mayer. You're already laughing. Yes, it could be my theme song. I love how he says it's better to say too much than nothing at all.

2. On my mind-- Kalai. Great words about your spouse being on your mind. I love to think of Tim and I's engagement when I hear this song.

3. Somewhere over the rainbow/wonderful world-- Braddah Iz. This reminds me of our first year of marriage in Hawaii. Braddah Iz is the bomb in Hawaii! Iz is short for Israel. We play this at luaus.

4. If I had a Million Dollars--BNL. This reminds me of my college days with Becky Bishoff-Parker, Holly Scheckel-Scott, and Nicole Burnett-Douglas. The song is just hilarious. I think of all the pranks we freshman dormmates pulled. Everything from laxitive brownies (and taking all the TP out of the stalls at a frat party) to throwing wet wads of TP at the neighbors window from ours (b/c we thought he was breaking in). We loved this song!

5. It feels like home to me-- Dawsons Creek. I love this one b/c home has been so many places for me. I grew up as a child of WONDERFUL and divorced parents. I never became attached to one home so to say. There were a lot of moves, then when I got married, Utah to Hawaii to New York, to Colorado to China. Home is truly where the heart is. Anything can feel like home as long as you love the people there.

6. 1 2 3 4--Feist. Fun and bouncy.

7. Angel--Jack Johnson. A song about a woman; an angel w/o wings... that can give life to angels (having children). It's such a great tribute to wives and mothers. Do you ever envision your spouse singing certain songs to you? This is one I think of Tim singing to me. LOL... he's never heard of the song.

8. Child of Mine--Carole King. I love the line "So glad you are a child of mine". My mom used to always say to us "I'm so glad I gotcha!" She really made it sound like an accomplishment when referring to the blessing of having us wild kids. My step-mom, or bonus mom loved us just like her own. I love that.

9. Lullaby--Billy Joel. So many reasons. Where to start?! I have a real visual of this one. One of my brothers loved this song for his wife, and Barry and Holly and I also memorized this song with him. It's so sentimental, as I learned the lyrics over 10 years ago. I love the lyrics that Billy Joel sung just for his daughter. ALSO... It's a song Stephanie Meyer picked out for Edward's song for Bella for Twilight.

10. He Mele No Lilo-- Mark Keal'i ho'omalu. Stole this from Britta's Blog, she also lived in Hawaii. I love this Lilo and Stitch song. It's true Hawaiian music at it's finest. So many memories of the Harbottles and Akeos and all the other families that made our Hawaiian experience so amazing.

11. New Soul-- Yawl Naim. This was played to a slide show video for sweet Ashley Peterson at her funeral. I loved seeing all the pictures of Ash with all the princesses at Disney World. I think the words are so tender. She was such a powerful influence for good, at just 5 years old!

12. Better Together-- Jack Johnson. Jack Johnson reminds me of Emily Hart and her family. They had his CDs before he was even all that big. I think Emily even did a DVD slide show to one of his songs.

13. One Love-- Bob Marley. Who can claim a balanced music collection w/o loving this guy?!

14. Stand by Me-- Ben E. King. A song I think about when I think about my patchwork quilt of a family. We have everything from Hispanic, Native American, Black, Asian, christian, Mormon, non-denominational, and everything in between under the Grannis umbrella. We don't trace blood lines to see who's been adopted in or anything senseless like that. We just take 'em as they come. I've been told countless times that this family is the most welcoming of them all. We laugh like crazy and crack jokes and pranks all the time. We're even WWF live sometimes.
My favorite part of this song is the beginning of the song. "When the night has come, and the land is dark..." I know these people love me most, and I know I can always lean on them.

15. Annie's Song (You fill up my senses)-- John Denver. I love the idea of having your senses filled with someone you love. Let me drown in your laughter... come let me love you... can you beat it?!

16. Let Them Be Little-- Billy Dean. Stole this from Gel's blog. I love the part of "Let 'em laugh, let 'em giggle, let 'em sleep in the middle". I've loved the series Babywise that teach babies to sleep through the night at an early age. But right now as we speak, Tann is sleeping right behind me on the couch. I just came home from girl's camp, and I hadn't seen him. So when he came down and said "Momma, sleep downstairs?" I had to give in. Hunter and Tann won't be little for long!

17. Power of Two--Indigo Girls. First time I heard this was just after my mission at a mini-mission-reunion. I thought it perfectly summarized what life was like (on optimistic days) since my brother's passing. While it deeply saddened me,and still does, I've gained. I know that with Barry on the "other side" I have someone pulling for me. I'm now convinced that your deepest inadequacies and short-comings can be overcame with help of these angels that know you best. Comforting, that thought.

18. Here comes the Sun--Sarah bentten. Stole this from Siri's blog. With each trial, there's always the Sun around the corner. "It's alright". And sometimes we just need to be okay with "alright" and let go of "perfect" and "amazing" to compensate for the hard part of life.

19. Cruising Together-- Gweneth Paltro. First, who knew Gweneth Paltro could sing? I love that Michael Jordan tried out baseball, despite the critics. But I mostly love this song more because I heard it on the airplane when we went to Thailand. It was part of the advertising for Asia Airlines. And I do, indeed love to be "cruisin' together" my three Calton boys.

20. Change The World-- Eric Clapton. I love the changes people have made in my life. I love people who inspire me to try something new and awkward.

21. Think of Me-- David Archuleta. Still think he should've won American Idol. I love this Phantom song, because Susan (bonus mom) introduced us wild kids to cultured things such as Opera. She would play the songs in the car and tell us the story lines over and over. She was so good at engaging us kids into things. One Christmas they gave Phantom the movie. I flooded with tears backed in fond memories of those musicals together.

22. What A Wonderful World-- Louis Armstrong. I dig his raspy voice. His voice is so different than any other. This is a great message about how wonderful things are amazing just for being the way they are.... no change necessary. Brightness of Day, Darkness of Night.

23. Bubbly--Colbie Caillat. This one is one of the few that Tim actually told me (in Colorado) "I like that song" when it first came on the radio. I like the endearing part of crinkling her nose, down to her toes.

24. Satellite-- Dave Matthews. Barry had a black Honda Accord, he adored that car. He would always have Dave Matthews blaring. I remember washing the car with him in SLC and listening to this song so loud, but not loud enough. We were jamin'!

25. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)--John Lennon. I've noticed a few of you add this one recently. It's one of the few Daddy-Son ones. You can picture the Dad laying next to the son in his bed, and saying "the monster's gone, he's on the run, your Daddy's here".

26. Shining Star-- Manhattans. In high school, Cascade High, we had all the cultures. I had friends of all backgrounds. One was named Tameka. Every other word from her mouth would have us rolling out of our chairs at lunch. She sang this song many a times at school, with all the moves. I'm envisioning it right now. This is one you can blare loud on a boring day, and it'll make you bust a move dancing.

27. Hey There Delilah-- White T's. Just a fun modern song. I love the simple voice/guitar combo.
28. Everything-- Michael Bauble. Stole this from Emily's blog. I love songs that just get down and gritty about how you feel for someone.

29. Nothing At All-- Ronan Keating. Kind of the opposite of John Mayer's "Say". But when you're around someone you know well, it's funny how you don't need to explain anything, because they just know you. You can crack a joke, fail miserably, be obsessed about the miscellaneous... and they know you enough that you don't need any explanation. They just know you and love you all the same.

30. Baby Mine--Alison Krause. Love the soft subtle verses that make you think of a sleeping newborn in your arms. Tiny feet, little yawns, and size N Pampers. I don't love newborns, but I adored and was overjoyed to hold my own. They fit so nicely in the crook of my arm in their infancy. And it makes me so excited to have our family welcome in our little adoption. My mouth is watering. So I'll stop.

31. Three Little Birds-- Bob Marley. Don't worry about a thing... a message from three little birds. Every little thing always works out. Just as it was supposed to be. My mom has had to tell me this all too many times. And she is always right.

32. Who you'd be today-- Kenny Chesney. Makes me cry every time. I think of the Bear (Barry). I always think of who he might've married. What his kids would've looked like. And I relate to "see your smile, see your face, see ya laughin' in the rain"... how those memories become treasures.

33. The Way You Look Tonight-- Michael Bauble. Whatta voice. I love the old school voices. And every woman wants to think that her husband is thinking of her, on a bad day, then feels better... lol. So idealistic. We can dream of him singing this to you, right?

34. Shanghai Breezes-- John Denver. Shanghai. Need I say more? "it's funny how you sound right next door, and you're really a half a world away". I hope y'all don't forget about us in China. "The moon and the stars are the same..." or so John says.

35. I'll Be There 1-- Escape Club. I think that anytime you think of the person you love that's left this life, they'll be there. They'd do anything to be there, and let you just feel them close by. Tender mercies. "Just think of me, and I'll be there". When I was little, clear to adulthood I was always afraid of the dark. It would scare me so much I would freeze still, and couldn't move. But after Barry's passing, I've never once been afraid of the dark. I figure he takes care of those things for me now.

36. L.O.V.E.-- Frank Sinatra. Love his voice. Love this simple and bouncy rhythm.

37. Natural Woman-- Carole King. I married Tim for many reasons. This, the following, was very high on the list: I never wanted to marry a man that knew color schemes, that talked more than me, that kept a cleaner house than me, was more emotional than me, or that shopped more than me. Tim is very much so a MAN in every sense. He lets me play my role nicely, and enjoys it--most times.

38. True Colors--Cyndi Lauper. Another Barry song. He was so comfortable in his own skin. He couldn't even fathom the thought of someone not liking him. He was so confident, and his own person. My good friend, Anna Frohn once said "Trying to love someone with out loving their flaws is like trying to love Swiss Cheese w/o the holes". People are people, and "package deals". I've found that people are merely the products of their best choices given their circumstances. Love them the way they are. For no other reason than that's how Jesus sees them.

39. Lean on Me--Bill Withers. A song for my sister. I have leaned on her much more than should be necessary. I have leaned on my friends much more than is comfortable. And they keep comin' back. Talk about blessings. "If I have strength you need to borrow"... I have learned that it's truly borrowable.

40. Me and You-- Kenny Chesney. Stole this from Lynette's blog. This was the first song she
had on her blog when she set it up. I was lost in the romance of it. Because when it all boils down, it's you and your spouse... so sweet.

41. At Last--Etta James. I had dated before my mission, and told each date of my plans for a mission. One even shared the Hinkley talk about Sisters and Missions (remember that one?). But I knew my perfect one would come for me, after. When I came home, I got a "release blessing", and in it, I was advised "do not look for your spouse, he will find you." And he did.

42. Peanut Butter and Jelly--InsideOut. Tell me this is not hilarious. I crack up every time!

If you have a playlist, I tag you to breif a breif note on your songs of sentimental value.